Saya That Dun 1. His Early Life a) His Birth That Dun was born on the 7 th September 1 906 at Tluangram (A) of Zophei area in the T. A. B. C region. His father was Pa Do Tun and his mother was Nu Dawi Par. He became an orphan since his childhood days and as such he shouldered the responsibility of the head of the family. b)His Education At the age of 1 years he passed the 4 th standard vernacular from Bualphiar, a village in the Mizo State of India. c) His conversion, Theological Education and Baptism He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour in 1924. In 1925 he attended a Bible school open by the English missionary Corinth at Berkawl village in the Assam District of India. He was baptized by Rev. Leng Kham in December 1 933 at Lungrang village. d) He had a desire to work in places other than his own While he was carrying the convert U Chia Mang, he had a longing to work in the Matupi area. He consulted Rev. Leng Kham about this matter and the later asked him to come to the annual meeting if he had the zeal to work as a missionary. On second thought, however, he retracted his idea of becoming a missionary on account of his apprehension as to the difficulty his family would encounter in his absence. Thus contemplating total withdrawel from missionary commitment he went to his field and started felling down some trees in preparation of clearing the land. A falling tree hit him and one of his log was broken. This incident convinced him that providence had punished him, as he did it to Jonah. Yet another factor he had to consider was that Matupi area was undereveloped so much so that murder, bloodshed and reverage were rife as if human life was nothing, and he was fearful for his personal safety. To add to this, he had a constant misgiving for his familys welfare. As such he was at a cross-road, unable to decide which course he should take. Then one night he prayed to God that he would go to Matupi if God would heal his broken leg. His prayer must have been heard by God and his condition improved immediately and in no time he was able to walk perfectly. Another indication that his prayer was answered by God was that at the annual meeting at Vanzang village that year, he was selected to go to Matupi to work as a missionary and he was paid Rs. 80.00 to defray for his travel. That was in 1 944. e) Temptation Came Through His Wife His fellow villagers of Tluangram tried to dissuade his going away saying who would preach to them in lieu of him. His own wife frequently tried to discourage his going away to Matupi reasoning that she and the children would die off in hunger, and that if he insisted on going there, it meant that he did not love her and their children. Besides, she contended that he himself would die like dogs or fowls at the hands of murder-bent Matupi people. She would weep and cry nightly making scenes which pierced his very heart. But Saya That Dun replied her that as for them, they were with the rest of the villagers who would comfort them and God would sustain them in his absence. Their lives and his own life were in the safe hands of God and therefore there was nothing to be feared. That he had made a vow to God that he would go to distant land. He asked her to consider the case of Daniel of old, how he was kept safe from being mauled and eaten by lions although he was dropped into expenses and therefore it was impossible to withdraw at this last moment etc. His wifes rejoinder was that he could easily refund the money he took from the authorities concerned and for all her pleadings with tears and sobs if he still could not be dissuaded to stay, then as soon as they heard of his death ahe and her children would no longer eat or drink till they died. This was too much for him and as a result he postponed his intended journey for quite a spell. Had he told his wife the truth she would never willingly let him go and therefore he lied to her and said that he would go back to those people who gave him his travelling allowance and refund the money. 2. Commencing His Ministry a) He get lost He reached Vuangtu village on the day he started out. On the second day at dawn he started out again towards Khuabung and somehow he lost his sense of direction and he had to sleep for the night at a hut in the fields. On the night that he got lost, he prayed and sang a song, Like Jacob of old, who having lost his way, took a stone for his pillow and here am I doing the same.... b) His sickness His travel weriness was enhanced when he reached Fanthen where he got sick and he had to groan and moan. The local pastor, Saya Tluang Hmung concluded that his condition was quite hopeless and therefore made arrangement for him to be carried back to his village. But Saya That Dun refused to be so carred back and told the pastor that he could never go back to his own village since he had started to go away as a missionary to a distant land. Never mind if I die, you may bury me at any place, or if you are loath to do so, I dont care if