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SOME OF THE WAYS WE HELP THE CHURCH IN ASIA: |
 
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Latest News -2008 Archives
News Archives: 2009, 2007, 2006
Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support throughout the year. We pray the risen Jesus Christ will truly be part of the Christmas and New Year period for you and your family. In 2009 we hope, with God’s help, to continue serving the Church in Asia and we invite you to partner with us to help see this happen. God bless you!
10 December 2008 - OUR LATEST NEWSLETTER (#97) HAS BEEN UPLOADED
In our 5th and final newsletter of the year, Chinese Christian leader Brother Yun gives an insightful and powerful teaching on the necessity of Forgiveness.
You will be blessed and challenged by this timely word. Click here.
As reported in recent months (see Latest news archive
below), the Church in parts of India has experienced a
brutal attack that has left approximately 500 Christians
dead, and thousands more injured and homeless. The level of
violence against Christians in unparalleled in the decades
since India's independence in 1947.
The situation
for believers in Orissa State remains critical. An extremist
group has now offered a bounty for killing Christians, with
a reward of US$250 offered for each pastor murdered. Such
incentives continue to fuel the violence against believers
in Orissa. Rumors are rife that a wide-scale massacre of
Christians is planned for Christmas Day. A spokesman for the
All India Christian Council says, "People are being offered
rewards to kill, and to destroy churches and Christian
properties. They are being offered foreign liquor, chicken,
mutton and weapons."
As Christmas
nears, and we hope for a peaceful and joyful time with our
loved ones, please remember the believers in Orissa.
Thousands are hiding in the forests, too afraid to return
home where murderous mobs await them. Let us prayerfully
hold up the Church in Orissa, asking God to strengthen them
and intervene at this time. "Remember those in prison
as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are
mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering"
(Hebrews 13:3)
The Aeta are a tribe of approximately 10,000 people, living on Negros, the fourth largest island of the Philippines. For centuries this tribe have been animists, worshipping and fearing an array of spirits. The Aeta live in small huts which they have built on the mountain tops.
The kingdom of God has been expanding
rapidly among this precious people group. Recently 37 new Aeta
believers were baptized, and three church leaders appointed for
full-time ministry. Missionaries with the South East Asia Mission
Teams (SEAMIST) have been doing church planting work among this
unreached peoples group for the last year. Prior to starting their
work, the SEAMIST missionaries report there was not a single Christian
fellowship among the Aeta, but today there are ten. At the groundbreaking baptismal service of 37 new Aeta believers, Pastor Richard Bartze said the time has come for Aeta people to reach out to their neighbors with the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. He urged them to continue to put their trust in God and not on the idols that their forefathers have worshipped for countless generations. He challenged and exhorted the new believers, “As soldiers of the Lord Jesus Christ, you have to march on with the power of the Holy Spirit that is inside of you now and don't try to keep it back.” Source: SEAMIST, September 2008
Hundreds of new prayer profiles have been added to the "People Group Profiles" pages of our website. These new entries come from Paul Hattaway's book Peoples of the Buddhist World and other sources. Profiles are now available from all the countries in Asia within our vision, namely: China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, and Taiwan. To view our People Group profiles pages, click on the link in the top right corner of this page.
Hundreds of thousands of Christians around the world have been blessed, encouraged and challenged by Brother Yun's biography, The Heavenly Man, since it was published several years ago. Since then, Yun has traveled to many parts of the world and has spoken in more than 1,000 meetings. His ministry of God's Word has refreshed and inspired many to serve God wholeheartedly. Living Water is a collection of Brother Yun's best messages, and provides an insight into the heartbeat of a Christian who has grown in Christ in the midst of brutal persecution. Our latest Asia Harvest newsletter introduces this powerful new book, and reprints chapter one, on Repentance. Visit our bookstore to order the Living Water book or audio book now.
Pastor Mark Ma 馬可牧師, founder of the Back to Jerusalem Band 徧傳福音團passed away, September 16, 2008, at his home in Chongqing, China. He was 98. A farewell service with cremation was conducted on September 20, and a memorial service was held on September 27.
Born in Henan in 1910, Mark Ma came to faith in Christ after college and while working with the government postal bureau in Shandong Province. Following graduation from the Kaifeng Bible School, he remained on as a member of the teaching staff until 1941, when war conditions made it impossible for the school to continue. Pastor Ma moved to Fengxiang in Shaanxi province, where he served as Vice-Principal of the newly established Northwest Bible Institute. Enrolment steadily increased with students coming from 14 provinces.
