Asia Harvest

The State of the Nations 2026

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 07:04:03 GMT

“There will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan — The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9:1-2).

ABOVE: Hundreds of new believers being baptized along the Myanmar Thailand Border.

You may not know that the tension, confusion, and simmering chaos that people feel in your country is also prevalent throughout Asia. Ministry is increasingly difficult for all Christian ministries.

Persecution is on the increase, and new technology is posing new challenges. By God’s grace and power His kingdom continues to advance, however.

For decades, Asia Harvest has straddled the line between the Church in Asia and Christians around the world. We have shared countless books and reports about what the Spirit of God is doing in Asia, which have encouraged and strengthened the faith of believers globally.

One delusion we regularly encounter in the Christian world is the false belief that the world has already heard the Gospel, so there is nothing preventing the Lord Jesus from returning.

If you examine the facts laid out in the following pages, you will get a sense of the massive needs that exist just in the seven Asian countries we have highlighted.

Many of the Asian Christians we are privileged to serve are tiny remnants surrounded by millions of hostile people. They often feel like the Israelites when they prepared for a battle. The Bible records:

“The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside” (1 Kings 20:27) .

Despite the overwhelming odds, God brought about a great victory for His children that day, and likewise, God’s people across Asia who are committed to Him are overcoming many obstacles as they establish the kingdom of God in some of the world’s darkest environments.

Throughout much of the Western world, research shows that institutionalized Christianity is in sharp decline, as every denomination in some countries, including the United States, is in freefall, shedding a combined total of millions of members each year.

On the other hand, we are thankful that many people groups and communities throughout Asia that had never previously trusted in Jesus Christ have been hearing the Gospel, repenting of their sins, and becoming passionate disciples of the Son of God.

One example is the 38 million majority Burmese (Barma) people in Myanmar. Known as staunch Buddhists for the past thousand years, the Holy Spirit is moving, and it is likely that more Burmese have come to faith in Christ in the last five years than in the previous 200 years combined.

Instead of being upset or envious that the Lord is moving powerfully in other parts of the world, we should give thanks as He brings other sheep from diverse backgrounds into His kingdom.

The Lord Jesus said,

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:16).

Never forget that God is showing His mercy to many peoples in Asia who have never had a clear opportunity to accept or reject Christ during their entire history. While your forefathers may have had access to the Gospel for a few hundred years or more, in Asia countless generations of the ancestors of those now turning to Jesus have perished without knowing Him and entered a Christless eternity as idolaters and unbelievers.

The Heavenly Father is pleased to extend His mercy to hundreds of people groups that have lived in darkness for centuries, even while things are in spiritual decline in other parts of the world. Perhaps this is what the Lord meant when He told the disciples:

“The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them” (Matthew 13:11-12).

2025 - Year in Review - Breakthroughs in Unexpected Places

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:39:24 GMT

After 200 years of little progress, hardship and misery in war-torn Myanmar has humbled many people and caused the Gospel to explode among the 38 million ethnic Burmese people. Thousands of new believers across the country are renouncing idolatry, giving their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, and being baptized.

While the nations of the world today are under great stress and society struggles, we want to encourage you not to be downcast, but to lift up your eyes to heaven!

Our Heavenly Father’s plans are right on schedule for this world and the return of His beloved Son, when the kingdoms of this world will stop their nonsense, and He will reign over them forever.

In Asia, we are seeing the kingdom of God rise in some places like Myanmar, Indonesia, and parts of India, with multitudes of people from unreached groups embracing the Gospel for the first time in history.

In other countries, including China, the Church has been forced into a defensive posture by dramatic societal changes and persecution, but they are awaiting a time when they will again see powerful revival sweeping the land.

At the beginning of 2026, we give thanks for the opportunity to once again serve the Lord Jesus in Asia.

We greatly appreciate the prayers, encouragement, and support of Christians around the world who have been led by the Holy Spirit to join hands with us.

Together, we are helping many who have never heard the Gospel become aware of the incredible salvation the Son of God has won for them.

We invite you to join us on this journey as we continue to march forward, serving the Church in Asia.

Those who prefer big church buildings and structured religious services may struggle with the reality of how revival spreads in many parts of Asia. In these pictures, you will find a new believer being baptized in a way you may never have envisaged before! Asian Christians are highly adaptable, and they do whatever it takes to reach the lost and advance the kingdom of God, one life at a time.

VIDEO: Fires Target 11 Believers in India

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 21:16:14 GMT

A night of terror occurred recently for 11 new believers in Northern India.

This is actual footage provided to us by our field partners.

As we step into a new year, we’re reminded that much of the work we do to serve persecuted believers in Asia happens quietly and often goes unseen.

In fact, many urgent needs we meet never get reported due to the surrounding dangers—but every so often, we’re able to share a glimpse into what believers are facing and how timely help can make a difference.

This video captures one such moment from India recently, where 11 new Christian believers narrowly escaped being burned alive when extremists set their homes on fire as they slept, leaving everything they owned in ashes.

What you’ll see is the aftermath of that terror —the destruction, the loss, and the courage of families now displaced and still at risk because of their faith.

As you watch, we invite you to prayerfully consider standing with believers like these. If you feel led to help meet urgent needs as they arise throughout the year, you can give to our Persecution & Relief Fund , which allows us to respond immediately when crisis strikes.

We are currently helping these believers with basic shelter and essential living supplies , providing life-sustaining support as they recover from this devastating loss, and ongoing threats to their safety.

PHOTOs: Devastating aftermath. Lost homes and Bibles destroyed.

Bibles for the Hidden Rawang People

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:59:06 GMT

“I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me—
Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’” Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.”

The Lord will write in the register of the peoples:

“This one was born in Zion.” (Psalm 87: 4-6) .

ABOVE: Rawang territory sits in the shadow of Hkababo Razi, the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia at 19,925 feet (5,881 meters) above sea level.

 More than 70,000 Rawang people live in the northernmost part of Myanmar, where the country meets southwest China and northeast India.

Their majestic homeland contains many gushing rivers and snowcapped mountains, including Hkakabo Razi, the tallest peak in Southeast Asia at 19,925 feet (5,881 meters) above sea-level.

Further to the north, on the Chinese side of the border, the altitude changes dramatically, with the floor of the Dulongjiang Canyon sitting more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Virgin forests teeming with wild animals abound, where expert Rawang hunters armed with wooden crossbows have hunted game for countless generations. Numerous rare bird species are found in the diverse Rawang area, which is also the only place on earth where black orchids grow.

 The mass movement to Christ among the Rawang people is one of the greatest, yet least-known mission stories of the 20th century .

It is said that when missionaries started ministering to them there were no Rawang Christians, but by the time they were forced to leave Myanmar in the 1960s there were just a few old men who were not believers.

Today, practically all Rawang people are Christians, and the Bible, Jesus film, and other Christian resources have been translated into their language.

Because many Rawang people on the Chinese side of the border have intermarried with Tibetans and formed mixed communities, the Rawang are strategically placed to share the Gospel with the many unreached Tibetans who dwell in the valleys of the southern Himalayas. Along with Lisu Christians, the Rawang have probably been the most effective tribe at reaching Tibetans for Christ in this remote part of Asia.

The Rawang Bible was translated and published in 1986, but the quality of the paper and binding back then was poor, and many copies of God’s precious Word have disintegrated over the years.

Recently, Rawang church leaders have contacted our coworkers and asked if we could reprint the Bible in their language, as the Rawang churches desperately need a fresh infusion of the Scriptures, both to establish young believers in the faith and to equip and empower Rawang evangelists to share the Gospel among the unreached.

From the Lips of Children and Infants

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 19:31:05 GMT

“‘Do you hear what these children are saying?’ they asked him. ‘Yes,’ replied Jesus, ‘have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” (Matthew 21:16).

The devil, with the help of wicked men, has always known that the long-term future of any movement of God depends on its youth.

The evil one has focused many of his most severe attacks on children, whether by Pharaoh at the time of Moses, or Herod’s slaughter of the children in Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus.

In China—where the economic future and social fabric are unraveling because of the terrible ‘one-child policy’ of the past two generations—the Communist government has long been terrified of Christian activity among children.

While evangelists often faced two or three years in prison if caught preaching the gospel to adults, those engaged in outreach to children have invariably faced more severe punishment and harsher prison sentences.

Although it may go against conventional wisdom, over the years we have seen how the Lord has penetrated entire communities by first reaching the children.

When God gets a hold of them, their dramatic change in behavior is a powerful witness that convinces parents of the power of the gospel. Countless rebellious and unruly kids have been transformed by the Holy Spirit into obedient and respectful children.

While it’s easy to see evidence of societal decay throughout the world today, we are also witnessing many children being redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ, who are tremendous weapons for the kingdom of God and a powerful force in their communities.

The devil trembles whenever the Holy Spirit brings children into the kingdom of God. King David once proclaimed,

“Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger” (Psalm 8:2)

In this newsletter, we would like to share with you a wonderful opportunity to help the Church in Asia reach thousands of precious children with the Gospel.

Please pray for this project and prayerfully consider if you might be able to help get God’s Word into the hands of children throughout Asia.

After our co-workers in different countries of Asia asked for good quality printed material specifically designed to reach children with the Gospel, the Lord led us to partner with some ministries to print thousands of their children’s Bible storybooks. They have made a tremendous impact.

They are read multiple times and talked about at school and among friends. Neighbors frequently come together to discuss the Bible with one another, and in many villages and towns, children gather to read the stories as a group.

Over the years, we have printed and distributed tens of thousands of children’s Bible storybooks in China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and in several Indian languages.

We would like to share a few testimonies just from a major distribution among children in Myanmar.

(These Stories were made possible because of support from - The Children's Fund)

A BUDDHIST NUN ASKS FOR A BIBLE

“As a young girl walked home from one of our meetings, joyfully reading her new children’s Bible storybook, a pink-robed Buddhist nun asked what she was reading that was giving her such happiness.

The girl told her it was a wonderful book about God and showed the nun some of the stories.

The nun as so excited that she asked, “Will you please give this to me?” The girl was taken aback and clutched the newly-acquired book closely to her heart, saying,

“I can never give it away, sorry. No matter how much money you could offer me, it is mine!”

The child then realized the nun should get her own copy, and she took her to the meeting place, where she joined the Bible study the following day.

She was deeply moved by the Gospel and began attending regularly and was given her own copy of God’s Word.”

NI LA’S FIRST GIFT

Living in a slum area with her alcoholic father and mother who spends her days sorting through tons of trash looking for plastic bottles she can sell, little Ni La had been attending our meetings for 8 weeks, learning about Jesus.

Earlier that day she had received first-ever gift - a children’s Bible storybook. Her father demanded to know what the book was about, and Ni La detailed how God demonstrated His love by sending Jesus Christ to come and die for people’s sins.

Her parents were deeply moved by the story, which they had never heard before. Ni La’s dad started attending the meetings and is now part of our men’s group.

Our team is praying for him and helping him as he battles alcoholism and is being delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

CHU’S INFECTIOUS JOY

Chu first placed her trust in the Lord Jesus two years ago and has evangelized her entire family, and many friends.

She longed to know God’s Word intimately and was overjoyed when she was given her most treasured possession.

The book opened her eyes and deepened her faith, and she went from being a shy girl to a bold intercessor who has effectively led many other children and young people to faith in Christ.

We find her in our meeting place each day, sharing what she has learned with others and always reading her precious Bible.”

If you would like to support the project financially, please consider sending a gift designated to The Children’s Fund via our website.

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When a Mountain Collapses

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 04:49:18 GMT

Gospel Response to a Tragedy in India

Asia Harvest is thankful to support evangelists who are reaching over more than 1,000 unreached people groups in many of the remotest parts of Asia. In August, a tragedy occurred in Uttarakhand, north India, when days of heavy rain caused part of a mountain to collapse, creating a massive landslide.

Here is a short video of the actual event. Our text continues below the video link as we share how our coworkers in that town responded to the disaster.

Thanks to your generous support for the Persecution & Relief Fund , Asia Harvest was able to respond quickly to this need. For weeks our partners in Uttarakhand have worked tirelessly to help people, climbing over rubble to reach people due to roads and bridges being wiped out. Initially they pulled many dead bodies out of the mud, and then many traumatized survivors were given food, water, medicine and shelter.

In an area where just a fraction of one percent of people are Christians, they have shared the love of Jesus Christ through their words and deeds. Their prayer request has been: “Ask God to help us reach unreached people groups in the Himalayas which we would never have been able to access if not for this opportunity.”

Please pray for these disciples of Christ and for the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of many lost people. If you would like to give to this need and others like it, we invite you to do so through our Persecution & Relief Fund , Asia. 100 percent of funds received for this project go directly to the field.

Here is the devastating aftermath that the cloudburst flooding created, covering entire areas with mud and debris. Our field partners took these photos.

Asia Harvest has helped supply our ministry partners with the supplies they needed to deliver immediate need to those suffering in the area. They were some of the first groups to provide aid, along with the rescuing message of Jesus.

Beautiful Feet - The Asian Workers' Fund

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 13:52:14 GMT

A group of believers from various ethnic groups in Myanmar (Burma)

ready to take the Gospel to all parts of their needy country.

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:15).

The Asian Workers’ Fund (AWF) supports Asian church-planting evangelists who are serving among the most unreached and unengaged people groups in Asia. We deliberately choose workers among obscure groups that others consider difficult or impossible to reach.

In Asia, this often means we are trying to reach Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu groups. Our thinking is in line with the Apostle Paul, who said: “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Romans 15:20).

It was the Lord who told us: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations [ethnic groups], and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

Our focus is not only on reaching individuals, but on penetrating entire ethnic and language groups that have never heard the Gospel. In this regard, a key aim of the project is to help start movements to Christ, rather than to maintain a work that is already underway.

Subsequently, we are not looking simply to support as many workers as possible. Rather, we are selective, and most applications we receive are not approved. We also regularly evaluate those we are supporting, to ensure the project remains “cutting edge” and strategic for the kingdom of God.

We also do not support pastors through this project. We believe the believers in each congregation—no matter how small—should be responsible for supporting the needs of those who shepherd them.

If an evangelist’s role evolves into being a church pastor, we allocate their support to someone new, while encouraging them to train up their church members to take the Gospel to unreached people groups.

Despite the strict parameters we apply to the project, we are currently supporting 1,911 frontline Asian missionaries in 20 countries, who share the Gospel among 1,339 different people groups (many workers are reaching multiple groups).

Some people have wondered how Asia Harvest is able to “take care” of almost 2,000 missionaries spread across Asia. The answer is: we don’t! That would be impossible. The real work is done by the leaders of dozens of Asian mission groups we partner with.

They are responsible for mobilizing, training, and placing each worker. The leaders also distribute the resources we send, provide reports and accountability, and take care of each missionary on their team.

They oversee the courageous individuals who have given their lives to serve in far-flung parts of Asia, from the frozen mountain passes of the Himalayas, to the grasslands of Central Asia and the humid jungles and remote islands of Southeast Asia.

From the time the AWF began, we have been careful not to create “dependency.” By giving through the leaders of existing Asian churches and missions, the support we provide is not seen as “foreign” money, which can attract persecution and create problems in certain countries.

Instead, by giving through existing, God-anointed leadership structures, we help strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia.

Why We Raise Support in $25 Increments

Each missionary is first and foremost required to be supported by their local church, and by friends and family members. This way, they do not rely solely on the funds we send.

Our approach over the years has helped develop many healthy relationships, as key Asian leaders have come to trust that we are there to serve them with love and respect, and not to be served.

We truly come alongside them to help them get the job done more effectively, and we never interfere or impose a hidden agenda on them.

Our decision to raise support for the Asian Workers’ Fund in $25 increments dates back about 25 years, when we used to match each donor to a specific worker.

We soon found that system didn’t work, as when people stopped or changed their giving, we were left scrambling to try to find another donor for the next month’s support.

This created uncertainty and stress for the workers on the field, as they and their families were never sure if they would still receive support the next month.

Instead of evangelists receiving their help from one source, we restructured the project so that different donors essentially take a “part share” in one worker’s support.

By spreading the responsibility for one worker’s support among different donors, we have found that if someone stops giving, we can quickly reallocate that portion to a new donor, or we make up any shortfall from “where needed most” donations. By restructuring the project this way, we have not missed a single commitment to the many hundreds of workers we have supported in the past 25 years.

Therefore, as we collect funds in $25 increments, if someone starts giving $50 per month to the AWF, we allocate two workers to them and send two prayer cards. If someone gives $100 per month, we send four prayer cards, and so on.

This also encourages more prayer for those on the field, as supporters around the world intercede for the evangelists and for a breakthrough among the people groups they are engaging.

Generally, most workers receive an average of $75 to $100 per month from us, plus many other resources to help them do their work more effectively .

Other Strategic Resources

While the Asian Workers’ Fund provides a base of support for individual evangelists, each year we give much more by equipping them with the resources they need to get the job done.

In this respect they are like soldiers in an army, where the equipment they carry determines the success of their mission.

Apart from the basic worker support, over the years we have been honored to supply numerous resources to those on the frontlines, including hundreds of thousands of Bibles, millions of Gospel tracts, hundreds of bicycles, motorcycles, electronic equipment, warm weather gear, and countless other things.

We also fund seminars and conferences that bring the workers together to pray, fellowship, and strategize.

Through other projects such as the Ministry Training Fund, Persecution & Relief Fund, Living Martyrs’ Fund, and The Children’s Fund, we strengthen the workers and enhance the fruitfulness of their ministries by supporting orphans, widows, sewing centers, literacy classes, children’s ministry, fresh-water wells, and numerous other initiatives that have drawn many tens of thousands of people into the kingdom of God.

Finally, we would like to share a few powerful testimonies that recently arrived on our desk from Asian evangelists.

They offer a glimpse of hundreds of similar testimonies we receive:

India

“My name is Chakra. I used to be a religious leader, not for God, but for darkness. My grandfather was a well-known witchdoctor, and my parents continued on the same path.

When I was old enough, I served in a Hindu shrine that was rooted in witchcraft and satanic power.

People came to me for healing and blessings. I gave them charms, oils, and candles, but none of it was from the Holy Spirit. I was enslaved by demonic powers, and caused many others to be bound in spiritual chains. Although I had inherited powers that gave me influence and wealth, deep inside I was tormented. I couldn’t sleep at night without seeing dark figures and hearing voices.

Everything changed when a young Christian woman visited my shrine one day. She didn’t ask for anything but just said, “Jesus loves you and He’s calling you out.” I mocked her, but I couldn’t forget her words.

That night I had a terrible dream. I saw myself chained in darkness and screaming, when a bright light broke the chains and a voice said, “Chakra, I have chosen you. Come out and follow Me.”

A Christian pastor took me in, prayed for me, and taught me the Word of God. I confessed all my sins, destroyed all my charms and demonic items, and gave my life to Jesus Christ.

Today, I no longer serve darkness. I serve the Light of the World and visit villages and towns in our area, telling people that witchcraft is real, but Jesus has total authority over every demon. If He can save me from the pit, He can save anyone!”

Pakistan

“My name is Waqar, and all my family members are very strong Muslims. My father is a prominent man in the community who preached Islam to everyone he met.

When I was 19 years-old, I went to the mosque and prayed to Allah for a bright future. I grew increasingly frustrated, however, as Islam kept me empty inside, so I started to search for the truth. As part of my journey I went to a church one Sunday and prayed to Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit powerfully touched me and spoke to my heart: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” I was given a Bible, and after three years I accepted the Lord and was baptized, even though I knew it would cost me everything and I would be disowned by my family.

My other family members are still not believers, but God has called me to reach Muslims, both in my country and in Afghanistan. God has been very good to me!

He has helped me share the Gospel extensively with more than 2,000 Muslims over the past twenty years, and more than 500 people have been baptized.

These believers have to practice their faith secretly due to threats on their lives. Please pray for all our new believers, and for all poor and needy people.”

Myanmar

“My name is Phyo and I am 33 years-old. My ethnicity is Bamar, the main people group of Myanmar, also known as Burmese. I joined the army as a young man and advanced to become a captain.

They sent me to Russia for two years to learn munitions warfare, and after returning home I was sent to the war zone, where I was responsible for many atrocities.

Because of my evil deeds, I was in deep despair and could not sleep because I was haunted by seeing the faces of many of my victims. I knew I could not remain in the army, so I resigned and gradually lost all my possessions: houses, cars, and girlfriends.

In the end, I had nothing. One day, some Christians came to my neighborhood and told me wonderful news about Jesus and His forgiveness of sins. In desperation and with a crushed heart I cried out to Him, repenting of my sins, and He washed me clean!

Today I am so glad for the new life God has given me. He tore the filthy old heart out of my chest and created a new clean one! I am thankful to now lead men’s meetings and I am a worship leader.

We have started many churches in the slum areas of our city, and I am amazed to see the Spirit of God continue to transform lives every day, just like He transformed mine by giving me hope and a future.

I thank God for Asia Harvest and your supporters, and for the great help you provide to me and the other evangelists on our team. Because of your loving kindness, thousands of Buddhists and hopeless people are experiencing God’s salvation.”

BELOW: New Christians in Bangladesh who met the Lord through one of the evangelists we support through the Asian Workers’ Fund.

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John Sung - China's Greatest Evangelist

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 20:52:34 GMT

A packed church full of fervent worshippers in Fujian Province. Due to the witness of men like John Sung, Fujian today is home to more than five million Christians.

In our previous newsletter, we introduced our new China book:

FUJIAN: The Blessed Province” and shared an excerpt from the book about John Sung, whom we consider to be the greatest Chinese Christian in history.

Part One of his story told how his zeal for the Lord resulted in him being locked up in a mental asylum in the United States.

After God delivered him, Sung threw his coveted doctoral degrees into the ocean as his ship neared the Fujian coast. He only wanted to live for the kingdom of God and counted his worldly achievements as worthless.

This month we conclude our look into the life of John Sung, whose impact was so great that Chinese believers gave him the nickname “China’s Greatest Evangelist.”

To order a copy of the book, please visit our website bookstore for details. A Kindle (e-book) version is also available online.

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate you would like a complimentary copy of the book, and we will gladly send you one.

Unrelenting Attacks

John Sung (back left) and the Bethel Band in 1931. These young men saw many thousands come to faith across China, laying a firm foundation for the Church in China that helped it survive the harsh persecutions of Communist rule and pave the way for the great revival of the past 40 years.

Smelly Feet and Big Shots

Some Christians have the type of personality that makes it very difficult for them to be part of a team. John Sung was one of those who were probably better suited to working independently. Two stories from his ministry reveal the utter disdain he felt for formality and pretense. He cared nothing for a man’s reputation, and did not hesitate to openly rebuke people whenever it was necessary.

Once, while traveling in Henan Province, Sung and his co-worker reached a town late at night. Feeling exhausted, they sought out the local mission headquarters to see if they could stay the night before traveling on the next morning. Sung spoke with a security guard through the locked gate and told him that two evangelists were passing through and would appreciate lodging for the night.

The guard went inside and informed the missionary of the unexpected visitors. Even though they had spare rooms in the house, the guard was ordered to tell Sung and his friend they could stay the night in an outdoor barn.

Sung was unable to sleep all night due to the cold and because his face was right next to the smelly feet of another man. Before leaving in the morning, Sung wrote a note in English to the missionary, rebuking him for his lack of loving hospitality toward two servants of the Lord, and strongly advising him to examine his heart and repent.

The missionary and his wife were enjoying their breakfast when the note was handed to them. Their faces dropped when they realized one of the guests they had treated so poorly was none other than the famous Dr. John Sung, “China’s greatest evangelist”!

They quickly rode their bicycles along the road and caught up with the evangelists some way out of town. They apologized profusely for mistreating them, saying they had no idea it was him, and begged them to return and eat breakfast with them. Sung refused their offer, saying, “No, we are not going back. You are showing your hospitality to a Ph.D. rather than an evangelist. You must thoroughly repent of your behavior!”

On Christmas Day, 1937, Sung was in the city of Xuchang, where the Chinese pastor had prepared a banquet to welcome the famous evangelist. Sung was asked to sit at the main table with leading dignitaries and officials, while his 18-year-old traveling companion was placed at a second table with church elders and deacons.

When the pastor introduced all the guests, Sung discovered that he was seated between the mayor and the chief justice of the city. Across from him were the police commissioner and the editor of the local newspaper. Sung stood up immediately and commanded his co-worker to switch seats with him. He said,

“I am a servant of the Lord. I came to lead evangelistic meetings. I should be seated with brothers and sisters from the church, not with these big shots.”

After severing his ties to the Bethel Band, Sung continued in the work God had called him to do, and for the remainder of his life he served as an independent evangelist, accepting invitations to preach all over China and Southeast Asia. Miraculous healings continued to be a feature of his ministry.

Once, John was traveling on a ship to a different part of China when he had a vivid dream in which his father stood by him and said, “Son, I have gone to heaven. But you have seven more years in which to work. So labor hard for the Lord!”

Several days later, the news arrived from Fujian that Sung’s father had died. John took the message in the dream to heart and served Jesus Christ with even greater determination and zeal. The dream proved wholly accurate, and seven short years later John’s window of opportunity to proclaim the Gospel closed.

Between 1935 and 1940, Sung’s influence expanded into Southeast Asia. He made earth-shaking trips there, including at least one visit to each of the countries of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Philippines.

Sung promised to return to Singapore in 1940, but his health deteriorated to such an extent that he was never able to visit again. The multitude of well-wishers waved goodbye to him at the wharf, not realizing it was the last time they would ever see the beloved revivalist. Many churches in Singapore today were founded or impacted by his precious visits more than 80 years ago.

The Gift of Healing

John Sung remained a Methodist minister, and although he was not Pentecostal or Charismatic by today’s usual Western definitions, John Sung exercised a gift of healing that astounded audiences and resulted in countless people surrendering their lives to Christ.

He was always quick to emphasize that each person had to repent of their sins lest they end up in hell. Sung carefully explained that he possessed no healing ability whatsoever, but it was the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ who performed the miracles.

After one meeting in the city of Xiamen, Sung wrote in his diary:

“Altogether I prayed for 1,710 patients today. Before I prayed for them, I told them the principles of divine healing and helped them confess their sins.

A crippled and blind man could instantly see and walk. Another person was carried in on a bed and walked home.

A hunchbacked woman instantly straightened up.... Just before I left Xiamen, I prayed for 400 patients.

One woman, who had been crippled for many years, cried aloud when she came to see me. I commanded her to walk by faith, and she immediately obeyed.

 She walked all the way home, testifying to many people along the way.”

One summary of Sung’s ministry noted:

“He exercised a truly stunning ministry of physical healing through prayer. Tens of thousands of people were delivered from all sorts of illnesses, infirmities, and addictions after he prayed for them....

Most of these miracles were witnessed by countless people, many of them originally skeptical of this aspect of John Sung’s ministry.

Opium addicts received instant deliverance. Those possessed by evil spirits were delivered. Blind people received their sight, the lame walked, disabled limbs were healed, and leprosy was cured instantly. ”

A Thorn in the Flesh

Curiously, throughout church history many servants of God who have been greatly endowed with a gift of healing have themselves been afflicted with serious diseases and infirmities from which they were not healed.

John Sung was one such preacher, and he saw the irony, once calling himself a “wounded healer.” The anal fistulas that first plagued him in the United States flared up whenever he was exhausted or under intense stress. Conflict with other Christians seemed particularly harmful to his health, as his rough exterior concealed a soft heart that was crushed by any disunity he had with other members of the Body of Christ.

For years Sung maintained a gruelling travel schedule, sometimes holding as many as eight meetings a day. For much of that time he was in terrible physical pain, which sometimes necessitated that he preach while sitting down or lying on a cot on the platform. Although still a young man in his thirties, he often suffered debilitating fatigue, and his entire body ached from head to toe.

Instead of complaining, the evangelist tried to keep his condition hidden from the public. When he was hosted in a believer’s home, he always insisted on washing his own clothes, for his underwear was often full of blood and pus from his horrible affliction. He described it as his “thorn in the flesh,” designed by God to humble him.

When his condition flared, people in close proximity to Sung were often aware of an awful, offensive odor. John was aware of people’s reactions, but there was little he could do about it, so he concentrated on preaching God’s Word with all his heart, and he thanked the Lord for humbling his flesh to keep him from being conceited.

Few people among the thousands who came to hear John Sung preach had any idea of the excruciating pain and sacrifice he was enduring both during and between services. When he visited the Malaysian island of Penang, he wrote:

“The doctor found that five serious anal fistulas had developed, and one was very bad. He gave me seven injections. I did not feel anything, but the subsequent pain almost blew me apart.

I pleaded with the Lord to take pity on the people of Penang by taking pity on me, and so preached at the pulpit through His blessings. On December 6, a brother helped me put on my clothes and carried me up and down the stairs, and in and out of the vehicle. A sleeping cot was placed near the pulpit.

The power of God was still with me as I spoke, and people came forward to confess their sins. Brother Yan helped me disrobe after the service.

The agony went on all night when the fistulas erupted, resulting in massive discharges of blood and pus. I still carried on with afternoon and evening services although I had hardly slept.”

As his condition deteriorated, six surgeries were performed at different hospitals, but none was able to fix the problem, possibly because Sung never stayed in one place long enough to recover completely from the operations.

As the sun began to set on his whirlwind life, Sung expressed regret that he had spent so little time with his children, and he tried to make up for it by reading them Bible stories and sharing testimonies of God’s goodness during the final months of his life.

After he awoke from one operation, Sung spoke with the surgeons and wrote in his diary: “I tearfully prayed to God, telling Him I would like to do more work for Him after I am healed, and asking that my brothers and children would join me in the work for the Lord.

I prayed that the Lord’s will be done in my body. When the incisions were made, two large bowls of blood exuded from my wounds, filling the operation room with a putrid odor.”

Although John Sung was forced to remain in bed due to his illness, many Christians traveled from all over China to see him. He counseled and prayed with them, often conducting three meetings per day from his bed.

After weeks of attempted recovery—which left John feeling increasingly frustrated because he wasn’t out preaching—he continued to suffer intense pain. Some of his final diary entries in 1944 reveal his journey through the valley of the shadow of death:

July 25: “I have turned myself over several times. The pain has been so searing that my wounds feel like they’re on fire. I pleaded with God to take me home to heaven soon.”

July 28: “I begged God to give me some proof that He still loves me. My wife Jean is too weak to turn me over, so a man is needed. Dr. Lee examined my wounds and said I need to take opium to stop the pain, which I refused.”

July 30: “I confessed my sins to God. I feel utterly drained of strength.”

July 31: “The pain is the worst ever. If this continues, I don’t know how I could take it anymore.”

August 11: “Now I can’t hold anything with my hands. I feel a little discouraged. I asked God to open a way out for me.”

Finally, on the morning of August 16, 1944, John’s limbs began to swell. He told his wife that God had shown him he was going to die soon.

He fell into a coma that night but rallied again and sang three hymns while vomiting continually into a bucket. Jean was overcome with grief as she saw her husband fade away before her eyes.

At about midnight his last words to her were:

“Don’t be afraid! The Lord Jesus is at the door. What is there to fear?”

Jean later shared the holy moment when her beloved husband began his journey to God at the age of 43:

“At the time the room was very dark, but his face suddenly shone with a brilliant radiance. When I saw this strange light, my heart was greatly comforted. At five in the morning on August 18 his pulse weakened, and at 7:07 that morning, the Lord’s servant was peacefully taken away. He had a smile on his face.

After John Sung’s death, numerous tributes and memorials flowed in. Some estimated that at least 100,000 people had been directly and solidly converted through his preaching, which was about one-tenth of all Evangelical Christians in China at the time.

The quality of John Sung’s ministry can be seen eight decades later by the lasting fruit of his life. Tens of thousands of Christians throughout Asia still call him blessed and are the direct or indirect result of his preaching. Perhaps the greatest impact he had was his example in preparing the Chinese Church for the onslaught that was to come against them during decades of Communist persecution.

On a number of occasions before he died, Sung prophesied that God would soon remove all foreign missionaries from China, and the Church would have to learn to trust Him alone for their spiritual sustenance.

After that, a mighty revival would take place that would sweep millions into the Kingdom of God.

Friends and family at the funeral of John Sung, who died at the age of just 43.

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Fujian - The New Book by Paul Hattaway

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Mon, 19 May 2025 22:10:38 GMT

“For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Sometimes we are asked who we consider to be the greatest Chinese Christian in history. Of course, the question itself is a problem, as any “great” Christian is merely a broken individual able to reflect the greatness of Jesus, as there is nothing inherently great about any person apart from Him.

Of those Chinese whom God has used greatly to impact many people in China and around the world, some believers may suggest names like Watchman Nee (who is profiled in our new Fujian book), Wang Mingdao, who is remembered as “the father of the Chinese house church movement,” or Brother Yun, whom we have personally had much to do with over the years including writing his biography ‘The Heavenly Man’.

The Lord was pleased to use all those men and others like them, but in our opinion, one man stands out as uniquely gifted and used by God. Although he died at the age of just 43, the impact of John Sung was so extensive that almost a century after he paid a brief visit to some areas in Southeast Asia where he preached a few times, churches were established which remain strong in the faith to the current day!

In this and our next newsletter, we would like to share excerpts from our new Fujian book, highlighting the unconventional life of John Sung.

In this issue we cover the early part of his life and call, and how Satan so wanted to destroy his life that God had to deliver him from a mental asylum in New York, where he had been locked up by the president of a liberal seminary who thought Sung’s zeal for the Lord and the Bible was a danger to society!

“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3).

The Lord was pleased to use all those men and others like them, but in our opinion, one man stands out as uniquely gifted and used by God.

Although he died at the age of just 43, the impact of John Sung was so extensive that almost a century after he paid a brief visit to some areas in Southeast Asia where he preached a few times, churches were established which remain strong in the faith to the current day!

In this and our next newsletter, we would like to share excerpts from our new Fujian book, highlighting the unconventional life of John Sung.

China’s John the Baptist

Born in 1901, John Sung (whose name in Mandarin is Song Shangjie) was the sixth child of a “warm-hearted Methodist preacher.”

On many occasions young John accompanied his father when he visited church members, and when his father was sick or out of town, the boy sometimes preached to the believers, repeating from his sharp memory messages he had heard at church. People loved John and gave him the nickname “little preacher.”

In 1909, a powerful revival in Putian impacted the Sung family’s village, and eight-year-old John was deeply touched by the Spirit of God. As he heard the story of the life of Jesus, he broke down and wept. Conviction spread to the whole congregation, and soon all were on their faces before God, confessing their sins. Within a few months there were 3,000 conversions.

In addition to the good traits he inherited from his father, John also inherited his fierce temper, which was a source of consternation and confusion to Christians. Sometimes when he preached, Sung would suddenly have a burst of anger from the pulpit or verbally eviscerate an interpreter for making a mistake.

Parts of John Sung’s story are so extraordinary and complex that some Christian historians have struggled to know how to view him. While God clearly used him to bring tens of thousands of sinners to the cross, his forceful personality and dramatic methods caused many to take offense.

Some who met him considered him extremely rude, for he did not tolerate fools, and he had such a single focus that anything that got in the way of fulfilling Christ’s call was considered an unnecessary distraction.

Seven Years in Babylon

At the age of 18, Sung begged his father to send him to study in the United States, and he ultimately arrived with just $6 in his pocket.

After arriving in the U.S., John found work scrubbing the floor and cleaning the windows of a fabric store for 25 cents per hour, and during the school holidays he took a second job at a factory, working the night shift from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Sung was an extremely bright young man, and coupled with his relentless work ethic, he completed his college degree in three years, finishing among the top students in his class, even though he had started the course with a limited grasp of English.

He then received a scholarship to attend Ohio Wesleyan University, where he enthusiastically participated in Christian activities. By his fourth year in America, however, a friend lamented:

“John seldom went to meetings and never attended church on Sundays. After he had studied three more years under ‘American heathens’, he did not believe anything that his parents had taught him.”

Sung later admitted:

“My soul wandered in a wilderness. I could neither sleep nor eat. My faith was like a leaking, storm-driven ship without a captain or compass. My heart was filled with the deepest unhappiness.”

The Breaking Point

To make ends meet, Sung undertook all his studies while working several manual jobs, including heavy work at a steel factory. This demanding job precipitated his first health crisis, which he detailed: “I hadn’t worked there a full day before I got dizziness, heart palpitations, splitting headaches, and a high fever. Still, I persevered until I developed a huge hemorrhoid.

The doctor said I must have surgery. I didn’t have any money, so I ignored the doctor’s orders to recuperate slowly. I discharged myself from the hospital early, before it had completely healed.”

This was the start of major health struggles that John Sung experienced for the rest of his life. As a result, his condition worsened and became a chronic affliction known as anal fistula, which plagued him until it ultimately caused his death at an early age.

Sung relocated to Ohio State University, where he completed a master’s degree in chemistry in just nine months, receiving the Science Society’s medal and gold key for topping his class.

Next, he studied for a doctorate between 1924 and 1926. To qualify, he had to be proficient in both French and German, so he tackled those languages and passed with flying colors.

Sung received his doctorate at a lavish ceremony on March 19, 1926. He was awarded cash prizes for his achievements in physics and chemistry and was invited to join the faculty of Harvard and other prestigious universities around the world.

While he had achieved all his academic goals, Sung was now deeply unhappy in his heart and mind. Someone suggested he should study theology, so he enrolled at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City, but was disgusted to discover it was a liberal institution, where most of the professors and students did not consider the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, and foundational beliefs such as the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ were openly mocked or considered mere allegories.

Sung became so depressed and disillusioned with his spiritual condition that he wrote a confidential letter to a friend, saying that he felt overwhelmed by his tormented conscience and that he sometimes despaired of life.

The letter was forwarded to Dr. Henry Coffin, the president of the seminary, which set off a chain of events that almost destroyed John Sung. One evening, he attended a revival meeting where he repented of his sins and was powerfully set free. Waves of forgiveness and joy flooded Sung’s soul!

He threw all of his books except the Bible into the trash and focused on reading God’s Word, which struck him with a freshness and vibrancy he had never experienced before.

Confined in a Mental Asylum

Unable to contain his excitement for Jesus, Sung returned to the seminary, where he exuberantly exhorted his fellow students to repent and surrender their lives to God. The next morning, he openly rebuked his liberal professors, warning that they would be thrown into hell if they didn’t repent.

He even told Harry Fosdick, a leading proponent of the social gospel, “You are of the devil. You made me lose my faith, and you are causing other young men to lose their faith.” Sung also took direct aim at Henry Coffin, telling his classmates they had been duped into attending a “cemetery whose president is a coffin.”

Reports of Sung’s behavior soon reached the president’s desk, and he was not amused. Coffin decided the young Chinese student had become mentally unbalanced, and a plan was hatched to “help” him. Sung’s diary recorded the events that unfolded when he returned to the seminary the next day:

“I reached the gates, which closed behind me as soon as I had entered them, and the seminary president greeted me. He told me that I was getting overly stressed lately and gently insisted that I go to a quiet place to rest and recuperate. I thought his offer over and deemed it reasonable because a week at a tranquil setting would be an excellent opportunity to devour the Word of God.

The ‘quiet place’ turned out to be Bloomingdale Hospital, an institution for the mentally ill.”