you throw away my body in the jungle or dunk it in the Bawinu River! c) Dreamt a dream Just before dawn he saw a vision in his dream that a man dressed in white shirt and wearing white trousers came to him and said, That Dun, dont be discouraged, for within three days you will be up and go across the river! He was overjoyed at this vision and he was actually well on the third day and crossed the Bawinu River and did preach Gods message from one village to another. d) Refund Lodging Just before reaching Ruava village about a hundred yards or so the village was fenced with poles and pointed spikes were planted everwhere so thick that he could not make entry at once. This happened because it was during World War II and the above precautionary measure had been taken on account of the imminent entry of the Japanese soldiers. At last he found an obstacle-free path and entered into the village but he could not get a place to lodge for the night. Fortunately however, an old widow welcome him and said: Saya, my husband had left me long ago and I and my children are very poor. Therefore you must have to eat whatever I have so saying he was served with com soup and chilli chutney. He thought that rice and meat curry had never tasted as good as this meal. e) Had to wrestle before he could preach When he reached Rezua, he was about to start preaching. But some men seemingly drunk came on the scene and challenged him to wrestle them one by one, and the stipulation they made was that if he lost he must forefeit preaching and if he won then he could preach at will. Unwillingly he had to Jackie them one by one and he won the marathon match. Since you have won and according to our agreement, you may preach now was the command and he could preach without furthur molestation. f) Arrival at Hungle village At his arrival at Hungle village he went straight to the headmans house to put up with him and found that the headman as well as his younger brother, a clerk, was bitten by a bear. Saya That Dun told them that he came to preach about the God who could create everthing, and the hosts were very happy to hear that.They said that they were fortunate to have him as guest and pleaded with him to preach the words of God and pray for them. The magnitude of Saya That Duns joy and peace of mind could not be fathomed. g) Entry into Matu area Saya That Dun was a prayer warrior and true to form he prayed a lot before his ingress into the Matu area where murder, homicde and general foul-play were an every day affair. He reached Ngaleng village on the 1 2 th May 1 944. When the headman inquired the purpose of his coming to this village Saya That Dun stated that the government sent him to preach Gods words and therefore the headman allowed him to preach a little. After staying at the headmans house for about a week he lived solitarily in another house. The headmans name was U Ra Sing. h) In Matupi As he reached Matupi 6 lads grabbed him and sent him to the headman. The headman asked in Hakha dialect where he came from. He replied that he was a man from the Tluangram area and the government sent him to preach the words of God. The headman was thereby molified and allowed him to preach. The headman scolded the 6 young men for having seized Saya That Dun saying: Why do you seize a good man like him? In all probability he comes here to uplift our villages and country! i) His Theological Education He attended the Hakha Bible school for three years i.e, from 1948-1950 and Rev. Robert G Johnson gave him a certificate. j) His Ordination He was ordained on the 1 2 th March 1 948 at the annual meeting at Satawm, Falam district, and Saya Heng Cm and Saya Thang-a were also ordained simultaneously. 3. Persecutions and Hardships a) A cadaver in his house Not long after he settled at Tingsi village a man died of snake bite. The custom of this area disallowed corpses to be kept inside a dwelling house and they put the dead mans body inside Saya That Duns house.He dared not refuse to let them keep the corpse inside his house yet he had an uneasiness of mind. In the night he saw another vision of the man in white dress, the man he saw at Fanthen, came again and asked That Dun, why do you entertain a feeling of discomfort just because people put a dead body in your house? Through this dream vision he realized that although people trated him in contempt, despised him, he should not mind them but on the other hand believers should take courage and fortitude. b) Arrested and harassed Major Kep Lo sent a police constable to arrest a certain murderer of Dai area and told the policeman to pay a call to Saya That Dun; the policemans name was Taw Khawt. Constable Taw Khawt arrested the Dai murderer and when he and the felcon retured he also arrested Saya That Dun. On the way he harassed Saya That Dun every now and then, and he ever attempted to shoot him on three occasions. After three days of wearly walking on foot hunger and thirst made Taw Khawt even more short tempered and he actually attempted to shot Saya That Dun. At that moment That Dun took out his Bible and presented himself bravely to the would be assasin raising the Bible where upon the constables hands trembled and could not pull the trigger. Presumably God caused him somehow to be unable to squeeze the trigger. 