In 1943 Pastor Ma was instrumental in founding the Back to Jerusalem Band, an indigenous missionary organization with a vision to carry the gospel to China's north-western provinces through central Asia and back to Jerusalem. Early workers reached Gansu, Qinghai and Xinjiang. Though the turn in political events after 1949 temporarily effected continuing outreach, members of the Band remained faithful to the vision. It is amazing to see how the vision of Pastor Ma and his colleagues has impacted Chinese Christians in China and around the world today, as they become more and more actively involved in cross cultural world evangelization. Source: OMF, Sept. 2008
If you would like to learn more about the gripping history and vision of the Back to Jerusalem movement, please visit our bookstore to order Back to Jerusalem, which Paul Hattaway wrote with three Chinese house church leaders.
Earlier this year J. Lee Grady, Editor
of
Charisma magazine,
interviewed two people who were raised from the dead during an
evangelistic meeting in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Grady
reported, "During my 26 years as a journalist I've interviewed some
interesting people and heard some amazing stories. But this week set a
new standard when I met two people in southern India who experienced
Biblical-style resurrection." The first person Grady interviewed was
six-year-old Jyothi Pothabathula. Her father, Suribabu, explained that
while enroute to the crusade Jyothi stopped breathing. Suribabu
carried her lifeless body to the stage where evangelist Harry Gomes
was praying for the sick. "I know Jesus is a great God because he
raised my daughter to life," said Suribabu. The miracle prompted his
brother and two other family members to give their lives to Jesus.
A volcano of anti-Christian violence has erupted in the Indian state of
Orissa, which is home to 37 million people, of whom approximately one
million are Christians. The trouble started after a Hindu leader and
four of his disciples were murdered on August 23. The assailants were Maoist rebels in the area.
After news of the murders spread, enraged Hindus went on the rampage,
destroying homes and abusing people. Christians have been particularly
targeted, even though the Maoists claimed responsibility for the murders. The violence has continued all week even though 3,000 police
were deployed to quell the anarchy. So far at least 17 Christians have
been killed, 500 churches destroyed, and more than 4,000 Christian
families are now homeless. The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh,
has described the violence as a "national disgrace."
The Body of Christ has been steadily growing in Orissa in recent years,
especially among low caste Dalits, formerly known as "untouchables."
There is no suggestion that Christians were involved in the death of the
Hindu leader, and the murders appear to have been used as a convenient
excuse for militant Hindus to launch violent attacks on Christians in
the state. Asia Harvest supports evangelists in Orissa through our Asian Workers' fund.
Please pray the Heavenly Father will protect His children in Orissa, and
that the persecutors will be brought to repentance and faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ
August 2008 - The Latest Asia Harvest newsletter #95 provides a pictorial walk through how one village in China has been helped through the Asia Disaster Relief fund. To read this newsletter, Click here.
CHINA The aftermath of the horrible disasters in Asia has seen God bring some beauty out of the ashes of people's lives. Many Chinese (and some foreign) Christians have been at the forefront of aid efforts in Sichuan Province, motivated by a love for God and compassion for the victims of the earthquake, which has left in excess of five million people homeless. The Chinese house church believers in particular have boldly proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ at the same time they have been helping people, and this combination of great love and great boldness has proven irresistible. One report we have received says that more than 3,000 people in Sichuan have repented of their sin and given their lives to Jesus Christ. To all those who have prayed or given financially, thank you! We have so far sent enough funds to China to buy 1,000 emergency aid kits. Please continue to pray, as the relief work moves to the rebuilding stage.
MYANMAR (BURMA) In Myanmar we have been supporting the efforts of our Malaysian representatives. A collection of aid agencies and Myanmar church leaders recently established an organization called MCCCR (Myanmar Christian Coalition for Cyclone Relief). They have delivered much emergency aid and have displayed the love of Christ to every person they have come into contact. Earlier this week they had the unenviable task of burying 40 corpses, and they report that many villages they have come across had yet to receive any aid whatsoever, even though it is now two months since the cyclone struck. Click here if you would like to read a report and see pictures of the MCCCR relief efforts in Myanmar.
There is so much to do! Please continue to pray for everyone involved with relief work in China and Myanmar. If you would like to contribute to these important projects, you are most welcome, either via our website donations link, or by sending a check/cheque to the Asia Harvest office nearest you. Remember that we hand on 100% of funds received, and do not take anything out for any expense. God bless you.
11 June 2008 - The Latest Asia Harvest newsletter #94 (telling the extraordinary story of Project Pearl - when one million Bibles were smuggled into China in a single day) is now available for downloading. Click here.
We are thankful for the strong response to the launch of our 'Asia Disaster Relief fund'. Many people have given generously so that the cyclone victims in Myanmar and those afflicted by the earthquake in China would be helped. In China, we have provided funds for more than 1,000 Emergency Aid kits, to help families made homeless. Many people have also placed their faith in Jesus Christ because of the loving witness of the local Christians. The Chinese government has done everything possible to help their own people, and in so doing have won the respect of the nation. The scale of the disaster, however, is so huge that there are still many villages where no aid has reached. Our coworkers are focusing on these rural areas, away from the towns where a bottleneck of supplies seems to have been created.
