Wa (Myanmar, Thailand, China)

Background

The Wa are a hill tribe in Southeast Asia who have existed in the rugged mountainous region between Myanmar/Burma, Thailand, and China for for many centuries. Various recent powers who have controlled the region have never exercised full control over the area the Wa occupy, mainly due to the rugged mountain terrain. When the British administered Burma in the 19th century, full administered never extended into the northeast Mountainous area of Burma that the Wa inhabit. Chinese rule never fully extended into Wa territory. This has contributed to an ongoing sense of Wa identity and Wa territory being very distinct from Myanmar, British-Burmese, or Chinese identity. Once an independent Myanmar separated from British colonial rule in 1948, the central Myanmar government has continuously fought to gain full control of this region the many ethnic minorities who desire autonomy, particularly to the east. The Wa have been one of these ethnic minorities who have fought for autonomy over the last eight decades of Burmese independence.

Like many traditional hill tribes of Southeast Asia, the Wa historically were animists, worshiping and appeasing the spirits they perceived inhabiting rocks, trees, and nature. Unlike most SE Asia Hill tribes, however, the Wa historically practiced human sacrifice for the success of annual crops and were notorious head hunters with dozen’s of occurrences being documented well into the late 1950’s [1]. Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity have all made inroads into the region and people. William Marcus Young, a young missionary from Nebraska, first came to Shan State, Myanmar in 1892 and introduced Christianity to the Wa. William, his wife, his son Marcus Vincent, and other members of the Young family devised a writing system for the Wa and Lahu languages, translating Christian material and books of the bible into Wa in the early 19th century [2]. The Wa New Testament was completed by the Young family in 1938 [3].

2026 Bible Distribution

A Biblia Global volunteer visited eastern Myanmar in the late 2010’s and met a Wa pastor who asked for a reprinting of the complete Wa Bible for his people (see the image of the Bible above). Since that meeting, the Wa Christians in Myanmar revised their translation of the Bible, completing the revision in 2025. Biblia Global was thrilled to be able to print and deliver 14,000 Wa Bibles in this revised Wa translation in late 2025 and early 2026. The images and testimonies are from that delivery. Faces are blurred out, and names and locations are changed due to safety and security considerations. Thank you to all who give to Biblia Global: your giving helps make these projects possible!

Mrs. Nang, Myanmar

My name is Mrs. Nang, and I live in a remote Village in Wa State. By the wonderful grace of God, I have received this Bible for free, which I have been waiting for many years and months. I have longed to read the Wa Bible, both the New Testament and the Old Testament. In the villages and areas where we live, Christianity is strictly prohibited. Over seven years ago, local authorities banned worship in church buildings, chapels, halls, and other places of worship. These establishments are still closed. However, since last year, there have been some relaxations regarding worship. Although we are not permitted to gather in churches, we can now meet in our homes and worship with our families, friends, and church members. About seven years ago, when the authorities attempted to suppress Christianity, they burned and destroyed Christian symbols, crosses, calendars, literature, books, hymnals, and Bibles. Now that we have regained the right to worship in our homes, hymnals and Bibles are urgently needed. I am incredibly happy and grateful to God for the timely delivery of the Bible, which comes at a critical moment when we desperately need hymnals and Bibles. I cannot read Thai, Chinese, or Burmese at all; I only know the 'Wa' script.

Since receiving the 'Wa' Bible, I have been reading it every day and receiving spiritual guidance. Additionally, I have been able to share the events and messages of the Bible with others. I believe that receiving this Bible will benefit not only me but also other believers who hunger for the Word of God and our churches as a whole. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the organizations and donors who helped publish the Bible, as well as to those who ensured it reached us when we needed it most. Thank you all.

Miss Kat, Myanmar

My name is Miss Kat from Shan State, Myanmar. I am 38 years old and I am a full time minister at the church

Our village was built in 1971 and started with seven Christian families. There was a civil war around 1970 in the Wa region, so the villagers migrated to this new village. They received the gospel from a missionary. Today, there are 100 migrant church members in our village. Our ancestors were animism and mountain people. They worshiped the spirits (Nat). They sacrificed animals to spirits for their economic, fields and health. And they could never fully follow and please the spirits with sacrifices. I was raised in a Christian family and I got the gospel from my church school teachers and pastors. I believed Jesus as my personal savior and I was baptized on 28 February, 2004.

