- Home
- Speakers
- Paul Hattaway
- Unreached Peoples: The Tribes Of Myanmar Burma Chin State
Unreached Peoples: The Tribes of Myanmar Burma Chin State
Paul Hattaway
Paul Hattaway (birth year unknown–present). Born in New Zealand, Paul Hattaway is a Christian missionary, author, and founder of Asia Harvest, a ministry dedicated to equipping Asian churches to reach unreached people groups. Leaving home at 16, he faced homelessness in Australia, sleeping on a public bathroom roof, until a factory worker’s witness led him to faith. In 1988, he arrived in Hong Kong with $50, a backpack, and a call to serve China, smuggling hundreds of Bibles across the border. Founding Asia Harvest in the early 1990s, he has supported over 1,500 indigenous missionaries, provided over 20 million Bibles in 140 Asian languages, and aided persecuted believers through funds like the Asian Workers’ Fund and Persecution & Relief Fund. His preaching, rooted in personal testimonies of God’s provision, inspires global audiences at conferences and churches. Hattaway authored books like An Asian Harvest (2017), The Heavenly Man (2002, about Brother Yun), and Operation China (2000), documenting revival and unreached tribes. Married, though family details are private, he operates from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with offices in Australia, the UK, Germany, and Malaysia. He said, “God’s call is not to comfort but to obedience, no matter the cost.”
Download
Topic
Sermon Summary
This sermon reflects on a journey through Chin Hills in Western Myanmar, encountering the Chin and Naga tribes. It describes the simplicity and peace found in a typical Naga village, where hospitality is shown through traditional rice liquor and cultural practices like tattooing. The celebration in a Chin village showcases the unity and joy of the community in events like childbirth, marriage, and tribal returns, expressed through traditional dances and songs amidst the scenic mountain backdrop.
Sermon Transcription
Crossing swift flowing rivers and ravines, we followed the mountain track on Chin Hills to see Chin and Naga tribes of Western Myanmar. A typical Naga village on one mountain slope, poor but peaceful and simple. We were first taken to village Spirit House to show our faces there. The place is also used as a bachelor house and community house. Luckily, we were set through a medium that we were allowed to stay in the village. There, our friendly host gave us large cups of traditional rice liquor as refreshments. Wife and daughter of our guide are pounding rice traditional way. These ladies, like other Naga ladies, have tattoos on their faces and chins. Old lady refused to be photographed. Meanwhile, our guide, Zangku, is cooking food for us. I believe he is going to give us real typical Naga dinner tonight. Next day, in another village, Chins are celebrating some event. A childbirth, a marriage, a return of someone as a tribe. They always dance together happily on a clear ground in the middle of the village. Men and women, young and old, all collectively dance and sing traditional team spirit song gazing at cloudy, misty, faraway mountain ranges from time to time.
Unreached Peoples: The Tribes of Myanmar Burma Chin State
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
Paul Hattaway (birth year unknown–present). Born in New Zealand, Paul Hattaway is a Christian missionary, author, and founder of Asia Harvest, a ministry dedicated to equipping Asian churches to reach unreached people groups. Leaving home at 16, he faced homelessness in Australia, sleeping on a public bathroom roof, until a factory worker’s witness led him to faith. In 1988, he arrived in Hong Kong with $50, a backpack, and a call to serve China, smuggling hundreds of Bibles across the border. Founding Asia Harvest in the early 1990s, he has supported over 1,500 indigenous missionaries, provided over 20 million Bibles in 140 Asian languages, and aided persecuted believers through funds like the Asian Workers’ Fund and Persecution & Relief Fund. His preaching, rooted in personal testimonies of God’s provision, inspires global audiences at conferences and churches. Hattaway authored books like An Asian Harvest (2017), The Heavenly Man (2002, about Brother Yun), and Operation China (2000), documenting revival and unreached tribes. Married, though family details are private, he operates from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with offices in Australia, the UK, Germany, and Malaysia. He said, “God’s call is not to comfort but to obedience, no matter the cost.”