Saw Ser Nay

(AUTOBIOGRAPHY)

(1970 – Present 15th October 2021)

Early Life

                He was born in 1970, March 2 on Monday at Kamamaung Township, Ohn Taw village around 10:00 A.M. He was born and cleansed by a midwife called Daw Pheebe and, his father is U San Nyunt and his mother is Daw Blessing. He has three siblings, three elder sister they are Naw Helen Nyunt, Naw Juanna and Naw Moo Kyi Lin. He was named Saw Ser Nay by his parents and also called Poe Taung Thu as a nickname because he was born on Farmers’ Day.

His father, U San Nyunt was a person who worshipped the Buddhist, the traditional deity. However, he attended the Mission School and became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and served until he got retirement. His mother was also from a strong Baptist Christian family. Later, she married U San Nyunt and became a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and served God  together in the ministry. Hence, by  God’s grace he has been blessed and became member of the Adventist Church since he was born.

                When he was one year old, his father moved from Ohn Taw Village Church to Komarang Church for Church Pastor. He spent two years of his childhood life in Komarang village. His father moved to Mawlamyine again when he was three years old and, he grew up and studied there, until his high school.

Education

                At the age of four, he studied at the government pre-school which located in front of the First Baptist Church, Kyouttadar Road. Besides, He studied Kindergarten to 8th grade at No. (5) Basic Education Middle School, Sitke Kone Ward.

                One of the hallmarks of that school was, the first place where the Myanmar Bible was translated  by the missionary Judson. Formerly, it was a Mizpah Hall Baptist Missionary School. However, it was used as a government school after it was nationalized in 1964. He then attended the ninth grade at No. (6) Basic Education High School. When he was 15 years old, his father moved to Hpa-an city and he continued  his study 10th grade  in Hpa-an.

                At the 10th grade, the government education  system was change. When the university entrance exam schedule for that year came out, it was on Saturday (Sabbath). However, according to the decision of the record of the church meeting, it was approved that it would be allowed to attend the Mission School’s 11th grade (plus 1) if all the subjects were passed on the other days of government’s exam but not on Saturday. Later, on that year he passed all the subjects except the one that on Saturday, so he was allowed to attend in Myaung Mya’s Seminary School.

                He studied at Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary from 1987 to 1994 and graduated with a BA (Religious). In March 1994, he graduated from that Seminary. According to the requirements of the Seminary, he participated in Bible Convention with the pastors for two months. In April of the same year after graduation, he participated Bible Convention together with U Khin Maung Nyein, U Khay Latt Paw including some graduated students at highschool in Wuyan, Myitkyina City. Started from June, he then began his ministry. In June 1994, he started working as a teacher at Ohn Taw Bible School. However, near the end of the first year of school, he returned to Mawlamyine as an office clerk due to health condition (tongue operation and malaria). From 1995 to 1996, he served as a cashier of the Mawlamyine Mission. Besides, he continued to work as an Accountant until June 1997.

Marriage & Family

           While serving in Mawlamyine, he married with Naw Trazer Ohn.  On December 1996, the Bible Convention was held in the Mawlamyine Church, which led by a pastor from  USA and a doctor from German,  with the support of  the pastor of Mawlamyine church. At the same time, the wedding ceremony was led by that foreign pastors on Dec. 26, 1996.

Service and Contribution/ Legacy

                In July 1997, he was transferred to Hpa-an by the church and continued to work as a school treasure at the Mission school. (The temporary school in Hpa-an was relocated from Ohn Taw because the DKBA had taken over the Ohn Taw Church Bible School.) While the school was temporarily based in Hpa-an, church leaders arranged for a new location and found in Yebu village. Then, together with the current principal Aung Shein at that time, they cleared the area for  the new school, built houses for staffs and students with woods and bricks. In 1999 school year, the school was moved from Hpa-an to Yebu village and now the SEAS school that is  opened. God’s plan was wonderful.

                From 1999 to 2001, he worked as the school treasurer at Yebu Mission School and in April 2001, he was transferred to Hpa-an as an assistant church pastor. He served for (2) years in Hpa-an as an assistant pastor for one year and as a church pastor for one year. Then, in the 2003-2004 school year, he returned to the Yebu Mission School as a Dean of school boarder. According to the decision of the year end EC committee meeting, he was transferred to Mawlamyine as the Director of the Youth Department of Southeast Mission. From 2004 to 2015, he served as a church pastor of the Mawlamyine Mission Church. While serving as the Director of the Department, he was in charge of the Department of Youth Department, Communication Department, Finance Department, Health Department. Besides, he also led the 1000 Missionary Movement, and the Worldwide Missionary. In 2007, he got the ordained pastor and that  program was held in May Myo (Pyin Oo Lwin) at the meeting of Union convention. At that time, the Director of Religious Affairs of Myanmar Union was Pr. Caleb Paw. While he was serving at Mawlamyine Mission,  together with Pr. Shine Tha they planed to build a church because, Elder Lee (from Korea) and his family donated the money to build a church on his birthday in Tha Yet Kone village which is one of the places of Worldwide Missionary. Finally, the church was dedicated in 2015 and the program was attended by Elder Lee and his family as well.

                According to the 2015 Year-End committee election, he was transferred to Yangon as the Union Health Director. He has been serving as the Director of Health since 2016 until now. During his tenure as Director of Health, he was able to carry out church activities and even able to penetrate outside the church. Besides, he was able to distribute health message and the picture of the Adventist’s lifestyle to the youth who are outside of the Adventist family with the Youth Alive Program and that program was held annually from 2016 to 2019. He was also knee able to spread the  message of Adventist’s health message to many Baptist churches.

                By the collaboration of Adventist Health Ministries Department and Htay Min Tun from Life of Genesis, the Health Department successfully hosted a health fair and health information sharing program which is called “Healthy Yangon” program in Yangon from February 9-11, 2020. In this program, Health Director of Division Dr. Lahlaine, Union Health Director Pr. Saw Ser Nay, Sayar Htay Min Htun, Dr. Nick Water and Myo Min Htut from Bangkok Adventist Hospital, Yangon Health Professional Association, ASAP Medical Missionary, Directors from all the mission and health teams were also involved in each unit. Hence, the Department of Union Health has successfully organized a large urban health mission.