I want to live my life like God’s daughter before Christ. I love and want to live my life with a pure and humble heart until the end of my life. I shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with my two friends who are Buddhist monks about salvation in Jesus. They understand Jesus Christ only as the way not as their savior. I do pray for them; may the Holy Spirit guide them to be clear that Jesus Christ is not only the way but that He is the way, the truth and the life for the world.

I have prayed for the chance to live together with my parents since my school life. I got the answer to my pray after I graduated from seminarian in 2014. I lived and served in a stranger’s house while I got my education from kindergarten to Grade 8.

I had a big headache before I went to seminary. There wasn’t any medicine that could cure my headache. Since I decide to attend the seminary for God’s ministry, the headache has gone away and I did not take medicine to this point.

After they received Jesus Christ as savior, my great-grand parents from both sides of my of my family were delivered and freed from the burden of the spirits. They were transformed by the good news of the gospel.

Our senior pastor is 95 years old. He has served God since 1960. He shares in the church service his life experiences. There were difficulties in his life, but he always takes courage in God’s word and prays throughout his ministry life to this very day.

On July 13, 2024 we have faced civil war. Our church youth department leader was struck with a 50-pound bomb and some houses were destroyed with a 500-pound bomb. We left our village for one half of months and returned home together.

We have blessings of God because God prepared a new Bible from the providers’ donations. If there is no Bible, we cannot hear, know and understand the word and the will of God.

We give thanks to God and all donations around the world provided for us to have free Bible. May God richly bless you all for the glory of the kingdom.

Our local church members are poor in education and economic. But we are clear in belief and salvation. We are mountain people and farmers. We receive God blessings because of your donations to have the Bible, the basic need of our daily life. We pray that you all may share more your blessings for all who do really need the word of God.

Rev. Titus, Myanmar

My name is Rev. Titus. I am serving as secretary of a Wa Denomination Association. Our convention is organized with (20) churches and eight department which are (1) Christian Education department, (2) Youth department, (3) Women department, (4) Evangelical and Mission Department, (6) Literature department, (7) Minister department and Christian Service and Development department.

We had have Wa Bible before we received this new version. The old version was hard to read and understand. This new version is clear and easier to understand for readers immediately. And also the church pastors, minister, and some church members can only hold and read the Bible. All the church members can not buy the Bible because it is expensive and not free. Now, every church member can hold the Bible as their own and read the Bible when they would like because of your great donations. The Word of God is the way for our believers in every region. Thank you for your contribution to get free Bibles to the Wa believers.

Our Wa Association is so blessed and we received God’s blessing from your donation from believers around the world those who love God’s ministry. We do pray that you may all have God’s blessing in your daily life and receive more abundant life for God’s ministry.

Mr. NK Med, Myanmar

My name is NK Med. I live in a special region, specifically the Wa resettlement area near Thailand. I can not read or write in Burmese, English, or Chinese at all. Growing up in a mountainous area with difficult transportation made it unnecessary for me to learn to read. I come from a traditional family of worshippers, and I became a Christian after hearing the gospel preached in the Wa language at a funeral in another village. After my conversion, I began studying the teachings, beliefs, attitudes, and practices of Christianity. I had the opportunity to learn the Wa language, and since I did not know any other language or literature, I picked it up quickly. For me, learning Wa was essential for my spiritual journey; in worship, I needed to sing hymns, praise the Lord, recite scriptures, and read short passages from the Bible. I realized that if I could not read Wa literature, I would not be able to understand the Bible and the Word of God. During worship times, we sing hymns, praise the Lord with worship songs, read scriptures, and recite responses.

Therefore, it is crucial for me to read in the Wa language. As I do not know Burmese or Chinese, I can only read Wa literature. Having the Wa Bible will help my family grow spiritually as we read it every day. I would like to express my gratitude to all those who contributed to our ability to own a Bible. Without your generous donations, I would not have had the opportunity to have my own Bible when I needed it. Thank you to all the donors who made it possible for us to receive these Bibles.

NOTES

[1] “Wa”, Joshua Project, joshuaproject.net [home page on-line]; available from https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/15759/BM; accessed May 17, 2026.

[2] “The Young Family’s Work with the Wa People”, The Humanities Computing Laboratory, humancomp.org [home page on-line]; available from https://www.humancomp.org/wadict/young_family.html; accessed May 17, 2026.

[3] Ibid.