New Beginnings in Myanmar

During the end of February, I had the opportunity to be a part of the opening of the Mission To Seafarers Yangon Seamen's Center in Myanmar.  A dedication service was held at the Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral followed by a celebratory lunch and a visit to the center. This was a very exciting time for all involved because all of the dedication, time, and hard work that went into this project was finally celebrated. My boss and the MTS East Asia Regional Director the Rev Stephen Miller invited me to join in the opening of the Seamen's Center and although I wasn't directly involved in the opening, it was incredible to see the Mission to Seafarers expand to a country that will truly benefit from the services we provide.

During my regular ship visits, I often meet many Myanmar seafarers and I am constantly blown away by their friendly smiles and warm hospitality. We often banter about football and I constantly tease them about the decline of Manchester United, whom they all seem to blindly support. All jokes aside, recently I have been informing seafarers about the opening of the Mission to Seafarers Yangon. The center is located near the Department of Marine Administration in Yangon, which will make it easy for seafarers to access our facility and services. The MTS Yangon plans to start a program to visit seafarers on board vessels, the main goal of the new Seamen's Center is to create a family network to provide services to Seafarers' families while they are away at sea. The seafarers I regularly talk with are very excited to visit and learn more about what the new center will offer when they return home from sea.

My visit to Myanmar has reminded me just how far god's work can stretch. Although the political and economic nature of Myanmar is still uncertain with it's new transition to democracy, I am excited to see how the mission expands in the future.