Well, a good Wednesday morning to you, and I want to welcome you to Wheat Among the Tares, our program here from the studios of Gethsemane Global Radio in Lexington, South Carolina. Thank you for joining us this morning. Blessing to have you if you're listening in maybe for the first time. I appreciate you joining us. And speaking of joining us, Pastor Steve Williams, welcome to the studio this morning. Good morning to you, brother, as well as all of you listening today. Thank you for being on the broadcast. It is a blessing indeed. And, um, I'm very thankful of course, this time of year, um, pastors, you will know, this is a time when we think about giving and, um, we're recording this close to Christmas and, uh, about a week or so before, as I was, I was thinking earlier as, as we were in a time of prayer, um, I was thinking about. the subject of just what we're going to talk about today. And we're going to be talking with brother Tim Falk, and I'm going to introduce him in just a moment. Uh, but I was thinking about just how blessed we are here in America. And sometimes I tend myself to focus on problems that I'm having. Sure. And, and I was just reminded by the Lord to say, Hey, wait a minute, the things that you think, and they're, and they're real to me. Yes, sir. But there's folks that are going through far deeper trials and tribulations that I'm not going through. And yet we're in a position that we can pray for those. And I want to take that comment and I want to springboard that into a conversation Uh, brother Tim Falk, who is no stranger, uh, to weed among the tears. Uh, he is, um, with reach international ministries out of, um, Midland, Michigan and brother Tim, uh, our dear brother and friend in the Lord. Welcome to weed among the tears, my brother. Well, thank you, Brother Blake, and thank you, Pastor Williamson. Yes, sir, Brother. Brother Tim, you heard my comments, and the things that are going on right now, particularly with you and the heartbeat that you have for the nation of Myanmar or Burma, and we've said it many times, uh brother just the the needs that are there the things that folks go through there uh things that we know nothing about here in our country and yet um You know, we're called upon to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. And Pastor, I know you have preached many times on that particular subject. Brother Tim, let's start first of all with And I know you just made a trip to Myanmar. I tell you what, why don't you just go ahead and kind of give us a background of the recent trip that you had there, what you were able to accomplish, and then we will delve into just politically what's going on with the country. And then from there, we'll springboard into some of the particular brethren there and some of the things they're going through. Well, it turns out, brother, that our timing, though we didn't know it, was impeccable because we went to the Philippines and then went all over to Burma. This would have been the last week, October, first week of November. And things, of course, are different now than they were back in 2015 up until 2020 when we were there. But as of February, But first, 2021, of course, the military, we do the elected government there. Things went into a tailspin. Things kind of stabled out a little bit. And then we were able to go in and meet with the brethren. Of course, Lisa was with me, both to the Philippines and in Myanmar. And it was her first mission trip, first time meeting the people in both countries. And they welcomed her, of course, with open arms and open hearts. And it was just a wonderful experience. We did notice that there were gas lines. The electricity was terrible. They only have electricity probably four hours a day on a good day. That worked against us one Sunday because I was preaching a double service there. And the church planters were there, and our home church was there. And of course, there was no electricity, and then I just I got dehydrated. I don't know that I've been that dehydrated in a long time, so much so that, you know, you get the chills and all that later. I mean, it was devastating. But on top of all that, with all the things that are going wrong, it's really gone bad since we've left. I just got a text yesterday from Seah James, and he said that he was in line for four hours behind. He counted the cars, 177 cars to get rationed five liters of diesel fuel. You know, five liters is a little more than a gallon. And they're given that once a week. Now, the thing about that is not only does it go in the vehicle, but the generator that Brother James has for his house and the ministry there is not on diesel fuel. And so not only are they out of electricity, they're out of diesel fuel to run the generator. So, uh, you know, things are really, really gone bad there. But on top of that though, brother, you know, and I'm getting these texts, uh, forwarded you this, what James said about, um, bongong and Yinshui, uh, co and Kong toy and them living in the jungle. These guys, one of the plans that we had when we went there was to plan out the Christian Christmas outreaches that we do every year. all of which had signed up for them. We're going to have over 30 outreaches on top of a half a dozen of these guys are in the jungle. I mean, but they're going to go ahead and carry out reaching the community. Of course, it's going to be going to be something for even the villagers there that are involved in all this. They're out there in the jungle with our Christian brother, you know, and They just see it as an opportunity to reach them. So we're going to have 30 outreaches anyway. We're going to reach out to over 5,000 people. In the midst of all that, these guys handed out 315 Judson Bibles. Amen. 15 people were saved in the last three or four weeks. On top of all that, these guys are like the Energizer Bunny. They just keep going. The children's homes there are growing in numbers simply because of the war. The, the war there is really when I, when I mentioned the overtime in February 1st, 2021, it was all the military was a bad guy. And that was the only thing they had to contend with. Like that wasn't bad enough. But then the rebel forces, um, they came together