Personal Story of Ronnie Gyi - Conversion to Seventh Day Adventist

She got up early while it was still dark, and put on her best clothes. Later with two men from the house she went to the bus station. She waved goodbye to them. That was the last time I saw my mother about 60 years ago.

Or, imagine your sister, mother and father one by one lay dying at different times and you could not go home and say goodbye to them.

Well you might think my life is a very sad story. But it is just the opposite, as after accepting Christ, my personal story is a story of hope, joy and gladness in the Lord.

          My personal story the “The Boxes”

When people asked me about my country of origin, I answered, “Burma or 

Myanmar” They usually do not know where it is. So here it is.

Myanmar is located in south east Asia

THE POLITICAL MAP OF BURMA

The First Box

When I was a child about 9 years old, there was a box in our house in Rangoon or Yangon. Inside the box were carpenter tools, saw, hammer, chisel etc.

I used to make toys with the tools. The eye hand co-ordination in making the toys like a wooden plane would one day become useful to me. The box was my grandfather’s tool box.

Here is his story.

U Sein, an ethnic Chinese living in Meiktila, central Burma, married a Burmese lady, Daw Kyaw. He was a carpenter.

In 1910, Robert B. Thurber was sent out to lead Meiktila Technical School. The General Conference set aside a special fund of $ 129,959.65 for the Burma Union Training School. This School was the first Adventist institution in Burma.

The missionaries asked U Sein to build the school. He hired some more carpenters and started building the school. During this time the missionaries witnessed to him about the Christian faith. And so, my grandfather, carpenter U Sein, met the Carpenter of Nazareth and accepted Him as his Saviour.

Grandparents and family

Me and Grandpa

THE SUITCASES

My Parents’ Story. (U Pein Gyi, Daw Mu Sait)

The spear tip was held under his throat, my father’s throat. Suddenly a hand was seen pushing the spear away. My mother was the one who did that. “Do you know who I am ?” my mother shouted at the bandits who thought 24 bullock carts of luggage and people would make their day.

BURMESE BULLOCK CART

To understand the context of this remarkable story, we have to flash back. (told to me recently by my brother, Gilbert, whom I met recently in London after about 50 years)

The village headman in Thein Lar village was the person with sole authority. He knows all the families in the village, and their occupation. Most people are farmers and grow fruit trees and vegetables. However, a few are notorious bandits. As their families are under the authority of the village headman, they can rob only strangers, as a rule.

Years ago, the headman of Thein Lar village had a son. After a few years his wife passed away. He married again and had a daughter. And afterward the headman and his second wife expired. 

The two orphans were placed in the village Buddhist monastery where the monks took care of them. 

Missionaries came to the village and had meetings. They notice the orphan girl so bright and helpful. With the permission of the monks, they took her to Rangoon, the Union headquarter, and educated her in the elementary school. 

For high school she was sent to Meiktila school where after 7^th standard she got married there. She was my mother. Both were baptised into the Seventh-day Adventist Church at Meiktila. My father became the Union accountant and was sent to assist the Division Accountant in Pune, India. 

Meanwhile her half- brother, U Maung, became the village headman.

 When they returned to Burma, the Second World War was under way. To be safe, they travelled to my mother’s village. 

We return to the story.

“Do you know who I am?” shouted my mother to the Bandits after pushing the spear away from my father’s throat. “I am the sister of U Maung, the headman of Thein Lar village. “On hearing this, the bandits threw down their weapons and kneeled down and pleaded for mercy. Then the bandits escorted them to my mother’s village.

A place was allotted to my parents and the young men of the village helped build the house. In that house I was born in the year 1944.

Our family hardly had enough food to eat as they own no land for cultivation. They were using up their money. My mother went to the Japanese Commander in the District Capital and brought back three bags of salt. Salt was not available anywhere. She sold the salt. Dad became the village pastor and converted many young men who later became workers in the mission

My parents’ baptism is recorded in my father’s service record as shown below.

Service record of my father U Pein  Kyi (Gyi)

The Third Box

A Box of Bones

My Story (Ronnie Gyi)

During my last year of elementary school in Rangoon, there was a box in our house. I  called my friends and scared them with the contents of the box. The box contained real human bones. Why did we have that box in our house?

In May 29, 1957, the Union High School was opened in Kyauktaing , Toungoo with Chit Maung as its first principal.