In Myanmar (Burma), however, the situation is far worse, and the government's response to the cyclone could not be more abysmal, especially when compared to the Chinese response. Having worked in Myanmar for almost 20 years, we were aware of the bizarre, corrupt military dictatorship in charge there. They have oppressed their own people for decades, doing everything possible to retain power. Even in the face of this massive disaster, the government of Myanmar has chosen to put their own need for control over the welfare of their own people, and it is feared hundreds of thousands of people may needlessly die as a result. They have frequently made promises to aid agencies only to break the promise, and as a result only a trickle of aid has been allowed in. Four US ships, full of supplies, spent weeks anchored off the coast awaiting permission to deliver their precious cargo. They finally gave up waiting and left the area a few days ago. Meanwhile, every day the Burmese Generals go on television assuring the people that the aid efforts are going well, and it is all under control. Our colleagues have also been frustrated by the deliberate blockages put in place in Myanmar, yet they have still been able to make a difference to the lives of many people, and for that we are thankful.
As for now, Asia Harvest is continuing aid efforts in both countries, but our focus is on China. Please pray that our Mighty God would work in both of these situations to expand His kingdom.
"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Gal. 6:10).
The two countries of Myanmar (formerly Burma) and China have been struck by catastrophic natural disasters in recent weeks. Cyclone Nargis wiped away much of southern Myanmar, leaving upwards of 100,000 people dead, with millions more affected. I was in neighboring Thailand when the cyclone struck. We experienced some strong winds and rain, but never imagined that just across the border so many people's lives were being destroyed. The Irrawaddy River Delta in southern Myanmar is one of the more unreached areas in Asia. The overwhelming majority of people there are Buddhists, and there are very few Christians.
Just as we were talking with coworkers about how we could respond to the need in Myanmar, a massive earthquake struck in China's Sichuan Province. The towns in the epicenter of the earthquake have been completely obliterated. I have traveled to these areas many times in the past. The area is extremely rugged, with numerous ethnic minority Qiang and Tibetan villages throughout the countryside.
In Myanmar, we are helping the efforts of our Asian contacts, who have many years' experience working in relief situations. They have received permission to take in and distribute four container loads of food, water, medical supplies, plastic sheeting for temporary shelter, blankets, and other necessities.
It has been estimated that as many as 5 million people are homeless as a result of the earthquake in China, in addition to the death toll of approximately 50,000 people. We have been in touch with several coworkers in this part of China. The Chinese Christians have been swift to act, but they have few resources. Our coworkers have decided to focus on helping Christians who live in this area of Sichuan Province, believing that their primary goal should be to help fellow believers. Our plan is to provide "Emergency Aid kits" to people in the worst affected areas. The kits, which cost US$110 each, include a 9 sq. meter (97 sq. feet) tent, flashlights, cooking utensils, blankets, first aid supplies, and other essentials. Those on the ground agree the most urgent need is for tents, as in many areas every single building has collapsed and the people are sleeping outside, exposed to the elements.
In response to these disasters, we have launched the "Asia Disaster Relief Fund" to help. To learn more of to make a donation, please click here. We guarantee that every cent of donated money will be sent directly to the relief efforts in Asia. Nothing is taken out for administration or any other expense. All donations to Asia Harvest are tax-deductible in the United States, and all donors will be acknowledged and updated as the relief efforts progress.
Please pray not only that many suffering families will be helped by these efforts, but that thousands of people in these unreached areas will also hear the Gospel and come to know Jesus Christ because of the loving witness of the local Christians who will be reaching out to them.
22 April 2008 - THE MIDDLE EAST - A TRUE PICTURE Christians around the world often hear only stories of death and destruction coming from the Middle East, but the facts suggest that the Lord Jesus Christ has been doing a tremendous work in the hearts of thousands of Muslims in recent years. In a recent report, The Joshua Fund summarized what has been happening to the Church in a number of countries in the Middle East and Central Asia. Some of the highlights include:
UZBEKISTAN -- There were no known Muslim converts to Christ there in 1990. Now
there are more than 30,000.
KAZAKHSTAN -- In Kazakhstan, there were only three known evangelical Christian
believers before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Today there are
more than 15,000 Kazakh Christians, and more than 100,000 Christians of all
ethnicities.
