Lan Tan Church Collaborates with Various Parties to Support Underprivileged Students in Myanmar

Since 2009, the Lan Tan Church of the Taiwan Lutheran Church has been working in partnership with various organizations, including the Taiwan Lutheran General Assembly and the Jia Yi Chi En Holistic Care Association, to support orphans and disadvantaged students in the Rashu Stone Factory Village in Myanmar. Over the past 16 years, they have donated more than 10 million TWD, improving teaching facilities in local Chinese elementary schools and providing scholarship funds to students.
Additionally, the Lan Tan Church has built a preaching site to address community needs while spreading love and hope. Former pastor Lin Yuan-Mao visited northern Myanmar years ago and discovered the impoverished living conditions of the Chinese community there, leading to the launch of projects such as "Love Angels" and "Sending Love to Myanmar," which call on the public to donate 200 TWD per month to support 70 to 100 impoverished children with their educational expenses each semester. The church also collaborates with student groups and volunteers from National Chiayi University to hold camps in the area during summer and winter breaks.
In 2017, they invested nearly 3 million TWD to build a preaching site in Rashu Stone Factory Village, hiring local clergy, establishing a student center, and setting up Chinese language tutoring classes to help the families of underprivileged students. Pastor Chen Pei-Hsuan stated that after the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2019, the church temporarily suspended its winter and summer camps in the stone factory village, but the support activities did not cease. They invited doctors to conduct telemedicine consultations and arranged for teachers to offer English and art classes to local students, allowing residents to feel the warmth of love from Taiwan.
Given the barren land that cannot sustain crops, Pastor Chen explained that many residents rely on working in big cities for survival or engage in tombstone carving as a profession. Lu Shuyuan, chairperson of the Jia Yi Chi En Holistic Care Association, noted that the current situation in Myanmar resembles Taiwan in its early undeveloped years, being remote and lacking transportation; however, seeing the enthusiastic welcome from the local children towards Taiwanese visitors makes her appreciate everything she has.