Rarely has a man forged such a diverse reputation in two parts of the world as Dr. Henry Coffin.

In America he was viewed as one of the greatest Gospel ministers of his generation, and he had been honored on the cover of Time magazine just a few months earlier. In the eyes of many American Christians, Coffin was a great man of God and one of the co-writers of the famous hymn “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

To multitudes of Chinese Christians around the world who are familiar with John Sung’s testimony, however, Coffin is remembered as a villain who promoted the “God is dead” theology of his era, and as the man who nearly destroyed the life of God’s chosen vessel who brought revival to the Chinese world.

After being admitted to the mental asylum, Sung tried to convince the psychiatrists he was not insane, but they would not listen. He told them, “I am not crazy! I have just been reborn.

My soul, which was in misery, is now filled with the joy of the Lord and I cannot stop praising Him!”

The hospital took full control of his life, with all correspondence censored by the doctor in charge, who wrote back to John’s relatives and friends, telling them he was too ill to reply and that they should not write again.

After being told that he was being evaluated for six weeks, the period concluded but his request to be discharged was refused. The seriousness of his situation dawned on Sung, and he realized he had been tricked by Henry Coffin and was now imprisoned against his will in a mental asylum.

Finally, God gave favor, and with the help of a friendly nurse, Sung managed to write a letter to the Chinese Consulate, explaining he had been locked up against his will.

After visiting the asylum, the consul general said that John Sung “was no more crazy than you or I, but he had such a good case of real, old-fashioned religion, and it was so unusual there that they thought he was crazy.” He was released on August 30, 1927, on the condition that he would leave the United States and return to China.

A Watery Grave

As he made his way across the vast Pacific Ocean, John Sung had a vivid dream in which he saw himself lying in a coffin with his academic degrees and gown. In the dream the old John Sung was dead, but the new man was alive in Christ and called to preach the Gospel.

Although the world now considered Sung a success with a highly valued doctorate, God began to deal with his pride during the long voyage. He knelt in his cabin and rededicated himself to God’s service, determining in his heart to place no limits on his zeal and consecration to reach his fellow Chinese.

Sung renounced all of his worldly achievements, went up to the deck as the ship neared the Fujian coast, and hurled most of his diplomas, medals, and golden doctoral keys overboard into a watery grave. The only diploma he retained was his Ph.D., which he gave to his parents as a mark of respect for the effort and expense they had borne to help his career.

John gave all his money to his father and his books and clothes to his brother. From that time forward, he donned a simple cotton gown like many Chinese peasants of the time, and he lived as a poor itinerant evangelist.

John was asked to teach chemistry at a local Methodist high school. He worked there for a year, but science was now far down the list of priorities in his life, and he took every opportunity to indulge his real passion—the salvation of souls.

Discipleship

For the next three years, John Sung traveled around Fujian preaching in small rural churches, and his ministry began to resemble that of John the Baptist. He was uncompromising in his denunciation of sin, and did not hesitate to publicly rebuke church leaders and missionaries whose lives failed to glorify Christ.

He taught regularly on heaven and hell and the need for people to fully surrender to God and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Multitudes responded with weeping and open confession of sin. He also established an extensive discipleship program to help new converts gain a strong foundation in God’s Word.

Once, when asked to summarize the main themes of his teaching, Sung replied:

“Repentance, heaven and hell, and the cross and blood of Christ....hating of sin and complete consecration; being filled with the Holy Spirit; and the life of faith as well as love.”

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Changing Lives in Myanmar

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Mon, 05 May 2025 22:32:38 GMT

The 7.7 magnitude earthquake that shook Myanmar on March 28th of this year, tragically took the lives of over 5,000 people, tearing apart families that were already suffering from the current wars raging there.

Your prayers and financial support has enabled us to help thousands of desperate people, and continues to do so while many humanitarian organizations have already left.

We invite you to watch this short video, showing some of the help we have so far provided to these precious people.

Our co-workers in Myanmar have helped affected people with survival kits including food, water, shelter, and medicine. As always, the Gospel has been proclaimed as this aid was distributed, as we want to not only see people’s physical needs met but we want them to hear about God’s salvation through Jesus Christ for the first time in their lives. Our partners wrote:

“Everywhere we have gone, people are deeply grateful that someone came to help, listen, and to pray for them. We share the Good News and distribute New Testaments. We are now preparing to plant new fellowships to disciple believers and bring the light of Christ into some of the darkest places in Myanmar.”

Please continue to pray for the people of Myanmar, and if you would like to donate to help the ongoing earthquake relief work, you can do so by giving to our “ Persecution & Relief Fund ”

RESPONDING TO THE EMERGENCY IN MYANMAR

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 00:11:09 GMT

We are thankful for the many people who have been praying for the people groups of Myanmar as we work through our Operation Myanmar profiles. The recent massive 7.7 earthquake has added untold misery to the people of Myanmar.

Estimates are that tens of thousands of people have been killed and up to 3 million have been displaced after their homes were destroyed. The epicenter of the quake was in the Sagaing Region next to Chin State, where many of our prayer requests for Chin and Tangshang tribes have been targeted in recent months.

Hundreds of thousands of strong Christians live in these regions.

In response, our co-workers in Myanmar have launched plans to help affected people. An initial $10,000 has been sent to provide basic survival kits to the traumatized people including food, water, shelter, and medicine.

One of our partner ministries wrote:

“Our staff have taken the Gospel outside—meeting in villages, under trees, and in open spaces to share the hope of Christ (see our photo below). In this desperate time, more and more people are joining the gatherings, searching for hope and stability. The hunger for truth is growing, and God continues to move in this nation.”

Please pray for the people of Myanmar, and if you would like to donate to help the earthquake relief work, please do so by giving with a card to the “ Persecution & Relief Fund ” on our secure website, or by sending a check to one of the Asia Harvest addresses listed at the bottom of this email.

We guarantee that 100 percent of the funds received will go to help people in the affected areas. Nothing will be deducted for admin or any other expense.

May The Lord Jesus Christ be glorified among all 240 people groups of Myanmar!

A Rescue Shop at the Gates of Hell

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 14:56:14 GMT

Poverty, war, and corruption have left many Burmese combating threats from crime syndicates, leaving them in vulnerable conditions as they struggle to secure food for their families.

Shining the Light of Jesus in the Darkness of Asia

From time to time, we receive very sensitive reports from our partners in Asia. We often refrain from sharing such stories to protect the safety of our partners, while striving to create balanced newsletters that don’t overly burden our readers and leave them with broken hearts. Sadly, many of the stories include suffering and reflect some of the worst depravity of mankind.

While we love to encourage readers with stories of revival and Gospel breakthroughs, to only share those would be unbalanced. Asia is also a place of intense spiritual darkness, and sometimes things that are difficult to read are necessary to share so that believers around the world can know how to pray.

Now take a moment to consider William Booth’s quote cited above. Have you ever wondered what it might actually look like to run a rescue shop just outside the boundary of hell? What we are about to share with you in this newsletter is the result of believers doing just that in Myanmar today.

“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” (Luke 12:49-51)

Last year we were excited to receive a call from one of our dearest ministry partners on the field in Asia. He is seeing God move powerfully among hungry hearts, with thousands of people having been added to the family of God. What he shared that day caused our hearts to grieve and tears to fill our eyes.

You might have enjoyed reading our 2024 reports and watching videos of how the Lord is saving countless beautiful children in Myanmar. Satan does not let any genuine move of God go unchallenged, however, and the story we are about to share is both gripping and heavy, but please read it through to the end, as there is a message of hope at its conclusion.

Eva (not her real name) was just 11 years old when a great darkness visited the slum she calls home. It happened on a sunny day, just like any other. The streets were buzzing with life as schoolchildren were on holiday and were making the most of their young lives in the impoverished neighborhood.

“Follow me for some free candy!” one child shouted to groups of playing children.

Eva’s belly growled at the thought of eating something sweet. She frequently felt hunger pangs at home due to a lack of food, so she welcomed the invitation and hurried over along with other children for some free candy.

Eva had noticed that some of her friends as well as others had disappeared from time to time, never to return. This made many in her village aware of the dangers around them and suspicious of strangers. But the young boy leading them to get candy was a familiar face in the neighborhood, and his parents met the group of children along the way, putting Eva’s heart at ease.

As the group walked quite a distance from the village, the boy's parents excitedly told them about a free medical clinic that would be distributing candy along with a free vaccine for each child.

Coming from destitute families who can’t afford the most basic medical procedures without becoming enslaved by debt to violent gang lenders, the children considered the offer of medical help one less cost for their parents to worry about.

Finally, beyond earshot of the village, the group of now 20 children, along with a pregnant mother, entered the local graveyard. It seemed like an odd place for candy and vaccines to be distributed, but sure enough, there was a table set up with medical instruments operated by staff dressed in white lab coats.

The children formed a line and quickly, one by one, received an injection in the arm, followed by a piece of candy. While they were all enjoying their candy, Eva noticed something very odd beginning to happen to each one of them. A strange fog clouded their judgment and made them dizzy.

And then it happened.

The pregnant mother was suddenly murdered right in front of the children by these criminals dressed as doctors and nurses. With no concern for the sanctity of human life, they proceeded to slash open the deceased mother’s stomach, pulling her precious unborn child from her womb.

Terror of the worst kind gripped every child. Drugged beyond the point of being able to resist and now threatened with death themselves if they did not cooperate, the children were herded into the backs of open-bed trucks and driven through their village to a nearby fishing pier, where they were placed on boats.

Eva inwardly screamed for help, but no words made it to her lips because of the drug-induced state she was in. It was at that horrifying moment that she remembered the words she had heard at a Christian meeting she had attended since she gave her life to Jesus. It was there that she first learned that Jesus cares for everyone and can save people when they call upon His name.

“Jesus,” she cried out in Burmese.

It was all she capable of saying.

This is the actual pier that Eva and countless children passed through when they were trafficked here in recent years. Asia Harvest's US director visited this very spot recently.

The boat that took the children across the river docked on the far side, and each child was whisked through the fish market and hurriedly pushed into cars that drove them away.

Eva watched with crippling fear as she was pushed closer to one of the cars, its door opening for her as she approached.

Then, out of nowhere, two very tall, white angelic beings appeared. They released her from the arms of her captors, brought her back to the pier, and put her on a boat returning to her village on the other side of the river.

Eva made it safely home and has been slowly recovering from the trauma, but sadly, none of the 19 other children have returned to their families since that day.

Please consider helping children like Eva through

TCF (The Children's Fund) by going here to donate.

Most children who disappear in Myanmar under these circumstances do not live to tell their stories. Asia Harvest has since learned from our partners in the slums that the 19 children were most likely sent to various hospitals, where they were sedated before surgeons removed all their organs, killing them in the process.

The murder of the pregnant mother and the nature of the diabolical events of that day confirm that these children were victims of human organ harvesting. Key organs, such as livers, kidneys, hearts, and lungs, are sold for transplant in wealthier countries.

Ongoing civil war in Myanmar has torn the country apart and resulted in the breakdown of society and the failure of the justice system. As a result, the police do nothing to assist victims, creating an environment in which such monstrous evil can thrive.

While the Church in Myanmar lacks the human ability to get judicial help against these threats, God’s children there have learned that the Lord Jesus is the true source of their rescue. The Scriptures have become very real in their lives, such as Psalm 20:7 :

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Perhaps God moving so mightily in Myanmar today—the likes of which have never been seen before among the Buddhist majority—is heaven’s response to the cries of desperate believers who lack an army of chariots and human forces to rescue them.

With no such resources outside of Christ, they have been discovering the blessing that this “last resort” was all along their only lasting hope. Through this profound discovery, God’s revival fires are burning ever brighter amidst Myanmar’s darkest hours.

Every day our coworkers help precious children like Eva, and multitudes of young children and teenagers have been rescued who would have otherwise been trafficked by gangs into sex work, drug dealing, and many other types of modern-day slavery.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, thousands of at-risk families have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Not only have many vulnerable individuals come to Christ and been radically transformed, but many traffickers and gang members have also repented and surrendered their lives to the Lord Jesus!

Last year, Asia Harvest leaders visited the very slum where this diabolical incident occurred, and we even crossed on the same boats that took the kidnapped children across the river.

We have personally witnessed the powerful work the Holy Spirit is doing in those poor communities, and we can declare with great conviction that Jesus IS the answer and the only hope for Myanmar and the world.

For over 20 years Asia Harvest has helped reach and disciple more than 231,000 children throughout Asia by ministering to their physical and spiritual needs.

The Children’s Fund specifically helps us reach children like Eva. Not only do they receive food and practical assistance, but they are also introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ and are ultimately discipled and equipped to share the Gospel with other children and adults.

Even in the grimmest of circumstances, thousands of children’s lives have been transformed from darkness and despair to the light and hope that is found only in Christ.

If you would like to support the work in the slums of Myanmar and many other parts of Asia, please prayerfully consider giving to TCF (The Children’s Fund) or to any of our other initiatives through which Asia Harvest furthers the work of the Gospel by providing Bibles, support for evangelists, and relief.

ABOVE: This is the actual home that Eva currently shares with her family. Most families live in similar conditions throughout the slums.

BELOW: Despite tremendous obstacles, the Kingdom of God continues to advance throughout Myanmar today through the unprecedented gathering of believers in homes like these.

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2024 Year in Review - Proclaiming God's Works in our 200th Newsletter

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 00:42:52 GMT

The Golden Triangle area, where the countries of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar meet, is notorious for being one of the main drug-producing hubs in the world.

The same waterways are now being used to transport God’s Word, helping to meet the great demand for Bibles for the thousands of families who are being radically transformed by the Spirit of God.

Not only is this newsletter a chance for us to pause and give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for all His works in 2024, it also happens to be the 200th newsletter we have sent out since the first issue in April 1988! It took a decade to reach our 50th newsletter in September 1998, then 11 more years to get to number 100 in July 2009, and a further nine years elapsed to newsletter 150 in June 2018.

Amazingly, we know a few people who have collected every newsletter over the years and kept them in plastic folders, although these days you can access our Newsletter Archives via the “Resources” tab at our website (www.asiaharvest.org)

As we look back over the past 37 years, we are humbled by God’s faithfulness and protection. It has been an incredible blessing for us to learn from God’s people in Asia as we have served them.

The Gospel has advanced mightily in many nations. As the Psalmist wrote, a key part of our call has been to commend God’s works to this generation of Christians around the world through our books and newsletters, and to “tell of the power of His awesome works and proclaim His great deeds.”

Some of the highlights over the years include witnessing the tremendous growth of the Church in China, as the country itself rose on the world stage.

Now we are seeing the country rapidly going backwards, reversing the decades of gains, but we pray and hope the Body of Christ in China will emerge even stronger and as a more vibrant witness both within its borders and beyond.

Although China stands out as having experienced the greatest revival in the history of Christianity, we have also been amazed to see the Spirit of God move powerfully in many other Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Laos, parts of Indonesia, Nepal, India, and now in Myanmar, where the revival currently underway is quite startling.

Although each revival is different, true revivals have certain unchanging characteristics, such as a deep repentance of sin, which spurs wonderful new life as multitudes of people and entire communities experience God’s love and transformative power.

On the other hand, we have also seen the ebb and flow of the harvest field, and how at times a nation may appear to be completely open to heaven’s blessings, only for the tide to turn and begin to go out for a season.

We have learned that the “Lord of the harvest” not only controls the labors of His servants, but He is also in charge of the very conditions of the harvest itself, sometimes softening people’s hearts and at other times letting them go their own way (see Romans 1:28) .

Everything is designed by God to culminate in His ultimate goal, when “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

At the beginning of 2025, we give thanks for the opportunity to once again serve the Lord Jesus in Asia. We greatly appreciate the prayers, encouragement, and support of Christians around the world who have been led by the Holy Spirit to join hands with us.

Together, we are helping many who have never heard the Gospel become aware of the incredible salvation the Son of God has won for them. We invite you to join us on this journey as we continue to march forward, serving the Church in Asia.

In the remainder of this newsletter we present our Annual Report, detailing the help Asia Harvest provided to the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2024.

It has been a privilege to serve the Lord for another year. We feel greatly blessed to be a link in the chain that resulted in many people coming to know Him. Last year, more than 660,000 Christian families were strengthened by God’s Word through our Asia Bible Fund , while the 1,746 evangelists we support led a total of over 325,000 people to Christ among 1,282 different tribes and ethnic groups.

For more than 35 years, our strategy has been to operate with as few overhead expenses as possible, so that resources will reach the hands of frontline workers who need them the most—the Asian Christians we are honored to assist and serve.

We thank everyone who prayed for and supported our work last year. Without your vital partnership none of these things would have occurred.

From the time of Asia Harvest’s inception in the 1980s, we have desired to be transparent in the area of finances. Our annual financial statements are independently audited and are available for anyone to view on our website.

We thank God that last year we were able to send out substantially more project money than we received. Our operating costs are fully covered by non-project donations and from income generated by book sales.

This means that 100 percent of project donations are used on the field in Asia as specified.

To read our audited financial statements, please visit the page found here on our website.

BELOW: The Asia Harvest conducts many projects that rarely get mentioned in our newsletters. Here, young women at risk of being sexually trafficked are being trained to use sewing machines. This project comes under our Persecution & Relief Fund .

Not only does it give them a skill to help earn an income, but most become Christians due to the influence of the godly believers who lead the project.us for being one of the main drug-producing hubs in the world.

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VIDEO: Myanmar Revival Fires Spreading

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 14:38:19 GMT

In these end times we see many headwinds blowing against the progress of the Gospel in many parts of Asia, bit in the war-torn country of Myanmar (Burma) a different kind of wind is blowing — the breath of the Holy Spirit continues to fan the flames of a tremendous revival that is touching parts of society in Myanmar that have never been touched by the Name of Jesus before.

As multiple civil wars are raging across the country, and millions of precious people are experiencing horrific suffering and near starvation as a result, we would like to share this short video with you, which gives a summary of how the Living God is turning ashes to beauty and death to life in the slums of one of Myanmar’s largest cities.

This year, various Asia Harvest projects has been utilized as we have invested heavily in the kingdom of God in Myanmar.

Because of your prayers and generous support, our Asia Bible Fund, Asian Workers’ Fund , Ministry Training Fund , Children’s Fund and Persecution & Relief Fund have all been used to help fuel the revival as it transforms many thousands of lives.

Please consider sharing the video with others to help shed light on what is happening in Myanmar.

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:

20 Million Miracles ...and counting!

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 16:36:48 GMT

The Asia Bible Fund provides Bibles to all Asian believers who hunger and thirst for God’s Word. In this photo from about 20 years ago, two teenage soldiers with the Karen Liberation Army are glad to receive Kachin Bibles before being deployed to the frontlines in their battle against the Burmese military.

Cameron Townsend, whom we cited above, also said this great quote that may help people understand why we have such a sharp focus on providing the Scriptures in so many obscure languages.

He said:

“Understanding Scripture in a language other than the heart language in which we think and experience emotion is like trying to eat soup with a fork. You can get a little taste, but you cannot get nourished.”

In this special Asia Harvest newsletter, we give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ, who has enabled His Word to go forth.

A movement that has transformed entire communities and millions of lives through the Asia Bible Fund .

In the early years, Bible printing in Vietnam was done on secret presses like this one.

Our Secret Fundraiser

The famous missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, once wrote,

“God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”

Some people who read that we have provided over 20 million Bibles may wrongly assume that we are well-connected to some wealthy people or foundations. God has had a far better plan for us, and the Lord Jesus Himself decided to be our fund-raiser!

As this crucial project blossomed, the Holy Spirit moved on the hearts of many people to pray and give so that Asia’s Christians—especially new believers living in impoverished rural areas—would have access to His Word.

A few individual snowflakes can easily be brushed aside, but a multitude of snowflakes can join together to stop trucks and derail freight trains.

Over the years, the median size donation we have received is $52, as the Holy Spirit has connected us with many members of the Body of Christ.

This way, the number of Bibles we have been able to provide has grown rapidly, and the Lord has gained much glory for His Name.

Above: Sometimes road conditions make transporting Bibles a challenge!

Above Left: Akha women from Laos proudly display their new Bibles.

Above Right: The Kalash tribe in northern Pakistan are overjoyed to have the Word of God.

Below: All hands are needed to move tons of Bibles from Burmese “long boats” to the villages.

Headwinds

Right now, the Asia Bible Fund faces stronger headwinds than ever before, with persecution, invasive technology, and other challenges such as war combining to create new challenges to all ministries who attempt to provide large quantities of Bibles to God’s people across Asia.

Over the decades about a dozen Asian believers have been killed for their involvement in this project, especially in China. Dozens of others have been imprisoned for years, including some who are behind bars right now.

This project has experienced every kind of stress and problem you could imagine. Satan despises the Word of God and particularly hates it when a tribe or group of believers who hunger for Bibles finally gain access to them.

The 20 million Bibles we have provided are physical, paper Bibles. Some people ask why we don't focus on Bible apps and various forms of electronic Bibles.

It's not so simple. For example, a few years ago the Chinese government blocked access to Bible apps and websites, willingly aided by Google and Apple.

A bigger potential problem is that the Communists are now writing their own socialist version of the Bible, and a future app update may automatically replace God’s Word with their perverted version, with new believers not even noticing or being able to discern the difference.

Please pray for us and all who are involved in this project.

As long as the Lord Jesus gives us strength, we want to continue to do everything possible to get God’s Word to believers in Asia so they can be nourished, strengthened, and empowered by the Bread of Life.

Below: We have found that often the people most eager to read the Bible and learn about Jesus are strict Muslims.

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The 'Operation' Series

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 14:17:54 GMT

A Message & Prayer Request from Paul Hattaway

Click here to get Operation China

Much of Scripture does not make sense unless we understand that God is working to fulfill His purposes among all the people groups of the world.

Indeed, the above Scripture speaks of “the register of the peoples” in heaven. I have always been encouraged by the fact that any work that reveals people groups to the Body of Christ here on earth is but a pale reflection of God’s full list!

God’s plan of redemption for all peoples runs through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It started with His promise to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).

His wonderful plan culminates with the Lamb of God receiving His reward in heaven:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God people from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:7-9).

Those who have followed the work of Asia Harvest over the years will know that in the 1990s, as the ministry grew and branched out into the various projects we continue to implement today, I was privileged to write a series of books, including Operation China and Peoples of the Buddhist World, which profiled hundreds of new ethnic groups in Asia.

TOP PHOTO DESCRIPTION:

For centuries, girls from several Chin tribes in western Myanmar had their faces tattooed at puberty in a bid to make them appear “ugly” so they would not be carried off by men from other tribes. Face tattoos were outlawed in the 1960s, so this dear lady is one of the last living examples from that bygone era.

Click here to get

Peoples of the Buddhist World.

Although the paper book versions of Operation China and Peoples of the Buddhist World have been out of print for years, the full-color PDF files, complete with photos and maps, can be downloaded from our website bookstore and saved to your computer for lifelong use.

There is a saying “a picture paints a thousand words,” so I have always insisted that these people group books be attractive, full-color productions that would not only provide information, but would instill in readers a heart for Asia’s unreached peoples and motivate them to pray for their salvation.

As an example of how a good picture can tell a story, please allow us to share some background information of the photos used in this letter by reading the descriptions we provided for you.

Operation Myanmar

Book coming to print in 2026!

It is a perfect time to pray for Myanmar, for it is a failed state that is falling apart. Multiple civil wars are raging across the country, and millions of precious people are experiencing horrific suffering as a result.

Our plan is to release three one-page profiles of groups in Myanmar every week until we have covered the entire country.

This will take a while, as we expect to profile over 230 distinct groups in Myanmar.

Approximately 100 of these will be groups that the world has never heard of. It also will be the first time the Body of Christ has heard of their existence, including believers in Myanmar, where no proper census of ethnic groups has been conducted since the British colonial period in 1931!

Each profile will be presented in full color and will be accompanied by a quality photo of the group, and a map showing where that group lives.

Each profile will be in a simple format to help people pray for God’s salvation and purposes to be accomplished among them.

Please Note

• These profiles are completely free but will only be available on our website www.asiaharvest.org . You can sign up for notifications to be delivered to your email inbox whenever we post a new prayer profile. These will not be available in paper form, for it is impractical for us to send out three paper copies per week to people around the world.

• You can subscribe to receive these prayer profiles by filling out the subscription form on our website, or by letting us know your email address so we can add it to our list. If you are already subscribed to our email newsletters you will automatically receive these “Operation” profiles. If you would rather not receive them, you can click “unsubscribe” at any time.

• As we near the end of the Myanmar series, we plan to make available the complete Operation Myanmar book in paper or e-book form, which will contain all the profiles. Please don’t ask about these for a while though, as it will take at least 18 months before they are ready.

Meanwhile, we will send the individual profiles to people as they become available.

ABOVE PHOTO: Millions of young Burmese boys like this teenager are sent to serve as novice monks in Buddhist monasteries.

(Our thanks to the photographer David Lazar, who granted permission for us to share these images.)

Future Series

God willing, we hope Operation Myanmar will be just the first in a series of new profiles and books. Other possible books in the series include:

* A five-part Operation India series, dividing that extraordinarily diverse unreached country into five regions (North India, Central India, etc.). We hope to begin sharing the India profiles soon after the completion of the Myanmar series.

• Operation Laos

• Operation Vietnam

• Operation Nepal

• and possibly Operation Bhutan, Thailand, Bangladesh, and the Philippines.

It would be a great benefit if you or your fellowship group would consider taking time each week to pray for the peoples of Asia.

We believe that doing so will not only bless the work of the Kingdom of God in Asia, but it will also build your faith as you take your mind off local issues and life’s problems and invest time praying for the nations of Asia.

Finally, for the many people who are enjoying The China Chronicles, please don’t worry! By God’s grace the series will continue until it is completed, and a record of the wonderful things God has done in all of China’s provinces has been told.

Work is already well underway on the next few books in the series. We are excited about The China Chronicles and encouraged by all the positive feedback we receive from you each time a new book is released.

PHOTO BELOW: Old meets new in Myanmar: For centuries the Naga tribes in Myanmar were feared as head-hunters. One man, wearing a traditional hat adorned with black bear fur and wild boar tusks, is holding a dao (which were formerly used for decapitating people) while checking the time on his modern watch.

The 'Operation' Series

One of the greatest blessings of my life has been to see how dozens of previously unreached people groups have heard the Gospel from various ministries and now have thriving churches in their midst.

Although our research was only a small part in the process, I think that bringing them to the attention of the Body of Christ was a key link in the chain of events that resulted in many of those groups coming to the Lord Jesus Christ.

After researching and writing many hundreds of profiles of Asia’s unreached people groups, years ago I sensed it was time to put that side of my call aside for a while and focus on helping the Asian Church reach those groups with the Gospel.

That is how many of the projects Asia Harvest has undertaken came about. Every ministry decision we make first considers the strategic importance of how Bibles, evangelists, children’s work, relief, etc. will impact unreached peoples for the Lord.

A Chinese house church leader once honored me with the Chinese name 扬天民 (Yang Tian Min), which means “Advocate of Heavenly Peoples.” I feel it’s time for me to take up that mantle again and refocus my efforts on this part of my calling.

Even though I have never stopped researching and working daily toward the goal of seeing all of Asia’s peoples glorify the Lord Jesus, in recent years I have focused on writing different kinds of books and sharing testimonies about what God is doing in China and other parts of Asia.

I am thankful that God has used these books to encourage the faith of many believers around the world.

Now, as the years go by and I am beginning to operate at a slower pace, I believe the Spirit of God is prompting me to again take up the challenge of writing a few thousand new profiles of people groups in Asia!

We are calling this project the “Operation” series, as it is a continuation of the books that began with the publication of Operation China in the year 2000.

PHOTO BELOW: Most of Myanmar's 233 ethnic groups are located in poor, rural communities that have changed little in many generations. This photo of people from the Intha tribe in Shan State shows life there is little different than
from a century ago.

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Myanmar - War and Revival

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 21:37:05 GMT

The revivalist Charles Finney , when commenting on the Matthew 11:12 passage, accurately captured the desperate circumstance through which God had moved mightily in history. He said,

“Revival comes from heaven when heroic souls enter the conflict determined to win or die—or if need be, to win and die!”

Such words prove true whenever believers choose an uncomfortable and inconvenient obedience over the easy life. War, struggle, and various forms of persecution are unwanted external pressures, but in Christ, they have the potential to push the believer to greater faith.

“Hangry” is an expression sometimes used by Westerners to describe the uncomfortable, annoyed, or even angry state of an individual who hasn’t eaten in some hours.

COVER Photo: Former Witchdoctor being baptized.

But the fact is that most of us in the West don’t even know what true hunger is. To go days without eating due to an unreliable food source or to be faced daily with violence and the threat of human trafficking is beyond the experience of most of us.

Yet, this is the state of many today in war-torn Myanmar where not only starving bodies, but starving souls, are desperate for a life-saving intervention.

It's during this life-and-death struggle that multitudes of idol worshippers are turning to the Lord in vast numbers—turning the tables on demonic darkness that has held so many spiritually bound for so long. It is truly the unfolding of Matthew 4:16 which says:

The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

And while the stakes continue to remain high as the warfront and bloodshed spread, an undercurrent of Christian revival is sweeping across these bruised and battered lands. In this issue, we invite you to learn of an experience our Asia Harvest team had on a recent visit to Myanmar.

Here is their story in their own words...

A View From Inside

Above: A new house church comprised of all new believers.

Below: One of the evangelists Asia Harvest supports preaching in a new unreached village.

Shine and the Witchdoctor

Shine (not his real name) was one young man we met who was swept up in this revival just a few years ago. His story is one that demonstrates the bold faith that is emerging throughout Myanmar today among many Burmese.

Raised a devout idol worshipper, his commitments to witchcraft were influenced by his parents from a very young age. But everything changed the moment he found Christ. At just 17 years of age and a newborn in the faith, Shine’s burden for those bound by darkness caused him to conquer his fears, and he unreservedly gave his life to serve God and to do whatever Jesus asked him to do.

His journey has led him down some extremely dangerous paths, where very few believers dare to go.

On one occasion, Shine was inspired by a dream to take the gospel to a famous witchdoctor in the area (who had a reputation for cursing people to death), it was no surprise that other believers were unwilling to go with him when he shared this burden with them.

But with little care for his own well-being and focused on the eternal well-being of this witchdoctor and his family, Shine daringly approached the “unapproachable.”

Below: Shine preaches to the witchdoctor he later baptized!

Now, if at this point in the story you are expecting the witchdoctor to open his door in friendship and immediately surrender his heart to the Lord, we’re sorry to disappoint you. Just the opposite happened. The door was instead angerly slammed in Shine’s face.

Undaunted by the rejection and not fearing what this dangerous man might do should he try again, Shine came back later with gifts for the witchdoctor’s family. This time he was granted entrance to their home and the opportunity to share Christ with all of them.

After demonstrating the love of Christ in selfless and practical ways over a few visits, the witchdoctor’s entire family was converted, including the man himself!

We would expect to find daring stories like this in historical missions books that tell the tales of great believers of old. But this is a new story, and it didn’t involve a well-known minister.

It instead happened recently through the bold obedience of a simple Burmese teenager—and it is not an isolated incident. Shine continued to boldly proclaim Christ to many more people, and he even led two more witchdoctors to the Lord in the months that followed.

Shine shared his account with us first-hand while we were among other young ministers who validated his story. It was also during that interview that he shared with us how the week prior, he had prayed for a poor woman who had been pronounced clinically dead for 30 minutes, and the power of Christ raised her to life again!

The other evangelists in the room had not heard this before, and the Burmese believers rejoiced together when they heard the news but didn’t seem overly surprised, as this miracle was consistent with how God had been moving in their midst.

Shine is just one of dozens of evangelists in Myanmar that Asia Harvest is helping support through the AWF (Asian Workers’ Fund).

If you would like to contribute to the spiritual war effort in Myanmar and many other dark parts of Asia, you can join us by helping send out evangelists like Shine who willingly lay their lives on the line for the Gospel.

Idol Temples and Drug Factories Closing

Above: An Evangelist preachers to idol builders in Myanmar

True revival effects change. This is the reality for any genuine move of God that has occurred throughout history. A supernatural outpouring of the Spirit always leads to societal change in some degree.

Just a few short years ago, Myanmar was doing better economically in relation to its current state, while idol temples shadowed every street, overflowing with devotees.

Then suddenly the government changed hands after a military coup, and all international trade ceased. Jobs were lost, and areas became dangerous. Then again quite unexpectedly, COVID mandates eliminated the few jobs that were left, civil wars worsened, and the entire country became desperate.

Black markets replaced honest trade, and the rule of thugs replaced the rule of law. Illegal drug factories popped up overnight and provided the only jobs available in some areas.

As the drugs flooded the markets, traffickers targeted every class throughout society, luring in many addicted customers across all income levels. Starving children were recruited to walk the streets, selling opiate drugs from open baskets they balanced on their heads.

And yet in the midst of this hopelessness, God was stirring His Church.

Not only have scores of idol temples closed for good due to lack of attendance while new churches spread like wildfire, but one of the ministry training centers we support has reported that the largest drug factory in their area is now closed!

And what became of the workers and distributors for this factory?

Above: Visiting a home with praying believers

Many of them became believers, joined the church, and are being trained to go forth and spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

As a result of accounts like these, we trust that you will be encouraged by the fact that, even in the darkest hour, we have reason to hope in Christ who can do the impossible, bringing lasting societal change through His Church.

We also trust that you will know better how to pray for these dear believers who still face many dangerous days ahead, and that you will consider helping to support their efforts.

Pray that the Lord will keep them strong!

Above: A church meeting in one of the centers supported by Asia Harvest

Asia Harvest currently supports over 80 ministry training centers (in Myanmar and other countries) that send out hundreds of evangelists to unreached people groups.

Each center on average supports ten house churches that together report thousands of conversions every year. In the past year alone, more than 6,000 Burmese have experienced new life in Jesus Christ through the centers in just one of the ministries we support in Myanmar.

Please join us in getting the Gospel to these people while their hearts are open and hungry for the truth!

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The Koho People - Bibles at last for the Koho of Vietnam

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Wed, 29 May 2024 20:21:57 GMT

With a population of 190,000 people, for countless centuries

the Koho have inhabited villages nestled in the beautiful mountains

of south-central Vietnam, with the majority in Lam Dong Province.

More than 3,000 Koho people also live in the United States, where they

were granted access as refugees after the Vietnam War, as many Koho

had fought alongside the US military. Because they fought against the

Communists, at times the Koho and other tribes have been despised as

traitors and persecuted by the Vietnamese government since the end of the war in 1975.

The main livelihood for rural Koho families is hunting and fishing, while

many families cultivate rice and coffee and grow a wide variety of fruit,

including banana, watermelon, pineapple, and mulberry.

Koho society is matrilineal. This means that after marriage the groom

moves in with his wife's family, and children take the name of their

mother. Extended Koho families often live in large houses on stilts.

For countless generations the Koho people have been animists,

worshipping numerous deities. including the sun, moon, prominent

mountains, rivers, and large trees.

Memories of an Ancient God

Despite their separation from the one true God, He graciously did not forget the Koho people. As the Apostle Paul said long ago:

“In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts 14:16-17).

Despite not having a written language until recently, many legends similar to accounts in the book of Genesis have been retained by the Koho and passed down through songs and poems to each new generation. God “has not left himself without testimony” among the Koho.

Although over the millennia the details of the stories have changed, some of the Koho legends include an account of a worldwide flood, which says:

“All the creatures of the earth perished in the water except two humans—a man and woman—who, accompanied by a pair of every animal and bird, took refuge in a wooden chest. The flood lasted seven days and nights. Then the man and the woman heard a chicken clucking outside of the chest, so they knew they could come out.”

Remarkably, over many centuries the Koho have also orally passed down the story of Noah’s shame (see Genesis 9:20-25). The Koho story says:

“Some years after the flood, the grandfather drank rice wine and fell into a stupor. When the eldest son saw him asleep naked, he began to mock his father. A younger son reproached his brother and covered his father with a banana leaf.”

As you may know, from the late 1800s to 1954, Vietnam was part of a French colony called Indo-China. During that time many Catholic missionaries entered the land, and today millions of people in south Vietnam are Catholics, especially among the majority Kinh (Vietnamese) people.

Catholicism also impacted the Koho tribe, especially those living in the towns. In the remote villages, however, their ancient traditional beliefs were not replaced, but were combined with Catholicism to create a toxic syncretic religion “having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5).

Desperate for God’s Word

Evangelical missionaries only commenced work among the Koho in the 1940s, more than half a century after the Catholics. They soon found many fertile hearts eager for the Gospel, and thousands of Koho repented of their sins, denounced their spirit worship and idolatry, and embraced the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Koho believers were desperate for the Bible in their own language, as most of them struggle to understand Vietnamese. When the Koho New Testament was finally published in 1967, having God’s Word in their heart language made an immediate and powerful impact on Koho society.

By 1998, the Koho Evangelical churches had a combined 57,000 believers, which was almost half of the population at the time. In that year, now over a quarter of a century ago, Asia Harvest printed and delivered our first Koho Bibles, even though they are viewed as contraband by the Communist government in Vietnam.

The years have rolled on, and the Koho Church continues to walk with God. In 2009 the full Bible was translated, but over the years, due to the challenge of doing Christian work in Vietnam, the number of new Koho Bibles has dwindled, falling far behind the need. The Koho Bible is NOT available in Vietnam, and printing it is considered illegal.

Late last year, Koho church leaders expressed their urgent need for Bibles, having been largely starved of God’s Word for the past two decades.

Our co-workers in Vietnam immediately went to work to meet the request of the Koho churches, and because of support we have received for our Asia Bible Fund, we recently printed and successfully delivered 20,000 full Koho Bibles!

While we cannot share too many details for security reasons, below is a photo of some of the Bibles before they made their way to the Koho villages, where thousands of Christians have given thanks to God for not forgetting them and for helping them access His Word again after such a long time.

To everyone who has prayed and given to the Asia Bible Fund, we thank you on behalf of our Koho brothers and sisters!

Thanks from a Koho Church Leader

“My name is Brother R. and I lead Bible study groups among the Koho churches in my area.

I was raised in a nominal Christian family, but I grew up without a real faith in Jesus. I was taken to church by my parents, but I hooked up with bad influences and went astray into this world.

One day when I was almost 20, my pastor told me how to be a real disciple of Jesus. I was touched, and at that moment I invited Jesus into my heart. He completely transformed my life, and my addiction to alcohol and tobacco instantly disappeared.

I then wanted to study God’s Word, but we didn’t have any Bibles in our Koho language. I could get a Bible in Vietnamese, but many things are hard to understand. So I prayed to have His Word in my language, and recently every family in our churches have received a free gift of a Koho Bible! We thank God for this amazing answer to prayer.

Now we use our Bibles in our study groups, and we are understanding the truth better. We also use the Bibles to share the Gospel with non-believers, and some of them have come to the Lord.

Thank you for providing His Word to us! It has changed our lives, and we are deeply thankful to you for providing these Bibles for free.”

Soon, we anticipate that requests for thousands more Koho Bibles will arrive.