and they call themselves the PDA PDL. And now. Of course, they're fighting government forces, but then our Christian brethren are many times in between. We don't line up politically, but at the same time, the PDF come in, and if they do anything that the military tells them to do, in which they'll have to do it because the military's pouring a gun at them when they tell them to do it. But when they come in and the PDF comes in and finds out they've done the military's bidding, well then, they punish them by destroying stuff. And so our guys are caught in the middle, but I just did not sense, brother, the kind of discouragement that I would have if that was happening to me among the brethren that came to visit with us. I mean, they were just looking for different ways along the way in the midst of these harsh circumstances to reach these with the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it's beyond convicting, and it's beyond encouraging. It's just phenomenal. And I would say, well, that's just one of our guys. Well, our leadership is like that. Of course, James Loeb is like that, but it's not just leadership. I mean, these guys have just bought in to truth. The salvation by grace, who's faith? They fall into the reality of hell, and these guys are going there if they don't trust Christ, and it's just being played out there in a mighty way. And I can't, I'm failing to describe what Lisa and I saw when we were there, and then what has been reported missing of the things that are happening. Brother Tim, Pastor, that's very convicting because here we have things here in our country, and we go on the street ourself. We go down on Saturday nights and we get some opposition and whatnot. And of course the opposition here is somewhat different in the sense that it's more of an intellectual type thing and people, you know, giving us a hard time, that type of thing. But nothing like being caught in the vise between the military and the rebels that are fighting back against the military. And for them to have the joy of the Lord and God's heart concerning missions, to me, it's worth having this program just to let people know. And you are listeners. particularly, uh, that it would encourage, uh, you to pray for them. Pastor, I'm going to ask the question here and, um, And Brother Tim, of course, you can listen in to this, but just the encouragement alone, Paul said, I have learned and whatsoever state I am, there would be content. Paul went through a lot. You've just recently done a thing on the missionary journeys of Paul in a great depth. And by the way, it was a blessing indeed. Paul's mind concerning that and everything that he went through. Yes, sir. Well, he said he had to learn and we are not contented people by nature. And, uh, you know, you could use a term God puts us through the college of contentment and, uh, because of something that has to be learned and. You know when you hear about people who have so little and going through so much struggle and Yet, they are joyful and their joy is in the Lord, and it's not in things You know we're reminded that this life consisteth not of the things which man which we possess right what man possesseth and where your treasure is there where your heart be also and set our affection on things above and not on things on this earth and And we know one of the struggles living in a country that has much and that is blessed as the lust of other things coming in to our heart and choking the Word of God. and, you know, seeing so much around us that can get your eyes and your heart. And that's why we're warned so much about covetousness in the scripture. But I'm so thankful for, you know, these brethren that with a little they have, not only are they, you know, thankful to the Lord for it, but they also share it with others that don't have. And so truly it is conviction. You know, and it is that giving heart, Brother Tim, that, and when a man is not covetous, when he has God's mind and God's heart on something like that, then certainly, and I know, and I'm going back to Mr. Judson, it's still called today, how that man and his wives, Mr. Judson had three wives, the first two passed away in the ministry there. And all of these people were just giving people because they understood the necessity of the gospel and how that people, if they don't hear it, They'll never ever, as you said, Brother Tim, they'll perish in hell away from the presence of God. And these men that are in the ministry there, they certainly understand the need of the light of the Word of God. Brother Tim, you mentioned long lines for fuel and limited means and whatnot. You and I both know, and Pastor does as well, about a recent article just here in the last few days that has come out about what is going on with regard to the military dictatorship there in Myanmar and the fact that it is, in essence, collapsing. What is going on with that as far as what you know and what you've seen and perhaps Just give us an idea of maybe what would come out of that. Would something better or something worse? Well, I can only make a prediction based on, you know, what I've seen. I think I've got my thumb on the pulse of the situation there, both with the rebels and the government. And really the, the, the tragedy behind the collapse of this government would be, I fear. that China would come sweeping in and be the big guy and just come in and play the role that America used to play when it came to being the good guy. And China, of course, their government is set up to take and not give anything back. And I'm sure whatever they take, they won't get back. And I think that even though This thing's bad, the government, the military government, the military junta, the way that they rule is terrible. The timing of a collapse of that government is not good as far as the Burmese people go. And it's not good for us because we don't have the administration on our end that would go in and do the right thing when it comes to China. It's my opinion. And I think it would get worse. Uh, you know, some would say, well, it gets worse where it gets better, but, uh, I wouldn't, I wouldn't see a silver lining right now if things just collapse and they are collapsing. So, um, and