History of Shan Churches in Burma 1861-2001 - Khamkoo

Baptist mission among the Shan 39
several applicants for baptism. The chapel is also the center of several Churches on the mountains
where many strangers both Christians and heathens hear the gospel in the course of the year. It is also
the home of a school in the care of Miss. Gage and of a Sunday school in the care of Rev. Cushing. It is
the center of the work and the influence of the Shan Mission, which includes the Burman as well so far
as Toungoo is concerned. The Burmese preaching is done by Maung Po Maung, Maung Oo, others and
myself. The English preaching is done by brethren Bunker, Cushing and myself. God has put His seal
upon this chapel and it has been a Bethel to many souls. In September I baptized eight Europeans
among the number was our own dear daughter Jeanie. She is now twelve years old, speaks and reads
Burmese fluently and loves to tell the little children of the great love of Jesus. She is therefore already a
missionary. I have since baptized three non-commissioned officers. These Europeans form a branch of
the Toungoo Church, which is made up of the representatives of several nationalities. We try to preach
the gospel to every creature and some are given to us from all the races and tribes to whom we have had
access. I have just returned from a month’s tour upon the mountains in which I visited six chapels and
several villages where there are no chapels, preaching the gospel, confirming the Churches, counseling
the assistants and baptizing believers. I baptized thirteen at KyahMaine, among them the chief of the
district and the chief of the village. The LaPetIng people are building a new chapel and there are several
candidates for baptism. We have assistants already in the field who speak Geckho, Harshwie, Padoung,
Shan and Burmese. I have never wavered in my belief that it is God’s purpose to introduce the gospel to
the Shan tribes through these mountaineers. Every year the word advances and bids fair to get a
foothold in the Shan territory.” 12
Rev. Moses Homan Bixby returned to America in May and arrived America in July 1869. Mrs.
Bixby remained in Toungoo and continued mission work until 1870 mid summer and left for United
States. After recovery Bixby continued serving the Lord until he died in Providence, March 20, 1901,
aged 73 years and 7 months. Even though Bixby was commissioned to work among the Shan he
worked among many other groups in Toungoo such as Burman, Thoungthoo, Karen, Geckho and
British officials. No Shan congregation was formed in Toungoo during Bixby’s term.
Rev. Josiah Nelson Cushing and Shan Mission
Cushing is the most famous missionary to Burma second to Adoniram Judson.
Cushing was born in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island on May 4,
1840. He was prepared for college at the Pierce Academy, Middleboro, Massachusetts and entered
Brown University in the class of 1862. After his graduation he went directly to Newton Theological
Institute and completed the full course of the study. The year before he completed his college course he
united by letter with the First Baptist Church in Providence. After completing his seminary course he
was ordained to the Christian ministry by the same Church in 1865.
In 1865 he offered himself to the American Baptist Missionary Union as a candidate for the
foreign field and was presented at the annual meeting held that year in St. Louis, as a missionary. He
was retained at the seminary as instructor in the Hebrew department for one year and in 1866 he sailed
for Burma being designated to the Shan tribes to take up a work, which had been recently begun by
Rev. Moses Homan Bixby.
Arrival of Cushing
Rev. and Mrs. Cushing with Miss. Gage, under appointment for the mission to the Shan, sailed
for Burma in October 1866. They reached Rangoon in November. They joined Toungoo Shan Mission
in March 1867. Cushing had a very difficult and trying task before them in the acquisition of the
language. Cushing studied Shan without learning Burmese. Instead of approaching it through the
medium of Burmese or acquiring the Burmese first as other missionaries had done, they determined to
12 54th Annual Report, July, 1868, American Baptist Missionary Union, p242