When people give to the Asia Bible Fund it enables us to respond quickly to this and many other needs for Bibles throughout Asia. Over the years, we have printed or provided God’s Word in 159 different Asian languages.

We invite you to pray for the Koho people, and if you would like to give to the Asia Bible Fund, your help will be greatly appreciated. We know of no more worthy investment in God’s kingdom than providing His Word to hungry Christians who are unable to access it.

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Hainan - The Reality of Revival

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 18:15:03 GMT

A woman from the one of the five Li tribes, who are the original inhabitants of Hainan Island. Is featured in the above photo weaving.

Genuine revival does not come to Christians with a comfortable "country club" type of faith, but it is a boost of ammunition for soldiers on the frontline who are waging war against Satan's forces, risking their lives to see God glorified in their society.

In the remainder of this newsletter, we will share portions from our new book "Hainan: Pearl of the South China Sea."

As you read about some of the ways the Holy Spirit has shaken Hainan since the 1990s (resulting in more than half a million people coming to faith), honestly ask yourself these questions if you would like to see similar results come to your country and church....

Would you be willing to be debased and humbled under the hand of God for many years?

Are you willing to endure extreme hardship, suffering, imprisonment, and possibly death for the Name of Jesus Christ?

Would you agree for all visible representations of your faith – church buildings, pastors, meetings, musical instruments, even your Bibles – to be taken away so all you have left to cling to is Jesus? And to keep clinging to Him for years or even decades?

After being revived, would you agree to zealously go wherever He says and so whatever it takes to reach the lost in your nation and beyond?

In short, many want the thrill of living a resurrected life of revival, miracles, and God's mighty power, but few want to experience the crucified life first. But no resurrection is possible without there first being a crucifixion.

This, dear friends, is the secret of the revival in China. Do you still want to share in their experiences?

In this newsletter we are pleased to announce the eighth book in our series on the mighty revival that has swept China during the past 50 years. The China Chronicles are proving to be a great encouragement and are enriching the lives of those who read them.

Hainan is a small tropical island province situated off China’s southern coast. Once nicknamed ‘The Gateway to Hell,’ Hainan had few Christians until the 1990s, when God sent a powerful revival which touched every part of society there. Today, Hainan is home to more than 600,000 vibrant Christians.

Learn how the Lord Jesus Christ established His kingdom in Hainan, and the surprising vessels and strategies He chose to impact the island.

The growth of the Church in Hainan did not come without intense struggle, with many believers suffering for their faith.

The fire of the Holy Spirit fell here with great power, and subsequently the book contains numerous firsthand accounts of ‘power encounters’ against the forces of darkness which transformed entire communities.

The remainder of this newsletter has more excerpts from

‘HAINAN: Pearl of the South China Sea.”

You can order a paperback

or digital copy of the book here .

When Heaven Came to Hainan

One of the main characteristics of the revival in Hainan during the 1990s and beyond was simplicity. The Christians involved with the movement were determined to implement biblical Christianity. For that to happen, they carefully studied the Scriptures and found that countless beliefs and practices of churches around the world are not based on the New Testament pattern of church life, but are man-made traditions and denominational rules.

These may have an appearance of godliness, but in reality they prohibit the flow of the Holy Spirit and result in dead formalism and legalism, instead of rivers of living water flowing out from the Body of Christ to the communities they serve.

Before the Hainan revival commenced, a decision was made to strip away all non-essential religious forms. There would be no distinction between clergy and “lay” Christians, and each child of God was to be a soul-winner and disciple-maker. All believers had an important role to play, and their diverse spiritual gifts would benefit the whole Body of Christ.

Crucially, those who were already engaged in “fulltime ministry” for Christ were not moved to the side or pushed down. Rather, everyone was raised up so that all Christians, from the youngest to the oldest, were fulltime ministers of the gospel. The tendency for such roles to be performed by a special class of Christian was discarded.

Because almost all converts in the Hainan revival came from a non-Christian background, they had no “baggage” from prior church experiences. As far as they were concerned, the pattern of Christian life they experienced was normal, and they assumed that Christians around the world all lived and worshipped God the same way.

The results in Hainan were astonishing, as God had a blank canvas upon which to paint a masterpiece. He did so, transforming hundreds of thousands of lives in every segment of Hainan society.

The training process that helped spur the revival began with just three house churches, totaling less than 100 members. As the leaders were trained to evangelize the lost, they were encouraged to focus on the neediest areas of the island where there were no existing churches.

An important principle that created a springboard for the Hainan revival was ‘shared leadership’ (i.e., leaders were not allowed to become dictators to their flocks, but were required to practice mutual accountability). In this way, each fellowship remained healthy because of the input of new ideas, fresh teaching, and the balanced acceptance of different spiritual gifts.

Teaching was imparted in such a way that poorly educated and illiterate people did not feel left behind. Leaders were required to be unpaid volunteers, and meetings were held in believers’ homes rather than church buildings. Consequently, despite believers’ meagre salaries, money was available to send evangelists and church planters throughout the island, while the financial needs of church members were also met.

The love Christians had for one another, and for non-believers, was a powerful testimony to the people of Hainan. God’s children even shared their financial resources with strangers in need — something rarely seen in modern, materialistic China. This stark contrast and display of selflessness attracted thousands of people to the Lord.

When a household displayed an interest or had already accepted Christ, their family members and friends were invited to attend Bible studies. In this way, the base of interested people grew ever wider. After a few weeks of simple witness, an invitation was given for people to believe. Those who decided for Christ immediately joined a basic discipleship program which lasted a few weeks. Upon completion of the program, the new believers were baptized.

Church planters identified which of the new converts were potential leaders, after taking careful note of each person’s integrity, character, and hunger for God’s Word. Soon, all public meetings were turned over to them. By appointing multiple leaders, the churches grew without excessive outside influence, and a leadership vacuum was prevented should one or two leaders be arrested.

The evangelists, meanwhile, stayed behind to mentor the new leaders, advising them how to deal with problems in the church, and teaching them God’s Word, which they immediately re-taught to new believers. Subsequently, the movement was completely localized and grew naturally. Because the church leaders were already known and respected in their communities, the Name of Jesus was revered and accepted as a positive influence. Critics could never charge that Christianity was a Western religion, because the movement was completely led and funded by local people.

After a house church had become firmly established, it was required to divide into smaller groups, according to the security concerns in each area. In cities and towns, house groups never exceeded 30 members, although in rural areas where the police presence was less threatening, congregations often grew to hundreds of believers.

Most churches met twice a week; including once on Sunday when non-believers were welcome to attend. An additional mid-week service, held exclusively for Christians, concentrated on discipleship, training, and receiving strategies from God.

House church leaders in each county gathered on the first day of every month for a day of prayer, fasting, and training, while on the 15th day of every month church leaders throughout the entire province gathered in one place for unified prayer and fasting.

The power of God began to transform many parts of the island like wildfire. At the height of the revival, the approximate doubling time for Christians in Hainan was seven months. That is, every seven months the number of believers doubled!

Vision and responsibility for the completion of the Great Commission was extensively taught in the new churches. All trainers and leaders were consumed with the task of reaching the lost, and on-the-job evangelism and discipleship was at the heart of everything they did.

The rapid advance of the Gospel did not occur without great opposition, however, and soon some of the new believers in Hainan experienced the blessing of laying down their lives for Jesus....

Photo Above: A Kim Mun tribal woman from the mountainous interior of Hainan.

Little Wang

In 1994, a small group of three Christian men traveled to an unreached Li tribal area to share the Gospel, but things did not go to plan. The team consisted of Old Wang, his son Little Wang, and their colleague Cai Wen. A report by a Christian worker in Hainan detailed their dramatic story:

“Old Wang winced in pain as the creaking bus bounced along the dirt road. His broken ribs gave him excruciating pain, but he was better off than his co-worker Cai Wen. He looked at Cai, weak from blood loss, who had his eyes closed and was cradling a broken arm.

Wang wasn’t eager to get home, because he had to face Little Wang’s wife, Liang, and her 10-year-old son. He wondered how he would break the news to her that her husband had been murdered by an angry mob of Li people the previous evening. He could still hear the mob’s accusations: ‘The spirits of the mountains rule our land. You Chinese dogs have only been here 500 years and you know nothing. You have stolen our land and now you wish to steal our gods as well. You will pay for this!’

The mob beat the evangelists with sticks and farm implements. A particularly fierce young man continued to beat Little Wang, and when the crowd dispersed, Little Wang didn’t move. He had paid the ultimate price. He and his family had only believed in Jesus Christ for five months.”

After letting them recover from their injuries for a few weeks, the church decided to send Old Wang and Cai Wen back to the same village to preach again.

There were no churches in the entire county, and someone had to take the message of salvation to the Li people. The gathered believers grew silent when the newly-widowed Liang spoke up and requested to accompany Old Wang and Cai Wen on their return trip.

The Christians worshipped for hours that day, praying fervently for the trip and for the salvation of the Li. House churches in other parts of the county were also notified to pray and fast for three days. A report of their courageous return journey said:

“The sun had already set when the trio reached their destination, and they slept beside a pigpen outside the village. Whether due to discomfort or busy minds, none of them slept well that night. The next morning, they went to the market. Word quickly spread of their return, and as a mob formed some people began to yell threats.

Old Wang felt fear sweep over him. Suddenly, Liang stepped forward and spoke:

“I am the widow of the man you killed less than three weeks ago. My husband is not dead, however, because Jesus Christ has given him eternal life. Now he is living in paradise with God forever! My husband came here to share how you can have that same eternal life. If he was here, he would forgive you for what you did. I forgive you as well. I can forgive you because God has forgiven me. If you would like to hear more about our God, then meet us under the big tree outside the village this evening.”

Old Wang spent the afternoon instructing Liang what to say that night. At sunset, most of the villagers gathered under the big tree to listen to her.

After hearing the Good News of God’s salvation, many Li people decided to follow Jesus Christ. Old Wang stayed behind to baptize them and to teach them how to serve God, while Cai Wen accompanied Liang on the long bus journey home.

Two months later, Old Wang returned home with two leaders and a young man from the new Li church. During the Sunday service, the young man stood up and said:

“I am the man who murdered Little Wang. The Lord has graciously forgiven me, and I ask for your forgiveness as well. I, and our entire church, owe an eternal debt of gratitude to Little Wang and Liang for bringing us the message of life. We want to give a monthly love offering to help support Liang and her son. This is the least we can do to show our appreciation.”

Several months later, news emerged from the mountains that the new Li fellowship had planted another church in the same county.

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Hainan - A New Book by Paul Hattaway

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 19:02:18 GMT

A woman worshipping at the feet of a massive (108-meter or 354-feet high) statue of the goddess Guanyin in Hainan.

A palm tree on the beach on the southern tip of Hainan, at a place the Chinese call Tianya Haijiao
(‘the end of the earth’).

Hainan is also from where China launches many of their ‘spy balloons’ that circumnavigate the globe collecting data, including the one that hovered over sensitive military sites in the United States in early 2023, before it was shot down. In the coming years, the world is likely to hear much more troubling news about this strategic part of the world.

As we have researched and written each book in The China Chronicles, it has become apparent that not only is each region of China unique, but the way God has worked throughout history to glorify His Name is also different in each place.

Hainan had very few Christians until the 1990s, when God transformed the island with a powerful revival, sweeping hundreds of thousands of people into His kingdom.

Uniquely, the instrument the Lord used to impact the island was not a Chinese church leader, but a humble American Baptist missionary family, who implemented God-given strategies that resulted in a revival so powerful that house church leaders from other parts of China traveled to the island to learn from it.

You can order a paperback or digital copy of the book here .

Learn how the Lord Jesus Christ established His kingdom in Hainan, and the surprising vessels and strategies He chose to impact the island.

The growth of the Church in Hainan did not come without intense struggle, with many believers suffering for their faith.

The remainder of this newsletter has excerpts from ‘HAINAN: Pearl of the South China Sea.”

Photo: Downtown Haikou, the modern capital city of Hainan.

The Qigong Master's Defeat

As revival began to spread in Hainan in the early 1990s, the forces of darkness rose in opposition and tried to snuff out the movement. Christ’s followers, however, learned to stand in the full armor of God and battle against these insidious dark forces, emerging victorious on many occasions.

After being developed millennia ago as part of traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong (pronounced ‘chee-gong’) had gained great popularity among millions of people in China. Although in Western nations today it is merely considered a helpful breathing and exercise regime, in China it has morphed to include a dark spiritual element characterized by power encounters, miracles, healings, and unusual events.

Qigong proved increasingly attractive to multitudes of people in China who were hungry for spiritual reality to fill the void created by Communism. Mass meetings by Qigong masters were often held in sports stadiums and other large arenas, attended by huge crowds of 50,000 people or more.

Because it is not an organized religion, Qigong was not considered a direct threat to Communist ideology. It became popular even at the top levels of Chinese government, and political leaders were seen on television attending Qigong exhibitions.

A Qigong master named Zhang Zhixiang decided the benefits of Qigong should be made available to all Chinese, so he founded a school to place a Qigong practitioner in every household throughout China, so that their spiritual ‘energy’ would care for the other family members. Children were taught to chant and meditate so they might enjoy the ‘benefits’ for themselves.

In 1992, Zhang visited Hainan to hold exhibitions, where he planned to heal the sick and perform signs and wonders. In the days before he arrived, a massive crime-wave erupted across the island. Nobody understood what was happening. Mass murders, gang rapes, and every conceivable act of demonic filth took place.

Thousands of families were affected in peculiar ways. Many became so desperate for assistance that they visited anyone they thought might have spiritual power to help them. They flocked to Buddhist monks, Daoist priests, and Christian pastors, saying they had family members who had suddenly become demon-possessed. They begged the religious leaders to free their loved ones from the evil powers that had seized them.

In Hainan, the wave of interest in Qigong coincided with the start of the Christian revival, and when news of the Qigong master’s visit emerged, a ministry launched an intercessory prayer initiative, mobilizing believers throughout Hainan and around the world to fast and pray against the evil powers behind Qigong. A newsletter was sent out with the following requests:

“Pray for the breaking down of spiritual strongholds, the dethroning of principalities and powers, for the protection of children, and for God’s light to expose the falsehoods and half-truths of the adversary. Pray for the discrediting of the Qigong movement’s leaders and trainers through illness (to which they are supposedly impervious) or some other means. Pray for their conversion.”

Many Christians responded by crying out to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He answered their fervent prayers.

Much of Hainan Island was abuzz with anticipation in the days leading up to the Qigong master’s visit. The government closed a large market area in downtown Haikou and turned it into a meeting place. A stage and floodlights were erected, and a massive crowd turned up.

Zhang Zhixiang was touted as being able to levitate in public view, and he reputedly had the power to heal all kinds of diseases. It was even announced that he would make his body supernaturally glow during the night meeting.

That night, after he mounted the stage before thousands of adoring spectators, Zhang was completely powerless, and he couldn’t do any miracles at all. No one was healed, and he was unable to levitate. Zhang tried to heal a deaf-mute boy in dramatic fashion but failed, which was quite an embarrassment. The meeting was a huge flop.

When Zhang traveled down the east coast of the island, he stopped at Wenchang to hold a meeting in the town hall. The local officials, however, suddenly changed their minds and he was no longer welcome. Instead, a county official obtained the use of the local school building. Zhang said, “I sense a spiritual opposition here, but we will have the meeting anyway.” When the official who acquired the use of the building was climbing a ladder to put up special lights, he suddenly fell to the floor dead. The meeting was cancelled.

Zhang returned to mainland China after his unsuccessful Hainan experience. His meetings had failed because of Christians’ fervent intercession.

The Piano Player

In a related story, the highest-ranked Qigong master in Hainan at the time was a woman who was also the piano instructor at Haikou University.

Every year a prestigious piano competition was held, which was broadcast throughout China on national television. That year a 19-year-old Christian girl from Hainan won the competition.

As soon as the winner was announced, the television interviewers crowded around the piano instructor, asking how she had been able to train such a great talent.

The woman replied that her success was due to her being a Qigong master. She proudly boasted, “I give all my students amulets to wear, and I teach them how to meditate. I also give them Qigong blessings to help them outperform their competitors.”

The teenage girl who won the competition was a member of a church in Haikou. She felt intimidated by her teacher, but when she heard the Name of Jesus Christ being dishonored on national television, she couldn’t remain silent. She stepped in front of her teacher and boldly proclaimed:

“This is not true! I am a Christian! I have never used this woman’s amulets and I have never practiced Qigong. I was able to win this competition because the Lord God, my Creator, has given me the abilities and honored my hard work to serve Him and glorify His Name.”

After the Christian girl returned to Hainan, she was blacklisted from attending university. She paid a dear price for her bold stand for the Lord, but this was just the beginning of trouble in her life.

One evening she was badly injured in a terrible car crash, which left her in a deep coma. The hospital refused to treat her in the emergency room because she had no money.

It later emerged that the crash had not been an accident at all, but a targeted hit-and-run orchestrated by the Qigong woman who felt she had been publicly humiliated by her Christian student on television.

In God’s providence, local believers heard about the desperate girl and arranged to pay her medical bills from their own meagre resources. The doctors examined her and offered no hope, declaring that if she lived, the massive brain damage she had suffered would leave her in a vegetative state for the rest of her life.

Two Christian nurses, whose lives had been transformed in the revival, decided to visit and pray for her every day. They read the Bible over her and took care of her medical needs, cleaning her and providing physical therapy several times a day.

The nurses also contacted the girl’s family, and two of her sisters traveled from another province to help care for her. They were amazed by the prayers, Bible reading, and loving care they witnessed from the Christians, and they surrendered their lives to Jesus.

After a while the money ran out, and the hospital sent the girl home to die. The two sisters waited for the end. Finally, when they were at the point of giving up and had decided to let her starve to death, they tried one more thing.

Because she had been such an accomplished musician before the accident, they carried her limp body and sat her down on a piano bench, placing her fingers on the keys. Suddenly, without warning, she came out of the coma! Everyone who saw it was amazed and humbled, and they realized a great miracle had taken place.

Two days later the girl took her first steps, and within a week it was clear that she was on the road to recovery. The girl and her entire family knew it was the prayers of Christians that had resulted in this great act of mercy from God.

Despite this great miracle, her life continued to be a daily struggle. Due to her neurological injuries, she was never able to play the piano at the same level again, and the Hainan authorities—still angry that she had mentioned Jesus Christ on national television—further punished her by refusing to let her get a job of any description.

Through this and many other demonstrations of God’s power, the revival fire continued to spread throughout Hainan during the 1990s and 2000s, impacting every segment of society and bringing hundreds of thousands of people into the kingdom of God.

Over the years Asia Harvest has successfully printed and delivered more than 160,000 Bibles to house church Christians in Hainan through our Asia Bible Fund, in addition to supporting many evangelists and providing aid to hundreds of persecuted church leaders and their families.

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Annual Report 2024 – No Shrinking Back in Times of Chaos

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:33:42 GMT

Here an evangelist is teaching the Gospel to hundreds of eager children. Through simple-hearted believers of all ages, the Good News is being proclaimed and the Holy Spirit is transforming communities throughout Asia.

At the beginning of 2024, we give thanks for the opportunity to once again serve the Lord Jesus Christ in Asia. We greatly appreciate the prayers, encouragement and support of those Christians around the world who have been led by the Holy Spirit to join hands with us. Together, we are helping many who have never heard the Gospel become aware of the incredible salvation the Son of God has won for them.

As we began the new year, we made a list of all the Asian ministries we are privileged to partner with, and we found we are currently supporting 119 different ministries across 22 Asian countries . We are deeply thankful for each one of them.

As we meet and communicate with the leaders of these diverse groups, it is clear that Christians everywhere are under heavy pressure. Today, almost all the servants of God we know are surrounded by chaos, and are experiencing tremendous stress both personally and in their relationships and ministries.

Peter wrote: “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Peter 5:9).

It is not only your country where evil is on the rise and dark forces are twisting and perverting all that is good and true. Believers in China, India, and everywhere else we serve are crying out for stability and peace, but those things are becoming increasingly rare in a decaying world that seems to lurch from one crisis to another.

God’s Word in the above passage encourages us to persevere, and not to shrink back and be destroyed. If there is one thing we would like to exhort you to do, it is to daily read or listen to the Word of God, allowing His living water to wash over you and transform your mind.

If we lack the discipline of daily coming to eat the bread of God, we have no chance. We have yet to meet anyone who fell away from Christ while they were strong in the Word of God.

The good news is that “we do not belong to those who shrink back.” No! We serve a Living God who specializes in helping His children triumph in the midst of darkness.

In the Scriptures we read about Job, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Paul and others who faced continual struggle and chaos around them but continued to serve God.

This has been the testimony of the Church in China, as over 100 million people have fallen in love with the Lord Jesus in the past half century, despite unceasing efforts by the government to destroy their faith.

Do you feel weak as you try to live out your faith in a world that increasingly hates God and His ways? Good! For we are not called to overcome the world by feeling strong, but by embracing our weakness and giving it to the Lord.

The Apostle Paul testified: “He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

In Asia, we are honored to serve the Lord’s people, many of whom are seeing greater fruitfulness for the kingdom of God than ever before! Revival has broken out among the poor and destitute in many places, and thousands of people have found a new depth of sweetness in Jesus Christ that they didn’t know during easier times.

If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed in the midst of life’s storms, don’t give up! Our King promises a time of fruitfulness will result if you cling to Him in faith. No matter how difficult things may become in the future,

“My dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Like this mighty tree (below), God wants His children to have strong roots that are daily nourished by the life-giving truth of His Word.

2023/2024 Annual Report

In the remainder of this newsletter we present our Annual Report, detailing the help Asia Harvest provided to the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2023.

It has been a privilege to serve the Lord for another year.

We feel greatly blessed to be a link in the chain that resulted in many people coming to know Him. Last year, more than 850,000 Christian families were strengthened by receiving God’s Word through our Asia Bible Fund, while the 1,744 evangelists we support led a total of 302,107 people to Christ among 1,256 different tribes and ethnic groups.

For over 35 years now, our strategy has been to operate with as few overhead expenses as possible, so that resources will reach the hands of frontline workers who need them the most—the Asian Christians we are honored to assist and serve.

We thank each person who prayed for and supported our work last year. Without your vital partnership none of these things would have occurred.

We thank God that last year we were able to send out substantially more project money than we received. Our operating costs are minimal, and are fully covered by non-project donations, and from income generated by book sales. This means that 100% of project donations are used on the field in Asia as specified.

To read our audited financial statements, please visit the “Resources” link at our website: www.asiaharvest.org

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The Lisu People - Providing God's Word to Hungry Believers

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 13:29:52 GMT

Over the years, after many church leaders and believers have read our reports about revival in China and other parts of Asia they have asked us to share the “secret” to how they too can experience “real New Testament Christianity.”

Invariably, when we delve further, we find that what they mean by New Testament Christianity is the record in the early chapters of Acts, like the passage quoted above. While such experiences are tremendously exhilarating, are they the sum total of New Testament Christianity?

Above Photo: Lisu Christians overjoyed at receiving a delivery of Bibles in their own language. 1.5 million Lisu inhabit areas on both sides of the China-Myanmar border.

About 30 years after the Day of Pentecost, the Apostle Paul sent detailed instructions to Timothy about church structure and leadership, how worship should be ordered, and the qualifications of deacons and elders. Are those Scriptures any less inspired and important than the accounts in the second chapter of Acts?

There are different seasons in the growth and maturity of the Body of Christ. At Asia Harvest, it has always been our driving ambition to establish the Gospel in the most unreached areas. Like Paul, we can say: “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Romans 15:20). This focus has not wavered for us, and by God’s grace it never will.

At the same time, however, we realize that there are tremendously important needs throughout Asia among people groups that have had the Gospel for generations, but desperately need a visitation of God to renew and revive them.

We don’t think there is much point in leading people to Christ if they are then neglected and drift back to the darkness from where they came.

Spiritual stagnation often occurs in countries where Christians have deliberately been starved of God’s Word by the authorities. This is the case among the Lisu people of southwest China and northern Myanmar.

A Remarkable Homeland

The name “Lisu” means “come down people,” reflecting the Lisu belief that they originally had a kingdom on the Tibetan Plateau, before they came down into the mountains of southwest China.

Today, the Lisu can be divided into three main groups depending on their location. The Black Lisu are the most remote, dwelling in villages high up in the mountains, often more than 10,000 feet above sea-level. The highest peak in the Lisu area is Hkakabo Razi, which at 5,881 meters (19,295 feet) is the highest in Southeast Asia. The Lisu also inhabit a spectacular area in Nujiang which has been dubbed, “Asia’s Grand Canyon.” Other Lisu live in low-lying areas among the Han Chinese and other ethnic groups.

Above Photo: Not for the faint-hearted: Pulling yourself across raging torrents on a rope is the only way to cross many rivers in the Lisu area.

The extreme homeland of the Lisu has created some unique situations. People living in some villages on the side of a high mountain are able to communicate by shouting to their neighbors several hundred yards across the valley in a village clinging to an adjacent slope, but they may never meet them in person. To do so, they would need to undertake a long and dangerous days-long journey down to the valley floor. When they reach the bottom, they must navigate across raging, bridge-less rivers, inching their way across on a rope and pulley system, before climbing back up the other side.

An Oppressed People

For centuries the Lisu longed to live peaceful lives, but have been targeted and bullied by the Chinese, Burmese, and other large races, who have made their lives miserable. The desire for freedom caused the Lisu to disperse into Myanmar, and as far afield as northeast India and Thailand.

Between 1801 and 1803 the Chinese government mobilized 10,000 troops to crush the Lisu. Many thousands died and entire communities were decimated. Survivors fled deeper into the remote mountains. Critics at the time described the excessive military action as “using a cattle knife to kill chickens.”

Later, in the 1940s, the Chinese despised the Lisu so much that 65 punitive taxes were levied on them, including one tax for each plane that flew over their region!

Above Photo: A Black Lisu lady from the high mountains along the China-Myanmar border.

When the first missionaries reached the Lisu area in the early 1900s, they were appalled at their spiritual and moral condition. One missionary unflatteringly described the Lisu as “utter savages.” Alcoholism and gambling were so rampant that Isobel Kuhn wrote: “When they have gambled away their money, they will often stake their children, their wives, and even themselves as slaves. As a result, in one night a whole family can be gambled away into life-long slavery.”

The state of the Lisu people was dire — the perfect situation for the Lord Jesus Christ to display His grace. What followed is one of the greatest missionary stories of the 20th century.

Jesus, the King of the Lisu

For countless generations, the Lisu believed in a supreme god named Wa Sa, who had the power to heal and protect them. They had lost contact, however, and had given up hope of ever being reconciled with him. A key to their eventual salvation was a long-held belief that one day a white brother would come and bring with him a lost book in the Lisu language, which would show them the way back to God, and He would rule them as their king. The remarkable thing is that the Lisu at the time did not have any printed material or even an alphabet, yet this legend persisted, being passed down from generation to generation.

In the first half of the 20th century, a succession of godly missionaries entered the Lisu region. Some — like James Fraser, Allyn & Leila Cooke, and John & Isobel Kuhn — became well-known in the Christian world as they reported on the extraordinary revival sweeping the Lisu into God’s kingdom.

In 1916 and 1917 alone, Fraser baptized 60,000 Lisu, with many of the converts serving Christ with the kind of zeal they had previously used to serve the devil. When one village surrendered to the Lord, they poured out all their liquor, causing all the pigs in the village to get drunk!

A key development occurred when missionary Samuel Pollard created a unique script to translate the Lisu Bible into. Despite looking like a collection of symbols and inverted English letters, the alphabet was a stroke of genius, and the Lisu were able to learn to read and write their language for the first time in history. The first Bible portions were completed in 1921, and the New Testament in 1938. Having the Word of God in their own language transformed the Lisu people.

When the Communists came to destroy their faith in the 1950s, a young Lisu man told his interrogators: “Christianity has already penetrated into our flesh and blood and it will not be easy to tear it away from us.”

A sample of the Lisu script created by missionary Samuel Pollard.

Decades In Decline

The Lisu Christians also took responsibility to take the Gospel to other unreached tribes. For example, in 1960 Lisu evangelists risked their lives by going to the head-hunter Naga and Tangshang tribes on the Myanmar-India border. Willing to die for their faith, they planted many churches, and today the majority of the people in those groups remain Christians.

It would be nice if we concluded our story here, with hundreds of thousands of Lisu in China and Myanmar having come into the family of God. But without constant tending, a garden will slowly become choked with weeds. Over the decades, the Lisu have been deprived of Bibles, with the Chinese Communists and the Burmese military rulers combining to cut off the supply of God’s Word to them.

As a result, while multitudes of Lisu remain dedicated Christians today, many of the younger generations have a form of godliness but no personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They need a fresh visitation of the Holy Spirit.

Missionary Grace Jacob taught at a Chinese university for years. She was excited to learn that some of her new students were Lisu Christians, but discovered that even though they regularly attended church, the young men lived immoral lives and loved partying every weekend.

None of them had ever heard of John 3:16 or Psalm 23! When she asked them, “What is a Christian?” they replied with a confused expression, “Is it someone who lives a moral life?”

After a century of glorious victories and famous missionary stories, it would be tragic for the final chapter of the Lisu to be one where they reverted back to their former ways due to decades of decline without access to the Scriptures.

Thank you for your Prayers and Giving!

Click here to make your donation for Bibles today.

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Watch: Myanmar's Spiritual Dawning

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 03:44:55 GMT

Earlier this year we shared about a wonderful revival that is currently transforming many communities in the country of Myanmar (formerly Burma). Although the Gospel has been in Myanmar for two centuries, most Christian growth has occurred among ethnic minority groups such as the Karen, Chin, Kachin and Lisu. The majority Burmese (numbering 35 million people) have remained firmly entrenched in their Buddhist beliefs.

With society falling apart in Myanmar, recently multitudes of desperate Burmese have been finding truth and peace in Jesus Christ and His Word. Just one church movement we work closely with has grown from 2,000 to 7,000 believers this year, as the Holy Spirit has powerfully reached into the poorest communities. Many of those who have experienced God’s salvation for the first time are from the lowest rungs of society – prostitutes, drug addicts, gang members, and those who have become deeply disillusioned with life.

This year we have provided 80,000 full Burmese Bibles to help fuel the revival and establish new believers in the faith. Now we are printing another 80,000 through our Asia Bible Fund . Each Bible costs $3.00 each to print and deliver, and we invite you to partner with us in this crucial work, so that the Name of Jesus Christ will be glorified among all Burmese people.

Please also pray for the revival currently underway in Myanmar.

Newly Released Asia Harvest Footage – Direct From The Field :

After watching this video, please consider sharing it with other believers to encourage them to get involved, and to strengthen their faith!

China Update - President Xi Jinping and His Role in the World

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 18:06:57 GMT

Thousands of people in Beijing’s Tian’anmen Square paying homage to a gigantic portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

This newsletter shares insights into the current situation in China, both politically and for the Body of Christ. In addition to our standard newsletter, we want to share links to articles and videos that give further context into some of the claims we have made.

For those who are serious about learning more of the situation in China today, please click on this link to go to a page with a list of links to extra resources on the situation in China.

Please note we have selected just a few of the most interesting and helpful pages out of hundreds that are available online. Pages from other websites should open in separate windows on your browser.

President Xi Jinping and His Role in the World

“How long, Lord, will the wicked, how long will the wicked be jubilant? They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. They crush your people, Lord; they oppress your inheritance....

Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge? The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile.” - Psalm 94:3-5, 10-11

OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS many people from around the world have asked us to help them understand what’s going on in China.

Many Christians are shocked, because for years all they heard was how revival was bringing millions of Chinese into God’s kingdom.

Suddenly, all news from the Church in China stopped in its tracks, as a new Emperor, Xi Jinping, caused the Body of Christ to adopt a defensive posture.

Who is this man who has “purged” (i.e., killed or imprisoned)
hundreds of thousands of people, and who has created such a
stench across Asia that 20 neighboring countries — from Central
Asia to India and the Philippines — now have disputes with China.

Let’s take a closer look at this man who has so enlarged the Chinese military and covert influence that a World War seems inevitable if things continue on their present trajectory.

We deliberately used the term “Emperor” to describe Xi Jinping. While technically he is the atheistic head of the Chinese Communist Party, for thousands of years China was ruled by Emperors whose authority was absolute.

There were no elections, debates, or protests against emperors. Any perceived hesitancy to obey an emperor’s edict was met with swift and severe punishment. In there paranoia, many Chinese emperors killed millions of their subjects to consolidate their power.

Although emperors have not officially ruled China since 1912, in reality Communist leaders like Mao and Xi have been emperors in all but name. It is important to understand that Chinese emperors were never viewed merely as leaders of China.

You may know that the Chinese name for their country, Zhong Guo, means “Middle Kingdom.” The belief that their country is the center of the world is deeply ingrained in the hearts and minds of every Chinese generation.

Emperors are believed to have a “Mandate of Heaven,” by which they receive the authority to rule. This philosophy, which dates back 2,500 years, assumes that because there is only one heaven, there can only be one emperor and one state with legitimacy in the whole world.

Over the years we have frequently met Chinese from all walks of life who are glad and proud that China is now throwing its weight around in the world. From taxi drivers in Singapore to businessmen in San Francisco, countless Chinese believe that now is the time for China to rise up and seize its destiny as world leader—economically, culturally, and militarily. It

is not so much a desire as a statement of fact. Even among Chinese Christians we have met few who would ever dare to openly criticize Xi Jinping or his decisions. After all, he is the emperor, appointed by heaven itself. Opponents are seen as evildoers and are mercilessly crushed. Just ask people in Hong Kong how life has changed since Xi came to power.

The Mandate of Heaven philosophy spread to many parts of East Asia in the centuries before Christ. It explains why countries like North Korea have been unable to throw off its heavy yoke of rule by the Kim family for so long, Japanese emperors were also seen as heaven-
sent leaders who were invincible because of the Mandate of Heaven. The Japanese belief of invincibility abruptly ended when two atomic bombs fell on Japan in 1945.

In 2016, we began to report that a major shift was happening in China, and the new dynamic would change the way Christians function in China, while the country itself would become a huge threat to democracies.

China decided it was time to throw off its “Century of humiliation” at the hands of foreign powers and take its rightful place as leader of the world, with Xi Jinping on the throne.

A Prediction...

WE DO NOT BELIEVE THE RISE OF CHINA will lead to world domination.

“Emperor” Xi’s harsh authoritarian rule, as he has consolidated absolute power in China and made enemies all around Asia and the world, has not been working out too well.

The economy in China is in tatters (far worse than reports in Western media), and a growing number of Chinese are beginning to quietly question if their leader is taking the country on a path that will end well for them.

Many nations now see China as the number one threat
to global security and Xi’s aggressive stance has brought about the formation of military alliances to counter his plans.

It has been said that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Strongmen like Xi Jinping believe they operate with impunity, as it is their birthright. Above all else, the thing they desire most is regime survival.

For that reason, Xi constantly purges his leaders, isolating himself more and more while at the same time changing the constitution to guarantee he will never be replaced. Emperors of China were never changed. They ruled for life.

Do we think that Xi and the Chinese Communist Party will reach their goals of world domination?

No, for the following SEVEN REASONS:

1 GOD HAS THE FINAL SAY.

We believe it is not a coincidence that as soon as China launched its campaign to systematically destroy Christianity in 2016-17, their economy began to disintegrate. Ultimately, the battle for the 1.4 billion souls of China is what is at stake.

The Lord Jesus Christ has purchased a pure bride numbering over 100 million believers in China. They are the apple of His eye, and He will not stand by and let His precious inheritance be decimated.

2 THE DEMOGRAPHICS FOR CHINA ARE A NIGHTMARE.

With a rapidly ageing population and a lack of young people of tax-paying age to pay for Xi’s military expansion, things are likely to stagnate and deteriorate in China.

Some economists estimate that China needs 400 million more people of working age to keep its economy going forward and fund their military aspirations, but they have “sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind.” (Hosea 8:7)

The Communist Party’s one-child policy, accompanied by hundreds of millions of forced abortions , has wiped out a generation of Chinese. The very people they need to pay for their plans don’t exist. They were sacrificed on the altar of the Communist Party death cult.

3 THE POPULATION OF CHINA IS ALREADY IN RAPID DECLINE

with some provinces shrinking by millions of people each year. Some experts calculate that by the end of this century the population of China may be half of what it is now. Two years ago, it was hardly noticed when the government lowered the national population by 121 million from previous inflated figures.

An increasing number of young people in China today have no desire to have children, which are considered an economic inconvenience. That unnatural instinct has been suppressed by generations of Marxist propaganda that work and money —not faith in God and a loving family —are the keys to happiness.

4 STRETCHED TO BREAKING POINT.

Xi’s reign has been greatly helped by his access to technology that previous rulers like Mao Zedong could never have dreamed of.

A friend who recently returned from his first visit to China in several years was shocked at the changes he experienced. He said:

“Everywhere I experienced anti-foreign sentiment from unfriendly people, and I saw many people paying for things with their faces. By allowing their faces to be scanned, payments are deducted directly from their accounts. No phone or bank card is needed, and cash is practically unheard of.”

With more than 400 million facial recognition cameras watching and evaluating their every move, and Xi demanding complete obedience to the Marxist-socialist agenda, many people feel stretched to breaking point and are increasingly fed up with the system.

5 XI HAS TRIED TO REPLACE GOD WITH A CULT OF HIMSELF.

He wants to be all-seeing, all- knowing, and all-powerful. He has erected giant billboards and posters of his face (like the one on the cover of this newsletter) and he demands unwavering devotion and commitment to his cause. In tens of thousands of churches across China, crosses and Scripture verses have been forcibly removed and replaced with posters of Xi and Mao, or with Chinese flags.

The Chinese Communist Party always claims there is no God, while setting themselves up as gods who must be obeyed and worshipped at all times.

Interestingly, in churches where posters of the Ten Commandments were displayed, instead of the authorities removing them they just scratched out the first commandment that says: “You shall have no other gods before me.”

They didn’t object to any of the other nine commandments, but only the first one upset them. Why? Because like Satan, they desire to fill the role of God in people’s lives.

6 A GENERAL MALAISE HAS COME UPON THE YOUTH OF CHINA.

After studying hard all their lives, tens of millions of university graduates can’t find any work at all, and a new expression, tang ping , or “lying down flat” swept over many Chinese young people.

Countless millions have lost the desire to excel, and they now see life as meaningless.

More recently, during Xi’s harsh Covid restrictions, tang ping has been replaced by a new catch-phrase: bai lan , meaning “let it rot.” These developments refer to a voluntary retreat from pursuing goals and will expediate decay in Chinese society and the economy.

7 XI JINPING SEEMS TO HAVE A PERSONAL HATRED FOR CHRISTIANITY.

After systematically expelling almost all foreign Christians from China over the past 6 or 7 years, a widespread persecution has afflicted God’s people in every part of the nation, but especially in the border provinces.

The Communist Party has even been working on a new Bible, removing passages they don’t like, and replacing them with socialist teachings.

One proposed change is the story of the woman caught in adultery. The Communist Party didn’t like that she was forgiven, so they are reportedly changing it.