I, and I fear we're just going to have to pray harder and do all that we can do when we can do it. But, um, I fear for the collapse of that, that government as bad as it is. Um, I don't see things in place to fix it. And Brother Tim, the need for prayer is even more pressing now than ever with regard to our folks there. Boots on the ground, as we say there, and again, being caught in that vice between the rebels and the military there. Brother Tim, I Just again, our God is still on the throne. I want to remind myself of that. I want to remind our listeners of that. And we can look at the downside, if you would. And also that the positive side of things is that our brethren are still out there with a heart for the Lord and they're reaching people. You gave me three different individuals and these men are teachers when it comes to the matters of being in the field and teaching the word of God and reaching people and these are three different men and I wanted to just deal with them individually for a minute. If you would comment on each one of these and, um, and we're certainly before the end of the program, going to pray for them, but, uh, say you're wrong on a U N G. Uh, and if you're listening and you're writing that down, If you're writing these names down, then certainly, uh, for prayer, then we certainly ask you to please do so. But say, uh, say you rather, uh, which means teacher, by the way, wrong on, um, some comments here, brother, it says he's been in the last month and forced to hide in the jungle, uh, where they're facing a lot of struggles right now. Comment first of all, on this dear brother. Well, Ron Young came to us several years ago, really, just from the beginning, and just been very, very zealous for the things of the Lord. And he would come on a six-hour bus ride twice a month to our training. And so then when the war broke out, of course, he just happened to be right there in the war zone in the North. That's the northwestern part of the country. And so he's been suffering through it. And then again, the dilemma he and these others that we'll talk about are in now is not just facing the military forces, but also the PDF as they fight the military. And so this forces him, not just he and his church, Not into the jungle, but the whole village. So he's really looking for an opportunity during this Christmas outreach to reach some Buddhist and Chinese families as well. There are some Chinese folks that come in and work in his region. And that's where they're thinking about reaching them. Amen. Seiya Yin Ko. It says here they have been under continual attacks in their village. They've had to flee for their lives again. They have built recently a small church meeting place at the place of safety, at least from what he said. And now they are preparing to do a Christmas outreach as well. He said they've invited Buddhist families to come. Brother, where are they and comment on this group? Yeah, he's not too far from Brongong. They're in different regions, but could have been in the northwest part. And we, last time, it was last time or the time before last, we mentioned Yen-Shui Ko as a prayer request because he had had to leave the village for the first time. And then he had come back and was building a temporary light materials church, or a place to meet, thinking that this wouldn't happen again, but it's happened several times since then. And this has happened over the period of the last six or nine months. And so now they've built a lot of materials, when I say a lot of materials, I'm talking about bamboo and nipah, and built a place, you know, to meet so that they can have primarily, not just church services, but right here at Christmas have this outreach program that has been very, very effective in the past. The Buddhists are very infatuated with Christmas, and they'll come and they'll hear. He's gearing up to do that. Amen. Pastor, um, brother Tim did share with us, um, not too long ago, several photos of, um, brother Kong toy who we're getting ready to talk about and brother Tim, uh, pastor put those up for us to see. Uh, and basically, um, and pastor, you being a builder. how that, uh, the effort that these men put into just for a simple, uh, tarp covered framework. Um, you know, to me it's, it's very simple and yet it works for them. Uh, I remember you were particularly impressed with what they did. Yeah. He meant that they dig holes without having post hole diggers. Yeah. I remember you, hey, that's a lot of work for those guys, for sure. And if, by the way, if you're just joining us, we're talking with Tim Falk, who is with Reach International Ministries, and our dear friend who gives us updates on the brethren, our ministers and ministry brethren there in the nation of Burma. or Myanmar, and he's been describing not only what these men are doing, but also what's going on as far as the political climate there right now. Say a Kong toy. Uh, he's very familiar to us. We actually support him, uh, from Gethsemane here. Um, says due to a recent attack, he has had to leave again, brother Tim, tell us about brother Kong toy. Well, the contour and his wife came to our training when we were there in November. And, um, they, it really just breaks your heart because of the condition that they had to travel in to get there. He and his wife wore the best they had. It's like, um, you know, an outfit they would wear to a wedding, you know, and they, they kept those. You know, while they were there with us. And just a big time encouragement. And we sat in there listening to all the things that they've gone through since 2021. And now the extra dimension of the PDF being just as severe of a persecutor that the military is. And for them, and now this, this was news to me when I received this text that they were going to have to flee again because they were They just have gotten back into their village from visiting us in November. So, and because, not because they, I mean, they just couldn't get back there because of the fighting between the PDF and the military. Now they finally get back there and now they're going to have to flee again. So, um, he does have, he does have a plan to do a Christmas outreach. Um, I don't know how he would do it. That's