Watchmen at 5 a.m.
Earth Mission · with Naw Bway Pale Htoo, Communication Manager
As one of very few groups helping Karen State, Earth Mission has spent 20 years building trust with the Karen people and their local government by addressing one of their greatest needs: medical care. As Christians, this is a critical opportunity for the Gospel. Through your faithful support in this complex situation, the local church has been given the platform to save lives, restore hope, and build God's kingdom in this hidden place.
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” Matthew 5:44
Eternity in their hearts
The Karen people’s spiritual history is captured in Eternity in Their Hearts by Don Richardson, where they are described as a “lost tribe of Israel.” Long before missionaries arrived in 1813 (Adoniram Judson was the first), many Karen already worshiped “Ywa,” the one true Supreme God, and awaited a promised Book that would teach them how to worship Him properly. Today, 45% of Myanmar’s Karen are followers of Christ.
The Rain Tree Church
Rain Tree Clinic has grown to form a vibrant local church community, where 90% of staff and 58% of students are followers of Jesus. They see RTC as “A Center for Spiritual Development & Spreading the Gospel” and are deeply grateful for the jobs and location through which they can do Christ’s ministry.
Staff emulate Jesus’ model of discipleship as they live, learn, and work alongside students for 2 to 5 years. Earth Mission accepts students of any faith, and we pray that they come to know Christ during their time with us. Students are exposed to the Gospel through the example of our local staff, who choose joy, generosity, forgiveness, and love in the face of deep suffering. In this environment, they can’t fake it. Either Christ is real in their lives, or He is not. We have watched our medical staff care for their enemies. They could let them die. Instead, they extend forgiveness and heal them.
Over the years, many students have chosen to follow Jesus and be baptized.
Life together as a local church is woven into daily life. Each day, staff and students pray together, have a devotional, and collect an offering for someone who needs help. They host Sunday worship services, and patients and their families are invited too, Christ-followers or not. Students are formed through mentorship, Bible studies, Bible memory competitions, and discipleship training. Staff and students minister to patients by praying with them, offering counseling and encouragement, and gifting Bibles and blankets. They serve nearby villages and IDP camps through medical care, public health education, the mobile surgical clinic, Bible distribution, children’s Bible camps, and Bible teaching. Staff travel regionally to encourage other local churches.
Disciples making disciples
As more and more graduates are sent out to remote areas, we want to equip everyday believers to be disciple-makers wherever they go.
In 2025, we designed a discipleship training contextualized to the Karen jungle culture and translated into local languages. Through this, staff and students are learning that being a disciple begins with spending time with Jesus, becoming like Him, and doing what He did. They are learning the power of their personal faith stories to impact others. Some have been able to share their stories for the first time ever. They are learning practical, reproducible tools: prayer calendars, identifying “people of peace,” and Discovery Bible Studies. They are encouraged to mentor 2 to 3 others in their immediate circles.
Naw Bway Pale Htoo, Earth Mission’s Communication Manager, has emerged as a key local leader to carry this initiative forward. She describes what is organically developing at RTC:
“Too often, we remember God only when we are in trouble. We cry out to Him, receive help, and then return to our normal lives. I believe God is calling us out of that cycle, to put Him first every day, not only in our hearts but also in our public lives, and to not be ashamed that we stand with God’s truth and holiness.
“That is why we began with a small group of people who called ourselves Earth Mission’s Watchmen, people committed to praying. At 5 a.m., Samuel leads morning prayer with the team. We also began a monthly fasting and prayer meeting on the first Saturday of each month. Seven people first organized it. The first meeting had 13 people, the second had 29, and the third had 44. But the numbers have never been what excites me most. I am not looking for bigger numbers. I am looking for hungrier hearts, people who genuinely want to know the Lord and see His Kingdom come.”
At Earth Mission, we desire to develop educated young Karen people whose Christian faith is well-integrated with their medical training, who selflessly work in remote villages without access to healthcare. The will to serve in these circumstances, we believe, can only come from Him who identified with the “least of these,” the True Physician.
“I see young people at Earth Mission choosing holiness in their relationships and daily lives,” Bway observes. “The first thing they do in the day is spend time in His Word and prayer before spending time with anyone else. I see people drawing closer to God. I have seen a young man weep before the Lord in worship. These moments remind me that God is working.”
A sustainable disciple-making culture is being cultivated where disciples make disciples, where local leaders are equipped to lead in their own context, where they are set apart for God while remaining connected to their culture.
We pray that Bway’s example encourages you, Earth Mission family, as you seek the good of your own communities:
“I will not give up. Because God doesn’t stop and give up with me yet. I will keep running the race with perseverance and purpose,” declares Bway. “And I will not run alone. I will invite the people God places around me to run with me, not only through my words, but through my actions, my character, and my pursuit of God in the hidden place.”