So instead of Jesus telling her, “Go and sin no more,” the new Communist Bible has Jesus picking up a stone and stoning her to death! Let’s see if God will allow such blatant blasphemy and corruption of His holy Word to go unpunished.

ABOVE: Large open meetings like this have largely become a thing of the past in China, as the Church has once again gone “underground” to avoid persecution.

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Asia Harvest Resources For You To Share

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 12:56:28 GMT

Above: Examples of the digital Chinese books we are giving away.

Chinese Gifts That Have Already Affected Countless Lives

Here at Asia Harvest we get asked from time to time what resources we would recommend Western believers share with their Chinese friends.

This question comes up because although they are eager to direct their friends towards the deeper things in Christ, either language or cultural divides have brought about natural road blocks.

It is also true that there is no greater impact on a person's mind and heart than communicating Christ directly in one's heart language.

And since seeing Jesus conquer lost hearts is the underlying motivation behind everything we do here at Asia Harvest, we have decided to make these Chinese materials free of charge. Please feel free to share these with your Chinese friends.

It is our desire that you will consider the Chinese relationships you have in your life, and point them towards these free resources to either stir them to believe, or inspire their walk with the Lord.

Here is the list of Chinese resources we have available:

The Heavenly Man - Online Reading or Download:

The Heavenly Man [Audiobook] - Online Listening:

The China Chronicles Series - Online Reading or Download:

Operation China - Online Reading or Download:

Living Water - Online Reading or Download:

You Can Share these reso urces by pasting this link in a simple text message, an email, or on social media:

https://www.asiaharvest.org/books-in-chinese

English Resources on the Church in China .

Alternatively, if you would like to become better informed through the English resources that Asia Harvest has available on the Church in China, please visit our YouTube link where we feature videos that provide an inside look into China's house churches...

...or check out our bookstore where there are many titles available for purchase.

The Ministry Training Fund (MTF) - Introducing A New Core Asia Harvest Project

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 18:44:10 GMT

“Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 )

Those who have been in contact with us for a while will know that at Asia Harvest we conduct numerous different ministry activities, but they all fall under one of just six main core projects, such as our Asia Bible Fund ; the Asian Workers’ Fund ; Living Martyrs’ Fund ; Children’s Fund , and Persecution & Relief Fund .

Within each project are various sub-projects. For example, we support over 300 Christian lepers in India (highlighted in our October 2022 newsletter).

That support comes under th e Relief Fund. We support hundreds of widows, which is part of the Living Martyrs’ Fund, in addition to a host of other activities that serve to advance the Gospel.

It is rare for us to announce a new core project, but this month we would like to introduce the Ministry Training Fund ( MTF ) , which we hope will remain a foundational part of what we do in Asia for many years to come.

As the Lord Jesus commanded in the passage at the top of this page, He did not tell us only to share the Gospel or to get people to make professions of faith.

That is only the start. Missions history shows that works focused only on evangelism usually didn’t have lasting fruit, for Jesus told us to “make disciples of all nations...teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”

The Ministry Training Fund is therefore about helping the Asian Church disciple believers and to equip them to disciple others, especially among unreached people groups.

Three Requests From Asian Church Leaders

Over the years, as we have traveled throughout Asia, and developed strong relationships with many church and mission leaders, the three main answers they give when asked what their greatest needs are have consistently been:

Please pray for us;
We need Bibles; and
We need help training leaders.

In many parts of Asia, the number of Christians has increased rapidly and churches are overflowing, but the leaders know that if they don’t have effective discipleship programs, the harvest might rot, and new believers will be easy prey to cults and false teaching.

Instead of focusing solely on soul-winning, the most effective ministries we partner with have grasped the need to establish biblical leadership as laid out by the Apostle Paul:

“He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ” (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Even though this is the first time we have officially announced the Ministry Training Fund in a newsletter, we have been helping our Asian co-workers with this need for decades. Just in the last few years we have used donations designated “ Where Needed Most ” to train 9,515 believers throughout Asia , so this number is our starting statistic for the project. We expect the number of those trained and equipped will rise sharply in the coming years.

In the remainder of this newsletter, we will share a few pictures from training courses we have been honored to support, along with some comments about the importance of the project by various Asian ministry leaders.

As you will see, this project does not at all mean that we are helping establish Western style seminaries or Bible schools. Instead, the Ministry Training Fund exists to train and equip soldiers for spiritual battle, able to win and disciple unreached people groups.

Training is often held in places and in a manner you may not be used to, in what could be described as biblical settings, like outside under a tree, or with believers sitting in a circle on a dirt floor, facing and interacting with one another.

Apart from new believers being discipled in God’s Word, more specialized training is also provided to equip workers in areas like children’s ministry, frontline churchplanting among unreached people groups; how to conduct literacy classes; and how to effectively disciple Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists for Christ.

The support we provide includes costs like travel for the participants to attend the training; and food, books, and other resources when the meeting is underway.

Without this help, most would not be able to attend.

On average it costs $50 to help train a worker.

Training takes place in many settings, from believers gathered on a beautiful beach on the shores of the Andaman Sea (above) to tribal Christians in a mountainous area of Southwest China (below).

Read the PDF version of our Ministry Training Fund Newsletter here.

Annie Skau - Shaanxi's Selfless Servant

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 21:18:12 GMT

Annie Skau Berntsen was born in Oslo, Norway, in 1911. Her early years offered no hints that she would one day be a powerful witness for Christ in China and a scourge to the Communists. In her teens she was a leader of a Karl Marx youth club, and she later decided to become a nurse.

It was at nursing school that Annie first heard the gospel and discovered that she could have a personal, life-changing relationship with the Living God. The would-be Marxist changed course and became a dedicated Christian.

In 1937 the China Inland Mission offered a course on tropical diseases, and Annie signed up. While there, she contracted the “mission bug” from the staff and students, and a year later she was sent to China, where she began a 13-year association with Shaanxi Province, which only ended when she and the other missionaries were forced to leave China in 1951. For most of her time in Shaanxi, Skau was based at Shangxian (now Shanzhou District) in the province’s southeast. She was loved and accepted from the moment she arrived, causing her to say of the local Christians: “They were bound together by hardships and persecution, and they took me in as one of their own.” [1]

For the next decade Annie Skau and her co-workers offered sterling service to the people of Shangxian. She helped treat thousands of sick and injured people and was eager to share the gospel with everyone she encountered.

The locals nicknamed Annie ‘the giant woman,’ as she was much larger in stature than Chinese women. She did not take offense at the name, and over time it became clear that she was a spiritual giant who was never flustered by trials. She was forced to flee the area when the Japanese army invaded in 1943, but throughout the ordeal she remained a calm, consistent witness for Christ, with a loving smile adorning her face.

Confronting the Rain god

Annie liked to spend time walking through the mountains surrounding the city, often accompanied by her Chinese friend Yu Chen. One afternoon they encountered a procession of villagers carrying idols, as firecrackers were let off and drummers banged out a deafening beat.

Drought was afflicting the area, and the procession was to honor and placate the rain god. As Annie watched from under the brim of her straw hat, two idol bearers came straight to her, angrily shouting at her to take off her hat, as the superstitious villagers believed the deities were infuriated if someone’s head was covered during a drought.

Annie refused to submit to their idols by taking off her hat, so a group of men pulled the poles from their idols and marched toward her, threatening to beat her to death. “I can’t take my hat off to your gods. My God is Jesus,” Annie courageously told them.

When they replied, “We don’t know anything about your God,” the Norwegian firebrand declared: “If you want to be worthy of His love, stop this procession…and turn your attention to the true God, and you will have rain tonight.” [2]

Stunned by her boldness, the procession dispersed, and Annie continued on her way. When she told a church elder what had happened, he was deeply concerned, and said if a person predicts rain and it remains dry, they would be judged to be evil and would be put to death.

At eleven o’clock that night the sky was still cloudless, and the local Christians were anxious that their beloved missionary doctor had overstepped the mark and would pay with her life. Annie remained calm, however, and her face was covered with a broad smile, as though she knew something the others were not aware of.

As the clock counted down to midnight, the elder entered the mission house and excitedly declared: “The rain has started to fall! God is good.”

Abundant Supplies

During the latter part of the Second World War, Annie had asked God to provide much needed equipment and medicine to the mission. The Lord answered with an unexpected windfall.

When Hitler positioned 350,000 troops in Annie’s homeland of Norway, neighboring Denmark assumed the Nazis would never leave without a fierce battle, so they donated a huge amount of medicine to Norway in expectation of mass casualties. When Germany lost the war, however, their forces withdrew from Norway, leaving tons of spare supplies, much of which was donated to foreign missionaries to aid their work. The medical clinic in Shaanxi was one grateful recipient.

God used this provision to extend Annie Skau’s work. At a time when many missionaries were leaving China, Annie’s services were much sought after, and it was said she was the last remaining qualified doctor among two million Chinese people in south-central Shaanxi Province.

Not everyone was appreciative of her work, however. When a young civil servant named John Ma heard that Annie was still in Shaanxi and her ministry was thriving, he flew into a rage and went to a meeting she was conducting with a large rock in his hand, intending to smash it into her head when he had a chance. As Ma pondered his violent plan, the Holy Spirit came upon him, and he walked to the front of the church and told Annie that he wanted to give his life to Christ and become His disciple.

When his workmates discovered that John Ma had become a Christian, they beat him severely, but even as they were pummelling him with their fists, the new believer prayed for their salvation. This caused the men to feel ashamed, and they too asked to become Christians.

Old Grandmother’s Prayers

During these years of fruitful service, when most other missionaries had been evacuated from Shaanxi, Annie Skau owed much of her success to the friendship and intercession of ‘Old Grandmother’—a precious Christian woman in her late seventies who had been the first convert to Jesus Christ in the town decades earlier. She loved Annie deeply, and called her “Little Girl,” in contrast to the common nickname ‘the giant woman’ that others called her.

Old Grandmother had a special gift of intercessory prayer, and she rose at four o’clock each morning to lead a group of women who cried out to God in a little chapel near the medical clinic. Each patient was fervently prayed for, and as a result Annie and the Chinese evangelists often encountered little resistance when they shared the gospel. Hundreds of people subsequently found new life in Christ during those years of reaping.

They also saw numerous miracles in response to fervent prayer. One sick woman with a malignant tumor on her tongue was told by Annie that there was nothing she could do to save her life, but Old Grandmother took the matter to the Lord in prayer, and a few months later Annie was perplexed why a woman in a church meeting was sticking her tongue out at her. She then recognized it was the “hopeless case” she had sent home to die. The woman had been completely healed and her tongue looked perfectly healthy.

On another occasion a wounded soldier was carried into the clinic. He was in terrible condition, having been shot and then thrown off a cliff. Compassionate locals rescued the unconscious man and carried him ten miles to the city.

As Annie knelt beside the man and exhorted him, “Put your faith in the Lord Jesus and He will save you,” Old Grandmother was storming God’s throne in prayer for him. Annie needed to perform surgery quickly on the dying soldier, but no operating table was available, so she had the door of the clinic removed from its hinges and used it to perform the surgery. It took four intense hours to remove the bullet from his chest. A faint pulse was detected, and the man opened his eyes and declared: “The Lord Jesus has saved me!”

Days later after he had recovered his strength, the soldier explained what happened when he was on the cusp between life and death: “Three times I heard voices coming to me from a great distance, telling me that the Lord would save me.” After receiving a thorough grounding in the Bible, the man returned to his home village as a zealous evangelist, eager to share the good news about Jesus with his friends and relatives.

Because of the chaos in society and a lack of food, packs of wolves began entering the towns of Shaanxi, where they attacked and killed many children and frail adults. On one occasion the wolves entered a house and bit a baby’s face. When the baby was brought to Annie,

“The wounds were already crawling with maggots, and the prognosis was wholly negative. She picked up the baby and carried it to Old Grandmother’s bed. While Annie bathed and treated the terrible wounds, Old Grandmother prayed and fed the baby. In two weeks the wounds were healed. The healing of the beautiful baby was the work of God.” [3]

A Worthy Servant of God

In December 1948, a dozen missionaries from Annie’s area were ordered to evacuate to Chengdu in Sichuan Province, as violence and instability engulfed Shaanxi. Annie went on the six-day journey and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with fellow missionaries, most of whom decided it was time to wind up their careers in China and return home.

It was assumed that Annie would return to Norway, but as she prayed about it, she had a sense that the Lord wanted her to remain in Shaanxi and continue her work. She wrote: “More and more it seemed to me that God was guiding me to stay, but then I wondered if this was just my own choice, rather than what He wanted. One thing I knew for certain: I would obey His will, whatever it was.” [4]

The final decision to stay was confirmed when Annie met with the Chinese church leaders in Shangxian. Throughout China the general view was that the presence of foreign missionaries had brought persecution to local Christians. Annie mentioned these concerns, but the church leaders replied: “If you leave us now, when we have so much need of you, then you aren’t worthy to be called a servant of God.” [5]

The matter was settled. Annie and the church leaders formed a prayer circle right there in the mission compound, and together they promised to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus unto death. Annie Skau recalled the powerful moment:

“We thought we were going to receive a martyr’s glorious crown quite soon, and we rejoiced in the thought. We started to memorize portions of the Scriptures, with each of us choosing different parts. My heart was overflowing with joy, for at last I knew that I was acting in accordance with God’s will. In knowing that, I experienced a perfect peace I had never felt so fully before.” [6]

In June 1949, the Nationalist government abandoned the area. On the final Sunday before the Communist army marched in to fill the void, the little church was filled to overflowing. Many believers wept openly for Annie, convinced she would be killed by the soldiers. The courageous Norwegian missionary felt no fear, however, and she enthusiastically led the singing.

Life had been difficult enough for Christians in Shangxian, but the danger escalated exponentially when the Communists took control. Annie was an eyewitness of the depravity and brutality exhibited by Mao’s forces. Almost 20 years after being forced to leave China, her voice still quivered as she recalled the horrific scenes:

“The Communists…tacked up a public notice, listing the names of all the people they had shot. Do you know that all those poor victims had to dig their own graves and kneel beside them? The Communists killed everyone at once—and hurled their bodies into the graves.

So many died! So many times we heard the iron tires on the cobblestones and saw the death roll posted in the villages and towns. I knelt and prayed for all those poor, helpless human beings—and every time, I had to face the awful fact that I could do nothing to save their lives. No one in China knew what would happen from one second to the next. I knew I could be killed at any minute, yet I was happy in my faith; it was like an island of peace in a maelstrom of hatred and destruction.” [7]

Nothing but Good

Despite the violence, Annie felt no bitterness toward the Communist soldiers, who were mostly exhausted and hungry young men. She refused to take sides in the conflict and treated all who needed help. Her selfless actions caused a quandary for the Communist leaders. Some wanted to kill Annie, but others felt ashamed because her service for the people was greater than their own, and the community held her in the highest regard.

Finally, the day came when ‘the giant woman’ was ordered to go to the town’s market, where a stage had been erected. The Communists’ patience had run out, and she was to be “struggled against” in a public trial. The leaders of the meeting called on the large crowd to make accusations against the beloved missionary. After a long period of silence,

“Not one person came forward with the anticipated denunciations. The whole carefully rehearsed performance appeared to have bogged down, leaving the members of the court embarrassed, frustrated, and angry. Finally, the chairman of the court spoke out in great irritation: ‘Is there not one word about the evil this missionary has done?’

Absolute silence followed. The lack of response was acutely painful to the court, and there was not another voice heard until some young people at the rear of the crowd ventured to speak out. Their words were not those the court had been waiting for: ‘She has never done anything but good!’” [8]

Prison

The 1950s dawned, with China now fully under Communist control, yet Annie Skau remained in Shaanxi, still faithfully fulfilling the call God had given her.

The persecution of Christians greatly intensified, and many Chinese believers were arrested or simply vanished from their homes. Annie was told that two Christian brothers were being held hostage in prison at Shangnan, about 40 miles (65 km) away. Without hesitation, she rode her bicycle to Shangnan and appealed for their release. When the prison guards refused to let them go, she offered to take their place in the cell. After some discussion they agreed to her proposal, and Annie was locked in a tiny cell just long enough for her to lay down in.

Thinking the middle-aged Westerner would beg for her release, the guards were surprised when they heard her singing joyous songs all night. When asked what she was doing, Annie replied: “I must praise God. It is the happiest night of my life.”

Not knowing what charges to bring against the woman of God, the Communists invented a ludicrous accusation, blaming her for polluting the river when she had conducted baptisms!

Upon reflection, the charge didn’t seem serious enough to the accusers, so they charged her of going around the countryside and setting fire to 11 villages. When Annie was told the new charge, “It struck her so funny hat she doubled over with laughter, and the young official made no real effort to conceal his own amusement.”[9] Realizing the foolishness of their actions, they released Annie and she returned home.

The Final Stretch

As almost all missionaries had been expelled from Shaanxi, many mission stations were abandoned throughout the province. Annie was asked to take over the empty properties, and remarkably the simple woman from Norway, who once wanted to be a Marxist, found herself with 40 mission stations under her control, in the Marxist heartland of China.

She carried on serving the people, but increasingly distressing reports reached her of Chinese pastors and church members being arrested and tortured in prison. After much prayer, Annie felt the time for her departure from China was near. She had done all she could for God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, but the nighttime was about to come when no one could work.

Before leaving, she attended one memorable prayer meeting in the town of Danfeng, attended by more than 400 Christians. She was asked to speak, and she shared on Daniel in the lion’s den, which was an apt message for the gathered believers who were about to face their own dangerous trials.

On July 15, 1950, Annie Skau was rearrested and charged with being a spy. She was sent to a lice-infested prison, where despite the miserable conditions and frequent interrogation sessions, she was allowed to keep her Bible. She read it every day, gaining strength from the Spirit of God.

For months she endured persecution, but with Christmas approaching, she completely ran out of money. Not only was she unable to buy food, but Annie was worried that if they expelled her from the country, she would have no ability to pay for her travel. Then a letter arrived from missionaries in Shanghai, saying they had sold some of the medical supplies Annie had left in storage, and funds were available for her needs. Instead of spending the money on herself, however, she bought toys to give to the children as Christmas presents.

Finally, in early 1951, Annie Skau knew her service in China was complete. She left her beloved Shaanxi with her head held high, after 13 years of witnessing God’s grace and power.

After a time back in her homeland, Annie again felt the call of God to go to East Asia, and in 1953 she began ministering in a refugee camp in Hong Kong, where she had daily contact with hundreds of desperate people who had fled across the border from Communist China. Two years later she founded the Hope of Heaven rehabilitation center in the British colony, and thousands of needy Chinese were blessed by her work.

During her years in China, Annie Skau was not well-known to most Western Christians, but after more people learned of her story and uncompromising faith, accolades were made in her honor. The greatest of these was given in 1979, when Annie was 68-years-old. She was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in recognition of her decades of service to the Chinese people. Her home nation also awarded her the prestigious King of Norway’s St. Olaf’s Orden, and she received the Florence Nightingale Medal.

Before she passed to her eternal reward in 1992, Annie reflected on her full and exciting life for Jesus Christ:

“To be allowed to wear oneself out serving God, that is the greatest happiness. That is why I would have chosen the same path if I were to be young again. What I would have changed are all the stupid and clumsy things I have done….

Nobody knows what death contains, we can only believe. My belief is so strong that I have no fear. Now I just look forward to meeting Jesus.

The most magnificent thing that can happen to me is to be allowed to serve Him day and night in His temple. Nothing in the world is as glorious as serving the Lord Jesus Christ!” [10]

Gene Gleason, Joy to my Heart (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1966), p. 36.
Gleason, Joy to my Heart, p. 37.
Gleason, Joy to my Heart, p. 52.
Gleason, Joy to my Heart, p. 61.
Gleason, Joy to my Heart, p. 62.
Gleason, Joy to my Heart, p. 62.
Gleason, Joy to my Heart, p. 2.
Gleason, Joy to my Heart, pp. 74-75.
Gleason, Joy to my Heart, p. 82.
John D. Woodbridge, Ambassadors for Christ: Distinguished Representatives of the Message Throughout the World (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), p. 199.

Not Without Witness - Excerpts from our new "Shaanxi" book

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 18:11:18 GMT

Photo: Atop the 600 -year-old city wall of Xi'an, the ancient capital of China.

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“In bygone generations God allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness” (Acts 14:16-17).

In our previous newsletter we introduced a new book, “SHAANXI: The Cradle of Chinese Civilization”. We examined how the earliest Chinese people knew about a global flood that had wiped out almost all of mankind, and after arriving in today’s north China just a century or so after the Tower of Babel, for thousands of years the Chinese worshipped only the one true Creator God, Shangdi. There was no idolatry, and the emperor offered sacrifices to Shangdi at prescribed times to seek His blessing and protection.

Alas, the wicked emperor Wu Yi (who reigned from 1147-1112 BC ) came to power and a long slide into spiritual darkness began, with idolatry infesting the land.

In this issue, we want to go deeper into this fascinating ancient history, for it reveals how the great Chinese civilization has interacted with God throughout history, leading to the greatest revival in Christian history during the past 50 years.

Just how God shaped Chinese history to conform to His Will largely remains a mystery. Some things are inexplicable and are best grasped by simply trusting that throughout the centuries the Creator “did not leave Himself without witness” among the Chinese and other peoples of the world.

The Missing Astronomer

At around the time of the birth of Jesus, one of the chief Chinese astronomers at the imperial court in Xi’an was a high-ranking official named Liu Xiang. Liu mysteriously disappeared from China for over two years at the time of Christ’s birth, after he and his team discovered a unique star, which they called the ‘King Star’.

Liu Xiang is believed to have lived from 77 BC to 6 BC. While at first glance that would appear to place him outside the span of Jesus’ birth, many Bible scholars point out that due to differences in calendars, Jesus was actually born between 6 BC and 4 BC according to today’s widely-used Gregorian calendar.

At the time, a journey along the Silk Road from Shaanxi to Judea took from between one to two years, depending on the quality of mounts used by the traveler. If Liu was granted permission by the emperor to undertake the journey, it’s likely he would have been granted use of the finest horses and camels, and being a high official, he was likely accompanied by a large group of soldiers for protection.

The belief that the Chinese were represented among the Magi who traveled to Bethlehem persisted, and in the eighth century a Nestorian church leader claimed: “The Magi, returning from Bethlehem, brought the first news of the Savior to China.”

Revealingly, when the wise men first arrived in Jerusalem and asked where they could find the new-born king, Matthew records: “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matt. 2:3).

It’s unlikely the whole city would have been disturbed if just three men had arrived in Jerusalem, which saw many merchants continually passing through it. If a large group of men had turned up together, however, along with hundreds of soldiers and bodyguards—some from as far afield as China—it would have caused quite a stir, causing the jealous king to attempt to annihilate all competition to his throne.

Perhaps God, in His wisdom, chose to honor the birth of His Son by sending dignitaries from across the ancient world to mark the momentous event. Many Chinese Christians today are thrilled to think that their race may have been among the first worshippers of Jesus Christ.

The remarkable chain of events did not stop there. Thirteen months after the “King star” appeared, a special comet appeared in the sky over China for 70 days at a time that may correlate with the birth of Jesus in faraway Bethlehem.

Thirty-three years later, a total eclipse is detailed in Chinese history. The Bible records that when Jesus died, darkness fell upon the land for three hours. According to the Chinese classic, History of the Latter Han Dynasty:

“In the summer, fourth month of the year...the sun and moon were eclipsed. The sins of all people are now on one man. The emperor now proclaims pardon to all under heaven.” Another note in the imperial records of the time simply stated: “The Man from Heaven died.”

How the Chinese thousands of miles away knew that the sins of all people had fallen upon one man defies human explanation. The best way to understand such things may be to simply accept that God “did not leave Himself without witness.”

The earliest forms of Chinese writing are found on tortoise shells and animal bones from the later part of Shang Dynasty. The Shang ruled China from 1600 to 1046 BC—approximately from the time from Moses to King David in the Bible.

God’s Witness in Chinese Writing

The first thing many non-Chinese people notice about China is their unique writing system, but few realize that the origins of Chinese characters date back thousands of years. Each word, or character, is made up of smaller pictographs, or radicals, that have individual meaning. In recent decades, scholars have examined many of the characters and found uncanny parallels with events recorded in the Bible.

We have already discussed how recorded Chinese history began less than a century after the dispersion of people groups at the Tower of Babel. So catastrophic was the flood and subsequent events, it’s natural to assume that the earliest people to reach China would have brought the story of God’s creation and mankind’s fall with them, to be handed down as a warning to future generations.

Could it be that God, in His infinite wisdom, chose to preserve a testimony of His great acts within the very structure of the Chinese language?

Let’s examine just five Chinese characters, which may help you grasp this unique concept.

造 ‘To Create’

The character ‘to create’ consists of several radicals, including:

dust or mud 土 ; speech 告 ; and walking 辶

Furthermore, the radical for “speech” (告) consists of the characters 生 (“life”) and 口 (“mouth”).

It is surely more than coincidence that the ancient Chinese combined these components together in such a way that resembles the account of the creation of Adam found in Genesis 2:7: “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

鬼 ‘The Devil’

Adam and Eve enjoyed a time of perfect peace and harmony in the Garden of Eden, until the devil tempted them to sin and their relationship with God was ruined. The Chinese character for ‘the devil’ or ‘tempter’ includes these three components:

Man 儿 ; garden or field 田 ; and ‘secret’ or private’ 厶

Thus, the ancient characters for ‘devil’ or ‘tempter’ include a man in a private garden, again reflecting the account in Genesis , where Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden before the devil tempted them to rebel against God.

船 ‘Boat’

The traumatic global flood that wiped out humanity except eight survivors would have been fresh in the minds of the earliest Chinese, and flood accounts persist to the present day among many of China’s ethnic groups. The full Chinese character for ‘boat’ consisted of three interesting components, with the character for mouth also used to signify people:

Vessel 舟 ; eight 八 ; and mouth 口

The Book of Genesis records that only Noah and his family—eight people in total—survived the cataclysmic flood in a boat that God instructed Noah to build. The Bible says:

“He did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others” (2 Peter 2:5).

義 ’Righteousness’

God delivered the Israelites from Egypt and from the angel of death by commanding them to sacrifice a lamb and apply the blood to the doorposts of their homes (Exodus 12:1-3). Then in the wilderness of Sinai, He gave them instructions for sacrificing animals to atone for sin (see Leviticus 16:15–16). This concept appears to have come into the Chinese language, as the traditional character for ‘righteousness’ consists of four components:

Sheep 羊 ; I or me 我 ; ‘hand’ 手 ; and spear 戈

According to this ancient concept, righteousness is obtained by a person being covered by a sheep (or lamb) that has been slain by their own hand.

來 ‘Come’

Finally, many Chinese believers have used the origins of their ancient characters as a bridge to share the Gospel with non-Christians. A favorite witnessing-tool is the character for the Chinese word “come”:

The character consists of a cross 十 ; along with a person 人on that cross. Fascinatingly, as well as the person on the cross, there are two other people (人人) present.

In Chinese, when the character for person is written twice, the meaning changes to “everyone”. This is significant because Jesus died on the cross with two thieves on either side of Him. By piecing these different radicals together, a person may see the example of Christ dying on a cross between two guilty thieves, as a sacrifice for all who will believe and come to Him.

Over the years, many Chinese have come to faith in Jesus Christ after the composition of this one character has been explained to them. This approach often piques people’s interest and enables Christians to explain that Christ’s invitation to “come” for salvation is freely available to everyone, but at the crucifixion one of the thieves believed in Jesus and the other rejected Him. Evangelists may then pivot the conversation to ask the hearer, “which one are you?”

There are dozens of other examples of Chinese characters that appear to reflect biblical text. God surely did leave a witness for the Chinese people both in their ancient written language and by His provision for righteousness, which was fulfilled by the perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

SHAANXI - The Cradle of Chinese Civilization

Book 7 of ‘The China Chronicles’

by Paul Hattaway

This newsletter contains excerpts from ‘SHAANXI: The Cradle of Chinese Civilization.”

To order a copy of the book, please visit our online bookstore for details. A kindle/ebook version is also available online.

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project , please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of the book and we will gladly send you one.

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Shaanxi - A New Book by Paul Hattaway

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Fri, 19 May 2023 02:08:15 GMT

SHAANXI: The Cradle of Chinese Civilization

The China Chronicles (Book 7)

We are pleased to announce the seventh book in our series on the mighty revival that has swept China during the past 50 years.

The China Chronicles are proving to be a great encouragement and are enriching the lives of those who read them.

Shaanxi (meaning "west of the mountain passes") is a province in north China that served as the cradle of Chinese civilization for thousands of years.

From Shaanxi came what the Chinese call 'Four Great Inventions' that changed the world-the compass, paper, printing, and gunpowder.

It is also home to the first recorded Christians in China, while the first known church building, constructed in 638, remarkably is still standing today.

To order a copy of the book, please visit our online bookstore for details. There are significant discounts of over 50% for orders of 10 or more books.

The Kindle/e-book edition of this book is also available from Amazon .

SPECIAL OFFER : Get the first 7 books in The China Chronicles series for $70, including postage.

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of the book and we will gladly send you one.

Below are excerpts from 'SHAANXI: The Cradle of Chinese Civilization: as we take a look at this fascinating part of China that has impacted world history in ways that most people don't realize.

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SADLY, HISTORY WAS THE LEAST FAVORITE SUBJECT for many people at school, because of the dry and boring way it was often presented.

In SHAANXI: The Cradle of Chinese Civilization , the fascinating history of China is laid out in a relevant way that may amaze and surprise you, as you see how God's plan for the Chinese people has unfolded over the last several thousand years.

"Like endless boiling water, the flood is pouring forth destruction. Boundless and overwhelming, it overtops hills and mountains. Rising and ever rising, it threatens the very heavens. How the people must be groaning and suffering!"

EMPEROR SHUN AND THE 'HEAVENLY EMPEROR'

Emperor Shun lived from approximately 2317 to 2208 BC, making him a contemporary of Abraham according to some Bible timelines. Remarkably, the two patriarchs-despite living several thousand miles apart-shared many of the same characteristics in the way they sought to honor the true God of Heaven.

In a crucial decision that was to have major ramifications in China for countless generations, after ascending the throne Emperor Shun offered sacrifices to the Heavenly Emperor, Shangdi-which is the name still used for God in the Chinese Bible today.

The attributes of Shangdi include that He is the Creator of the universe, is all-knowing and all-powerful, cannot be represented by any image, and He controls all the affairs of mankind. Some have suggested the ancient Chinese must have heard of the sacrificial rites revealed by God to the Israelites, but Emperor Shun lived centuries before the Law of Moses was given.

This circular 26-foot high altar, discovered in the suburbs of Xi'an in 1999, is where Chinese emperors are believed to have offered annual sacrifices to the God of Heaven.

The earliest Chinese rulers offered their sacrifices to Shangdi atop a circular mound, during a ceremony consisting of nine stages. During the annual Border Sacrifice, musicians played tunes and ancient lyrics were sung which told of events in history dating back to God's creation. Just when these songs were composed, and how the ancient Chinese knew the information contained in them has baffled historians.

One song, the Zhonghe Zhiqu ('Song of Central Peace') said:

"In the beginning, there was great chaos, without form and dark. The five planets had not begun to revolve, nor the two lights to shine. In the midst of it there existed neither matter nor sound. You, O Spiritual Sovereign, came forth in Your sovereignty, and first did separate the impure from the pure. You made heaven; you made earth; You made man. All things became alive with reproducing power:'

A second song, Yuanhe Zhiqu ('Song of Beginning Peace'), began:

"Lord, when You separated the heavens and the earth, Your creative work had begun. You did produce, O Spirit, the seven elements. Their beautiful and brilliant lights lit up the sky and the earth. All things were good. I, Your servant, thank You fearfully, and while I worship, present this memorial to You, calling you Sovereign:'

While this worship was conducted, the emperor of China prostrated himself on the ground in sub-zero temperatures before Shangdi. In a third song, the emperor proclaimed God's love and the greatness of His Name:

" You have promised to hear us, for You are our Father. I, Your child, dull and unenlightened, am unable to show forth my dutiful feelings. I thank You that You have accepted our pronouncement. Honorable is your great Name.... As swallows rejoice in the spring, we praise Your abundant love:'

By offering an annual sacrifice, the emperor of China sought God's favor on the nation, and His blessing on their crops. Many centuries later, after China's capital was moved to Beijing, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty rekindled the annual sacrifice at the Temple of Heaven, observing rituals based on ancient records that stemmed from the time of Emperor Shun and his successors.

The annual sacrifices to the Creator continued for over one thousand years in China, until idolatry entered through the wicked Emperor Yu Di (reigned 1147-1112 BC), which started the Chinese race on a long slide into spiritual pollution and darkness.

In our next newsletter we will continue our look at the fascinating history of Shaanxi Province, which has shaped not only the direction of China but of the whole world.

We will share how the origins of some written Chinese characters reveal biblical truths that have been hidden for many centuries;

We tell how the leading astronomer in China at the time of the birth of Christ, a man named Liu Xiang, mysteriously left the imperial court for over two years after discovering a unique 'King star'. From the earliest Christian history in China, stories circulated that the Chinese were represented among the Magi who went to pay homage to the Savior of the world.

We will examine claims and physical evidence by a Chinese professor that Christians in China were present from as early as AD 86, only for his claims to be erased by the Communist Party, as an early date for the arrival of Christianity in China undermines their efforts to eradicate the faith and to label it as a tool of Western imperialism.

What People are Saying About the China Chronicles:

"These are not only really excellent books, but are rare and precious. The author goes inside the greatest revival in Christian history. Each book leaves me looking forward to the next one with greater anticipation:' - Jeff Schuster

"These ground-breaking books are modern day Acts of the Apostles. Paul intersperses history with amazing miracles and events that make the reader want to read them again in case they read it wrong!" - Robert Johnson

"Strength for the soul, Cheer for the heart, Victory in Jesus!" - Judith Hannah

"The China Chronicles are a province-by-province, decade-by-decade account of God's astonishing work in China, 'the greatest Christian revival in history: I find each book in this series more intriguing than the last:' - Missions Catalyst Magazine

"I find The China Chronicles to be not only most informative but also fascinating and deeply moving. Hattaway's scholarship is impeccable but unobtrusive, for you are caught up in the thrilling narrative of God's work among the people of China over the centuries....

With each installment in the series, the author solidifies his position as one of the outstanding scholars of Christianity in China. Though not an academic, he is producing books of high academic value. Perhaps just as importantly, he writes with clarity, vividness, balance, accuracy, and passion....

Be careful before starting to read any of these works: You may not be able to put the book down! The energetic, vivid, and fast-moving narratives carry you along, and the telling of God's mighty acts among the Chinese never fails to grip the reader with its drama, pathos, and sheer magnitude, reflecting both the long history and great diversity of this nation and its peoples:' - G Wright Doyle (Director of Global China Center and Editor of the Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity)

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Revival in Myanmar - An Opportunity to Impact an Entire Country for Christ

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 20:00:17 GMT

Photo: The famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. The pagoda is the symbol and seat of Buddhist power in the country, which holds more than 30 million Burmese people spiritually captive.

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If you access news from Asia, you will know that for decades—and especially during the past four or five years—the military junta that rules Myanmar has increasingly committed atrocities against their own people.

Whatever chaos your country may have faced during the last few years of Covid lockdowns, it is probably little compared to the people of Myanmar, who in addition to Covid restrictions, have been forced to endure civil war, a genocidal campaign by the government, indiscriminate shooting of people in the streets, starvation, deprivation, economic collapse, and a military that has systematically raped and slaughtered many segments of the population, especially in the Christian tribal areas.

There is clear evidence that the evil genocide sweeping Myanmar has been conducted with the explicit help of the Chinese Communist Party, which seems to view Myanmar as a virtual vassal state of China. The bullets, bombs, tanks, and even air assaults have been done with machinery supplied by China. The stories and pictures we have seen from Myanmar are too gruesome to share here.

Amid this chaos, the stubborn pride that has kept generations of Buddhist Burmese from believing in Jesus Christ has been eroded, and in their state of humiliation and brokenness, tens of thousands of Burmese have repented and given their lives to God. Truly, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

From across the densely populated plains of Myanmar—inhabited by Buddhist peoples like the Burmese, Chaungtha, Mon and Rakhine—reports have emerged of families and sometimes whole communities being transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ. People who were dead in their sins have been given new hearts; the hopeless now have hope and purpose in their lives; families that have worshipped idols for centuries are now praising the Living God; and many broken people are being put back together as the Lord Jesus has pity on the suffering Burmese and declares: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion" (Romans 9:15).

Despite the wonderful breakthrough among groups in Myanmar that have long been considered resistant to the Gospel, the revival at this stage is numerically small compared to the tens of millions of lost Buddhist people there. But it is a blessed start. Please pray the Holy Spirit will continue to fan the flames, and that millions of people throughout Myanmar will find Christ and glorify His Name.

God is doing a new thing through this revival. In the two centuries since Adoniram Judson arrived in Myanmar, the Christian landscape in the country became very denominational, reflecting many of the divisions seen in the Western world. Countless Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, Assemblies of God, and other churches filled the land. The faith of many Christians became nominal and dry, however, and the Body of Christ was in desperate need of a heavenly visitation.

The current revival has almost exclusively occurred through house church discipleship networks, where faith has been stripped of many man-made religious traditions and brought back to its basic, pure form. Gone is the division between paid clergy and "laymen." Now, new believers from this revival are considered "kings and priests to serve our God" (Revelation 5:10), and all members of the Body of Christ are encouraged to use their God-given gifts to build up others and to reach the lost.

The current move of God is also unlikely to produce a single visible church building. Myanmar does not need one more cathedral or church building. Now, tens of thousands of newly redeemed brothers and sisters with a simple yet powerful faith gather in homes, basements, shops, halls, thatch huts, teahouses, or wherever else they may choose to meet.

Here at Asia Harvest, we have never had any interest in funding church buildings or visible places of worship. In fact, in the 35 years we have been serving in Asia, we have helped local believers plant thousands of fellowships of vibrant believers, but not once have we ever funded or constructed a church building.

There are practical reasons for our stance. In the countries we serve in, church-going Christians are easily identified and persecuted by militant Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, or Communists. Our goal when we help Asian believers establish a fellowship is that it is flexible from the start and able to go "underground" as soon as it needs to. It's very difficult for the enemies of the Cross to destroy God's children when they cannot locate them easily and there are no buildings adorned with crosses that point the way for the persecutors to go.

The nature of the current revival, which has been gathering steam for several years, is that many thousands of sinners have repented and surrendered to Jesus Christ. Each believer then disciples others, and in that way the Gospel has spread rapidly to their friends and relatives, who then share it with their contacts. Like every movement where many people come to faith there are challenges, but the Holy Spirit has brought peace and love to communities that for centuries had been trapped in spiritual darkness and depravity.

In this remarkable recent photo from Myanmar, new believers—mostly people from a Buddhist background—joyfully receive Burmese Bibles for the first time. Similar scenes are being repeated throughout the country as revival spreads.

