The Lay of the Land

By Naw Eh Phaw is a Bible teacher, Doctor of Ministry student, and a prominent leader within the Burmese diaspora of Indianapolis.

Adapted from Naw Eh Phaw’s welcome address at the 2026 Our Stories Our Faith Conference in Indianapolis.

This piece is the first of a series of conference reflections intended to recount and ruminate on the insight and fellowship gained at the OSOF conference.

Dear readers,

It is truly a joy to (virtually) welcome you to our pocket of Indianapolis.

Today, more than 30,000 Burmese people call Indianapolis home. In fact, many people affectionately call our city “Chindianapolis” because it is home to one of the largest Burmese communities outside of Burma.

That nickname always makes me smile. It reminds me of a funny story.

A very good friend of mine lives in the Washington, D.C., area. After living in America for more than ten years, her family decided to take their very first vacation. Her husband told her, “Pick somewhere nice where we can relax, explore, and enjoy spending time together as a family.” She thought about it… She searched… And finally she made her decision.

She picked...Indianapolis! When she told me that, I laughed.

Out of all the vacation destinations in America…Florida, Hawaii, California, New York., etc. She chose Indianapolis!

But then I realized...For many Burmese families, Indianapolis isn’t just another city.

It’s where relatives live. It’s where church friends live. It’s where people speak your language.

It’s where your children have friends. It’s where you can worship in your own language.

It’s where you feel at home.

So maybe Indianapolis really is a great vacation destination after all.

People often ask, “Why Indianapolis?“

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There are many reasons. Some families were resettled here. Others followed relatives. Many found jobs. Many found churches. And over the years, Indianapolis became a gathering place for Chin, Karen, Kachin, Karenni, and many other ethnic communities from Burma.

Today, there are more than seventy Burmese churches throughout our city.

Think about that. Seventy churches.

Every weekend there are Bible studies. Children’s ministries. Youth meetings. Women’s fellowships. Men’s conferences. Marriage seminars. Parenting workshops, Bible camps, Vacation Bible Schools, Leadership training...Mission conferences.

Almost every church is doing something to invest in the next generation. That is something we should thank God for.

If you’ve lived in Indianapolis for very long, you’ve probably noticed something else.

There seems to be a Burmese grocery store every few blocks.

We’re pretty good at that! I still remember when we first moved here in 2005. Back then you couldn’t buy jasmine rice at Walmart. If we wanted jasmine rice, we had to drive about forty minutes to a tiny Asian grocery store on the west side of town.

Today…

You can buy jasmine rice almost anywhere.

And if you’re hungry for Burmese food...

You have plenty of choices.

But as wonderful as these things are, they remind us of something much deeper.

Our community did not become what it is overnight. It has been built through sacrifice. Through perseverance. Through faith.

I was reminded of that this past spring. I attended a high school graduation in Perry Township. As I watched those students walk across the stage, I spent nearly the entire ceremony thanking the Lord.

Some of you may wonder why.

Because I remembered something.

When we first moved to Indiana in 2005, my son started kindergarten. One day he came home and said, “Mom, there aren’t any Burmese or Chin kids in my school.” A couple of years later, another Burmese boy enrolled. My son came home so excited. He said, “Mom! There is another Burmese boy at school!” Just one. That was exciting enough.

Fast forward to this spring.

As I looked through the graduation program, I saw page after page of Burmese names. Many of those students received academic awards. Scholarships. Leadership recognition. I couldn’t stop thanking God.

What touched me even more was hearing teachers pronounce Burmese and Chin names beautifully. No hesitation. No embarrassment. No strange accents. The teachers had learned our names. That may seem like a small thing. But to me, it was a reminder that God has been faithfully opening doors for this community.

Our stories remind us how far God has brought us.

When my husband and I first moved here in 2005, there were no smartphones. No Google Maps. No GPS. When we looked for jobs, we printed directions from MapQuest. We drove around Interstate 465. We got lost. A lot. We stopped at gas stations asking people where we were.

Eventually I found my first job. I made $6.50 an hour making pizza dough. It wasn’t a pretty job. But I thanked God for that job. I worked hard. Saved every dollar I could. And sent money back to Burma to help support my family.

I know many of you have similar stories. Some of you worked night shifts. Some cleaned offices. Some worked in factories. Some worked multiple jobs. Many of us started with very little. Yet here we are today. Not because life was easy.

But because God has been faithful.

That is why this conference is called Our Stories, Our Faith. Because our stories point us to God’s faithfulness.

Our faith has sustained us through refugee camps. Through immigration. Through language barriers. Through culture shock. Through hardship. And our faith continues to shape who we are today. Sometimes we forget something very important. The Burmese people first heard the gospel because faithful missionaries came to Burma. One of those missionaries was Adoniram Judson, sent by the American Baptist Mission.

God used him to bring the gospel to our people. Generations later. Many of us are followers of Jesus because someone crossed an ocean to tell our ancestors about Christ. Today, God has brought us across another ocean. I don’t believe that happened by accident.

I believe God has a purpose. Perhaps He has brought the Burmese people to America not only to receive blessings… But also to become a blessing. Perhaps the Lord is calling us to share the gospel with our American neighbors… To serve our communities...To plant churches, to love our cities, and to point people to Jesus.

One school superintendent recently told our community that Burmese students who are actively involved in church often stand out because they are humble, eager to learn, respectful, and love coming to school.

When I heard that, I didn’t think, “How wonderful our children are.” I thought, “How faithful God has been.“

As we begin this conference together, I hope we remember that every family in this room has a story. Some stories are joyful. Some are painful. Some are still being written. But every story points to the same faithful God.

I would like to leave you with the words of Deuteronomy 7:9:

What a fitting reminder. The God who was faithful in Burma. Was faithful in the refugee camps.

He was faithful when we first arrived in America...And He will remain faithful to the next generation. May our stories always point people to Him.

Thank you, and welcome to our series of reflections from Our Stories, Our Faith.

Naw Eh Phaw is a Bible teacher who has spoken across the nation on women’s and children’s ministry. In 2004, she received her Master of Arts in Theology from International Theological Seminary in Los Angeles and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Naw currently teaches a Biblical Counseling course at Chin Theological Seminary. She is passionate about guiding individuals and families to Christ through the truth of Scripture, and her greatest joy is seeing broken hearts find healing and hope in Christ, the Great Healer.