With pastor Janu by her side holding her hand, Aunty Smile quietly passed away. She was at peace, knowing Jesus would welcome her home. The family, however, was in shock. Aunty Smile was only fifty-five years old when she died of a stroke. They were not ready to lose her, and it hit them hard.
In keeping with traditional Myanmar Buddhist beliefs, the family held a funeral service that night. When we arrived at the home, the family members were all drunk; the grief had been more than they could bear. Gently, we tried to comfort them, explaining about the eternal hope that Aunty Smile had found in Jesus. It fell on deaf ears; they seemed too intoxicated to understand.
Then pastor Janu reminded them of how much God had changed Aunty’s life in just one short year as a believer. God could do that for them, too. Wouldn’t they like to join Aunty in heaven one day? They all said “Yes!”, but we wondered if they would even remember in the morning.
The next night was much the same, then the third and last night of the funeral service came and we arrived in the village not sure what to expect. It was a completely different experience! Family and friends were not only sober, but eager to welcome us. Sensing their openness, we asked if there were any sick people who would like prayer. To our surprise, Aunty Smile’s widower and son jumped up and started bringing sick villagers to us.
We prayed over an older woman with knee pain, who shouted in amazement when the pain went away. We prayed for a young girl who could not speak, who then said, “Jesus” – her first word! We prayed over a baby with fluid in her lungs, who in ten minutes was breathing freely. All glory be to God!
By the next day, however, we had a problem. All of these relatives and friends of Aunty Smile now wanted to come to church! With renovations taking place from the monsoons, there would be no room for them. In the end, we rented a hotel conference room for all 120 people. Looking around that room, we marveled at how God had truly turned mourning into dancing, right after a funeral.
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