A Rare Opportunity to Impact an Entire Country

Although no one except God currently knows the extent of the revival in Myanmar, what we can tell you is that when our co-workers there (who we have known for 30 years) began to field requests for Burmese Bibles, in a short space of time requests flooded in from more than 100 different Myanmar church and ministry leaders, begging for the Word of God so that new believers could be established in the faith and the gains from the revival would not fall by the wayside.

(Note: Although the Bible Society exists in Myanmar, Bibles tend to be very difficult to obtain from them and are priced so high that most normal believers cannot afford to buy a single copy.) All Bibles provided by Asia Harvest are distributed free of charge to believers, via existing ministries, which have to account for what they receive by sending us reports and photos of their distributions.

As a result of this first round of requests, we have printed 80,000 full Burmese Bibles, and as you read this newsletter they are being distributed to grateful believers throughout Myanmar. At $3 each, the amount of money needed to do such a project soon becomes large, but we are thankful for our supporters who have prayed and given to our Asia Bible Fund, which allows us to implement large printings like this.

After the initial 80,000 Bibles have been distributed and reports have been received, we envisage there will be a need for at least another 80,000 Burmese Bibles, plus thousands more in other minority languages. We will then evaluate the project, but in our experience in China and other parts of Asia, when much needed Bibles reach thirsty and desperate new Christians, the result is that the Scriptures act like fuel being added to a fire, causing the blaze to burn much brighter. This, in turn, results in a surge in the number of new believers, who also need Bibles, and so the need escalates.

As we were writing this newsletter, our long-term Myanmar Bible co-workers sent us this message: "Including the 80,000 now being distributed, we have received requests to print at least 150,000 more Burmese Bibles. Because of the civil war many people are turning to Christ. Buddhism doesn't help the heart, but Jesus does."

The main role of Asia Harvest in this move of God in Myanmar is to provide the Word of God to new believers. We expect to be busy doing this for at least the next few years. Please pray with us for the success of this project, so that God's flock may be spiritually nourished and anchored in truth and grace.

We hope to give updates on the revival and testimonies from Burmese believers in future newsletters. It is a great privilege to be involved, and we see it as a wonderful, God-given opportunity to impact not only a people group, but an entire country for the kingdom of God.

THE ASIA BIBLE FUND

Current Total: 19,134,787 Bibles printed in 156 languages.

The Asia Bible Fund provides the Scriptures in numerous languages of China, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and anywhere in Asia where God's people need His Word. These Bibles are distributed free of charge, equipping the Body of Christ and helping fuel the flames of revival.

Each Bible costs just $3.00 to print and deliver. We also print millions of Gospel booklets for evangelism through this project.

We invite you to join hands with us in praying for the revival in Myanmar. Please pray that all 150 people groups there will soon have vibrant Christian communities that are reaching the lost and glorifying the Living God.

If you would like to help provide Bibles to new Christians in Myanmar, please fill out the yellow response form in this newsletter and send it back along with your gift. One-time or monthly donations to the Asia Bible Fund or our other projects can be made via our secure website .

As always, our policy is that 100 percent of donations received for a project will only go directly to support that project. Nothing is taken out for administration or any other expense.

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Adoniram Judson - A Life Poured out to God

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 17:26:55 GMT

Adoniram and Ann Judson.

“The people who know their God shall be strong and carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32b).

The first Evangelical missionary to set foot in Myanmar was Adoniram Judson of Massachusetts, who arrived in 1813, aged 25, and is regarded as “America’s first foreign missionary.” Judson remained in Myanmar for 37 years, before he died on board a ship in 1850. During those 37 years of pioneer service, he only returned to America once.

Adoniram Judson gave every ounce of his life to serving Jesus Christ and the people of Myanmar. An insight into the level of wholehearted dedication he had can be seen in the classic letter he wrote to the father of his first wife, Ann, asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Judson’s letter stands in stark contrast with much of Western Christianity today, where personal safety and comfort are placed first. He wrote:

“I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of Burma; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death.”

Remarkably, Ann’s father read Adoniram Judson’s letter and willingly agreed to give his beloved daughter to him in marriage.

Judson’s words, by the way, were not an exaggeration. Ann had a brief and painful life in Burma, wracked by tropical disease and violence, and she suffered gnawing loneliness when her husband was falsely accused of being a British spy. While he was being tortured in prison for three years, Ann moved to a little shack outside the prison gates so she could visit her husband more easily.

The most difficult trial Ann endured was the personal heartache she carried. Her first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage; their son Roger died when he was eight months old; and baby daughter Maria died six months after Ann perished from smallpox at the age of 36.

Meanwhile, when he was not behind bars, Judson preached the Gospel and translated the Scriptures for seven long years before he won his first convert to Christ. He soldiered on, enduring unbelievable hardships for the Name of Jesus. In 1834 he married a widow, Sarah, but their union ended when she died of illness ten years later.

The following year Judson married his third wife, Emily. She gave birth to a son, Charles, who only lived a few hours. Judson himself died in 1850, and Emily returned to the United States where she perished four years later, aged 36.

On the surface, it might appear that these brave pioneer missionaries wasted their lives, when they could have remained at home and enjoyed a more comfortable existence. But, like the Apostle Paul, they were willing to pour out their lives “like a drink offering” to God (Philippians 2:17).

Did Adoniram Judson and the brief lives of his three wives achieve anything of note for the kingdom of God? Prepare to read our April newsletter, and you will discover that their labors were not in vain, as the Lord Jesus never lets a sacrificial life go unrewarded.

During the 37 years Adoniram Judson served God in Myanmar, an interesting dichotomy took place. Whereas he focused on reaching the cultured Buddhist Burmese people, with little apparent success, he took under his wing a rough character named Ko Tha Byu. He was a member of the Karen tribe, who at the time were considered the most backward and uncivilized people group in the country.

Ko had been a violent robber and murderer in his younger years, but after becoming Judson’s servant he became fully convinced of the claims of Jesus Christ. Judson loved him and gave him the name Tha Byu, meaning “little brother.”

Often, as Judson spent countless hours traveling around the nation debating with Buddhist monks and educated Burmese people, Ko would quietly sit around the campfires and share the Gospel with small numbers of Karen people in each location. While it took Judson seven years to win his first Burmese convert, Ko Tha Byu led handfuls of Karen families to Christ, and soon small pockets of believers had been established across a widespread area. The Holy Spirit breathed life into the work, and after 12 years a total of 1,270 Karen had believed in Jesus and been baptized , plus many people from other tribes.

For nearly two centuries, Christianity in Myanmar has followed the same general pattern, with the poor tribal groups in the country’s border areas often warmly embracing the Gospel, while the proud majority Burmese have proved resistant. In Myanmar, many tribes have large Christian populations, but the 31 million Burmese people have continued to live and die apart from God, with less than half of one percent estimated to be Christians today.

One of the greatest contributions Adoniram Judson made for the kingdom of God was to translate the Scriptures into Burmese. The task was so intense that it often felt like every demonic power in the land had been mobilized to stop him. Judson persevered, and the first Burmese Bible rolled off the printing press in 1835.

We hope you will look forward to our April newsletter, when we share about what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing in Myanmar today, and how the lives of Adoniram Judson and his wives continue to bear fruit today.

Helpful Resources to Encourage Your Faith

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Sat, 04 Mar 2023 06:50:58 GMT

Dear Friends,

We would like to let you know about some of the helpful (free) resources we have on our website, which we hope will encourage the faith of thousands of believers around the world.

First, we have an Interactive China Map, which leads to hundreds of articles, inspirational testimonies, maps, profiles, and useful resources relating to the Church in China and the greatest revival in the history of Christianity. Please click on the below map to access this great resource. As an example of what is available, here is the link to our page for Guizhou Province . We hope you will bookmark our China Interactive Map and explore it many more times in the future.

Second, you are probably aware of the various books we have for sale, but did you know we also have many free books that you are welcome to download? Books are currently available in English, Chinese, and Dutch, including the first four Chinese translations of The China Chronicles, which you can share with your Chinese friends. Please feel free to read them on your device, or download them to share with anyone you think would benefit from reading them. Click on the picture below to be taken to our free books page .

The final resource we would like to share with you today is a treasure trove for intercessors and those who long for the salvation of every “tribe, language, people and nation.” Our People Group Profiles link contains links to countries, from where you can access profiles and pray for more than 1,500 of Asia’s unreached people groups.

May the Lord Jesus be exalted over all of Asia!
The team at Asia Harvest

www.asiaharvest.org

Annual Report 2022/23 - The Blessing of Fruitful Partnership

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 03:51:30 GMT

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"I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.' Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon." ( Daniel 3:29-30)

King Nebuchadnezzar was an extreme man! Just a few verses earlier, we read of him trying to kill God's servants, but when that plan backfired, he completely changed his mind and commanded all of the millions of people in his kingdom to only worship the true God, or he would cut them into pieces!

In a short time, he went from wanting to kill the young Jewish men to promoting them to key positions in Babylon.

The mention of the three young men being promoted in the kingdom shows that Daniel was no "lone ranger". History tells us Daniel had a very high position in the empire, equal to being a Prime Minister, while his three colleagues became high-ranking administrators of Babylon. Daniel knew the power of effective partnership, and together they brought great blessing to God's people in captivity.

Here at Asia Harvest, we have learned the benefit of having fruitful partnerships over the years with ministries and churches we trust. Occasionally we are asked how it's possible for one ministry to "have" more than 1,500 church-planting evangelists throughout Asia, who work among more than 1,200 different people groups.

The answer is we don't "have" them, but rather we have formed strategic partnerships with like-minded believers who share our vision. In many cases, we use the gifts and resources God has given us to fill a gap in what our partners need; and they use their gifts and connections to join hands with us.

Together, a special synergy is created which can greatly enhance the kingdom of God, and result in a compounded rate of success in the number of souls won to the faith, the number of churches planted, and the Bibles we are able to print and deliver, among other needs.

For example, one of our key partnerships is a three-way collaboration. A close South African friend leads a Bible translation ministry that has produced the Scriptures in many dozens of new languages over the years. We don't know anything about Bible translating, so we would do well to stay clear of it and leave it to the experts! This translation ministry doesn't have funds for printing, or the skills needed to produce the books.

Second, a German ministry we work with also doesn't translate the Scriptures, but they operate a key printing press in the heart of Asia, which has printed the Word of God in dozens of languages. They have the skills and machines to do the typesetting, printing and binding of millions of books and Gospels.

The role of Asia Harvest in this partnership is to provide the funds to print the actual Bibles, and to help get them distributed among churches in the various tribes and people groups throughout Asia.

This has been a tremendous help for our two partners in that work, and together we make a useful three-legged stool for God to gain glory!

Truly, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

The above example is an insight into just how one part of one of our projects, the Asia Bible Fund , functions.

We have other strategic partnerships with many other church and mission groups, both based in Asia and around the world. Indeed, the 1,500 evangelists we support through the Asian Workers' Fund takes place through more than 70 different Asian ministries on the ground, who are the ones responsible for mobilizing, training, placing, and taking care of the individual missionaries on the frontlines.

In the network of partnerships that makes up Asia Harvest, the final crucial component is you! We thank the Lord Jesus for the many believers He has connected us with over the years. Not many are materially wealthy, but they have a heart for the Lord and they want to see His kingdom established in Asia.

Through your prayers, encouragement and support, lost people in remote villages and teeming cities of Asia are hearing the Good News of Jesus for the first time and are being saved by His wonderful grace.

Projects Supported in 2022

2022-23 Annual Report

In the remainder of this newsletter we present our Annual Report, detailing the help Asia Harvest provided to the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2022.

It has been a privilege to serve the Lord for another year, and we feel greatly blessed to be a link in the chain that resulted in many people coming to know Him.

Last year, more than 1.3 million Christian families were strengthened by receiving God's Word through our Bible projects, while the 1,598 Asian evangelists we support led a total of 346,986 people to Christ among 1,233 different tribes and ethnic groups.

For over 30 years, our strategy has been to operate with as few overhead expenses as possible, so that the maximum amount of resources will reach the hands of frontline workers the Asian Christians we are honored to assist and serve.

We thank each person who prayed for and supported our work last year.

Without your vital partnership none of these things would have occurred.

From the time of Asia Harvest's inception in the 1980s, we have desired to be transparent in the area of finances.

Our annual financial statements are independently audited each year, and are available for anyone to view on our website. We thank God that last year we were able to send out substantially more project money than we received.

Our operating costs are minimal, and are fully covered by non-project donations, and from income generated by book sales. This means that 100% of project donations are used on the field in Asia exactly as specified. Our audited financial statements our available to read online .

China Bible Fund

EQUIPPING CHINA'S CHRISTIANS WITH GOD'S WORD

There remains a critical shortage of Bibles in China today because of the massive growth of the house churches.

Tens of millions of Christians are still unable to access God's Word.

Our Bibles are distributed free of charge to all parts of China, establishing new believers in the faith and adding fuel to the revival fires that continue to burn throughout the worlds most populated country. Each full Bible costs just $3 to print.

By God's grace and power, since 2000 we have printed and distributed more than 17.2 million Bibles to house church believers in China, with 948,096 in 2022 alone.

This equates to 2,597 Bibles every day, 108 per hour, or one full Bible every 33 seconds throughout the year. Each one is a miracle in todays extremely tense atmosphere for the Church in China. Thank you for praying and giving.

CUMULATIVE GRAPH SHOWING THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CHINESE BIBLES PRINTED BY ASIA HARVEST: 17,249,967

Asian Workers' Fund

PARTNERING WITH PIONEER ASIAN EVANGELISTS

BECAUSE OF YOUR PRAYERS AND PARTNERSHIP, WE ENDED 2022 SUPPORTING 1,598 ASIAN MISSIONARIES , SERVING AMONG 1,233 UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS. A REPORTED 346,986 PEOPLE EXPERIENCED GOD'S SALVATION LAST YEAR.

The Asian Workers' Fund supports Asian evangelists who are working among people groups that have never heard the Gospel These workers encounter much hardship. but have persevered and are seeing breakthroughs among many groups.

In 2022, those we support through this project led 346,986 people to salvation in Jesus Christ (an average of 217 per worker). A total of just over one million conversions have been reported since this project began. Hallelujah! This is remarkable considering most of the workers serve in the darkest and most unreached areas of Asia, including among numerous Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist people groups.

The Asian Workers' Fund is constantly expanding and new workers are being recruited.

We invite you to support one or more Asian missionaries with a gift of $25 per month each. A laminated prayer card is sent to every supporter of the project.

Asia Bible Fund

PROVIDING BIBLES TO ASIA'S CHRISTIANS

Asia is home to many groups where people have been prevented from accessing God's Word, sometimes for decades. Whereas our China Bible Fund is separate and focuses only on China, the Asia Bible Fund provides the Scriptures in numerous languages throughout Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and elsewhere.

In 2022 we printed and distributed 261,498 Bibles in 26 languages through the Asia Bible Fund. For many people groups it was the first time in history they had Scripture in their language. Often, the Bibles were the answer to years of prayer by desperate Christians, who were hungry for God's Word but unable to access it. All glory to the Lamb of God!

Please pray for this project and for all who are involved. In 2022 we printed Bibles through the Asia Bible Fund in the following languages:

Bhilali, Bhunjia, English, Gowlan, Gowli, Halbi, Hindi, Indonesian, Kannada, Kachin, Kolami, Marathi, Meitei, Noiri, Odia, Powari, Reli, Siddi, Sholaga, Telugu, Tharu Rana, Urdu, Vaagri Booli, Vagiri, Vietnamese

Current Total: 1,662,143 Bibles Printed in 160 Different Languages.

Each Bible Costs an Average of $2.70 to Print & Deliver.

Persecution & Relief Fund

TRANSFORMING LIVES FROM ASHES TO BEAUTY

As most of Asia slowly comes out of the three years lost to Covid lockdowns and infections, many of our partners have struggled to get their churches and work back to the level it was at prior to the pandemic. We helped people in numerous ways through the Persecution & Relief Fund last year.

Thanks to your generous support, in 2022 we launched a new initiative to care for the physical and spiritual needs of hundreds of lepers in central India. Our October newsletter highlighted this need, and touched many readers' hearts, especially the testimonies of those who have been struck by this awful disease. In one location, 272 of the 300 lepers we and our partners are helping have committed their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Other ways this project has helped people in 2022 include providing relief after floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters; the provision of wheelchairs; motorcycles and bicycles; freshwater wells; sewing machine centers and vocational training for girls at risk; blankets and warm clothing; medical clinics for the poor; help for orphans; and a host of other ways that display the love of Jesus, and allow our coworkers to share the Gospel with those who have never heard it.

Many thousands of people were added to the kingdom of God after they saw the love of Jesus demonstrated through the selfless acts of God's servants.

The Children's Fund

YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT HAS REACHED 205,444 CHILDREN THROUGHOUT ASIA SO FAR

The Children's Fund introduces children to Jesus in India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and a host of other Asian countries.

Activities include printing and distributing Gospel literature designed for children, funding Sunday school training classes, providing free surgeries for those with special needs, and generally lifting children out of spiritual and physical poverty.

It costs an average of just $10 to reach a child for Christ.

Living Martyrs' Fund

BECAUSE OF YOUR PARTNERSHIP WE ARE SUPPORTING 2,096 LIVING MARTYRS

A MARTYR has been defined as "a Christian who chooses to suffer death rather than deny Christ or His work. One who sacrifices something very important to further the Kingdom of God and endures great suffering for Christian witness."

The Living Martyrs' Fund supports Christian widows and church leaders and their families throughout Asia who are unable to work because of injuries or illness caused by persecution.

They and their families face extreme poverty and hardship. Through a gift of $25 per month you can help support one of these living martyrs.

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A Voice From China - Interview With a Senior House Church Leader

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 02:40:28 GMT

Chinese house church leader Zheng Haoru and his wife, who are now with the Lord. Brother Zheng, who spent more than 20 years in prison for the Gospel, has been the "face" of our Living Martyrs' Fund for years.

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Introducing David Joseph as Our New U.S. Director

Before we present our newsletter, Asia Harvest is glad to announce that recently we appointed David Joseph to the position of U.S. director. Please pray for him and his family, who come into the role after almost two decades serving the Lord on the front-lines in Asia.

David brings many God-given skills into the role, and we are excited to see how the Lord uses them for His glory. In the future, David will be contributing to our newsletters, and will be available to share about our work in churches, home meetings and with indiv iduals .

"'When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?' The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord is on His heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; His eyes examine them" (Psalm 11:3-4).

The last few years have presented many challenges, as society crumbles under the weight of its own sin and problems. The pandemic, war, and inflation have placed stress on the world system, and many cracks have appeared.

In Psalm 11, King David asked what the righteous can do when the very foundations of life and society are being destroyed. The answer is to cherish the Lord Jesus Christ with all our mind, soul, and strength, and to serve Him wholeheartedly.

In Asia, the last few years have been brutal for many of the Christians we are privileged to serve. The disciples of Christ have clung to Him, howver, and the Lord is bringing them through the storms.

If you have been reading our newsletters for some time, you will know that in 2016 we began to sound an alarm that something very large and sinister was brewing in China. Some people mocked us, but by the following year house church leaders were telling us that the persecution in their areas was the most severe since the Cultural Revolution 40 years earlier.

Although foreign missionaries have not been allowed in China for generations, hundreds of thousands of foreign Christians have been serving there in various capacities, including as teachers, students, researchers, and businessmen. They have been salt and light to the Chinese people, and many have played key roles in serving the Chinese Church as they evangelize and disciple their country.

In 2017, tens of thousands of foreign Christians began to be systematically expelled from China, as President Xi Jinping introduced new laws designed to control and ultimately eliminate Christianity. In one short period of a few weeks, thousands of families were expelled from China, causing massive heartache and pain.

Airports in places like Hong Kong and Thailand were filled with bewildered families who had been given 48 hours to pack up their possessions and leave China.

We know some who had worked legally in China for decades, running businesses and employing locals. They had never been accused of breaking any laws, and were greatly loved and respected by the Chinese people.

In some cases, families owned apartments and vehicles in China and their children had just started a new school term. China was their home and the land they loved and planned to stay for the rest of their lives. Some friends of ours were even handcuffed and taken to the nearest airport and placed on the first flight out of China. They were not permitted to lock up their homes, withdraw the savings from their bank accounts, or say goodbye to their friends. They were placed on blacklists and are now unable to enter China. Many have struggled to come to grips with how their ministries and God-given call were abruptly shut down.

The removal of foreign believers from China has been so thorough that we scarcely know of a single foreign Christian still there, and those we talk to in other ministries have had the same experience. Many mission organizations have been totally devastated.

If you have read any of our China Chronicles books , you will know that China has followed the same pattern several times in history. In the early 1950s, for example, all foreign missionaries were forcibly expelled from China. The Communists wanted to remove them first before launching a massive persecution of Chinese Christians.

By cutting off their foreign connections, the authorities knew that any voices of protest would be silenced, and the rest of the world wouldn't learn of their dark deeds.

The same has happened in China in recent years, as "president for life" Xi tries to create his atheistic Marxist utopia. As with his predecessor Mao Zedong, there is no room for competing ideologies in Xi's plans — especially Christianity, which is loathed by those who demand complete allegiance to their own kingdom.

At Asia Harvest, we love nothing more than to share testimonies from the Chinese Church to encourage God's people around the world. Stories of revival, faith, courage and extraordinary church growth have been the main subjects of our newsletters and books since the 1980s.

For the last five years, however, news from The Church in China has slowed to a tiny trickle. Many Chinese church leaders have turned off their phones and computers and have adopted a low profile. Most churches that used to have hundreds or thousands of members have purposely broken up into tiny cells of three or four believers, who meet secretly for prayer and fellowship. History is once again repeating itself in China.

Please don't be discouraged by the developments in China! After Mao tried to obliterate the children of God during a quarter century of brutal persecution, the Living God declared, "Enough!" Jiang Qing, the fourth wife of Chairman Mao, once arrogantly told a group of foreign diplomats: "Christianity has been consigned to the history section of the museum."

Unbeknown to her, the Holy Spirit had breathed life into God's children, and over the years the number of Christians in China skyrocketed from less than one million when the Communist Party took power in 1949 to well over 100 million today.

Hallelujah! All glory to the Living God!

The years have rolled on, and now another strongman has emerged with plans to destroy God's people in China. Let us pray for Xi Jinping, that God may have mercy on him.

But should he continue with his plans, do not be depressed for Christians in China, for it will not be the first time that God uses the wrath of men to accomplish His purposes.

Although there has already been intense suffering, the people of God are once again being purified in the furnace of affliction, and they will one day emerge from this trial with a more intimate walk with the Lord, and ready to bring in an even greater harvest of souls than they have in the past!

A Voice from China

In the remainder of this newsletter, we have a special treat to share with you....

Although most news to emerge from the Church in China for the past five years have tended to be grim accounts of persecution and oppression, a few months ago we were able to safely interview a key house church leader at an undisclosed location, and to get the latest news from him about what is going on in China today.

This pastor, whom we will call Brother Hui (not his real name), has been greatly used by God for many years, and is the leader of a network of house churches in eastern China that has experienced many miracles and explosive revival.

Today his network numbers several million believers. Brother Hui is not widely known outside China, and he has kept a low profile during his years of ministry. Any details that may reveal his identity or that of his church have been removed from the original transcript.

We hope you enjoy our interview with Brother Hui. We wish we could do many more interviews like this with other church leaders in China, but friends, the situation there has become so dire that we hope you appreciate how unique this opportunity is. This is likely to be the final detailed Christian interview from China for a number of years, whether by Asia Harvest or any other Christian organization.

Please pray for Brother Hui and all Christians in China during this time of darkness.

If your faith has been shaken during the last few years as the world seems to crumble around you, we hope you will be encouraged not to give up, but to use the opportunity to press more into the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word, for He has promised: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).

Asia Harvest (AH): Brother Hui, thank you for taking the time to share with us and our readers around the world. Many believers are keen to know what has been happening in China and how the Body of Christ is doing.

Brother Hui: I appreciate the opportunity to share with you, and the believers in our churches send their love and greetings to all who belong to Jesus Christ! Several years ago things started to dramatically change in China, and we have had to seek God and adjust to the challenging environment. Because of the present situation, many Christians have been hosting small fellowships in their homes. This has been a time when the churches have had to rely on local leaders, not foreigners or recorded sermons. It has been a time of personal study in the Word, and a season for seeking God afresh with all our hearts.

AH: What are some of the ways that preaching the Gospel has become more difficult in China?

Brother Hui: For a few years now the government has been able to track people's movement through a phone app that is required for all travel, whether by airplane, train, bus or any other method. When we purchase a ticket or enter a station, the app reveals our identity. If we are on a government blacklist, as many pastors are, travel is blocked. Furthermore, those preachers who are able to travel find their movements are restricted and traced. The authorities have a record of everywhere they go and every person they visit. This and other challanges have forced us to become more cautious in how we minister, but we continue to share the Gospel and disciple believers. We will never stop serving the Lord!

AH: This level of control through modern technology almost sounds like China is living in a time similar to that described in Revelation with the mark of the beast. Are believers scared?

Brother Hui: Although I expect things will become even more difficult, we are not afraid. Jesus promised we would be hated by all nations because of Him, and so it is a great honor to suffer because of our affiliation with the true King. Even our ability to buy food or function in any way may soon be blocked, but God is in complete control. He died for us, and we are His precious inheritance. No matter what men may do to us, the Lord taught us to trust and not fear. He said:

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:28-31).

AH: We heard that during severe Covid lockdowns (which still continue in many places), believers were not allowed to meet together. What have you done to compensate for the lack of fellowship?

Brother Hui: Our church had many Bible study groups that began to meet on WeChat (the main Chinese social media app) and by Zoom during the lockdowns. The meetings only lasted three weeks, however, as the police came and arrested our leaders. Some were even dragged away while they were teaching God's Word, with all the church members witnessing the arrest live on their phones. The authorities also used people's devices to identify and track many who participated in the online meetings. We have learned our lesson. We will not be holding online meetings that way again in the future.

AH: Are there any specific ways we should pray for the house churches in China today?

Brother Hui: Yes, it seems that all Christians are being systematically identified, and if they have any dependency on the government they can face difficulties. For example, many elderly Christians in our fellowships have been told to deny Christ. When they refuse, the government takes away their pension and free medical care. Despite this hardship, they will never admit that the government is their provider. That role belongs only to the Lord Jesus Christ!

AH: With things now so difficult and controlled, has the number of Christians been shrinking?

Brother Hui: Despite all the new challenges and troubles, the number of believers in our churches has continued to grow! Our Lord told us not to hide the light of the Gospel, but to put it on a lampstand so everyone can see. We will continue to share Jesus for as long as we can, with as many people as possible. We have been distributing thousands of Gospel tracts, and most people are more receptive to the claims of Christ than before. Their confidence in this world and in the Communist Party has been deeply shaken by the pandemic and the economic woes that are destroying our country. I am especially burdened for the youth of China. They really need Christ, and millions have committed suicide since the pandemic started, as they lost all hope to live.

AH: China is a large country. From people you have spoken with, is the severe persecution more targeted in some areas than in others?

Brother Hui: In the past several years, the cities in our province have seen the strongest response to the Gospel, with thousands of new believers, while rural areas have experienced the most severe persecution. Things are particularly bad in the border areas of China, where most of the ethnic minority groups live.

AH: Can you share about the current need for Bibles in your churches?

Brother Hui: It seems the government is determined to completely choke off the supply of Bibles. Our main concern is for the many new converts. They must have God's Word, or they will not be grounded in the faith. In the past, young people could access the Scriptures through apps and websites, but most have been shut down in the last few years.

Physical Bibles are becoming increasingly rare. and a famine of the Word of God is coming upon us. Thank you for all you do to provide the Word of God to us!

AH: Do you have any other special prayer requests for the Church in China that you would like to share with us?

Brother Hui: Please pray for the youth of China. Young people today are more independent than in the past. They do not have a strong family network or community to rely on and to help them deal with modern challenges of life. In the past, a son was expected to follow in his father's footsteps. If your family were farmers, you would be a farmer. If they were cooks, you would be a cook. Today, however, farmers and cooks expect their children to be bankers, lawyers, or doctors. The expectations are unrealistically high, and the pressure is overwhelming. When things go wrong, vulnerable people are prone to break.

To see the big picture of what is happening in China today, a person must understand that this is a fierce fight for control over the Church of Jesus Christ. Satan and the world demand we bow down to them, but the true sheep of the Lord refuse to bow to anyone but Jesus. It is the same battle the patriarchs and prophets had in the Bible, and it will continue throughout China until the glorious moment when we will all hear a loud trumpet blast, and the rightful owner of the Church returns to rule and reign forever!

China Bible Fund

For more than three decades, Asia Harvest has been providing Bibles to the house church believers in China through our China Bible Fund .

In the early years we hosted teams that hand-carried bags of Bibles across China's borders, but this later changed into secretly printing millions of Bibles directly inside the country.

Despite many extreme difficulties in recent years, we are thankful to report that the project continues! For $3 each, the house churches we partner with are still printing full Chinese Bibles, which are provided free of charge to the multitudes of new believers who are coming to the Lord each year.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to bless the Church in China with God's Word while the door remains open for us to do so.

If you would like to help with this great need, please fill out the yellow response form in this newsletter and send it back along with your gift.

Alternatively, one-time or monthly donations to the China Bible Fund can be made via our secure website.

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Despised by Men, Loved by God - Reaching Lepers for Jesus Christ

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 23:04:25 GMT

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A Living Death - by Sister Linda Ann

We would like to share the following words from Linda Ann — a dear sister in Christ who has been a blessing to the kingdom of God in India for many years....

Imagine you have just been told you have leprosy. If you are an adult all your dreams and aspirations are suddenly shattered. If you have a job, you will lose it. If you do not have an occupation, you never will. There is no social security system in place in India to pay for your disability. If you are not rich (and certainly those with whom we deal with are not), then you are doomed.

Shame, fear, and horror set in as you know that you will soon be rejected by your family and will have to resort to begging on the streets. The thought of living in a leper colony terrifies you. No one will accompany you on your journey, you are now unclean, impure, contaminated. Everyone you ever knew or cared about will never come closer to you than several feet away. Your mind jumps from one thought to another, numerous ideas on how to survive compete with one another for dominance. Everything you have always known and taken for granted is now a big question mark.

Exile is unavoidable. Not able to earn a livelihood, you will have to 'learn' how to beg on the streets. Forgotten by your family, you will live in a hut on the outskirts of your village, perhaps in a cave, or worse in a makeshift tent behind the city's garbage dump. A life of isolation will be your lot as you hide yourself from people while the disease progressively destroys your body. Patches as white as snow have already appeared on your skin. When you examine your spots you feel nothing. Your skin is numb to the touch. You will notice that your nose feels stuffy all the time. You are now facing a debilitating disease. Leprosy has been called A LIVING DEATH.

Reaching Lepers for Jesus Christ

Throughout both the Old and New Testaments we can read of God's love and mercy toward those who suffer from the horrific disease of leprosy.

You may live in a part of the world where leprosy seems like a tale from the ancient past, but we can assure you in Asia the disease is alive and well, and afflicting multitudes of new people every year.

Governments and cultures deal with leprosy in different ways. Historical records show that leprosy has been present in south China for about 2,000 years, but for much of that time the government has dealt with it by committing genocide against the lepers, with many cases of slaughter too gruesome to mention.

In India, where 130,000 new cases of leprosy are reported every year (that's about 350 new cases per day), the plight for lepers is extremely grim. You may have heard that low caste people in India are called "untouchables". Well, even the untouchables consider lepers to be untouchable—lower than dogs on the social scale.

As a result, lepers are forced out of society, and many commit suicide the moment they discover they have contracted the disease. Sometimes, lepers have come together in remote locations where they huddle in makeshift shelters, despised and rejected by their fellow men, their country, and their own families and friends.

One false assumption people often make about leprosy is that it occurs because of the filth and unhygienic lives of those who contract it. In reality, leprosy strikes at all kinds of people regardless of their ethnic, educational, economic or social background. As you will read in some of the testimonies in this newsletter, leprosy can strike accountants, housewives, teachers, rich and poor, young and old. (It may surprise you to learn that an average of 200 to 300 new cases of leprosy are reported each year in the United States).

BROTHER KOTAYA — I am from the Banjara tribe. We used to worship idols made in the shape of animals. In my youth I found the stripes of leprosy on my body, and my wife also became leprous. All my family members immediately ostracized us. They even refused to provide us water, so we became street beggars. During our begging we reached a city, where one man took pity on us, gave us a piece of bread, and advised us to go to a special hospital in another town.

We had a glimmer of hope in our hearts for the first time, but we had great trouble until we finally reached the Christian Leper Hospital. There, for the first time in my life, I tasted the real love of Jesus. I came to know Jesus as my personal Savior. Until that time, I had only worshipped man-made gods. In India there are thousands of gods, but now I knew that those useless gods could not provide salvation to us. I threw out all our idols and became a Christian. Although our lives were changed we remained outcasts, so to survive we continued to beg on the streets.

After my salvation, one of my leper brothers showed me some vacant land where there were some huts for lepers. I prepared a shed for me and my wife to live in. A pastor often visited us, providing food and medicine freely, while teaching us more about Jesus. I was fully satisfied and lived in that hut for many years. Today I am spiritually nourished in Jesus' Name. I am so thankful to Jesus who saved me and enables me to live in this world through His grace. My eternal gratitude is to my Lord Jesus.

SISTER MARTHA — I am now 90-years-old. I was formerly married but my husband died long ago. When I was just 17, my family traveled to Burma (now Myanmar) for work. We traveled a lot, and when I came back to my home in India, I found a leprosy patch on my cheek. I tried to find treatment, but gradually the disease spread, and my family members kicked me out. People even prevented me from walking on the street. My life was dramatically changed, and all hope was lost. I used to worship idols of trees and animals, and I had no peace. My body and soul were taken captive, and it felt like I was trapped in a very dark tunnel with no way out.

At last, I found a Christian organization that had pity on my pathetic condition and admitted me into their leper colony. After some years I came to know Jesus as the true and living God, and I was baptized and took the name Martha.

Now Jesus is my Savior. Our beloved pastor provides me with food and medical aid, and he prays for me.

Although I am a poor widowed leper with no value in the eyes of the world, I have joy and peace with Jesus, and I am a daughter of God who will live with Him forever!

BROTHER GANESH — I was raised in a Hindu farming family. After years of hard work, I bought some land near to my house and was happy to earn a living by working hard. Some years later, I was shocked and horrified to find white patches on my left hand which I used for plowing. While I was suffering with this patch, a Christian evangelist came to our village and preached about a man named Jesus who called sinners to Himself. I heard the message, but my heart was hard and I didn't care. Although I was hiding it to my family, my condition deteriorated as the disease spread to other parts of my body.

Sometime later, I again heard words being proclaimed about Jesus. This time I reached out to the preachers, who gave me a recommendation letter and advised me to go and get help at the Leper Hospital. When my family learned that I had leprosy they completely ostracized me, saying I was now disqualified to live among them. I had no other place to go except the leper community, where I met the pastor. He provided me a vacant place to live, where I built a little shed for my wife and me.

Although I was from an idol-worshiping family, I committed my life to Jesus and promised to serve Him. The believers are using my wife and I to help dress the wounds of our fellow lepers, I am also cleaning our church. Because of your generosity, we now have food, shelter, and medicine, and we have experienced the amazing love of Jesus Christ and His Church. I feel great joy, and I am deeply grateful to the Lord Jesus that He cares for lepers like me, even though everyone else in this world despises us and are terrified by us.

Hearts of Thankfulness to the Lord

As you can imagine, most lepers are amazed when they are first exposed to the Bible to discover that lepers are mentioned many times in both the Old and New Testaments. Feeling rejected and hated by both God and their communities, they are speechless when they learn that Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe, not only cared about lepers, but he touched them, loved them, and healed them! It's hard for us to imagine the depth of emotion lepers must feel when they first meet the reality of Jesus. No wonder so many willingly surrender their broken lives to Him!

Of course, one of the main stories about lepers in the Bible is told in Luke's Gospel, when ten lepers were healed by Jesus. Luke records:

"One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, 'Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?' Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:15-19).

Not wanting to be like the nine lepers from long ago, the leprous believers we are privileged to help in India go out of their way to express their heart-felt gratitude to God for every mercy and provision in their lives, and they are also very gracious to Christians who minister to them. A few of them recently said:

"Thank you Asia Harvest, and all your supporters, for your loving help is beyond our greatest expectations. We feel the Lord is doing miracles through you!"

"We are so thankful to God for your generosity! Although we have been rejected and discarded by our own families and we live with a miserable condition, the Living God shows that He loves the weak and downtrodden like us! He saw us in our desperate state and did not leave nor forsake us. He raised up Asia Harvest to help us and to provide food, medicine, and the Word of God to us in our great need."

Life-Changing Sandals

Although at first it may sound ridiculous to say that we are providing footwear for people whose toes and sometimes their whole feet have been eaten away by leprosy, our co-workers are doing just that, and it is making a huge difference in people's lives!

In India rough, stony ground, mixed with human and animal waste is common. The lepers who are still able to walk found their wounds were easily infected because they could not wear normal footwear, and going barefoot was not an option. In response, hand-crafted sandals are made to fit each leper. The sandals have been specially fitted to hundreds of appreciative people. The sandals provide support and protection, and bring a great improvement to lepers' lives, as many who previously stayed in their huts are now able to get around without the excruciating pain and risk of infection they once had. Each pair of sandals costs just $10 to produce.

Dear friends, we didn't write this newsletter just to share the gruesome reality of the horrendous affliction of leprosy, but we wanted to tell you some wonderful news! If you have known us for a while, you will be aware that proclaiming the Gospel is at the heart of everything we do. It would be a crime if we only ministered to people's physical needs and they ended up in hell for eternity because we failed to clearly present the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ to them.

Because of the grace of God, hundreds of lepers have responded to the Gospel, and they will be counted among the redeemed around the throne of the Lamb, where they will be completely restored, and the memory of their years of misery on this earth will be forgotten. Hallelujah!

Reaching Lepers Through the Persecution & Relief Fund

We are blessed to be currently helping 300 lepers with food, medicine, sandals, Bibles, and in many other ways. It costs an average of $20 per month to minister to each person's spirit, soul and body. Of the 300 lepers, amazingly 272 have given their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ and have been baptized. They come from a variety of different tribes and unreached people groups.

Please pray for this strategic work, and if you would like to support our brothers and sisters in leper colonies, one-time or monthly donations to the Persecution & Relief Fund or our other projects can be made via our secure website .

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Record-Breaking Floods in Pakistan

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 20:23:44 GMT

Pakistani children in flooded Sindh Province who are being helped by Asia Harvest.

Dear Friends,

We want to let you know of an opportunity to help with an urgent need. While on the other side of the Himalayas, people in China are crying out for a drop of rain as they experience the most severe drought in generations, you may have seen on the news that Pakistan is experiencing massive, unprecedented flooding. About one-third of the entire large country is underwater. Thousands of people have drowned, and a staggering 30 million people have no home to return to. Not only are there immediate needs to keep people alive, but the long-term prospects are grim, as the best crop-producing land in the country has been completely wiped out, is likely to lead to mass starvation.

