What do you do when the world’s largest land mammal loses its temper, and goes on a rampage to destroy everything in its path? You pray!

Not long ago, these villagers in Myanmar found themselves in the middle of an angry elephant attack, so they gathered together and did just that.

This small village in Myanmar is served by a Global Mission pioneer. Aye Aye Thein (ae ae thaen) grew up in this village and knows it well. His family was one of the only Adventist families in the whole region and they raised Aye Aye to talk to God about anything for any reason. Since he was a kid, Aye Aye dreamed of going somewhere to get an education, but he knew it was a large request coming from a small village.

“God opened the doors for me to go to school so I committed myself to God. I promised Him, ‘after I finish my studies, I will serve You’.”

After he graduated, Aye Aye was excited to return home. He dreamed of starting and nurturing a new congregation of believers in his village.

He began visiting people in their homes and started a children’s Bible study. They learned stories and sang songs.

It didn’t take long before others in the village were curious, and it opened the door for him to share the gospel with the whole village! Now, most of the village has accepted the gospel and they worship together in this church.

In Myanmar, there are two major seasons: rainy or dry. During the rainy season, villagers plant and harvest crops from morning to night. Rice is a staple food. Without rice, most people would feel their meal was incomplete. They have to harvest enough rice in the rainy season to last through the dry season.

Once the dry season hits, the jungle starts to lose its green lusciousness and animals begin to wander closer to the villages to see what food is available. The harvest can be a dangerous time when wild elephants will take whatever they want. Not long ago, a hungry and angry elephant came tearing through this village in search of food.

“One time, as it was getting dark, an elephant came to the village. My village has experience with chasing the elephants away, so we chased this one away into the jungle. As we sat down for dinner the elephant came back to the village. We prepared to shout and scare it away again. This time, two elephants came and they were not afraid. I had to run away and climb a tree to hide. I stayed there all night.”

The rest of the villagers ran to the Adventist Church, where they gathered together and prayed. Many of their homes have been destroyed by elephants in the past, but no elephant has ever touched the Adventist Church and they had faith that God would protect them there.

“The elephant ran all over the village. It even came right up to the church but it didn’t try to do anything here. They came but didn’t do any harm to the people here. I know the angels were watching over us.”

These villagers know that God is watching over them and are eager to share their story and the gospel with other villagers.

“If our world church can pray for the villagers here, so we can be in unity and join together to spread the gospel even farther.”

Please pray for this village and for the work of Global Mission pioneers in countries like Myanmar. Thank you for supporting Global Mission!