The school was situated in a forest area. The teachers and students cleared the land near the road, put a fence around it, payed taxes to the government and that land belonged to the Mission. Once in a while, students were sent into the forest to gather vegetables for the school kitchen.

My friend, Stanley, went earlier to the high school as his father, Saya Ah Chu, was appointed as the Head Master. I followed later as my eldest brother, Sydney, was appointed as a science teacher.

“Let’s go into the Jungle,” I told Stanley as soon as I reached Kyauktaing. I had never, 

in my young life, seen a jungle. I wanted to see all the lovely birds and animals. “Be careful of the elephants,” somebody warned us. There were no wild elephants but only tamed one. But a bull elephant can become a rogue elephant during musth. The elephants have a bell attached to them and from the sound they can be differentiated from the cow bells.

Into the jungle we went. I was so excited to see the different trees and flowers on the plants. Will there be a deer? My brother Sidney had shot a deer and had a photo taken. Are there peacocks? As we went deeper into the jungle, it became darker and then I was thinking about tigers, lions and wild boars. Fear replaced my excitement. What will I do if I meet these carnivores? Then I thought, these animals may be far away, but be careful of the snakes hidden near you. So, I looked down and guess what I saw between my legs?

Yes, this is what I saw in the narrow foot path covered on the sides with vegetation. I jumped towards Stanley who was ahead of me and pointed to the spot.  Giant Burmese python kills the prey by lunging and coiling around and with their muscular body squeeze and suffocate the prey.

A giant Burmese python

Then the monster sprang, and we jumped and ran. Fortunately, the python went into the bush away from us and we could see the plants moved along its trail. After running for some time, we thanked God as we regain our breath.

At one end of the campus, there was a small stream which marked a boundary of the school campus. As the choir sang, “I will Follow Thee My Saviour” a group of us were baptised. I was 14.

“Though I meet with tribulation,
Sorely tempted though I be,
I remember Thou wast tempted,
And rejoice to follow Thee.”

The euphoria faded soon as we heard that one subject of the government controlled 7^th standard exam was scheduled on a Saturday. The whole class decided to write the exam. On Friday we all submitted our exam entrance permits. The results came and we duly failed.

“I will send you to Spicer Higher Secondary School in Poona, India” said my father. Your brother, Harris, is taking many years to pass his medical exam as he refused to write the exam scheduled on Saturdays.

(This explains why we have a box of human bones in our house)

At Spicer, I wrote the entrance exam. I was placed in the 9^th standard      

(without passing the 7^th standard in Burma) and very grateful for His faithfulness).

At Spicer high school, for the first time in my life I discovered two Treasure stores:

 1.     The Library.

There I spent hours reading various books to gain general knowledge. I also took time to read the writings of Mrs E G White. The Great Controversy gripped my attention and interest.

       2.     The Church. 

I would listen in full concentration on the sermons. Pastor R L Rowe though having a monotonous tone, was rich in the Spirit of Prophecy knowledge which he shared with us. “Steps to Christ” by E G White became my guidebook for life.

I was able to complete medical study at Christian Medical College, India. There, we used to worship, in the early years, at the SDA Missionary house. It was there that I came to read about C S Lewis, “Mere Christianity”. I was also introduced to Watchman Nee, who started the home churches in China and was later martyred. His book “The Normal Christian Life” is a clear explanation of Romans.

 I did graduate study in Ophthalmology. God guided the hands and fingers that made toys from my grandpa’s carpenter tools and helped me restored sight to thousands upon thousands of eyes, in the remote rural villages of India. All operated free of cost. More than 10,000 Reasons to praise the lord.

Early days eye operations. (no gloves or gown)

One of my patient a Devadasi (temple prostitute)

Eye operation 4 Feb. 2014. in a remote village in Northern India.

“Lord, when I graduate from medical school, let me go back to Burma and serve my people”. Till today my prayer is unanswered. I became a refugee because of the political changes in Burma. But within a few years there is hope that my prayer will be answered.

Closing prayer

Dear God

(Prayer song)

Song “Make Me a Blessing”

Out in the highways and byways of life,

  Many are weary and sad;

Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,

  Making the sorrowing glad.

          Make me a blessing, make me a blessing,

Out of my life may Jesus shine;

Make me a blessing, O Saviour, I pray,

  Make me a blessing to someone today.

Amen