That’s the bad news, but the good news is that while we can’t help millions of people, for years we have been working closely with Pakistani church leaders in the worst-affected areas. They have already launched into action to help the most vulnerable, starting with 400 families who have lost everything.

We are providing funds for food, water, blankets, and tents and tarps for these initial 400 families. The average cost is $51 per family. We expect the need to grow rapidly.

Please pray for the people of Pakistan―where 476 of the country’s 479 people groups are considered “unreached”. Pray the Living God will use this disaster for His glory, and many desperate families will meet Jesus Christ as Lord.

Also please pray for strength, provision and godly wisdom for the Christians in Pakistan who are helping others at this time.

If you would like to financially support this program, we invite you to give to our “Persecution & Relief Fund” with a note: “Pakistan flood”. Donations by credit or debit card can be given via our website, while US and Canadian supporters can also give directly from their bank or checking accounts. If you prefer, you can give via our Paypal account .

We guarantee that 100 percent of gifts will be sent to help this need. Nothing will be deducted for any reason, and any bank or card fees will also be covered by Asia Harvest, so that the full amount will be sent to Pakistan.

Finally, donations can be sent by mail, or directly via one of our bank accounts in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, or New Zealand. Our address and bank details are found here .

Thank you, and may the Lord Jesus be exalted above all peoples in Pakistan!

The team at Asia Harvest

Genocide in Xinjiang

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 23:16:15 GMT

A Uyghur man demonstrating how he was tied up and tortured by the Chinese authorities in Xinjiang.

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"Rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.... Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus" (Revelation 12:12, 17).

If you watch the news, you have probably seen XINJIANG (pronounced "Shin- jeung") mentioned at various times over the past several years. Some people may be shocked that we used the word "Genocide" in the title of this newsletter. That description is not our own. The term has officially been declared against China for their horrific acts in Xinjiang by the United Nations, US Congress, British and European parliaments, and a large number of independent bodies.

In this newsletter we will highlight some of the things being committed against the people of Xinjiang by President Xi Jinping and his Chinese Communist Party. As many as three million people have been systematically destroyed in concentration camps over the last several years. However, our primary concern is for those victims the secular media will never mention — the Body of Christ in Xinjiang .

If this is the first you have heard of the situation in Xinjiang, you can easily search "Xinjiang Genocide" on the internet and find hundreds of articles, videos and other resources related to the sick and demonic events that have unfolded there.

If you are tired of all the conflict and stress that has been affecting society in recent years, we are sorry to let you know that the Chinese Communist Party is now aggressively pursuing its global ambitions. Sensing America is at a weak point in its history, China is setting up military bases from Africa to the South Pacific and across Asia, and their influence is already embedded in every corner of the globe. They have stood up as bullies in the region, challenging anyone who might dare to come and stop them.

Many Westerners don't understand that the foundation of Communism has always been militant atheism . They hate God and those who follow Him, and China longs to eliminate what it considers one of its gravest threats: the Good News about a carpenter's son who lived two thousand years ago. They fear His power to transform people's lives and to gain millions of devoted followers, and they have looked on in confusion as the number of Christians in China has grown from about one million in 1949 when the Communists came to power, to over 100 million today.

Because of their fear and loathing of Jesus Christ, the Chinese Communist leaders have a different view on recent history than most people around the world. If you ask anyone familiar with China what significant event took place on June 4, 1989, they will reply that was the day China crushed the Tian'anmen Square pro-democracy uprising in Beijing by mowing down the protestors with machine guns, and by running tanks over the spines of thousands of their own citizens.

We happened to be at Tian'anmen Square shortly after the massacre, but by then all evidence of the carnage had been erased, with the corpses burnt to ashes and teams with high-powered hoses washing the blood and ashes down the drains. Just days later, the Square was reopened to tourists as though nothing had ever happened.

To the Communist Party, however, something else happened on June 4, 1989, which causes them to tremble. On that very same day, demonstrations started by a group of praying Christians were held in faraway Poland, that saw the people overwhelmingly reject Communism. The movement quickly spread to other Eastern European nations, and at an amazingly rapid pace, the entire Soviet Union came tumbling down!

The Communist Party in China has publicly stated that Christians were to blame for the collapse of the Soviet Bloc, and this explains why they are willing to do whatever it takes to try and suppress the growth of the Church.

As the Scripture quoted at the top of this section teaches, the oppression of Christians in Xinjiang and elsewhere is best understood only when the spiritual force behind such attacks is identified as satantic that must be resisted with spiritual weapons of righteousness.

2017 - The Year Everything Changed in Xinjiang

Tensions have existed in Xinjiang between the Han Chinese and Muslim peoples (especially the Uyghurs) for centuries, but the situation broke into full-scale death and destruction in 2017, when conventional arrests were discarded in favor of mass detainment of every person the Communist Party considered a potential threat.

Although to the outside world the dramatic actions in Xinjiang seemed haphazard and rushed, they were carefully formulated and systematically implemented by the government.

For China, a major tipping point which led to this overwhelming action took place in the leafy city of Kunming in faraway southwest China at about nine o'clock in the evening of March 1, 2014.

On that day, a group of eight Uyghurs (six men and two women), dressed in black and wielding long knives, ran through the crowds of people inside the Kunming train station, slashing men, women, and children at random. By the end of the night, 31 people had been slashed to death and another 143 were injured, many with life-threatening conditions.

The incident in Kunming understandably shocked the nation, and the ability of the Communist Party to protect its own citizens was questioned. President Xi Jinping, who had only assumed office 15 months earlier, called for a focus on fighting terrorism, mobilized civilians to support policing, and set up an all-encompassing initiative called "nets above and snares below".

The subsequent unprecedented crackdown in Xinjiang resulted in up to three million people being interned in concentration camps throughout the region, where they were subjected to brainwashing and "re-education" programs that the Communist authorities cynically describe as "vocational retraining centers."

The Threat to Xi's Vision

A cornerstone of Xi's ascent to the presidency of China in 2013 was his comprehensive plan to make China the greatest military and economic power in the world. The centerpiece of this plan was his 'Belt and Road' initiative, designed to link China to the rest of the world and spur trillions of dollars in trade. Of all the places in China that are key to the implementation of this ambitious plan, none is more vital than Xinjiang, which serves as China's gateway to South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and ultimately Europe.

The timing of the Muslim insurgency in Xinjiang, therefore, could not have come at a worse time for Xi's plans. The increase in violence occurred right as the initiative was being launched, with billions of dollars of investment flowing into surrounding countries.

Facing a possible threat to the entire Belt and Road program and China's subsequent plans for prosperity and world dominion, the Chinese Communist Party launched a massive crackdown against the 12 million Uyghurs and other minority groups in Xinjiang.

To start, new laws were introduced in Xinjiang, one of which prohibited parents and guardians from "organizing, luring or forcing minors into attending religious activities or forcing them to wear religious dress or symbols." Citizens were encouraged to spy on their neighbors and to report parents they suspected of raising their children in a religious faith.

Although life for most Han people in Xinjiang continued without much change, the ethnic minority peoples were shattered and would never be the same again.

Tragically, the fledgling churches that had only recently emerged among these minority groups were also decimated, as believers found themselves caught up in the chaos. Many Uyghur, Kirgiz, Kazak, and Hui Christians were lost in the madcap violence that engulfed the region . Communists don't usually care or see any difference between Christians, Muslims, or other religious adherents. They are all the same to a Marxist.

Overwhelming Force

The police and military were given new wide-ranging powers in Xinjiang, aided by hundreds of thousands of facial-recognition cameras, that process everything that goes on in the region. Police were granted authority to stop and search anyone on the street and demand to see their phones or other electronic devices. If any questionable emails or texts were found, or the person had visited religious websites, they were immediately taken into custody.

Next, every person in Xinjiang who had a passport was ordered to hand it over to the police, and to apply for permission if they wanted to leave the country.

Locals in Xinjiang identified 48 "evil bans" which the government implemented as reasons for arresting people and sending them for "re-education." The list included "traveling abroad, knowing someone who has traveled abroad, watching foreign videos or movies, fasting, praying, attending religious seminars, downloading foreign software, not submitting voice recordings to the government, and speaking in a native language in public."

By the end of 2017, a glimpse into the scale of China's plans emerged with news that in addition to implementing a national facial recognition database, the government was creating a DNA database of every adult in Xinjiang. Human Rights Watch reported:

"Chinese authorities in Xinjiang are collecting DNA samples, fingerprints, iris scans, and blood types of all residents in the region between the ages of 12 and 65.... Compelled DNA sampling of an entire region or population for purposes of security maintenance is a serious human rights violation in that it cannot be justified as necessary or proportionate."

One of the dozens of massive concentration camps in Xinjiang where between one and three million people have been forcibly detained and tortured. China calls these "vocational retraining centers."

"Aden Yoq"

Awareness of the scale of the crackdown in Xinjiang gradually dawned on the rest of the world. Visitors to many cities and towns reported how entire neighborhoods had been boarded up and were largely devoid of people, while grandmothers were left to take care of children whose parents had been suddenly taken away. Satellite images appeared on Western news websites, showing how dozens of massive secure facilities, surrounded by barb-wire and high walls, had been quickly constructed throughout the region. Many camps were so large that they were able to house tens of thousands of detainees.

As the world struggled to come to terms with developments in Xinjiang, the estimates of the number of people incarcerated in the camps increased markedly, with the US Department of Defense stating the number was "at least a million but likely closer to three million citizens" in May 2018.

If the ethnic minority population of Xinjiang thought the preceding years were as bad as things could get, 2018 commenced with the Chinese constitution being altered to appoint Xi Jinping 'President for life', and the concentration camps were filled to overflowing. The few survivors to emerge from the camps have told of merciless torture, non-stop brainwashing about the glories of the Communist Party, rape and forced sterilization of women, and killing. The government also built hundreds of "orphanages" throughout the region to house the children of parents that had been killed. According to local media reports, just one county near Kashgar built 18 new orphanages in 2017.

The Chinese Communist Party did not limit their suppression to adults. Under direct command from Beijing, hospitals in Xinjiang were ordered to perform late-term abortions on minority babies, and in many cases newborn babies were killed as soon as they were delivered. A hospital worker, Hasiyet Abdulla, described the carnage:

"They wouldn't give the baby to the parents—they kill the babies when they're born. It's an order that's been given from above, printed and distributed in official documents. Hospitals get fined if they don't comply, so of course, they carry this out.... There were babies born at nine months who we killed after inducing labor. They did that in the maternity wards because those were the orders. Babies born alive were taken from their parents, killed, and then discarded like trash."

Dr. Joanna Smith Finley of Britain's Newcastle University commented: " It's not an immediate, shocking, mass-killing-on-the-spot-type genocide, but it's a slow, painful, creeping genocide.... A direct means of genetically reducing the Uyghur population ."

So devastating were the effects on society that the Turkic phrase adem yoq ("everybody's gone") was commonly heard throughout the villages and towns of Xinjiang. When asked how a person's family was doing, the answer was often: "adem yoq."

Muslim marriages were outlawed, and in June 2018, as part of the plan to transform Uyghurs into patriotic Chinese citizens, 40 Uyghurs from Kashgar, Aksu, and Hotan were arrested and tortured in concentration camps after they refused to participate in a Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. Muslim men were banned from growing long beards, women could not wear veils in public, and homeschooling was outlawed.

Arbitrary arrests of people with no connection to terrorism at all continued to occur across the region. For example, in December 2017 a Kazak man, Jierebaike Yelimaisi, was sent to a concentration camp simply because he had traveled abroad for heart surgery.

In the first few months of the crackdown, over 100 Christians were sent to camps throughout Xinjiang. As the Body of Christ was numerically small among the ethnic minorities, this wiped out most of the Church leadership in one swoop . A pastor's wife said, "I don't know where my husband is right now, but I believe that God still uses him in prison. Sometimes I am worried that he doesn't have enough clothes to keep warm. I am afraid it will affect my children too."

The situation became very real to us when a key house church figure in Xinjiang vanished when she visited a hotel in Urumqi and was asked to insert her ID card into a machine at the entrance. The moment she did so, according to witnesses, security officers appeared and took her into custody. She has not been heard from since.

Normally, when we announce a new China book, we tell readers about the evangelists we support among unreached people groups in that province, and invite people to participate if they feel the Lord wants them to pray and be involved. When it comes to Xinjiang, however, the situation is extremely grim.

Over the years we have supported dozens of evangelists in Xinjiang, including Uyghur, Kazak, Kirgiz, Hui and other church leaders from ethnic minority groups who were reaching their own people with the Gospel. Now we are supporting no evangelists at all in Xinjiang. Those we previously worked with have been killed, sent to Communist concentration camps, or are otherwise missing and unable to be contacted.

We have, however, printed and delivered over 250,000 Bibles to Chinese house church believers in Xinjiang through our China Bible Fund . The project continues, despite overwhelming challenges, and we invite you to help our Chinese brothers and sister access God’s Word while the opportunity still exists. Each full Bible costs $3 to print and deliver.

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The Camel Herder's Daughter

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 19:32:46 GMT

Although the number of Christians in Xinjiang was relatively low at the time of the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, the believers suffered terribly for their faith, and many went to an early grave as martyrs for God. One testimony of victory through adversity told of God's sustaining hand during those dark years.

In 1955 a baby girl was born in a remote part of Xinjiang, right as the political situation was changing for the worse. Her mother, who had gone to the region as a missionary after graduating from seminary, died when her daughter was just two.

The girl was raised by her father, a poor camel herdsman, and only when she was 14 did she discover that her father was actually highly educated, could speak several languages fluently, and that he had been exiled to Xinjiang because of his Christian faith. He deeply loved his precious daughter, and taught her mathematics, music, English, and the Bible.

When the fanatical Red Guards swept through their area, they destroyed all the camel herder's books except a copy of the English Bible, because they didn't know what it was. He was arrested and sent to a prison labor camp, and the young girl was forced to struggle on alone, with her father's final exhortation to endure suffering like a good soldier of Christ ringing in her ears.

With only the English Bible to keep her company for the next three years, the teenage girl learned to trust God, and she entered into her own rich relationship with Jesus Christ. Only then did she understand that her parents had carried their crosses as faithful servants of God, which made her heart swell in love and respect for them.

Later she entered university, where despite the risks she witnessed to her classmates, telling them that atheism was a bankrupt philosophy, and that God was real and could be personally known. Most of the students treated her with contempt, but some visited her discreetly to ask further questions. One girl became her close friend and sister in Christ.

In the early 1970s, with the Cultural Revolution still raging, the camel herder's daughter was publicly invited to join the Communist Youth League—a rare opportunity for someone from a "counter-revolutionary" family. She knew there was no way she could reconcile her faith with the atheistic organization, however, so she declined the invitation, simply stating: "I am a Christian." The meeting was thrown into chaos by her confession, and the leader was enraged with fury. She recalled the events of that day:

"In the din of the meeting I closed my eyes to pray: 'Heavenly Father, from the time I was small you have protected me. If this is ordained by You to test my heart, give me grace, and allow me to stand up in my weakness.'

When I opened my tear-filled eyes, the entire hall was as still as a mouse. Facing the whole school of more than 200 students and teachers, I poured out my sin and told of my insignificance before the cross. I told them of Christ's suffering for the world and that Christians don't harm society―they only do good to others and help them to know eternal life....

When I finished what I had to say, the leader of the Workers' Propaganda team looked as if he had suddenly awakened from a dream. He immediately upbraided me for using the university as a platform from which to spread my 'poison.' He wanted everyone to criticize me, but they had already felt the goodness of God...

At once I became the school's 'person in the news.' Wherever I went people pointed at me behind my back. Nevertheless, many students were sympathetic and...came to me privately to ask questions about salvation....

Quickly I gathered around me a small group of seekers, which soon grew to include more than 30 people. We divided into two groups and assembled on Sundays and holidays. Right up to our graduation we were never discovered by the school authorities. The brothers and sisters grew in spiritual discipline, and by the time they graduated their faith was mature and they were able to stand as Christians.

At graduation we were all assigned to different places. From Altai to Karakoram, every city received the souls of our feet. I was sent to a country school to teach English, but I often requested leave to go and visit my friends who were scattered in every place." [1]

1. Jonathan Chao, Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1988), pp. 229-231 .

Xinjiang - A New Book by Paul Hattaway

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 05:49:27 GMT

Photo: Camels crossing the Kumtag Desert in eastern Xinjiang.

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From the Frontlines

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: 'These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.'" (Revelation 2:12-16).

It is a great joy and privilege to serve the persecuted Church throughout Asia, and the many invaluable lessons of life and faith we have learnt from them are too many to count. We share one such testimony in this newsletter. However, we must be careful not to go too far by idolizing persecuted believers as though they are on a higher spiritual plane than the rest of us.

The Church in Pergamum was no doubt eager to hear what the risen Lord Jesus had written to them. He started by commending them for their perseverance in suffering, and one of their members had even been martyred for his faith. But in the next breath the Lord gave a solemn warning to them, threatening to come and fight against some of the church members if they would not repent! Being persecuted does not guarantee holiness in our lives. Being washed by the water of the Word and transformed by the Holy Spirit produces holiness and the fruit of the Spirit.

Persecution brings intense pressure to frail people, and they often respond negatively to the pressure. This is the reality of our walk with the Living God. We need Him every moment, and His grace sustains us. Let us be thankful for our brothers and sisters who have endured so much for the kingdom of God, but may we never idolize them by looking to get from them things that can only be obtained as we abide in the glorious presence of the King of Kings.

XINJIANG - China's Gateway to the World -

Book 6 of 'The China Chronicles'

by Paul Hattaway

In this newsletter we are pleased to announce the sixth book in our series on the mighty revival that has swept China during the past 50 years. The China Chronicles are proving to be a great encouragement and are enriching the spiritual lives of those who read them.

Xinjiang (pronounced Shin-jeung") is a vast region in northwest China that is twoand- a-half times the size of Texas (or seven times larger than the United Kingdom). It has been much in the news in recent years because of the genocide the Chinese Communist Party has committed there against more than one million Muslim Uyghur people.

Xinjiang also has a long Christian history dating back 1,400 years. Today there are nearly one million believers, mostly among the Han Chinese who have migrated into the region in recent decades. This book focuses on the heroic efforts to reach the Uyghurs and other Muslim groups who remain largely untouched by the Gospel.

The remainder of this newsletter is an excerpt from ' XINJIANG: China's Gateway to the World '. It shares the gripping testimony of Simon Zhao, who went to Xinjiang in 1949, only for the Communists to throw him in prison for 31 years, where he was beaten almost daily. Thinking he had been long forgotten by both God and Christians, the Lord miraculously brought Simon out of prison and gave him a powerful ministry among China's house churches, inspiring them to carry the Gospel to the unreached.

You can order a copy of the paper book here .

An e-book (kindle) version is also available.

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of the book and we will gladly send you one.

SIMON ZHAO - A Life Poured out for Jesus

Wen Muling and Simon Zhao—a couple deemed worthy to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Simon Zhao Haizhen was in his early 30s when he was appointed the leader of evangelism in a Chinese mission group called the Northwest Spiritual Band.

During a prayer meeting, the Holy Spirit gave Simon a vision as he prayed over a map of China. The Lord focused his thoughts on Xinjiang, so he placed his hands over that part of the map and prayed with great fervency.

Later, Simon met other Christians who had also been called by God to take the gospel to Xinjiang and the Muslim regions beyond. Among them was a young woman named Wen Muling, who later became his wife.

Simon Zhao led a team of six Northwest Spiritual Band missionaries to Xinjiang in 1949. They traveled much of the way on foot, though in some remote areas they rode horses or camels. On the way they won many soldiers to faith in Christ, for it was a troubled time in China's history with widespread upheaval.

Eager to plant the gospel in virgin soil, in the winter of 1950 Zhao led his team to a remote oasis town, but the new Communist authorities ordered them to leave. They moved west to Kashgar, where a few days later Zhao was arrested and thrown into prison. His pocket Bible was confiscated, and three long decades passed before he saw another Bible.

Every member of the Northwest Spiritual Band was imprisoned and given extremely harsh sentences, with only Simon Zhao coming out alive. His wife Wen Muling was pregnant with their first child at the time of her arrest, and she suffered a miscarriage. In 1959 she died in the women's prison, but cruelly, Simon wasn't informed about it until 14 years later in 1973.

During his first few weeks and months in the prison labor camp, the guards tried to make Simon renounce his faith, but when that failed, they ordered him to stop praying and beat him every time they caught him doing so. He never stopped praying, but learned to do so in secret when nobody was watching.

After a while, the guards thought Zhao must have changed because they never saw him praying, so they ordered him to write an article for the prison newspaper, praising the transformative power of the Communist system. When they saw what he had written, the guards flew into a rage. His article consisted of a short poem about the beauty of Jesus and a sketch of the cross.

The prison authorities tortured Simon mercilessly, slamming a heavy wooden bench on his back and kicking him all over his body. His sentence was extended for many more years. He was sent to work in a coal mine, where most prisoners died within a few months because of the filthy conditions and back-breaking work. He was required to meet a daily quota of several tons of coal—an impossible task for such a small and frail man. Not only did he have to mine the coal, but he also had to carry it to the surface in a basket tied to his back.

Year after year, the prisoners were forced to work 14 hours a day, seven days a week. The food was meagre and rancid. In the summer there was sweltering heat, and the winter temperatures plummeted to well below freezing. Hundreds of prisoners came to the mine only to perish within a few months. On many occasions, Simon Zhao was so exhausted that he could only crawl on the ground with his load. His body deteriorated, although his mind remained sharp.

For years Simon discreetly witnessed to many of his fellow inmates, and some believed in Jesus. There were a few other Christians in the labor camp, but the authorities placed them in separate cells and work units, allowing them to have only fleeting contact with each other.

Apart from the faithful presence of his Lord, who had promised never to leave or forsake him, Simon felt completely alone. For all the years he remained in confinement, he was not allowed to receive any visitors. His relatives didn't know whether he was dead or alive, and as the years of silence stretched into decades, few people thought about or prayed for him.

Simon Zhao later recalled that during those harsh years, he would periodically look up at the stars and remember the vision God had given him and his co-workers to take the gospel all the way back to Jerusalem. He often prayed, "Lord, I will never be able to go to Jerusalem, but I pray you will raise up a new generation of Chinese believers to fulfil the vision."

After many years of suffering in the coal mine Simon was almost dead, so the authorities transferred him to a chemical factory in another part of Xinjiang. This new job was even worse, for he was exposed to toxic gases and poisonous chemicals. Every evening after work he was required to report to the local prison, where the beatings continued.

Despite the brutal treatment meted out to Zhao, God had not forgotten His servant. On one occasion during a severe winter storm, the guards refused to let Simon stay in the heated cell block, stripping him to his underwear and forcing him to stand outside in the snow. As they pushed him out the door they mockingly said, "You believe in your God, so pray and ask Him to keep you warm!"

For the first few minutes, the cold wind tore into his flesh like a razor. Simon cried out to the Lord for mercy, something amazing happened. He felt a tremendous warmth, so much so that he soon had sweat dripping from his body as if he was relaxing in a sauna! The snow around his feet began to melt from the warmth emanating from his body, and he called out to his cellmates. When they looked out the window, they could scarcely believe their eyes. Steam was rising from his body!

Such dramatic miracles were uncommon, however, and for most of the time he suffered terribly. The Uyghur prisoners were especially cruel to Simon because he was a hated Chinese "pig-eater." He later described the way the Uyghurs beat him as "the same way they surround and pounce on a goat just before they kill it."

On one occasion, Simon was beaten and kicked so severely that his skull was fractured and he fell to the ground. While unconscious, he had a vision in which the Lord spoke lovingly to him: "My child, I am with you. I shall never leave you or forsake you." When he regained consciousness, he touched his head where his skull had been smashed and discovered that the wound had been miraculously healed.

Simon Zhao was beaten for most of the 31 years he spent in prison. It was only during the last several years, when he was an elderly man in his sixties, that he wasn't subjected to physical torture. During those long years behind bars he wrote this short poem:

I want to experience the same pain and suffering of Jesus on the Cross,

The spear in His side, the pain in His heart.

I'd rather feel the pain of shackles on my feet,

Than ride through Egypt in Pharaoh's chariot.

One day, in 1981, the prison superintendent announced: "The government of the People's Republic of China has decided to have mercy on you and show you lenience for the crimes you have committed against our nation. You are free to go."

The man of God shuffled back to his cell dazed and numb. He had never expected this day would come.

Simon Zhao after his release in 1981.

When Simon was first arrested in 1950 he had been in the prime of his life. He was an energetic man in his early thirties, and his beautiful young wife was expecting their first child. God had called them to preach the Gospel to unreached Muslim groups, and life was rewarding and exciting. Now, 31 years later, he had a long white beard and his wife and baby had died decades earlier.

Zhao walked out the prison gates into a completely different China from the one he had known. He had missed all but the first few months of Mao Zedong's reign, including his death in 1976. He had missed the insanity of the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, when millions of people were killed by fanatical Red Guards. His body was damaged from decades of torture and back-breaking work, and his face was marked with deep lines from more than three decades in the lion's den.

Nobody was waiting for Simon Zhao outside the prison. Everyone he knew had either died or had long forgotten about him. He had nowhere to go and nobody to see. Penniless, he couldn't even afford to catch a bus into the city.

The prison labor camp had been a part of his life for so long that he decided to construct a makeshift hut just outside the entrance. As he lay in his damp, cold hut, his mind sometimes wandered back to his life as a young man and the call God had given him. He had tried to obey God, but it hadn't worked out. He hoped he would soon die, for he knew that heaven was a much better place, where all the pain would be removed forever.

After some time, Christians in Kashgar learned about Simon Zhao and his testimony. With deep respect they brought the old saint food and a Bible, and they helped him in various ways.

News of Simon's remarkable survival spread from church to church in Xinjiang, and soon stories about him were carried back to other parts of China.

A house church leader from Henan Province traveled to Xinjiang to meet him, and persuaded him to make the long journey to Henan to share his vision for unreached people groups with a new generation of Christians. One senior house church leader shared the impact Simon Zhao had on his church members:

"I remember Simon Zhao as a most respectful older brother. He was a great soldier for Christ—one of the greatest Chinese Christians. He was a tremendous Bible teacher, able to wisely handle the Word of God. The Holy Spirit always spoke to people's hearts through his ministry. Until that time, mission work had not been a major priority in our churches. We were busy winning people to Christ, but the Lord began to show us that we also needed to lift up our eyes and expand our vision beyond China's borders, especially to the countries bound by Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

Simon Zhao sharing at a home fellowship in the late 1980s.

Our church members loved Uncle Simon like their own father, and felt very close to him. He had been deprived of fellowship with other believers for decades, but now the Lord gave him spiritual sons and daughters who deeply respected him. Sisters in the church cooked for him, washed his clothes, and helped him however they could. They treated him as they would an angel of God.

At that time we published a magazine to encourage believers. Simon refused to write any articles or share his testimony, saying, 'I don't want to have any attention focused on me.'

His ministry was very powerful, and a fire was lit in the heart of everyone who heard him. Many tears flowed, and thousands of believers were touched and received a call to missionary work."

Simon Zhao finally went to be with the Lord on December 7, 2001, among Christians who loved him. He was 83-years-old.

Since that time, the Chinese house church networks have sent thousands of missionaries into the unreached nations surrounding China.

"Uncle Simon," as he came to be affectionately known, had learned that the Lord always finishes what He starts, and is faithful to fulfil all of His promises.

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The Asian Workers’ Fund - The Heartbeat of Asia Harvest

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Tue, 10 May 2022 17:22:01 GMT

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Recently, quite a few people have asked us about the Asian Workers' Fund and how it operates. As it is one of our foundational projects that we have run for decades, we thought it would be a good idea to share the principles of the Asian Workers' Fund, and explain why we consider it the single most important project we do. Paul has often said that if the Lord appeared and said we could only keep one project, he would choose the Asian Workers' Fund, for it is at the very center of God's purposes in the world today. We would like to take this opportunity to answer some of the common questions we are asked about the project:

What is the Asian Workers' Fund and why is it important?

The project supports Asian church-planting evangelists who are serving among the most unreached and unengaged people groups in Asia. We deliberately choose workers among obscure groups that others consider difficult or impossible to reach. In Asia, this often means we are trying to reach Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu groups. Our thinking is in line with the Apostle Paul, who said: "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation" (Romans 15:20).

Let us not forget that today there are still thousands of unreached people groups in the world (mostly in Asia). Until each group has received a clear presentation of the Good News about what Jesus Christ has done for them on the Cross, He will not return. It was the Lord who told us: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations [ethnic groups], and then the end will come " (Matthew 24:14).

We do not support evangelists in "easier" places or among people groups that already have strong churches, even though there would be many more individuals saved. Our focus is not only on reaching individuals, but on penetrating entire ethnic and language groups that have never heard the Gospel. In this regard, a key aim of the project is to help start movements to Christ, rather than to maintain a work that is already underway.

Photo at the top of page: Hundreds of ethnic minority people in southwest China listening to an evangelist supported through our Asian Worker's Fund. This meeting took place several years ago, before the intense persecution commenced. Unfortunately, meetings like this are not possible in China at the moment .

Subsequently, we are not looking simply to support as many workers as possible. Rather, we are selective, and most applications we receive are not approved. We also regularly evaluate those we are supporting, to ensure the project remains "cutting edge" and strategic for the kingdom of God.

In our experience, much missionary activity begins with a vision to share the Gospel with those who have never heard, but ends up evolving into "Christians helping Christians." This in itself is not a bad thing, but it is not the objective of the Asian Workers' Fund.

We also do not support pastors through this project. We believe the believers in each congregation—no matter how small—should be responsible for supporting the needs of those who shepherd them. If an evangelist's role evolves into being a church pastor, we allocate their support to someone new, while encouraging them to train up their church members to take the Gospel to unreached people groups.

An evangelist in Indonesia preaching the Gospel to attentive fishermen and their families.

Despite the strict parameters we apply to the project, we are currently supporting 1,544 frontline Asian missionaries in 21 countries, who share the Gospel among 1,197 different people groups (many workers are reaching multiple groups).

To Serve and not to be Served

At the time of writing this newsletter, we are partnering with 70 different Asian church and mission groups, who oversee the 1,544 field workers.

Some people have wondered how Asia Harvest is able to "take care" of 1,500 missionaries spread over 21 countries. The answer is: we don't! That would be impossible. The real work is done by the leaders of the 100+ Asian missions we partner with.

They oversee the courageous individuals who have given their lives to serve in far-flung parts of Asia, from the frozen mountain passes of the Himalayas, to the grasslands of Mongolia and Central Asia, to the humid jungles of Southeast Asia.

Each missionary must be a member of a good Christian fellowship in their country, and be commissioned and sent to the field by their home church. We have developed partnerships with many church and mission leaders, and we send all support through them. They are responsible for mobilizing, training and placing each worker. The leaders also distribute the resources we send, provide reports and accountability, and take care of each individual missionary on their team.

Every mission organization says they are serving the local Church in each country. However, in reality Asian believers often end up serving the vision of the foreign mission, and not the other way around. We don't care if none of the individual workers have ever heard of Asia Harvest. In fact, we prefer it that way.

You won't find a single building anywhere in Asia with "Asia Harvest" above the door. We have no interest at all in promoting ourselves, and if we did put our name on things it would quickly attract persecution and be shut down anyway. Our relationships are with the Asian ministry leaders we support. If the evangelists on the field ask where the funds come from, their ministry leaders often tell them: "It comes from God and His people".

From the time the Asian Workers' Fund began, we have been careful not to create "dependency", so there are several non-negotiable principles we adhere to. By giving through the leaders of existing Asian churches and missions, the support we provide is not seen as "foreign" money, which can attract persecution and create problems in certain countries. Instead, by giving through existing, Godanointed leadership structures, we help strengthen the Body of Christ in Asia.

Evangelists in India preparing to ride their bicycles to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the lost in their district.

How is Each Worker's Support Made Up?

Each missionary is first and foremost required to be supported by their local church, and by friends and family members. This way, they do not rely solely on the funds we send.

Missions history is full of examples of local church movements collapsing when missionaries were expelled, and their funds dried up. We are determined not to be in that position, so what we provide should never be considered a "salary". Rather, it is a special blessing for the workers, but not the main part of their income. What we give does make a huge difference to the workers and their families, however. We also help with needs such as travel assistance, so that evangelists can travel widely to proclaim the Gospel, without the burden of having to pay for bus or train tickets from their limited personal income.

The Lord Jesus said: "Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him" (John 7:18). In a similar way, the approach of Asia Harvest over the years has helped develop many healthy relationships, as key Asian leaders have come to trust that we are there to serve them with love and respect, and not to be served. We truly come alongside them to help them get the job done more effectively, and we never interfere or impose a hidden agenda on them.

How Much we Give, and why we Raise support in $25 increments

Our decision to raise support for the Asian Workers' Fund in $25 increments dates back about 20 years, when we used to match each donor to a specific worker. We soon found that system didn't work, as when people stopped or changed their giving, we were left scrambling to try to find another donor for the next month's support. This created uncertainty and stress for the workers on the field, as they and their families were never sure if they would still receive support the next month.

Instead of evangelists receiving their help from one source, the Lord led us to restructure the project so that different donors essentially take a "part share" in one worker's support.

By spreading the responsibility for one worker's support among different donors, we have found that if someone stops giving, we can quickly reallocate that portion to a new donor, or we make up any shortfall from "where needed most" donations. By restructuring the project this way, we have not missed a single commitment to the many hundreds of workers we support in the past 20 years.

Therefore, as we collect funds in $25 increments, if someone starts giving $50 per month to the Asian Workers' Fund, we allocate two workers to them and send two prayer cards. If someone gives $100 per month, we send four prayer cards, and so on. This also encourages more prayer for those on the field, as supporters around the world intercede for the evangelists and for a breakthrough among the people group they are engaging.

We send every dollar of what comes in for the Asian Workers' Fund to the frontlines in Asia. Nothing is deducted for administration or any other expense. The amount we give each worker depends on a number of factors, including what country they are in, if they live in a city or village, whether they are married or single, how many children they have, etc. Generally, most workers receive an average of $50 to $100 per month from us, plus many other resources to help them do their work more effectively. We will share more about those in a moment.

A Birds-Eye View of God's Work in Asia

We require regular updates from all workers we support. A few of their reports and photos may end up being featured in our newsletters, unless they work in a sensitive country where publishing their information might lead to persecution.

By overseeing the Asian Workers' Fund, we get a sense of what the Lord Jesus is doing as He builds His Church throughout Asia. We get to see and hear about the ebbs and flows of the harvest field. For example, right now we can tell you that the Gospel is thriving strongly in parts of Indonesia, India, Laos, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and among various people groups in the Himalayas.

On the other hand, the worst persecution in 40 years in China has caused a rapid deterioration in the work with China's 400 ethnic minority groups. The same could be said of Vietnam. We still support many Chinese missionaries, but the situation there has become so grim that many of the same workers who used to report leading 30 or 40 people to Christ in a six-month period are now reporting between zero and a few salvations. This is happening as President Xi ramps up his efforts to obliterate Christianity from China and replace it with his peculiar blend of Godhating, power-hungry, money-making Marxism.

Other Resources that Help Get the Job Done

These women in Bangladesh are now Christians after they completed a literacy class led by local missionaries we support through the Asian Workers' Fund. In many cases, the first words they ever read is the Gospel. Often, by the end of a course, two-thirds of the women have repented of their sins and follow Jesus. This is just one example of the many ways we help the Good News spread among the unreached in Asia.

While the Asian Workers' Fund provides a base of support for individual evangelists, each year we actually give much more by equipping them with the resources they need to get the job done. In this respect they are like soldiers in an army, where the equipment they carry determines the success of their mission more than just the compensation they receive.

Through other projects such as the Persecution & Relief Fund , Living Martyrs' Fund and The Children's Fund , we strengthen the workers and enhance the fruitfulness of their ministries by supporting orphans, widows, sewing centers, literacy classes, children's ministry, digging fresh-water wells, and numerous other initiatives.

None of these are mere social works. They are done to help share the gospel with the lost, and over the years they have been the catalyst for drawing many tens of thousands of people into the kingdom of God.

We currently have dozens of unsupported Asian missionaries among unreached people groups, especially in India, Nepal, Laos, Bhutan, and Indonesia. If you, your home group or church would like to support one or more of these workers, we invite you to do so through our Asian Workers' Fund .

For each $25 per month committed, we will allocate an evangelist to you, and will send a laminated prayer card with information about the worker, and a profile of the people group they are targeting, to help you pray for them. For those who continue to support the project, written updates from the field are provided every six months.

If you would like to help partner with strategic Asian missionaries as they fulfill the Great Commission, please fill out the yellow response form in our newsletters and send it back along with your gift. Alternatively, one-time or monthly donations to the project can be made via our secure website .

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Love Never Burns Out

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Sun, 01 May 2022 07:35:44 GMT

We are honored to share a guest message by Elijah Gergan , whom we first met at a conference in the Himalayas 25 years ago. Gergan is a Tibetan word meaning "teacher". If you have read our book, " Tibet: The Roof of the World , " you may remember the first ever Tibetan to have contact with missionaries was Elijah's great-great grandfather Sodnam Wangyal (Tempu Gergan) in the 1850s.

We have also shared the epic story of the Tibetan Bible , about how Elijah's grandfather, Yoseb Gergan, completed the first translation of the Tibetan Bible in 1948. In an amazing testimony of God's grace and preserving power, Elijah has continued his family's wonderful Christian heritage that stretches back over 150 years. Next month, he will celebrate the milestone of 40 years of faithful ministry among Tibetan people. He recently shared this word of encouragement with us:

"Elijah was afraid and ran for his life... He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. 'I have had enough, Lord,' he said. 'Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors'" (1 Kings 19:3-4).

Burnout is one of the most prevalent social diseases of our time. It occurs when someone feels overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and is unable to meet constant demand. It takes all joy out of a person's career, friendships, and family.

When Elijah was burnt out, he felt like he had nothing left to give and was pessimistic toward life. The Apostle Paul was no stranger to sacrificial service and hard work. His work for God's people was relentless, and he outdid all of the other apostles, saying, "I worked harder than all of them" (1 Cor. 15:10).

Unlike Elijah, and despite his physical limitations and severe opposition, Paul was able to write from prison: "Rejoice in the Lord always" (Phil. 4:4). He described his life as being "poured out like a drink offering" to God (Phil. 2:17). Paul held nothing back from the Lord. For him, "to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21).

Paul's complete existence was only for the Lord Jesus. His willing "giving away" of his life meant that everything he did was with the mindset of Jesus. Such "poured out" lives can never be "burned out" lives. People with no hidden selfishness are on sure footing. Their hearts are not divided, and they are able to rejoice always in God's will, praise and prayer. Paul was often alone, but never lonely, isolated, or out of step! Those whose poured-out lives are constantly replenished by the Holy Spirit will never be "burned out"!

Bibles for the Wa People - Testimonies

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 06:12:23 GMT

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In our previous post we shared some background of the one million Wa people of Myanmar and China, and how God reached them with the Gospel in the most extraordinary way in the late 1800s.

In this issue, we introduce you to some of the Wa believers who recently received the Word of God as Asia Harvest provided 80,000 new Wa Bibles , free of charge, through our Asian Bible Fund .

