Pointed spires. Towering pagodas. Intricate golden trim.

Over 10,000 temples, monasteries, and meditation centers stand preserved in Myanmar’s ancient city of Bagan. Located just along the bend of the Ayeyarwady River, this 40-square-mile stretch of plains testifies to the country’s history of Buddhism.

But this faithful allegiance isn’t just a thing of the past.

According to Harvard Divinity School, nearly 90% of Myanmar’s more than 58 million citizens identify as Theravada Buddhists. It’s a much larger group than the 8.2% of Christians who live in the nation. 

“Life here as a Christian is like a bird in a cage,” said Tamla Paw, ODBM Myanmar’s Chief Editor and Coordinator. “Christianity is seemingly treated equally, yet there are restrictions regarding freedom of religion.”

But ODBM’s Myanmar office has persevered, and together, they’ve published a variety of new resources in two languages for their audience: Myanmar and Kayin.

Specifically, Myanmar- and Kayin-translated Queen Esther comics aim to encourage children. 

“We want to bring up a new generation who knows and loves God,” said Tamla. “We believe it’s a great need for our country.”

So far, Tamla’s team has shared more than 300 copies of Queen Esther with bookshops and churches in Yangon.

They’ve also distributed more than 2,000 translated copies of Our Daily Bread Publishing’s Adventuring Through the Bible.

“Adventuring Through the Bible is very helpful for ministers as they prepare their weekly sermons,” said Tamla. “They’ve said that they are encouraged by it, and they can preach with boldness because the truths they have learned empower them.”

ODBM Myanmar wishes to translate and publish more resources for Christians in their predominantly Buddhist region. However, they plan to focus on creating digital materials moving forward due to conflicts in the country and the increase in paper prices.

“We hope that Christians in Myanmar will grow in their faith and have a deeper relationship with God,” said Tamla. “And we also want to see them come together in church and serve each other as well as those who are in need.”

We ask that you keep our Myanmar team in your prayers as they look for new ways to connect their audience to God’s Word.