1947 -1949 The Sawyers went to Kansu Tibetan Border of West China to servce as missionaries of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
1950 The Sawyers were evacuated from China as China was taken over by the Communists and reassigned to French Indo China and studied French at Dalat, Vietnam.
1951 to 1960 Lived in Luang Prabang for language study. Achan (Reverence or teacher as in Laotian) Sawyer traveled with Achan Moun Douangmala to Lao, Khumu and Hmong Villages in evangelism and church planting. In order to teach new Christians, Achan Moun and Achan Sawyer often held short term Bible Schools in the villages and often by bringing in leaders who could read and write Lao to study in Luang Prabang.
1952 Hundreds of Hmong were becoming Christians in Xieng Khouang province and many also in Luang Prabang.
1953 - 1954 Rev. Ed and Mrs. Thelma Roffe were in charge of the Lao Central Bible School in Luang Prabang but that school moved to Xieng Khouang because of the large number of converts in Xieng Khouang. Achan Saly Kounthapanya and Rev. Ted and Mrs. Ruth Adrianoff and Rev. Herb and Mrs. Ruth Clingen were teachers.
1955 The Sawyers held the very first Youth Conference in Luang Prabang.
1956 First National Church Conference was held and Achan Saly Kounthapanya was elected President.
1957 - 1959 Xieng Khouang fell into hands of Pathet Lao. Missionaries had to leave Xieng Khouang and many Bible School students evacuated as well.
Picture: Rev. Saly Kounthapanya (left) and Rev. Moun Douangmala (Right)
(Note from LEWF: We learned that at one time, Rev. Moun Douangmala and Rev. Saly Kounthapanya were brought into the Royal Palace in Luangprabang. Rev. Douangmala had the opportunity to present the former King of Laos (King Srisavangvatthana) a Lao Bible.)
1960 Bible School and students moved to Vientiane. The Sawyers returned from furlough in U.S. and were appointed to open the Central Bible School in Vientiane. They rented housing for students and set up temporary class rooms on Mission Property. The first graduating class was in 1963.
1963 The Sawyers started Youth meetings for the young people of the Lao (Evangelical) Church in Vientiane.
1964 - 1970 Land was purchased seven kilometers from the center of Vientiane and a Bible School building program was started (Achan Sawyer drew up plans and supervised the construction of this new Bible School property).
The new School was called The Laos Bible Training Center (LBTC). The first classes were held in temporary buildings and later dormitory and administration buildings and teachers residents were built. The Sawyers and the Kaetzels were the first missionary teachers and Achan Moun Douangmala and Nang Mai Xiong also were teachers. Later other nationals and missionaries served at LBTC as well.
1970 - 1975 The Sawyers were in charge of the Lao Literature program and they opened a Book Room and Literature Department in Vientiane. Sunday School materials were produced and the first Lao Sunday School program began at the Vientiane Church.
(The Old Vientiane Church) (The Old National Office of Laos Evangelical Church)
1975 Evacuated (see article from Alliance Life magazine).
1977 - 1981 Went to Hong Kong served in Mission Office and ministry in new Chinese churches.
1981...until he went to be with the Lord in 2007, Achan Sawyer began Lao Evangelism and Church Planting in United States (see the article about work in U.S. and TEE program, etc).
[Note from LEWF: 1981-82 Rev. Don Durling and Rev. Mac Sawyer, commissioned by the Office of the Specialized Ministries of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, also played some major roles in helping Laotian church Leaders from different denominations in the U.S. and Canada to gather for Lao National conferences in Hudson, Michigan and Whittier, California. From those meetings, the Lao Church leaders decided to form a new fellowship called "The Lao Conference of Churches" or LCC ]
For more infomation about the history of Laos Bible Training Center and the Sawyers ministries among Laotian churches, please contact us at our address or email:
LEWF@lanxangvision.org