The Wa are overjoyed to finally have God's Word in a form they can easily understand.There are many requests for more, and we invite you to prayerfully consider supporting this strategic endeavor.

The Wa Christians highlighted in this newsletter are representative of countless thousands of others who receive life-changing Bibles through Asia Harvest's two Bible projects. The China Bible Fund continues to strengthen and equip house church believers in China. Each full Chinese Bible is printed and delivered for just $3.00 , while the Asian Bible Fund continues to provide the Scriptures in numerous languages of Asia for an average of $2.70 per Bible .

If you would like to help provide God's Word to hungry believers like these, we invite you to consider making a one-time or monthly donation to the project can be made via our website .

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Bibles for the Wa People - From Demon-Worshippers to Children of God

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 20:11:10 GMT

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"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts" (Ecclesiastes 3:9).

"From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:26-28).

You may never have heard of the one million Wa people of northern Myanmar (formerly Burma) and southwest China , but in this newsletter we would like to introduce you to some of our Wa brothers and sisters in Christ, and share how tens of thousands of them are receiving the Word of God in their own heart language for the first time, through our Asian Bible Fund .

Do you know that most missionaries, including us, have been confronted over the years by both heathens outside the Church and misguided people inside the Church, telling us that we should leave "peaceful, loving" tribal people like the Wa alone? "They don't need Christianity," we have been told. "It just messes up their beautiful, harmonious way of life."

Such ignorant statements come from people who have obviously never spent much time on the ground in an Asian village. If they did, they would soon see how desperately the Wa and other tribes need the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their "peaceful" communities are actually full of strife, bitterness and sin. In the case of the Wa people, they have lived in deep bondage to demons for countless generations, with curses and violence causing many to live in utter terror.

Please don't be sucked in to the lie that any society can find peace or joy apart from God. The Word of God tells us: "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19).

The history of Christianity among the Wa is a long one, with God first reaching them with great power through a unique demonstration of His love and grace in the 1880s. The late Don Richardson's wonderful book, Eternity in their Hearts , tells the extraordinary story of how the Gospel first came to the Wa people:

"The Wa were headhunters. Just once a year, in the planting season, Wa tribesmen felt compelled by bloodthirsty spirits to plant human heads in their fields along with their seeds—just to ensure a good crop. Neighboring tribes always wanted to leave for vacation when the Wa were planting their crops, but unfortunately that was when they had to plant their crops too.

A benign influence, however, was at work within the folk religion of the Wa people. From time-to-time prophets of the true God, whom the Wa called Siyeh, arose to condemn headhunting and spirit-appeasement! One such prophet, Pu Chan, appeared during the 1880s. He persuaded several thousand Wa tribesmen to abandon headhunting and spirit worship on the grounds that the true God was about to send a long-awaited white brother with a copy of the lost book. If he came to the Wa territory and heard that the Wa were practicing evil things, he might think them unworthy of the true God's book and turn away again! If that happened, Pu Chan warned, surely the Wa would never get another chance to have the lost book restored to them.

One morning Pu Chan saddled a pony. ‘Follow this pony,' he said to some of his disciples. ‘Siyeh told me last night that the white brother has finally come near! Siyeh will cause this pony to lead you to him. While Pu Chan's disciples gaped in astonishment, the pony started walking. Expecting the pony to stop at the nearest stream, they followed it."

"They stared incredulously at the missionary's white face, the interior of the book in his hand, and listened to his description of the laws of God contained in that book. Then, in an outburst of powerful emotion, the Lahu pleaded with Young to follow them up into the mountains. ‘We as a people have been waiting for you for centuries,' they explained. ‘We even have meeting houses built in some of our villages in readiness for your coming.'

[Our thanks to Marcus Young, the grandson of William, for providing these two precious photos.]

Some of the men showed him bracelets of coarse rope hanging like manacles from their wrists. ‘We have worn ropes like these since time immemorial. They symbolize our bondage to evil spirits. You alone, as the messenger of Gwi'sha, may cut these manacles from our wrists—but only after you have brought the lost book of Gwi'sha to our very hearths!'

Nearly speechless with awe, Young went with them. Tens of thousands of Lahu became Christians, and it was at that stage that Pu Chan saddled his pony (200 miles away in Wa territory) and told his Wa disciples to follow it to the missing book and the messenger of the True God. When the pony finally arrived at the home of William Young, the Wa asked him: ‘Have you brought the book of God?' Young nodded. The men, overcome with emotion, fell at his feet and blurted out, ‘This pony is saddled especially for you. Our people are all waiting. Fetch the book! We must be on our way!"

Asia Harvest has been greatly blessed to provide more than 80,000 new Wa Bibles , free of charge, through our Asian Bible Fund . There are many requests for more, and we invite you to prayerfully consider supporting this strategic endeavor.

In our next post we will introduce you to just a few of our Wa brothers and sisters, as they share how they are overjoyed to finally have God's Word in a form they can easily understand.

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Annual Report - The Grace of God is Sufficient

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 07:38:26 GMT

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"One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand" (Exodus 2:11-12).

It could be said that Moses' first problem was that he "looked this way and that" before killing the Egyptian. If only he had looked up, he might have gained God's perspective. It's this way with all sin. We may look around to ensure no one is watching, but we forget that the Lord Jesus Christ knows all and is watching.

At the time, Moses already knew that God had called him to be the deliverer of Israel, and he thought people would recognize his call and honor his leadership. We learn this from Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin thousands of years later, when he said: "Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not" (Acts 7:25).

It's always a disaster when a person tries to help God fulfil His plans in their lives. We see it on many occasions in Scripture. In his own strength, Moses had trouble burying just one Egyptian, and he had to flee into the desert to an area in today's Saudi Arabia, where he hid for decades. Later, when God got involved, the entire Egyptian army was buried in one moment in the depths of the Red Sea!

As we look back on last year in this Annual Report, we are aware that many Christians found 2021 to be a very difficult and unsettling year, with the Covid pandemic and social and political turmoil combining to disrupt and challenge our lives. We know many people who have been sick, lost their jobs, or are increasingly disillusioned by the general breakdown of society. We have friends who have been unable to return to their home countries for almost two years.

Regardless of what position different believers hold on vaccines, it's clear that all around the world governments have seized more power, and history teaches us that once leaders take control in one area, they rarely give it up unless forced to do so.

Many Christians have told us they are weary of the sick world we live in; and they are tired of the state of the professing Church, much of which spews forth a false "gospel of non-repentance" that is powerless to save or deliver.

The Bible speaks of a day to come when an evil ruler will "speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High" (Daniel 7:25). The Lord Jesus warned us, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:12-14).

To all who love the Lord Jesus we say: "Never give up! And if you're feeling weak, rejoice! For He has promised, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Friends, we encourage you to do everything possible to saturate your minds and hearts with God's Word. Read it, study it, and meditate on it. If you don't like reading, then find a way to listen to the Bible. It's not enough to only get your spiritual food on Sunday mornings, or by hearing occasional podcasts by your favorite preacher. Our faith will only survive if we are connected to the true Vine, and relying on the Scriptures for our daily sustenance.

Cover photo: Dozens of new believers coming to be baptized in a river last year, after hearing the Gospel for the first time from a team of evangelists we support through the Asian Workers' Fund. Despite many challenges posed by persecution and Covid lockdowns, at the end of 2021 we were privileged to support more than 1,500 evangelists throughout Asia, reaching over 1,200 people groups.

Important Changes to the China Bible Fund

From the start of Asia Harvest 34 years ago, the China Bible Fund has been one of our foundational projects. In 2021 it continued to provide God's Word to a record number of house church believers throughout China.

For many years we have been able to keep the print price per Bible at US$1.80, as our colleagues inside China did everything possible to get the best value for money and lower costs to a bare minimum. Other expenses, such as transportation, we have always covered from non-designated funds and other sources. Subsequently, we have always been able to accurately say that if someone gives $1.80 for a Chinese Bible, we have placed a full Bible into the hands of a believer.

As you will know from your own part of the world, inflation is currently surging, and this is true in China more than most other countries. In the past year, inflation and disruptions to supply chains have caused the cost of paper to skyrocket by more than a third.

As a result, we are sorry to say that we can no longer peg down our $1.80 Bible price that we have used for the last 14 years. Instead, we have been forced to increase our base price per Chinese Bible to $3.00. That is the printing cost for each Bible. Our commitment remains the same as from day one—we ensure that every dollar given to Bibles goes for Bibles. That means no administration or any other deduction.

We don't want to continually adjust our price each time inflation and exchange rates go up or down, so we are setting this base price and plan to stick to it for an extended period. We will continue to cover all extra costs, such as transportation, from other sources.

Therefore, until further notice we guarantee that for every $3 given to our China Bible project, we will provide one Chinese Bible to the house churches in China, as long as God continues to hold the door open for us to serve Him in this way.

For the record, the Bibles we provide are excellent quality, with strong covers and binding. We only print full Chinese Bibles, and not just New Testaments. We hope you will agree that $3 to help transform lives with God's living Word remains a wonderful investment opportunity in the kingdom of God. Anecdotal evidence over the years indicates that churches often double in size in China within a year after receiving a shipment of Bibles from our co-workers.

Please pray for the China Bible Fund and everyone involved with it. We may be one of the last organizations still able to supply large quantities of God's Word to China's house churches, our position has always been that as long as the Lord holds the door open, we will do all we can to provide the bread of life to His children.

2021/22 Annual Report

In the remainder of this newsletter we present our Annual Report, detailing the help Asia Harvest provided to the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2021.

It has been a privilege to serve the Lord for another year, and we feel greatly blessed to be a link in the chain that resulted in many people coming to know Him. Last year, more than 2.5 million Christian families were strengthened by receiving God's Word through our Bible projects, while the more than 1,500 Asian evangelists we support led a total of 112,539 people to Christ among 1,203 different tribes and ethnic groups.

For over 30 years, our strategy has been to operate with as few overhead expenses as possible, so that the maximum resources will reach the hands of frontline workers—the Asian Christians we are honored to assist and serve. We thank each person who prayed for and supported our work last year. Without your vital partnership none of these things would have occurred

From the time of Asia Harvest's inception in the 1980s, we have desired to be transparent in the area of finances. Our annual financial statements are independently audited each year, and are available for anyone to view on our website.

We thank God that last year we were able to send out substantially more project money than we received. Our operating costs are minimal, and are fully covered by non-project donations, and from income generated by book sales. This means that 100% of all project donations are used on the field in Asia exactly as specified.

To read our latest audited financial statements, please visit the "Resources" link at our website .

Asia Harvest Projects Supported in 2021

China Bible Fund - Equipping China's Christians with God's Word

There remains a critical shortage of Bibles in China today because of the massive growth of the house churches. Tens of millions of Christians are still unable to access God's Word. Our Bibles are distributed free of charge to all parts of China, establishing new believers in the faith, and adding fuel to the revival fires that continue to burn throughout the world's most populated country. Each full Bible costs just $3.00 to print.

By God's grace and power, since 2000 we have printed and distributed more than 16.3 million Bibles to house church believers in China, with a record 2,371,690 in 2021 alone . This equates to 6,498 Bibles every day, 271 per hour, or one full Bible every 13 seconds throughout the year. Each one is a miracle in today's tense atmosphere for the Church in China. Thank you for praying and giving.

Cumulative Graph showing the total number of Chinese Bibles printed by Asia Harvest: 16,301,871

Asian Workers' Fund - Partnering with Pioneer Asian Evangelists

Because of your prayers and partnership, we ended 2021 supporting 1,571 Asian missionaries, serving among 1,203 unreached people groups. A reported 112,539 people experienced God's salvation last year.

The Asian Workers' Fund supports Asian evangelists who are working among people groups that have never heard the gospel. These workers encounter much hardship, but have persevered and are seeing breakthroughs among many groups.

In 2021, those we support through the project led 112,539 people to salvation in Jesus Christ (an average of 72 per worker). A total of 659,496 conversions have been reported since this project commenced. Hallelujah! This is remarkable considering most of the workers serve in the darkest and most unreached areas of Asia, including among numerous Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist peoples.

The Asian Workers' Fund is constantly expanding and new workers are being recruited. We invite you to support one or more Asian missionaries with a gift of $25 per month each . A laminated prayer card is sent to every supporter of the project.

Asian Bible Fund - Providing Bibles to Asia's Christians

Current Total: 1,400,644 Bibles printed in 146 different languages. Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and deliver.

Asia is home to many groups where people have been prevented from accessing God's Word, sometimes for decades. Whereas our China Bible Fund is separate and focuses only on China, the Asian Bible Fund provides the Scriptures in numerous languages throughout Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and elsewhere.

In 2021 we printed and distributed 168,283 Bibles in 41 languages. For many people groups it was the first time in history they had Scripture in their language. Often, the Bibles were the answer to years of prayer by desperate Christians, who were hungry for God's Word but unable to access it. All glory to the Lamb of God!

Please pray for this project and for all who are involved. In 2021 we printed Bibles through the Asian Bible Fund in the following languages:

Ahirani, Bareli Rathwa, Bengali, Bhattiyali, Bodo Parja, Chuhari, Dangi, Desiya, Dhankavi, Dhundari, Didayi, Gamit (Gujarati script), Gamit (Hindi script), Garasia Adiwasi, Garasia Adiwasi (Hindi script), Gharwali, Gowli, Holiya, Indonesian, Juray Saora, Kharam, Konda Dhora, Koli Waduyari, Koya, Kuvi, Ladakhi, Lodha, Lodhi, Malay, Mewari, Munda, Nahali, Paliyan, Pengo, Shekhawati, Sirmauri, Soriyali, Telugu, Tinani, Vahadi-Nagpuri, Vietnamese

Persecution & Relief Fund - Over 100,000 People Helped with Covid Relief

We hoped the pandemic would have died down by the end of last year, but new variations brought more lockdowns and untold misery to the people of Asia. Thanks to your generous support, we provided food and basic necessities to more than 100,000 impoverished people last year in 14 diferent Asian countries. The churches we partner with gained such a shining reputation because of the loving help they provided. Many thousands of people have been added to the kingdom of God, after seeing the truth and light of Jesus demonstrated through the selfless acts of God's children.

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Video of George Chen

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 03:30:19 GMT

Dear Friends,

Everyone involved with Asia Harvest work around the world would like to thank you for your prayers, encouragement and generous support throughout the year. Despite the many challenges Christian work has faced because of the pandemic and intensifying persecution, by God’s grace we have been able to supply more Bibles to the Lord’s children and support more workers in 2021 than ever before.

We hope that 2022 will be a fruitful year in your life. The Scriptures promise: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:7-8). Let’s not focus on troubles in the world, but be fully focused on the kingdom of God, for His timetable is running perfectly to plan! In 2022 we pray you will experience the presence of God next year closer than ever before as you draw near to Him and abide in His Word!

Many people were touched by our recent newsletter in memory of George Chen. Most had never heard of this dear brother before and asked if we had a video or more information about him. Because of the nature of his work, he largely led a low-key lifestyle, but we have discovered one 5-minute video clip from the 1990s in which George briefly shares his testimony. We would like to share it with you today, and hope it encourages and strengthens your own walk with the Lord Jesus.

God bless you as we serve together in the harvest,

The team at Asia Harvest

www.asiaharvest.org

In Memory of George Chen - Forever 'In the Garden'

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 07:04:33 GMT

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"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered" (Hebrews 5:7-8).

"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him" (Philippians 1:29).

A Tribute by Paul Hattaway

In recent times, many Christians around the world have written to express their concern at rising persecution in their nations. Believers can sense that it will soon be their turn to experience suffering, as the Word of God promises all believers. Some ask for advice about what they should do, not realizing that one of the main reasons we have written many books and newsletters over the years is to communicate how Christians around the world in "free" countries might learn spiritual lessons from the persecuted believers we are privileged to serve in Asia.

Friends, let me share a secret of how a child of God can overcome hardship and intense persecution. This lesson has been learned from many brothers and sisters in China, Vietnam, Laos and other countries over the years. The first step God calls us to is endurance . The Apostle Paul told Timothy, "You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3).

If the Lord brings us to that wonderful place where we only fear God and not what men can do to us, but we fear only God, it opens the door to glorious and intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Paul knew of that intimacy when he wrote about the fellowship of sharing in Christ's sufferings: "I want to know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11).

George Chen - In the Garden

"I come to the garden alone While the dew is still on the roses And the voice I hear falling on my ear The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me And He talks with me And He tells me I am His own And the joy we share as we tarry there None other has ever known."

God is Goo d!

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Psalm 116:15).

The Gospel Marches on in China

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Communism vs Christ - 15 Million Bibles in the Dragon's Den

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 06:00:16 GMT

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Quote: "It would be a great mistake to regard Communism merely as a political system. Communism is not only a religion, but it is also a dynamic missionary movement aspiring to the conquest of the whole world . ...

Communism attempts to provide a substitute not only for Christian doctrine and experience but also for many of the methods and activities used in the church. Indeed, Communists have often adapted Christian methods and have proved themselves to be more thorough and efficient in using them than the Christians from whom they were borrowed." - David Adeney, Missionary to China and Author.

Andrew Gih.

"Since they have to maintain large standing armies, concentration camps are a necessity-politically to silence the opposition by taking people away after midnight, sending them to concentration camps, so their families do not hear from them. They arrest so many that they instill fear into the minds of the people, so there is no opposition or rebellion.

Communist countries are not for commerce or trade. Their aim is always political. ... Communism is against human nature. It cannot stay in power except by brute force. So, in Communist countries the people not only have no freedom, but they constantly live in fear."

Communism vs Christianity - A Comparison

Communism is materialistic

Christianity is spiritual

Communism is godless

Christianity is God-centered

Communism is God-hating

Christianity is God-loving

Communism is God-defying and blasphemous

Christianity is God-honoring

Communism divides people into classes

Christianity unites people in Christ

Communism pulls down the higher classes

Christianity lifts up the lower classes

Communism spreads hatred and strife

Christianity spreads love and peace

Communism aims for a classless society

Christianity says, 'Thy kingdom come'

Communism sheds blood for revolution

Christ shed His Blood for salvation

The Blindness of Atheism

One of the key things to remember when we see the state of the world today is that God has promised to help people along the path they have chosen. For those who seek to glorify Jesus, the Lord blesses them with inner peace and joy, and opens doors for them to serve Him. However, for those who "did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, God gave them over to a depraved mind. so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice" (Romans 1:28-29).

Fifteen Million Miracles in China

Despite many troubles and challenges, our work continues to progress in China. As we have stated previously, as long as the Lord continues to hold the door open, we will continue to print as many Bibles as possible and to equip the house church believers while there is still light, for "night is coming, when no man can work" (John 9:4). By God's grace and power, we recently passed the all-time milestone of 15 million full Bibles printed and delivered to the Chinese house churches, which has added fuel to the revival fires blazing across that great land. Each Bible has been a miracle, and although now is not the time to share details, many people have suffered greatly for this project to advance.

We appreciate your prayers and partnership in the Gospel, and we realize that without your support, no Bibles would have been printed nor workers helped. Lets continue to press forward while we have the opportunity!

China Bible Map

Thanks to the grace of God and your prayers and generous support, a few months ago Asia Harvest passed the milestone of 15 million Chinese Bibles printed and delivered to house churches in China. We receive detailed reports, allowing us to keep track of the Bibles we print and to create this distribution map. On behalf of all the grateful believers in China, thank you and God bless you!

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A Biblical View of Persecution From Brother Yun

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 22:07:37 GMT

"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord" (Proverbs 21:30-31).

In our last newsletter we "celebrated" the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party in China by looking back at some of their diabolical achievements. Throughout a century of death and destruction, the Lord Jesus Christ has shone ever brighter, resulting in more than 100 million people gladly surrendering their lives to Him. Jesus truly has been the Hero of the Century in China!

Sometimes at Asia Harvest we may become so focused on our work in Asia that we forget that many of the things we take for granted are astonishing to believers elsewhere. For example, someone recently emailed us, asking, "Are you guys aware that in China some Christian websites have been blocked by the government?" We smiled, because the Asia Harvest website has been blacklisted in China since 1998!

Indeed, it's not just in China that we struggle to communicate our vision. Some people have commented on our "weak" social media presence. To give you a glimpse into our regular struggles, in recent years many of our facebook posts have been blocked by facebook, who deem them too politically incorrect; some of our videos have been removed from Youtube for the same reason; and when we uploaded a free e-book on the inspirational things God is doing in China, Amazon labelled it "offensive content" and closed our account! Sometimes it feels like we are in a swimming race with weights tied to our arms and legs, but the Lord helps us and continues to open doors that no man can shut.

Our call from God includes the need to straddle the line between the Church in Asia and around the world. Sometimes we find that what is important to persecuted Christians in Asia may not be a priority to believers elsewhere, and vice versa. Priorities often appear to be polar opposites, which is perhaps why for decades places like China have been experiencing the greatest revival in Christian history, while in much of the Western world the Church is struggling to stay afloat.

As an example, some Western Christian publications have run what they consider to be shocking stories of how the Chinese Communist Party has removed the crosses from thousands of church buildings throughout China in recent years

Our dear friend Brother Yun, whose testimony you may have read in The Heavenly Man , was visiting Canada a few years ago when a group of pastors and mission leaders asked him to comment on the removal of crosses in China. Thinking he would express alarm at such a ghastly act, many in the room were totally shocked when Brother Yun replied:

"I am very happy that so many crosses have been torn down! The cross was never meant to be fixed to the roof of a building. Instead, the Lord Jesus called us to carry the cross on our shoulders and in our hearts. I completely agree with the government's decision to pull down all the crosses!'

Yun's response perfectly encapsulated the difference between biblical and institutional Christianity; between those who have experienced true revival and those who are focused on temporal rather than eternal things.

The strongman Chinese President Xi Jinping and the other leaders of China can never understand why the number of believers has increased by millions while they have been busy removing crosses from church buildings.

Because they are God-hating atheists, China's leaders are spiritually blind and unless they repent, they will never understand that the Holy Spirit of Jesus dwells in the hearts of His followers. The Apostle Paul explained: "The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Although as believers we might suffer setbacks and be called to endure harsh persecution, ultimately the Body of Christ is unconquerable, for we serve a Lord and Master who said: "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him" (Luke 12:4-5).

During the Roman Empire, when a Christian was being martyred, his persecutors mockingly asked, "What is your Carpenter doing now?" Calmly, without a trace of fear on his face, the believer replied: "He is constructing a coffin for your empire."

Next week we delve deeper into the spiritual roots of Communism, and we will also thank the Living God, for recently Asia Harvest passed the milestone of printing and delivering 15 million full Chinese Bibles to the house churches of China!

Each one has been a miracle of God's grace and protective power, and as long as He continues to hold the door open, we will do everything we can to provide God's Word to His people, thus helping to fan the flames of the greatest revival in Christian history.

100 Years of Communism in China - We Reveal the Great Hero of the Century

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 19:42:17 GMT

The Cult of Xi: Massive billboards of President Xi Jinping at a recent Communist Party celebration in Beijing.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26).

Recently, the Chinese Communist Party celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding. In this and future newsletters, we will take a look at some of their "achievements," and we will reveal who we believe is the Great Hero of the last century in China.

The problem is that in China, everything is framed in political terms by the Communist Party. They see everything as a massive ideological struggle. If someone doesn't obey them, they are an enemy of the state. If a foreign Christian wants to reach people for Jesus, they are considered spies and imperialists; and over the years tens of thousands of pastors who refused to bow their knee to the atheistic system have been imprisoned and tortured as counter-revolutionaries.

The China We Love

A Room full of Fools

The founding members of the Chinese Communist Party adopted Marx's teachings as the bedrock of their new system. There would be no room for religion in their new China. In so doing, they set themselves irrevocably against God, whose Word declares: "The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God'" (Psalm 14:1).

By effectively declaring war on God, a battle ensued between the Communists and the kingdom of the Living God, whose ways cannot be thwarted. There is ultimately only ever one winner when foolish people set themselves against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

A Century of Slaughter

The political scientist Rudolph Rummel has estimated that the Communists were responsible for 77 million deaths in China. Others have estimated "only" in the range of 40 to 60 million. Since Mao's death, a further 400 million precious lives have been slaughtered by the Chinese Communist Party, either directly through forced abortions, or indirectly through the disastrous "one-child" policy, which China is just now beginning to reap the dire consequences of.

A prisoner executed by a Red Guard in 1966.

The War Against the Church

When all fear of God or acknowledgement of His existence is rejected, human life becomes worthless. All that matters to them is controlling the masses and holding on to power, even if they must crush their own people beneath tanks and mow them down with machine guns like in Beijing in 1989. These leaders sleep without a troubled conscience, which has been "seared as with a hot iron" (2 Timothy 4:2). All death and suffering inflicted on the masses is seen as collateral damage in the great vision of establishing their God-hating socialist utopia.

When he came to power, many people around the world mistakenly thought Xi looked like a nice, charming man. Beneath the cuddly veneer, however, his true intentions soon surfaced. In 2016 he warned Communist Party members that they must be "unyielding Marxist atheists," and in 2018 he encouraged the nation to "grasp the power of the truth of Marxism."

"The Chinese people will never allow foreign forces to bully, oppress or enslave us. Whoever nurses delusions of doing that will crack their heads and spill blood on a Great Wall of steel built from the flesh and blood of 1.4 billion Chinese."

Revealing the Great Hero of the Century in China

When the Communists took control of China in 1949, most experts estimate there were about 750,000 Christians in the entire country — a tiny number in such a vast sea of humanity. The children of God felt like the Israelites when they were overwhelmed by a massive Aramean army: "The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside" (1 Kings 20:27).

The Communists declared war on God but found they could not touch Him , so they declared war on His followers instead. Bibles were burned, church buildings demolished, and the entire leadership of the Body of Christ was rounded up, tortured, and sent to die in remote prison labor camps. In the eyes of the Communist Party, Christianity had indeed been consigned to history.

But there was One who had other ideas! As He has done repeatedly throughout history, the Lord Jesus Christ decided to interrupt the plans of evil men. After allowing His children to go through a season of intense purification, His truth again triumphed, for the Lord had taught:

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me" (John 12:24-27).

In response to this shocking development, the Communists have tried to crush God's people repeatedly over the past three decades, but their failure to destroy the Body of Christ has left them confused, frustrated and angry. Being atheists, they have willfully blinded themselves, and cannot perceive God's hand at work against them. They have been left dumbfounded, much like another ruler many centuries ago who discovered that "the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites" (Exodus 1:12).

From 750,000 scattered sheep in 1949, the Church in China today numbers over 100 million people (see our "Christians in China Stats" page on our website, where we provide detailed estimates of believers in every province, resulting in a total of 129 million Christians in China today).

As we "celebrate" 100 years of Chinese Communism, we bow our knees in awe at the greatness of Jesus Christ, for He has been the dominant figure throughout Chinese (and all) history. We pray that as dark and troubling storm clouds gather on the horizon in your part of the world, you will not focus on the looming darkness, but "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28). Always remember that though heaven and earth may pass away, His Word will never pass away.

"The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
He thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
the purposes of His heart through all generations."
(Psalm 33:10-11)

The Kingdom Marches on in China

Jubilant house church Christians worshipping God in 1983.

Despite many troubles and challenges, our work continues to progress in China. As we have stated many times previously, as long as the Lord continues to hold the door open, we will continue to print as many Bibles as possible and to equip the house church believers while there is still daylight, for " night is coming, when no man can work" (John 9:4). In fact, by God's grace and great power, we recently passed the all-time milestone of 15 million full Bibles printed and delivered to the Chinese house churches, which has added fuel to the revival fires blazing in that great land.

A Red Guard in 1966.

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The First Step to Overcoming Fear in a Fallen World

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 23:38:53 GMT

“They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid” (Mark 10:32).

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God I will praise His Word. In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4 NKJV).

You have probably heard many preachers warn against the dangers of fear. Of course, fear is toxic and can kill your faith. However, God doesn’t expect His people to just dismiss fear as irrelevant. Jesus is always real, and He wants us to be real in sharing our feelings with Him.

The first step, when we face the kind of unstable situation millions of believers find themselves in today, is to be honest. If we are afraid, we should tell the Lord and ask for His help, power, and deliverance.

To pretend that fear doesn’t exist is not helpful. King David knew a lot about fear. His life was in constant danger, but he prayed, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

Nehemiah was a man who was greatly used by God, but when the Lord first put it in his heart to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls and gates, Nehemiah said, “I was very much afraid” (Neh. 2:2). Despite being terrified, he conquered his fears and asked the king’s permission to return to his homeland, where he gradually overcame the taunts of the enemy. One brick at a time, Nehemiah and his construction teams worked hard until they finally completed their great task.

Likewise, you may be feeling fearful about Covid, or about the general decay of the world and the increase of lawlessness, violence, and unprecedented governmental control. If so, we encourage you to do as David and Nehemiah did, and truthfully acknowledge your feelings to the Lord Jesus. He is wonderful, and has always been able to work with every type of personality among His followers.

For two millennium, Thomas has been somewhat looked down upon by many Christians. Even today, people who show any skepticism are labelled a ‘Doubting Thomas’.

Whereas Thomas appears timid and cautious in the gospels, Peter was at the other end of the personality spectrum—he was never backward in coming forward, courageous, and outspoken. The Lord Jesus, however, loved both Thomas and Peter, and He used them greatly in the extension of His kingdom.

Although not much is mentioned of Thomas in Scripture, it is strongly believed that he became the first missionary to India. We have visited the tomb of Thomas in the hills near Chennai in south India, where the apostle is said to have been murdered and buried in AD 72.

Some early Church historians (see Moffett, A History of Christianity in Asia , Vol. 1) record that very soon after the ascension of the Lord to heaven (and before Judas had been replaced as an apostle), the 11 disciples gathered in Jerusalem to strategize how to obey Jesus’ command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15).

Lots were cast, and India fell to Thomas, who strongly resisted the call, asking, “How can I, a Hebrew, go and preach the truth among the Indians?” That night, the Lord visited Thomas in a dream and assured him, “Fear not, Thomas. Go to India and preach my Word, and my grace will be with you.”

Thomas still hesitated, as investing the rest of his life in India was clearly not the way this cautious man had envisaged things. After more prayer by the disciples, however, Thomas was made aware that an Indian king named Gundaphar (who ruled the Indo-Parthian empire from AD 19-46) was visiting Jerusalem at the time, and was looking for a carpenter to accompany him back to India to build a palace for him. Thomas was in this way enlisted to make the journey.

In India, the Holy Spirit empowered Thomas. He preached with great power, and many miracles were done by him in the Name of Jesus. Trouble arose when many Hindu priests were converted, among the thousands of Indians who surrendered their hearts to Christ. Fearing their customs and religion was under threat, priests killed the apostle with a sword, but the kingdom of God had been planted in India, and Thomas is revered by Indian Christians to the present day.

You may also be a cautious or even timid person by nature, but fear not! Your Heavenly Father knows and can move on your heart, giving you confidence and all the gifts needed to fulfill His purposes in and through you.

The key to overcoming in a volatile and decaying world is not to pretend that fear doesn’t exist, but to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, who is marching ahead of His people and whose Word encourages us to be “confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).

Covid Lockdowns - "Please Help us Stay Alive"

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 23:12:34 GMT

Photo: Some of the thousands of hungry people who flock to receive food and essential supplies from our co-workers in India. Each person is not only helped physically, but are presented with the Gospel of salvation.

A Plea from Asia: 'Please Help us Stay Alive'

Last year, as it became increasingly clear that the Covid pandemic was a major disaster, we wrote a newsletter to highlight all the ways we were helping God's people across Asia during the first lockdowns. We hoped the pandemic would peak and then pass, but obviously the opposite has occurred, and more people are dying and suffering more intensely than at any other time during the crisis.

Some parts of Asia have experienced continual, rolling lockdowns for over a year. A few countries have had ten or more different lockdowns, which has created great stress and anxiety among the population, including the Body of Christ.

Although the pandemic itself has brought terrible destruction, it is now clear that the never-ending lockdowns are causing even greater damage to people throughout Asia. Starvation, despair, mental health issues, and anxiety are believed to be rampant.

Long-term, the biggest challenges in Asia will be economic. Nations that were already poor with few resources are struggling to survive. One leader we support explained that in his church the believers have only recently been allowed to meet again in small numbers, but few people have a job, and therefore there is little money, food, or essential items necessary to live. Almost all employment has been wiped out, and the situation may not improve for many years.

When we first mentioned the needs last year, many believers responded by praying and giving generously. We were able to help tens of thousands of poor Christians survive the first round of lockdowns. Not only did we send every cent of donations that came in at the time, but we have continued helping by sending on gifts given to our general fund and to the Persecution & Relief Fund .

Now, more than a year later, the situation in most parts of Asia is far more dire. As the virus wreaks havoc on the most vulnerable communities, we again ask for your prayers and support for our brothers and sisters in Asia.

You may have seen on the news how India has been decimated in recent months, with thousands of corpses being piled up and burned each day. As terrible as it has been in India, however, we think the neighboring countries of Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been even worse affected. Their health systems were poor to nonexistent in normal times, and death has dragged millions of people down into the grave in those countries.

In these pages we share photos of some of the recent help we have given to believers throughout Asia. Please pray for our projects, as we continue providing essential relief in more than a dozen countries, from Pakistan to Indonesia, and across the vast continent of Asia.

An evangelist in a remote part of Southeast Asia found himself completely cut off after the government imposed a severe crackdown. He was confined to his makeshift hut in the jungle, and his food soon ran out. Our colleagues tried to get money to him so he could survive, but in that area there are no banks or ATM machines. The only way he could receive help was by having funds hand-carried to him, but military roadblocks manned by soldiers with machine guns were stationed to prevent anyone getting in or out of his area.

We last heard from this brother about three months ago. He was struggling at the point of starvation, with zero government assistance because he is a Christian. We do not know if he is now dead or alive.

You probably haven't heard this before, but something else has been going on behind the scenes in many Asian countries. Thousands of foreign Christians who live in places like Thailand and Malaysia have found themselves stripped of their legal status. In some cases, the entire visa category that allowed them to stay has been unilaterally revoked by the government. Many of these foreigners were involved with support ministries to closed countries.

One of the best things to come from the lockdowns is how the Body of Christ in many locations has adapted to the situation. Believers have grown closer together than ever before, and have shared their possessions and food with one another, and with others in their communities when the opportunity arises. Often, for the first time, fellowships of believers have experienced unity like the early Church: "All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need" (Acts 2:44-45).

Despite the severe challenges, the Gospel has continued to go forth, and many people have entered God's kingdom for the first time. Indeed, at the end of 2020 we were shocked to find that the evangelists we support through the Asian Workers' Fund reported 117,509 conversions to Christ throughout the year, despite all the restrictions to their movement and untold difficulties.

In many areas, those we support have continued to plant new churches, and a constant stream of people have come to learn about Jesus Christ. Before the pandemic they showed little or no interest in the Gospel, but after seeing the instability of the world, coupled with the genuine love of the Christians, the two factors have combined to produce a great harvest of salvation.

We are currently helping about 10,000 poor families (including more than 2,000 Christian widows) survive through the Covid ordeal. For $20, we can buy and deliver relief packages of food and essential supplies to poor families for one month. A gift of $100 will therefore help five families for a month, or $500 will help 25 families. Please pray for them and all our coworkers who are overseeing the projects. If you would like to help, please fill out and return the yellow Response Form, or you can give to the Persecution & Relief Fund via our website . Every dollar received is sent directly to the frontlines in Asia. Nothing is deducted for any other expense. The contents of each relief package are:

Thank you and God bless you. Let's pray the kingdom of God will grow during this long struggle, and the Body of Christ will come out stronger than ever, with multitudes of new members as people hear the Gospel for the first time.

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Marie Monsen - The Mother of the Chinese House Churches

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 21:15:56 GMT

Read the PDF Version

The following article is an excerpt from our new book, 'HENAN: Inside the Greatest Christian Revival in History'. See the information at the bottom of this page for how to order the book or e-book.

Marie Monsen , a single Lutheran missionary from Norway, was the unlikely vessel used by God to bring powerful revival to many parts of China in the 1920s and 1930s. Such was the impact of this softly spoken woman that today, many believers in China respectfully call her the 'mother of the house churches'. We hope you will be challenged by her testimony and message, which is desperately needed in the Church around the world today.

Full Surrender

The Norwegian Lutheran China Mission sent ten new missionaries to China in 1901–02 to reinforce their work. One of the new recruits was a single woman named Marie Monsen. Nobody would have believed that this small, humble figure would have such an impact over the next 30 years.

Monsen was trained as a schoolteacher and had just completed a year studying nursing when she felt a strong call from God to become a missionary. Just a month after arriving in China, Monsen fell down an iron staircase and lay unconscious for several days with concussion. She was afflicted with severe headaches for six years, which ended only after she received special prayer and anointing for healing.

The doctor who was responsible for overseeing Monsen's recovery strictly forbade her from both language study and teaching for two years. This was a huge blow to the fledgling missionary. Every worker she knew had been devoted to language study in order to communicate with the people, and the other deep desire in her life, teaching, had also been denied. She felt extremely frustrated—but God had other plans for this disciple.

Monsen was still struggling with the tumultuous start to her missionary career when she contracted malaria. The fever took her close to death, and the agony she experienced in body, soul and mind broke her. At the time she could see only Satan in these attacks, but years later she realized that God had allowed these afflictions so she would value this life less than eternity and would become a broken and humble vessel in His hands. Eventually, Marie reached a point where she was able to truly surrender her future to God's will. She was healed from malaria that day, and her temperature returned to normal.

A Godly Discontentment

Toward the end of her first term of seven years in China, Marie Monsen started to feel deeply discouraged about the methods and poor results of the mission she was a member of, and the lack of power in her own ministry. She found a clue as to why the missionaries were so ineffective when the faith of an elderly, uneducated Chinese woman challenged her to the core. The old sister had moved into a room right next to hers, and the paper-thin walls meant that Marie could hear all of her prayers and petitions to God. The woman prayed loudly and frequently, and was never afraid to ask her Heavenly Father for things the Norwegian didn't dare to request because of her conservative Lutheran upbringing. She later recalled:

"I could hear everything she prayed about, and could watch how her prayers were answered. There seemed to be a great difference between the result of her prayers and mine. More than once when I heard her pray, I thought, 'That will never happen,' but just 'that' did happen. It took some time for me to discover the explanation. She had a living, childlike faith, and to her God, difficulties were not difficulties. I had more doubt than faith, so to me difficulties were so tremendous that it would have to take time for God to answer. That is to say, I discovered that I was an unbelieving believer!"

In 1907, news of the tremendous revival that was sweeping the Korean Peninsula reached Marie, and something clicked inside her heart. Here was New Testament Christianity being demonstrated, with similar results! She longed to travel to Korea and experience the revival for herself.

The Holy Spirit began to stir the diminutive Norwegian, and both Christians and non-believers were astonished by the power and authority with which she shared the Gospel with them. The power was spiritual in nature, for her voice was always soft and calm, and she never shouted or bellowed out her message. All traces of the fear of man left her, and Marie desired only to know Christ and to stand up for truth and for the purity of the Church.

