More than 13,000 Myanmar Youth Gather for First International Acquire The Fire Event
Teen Mania International made history July 16-27, 2015, with its nationwide evangelistic outreach to the people of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). The initiative, known as Mission Myanmar, also featured the ministry’s first international Acquire the Fire event that saw an astounding attendance of around 13,000 each night.
Mission Myanmar began July 16 when 50 young missionaries from the U.S., and additional teams from China, South Korea, and Taiwan converged on the city of Yangon. Following two days of intense training, the young people provided support for a variety of partner-led initiatives designed to aid and impact some of the most underserved people groups in the region.
Teen Mania was invited to share the gospel by Myanmar Evangelical Christian Association, and was soon joined by CBN’s Operation Blessing International, Joyce Meyer Ministries, Mercy for the Children, and Within Reach Global.
In addition to performing children’s ministry at several orphanages, teams assisted ministry partners with medical missions, and joined area churches in visiting destitute communities to extend invitations to the upcoming two-day youth rally.
The Acquire the Fire rally represented landmarks for both Teen Mania and the nation of Myanmar. “Beyond being the first international Acquire the Fire in the history of the ministry, this was the first event—of any kind—for the youth of Myanmar,” explained Ron Luce, ministry founder and president. “It’s such a tremendous privilege to point thousands of precious young people to the One True Living God, and to inspire them to take their tribes and nation for Him.”
Friday, July 24, Myanmar’s young people began streaming into Yangon by bus and train from every region of the nation to attend the much-anticipated Acquire the Fire youth rally. The event introduced attendees to Christian leaders from throughout the area. The crowd was delighted with the participation of Phyu-Phyu, one of Myanmar’s best-known and beloved music artists, and were blessed by anointed praise and worship led by U.S.-based Austin Adamec and his band.
The rally was held at Yangon’s outdoor Insein Football (soccer) Stadium, and not even the rainy season could dampen the spirits of thousands of attendees. Teen Mania friends and donors helped keep the crowd comfortable by renting enormous tents that provided cover for 10,000 seats on the field. Another 1,200-1,500 attendees were seated in covered stadium bleachers that surrounded the field.
More than 13,000 people in all had registered to attend both Friday and Saturday nights of Acquire the Fire, and countless others were welcomed to walk in without having registered. Seven hundred people from area churches served as volunteers who assisted with both practical and ministry aspects of the event. One group of ladies prayed on location for 24 hours prior to the event. When the time for the first altar call finally came on Friday night, no less than 3,000 came streaming through the aisles to profess their new-found faith in Jesus Christ.
Reflecting on the historic nature of Mission Myanmar, Luce said, “It’s been 60 years since the gospel was publicly proclaimed to this predominantly Buddhist nation. We pray this will be the start of a new day of ministry in Myanmar. The prayers of Myanmar’s faithful are being answered. God has not forgotten them, and neither have we.”
While this was the first international Acquire the Fire, it won’t be the last, Luce said. “There are 1.8 billion young people in the world, and many of them have become so saturated in Western media and entertainment that they are more like American culture than their own. As a result, pastors everywhere are calling and pleading with us to help them reach their young people for Jesus Christ.”
The success of Mission Myanmar offers a promising indication of Teen Mania International’s unique ability to respond to the global needs of young people. Similar dynamic international partnerships are being considered currently in the northern part of Myanmar, as well as in South Africa.
Ron Luce was the co-founder and president of Teen Mania Ministries from 1986-2015. Ron and his wife Katie dreamed to raise young people who would change the world.
Ron received his bachelor's degree in Psychology and Theology from Oral Roberts University and his master's in Counseling Psychology from the University of Tulsa, along with an honorary doctorate from Jerry Falwell of Liberty University. He is a sought-after speaker who has traveled to more than 60 countries and has made numerous media appearances, such as Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family radio broadcast, CNN, The O'Reilly Factor, ABC Nightline, The 700 Club, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and the Sean Hannity Show. Ron has also written 35 books for teens, youth pastors, and parents and continues to speak at leaders' conferences helping parents and pastors understand the plight of today's youth and showing them how all of us can be part of the solution.
Ron and Katie currently live in Garden Valley, Texas, with their son Cameron. They have two daughters, Hannah and Charity.