going to be a very remote way to do it, but, um, he, he's, you know, bent on trying to reach these guys. Pastor, you've got to appreciate the heart of these men. Amen. Who continue to go day in and day out. And man, just what a blessing indeed to hear about these men. Saya Kongtoy, Saya Yen Kwai Ko, rather, and Saya Brong Ong. These three men who are Certainly an incredible example. And Brother Tim, as you said, you cannot describe really aptly what these men are doing and how they continue in the grace of God. We all continue in the grace of God, but I just can't help but think that our Lord has certainly got His hand upon them and that He would protect them. Last of all, Brother Tim, comment on Brother James Lova and just the overall work there, and then we're going to take a moment to pray for these men. Well, Yangon was protected because it was the biggest city in the country, but now prayer request after prayer request comes from Brother James said that a lot of young people are being arrested in their city every day. Two young people got shot just the other day. Of course, the fuel crisis we've already mentioned. Main roads are empty. He sent a text yesterday saying that a lot of trucks, their supply chain is messed up because they can't get the fuel to deliver things. So even in the city, they're having trouble, tribulations, and then One thing that he's really burdened for, brother, are these orphans that line the streets of Indian. I mean, they do what they can. James and the church, I hope they have this church, but we don't have an organized downtown children's home. He really has a burden to do that. Again, right in the midst of all this, he and these guys, the way they think is just how can we position ourself to better minister to the need that's here. And that's what he's doing. And so, and his wife, Grace, of course, has had cancer, had radiation, and chemo. She's up next month, so I'll have to get another surgery. She has a tumor on her shoulder. So pray for the family, pray for her health. And while we were there, she was tremendously, she was in that, she was healthy. And then she had a bad spell after we left, and then they're going to have to do further surgery next month. So I do pray for Brother James, his wife, and his two kids, Emmanuel and Abigail, and for hope and his church. Brother, Pastor Steve Williamson, as is our custom here, we've certainly heard a lot already this morning, and certainly the need for prayer for these folks, for our dear brethren there, and for what's going on, and pray for this, if you would. And you that are listening right at this moment, or if you're listening to this podcast later, stop, and if you would, just take a moment to pray. for these dear brethren who are ministering unto the Lord and unto the lost of Myanmar. Pastor, if you would, pray for us. Let's pray. Father, certainly, just the things that we have heard have caused our hearts to be burdened even greater than what they already were. And Lord, we pray for all of our brethren there, all their names that were mentioned, Brother James and Kong Toy and these other men. so many of the churches there and the believers and Lord, I just think about the lack that they've already had outside of this war issue and the lack that they've suffered without even having to flee from their homes and hide in the mountains and the woods and not knowing where to get food and water and when they'll get back home and then they get home and have to leave again and we're just all the hardness and I know you told us to endure hardness as good soldiers and truly it makes us, it makes it seem to me all that we go through here is so easy compared to all that they're facing and I pray that you look upon our brethren You'll do great and mighty things for them. Lord, do miracles for them. I pray that you'll answer their prayers. Lord, help them times of fleeing of coldness and hunger and thirst and uncertainty and fears within and fears without. so many things that they're dealing with, and as they still try to share the gospel and win people to Christ and keep a right spirit, keep joy in their hearts, and Lord, love you with a perfect heart, fervently, and I just pray that you'll bless them. God, give them souls for their labors. I pray, Lord, that they'll truly find their strength and their joy in you and in the things of God. And Father, we just pray for all their needs, that you'll meet them in such unusual ways, that they'll have such joy in testifying of the greatness of our God, how he can provide, how he can do the impossible, how you can do something out of nothing. And so we do pray, Lord, for Brother Tim, you continue to bless. as he stays in contact and a part that he could play in informing others that we could be of a help even financially, not only in prayer, but financially to help relieve the burden of these brethren. Pray your blessings upon them now in their churches and all their effort. In Jesus Christ's name, we ask it. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor. Brother Tim, give us a contact email and how folks can get ahold of you if they want to help. Okay, our address is Reach International Ministries, PO Box 1212, Midland, Michigan, 48640. My email is trrfalk.gmail.com and our website is www.reachmyworld.com. Brother Tim Falk, Reach International Ministries. Brother, thank you for being with us here on Weed Among the Tares. It's been a blessing and a pleasure to have you aboard this day. And trust the Lord will bless you and help you and Sister Lisa and the folks there. And may God bless you, my brother. Thank you so much, brother. We sure appreciate it. Yes, Lord bless. Y'all have a great Christmas. You too, my brother. Bye-bye. Pastor, I don't know how else to say it other than, oh my word, what a glorious thing that the Lord is strengthening our brethren there in Burma. Thank you for your prayer for them. And folks, I want to thank you for joining us here this morning for Weed Among the Tares. It's been a pleasure to have you with us. We trust that the matters that we have conveyed to you this day. You'll be mindful to pray for our brethren there in Myanmar. Thanks again for joining us. I trust you'll have a blessed day.