4. Achievement a) A Prayer for wild animal He stayed for quite a long time at the house of the headman and he explained to him and counseled him in the way of Christianity so much so that the headman was beginning to have a better disposition with Saya That Dun and his teachings. The headman once asked him: If God can give us anything we ask for, then can he give us jungle games if we ask him in prayers? Saya That Dun replied him in the positive and therefore he formally asked for a special prayer so that the headman and party would bag some games. Saya That Dun prayed for the disired result and the headman and companions bagged 7 heads of games. He came back to Saya That Dun and said: Saya, we shot and bagged seven animals as a result of your prayer, so I am very happy. From now on I and my family will become Christians. Thus he gave his name and names of his family members to be included in Church nominal roll and he surrendered of dedicated his life to the Lord. b) Worked together with Captain Chawn-a One day he met a certain man named Chawn-a whom he had known while in Mizoram. Upon the inevitable inquiries mutually made Saya That Dun learned that Chawn had gone to Paletwa area to preach the gospel and the Japanese authorities prohibited preaching Gods words. In anger he joined the Chin Levies. At a time when Saya That Dun was worried as to when he might be assasinated, arrested, or persecuted, God sent his old acquaintance Chawn-a to help him. This officer took Saya That Dun to a hide-out on the northern slope over-looking Matupi and stayed with him, fed him and lodged with him. Wherever he wanted to go he accompained him and if deemed necessary he supplied him with armed escort so that That Dun could preach the gosple unhampered. A time for parting arrived and this officer and comrades had to leave in order to have new outpost. They parted in great scrow. c) Established a school His former headquarter was Ngaleng and he campaigned for a missionary school and forthwith he was able to get the green light from higher authorities in 1947. By 1948 this school became a government school. d) Believers increased in numbers Since about 1948 believers were added to the church one by one. At the annual meeting of the Chin Baptist at Hmawngtlang Saya That Dun reported there were 428 Christians and the contribution to ZBC amounted to Ks. 506. By the time Saya That Dun passed away in 1 967, there were 12,000 believers. This fact was inscribed on tomb stone at his grave-yard in Matupi. e) Sent students to Bible Seminary Saya That Dun and his assistant since 1945 Saya Pa Hrek combined their effort to raise leaders in the Matupi area and they were able to send the following students to the Hakha Bible School: 1) Maung Paing Thang Okala (2) Maung Khaw Soe Rodui (3) Maung Reng Ma Ciamtat 4) Maung Ngai Zen Puising 5) Maung Ngai Tim Rodui 6) Maung PihTui Valang 7) Maung An Ciam Bahung 5. His Family and His Last Days Many preachers and ministers went back to their own native places. But as for Saya That Dun he commenced his ministry in 1 944 during the Anglo-Japanese war. He left his loving wife and daughter and went to work in region where he could have been murdered on any excuse. He left this world on the 25 th December 1967, Christmas day. Just as we earthly rejoined in greeting Christs birth, it was a day of joy for angels when they welcome Saya That Dun in heaven. His Children 1) Saya Van Uk 2) Pi Ngam Men 3) Saya Van Kun 4) Saya Ro Hmun 5) Sayama Doi Par 6) Pa Sia Hmun 7) Sayama Far Hniang 8) Mai Ni Lang archive.org/stream/trialsandtriumph00pau/trialsandtriumph00pau_djvu.txt ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rev. Lung Turn 1. His Early Life a) His Birth He was born on the 1 st November, 1920 at Vuangtu village, Thanlang township of Zophei of Zophei Area. He was the younget son of Pu Thawng Hmung and Pi Hrang Zing. His mother died when he was only 7 years old and his father also died at 9 years of his age. b) His Baptism He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour through the preaching of U Thawng Ling who came to Vuangtu village. In 1 936 Rev. Sang Ling baptized him at Vuangtu village. c) His Education U Hram Ling of Vuangtu village had passed the 4 th standard vernacular and he instituted a tuition class, every night lighting pine-knots and he stipulated those who could read Chin literature were to be regarded as passing the 1 st Standard while those who read as well as write were to be considered as having passed 2 nd standard. Those who could work out an arithmetic sum of 3 plus 5 were as good as having passed the third Standard and any one who could write a letter and could, at the same time, translate 16 words from