Our latest and final newsletter for 2009 is now available to download here. Brother Yun issues a challenge to Christians everywhere to stand up and fight for the kingdom of God. Be challenged and edified by this message from a Chinese believer who has spent years in the furnace of affliction for his faith in Jesus Christ.

Laos has long been a country close to our hearts. Little is known about this landlocked country with a population of just 7 million people. Surrounded by giants like China, Vietnam and Thailand, Laos is often overlooked by Christian organizations who tend to focus on the larger nations. The thing that makes Laos particularly attractive to us at Asia Harvest, however, is the extraordinary ethnic diversity. Laos is home to approximately 135 distinct tribes and ethnic groups, each speaking a unique language. Each one of these tribes will one day have representatives around the throne of Jesus Christ, according to Revelation chapters 5 and 7. At this point of time, only about 10 of the 135 tribes in Laos have a church that could be considered strong enough to provide a Gospel witness to the rest of their group. In 2000 we wrote a prayer book 'Faces of the Unreached in Laos'. The individual profiles of each tribe can be access in the "People Group Profiles" link on our website (see top right corner of this page).

 

Recently the Communist government in Laos has initiated a surge of persecution against Christians in Laos. In Katin village, the authorities started by confiscating the livestock owned by Christians. In a country like Laos, such an action has disastrous consequences and leaves a family destitute. In July the 53 Christians in Katin village were told they must abandon their faith and revert to worshipping the spirits, which was the only lawful form of religion allowed.

 

In a separate incident on September 3, three Lao officials, arrested Thao Oun, elder of the Boukham Church (pictured left). They forced him at gunpoint to go to the police chief, Thao Somphet. There he was detained, interrogated, and terrorized for five to six hours. Thao Somphet demanded that he denounce Christianity or face deportation. Police authorities further threatened Thao Oun that if news got out to the international community about this incident, they would put him to death.

 

Please pray the Church in Laos would continue to grow in grace and in number, and that every tribe in Laos would soon have a vibrant and fearless body of believers in their midst.            Sources: Compass Direct and Christian Aid Mission.

Our latest newsletter examines the roots of the remarkable growth of Christianity in China's most populated province, Henan. Many Chinese believers have referred to Henan as 'The Galilee of China' - Galilee being the place where Jesus' disciples came from. Our newsletter profiles the life of Canadian missionary Jonathan Goforth, who was nicknamed, 'China's Greatest Evangelist' - such was the impact his ministry had in his generation. Click here.

In 2008, a severe persecution of Christians broke out in the Indian state of Orissa. The end result saw more than 500 Christians murdered, and thousands of others injured and homeless after their houses were reduced to ashes. (See our Latest News releases about Orissa in this file and in the 2008 archive for more information). As a result, Asia Harvest responded and helped the persecuted believers, including building homes for many families. Recently, a strange and dramatic event took place in Orissa, which has many people talking and wondering.

 

The Restoration India Mission has reported that in recent months, herds of wild elephants have begun to storm villages that are home to some of the worst persecutors of Christians during the troubles. In one village where in August a year ago the Christians had to run for their lives while their homes were being destroyed by rioters, a herd of elephants emerged from the surrounding jungle, RIM reports, "Exactly one year later, at the same time of the day, the persecutors are now running for their lives, from nothing less than a herd of wild elephants! These elephants first attacked a rock crusher machine owned by a key leader of the persecution movement. They then went on to destroy his house and farms. Gaining momentum, they rampaged through other non-Christian homes demolishing gardens and singling out the homes of persecutors, leaving Christian homes untouched. People ran to the police station to report the disastrous news. In one case, a police jeep that attempted to drive away the herd was attacked and the occupants barely escaped. Truly, God is the avenger of the helpless.

 

These strange attacks have spread, and according to a report by Kusanath Pradhan, the elephants have already destroyed more than 700 houses in 30 villages, and killed five people. Nobody in this area has seen or even imagined the unique appearance of a herd of wild elephants such as this. The elephants are not ordinary elephants; they appear to be on a mission. Typically, smaller elephants enter a village first, appearing to survey the community. They then rejoin the larger herd, and larger elephants soon follow and get the job done. "Just what is their job?" you might ask.

RIM states, "We think that it might have something to do with avenging the blood of martyrs. In fact, the fear of God has fallen on the local people, who have labeled these elephants, "Christian elephants."  

 

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Romans 12:19    Source: Restoration India Mission.

 

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15 September 2009    -    CHINA  -  MOB OF 400 ATTACKS CHRISTIANS IN SHANXI

At 3:00 AM the morning of Sunday, September 13, 2009, a mass of 400 deviants in police suits and red armbands broke into the "Good News Cloth Shoes Factory", on the site of Fushan Church's new building in Linfin City, Shanxi province. Two shovel loaders tore at the building foundations, while the mob, with bricks and other blunt instruments in hand, beat Fushan church members who were sleeping at the church construction site. Within the hour, more than ten church members lay bleeding heavily; some were severely injured and sent to the emergency room. Several people lost consciousness and were subsequently hospitalized.

