ATS Student from Myanmar Reunited with Bride-to-Be
David Khual is working toward his M.Div. at Asbury. Here is some of his story as told by Mark Maynard in Kentucky Today.
David Khual and Lim Naum (called Limnu), a Burmese couple who started dating 10 years and planned to be married five years ago, were separated by the war in Myanmar. They saw each other again for the first time in five years on Aug. 1 and were married Saturday afternoon (August 18) with Pastor Nathan Elliott officiating the service at Mount Freedom.
Friends from the church, where Khual has become a member while attending Asbury Theological Seminary, paid for a catered reception for the couple at Asbury seminary.
Khual is working toward his Master of Divinity degree at Asbury when he began attending Mount Freedom, which is located practically on the doorstep of the Asbury University campus. Elliott learned more about Khual through several conversations. He was told about the relationship between Khual and Limnu, who he had intended to marry five years ago.
However, they were not able to reunite in the country because fighting in the region where his family is located prevented him from coming home. The pastor told Khual it would be his prayer Limnu could come to the United States and have a Burmese wedding at Mount Freedom. He turned out to be prophetic with that prayer.
Near the end of May, Limnu was accepted to Asbury University and granted a visa. She flew to Chicago in July where her older brother lives and where her fiancé could lay eyes on her in a magical moment.
While they have been able to speak with each other through social media the past five years, it was the first time in five years that they had seen each other in person.
As part of the wedding process in Myanmar, families had to meet, which happened, so that test was passed. Then Khual had to be interviewed by her brother as a representative of the family, which happened on the visit to Chicago. And then Friday was another gathering of her brother and Khual’s cousin for the final approval before the wedding, which happened Saturday.
“Limnu has been here, staying with family in the church,” Elliott said. “It’s a beautiful story.”
Khual, who will be a highly sought after Baptist pastor in Myanmar once he completes his degree, has a desire to establish an English teaching school among the Buddhists and use that as inroads to share the gospel among Buddhists, Elliott said.
Khual’s father is a middle school level math teacher but is not allowed to go higher because he’s a Christian. “There are certain positions in society you can’t do if you’re a Christian,” Elliott said.
Limnu, who tested out of her first year at Asbury, is starting a middle school education degree program. The couple plans on returning to Myanmar together and will be sharing the gospel with Buddhists and wherever the doors open for them.
“What a great opportunity for them both to be here and studying in an atmosphere where they are forced to speak and write in English,” Elliott said.
The wedding ceremony was not that much different than the traditional ceremony here, Elliott said. They read scripture in English, Burmese and another dialect. Elliott wore a shawl from Myanmar that Khual gave to him. Friends from a Burmese community in Lexington provided music.
At the reception, they had a meal and an hour of worship music from Asbury musicians who were friends of Khual.
“Being that his family isn’t here, and they are limited in resources, I asked the ladies of the church to help with last-minute planning of the wedding,” Elliott said. “I was so impressed with them. They came in with the eagerness and excitement of their own wedding.”
As they were planning the reception, they asked the pastor if the congregation might want to be involved. They raised $3,500 over four weeks to pay for the catered reception.
What an incredible display of Christian generosity and love shown toward this couple! So many things that just “fell into place” in God’s timing–which is always perfect!
It’s a beautiful story to remind Christians that what God has plan to happen would still happen no matter the length of time. He makes everything beautiful in his own time.