Source: The Joshua Fund, March 2008
More than 10 years ago Asia Harvest reported on hundreds of Buddhist monks in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar (Burma) who received Jesus Christ after hearing the Gospel and experiencing the transforming power of the Lord Jesus in their own lives. Now, a number of other ministries are reporting a tremendous breakthrough for the Gospel among Buddhist monks in that troubled nation. In the midst of a season of darkness, Buddhist monks and nuns began inviting Christian missionaries to come and share the gospel in the privacy of their monasteries. The majority of these monks are from the dominant Bama people, normally very resistant to the gospel. One of the ministries supported by Christian Aid sent this report: "4,700 Buddhist monks were led to Christ through our ministry. It appears that the Holy Spirit had urged these monks and nuns to call our evangelists to come and share the gospel of hope and love. After several intense discussions, close to 80 percent of the monks present in each of the monasteries raised their hands to accept Christ, and then kneeled down to pray and receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. Baptisms are being done discreetly - no more than three at a time for the sake of the safety of the converts as well as our workers." Source" Christian Aid Missions. 20 March 2008 - The Latest Asia Harvest newsletter #93 (our Annual Report for 2007-08) is now available for downloading. Click here.
As the Beijing Olympics near, China has been actively presenting itself as a modern, respectful player on the world scene. Visitors to one of China's big cities like Shanghai or Beijing usually go away impressed by how Westernized these massive cities have become. Christian visitors are even able to visit legal, government-sanctioned churches where people are free to worship and Bibles seem to be plentiful. A word of warning: don't be misled! Out in the rural areas of China, where most people struggle to eke out a living and where at least 80% of China's approximately 50 million house church Christians live, things are very different. The church leaders we know continue to report difficult times, with a marked increase in persecution since late last year. The largest of the incidents took place in Shandong Province on 7 December 2007, when 270 house church Christians were arrested and charged with participating in an "illegal gathering." This is the largest single arrest of Christians in China for years, and was conducted by 50 Public Security officers from 12 different towns. After weeks of interrogation, the authorities identified 21 of the detainees as church leaders, and sent all of them to prison labor camps for periods of up to three years (the longest sentence that can be handed down in China without a public trial). Numerous smaller incidents of persecution have taken place in the first two months of 2008. On the morning of 23 January this year, house church members were severely beaten when police raided a prayer meeting at Xishan in Yunnan Province, southwest China. A 54-year-old female, Liang Guihua, was thrown against a wall and knocked unconscious. Earlier, on 5 December, the authorities raided a Christian meeting in Kunming City. They seized several hundred Bibles and other Christian literature, and burned them outside the residence. While Christians in China love their country and hope the Olympic Games are successful this summer, they also hope the world will not forget to pray for them as they continue their long struggle for the faith of Jesus Christ.
You may know that since the very beginning of Asia Harvest's involvement in China more than 20 years ago, we took a keen interest in the several hundred different ethnic minority groups that inhabit the country. In 2000, the Asia Harvest director Paul Hattaway published his ground-breaking book "Operation China," which profiled almost 500 different ethnic groups (The Operation China book and CD ROM is available from our "Books and CDs" link on the left of this page). OMF International were moved to call it "the China book of the decade." Totaling more than 100 million people, the ethnic minorities are largely untouched by the Gospel. In many cases they are not more resistant to the Gospel than the Han Chinese people, but quite simply most groups have never heard about Jesus Christ before. Over the years Asia Harvest has done all we can to help the Chinese and others reach the minorities of China with the Gospel, and there have been a number of encouraging breakthroughs. Now, by partnering with the Chinese house churches, we are in contact with more than 120 evangelists who have been trained and equipped to reach approximately 25 different ethnic groups, but their progress has been inhibited by a lack of financial support. This is tragic, especially as many of the workers are minority Christians themselves, who have a burden to reach their own group. We have committed to partner with the house churches to meet this need, as God provides. Right now there are 80 evangelists who need support. Please pray about whether you could be involved in helping meet this tremendous opportunity. You can support one or more of these evangelists through our Asian workers' fund. Click here for information on how to donate to this need. Each regular donor will receive a prayer card of the worker your help has been applied to. God bless you.
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SEASON’S
GREETINGS FROM ASIA HARVEST
5
December 2008 - INDIA -
$250 OFFERED TO KILL PASTORS IN ORISSA
11
November 2008 -
37 NEW AETA BELIEVERS
BAPTIZED IN THE PHILIPPINES.jpg)
29
October 2008 -
FREE RESOURCES ADDED TO
OUR WEBSITE!
20
October 2008 -
LIVING WATER - A POWERFUL
NEW BOOK BY BROTHER YUN
4
October 2008 - CHINA -
MARK MA, ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE BACK TO JERUSALEM MOVEMENT, HAS
GONE TO HIS ETERNAL REWARD
25
September 2008 - INDIA - RESURRECTIONS DRAW MANY PEOPLE TO
JESUS
3
July 2008 - AN UPDATE ON RELIEF EFFORTS
5
June 2008 - CHINA & MYANMAR -
CONTRASTING AID EFFORTS
21
May 2008 - CHINA & MYANMAR -
ASIA HARVEST LAUNCHES ASIA DISASTER RELIEF FUND
AFGHANISTAN
IRAN