The local emergency room was instructed by anonymous authorities to withhold treatment and prohibit blood transfusions for the injured church members. On Sunday night, two seriously injured patients had to be transferred with oxygen cylinders to a hospital in Linfin area. The power, water and telephone signals to “Good News Cloth shoes Factory” were cut off, with guards monitoring all the supply lines running to the factory.

Government officials and police were identified among the wild crowd of attackers. At the onset, Gao Xuezhong, the secretary of Zhangzhuang town, reportedly shouted, “Strike everything; we will pay for it!” The Vice County Executive Duan Yumin was also seen perpetuating the crackdown. According to witnesses, "He dashed around madly on the shovel loaders, pushed over the enclosure wall, and tore down the temporary working-houses, restrooms and the factory." The vandals smashed the windows, doors, kitchen utensils, refrigerators and motorcycles. Leaving destruction in their wake, they looted the television and other appliances, and stole church members' money, cell phones, clothes, books, and even the factory's business license. The unprecedented and unwarranted attack was devastating, with church members calling the scene "worse than the Wenchuan earthquake."  

The attack lasted for several hours, with the offenders sneaking away just before dawn. After the demolition and looting, officials deliberately disposed of the evidence, and cleaned up some of the mess to hide their involvement. At noon on September 13th, thousands of church members gathered at the site in grief; they were shocked by the state of the building and the rubble left behind. Filled with indignation, the church members prayed to God for justice for the innocent victims of the attack. They asked factory coworkers and community members to visit and pray for them.

Source: China Aid Association.

The trouble began for the Christian residents of Korian when Talib, a Christian vendor, brought home a piece of paper that had Quranic verses written on it, along with some other papers. Talib's children ripped apart the paper, not understanding its contents. When some local Muslims found the torn pieces of paper, anti-Christian hostility spread like a wildfire in the village. Local Muslim clerics accused the father and son of committing blasphemy and made inflammatory statements [which] incited Muslim residents of Korian and adjoining villages. Some 500 Muslims from nearby villages, armed with firearms and explosives, attacked the Christians of the village. The Christian residents fled to safety as Muslim clerics announced their verdict to "kill the blasphemers." The chemical used by the mob to set fire to Christians' houses utterly destroyed the targeted houses. The mob also took away Christians' cattle. 

Source: Compass Direct.

We have just uploaded about 25 new unreached people group videos to our website. These have been produced and used with permission from friends in missions, for who we are grateful. Click on the "Videos" link at the top of this page to see them.

The one project Asia Harvest is involved with that best encapsulates the heartbeat of our ministry is the Asian Workers' fund, supporting church-planting Asian evangelists as they take the Gospel to remote unreached people groups. Thousands of people are meeting the Lord Jesus through their work every year. In our latest newsletter we share some updates and testimonies of how this great movement is progressing. Click here.

 

 

With all the bad news and depressing economic situation in the world, it is important for us to remember that Jesus Christ is just as much in control of this world as ever. He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! His purposes are being fulfilled every day and His plan of salvation is working to completion. Recently, the Window International Network sent out the following report of what God is doing in India:

 

One of our ministry partners is Dr. Victor Choudhrie, the father of the House Church movement in India. He was believing God to baptize 100,000 people during the Easter season. What do you think it looks like when the Kingdom of God comes to earth as it is in heaven?  Probably something like the scene in India on Pentecost Sunday, 2009.

Dr. Choudhrie reported they baptized 253,206 on the Day of Pentecost, which was also the Global Day of Prayer. In India, the decision to follow Christ is formalized through baptism. That means hundreds of thousands were welcomed into the Kingdom of God! Praise the Lord! As we united our hearts, hands, and voices to cry out to God for a harvest of souls, your faithful and fervent prayer partnership brought forth this fruit.

The Word says there is more joy in heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine righteous people (Luke l5:7). What happens when 253,000 sinners repent?!  And that was just in India… on one day! The harvest of souls is accelerating!

• Pray for God to continue this explosive move of the Spirit in India, drawing millions more to His Son. Pray for His Kingdom to grow, advance, and spill across ethnic lines, religions, and national borders, engulfing the entire subcontinent.

• Pray for the harvest to blaze like fire through the l0/40 Window, burning through enemy strongholds and penetrating “closed” nations and unreached people groups.

• Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (The Bible, Matthew 9:38 niv)

• Pray for Jesus to be exalted far above every god, idol, false religion, and manmade philosophy. Pray for demonic lies, arguments and pretensions to be torn down and cast aside. Pray for every knee to bow, every tongue to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father. AMEN!

At the same time China has been deceiving many Christians around the world through their massive 'smiling face' campaign and their insistence that there is now complete religious freedom in China (claims that many misinformed Christians have believed), news has come out of Henan Province of the arrest of more than sixty house church leaders on February 11.

The 60 house church leaders, along with two pastors from South Korea, had met together in Wolong District of Nanyang City to attend a seminar.