Burmese to Chin would have the honour of passing the 4 th Standard. Saya Lung Turn was included in the successful candidates for the 4th Standard. He continued his basic education at Aijal. Mizoram. under Rev. Leng Khai and he passed the 4 th Standard again. d) Attendance of Bible School During the day of his conversion the headman prohibited praying, saying that Kankhotalaban did not like it. Since believers could no longer have social intercourse and folio wship with the non-believers the headman and elders of his village evict them from their village. Lung Turn and his brethren therefore were expatriated to Lungrel in Mizo state of India. They earned their living by working as employed gardeners various house holders. While earning their livelihood as garden cultivators Lung Turn took Bible correspondence course and within five years he completed 3 years course and he was awarded a certificate known as Hriat Reng Na . by the Aijal World Mission. c) Enlisted as a solsier Since 1941 he stayed at his village and worked in the ministry as much as he could. In 1945 he got himself enlisted in the army with the 1 st Chin Rifles. His unit used him as a chaplain as well as a medical man and did not allow him to go to frontline or fighting operations. In 1948 he got himself enlisted in the army in the army with the 1 st Chin Rifles. His unit used him as a chaplain as well as a medical man and did not allow him to go to frontline or fighting operations. In 1 948 he attended the Insein Bible Seminary for one year. During his milatary service of 6 th years he managed to pass the 7 th Standard. 2. His entry into ministry a) Formation of Zomi Baptist Convention During 1 953, 30 delegates were elected to draft a constitution this election being held at Falam. The leader of drafting committee was Rev. S. T. Hau Go. Lung Turn was included in this committee. He proposed that the name of the emerging convention be named Chin Baptist Convention or Lai Baptist Convention but he was alone against 29 votes were taken and Zomi Baptist Convention was adopted as its name. b) Started Work in Kanpetlet Township In accordance with the directive of the ZBC to evangelize the Kanpetlet area, and he, accompanied by Saya Caih Kio, reached Mindat on the 5 th December 1 953. When they had reached Mindat, Major Ha Sing (Rtd) invited the following evangelist who were to work in the Kanpetlet ministry to have an intimate discussion on matters concerning method of works, hew to take precaution to avoid troubles when dealing with the native villagers. The invited evangelists were:- 1) Rev. Caih Kio 2) Rev. Khoh Thing 3) Rev.Kai Doi 4) Rev.Tau Uk 5) Rev. Lung Turn Major Ha Sing was baptized by Rev. Pho San on 5 th March 1932, according to the thesis written by Thang Ngaih Om, The Christian Mission to the Chin People. c) The Construction of the Mindat Church Saya Lung Turn approached the then Deputy Commissioner U Ohn 4 times applying for 4 acres of land for Church site. He obtained 2 acres. The following gentlemen contributed much helps and advices in the construction of the Mindat Church. Maj or Ha Sing, U Ro Ngai, Wireless Operator U That Nuei, Postman U Thang Mang and Assistant Superintendant U Gin Za Cin. At Christmas time in 1957 believers slaughtered a six-fists pig and 5 chickens and dedication of the Church was made. Reading John 1 5 :4 Rev. Lung Turn offered the preyer of dedication. At that time there were 50 believers in Mindat town. d) Gospel tours During his ministry in the Mindat area he sometimes was on his own and many times he was with Rev. Caih Kio and Rev. Khoh Tlung. e) His ordination Saya Cong Khams Golden Jubilee and ZBC triennial meetion was held at Bualkhua and there he was ordained. Together with him the following ministers got ordained on that occasion viz., David Van Bik, U Hai Mang, and U Khua Kil. f) Some Kanpetlet Customs Some custom of Mindat and Kanpetlet area were quite like some Jewish customs. In order to revenge a murder the murderer must be killed. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a youth for a youth, and elderly person for an elderly person, was their practice since ancient forefathers days upto now. Moreover, they have bathing months and non-bathing months. From the time of setting fire to the felled trees and cut bush of a new field to the time of sowing and scattering of seeds, and upto the time when young plants are seen to be flourishing, taking bath is prohibited. The believe or superstition is that the young sprouting plants would be washed away if the people take bath before they are matured. (People from both Mindat and Kanpetlet claim that they are Kanpetlet) Although they seemed not to love one another on ordinary occasion, they help one another as much as possible in times of dire distress and sorrow. 