Skip to main content

Inspired to Make a Difference

Inspired to Make a Difference
With President Greenhaw of Eden Theological Seminary


Hau Sian Suan is passionate about eco-justice and the ability of communities to impact climate change. A first year M.T.S. student from Myanmar, Suan hopes to combine his love of church history and his commitment to eco-justice when he returns to his country. Support from Eden's International Scholars Program and from his home congregation, Lawibual Baptist Church, has made it possible for Suan to attend Eden.
Through his involvement in a forum on climate change at his home church in Myanmar, Suan participated in planting 21 trees on the church grounds. This experience made a powerful impression and he vowed to continue the work in whatever ways he could. Subsequently, Suan participated in Youth for Eco-Justice, a program organized by the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation where he continued to learn and became more determined to share his knowledge and enthusiasm. He subsequently began a program called "Awareness Training on Climate Change" to educate young people about the latest technological advances in reducing the use of firewood and coal, thus reducing CO2 emissions.
Suan describes Myanmar as a country where communication is difficult and where the prevailing view is an acceptance of conditions as simply "the way things are". In a community where electricity is only available for limited hours in the day, families heat their homes by burning wood. Significant deforestation has occurred over the years which could be reduced through the use of more efficient wood stoves, resulting in the need for less wood to be cut and burned.
Suan has been inspired by new theological insights and hopes to make an impact on his community by preaching, lecturing, and teaching to illuminate how actions can effect climate change in either positive or negative ways. Suan looks forward to returning to his home community to share what he learns at Eden in his church and in Tedim Theological College where he works as a community educator and librarian. Suan's message to his community is that we are all God's creation and, "We can do something about climate change."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bible Study: A ginalo nasem pa thu lungngaih phatkikna( Luka 19:20-23)

  A  gina  lo  nasempa   thu lungngaih   phatkikna  (Luka 19: 20 -23)   20 Tua  ciangin  a  nasem  dang khat  hong  pai a, ‘ Topa  aw,  hih lai -ah  na  sum  zakhat  om hi.  Mainul  khat  tawh   tunin  ka  seelcip  hi.  21 Nang pen mi sit  hak  khat  na   hih   manin   kong kihta  hi. Sum lam  lopi -in sum  deih  pa  na  hi a,  lokho   lopi -in an la  nuampa   na  hi  hi ,’ a  hong  ci hi.  22 A  topa  in ama  kiangah , ‘ Nasem   ginalopa  aw,  nangma   kampau   mah tawh   nang   na   kiman  hi. Sum lam  lopi -in sum ka  deihlam ,  lokho   lopi -in an la  nuamin , mi sit  hak  ka  hihlam   nong thei  hi.  23 Tua  bangin   h...
Post a Comment
Read more

As a steward

From Left to Right : Suan, Konrad Raiser & Samuel Kobia Meet Hau Sian Suan, steward at the WCC Central Committee Name: Hau Sian Suan Country: Myanmar Church: Lawibual Baptist Church Function: president of the Youth Department Participating as: steward Age: 27 First ecumenical encounter: this one. The role of church in situations of conflict: To build up the community in the country and the church. We do missionary work in our own tribe but to send missionaries to other tribes in the country. Baptist leaders try to engage Myanmar leadership in conversation about the country but it’s very difficult. I was a student at the time of the demonstrations led by Buddhist monks and we students participated in that movement. Environmental issues central to our church, particularly deforestation, which has had terrible effects on our climate. Through councils of churches, we can cooperate, for instance to create central cooking places which reduces ...
Post a Comment
Read more

ecojustice activities in Myanmar

  In Myanmar, eco-justice flourishes even in challenging settings                 To use his learning from the Youth for Eco-Justice training, Hau Sian Suan conducted his own project on “climate change and water management” in Myanmar.                   31 October 2012 By Susan Kim (*) Hau Sian Suan, a young man from Myanmar, and his peers have drawn close to work together for eco-justice, even in a community where communications are difficult. Suan likes to reflect on the moments that shaped a new initiative in his home country. After hosting a forum on climate change at the Lawibual Baptist Church in Myanmar, Suan recalled joining other young people who were planting 21 trees on the church grounds. Seeing the newly planted trees was inspiring – but talking to the other young people about eco-justi...
Post a Comment
Read more