Bibles for the Hidden Rawang People

“I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me—
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’” Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.”

The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:

“This one was born in Zion.” (Psalm 87: 4-6).

For decades we have tried our best to share how God’s pursuit of all tribes, languages, people groups and nations is one of the great redemptive themes of the Bible. Despite this wonderful theme running throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, many Christians remain completely oblivious to God’s masterplan to redeem the peoples of the world, and their lives are poorer for it.

Are you aware that the above Psalm talks about several Gentile nations and how God will save them? Believers know about the Lamb’s Book of Life, but few know that God also keeps and writes in a “register of the peoples.” Perhaps it is one of the “other books” mentioned in Revelation 20:12 that the Almighty God will open on judgment day.

You may have seen some of the regular Myanmar people group profiles that we have been sending out by email. They and many others like them are part of our call to raise awareness and prayer for Asia’s hidden people groups.

We consider it our great honor and privilege to present these groups, especially those that have never appeared on any Christian lists of the world’s peoples. We have profiled over 100 such previously unknown groups in our current Myanmar project.

In this, our final newsletter of the year, we would like to share about a tribe you have probably never heard of.

ABOVE: Rawang territory sits in the shadow of Hkababo Razi, the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia at 19,925 feet (5,881 meters) above sea level.

More than 70,000 Rawang people live in the northernmost part of Myanmar, where the country meets southwest China and northeast India.

Their majestic homeland contains many gushing rivers and snowcapped mountains, including Hkakabo Razi, the tallest peak in Southeast Asia at 19,925 feet (5,881 meters) above sea-level.

Further to the north, on the Chinese side of the border, the altitude changes dramatically, with the floor of the Dulongjiang Canyon sitting more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Virgin forests teeming with wild animals abound, where expert Rawang hunters armed with wooden crossbows have hunted game for countless generations. Numerous rare bird species are found in the diverse Rawang area, which is also the only place on earth where black orchids grow.

The mass movement to Christ among the Rawang people is one of the greatest, yet least-known mission stories of the 20th century.

It is said that when missionaries started ministering to them there were no Rawang Christians, but by the time they were forced to leave Myanmar in the 1960s there were just a few old men who were not believers.

Today, practically all Rawang people are Christians, and the Bible, Jesus film, and other Christian resources have been translated into their language.

Because many Rawang people on the Chinese side of the border have intermarried with Tibetans and formed mixed communities, the Rawang are strategically placed to share the Gospel with the many unreached Tibetans who dwell in the valleys of the southern Himalayas. Along with Lisu Christians, the Rawang have probably been the most effective tribe at reaching Tibetans for Christ in this remote part of Asia.

The Rawang Bible was translated and published in 1986, but the quality of the paper and binding back then was poor, and many copies of God’s precious Word have disintegrated over the years.

Recently, Rawang church leaders have contacted our coworkers and asked if we could reprint the Bible in their language, as the Rawang churches desperately need a fresh infusion of the Scriptures, both to establish young believers in the faith and to equip and empower Rawang evangelists to share the Gospel among the unreached.