3. Persecutions Hardships On a certain day he reached Ro village to preach. The people were revelling at the headmans house, the headman was U Ki Ling. When he espied Lung Turn who just arrived there he interrogated him what his purpose of coming there was. Lung Turn said he came to preach the gospel of God. You must be a spy of the white man so saying he rifled Saya Lung Turns hand bag and saw a Holy Bible in English. The headman more than ever believed that Saya Lung Turn was a British paid spy and he was unlawfully confined to a house. For three days and three nights without food or water he was put under custody and Saya Lung Turn prayed and sang hymns and one particular hymn he repeated singing was Nearer My God To Thee. Being too hungry by then he exchanged his cotton ves A for some sweet potatoes belonging to children. The headman reported the matter to higher authorities in Mindat and after three days soldiers and policemen came to arrest him. Among the policemen was one who was a church member of Mindat and he quickly released him. Moreover he told the village concerned to make apology to him and as a token kill a pig for the purpose and they made a reconciliation with him. He stayed for one week at Ro village and preached the gospel with the result that U Om Ngai and his family became Christians. After conversion U Om Ngais name was changed to U Ro Ngai in honour of the Ro village, this was done at the urging of Saya Lung Turn. 4. Achievement a) Sent some lads to attend Bible School Realising the need of training local people to work amongst the local inhabitants Saya Lung Turn arranged for and was able to send two young lads to attend the Bible School.They were Maung Hung Cuai and Maung Cu Reng. As preliminary course they were sent to Mindat for basic education and then Maung Hung Cuai was sent to Insein Seminary while Maung Cu Reng was sent to Falam ZTS. On the day of their baptism he let them change their names, Maung Cu Reng was given the name Maung Za Hmung meaning he was to be a stable leader of tens and hundreds of people. Maung Hung Cuais name was changed to Maung Bawi Kung meaning that of all gods ours is the God of gods. b) Open a school Saya Lung Turn arranged for the founding of a school at Ro and U Naing Yaws service was secured to teach Kcho whereas U Kui Ling was enlisted to teach Burmese and Saya Caih Kio to teach the Bible. Ro Mission School was open in 1961 - 1962. The ZBC contributed Kyats 4,000 from various donations constituted the fund to open this school. The following officers gave assistance to the construction of the Ro church building, they were U F. Za Hoe, Dr. Cope Ya Pome and Major Ha Sing. The Mission School at Ro became a State Primary School by 1965. c) God Answered His Prayer One day while preaching at Vakok village, some elders and the headman were angry at him charging him that he had slighted Buddhism and Animism. At this he prayed and they were pacified a few moment later and could thereby resolved a problem through God. He prayed for one Ca Ciin of Duh village and the patient got well miraculously. For childless Taw Uk he prayed and his wife later on had a child. d) Believers were added In 1964 he left Mindat for his village Vuangtu and there he carried on his ministry as a pastor. At the time of leaving Mindat the following statistics showed: - 1 ) Christians in Mindat township 170 2) Baptist Churches 11 3) Preachers 6 5. His Last date He went to heavenly home in 1993, at Tanbo village Kalaymyo Township. His children were:- 1) Daw Ni Thlia 2) Daw Zai Rem 3) Daw Caky 4) Daw Hniang 5) U Van Peng 6) U Thang Tun Hmung 7) U Tha Kung archive.org/stream/trialsandtriumph00pau/trialsandtriumph00pau_djvu.txt ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Rev. Caih Kio 1. His Early Life a) His birth He was born in 1920 or there about at Belhar village in the Thantlang area. His father was Tin Ceu and his mother was Sal Par. b) His Education The then ruling government ordered that at least one from ten households must attend school and Caih Kio had the yearning in his heart to attend school. But his elder brothers did not let him do so. As on his own volition he had given his name as a propactive pupil he attended school at Tikir village in 1 93 5 . Although his elder brother at first did not allow him to attend school, he bought him a short pant and a shirt and the novelty of wearing these clothings attracted him so much that he was overjoyed. As soon as he joined the school he also gave his name to be included in the church roll and by 1 942 he passed the 4 th Standard. c) His Baptism He was baptized on the 1 st of April 1 942 at Thau village by pastor Leng Kham. d) His Marriage and offsprings He got married in 1 943 and he had a son Van Kam in 1 944 and a daughter Man Kil in 1 946. 