History of Shan Churches in Burma 1861-2001 - Khamkoo

Baptist mission among the Shan 43
Translation of Old Testament was finished in January 1885. 18 The revision of the Old Testament was
completed in October 1889 and Old Testament was printed in 1891. 19
The first Shan Hymnbook
In May 1877, Cushing left Bhamo for Toungoo accompanied with Mrs. Lyon whose husband
passed away in March. At Toungoo he immediately began a revision of Shan Gospels, Acts and Shan
dictionary, which was completed in November 1876. In August 1878 Cushing went to Rangoon to
attend to the long delayed Shan printing process. In November 1878 a small Shan hymnbook, the
Gospel of Mark, most of Acts and fifty-six pages of Shan dictionary were printed. 20
He left Rangoon with Rev. and Mrs. W.H. Roberts on December 14, 1879 and went to
Mandalay where they remained until December 31 and started for Bhamo. Cushing and Roberts arrived
Bhamo on January 12, 1879. Mrs. Cushing spent most of the year at Toungoo caring as best she could
for the mission work there. She had two Bible-women and a small school under her care.
The four gospels
Because of poor health Cushing returned to America for a year and returned to Burma again in
December 1879. Rev. Mix came to Toungoo to relieve Cushing so that Cushing would move to
Rangoon to work on translation. Just before leaving Toungoo, Cushing had the privilege of baptizing
six. He arrived at Rangoon with his family on February 1, 1880 and immediately began printing. The
Four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in Shan were printed of a uniform size. 21
Shan literature
In 1880, after thirteen years of language study, Cushing was able to finish Elementary
Handbook of the Shan Language, 8 volumes, 121 pages and printed at the expense of the English
Government. It was designed as a help to persons desiring to learn the Shan language. In 1881 a Shan
and English dictionary was printed. 22 In 1887, Shan grammar was revised, enlarged and republished.
The Shan Handbook was also revised, enlarged and had sixty-four pages.
The First Shan Church in Toungoo
A Burman-Shan Church was formed in Toungoo in January 1863 just one year after Bixby
arrived. Burman-Shan Church comprised of Shan and Burmans. But only Burmese language was used
in Church service making Shan uncomfortable and wanting to have their own congregation using Shan
language. Early in the year of 1882, the Shan withdrew from the “Burman-Shan Church” and formed a
Church by themselves. 23 After Cushing arrival from Rangoon on temporary visit to Toungoo when Rev.
Mix was going back to America because of poor health, the organization of the Shan Church was
completed. Cushing was a real support to the Shan. Besides regular services in town, weekly meetings
at the outstation of Kundaugone were re-established and several visits made to Hluah-binzark, the other
outstation where there were some attentive listeners. Miss. Rockwood arrived Toungoo in 1880 and
took charge the boys’ school on the Shan compound since the departure of Mrs. Mix.
Miss. Rockwood had typhoid fever and after a few days’ illness she passed away to the better land in
August 1882. Cushing baptized six Shan at Shan Church in 1888 on his short visit to Toungoo.
18 “The Shan Mission” `By Rev. J. N. Cushing, D. D. Boston, American Baptist Missionary Union 1893, p19
19 Rev. Dr. Cushing, Josiah Nelson. D. D, Ph. D. By Henry Melville King (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication
Society, 1907) p15
20 65th Annual Report, July 1879, American Baptist Missionary Union, pp27-29
21 67th Annual Report, July 1881, American Baptist Missionary Union, pp55-65
22 68th Annual Report, July 1882, American Baptist Missionary Union, pp54-55
23 Ibid