 

At 5:00 pm on February 11, more than 30 Public Security officers broke into the meeting place, arresting all the Christians and taking them into the city. All personal belongings, including money, mobile phones, books and bags were confiscated by the officers. Each believer was forced to register their names and pay a fine. As many of the attendees had traveled to Henan from other provinces, the provincial police in each location were contacted and asked to come and take the detainees back to their home province. The two South Koreans were expelled from China on February 14 and have been banned from the country for 5 years.

 

The authorities identified and continued to detain the four main house church leaders until February 20, when they were released after international pressure about the case caused the police to feel uncomfortable. It appears China continues to try to strike a balance between its desire to crush the house churches against its desire to maintain its positive and smiling face to the international community. Contrary to the claims of many, Bob Fu of the China Aid Association has confirmed that "Persecution of Christians in China took a dramatic upswing in 2008."

Source: China Aid, February 2009.

If you have been following the News reports on our website in recent months, you will be aware that a massive persecution of Christians commenced in the Indian state of Orissa last year, leading to the deaths of more than 500 believers, with thousands more left homeless and destitute.

 

One of the families Asia Harvest supports through the Asian Workers' fund has an effective ministry in Orissa. They recently reported that there were more than 35 Christians from 9 families living in their home, having come in from outlying areas where persecution had devastated their lives. Three widows are among the 35 refugees. These women's husbands were buried alive late last year by fanatical Hindus. Other Christian women had been raped, while most of the men had barely escaped with their lives, and were badly beaten and injured.

 

We have an urgent need for people to pray and financially help these precious believers. The immediate need is to provide $100 for each family per month so that they will have basic necessities such as food, clothing, and blankets. Longer term, plans are to construct simple bamboo homes for these families, and a piece of land has been obtained for this purpose. Each home will cost $1,300 to build.

 

Please pray for the physical, spiritual and emotional well-being of these precious brothers and sisters. If you would like to contribute financially to their needs, please make a donation by credit card on our secure website, via the Asia Disaster Relief fund on our "Projects and Donations" link at the top of this page. Alternatively, please send a check/cheque to one of our Asia Harvest offices, along with a note, "For the believers in Orissa." Click here for a list of our addresses. 100% of donations received for this purpose will be sent directly to Orissa. Nothing will be taken out for any expense. God bless you.

The Burmese military has prohibited Christian and Muslim groups in the city of Yangon (formerly Rangoon) from holding prayer meetings in private homes. The owners of buildings rented by believers for their worship services were recently handed an order by officials of the Yangon Religious Affairs Department, demanding they prohibit these meetings or face the confiscation or closure of their property. Since the government rarely permits religious groups from owning or constructing places of worship, local Christians estimate that the majority of churches will be affected.

 

Christian Solidarity Worldwide says the news agency Mizzima reports that the order could affect as many as 80 per cent of churches in the city, and that 50 pastors were forced to sign at least five documents promising to cease church services. The pastors were reportedly warned they could be jailed if they disobeyed the order.

CSW reports: "The campaign appears to be particularly targeted at churches meeting in apartment buildings, rather than churches that own their own building and land. Christians are worried that they will not be allowed to worship anymore, even in their own house."

Some Christians believe that the immediate cause of the crackdown is church involvement in providing relief for victims of Cyclone Nargis, which devastated the area in May 2008. According to a Chin pastor from Burma living in exile, the regime does not like the fact that Buddhists have been receiving help from churches, and fears this may possibly result in conversions. "The regime does not want Buddhists coming in and out of churches. It does not want Christianity to grow in Burma," he said. "Ultimately, the regime seeks the destruction of Christianity. This is part of a top-secret plan by the military to stop Christian growth."  Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide, 15 Jan 2009.
 

Many people in the landlocked country of Bhutan, nestled in the Himalayas between China (Tibet), India and Nepal, believe that witch-doctors possess great powers to heal any sickness and to place deadly curses on their enemies.

 

One famous witch-doctor named Puru Ganpati, and his wife Yamya, were held in great awe because of their healing power. Sick people came from all around the globe to receive healing from this couple. Dramatic ceremonies ensued, where Puru would often go into a trance as he sought the help of the spirit world. Despite the awe they were held in by others, however, when Puru and Yamya fell ill last year they were unable to heal their own infirmities.

 

Confined to their bed and completely helpless, they called for the aid of medical doctors and other witch doctors. Despite all efforts, their condition continued to deteriorate. One day an Asian missionary visited their home and shared about the love of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. After sharing the Gospel, he prayed for the couple's healing. Dramatically and immediately, Puru and Yamya were restored to full health. The missionary invited the couple to attend a viewing of the Jesus film. A large crowd gathered to watch the presentation, including the village leader, a man named Akash.

After seeing Jesus Christ rise from the grip of death, Puru and Yamya walked to the front of the crowd. They told Amil they wanted to follow Christ, and prayed to give their lives to Him. Akash's heart was also deeply moved by the presentation, and he received Jesus into his life as well. Today, the three of them are still faithfully following the Lord and are a living testimony to the whole community. Source: Gospel for Asia, October 2008