2. His entry into the ministry a) Was asked to serve in the ministry 1 ) His service was solicited at Saika annual meeting In 1952 at the annual meeting at Saika village he told Rev. Sang Fenthen President of the ZBC that he would like to go to Kanpetlet area as a missionary. Rev. Sang Fen replied him that missinaries were needed in Kanpetlet area but the organization lacked fund to start sending one. Caih Kio said he did not come to ask for financial support but only the authorization needed for him to start a mission. Rev. Sang Fen verbally issued the sought for order there and then. 2) His work at Cuannam village Some time in 1952 he accompanied Saya That Dun and proceeded towards his obejective. Saya That Dun remained in Matupi area while he put up at Saya Khoh Tlungs house at Tingsi village. Saya Khoh Tlung accompanied him till they reached Cuannam village where he worked for one year.In that one solitary year he learnt Kanpetlet dialect and at the same time he taught Cuannam people Hakha Dialect. b) His works in Hlatui village In 1953 Saya Lung Turn was ordered to proceed to Mindat, Saya Khoh Tlung to Cuannam and Saya Caih Kio to Zophong as missionaried. He was about to begin his missionary works as soon as he reached Zophong village but this villagecould not receive the gospel message and therefore Saya Caih Kio had to stay without food or beverages for 3 days. In perplexity he shifted his headquarter to Hlatui his ministry. Since 1955 ZBC gave him Ks. 60.00 per month as his salary. c) His works in Ro village and Mindat town From 1 960 onwards he carried on his works in Ro village. When Saya Lung Turn returned to his native village in 1 964 Saya Kio continued his ministerial works at Mindat. d) In Kanpetlet town In 1965 in accordance with the directives of the ZBC Saya Sui Ceu was sent to Mindat and Saya Caih Kio to Kanpetlet. e) His ordination He was ordained in 1 960 at the Khuasak ZBC trienial in early April. 3. Persecutions and Hardships The difficulties he encountered while he was at Hlatui village and some of the customs of the village were as follows. In Kanpetlet region there were four majou tribes viz., Kaang, Roungti, Mun and Dai. The Hlatui villagers were Kaang tribe and the customs written below belonged to them. a) Scarcity of Food and other commodities As there was not much in the matter of commodities in Hlatui village Saya Caih Kio frequently went to a place between Mindat and Matupi boundary to buy provisions. Once he went with his son to Matupi side of the boundary at Cuannam. There was no path worth the name and they followed tracks made by hunters. The undergrowth was thick, land leeches were procific, the weather was cold. All these made his son wept bitterly and Saya Caih Kio also shed tears inadvertantly. b) The death of Headman Nai Nun Saya Caih Kio lodged with headman Nai Nun and asked him if he had anything in the matter of food to sell to him. Nai Nun got angry at this and said: This village is my village; the water of this village belongs to me; the wood are mine; the soil of this village are my possession. Get out of here! If you dont go away I will kill you! On the other hand, the wife of the headman restrained Caih Kio not to talk back at him and he did not speak a word. After about two years of the above incident headman Nai Nun suffered from headache and haemorrhagic nostrils and he died quite suddenly. c) Some Customs of Kanpetlet people 1) Face tattooing a) The compulsory nature of tattooing The Kanpetlet people must practice facial tattooing of damsels who had come to age. The pain they had to endure due to this custom was great enough to cause death to some of the young women. Their rationale was that a womans face without any tattoo mark was shameful and those who had no tattoo marks were liable to be unmarried, no manly suitor would go after her or asked her hands in marriage. b) Caih Kios preaching against the preactice Saya Caih Kio preached to the effect that God had made male and female, from Adam and Eve, in the image of Himself, to he handsome and beautiful and by tattooing the face, that natural beauty was lost forever.Besides, they had to provide money or equivalents in goods to the tattooist. That it was very painful and if unfortunate people were liable to succumb to this skin mutilation. Therefore God did not like it, so on and so forth. 2) Ju Lang Kawi Festival Of all the festival and feasts this Ju Lang Kawi was the most important and usually hold in the month of February every year. Those who could afford slaughtered 5 to 20 gayals, 5 to 1 pigs, where as those who could not afford due to poverty, slaughtered a pig per household. The one who could slaughter the most were venerated and he was allowed to as much meat as he could, drink as much Zu as he liked. When they gave him food they used both hands to put the food at his mouth. As a matter of fact, any person they deeply respected would be fed in the above manner- with two hands. 3) Customs at death-house Any death body was rolled up in rattan mat and tied to a post inside the house in erect position. Well to do people kept the corpse for 5 to 10 days and slaughtered 4 gayals and pigs to be consumed by the mourning society. Poor people slaughtered pigs only. As soon as a person died they had the custom to bathe the cadaver. Until the funeral date, people other than relatives went to their fields in day time and danced at night. Wives and husbands danced pair by pair. Beating tomtoms and big gongs they danced and stabbed the walls of the house with pointed knives. They used to cremate the dead bodies. They put the bodies on the unlighted pyre and danced around it for some time. Those who could afford fed one another with meat and food. If the corpses could not be easily incinerated they cut the bodies with knives to expedite. 