Esther and Lydia would eventually flee Myanmar and travel to India, where they began a long process of acquiring visas and waiting until travel to the U.S. was allowed.
Faulls said the church did everything it could to help Esther and Lydia get to America, including working with Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell’s staff to assist the U.S. embassy in India with whatever it might need.
Even during this time of waiting, Faulls said Haokip continued to press on in his ministry as pastor of the Burmese congregation within the church.
Bellevue prioritizes diversity, the pastor said, holding five services in four different languages each Sunday.
One of those services is the Burmese congregation of about 90 people, which Haokip has led for two years. The church has baptized 15 people in the past year.
“The Burmese congregation in our church has a strong community and they have been very happy about Kamlen being their pastor,” Faulls said. “They’ve taken good care of him.
“Kamlen has been very evangelistic in his efforts, and he’s been such a positive leader in a thriving congregation.”
When Esther and Lydia finally arrived in the U.S., Haokip’s congregation not only had members ready to greet the two at the airport, but also paid for their trip.
Haokip said the moment when the family finally reunited was “indescribable.”
The advice he said he would give to other Christians going through a hard time is to trust the character of God.
“My encouragement for people in hard times would be look to Jesus, and cling on to the promises of God,” Haokip said. “The only thing that is permanent is God and His promises.”
“Even when you cannot see the hand of God moving in your life, we can only trust that the heart of God toward us is always faithful and trustworthy. Keep believing and remember that Jesus is the answer to all our problems.”
This article originally appeared here.
