Jeff Adams

Even on vacation I have not been able to escape the Myanmar cyclone (hurricane) disaster and the number of casualties that grows daily. Today’s reports indicate that the number of dead may reach or exceed 100,000. Do those numbers seem as staggering to you as they do to me? I honestly have no way to even understand. We lived through a civil war that left 80,00 dead over a period of about eleven years. Most of my readers can’t relate to that, but 100,000 or more in a single day? That seems to me like some of those numbers we read about in the Bible, except that this is happening in real time.

Every so often our private space is invaded by news like this. Most of us watch, wonder and get on with life as long as it doesn’t affect us. It’s different if it affects us, isn’t it? The first night of vacation is when the storm with hurricane force winds and a few tornadoes blew through Kansas City. We awoke to that news and spent the first part of the day checking the Internet to find out exactly what happened. Then we called family to be sure everyone was safe. Even though some people lost their homes, no one died. Even so, we spent the rest of the day thinking about what had happened in Kansas City.

In comparison, I didn’t think as long and hard about Myanmar, at least initially. I am not trying to load myself or anyone else up with a guilt trip. Tragedies and disasters happen regularly in this world and always have since the entrance of sin into God’s cosmos. As I was reflecting on my Bible reading today, I thought that we could all stand to be more sensitive to human suffering wherever and however it occurs.

In the case of Myanmar I have reason to be reflective and concerned. My concern has a face and a name – Dr. Peter Pullman (not his real name for security reasons). A few years ago I was hustling down a hallway at church during a mission conference when I noticed an oriental man approaching me. He was obviously keen to intercept me, though I think he was as surprised as I was that we should be intersecting right that at that particular place and time. I did not recognize him, but stopped and introduced myself. We often have outside guests for our conferences, and I was not surprised to hear that he was visiting. He already knew who I was, and he politely introduced himself as Dr. Peter Pullman.

“Dr. Pullman,” I asked, “where are you from” I was not prepared for the answer he gave me.

“Burma,” he said with a straight-into-my-eye look that at once suggested pride, determination and a challenge. I noticed immediately that he used the older name “Burma” and not the current official name of Myanmar. He probably and correctly assumed that a Westerner would more readily identify with Burma. And, in a mission conference, perhaps he knew that the name of Burma would provoke all sorts of emotions if one were aware of the history of missions. And, if one was aware of the history of missions, chances are there would be a corresponding awareness of the state of Burma today. In my case the answer to all of the above was “yes,” and that was all the more reason I found myself frozen in one of those memorable moments of time as I stretched to try and match the courteous bow of Dr. Pullman.

“Burma?” I kept repeating to myself as I smiled and began to ask some basic questions of Dr. Pullman. “Burma? There is really a man from Burma walking around in our church?” That sort of thing just does not happen every day, not even in good old multicultural KCBT.

Burma, you see, is where Adoniram Judson ministered for over 40 years beginning in 1813. Judson, a Congregationalist missionary was America’s first missionary to a “foreign” country. Doing a study of baptism on the long sea journey, upon their arrival in their chosen field of India Judson and his wife requested baptism by an English Baptist missionary associate of the famous British missionary William Carey. America’s first foreign missionary became a Baptist. They were then summarily informed by the East India Trading Company that they were not permitted to stay in India. Through a series of circumstances they soon found themselves in Burma, considered by many the very bitter end of the earth!

Burma was considered impenetrable. The resistance and difficulty he faced must have been about as hard for us to understand as the number of 100,000 left dead in a cyclone. For three years Judson and his wife spent twelve hours a day to learn Burmese. Then, armed with his knowledge of Latin, Greek and Hebrew, he tackled translating the Bible into Burmese. It was not until after almost seven years in Burma that he dared to hold his first semi-public service. Months later he baptized his first convert. After twelve years the Judsons could count only 18 converts. Nevertheless, by the time he died there were hundreds of churches across Burma.

What happened? Today Burma is ruled by a military dictatorship and is one of the world’s most closed societies. So much so, that even in the face of a disaster of this magnitude the military government is resistant to allowing help to come in from the outside. The church that Judson began is still there, of course, but is under incredible persecution and oppression, a mere speck of light in a country of heavy and tangible darkness.

Dr. Pullman is from a minority people group and for the past years he and his brother have labored to translate the Bible into their own language. The reason he had come to the States was to complete his theological education and learn how to improve their ministry and translation efforts. While in seminary in Florida he met a Mexican (still unknown to me) who told him that he needed to come to Kansas City to meet Jeff Adams. And that, my friends, is how I came to stumble across Dr. Peter Pullman in the hallways of KCBT.

It just so happened that during that particular conference there were representatives here from The Seed Company who, as much as anyone, know that Dr. Pullman is working in one of the most difficult and dangerous places in the world today. They knew that for him to even be in the conference was a risk. For them to speak to him was a risk to their own representatives in that part of the world who could be dangerously compromised should Dr. Pullman turn out to be less than honest.

What took place over the following months was one of those daunting dances that often occur when followers of Jesus seek to minister in places far removed from familiar culture. The result was that Dr. Pullman turned out to be who and what he claimed to be. However, even with all of its resources and experience, it turned out that it was just not simply a good fit for The Seed Company to draw alongside of Dr. Pullman and assist him, though both have a healthy and godly respect for the other. We in the West have ruled the world of mission for so long we sometimes fail to see ourselves as others do. We don’t mean this for sure, but we can sometimes come across like Burmese military dictators to those in other cultures who have totally different world views, ways to process information and make decisions, even those who are also followers of Jesus Christ. Sometimes the most sensitive and loving thing to do is to recognize that not only do we not have all the answers, but our very presence or association could severely compromise our brother and sisters in certain places and situations. We don’t have to control everything or even understand everything that God is doing in the world today.

Every so often I get an email from Dr. Pullman. He loves KCBT and remembers fondly his time with us. Some of you have asked about his safety due to the cyclone devastation. I simply don’t know. I have emailed him and will wait to see if and when he replies. That is as much as I can do. I can’t tell you his real name and I can’t tell you where he is located — all to protect his safety. However, from what little I understand of the regional geography, I am guessing and praying that he is not in the immediate area of impact. As we can imagine, though, services throughout the entire country are in disarray. What I can do is ask you to join me in praying for him, his family, other believers and their country. Not long ago a horrible tsunami brought unthinkable death and destruction to areas not far from Burma. From preliminary reports, one of the long term consequences to the disaster relief has been an increasing awareness and acceptance of the Gospel. Let’s pray that the same effect takes place in this case also.

VACATION UPDATE: Home tomorrow night! Had a great time in Quebec City and Montreal.