4) Merriage Ceremony a) Ab ducting the bride to be When a man wants to marry a woman he organized an abducting party who steal the bride to be, on behalf of the groom to be. Once a bride id successfully stolen she is regarded as the Legal wife of the groom. The bridal fees could be settled sometimes later on. If they could not steal right away they lie in wait like a beast of prey. b) Stealing of others wife led to murder If a man steals a married woman then this man must be killed according to their custom.If a married mand steals a woman then relatives of the married mans former wife must kill the man. c) The stolen woman ran away Once the daughter of the headman was stolen by a lad and she ran away without having slept with the lad for even a night. The woman did not go back to her parents but took refuge with Saya Caih Kio who fed him well. She never had a meal for three days. Before long that woman was stolen by another young man and stayed as his wife. When Saya Caih Kio asked her parents about her former affairs they just replied him that she had been stolen against their will. These parents were Christians and they did not take action against the former abductor. 5). Had to be fined On the 5th December 1 97 1 Church members fell trees and cleared the ground where the pastors house was to be built. Unfortunately a falling tree hit the son of U Sui Ling who had recently been converted. An immediate medication of the wound much relieved him. However, during Saya Caih Kios absence the injured mans representative came to Mrs. Caih Kio and told her that in case the injured man died, they would sue her and her husband in court of law or else took revenge on them because it was for their benefit that clearing was made and resulted in the injury suffered by the lad. When Saya Caih Kio returned home, he gave Ks. 250.00 to the injured party and entreated them for peaceful co-existence and they were satisfied. 4. His Achievement a) Church Building of Kanpetlet town Under his direction the government servants as well as believers in Kanpetlet constructed a Church building and it was dedicated on the 19 th May, 1958. Once night Saya Caih Kio went to the Church to pray and from inside the Church, he heard a challenge Halt! on the morrow early morning i.e. on 8 th June 1 968 he went to the president of the Township Administrative Council U Hla Pe and told him not to use his Church as a place to ambush enemies. U Hla Pe replied that he and his council members had information that some enemies had entered the town and therefore used the Church as a picket and he further reassured him that they would no longer use the Church for this purpose. Some days later this officer threateded to requisition the Church but dared not do so when Saya Caih Kio was heard to have said: Let him do whatever he wants if he is not afraid of God! Concerning this Church Saya Caih Kio entered into his note book that when the President of the Council was making this fuss, there were some Christians who were influential government servants present but none of them contributed a word in this altercation and he said to himself: Oh, people wanted to become Church elders yet they are afraid of army officers like unvelievers, and they fear these man more the God! b) Enhanced pay With effect from the 5 th December 1971, the ZBC paid an additional sum of Ks. 20 per month and his salary was Ks. 1 20 per month. c) Number of souls He Baptized The believers whom Rev. Caih Kio baptized numbered over 1 200. The number of baptized person when on active service prior to 1 973 was less than those he baptized after his retirement and continued to stay in Kanpetlet. d) The Man Who Brought Light To Kanpetlet The first man ever to bring light to the Kanpetlet area was Rev. Caih Kio. The number of churches existing today, and the number of baptized souls today in Kanpetlet were, solely thanks to the selfless devotion and tireless effort, of Rev. Caih Kio. Athesis written by Mr. Lun Thang, Youth Director of Kanpetlet stated as follows, Rev.Caih Kio was the founder and pioneer of Christian works among Kanpetlet people. He was the first evangelist to Kanpetlet people and the founder of Christian in Kanpetlet. He reached Kanpetlet in April 4, 1965. 5. His last date He is still alive and the following were his children- 1) U Van Kam B.A,BJEd. 2) Daw Man Kil 3) U NunCung 4) Daw Hniang Sung (Matric) archive.org/stream/trialsandtriumph00pau/trialsandtriumph00pau_djvu.txt
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 11:11:08 +0000
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