The Gospel and the Shan

The bible has already been translated into Tai, as the main language. There are efforts being made to expand that to the certain dialects, especially those that are more often used as a scriptoral and written language.

The Jesus film has been translated to Shan (!)

In 1962 all foreign missionaries were expelled from Burma after General Ne Win of the Burmese military staged a coup d´etat and took over control of the country. The Shan are traditionally resistant to Western influence and to the gospel, at least in part due to negative experiences during the British colonialization period. Christianity is seen as a Western religion. "To be Shan is to be Buddhist", they say of themselves. The idea of eternal life seems to them irrelevant, as the goal of Buddhism is to seek for passionless peace. A high illiteracy rate makes it difficult for Shan to read the scriptures, although it is not unusual for them to speak several languages (Chinese, Burmese, and Thai).

Doors to the Gospel

The concept of forgiveness is not known in Buddhism. The word they use to ask for forgiveness means, "please punish me", as the Shan believe that each individual must pay for his own sin and that there is no other atonement. Therefore the message for forgiveness in Christ is valuable to them.
The Shan Buddhists are waiting for the revelation of another (5th) god named "Maitrea", meaning "great world teacher". Buddha predicted that this god would bring the final revelation of the way of salvation. Serious Shan Buddhists keep an empty room in their houses, in expectation of the coming of this god.