Story of Empower Asia
MAJOR TUN KYAW OO (TKO) (1936-2022)
In 2004, Major TKO and Jay Pratt, our International Director, translated ten Jesus Stories into Burmese and Rakhine and distributed them to thirty-nine newly established house churches during the first year of the movement. In 2007, Major TKO established a dedicated translation team to assist in producing a meaning-based translation of the Gospels and Acts for the DMS house churches, which had grown to encompass over 41,932 congregations. The Major ground breaking Buddhist friendly Bible Translation called Sama Pitaka Version (SPV) has been translated into over 40 languages of the Buddhist World.
Our Approach
- Major Tun Kyaw Oo and Jay Pratt catalyzed a movement now comprising approximately 41,000 house churches, collectively known as the DMS Association (www.dmsmm.org).
- Between 2006 and 2016, Major Tun Kyaw Oo and key leaders within the house church movement completed the first indigenous Burmese Bible translation, known as the SPV. This translation was developed independently and was not based on the Judson Bible.
- By 2012, the DMS team had translated the 10 Jesus Stories Picture Bible into 40 languages spoken throughout Burma.
- By 2022, the DMS team had translated the 10 Jesus Stories into 75 Bible-less languages across the Buddhist world and initiated 15 New Testament translation projects in Thailand. During this period, the team also revised and consultant-checked 26 translations derived from Major Tun Kyaw Oo’s SPV translation from Burma.
- From 2022 to 2023, DMS teams received training from Beyond Translation Church and completed translations of the Gospel of Luke into 26 Burmese languages.
- From 2022 to 2025, the DMS team translated the 10 Jesus Stories into an additional 25 languages across 10 countries within the Buddhist world.
- From 2022 to 2025, DMS supported the Thailand Sunrise/Sonlight Foundations in initiating New Testament translation projects in 15 languages listed on the All Access Goals (AAG) list.
- Translations are being loaded onto the Digital Bible Library and YouVersion.
MOVEMENT PARTNERSHIPS
Our Church Centric Bible Translation ministry is an alliance of partnerships that has catalyzed over 36,000 house churches with 500,000 Buddhist background believers thanks to our efficient and
effective methods of coaching and micro-church planting. Obedience has partnered with these Asian ministries to launch and equip house churches in Asia: Dhamma Mate Swe (DMS) Association of House Churches (a network of Buddhist background and
Muslim background house churches in Burma) and catalyzed over 36,000 house churches with 350,00 Buddhist background believers. This ministry partnership is now launching the Bible
Translation Movement to translate the Word of God into 40 languages by 2033. 26 of these languages were AAG (All Access Goals)list languages. The Sunshine/Sonrise Foundations have started 80churches in 2024 and 2025. They oversee the translation of the New Testament of 15 languages of Thailand. 13 of these are on the AAG list.
Global Church Alliance of Sri Lanka has catalyzed a house church movement of over 1,500 house churches since 2015. They have already started 4 translations and they would to start 2 more that
are on the AAG list. Back to Jerusalem Movement led by Pastor Peter Xu has started one translation and aims to start 10 more AAG languages. Frontier Harvest Ministries aims to start 30 AAG translations in China among minority people
groups. Bhutan Buddhist Background House Church Movement intends to start 3 translations. One of these 3 is on the AAG list.