Monsen was deeply troubled by the compromised lifestyles of many missionaries and Chinese church leaders, and she challenged them strongly. The question: "Have you ever really been born-again?" burned throughout many parts of China as God expanded her ministry and made it nationwide. When their faith was held up to the searching light of God's Word, many professing Christians realized that they had never truly been born-again. Christianity may have been pasted over their lives as a veneer, but they had never been thoroughly converted to Christ, nor had they forsaken their sins.

A Lutheran missionary described Monsen's methods in detail:

"Her plan was first to destroy the false security of the church members. She spoke of the various kinds of patches the unsaved used to hide behind when they tried to persuade themselves they were saved. She then spoke of sin, one sin at a time. It had cost her several days of prayerful struggle before she became willing, as she expressed it, to 'descend into the miry cesspool of sin' in connection with the sixth commandment, against adultery. It turned out that one of Satan's nearly impregnable strongholds was at last broken into when this particular sin was brought out into the open."

Confession and Restitution

In many places, Monsen's messages were followed by deep confessions of sin and practical acts of repentance. People who had stolen from their neighbors were convicted by the Holy Spirit and returned the items. One man filled a wheelbarrow with things he needed to take back to their rightful owners.

Long-standing grudges between people were renounced and forgiven. Men confessed to beating their wives, and women confessed their own sins—including infanticide, which was prevalent in China then, even as it is today through gender selective abortion. At one meeting, Monsen was taken aback when the women broke down in tears. One by one, they admitted:

"I have killed three."

"And I five."

"I took the lives of eight of my children."

"And I killed 13, but they were all girls."

Marie was horrified by the dark deeds the women had committed, but was thrilled that they had confessed them before the throne of God. She wrote:

"It was the first time...that I heard women, who knew we regarded the killing of infants as sin, confess that they themselves had committed this particular sin. They all knew, of course, of many others who had done it. This was the first time I had seen the Holy Spirit deal with a whole group—a miracle indeed."

After the Holy Spirit had dealt with church members, there invariably followed a time of evangelism, as cleansed men and women went to surrounding towns and villages, proclaiming the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. Whereas previously many believers had only been able to speak of God's transforming power, now they were able to demonstrate it in their own lives. Thousands of people, seeing the difference, put their trust in the Lord.

Monsen's deep longing that the Chinese would experience a biblical Christianity was being answered. In one meeting, the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit was so real that a soldier who had strayed into the building knelt in repentance and received new life in Jesus Christ. The joy of being forgiven overwhelmed him, and peace flooded his beaming face. He stood up and declared:

Crowds of eager people flocking to hear the Gospel in a Henan church meeting.

"It will be a short life of joy for me here on earth, but I shall be saved from myself and my sins forever. Will you pray together for me until you hear a shot from the military camp? I stole some ammunition and sold it, and there is a death penalty for that. I must go back now and confess to the Captain.... We shall meet again in heaven."

The soldier had not been pushed into the kingdom of God by theological arguments or human persuasion. Indeed, he had never heard a word of the gospel until he walked into the church that day, but the presence of the Almighty God was so tangible in that meeting that he was now willing to die in exchange for the new life he had just experienced. The young man ran off, with a radiant smile on his face. Monsen recalled:

"We stood there praying in a circle, holding one another's hands. We thought it was a very long time we had to wait, praying and listening for that shot. Suddenly he was there again in our midst, smiling. He had confessed everything and given a careful, detailed account of what he had stolen. The Captain sat silent a moment, then sighed heavily and said, 'As you have now become a new man and will not steal any more, I don't see why you should die. You may go.'"

The response of people to the conviction of the Holy Spirit was not always positive. Occasionally people fled in terror when the terrible power of God descended upon them, including some church leaders and elders. People often said to Monsen, "Your words are like knives," or, "Your words strike me like thunderbolts." One elderly Christian lamented, "All my wrong-doings have been spread out before me like wares piled up on a counter."

Monsen with the widow of a key Chinese church leader.

Once, a mob of vicious bandits invaded the town where Monsen had been sharing the Word of God. Dozens of people from the neighborhood climbed over the walls of the mission compound, clutching little bags of valuables, as they thought there was less chance of being attacked and robbed at the mission than in their homes. Bullets whistled about the heads of the people gathered there, and gunfire and loud explosions were heard for several hours as the bandits plundered and killed. Throughout the ordeal, the Christians calmly prayed for God's protection.

The next day, neighbors from across the street visited Monsen and the other believers and told them that from time to time, when the firing was less intense, they had poked their heads out of their front doors to see what was going on. One non-Christian family asked whether they could come into the compound next time there was such an attack, "since you have protection." Marie asked them what they meant, and they explained, "Three soldiers stood on guard up on the high roof of the Gospel Hall, one at each end and one in the middle. A fourth was seated on the porch over the main gate. These soldiers had kept watch in every direction.... They were taller than any soldiers we have ever seen."

'My Father Runs the Trains'

At the height of her ministry in China, Monsen was in great demand. From her base in Henan she travelled widely to more than a dozen provinces, sharing the message God had placed on her heart. Everywhere, both individuals and entire churches were transformed, and many sinners repented and pressed forward into the kingdom of heaven.

In one town, she planned to leave by train on a Saturday afternoon after the meetings concluded. She had an appointment at a town some distance away and needed all the connecting trains to arrive on time. As she was praying that morning, however, the Lord clearly told her that she should not leave the town until Monday. When she told this to the senior missionary, he replied that it couldn't be God telling her to stay, for there were no trains on Mondays and she would surely miss her appointment. She returned to her room and again asked God for guidance. Again, the words came: "Leave on Monday."

Her colleague became increasingly agitated, but the peace of God filled Marie's heart and she was assured that all would be well. She told the senior missionary, "My Father runs the trains," but he angrily expressed his displeasure.

On the Sunday evening, the local Chinese pastor asked Monsen if he could talk with her. He admitted that he had never experienced the inner peace of God in his life, and asked how he could be saved. She led him to true faith in Jesus Christ, and he received the Lord with great joy. Marie realized this was the reason why God had delayed her departure.

At breakfast on the Monday morning, she asked the missionary whether he would be kind enough to drive her to the station. He protested and said there was no point, because trains didn't run through the town on Mondays. After some discussion, however, he agreed to her request—perhaps to show her how foolish it was. They made their way through the narrow streets, and just as they pulled up outside the station, there was a train on the platform, preparing to depart! Marie later recalled:

"In the few seconds before the whistle sounded for departure, I heard that the provincial Governor had telegraphed for the new carriage he had standing there, and it had to be sent immediately at express speed to the capital—the very city I had to reach that Monday in order to catch a north-bound train. We flashed past every station. Never before nor since has it been my lot to travel in such a magnificent carriage."

An Enduring Legacy

In the early 1930s, Marie Monsen received news that her elderly mother in Norway needed care. She was torn between continuing the fruitful ministry God had given her in China and returning home, but over time the Holy Spirit showed her that her service in the Orient had reach its conclusion. She returned to Europe in 1932, leaving behind thousands of new believers, and hundreds of zealous churches that had once been full of lukewarm Christians.

Today, the entire Nanyang Prefecture where Monsen spent most of her time has grown to contain over 10 million people, and the number of Evangelical Christians living there is estimated at 3.2 million, or nearly one-third of the population.

Many key house church leaders have emerged from this blessed part of southern Henan, including Brother Yun. God has made the area a powerhouse of revival throughout China. For this reason, many Christians in Henan today, more than a century after Monsen began her ministry in China, continue to fondly refer to her as "the mother of the house churches."

To order a copy of the HENAN book , please fill out and return the enclosed form or visit our website (www.asiaharvest.org) for details. An e-book version is also available online .

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of the Henan book and we will gladly send you one.

Read the PDF Newsletter

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 15:08:55 GMT

The Little-known Origins of a Famous Gospel Song from India

For more than 20 years Asia Harvest has supported Garo evangelists from northeast India through our Asian Workers’ Fund, as they have taken the Gospel to unreached people groups in their part of the world.

Often, Christians are unaware of the origins of many of the songs we love to sing. In this brief email we would like to share the background of one famous: “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.”

In the hills of northeast India live the Garo tribe, who number more than one million people. For centuries they were feared as a primitive head-hunting tribe, but in the most recent Indian census, over 95 percent of the Garo declared themselves to be Christians. Here is one reason why...

In the late 1800s, many missionaries came to the state of Assam in northeast India to spread the Gospel. They succeeded in converting a man named Nokseng, his wife, and his two children. Nokseng’s faith proved contagious, and many villagers began to accept Jesus.

The village chief, angry at the prospect of losing control, summoned all the villagers. He demanded Nokseng’s family to publicly renounce their faith or face execution.

Moved by the Holy Spirit, Nokseng said: “I have decided to follow Jesus.”

Enraged at his refusal to deny Christ, the chief ordered his archers to shoot the two children. As both boys lay twitching on the ground, the chief asked, “Will you deny your faith? You have lost both your children. You will lose your wife also.”

But Nokseng replied: “Though no one joins me, still I will follow.”

The chief was beside himself with fury and ordered Nokseng’s wife to be shot with arrows. In a moment she joined her children in death. Now the chief said for the last time: “I will give you one more opportunity to deny your faith and live.” In the face of death, Nokseng did not waver, and made his final memorable statement:

“The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back.”

He was killed like the rest of his family, but a miracle took place. The chief was moved by Nokseng’s faith and he wondered, “Why would Nokseng and his family die for a Man who lived in a far-away land some 2,000 years ago? This God must have remarkable power, and I too want to taste that faith.”

In a spontaneous confession, the chief declared, “I too belong to Jesus Christ!” When the crowd heard this from the mouth of their chief, the whole village accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Later, Nokseng’s words became a beloved song of the Garo Christians, and was later translated into English and sung around the world.

Introducing our New and Improved Asia Harvest Website

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 13:26:19 GMT

We Invite You to Come and Look Around

Dear Friends,

We invite you to check out our website, which has just been refreshed, and is now easier to use and more secure than ever. Our new site works better on all kinds of devices and screen sizes: computers, tablets and phones.

Here are links to some key pages on our website that may be helpful to you:

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES

Access every Asia Harvest newsletter for the last 20 years. Entire years of newsletters can be downloaded as single pdf files.

NEW ONLINE GIVING PLATFORM

Previously our website required donors to enter an email address and password to give. These requirements have been removed, and now the process is much simpler, but with maximum security. One-time and monthly donations can be set up to any of our projects by using a debit or credit card. US supporters can also give by EFT (from their checking account) (Please note: If you are an existing recurring donor, you do not need to do anything. Your gifts will continue as normal).

VIDEOS

Did you know that we have more than 50 short videos available to view? They highlight the God-given vision and call of Asia Harvest, and we also have many rare videos of unreached people groups across Asia for you to enjoy and learn about.

THE CHURCH IN CHINA RESOURCE PAGE

Access hundreds of inspirational testimonies, articles, profiles, maps and other resources relating to the great things God has done in China.

OUR BOOKSTORE

Our bookstore has been updated and ordering is now easier, with discounts for bulk orders automatically applied at checkout. All shipping charges have also been removed, so now all our books include the shipping as part of the price. We also have a “ free e-books ” page where people can download some of our books in English and Chinese.

PEOPLE GROUP PROFILES

For those who love to pray for the Unreached – these pages will keep you busy! You can access and download more than 1,000 of our profiles here, most of which have been extracted from our prayer books. For our Chinese friends, hundreds of the profiles have been translated into Chinese.

May God bless you as together we serve the Church in Asia,

The team at Asia Harvest

www.asiaharvest.org

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The China Chronicles

Read the inspirational series of books by Paul Hattaway about how God grew the Church in China from just a few million believers at the advent of Communism to over 100 million today! Full of first-hand and testimonies from church leaders that have never been publicly shared before, The China Chronicles will encourage your faith, while the lessons learned by Christians in the furnace of affliction will help fortify you for when persecution comes.

An Asian Harvest - The Autobiography of Paul Hattaway

You can click on a link above to order a book, or if you donate to a project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy and we will gladly send you one. If you give online , add a note when you place your donation.

To order any of our books or e-books, please visit our website bookstore at https://asiaharvest.org/bookstore/

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of a book and we will gladly send you one. If you give online , add a note “please send the (name) book” when you donate.

How to Support Our Work

One-time or monthly support by credit or debit card or Paypal
By mailing a check/cheque to one of our offices ( Contact page )
By bank transfer to one of our accounts around the world ( Contact page )
Please note supporters may request a free book and we will send a copy.
Read our latest audited financial statement .

Henan – Inside China’s Revival – A New Book by Paul Hattaway

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Mon, 10 May 2021 16:01:16 GMT

In this newsletter we are pleased to announce the fifth book in our series on the mighty revival that has swept China during the past 50 years. The China Chronicles are proving to be a great encouragement to many and are enriching the spiritual lives of those who read them.

Containing more than 18 million Christians (the most of any province), Henan has emerged as the nation's spiritual heart and soul, and is home to both the most powerful revival and intense persecution in China. Much of the book consists of first-hand interviews Paul conducted with key church leaders in Henan. In many ways, this may be the most important book in the entire China Chronicles series. We invite you to discover what true revival looks like in China, and to gain insights into God's faithfulness, to help prepare you for when persecution comes.

The remainder of this newsletter is an excerpt from 'HENAN: Inside the Greatest Christian Revival in History'. It shares a gripping testimony from Timothy, a humble house church leader from Henan, whom the Lord used to raise a man from the dead in the 1990s. This account was shared directly with us by Timothy and has been verified by several other church leaders in that part of China.

To order a copy of the book, please fill out and return the enclosed form or visit our website for details. An e-book version is also available online . View the bulk book prices. You can also buy all 5 books of the China Chronicles Series.

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of the book and we will gladly send you one.

Raised from the Dead

Brother Timothy is a friend and key house church leader from Henan Province. When he was in his mid-20s he already led a network of house churches spanning several provinces, with tens of thousands of believers.

When asked to share some testimonies, Timothy told about a Communist Party official who was raised from the dead in 1993. The humble and self-effacing way he shared this story was striking. He was careful to give all glory to God, and to help us understand that he had nothing to do with it, apart from being in the right place at the right time.

As you read the following testimony, we encourage you not to judge it by your own experiences, or what may or may not happen in your own church. What God is doing in the heart of white-hot revival in China may not be your Christian experience or make you feel comfortable, but we encourage you to ask one main question when considering this or any other testimony: is it biblical?

"In 1993, while I was speaking at a meeting, we received a request for us to pray for a 50-year-old unbeliever named Chang, who was dying of mouth cancer. This man was very wealthy and a well-known Communist Party leader. By the time he reached the hospital his condition had deteriorated, and was close to death. The staff called Chang's wife and broke the bad news that he would not recover.

Because the man was a public figure, visitors who wanted to see him at the hospital had to get permission beforehand. To help me gain access, I was given the man's name card. The next morning I went to the hospital, feeling nervous and not sure what the Lord's will was in all of this. At the hospital none of the staff paid any attention to me because I was just a poor farmer. Finally, a nurse looked at me with disdain, and said, 'You're too late. Chang died last night.'

I was shocked to hear that he was already dead, and asked to see his body because I had promised his family that I would pray for him. The nurse thought I was stupid, but told me the corpse had been moved to the refrigerated morgue in the hospital basement. I went downstairs and told an attendant that I needed to pray for Mr. Chang. He took me to a line of refrigerated boxes, located Chang, and opened the cover. His body slid out and I saw that he was truly dead. The blood had drained from his corpse, and his identification tag was tied around his big toe.

I felt afraid as his skin was frozen and ice cold. Despite the circumstances, I knew the Lord could do whatever He wanted. As I closed my eyes and prayed for Chang in a hushed voice, I leaned forward and said, 'Mr. Chang, I know that you can hear me. I know that Jesus can bring you back from the dead because He wants to glorify His Name in your life.' By now the morgue attendant had gathered several of his co-workers and they stood at a distance, snickering at the sight of a farmer praying for a dead Communist Party leader!

I had a very simple faith in God. I had read that both Jesus and Lazarus were resurrected after three days, so I thought if God was going to raise Chang I would need to return two more times.

I finished praying, thanked the workers for letting me pray for Chang, and told them I would be returning at ten o'clock the next morning to pray for him again. They laughed and looked at me like I was completely insane. News quickly spread around the hospital, and the next morning more than 20 staff members gathered to watch me pray for the corpse. They were all eager to witness the sight so they could have a laugh. His body was again pulled out of the refrigerator and I closed my eyes and prayed for him. He had now spent one and a half days in the freezer and was still very much dead!

As I laid hands my on the corpse I leaned forward and whispered, 'Mr. Chang, if you are unable to talk, then I command you to move your eyes in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.' I looked closely and it appeared his eyes twinkled a little! This greatly increased my faith because I knew that God was at work. Nobody else in the room was close enough to see his eyes move however, and they thought the whole thing was a great joke.

I prayed Bible verses out loud and asked the Lord to prove that the Scriptures are true, and that He has power and authority over death. In a bid to reach others in the morgue, my prayer included a summary of the gospel. After a while, the onlookers could feel the presence of the Lord and they became serious-minded and attentive. I announced that I would return again at ten o'clock the next morning to pray for the third and final time. His body was placed back in the refrigerator, the door was locked, and I walked up the stairs and returned to the place where I was staying.

On the third morning I was amazed to find an even larger crowd had gathered to witness my prayer. It was difficult to get past everyone into the basement. Dozens of people lined the stairs leading down to the morgue, and many more were crammed into the room. People were talking among themselves, but everyone was watching closely to see what would happen.

The attendant again produced Mr. Chang's body and I prayed for him, asking the Lord to glorify His Name by healing this man and saving both him and the many witnesses in the room. Nothing appeared to change, so I thanked the attendants and left the hospital, as I had to make my way to the train station to travel across the country with a team of evangelists. I never saw what happened after I left the hospital, but a few days later the believers contacted me with an urgent message.

They said that about 20 minutes after I left, Chang suddenly sat up and started coughing. The terrified attendant and his co-workers watched as he coughed up a large ball of blood and pus from his mouth. The cancer spilled out of his mouth and onto the floor of the morgue.

Mr. Chang was healed and alive! He asked for food and water because he was hungry and thirsty. As you can imagine, news of the resurrection quickly spread to the upper floors of the hospital, and all those who had come to witness the prayer came rushing down to the basement to see if the report was true. All the hospital staff saw Chang alive, and his grieving wife was called in to receive her husband back from the dead. Every person who saw this miracle dropped to their knees, repented of their sins, and confessed that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God.

In the Lord's providence, I didn't personally witness Chang come back to life, but everybody told me about it later. I thank the Lord that I wasn't there because people might have thought it was due to my own power if he had sat up while I was praying for him. By raising him from the dead after I had left, everyone clearly understood that God Himself had performed the miracle, and all the glory and honor went to the Lord Jesus.

When I first heard what had happened, I was pleased but chose not to dwell on it. It was just an act of the Almighty God. In those days the revival was burning so intensely that miracles took place at every meeting, and thousands of people were daily coming to Christ. Miracles were not something we focused on. They were merely evidences that confirmed the truth of what we were preaching about Jesus.

The whole Chang family came to Christ and remained strong believers. Mr. Chang lived for many more years."

Four Henan church leaders who were personally interviewed in the Henan book — Brother Yun, Enoch Wang, Zhang Rongliang and Peter Xu. These four men have been first-hand witnesses and participants in the greatest revival in Christian history, and have also spent a combined 47 years in prison for their faith in Jesus Christ.

Over a period of more than three decades, Asia Harvest has provided a total of more than 1.1 million Bibles to the house church Christians of Henan, as part of our China Bible Fund . Henan is the province where we have delivered more copies of God's Word than any of the 29 other provinces and regions in China.

Despite the current season of intense persecution, our project continues full-steam ahead. Each full Chinese Bible costs just $1.80 to print and deliver.

There is a famine of Bibles in China at the moment, as the government restricts all activities. Even the official Three-Self churches are in great need, as they have seen their Bible quotas slashed by the authorities in recent years.

We invite you to consider partnering with us as we help provide the Scriptures to our brothers and sisters in China.

Read the PDF Version of this Newsletter

Preparing For Persecution – Lessons From the Chinese Church to Help You

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 01:40:45 GMT

Above: Four house church leaders from Henan Province, China— Brother Yun, Enoch Wang, Zhang Rongliang and Peter Xu. These four men have been first-hand witnesses and participants in the greatest revival in Christian history, and have spent a combined 47 years in prison for their faith in Jesus Christ.

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him” (Philippians 1:29).

In recent years—especially since the start of the Covid pandemic—many believers around the world have contacted us to ask if we can share insights or do interviews into how Christians can survive persecution, as they see the storm clouds of persecution gathering on the horizon in their countries.

First, we point out that we have written more than a dozen books on the Church in China, each containing principles and testimonies of how God has not only helped His children survive six decades of persecution, but has caused them to thrive, so that China is still experiencing the greatest revival in Christian history.

When we try to help church leaders and believers in the West prepare for persecution, after more dialogue it usually emerges that they are not really looking for straight answers. Often, what people mean when they ask these questions is: “How can we survive persecution in our current church structures, so we don’t have to suffer or change?”

The answer to this is... you cannot!

True, physical persecution (e.g. when Christians are being arrested, beaten, imprisoned, or even killed) will not leave most current church structures intact. It will completely dismantle them!

Gone will be the denominations, emphasis on church buildings, Reverends, division between “clergy” and other believers, and all kinds of church traditions and outward imagery that are not found in Scripture. They will be swept away.

This pattern is what happened when persecution was ramped up against believers in China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and other countries we work in.

We don’t know if severe persecution is coming to your part of the world soon, but we must be prepared. The Lord Jesus said, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9), while the Apostle Paul told Timothy that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12).

We would like to conclude by sharing five important truths about persecution, which we hope will bring encouragement and focus to our fellow believers:

God is always in control! If He allows persecution to come, it’s for the good of His kingdom. In China, believers only experienced the full joy of intimacy with Jesus when they were in the furnace of affliction and after they came out the other side.
Persecution is the last thing our flesh desires, but our faith must rest on the fact that the Lord Jesus will not let us down, and He will never leave nor forsake us. Persecution cannot destroy our relationship with Him: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:35).
Importantly, when intense hardship comes, we shouldn’t see only the hand of Satan in persecution. In China, God’s people looked back later and realized that it was actually the Lord Jesus overseeing the entire process out of love for His children. He is zealous to remove the dead religious structures that trap people in bondage and keep millions of unbelievers from being able to see the true Gospel.
Persecution is a pruning process, when the Holy Spirit removes half-hearted believers from among the flock. In China, when fierce persecution first broke out in the 1950s, around two-thirds of churchgoers fell away from the faith. The Lord Jesus told us this would occur: “When trouble or persecution comes because of the Word, they quickly fall away” (Mark 4:17). Friends, if two-thirds of Chinese Christians fell away at the onset of persecution, how might things be in your part of the world?
For those who do not give up, persecution often brings great revival. In China, the number of Christians has grown from less than one million to over 100 million after 60 years of brutal Communist persecution! All glory to God. When that realization dawned on believers, many learned not only to grimly endure persecution, but to embrace it as a special blessing from God.

Until All have heard of Jesus,

The team at Asia Harvest

www.asiaharvest.org

Fire Among the Rohingya – An Opportunity to Help New Rohingya Christians

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 01:40:43 GMT

Dear Friends,

In recent years you may have heard how hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya people have been targeted for genocide by the vicious Buddhist military rulers of Myanmar (formerly Burma), who have now turned their guns against their own people and are killing hundreds on the nation’s streets.

Multitudes of Rohingya were raped and murdered in the carnage against them in recent years, while tens of thousands managed to flee to refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh and India.

One thing you will never read in the media is that hundreds of Rohingya have heard the Gospel and become Christians! We now support over 30 Rohingya evangelists, who are busy sharing Jesus Christ with their own people and discipling new believers.

Recently a fire was deliberately lit by radical Muslims in a large camp inside Bangladesh. In a community with more than 10,000 make-shift shanties made of straw and bamboo, the flames quickly wreaked massive destruction, burning dozens of people to death and leaving more than 1,000 people injured or missing. The above short video was shot by one of the Rohingya Christians we support.

In response, Asia Harvest is sending funds to help 50 Christians who have lost everything. For $215 each, we are providing essential clothing, bedding, food, cooking utensils and building materials for families to construct new shelters.

Please pray for the Rohingya, especially the new Christians among them. If you would like to partner with us to help our destitute brothers and sisters, you can do so through our Persecution & Relief Fund , or by sending a check with a note “Rohingya” to the Asia Harvest office nearest you. 100 percent of donations received will go directly to this need.

Until All have heard of Jesus,
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

State of the Nations in Asia – An Overview of God’s Kingdom in Asia

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 01:40:42 GMT

"Then the astrologers answered the king, ‘May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.'

The king replied to the astrologers, ‘This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.'” (Daniel 2:4-6).

Some people have asked if it's "difficult" for us to print 14 million Bibles inside China for the house churches, under the noses of a hardline Communist government. No, it's not difficult at all! It's absolutely impossible! If you don't believe us, please give it a try.

Likewise, some have asked if it's hard to identify and support Asian evangelists in more than 1,100 different unreached people throughout Asia. No, it's not hard at all. It's impossible! If it was just "hard" then lots of others would be doing it.

The Lord Jesus is not looking for us to do what we can do in our own strength. Daniel faced an impossible task. He and his friends would have been cut to pieces if the Lord of Lords didn't do a great miracle and reveal both the king's dream and its meaning.

God wants to place us in impossible situations where only He can get us through. That way, all the glory goes to Him and no one can claim any credit. The Bible is full of such stories from Genesis to Revelation. Was it difficult for Moses to part the Red Sea? No, it was impossible! Did Joshua and the Israelites implement a clever strategy that caused the walls of Jericho to fall?

Samson tore the city gates (weighing up to 4 tons) from their hinges and carried them about 10 miles. Were his muscles big enough to do this, or was it a supernatural miracle of God? These and hundreds of other accounts in the Bible were all the providence of God, but often our minds are so carnally minded that we attribute any advance of the Gospel to human activity and ingenuity, thus robbing God of His rightful glory.

The American bishop Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) once wrote: "Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men; Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle."

Of course, this doesn't mean that as Christians should just sit still while God moves us like puppets on a string. No, the Lord wants us to serve Him with all our hearts. Jesus told His disciples about a new kind of holy partnership — when we would be called to partner with the Holy Spirit. This is the secret to all truly successful Christian service. The Lord said that not only would the Holy Spirit testify about Him, but we also would testify:

"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning" (John 15:26-27). As you read the overviews of 11 different Asian countries that God has called us to serve in (we work in 10 more countries that space does not permit us to list) — please pray for each country, and the many unreached tribes and people groups that remain in darkness, without the light of the Gospel to give them hope.

Years ago, we heard a preacher say that the highest prayer a Christian can pray is for the Lord Jesus Christ to be glorified in a person, a situation, or a whole nation. For example, a parent may be praying fervently for their child who has left home and become a drug addict. We may cry out for the child to be delivered and to return home, but an even higher prayer is to ask the Almighty God to be glorified and exalted in their life. When the Lord begins to move, the rest of the pieces often fall into place.

In the same way, as you read through this newsletter, please pray that God will receive the glory due His Name in each country, and for all the people groups to become His inheritance.

We would appreciate it if you would also lift the work of Asia Harvest before the throne of God. As you will see from the statistics, there are still large parts of Asia where we have, so far, been unable to help as much as we would like, where we believe the Lord is calling us to serve His people.

The State of the Nations

From time to time, we like to present a snapshot of the state of the Gospel throughout Asia. In the following pages are brief overviews of 11 countries Asia Harvest is working in. The statistics used are the latest from the Joshua Project, who define a people group as "unreached” if less than 2 percent of its population are evangelical Christians. We also list how many people groups in each country are being targeted by evangelists we support through our Asian Workers' Fund.

While there is much to thank God for in Asia, the figures are a sobering reminder of how much work remains to be done. Our life's goal is to teach the salvation of Jesus Christ to as many unreached people groups as possible. We appreciate your prayers and partnership, as together we "look forward to the day of the Lord and speed it's coming” (2 Peter 3:12).

China

Population: 1,424 million
Non-Christians: 1,293 million (90.8%)
All Christians: 131 million (9.2%)
Capital: Beijing
People Groups: 545
Unreached: 444

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 61 people groups in China.

God continues to move powerfully throughout China. The greatest need is for Bibles and discipleship materials, to equip tens of millions of hungry house church believers. The Gospel has spread rapidly among the Han Chinese majority, strong ethnic, cultural, and language barriers have meant the churches have struggles to penetrate the 440 distinct (non-Han) minority groups. Hundreds of unreached groups still lack a vibrant Gospel witness.

India

Population: 1,374 million
Non-Christians: 1,349 million (98.2%)
All Christians: 25.0 million (1.8%)
Capital: New Delhi
People Groups: 2,717
Unreached: 2,445

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 531 people groups in India.

India poses the most complex challenge for the Body of Christ today. Home to more than 2,700 distinct peoples, the Gospel has flourished among some groups, but most remain devoid of spiritual light. India will soon surpass China as the world's most populated country, but 98 out of every 100 people remain lost and in desperate need of Jesus Christ.

Nepal

Population: 29.0 million
Non-Christians: 28.6 million (98.6%)
All Christians: 350,000 (1.4%)
Capital: Kathmandu
People Groups: 285
Unreached: 275

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 118 people groups in Nepal.

Living among the highest mountains on earth, more than 280 distinct tribes and castes inhabit Nepal. There were just 25 known Christians in Nepal in the 1950s, compared to more than 350,000 today. Some tribes have experienced revival in recent decades, but over 250 remain relatively untouched by the Gospel. There is much work left to do in Nepal.

Bhutan

Population: 769,000
Non-Christians: 765,000 (99.5%)
All Christians: 4,000 (0.5%)
Capital: Thimphu
People Groups: 131
Unreached: 119

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 27 people groups in Bhutan.

The landlocked Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan (‘land of the thunder dragon') is known as a place of happy, stress-free people, but in reality it is an intensely dark stronghold, with centuries of oppression brought on by ritual worship of demons. The Gospel has made progress among some migrant tribes on the plains, but the Buddhist majority are cut off from Christian influence.

Laos

Population: 7.2 million
Non-Christians: 6.9 million (96.3%)
All Christians: 270,000 (3.7%)
Capital: Vientiane
People Groups: 128
Unreached: 104

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 41 people groups in Laos.

Laos is one of Asia's forgotten countries. Because of its small population, many organizations don't consider Laos a priority, but it is one of the most ethnically diverse countries on earth, containing 128 distinct tribes. Only a few dozen groups have a significant Christian presence, while more than 100 remain untouched by the Gospel. Please pray for their salvation.

Myanmar (Burma)

Population: 54.3 million
Non-Christians: 49.9 million (91.8%)
All Christians: 4.4 million (8.2%)
Capital: Naypyidaw
People Groups: 151
Unreached: 57

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 10 people groups in Myanmar.

The spread of Christianity in Myanmar is uneven, with some tribes in revival while others are full of dead religion. Our focus has been to provide Bibles in many languages, but it is rare to find evangelists targeting the 57 unreached ethnic groups, including the 31 million Buddhist Myen people.

Indonesia

Population: 273.4 million
Non-Christians: 242.4 million (88.7%)
All Christians: 31.0 million (11.3%)
Capital: Jakarta
People Groups: 709
Unreached: 270

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 108 people groups in Indonesia.

Indonesia is a paradox. It contains the most Muslims of any country on earth, spread across more than 700 distinct ethnic groups. God has moved powerfully, with more than 30 million Christians in Indonesia today, but 270 people groups remain unreached. Please pray the Name of Jesus will be glorified throughout this large and important country.

Cambodia

Population: 16.6 million
Non-Christians: 16.1 million (96.9%)
All Christians: 500,000 (3.1%)
Capital: Phnom Penh
People Groups: 41
Unreached: 34

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 13 people groups in Cambodia.

Cambodia was known as the "killing fields” in the 1970s, but a vibrant and growing church has risen from the ashes of that horrific genocide. While a number of tribes have embraced the Gospel in recent years, most of the 14 million Buddhist Khmer majority have yet to hear about Jesus. Please pray for their salvation.

Bangladesh

Population: 163.9 million
Non-Christians: 163.4 million (99.7%)
All Christians: 430,000 (0.3%)
Capital: Dhaka
People Groups: 340
Unreached: 298

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 110 people groups in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is one of the poorest and most unreached countries on earth, containing nearly 300 distinct ethnic groups who have yet to trust in Jesus Christ. Nine out of every ten people in Bangladesh are Muslims. Please pray the glory of the Living God will spread widely to every part of this large and needy land.

Pakistan

Population: 219.9 million
Non-Christians: 218.2 million (99.2%)
All Christians: 1.7 million (0.8%)
Capital: Islamabad
People Groups: 479
Unreached: 476

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 49 people groups in Pakistan.

As the numbers indicate, Pakistan is one of the most spiritually dark countries in the world, with 476 of its 479 people groups unreached by the Gospel. Christians here often face severe persecution, and evangelists risk their lives daily to share the love of Jesus with people.

Philippines

Population: 109.4 million
Non-Christians: 10.8 million (9.0%)
All Christians: 98.6 million (91.0%)
Capital: Manila
People Groups: 198
Unreached: 38

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 52 people groups in the Philippines.

Statistics of professing Christians in the Philippines are skewed by the high numbers of Catholics, but only about 15% of the population may be considered born-again believers. it remains a needy country with many unreached groups. We focus on the most unreached, including the many Muslim tribes in the south.

Read the PDF version of this newsletter.

The Lost Instrument – the Amazing Story of How God Reached a Forgotten Tribe in the Philippines

office@asiaharvest.org (Asia Harvest) — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 15:43:18 GMT

How God Reached the Tinananon Tribe of the Philippines

Dear Friends,

Many believers have recently told us they are struggling, with Covid lockdowns and economic stress causing them to feel confused and fearful of the future. In this newsletter we want to share a remarkable testimony of how the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to a young missionary, Caleb Byerly , who comes from a small town in North Carolina. Through a series of incredible events, God used him to reach a previously unknown tribe, the Tinananon , who dwell deep in the mountains of the southern Philippines.

We hope you will be greatly encouraged, and God will remine you of His matchless power and grace. If He put together such a loving and detailed plan to reach this small tribe, He certainly has not forgotten you, your family or your community! Keep trusting the Lord and study His Word each day. He has everything under control!

After reading our brief summary, please scroll down and watch the links to two videos , which show Caleb personally telling the remarkable testimony.

In 2013, Caleb Byerly woke up from a vivid God-given dream and began to furiously write everything he saw in his journal.

In the dream, Caleb was looking out across a mountain and he saw a tribe he had never seen before. In the dream he asked who they were, and the people replied: “We are the Tinananon!” Then a chief walked toward him carrying a strange musical instrument. Caleb happens to make instruments, so he carefully studied the designs of the instrument he saw in the dream, which was unlike anything he had seen before. He said:

“It had 30 strings going all the way around the top of a golden bowl, from the outside, crisscrossing in the middle of the instrument. I suddenly got a full download of everything about this instrument, its dimensions, what material it was made of, and even how it was tuned and played. The tribal chief took two small sticks and began to play it, and the whole tribe rejoiced and worshipped the Living God. It was as if heaven and earth collided. After that I woke up from the dream.”

Caleb wrote down all the details he had seen, and the name of the Tinananon tribe. He then made detailed drawings of the bowl and its dimensions and materials. He then searched online for any reference to the Tinananon people but found nothing. They still do not feature on any mission or Bible translation lists of people groups.

As a professional instrument maker, he was intrigued by the idea of recreating the instrument he had seen in the dream, but the task proved too complicated. In frustration he put the whole thing aside and gave up on the dream.

About six months later, Caleb took a mission trip to the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. As he was traveling in the back of a jeepney (a kind of open van widely used in the Philippines), a man sitting opposite Caleb and couldn’t stop staring at him.

Caleb engaged the man in polite conversation, and discovered he was a Christian, and his name was Manigos. Caleb felt the Holy Spirit impress on his heart: “Ask him about the Tinananon tribe.”

After initially resisting, Caleb finally mustered the courage and asked the man, “Do you know the Tinananon?”

The man’s eyes immediately grew large and his mouth fell open. He leaned forward and said, “Hey, they are my tribe! I am a Tinananon! How do you know about my people?”

Manigos explained that his tribe lives in a dangerous and remote mountainous region of Mindanao that people from the outside world rarely enter. Caleb invited Manigos to come to the place where he was staying, and he showed him his journal entry with the word Tinananon.

Manigos began shaking his head, and tears streamed down his face. He said, “Remember earlier on the bus when I kept staring at you? I knew I had seen you before, and now I know where. I also saw you in a dream!” He explained that he left the Tinananon area as a young man, and later met Jesus Christ while living in the large city of Davao. Some time later, God called him back to his tribe through a dream where he saw himself returning to evangelize his people–with Caleb!

Both men were filled with awe at the way God brought them together, and they worshipped and prayed together for several days. Manigos invited Caleb to visit his tribe, but he first had to return to the United States. While there, Caleb went into his workshop and cried out to God, asking Him to give him wisdom and insight so he could make the instrument. The Lord helped him, and when he put the strings on it for the first time he said: “I tuned it the way I heard it in the dream. I got the two little sticks and I started to play it. It was the same sound that I heard in the dream, and I was really excited.”

Caleb bought a plane ticket and left the next day for the Philippines, taking the instrument with him. Along with a friend, Caleb met Manigos and the three of them rode on one motorcycle into the mountains, heading for the Tinananon area. After many trials and dangers, they finally arrived at the edge of a Tinananon village, and Caleb again sensed the Holy Spirit prod him, “I want you to take the instrument to the chief.”

They asked how to find the chief’s house, and learned he lived another three and a half hours away, on the other side of the mountain. By the time they reached the chief’s house it was almost dark. Mud covered their clothing as they approached a small wooden hut and knocked on the door.

The chief opened the door and was shocked to see a white man. Caleb told him: “I have come here to give you a gift,” and he held the instrument in his outstretched arms, covered by a blanket.

When Chief Suhat took the blanket off he was speechless and kept asking, “Where did you get this instrument?”

“Well, I made it,” Caleb replied.

“No, no, I’m serious. Where did you get it from?” the chief repeated.

“Well, if you really want to know, last year I had a vivid dream, in which I heard the name of your tribe, the Tinananon, for the first time. I also saw this musical instrument, and I felt like my God showed me how to design it.

The chief shook his head in disbelief as he carefully examined the instrument, asking questions about it. He summoned other tribal leaders and they walked around it incredulously, pointing at it and saying the word: “Salimbaa.”

Finally, the chief motioned to them and said, “I need to show you something.” They walked down a small pathway to a structure called a Paluvaran, which means ‘house of prayer’ in their language.

This was the place where the Tinananon people worship, and it also served as a storehouse where pottery, metalwork, weaving, and other artefacts are retained as evidence that their tribe has been in existence for many centuries.

The chief said they had different musical instruments for each of their gods. They had a god of trees, a god of stones, and a god of the river. Caleb noticed that one spot was empty on the wall between the other instruments. The chief said that between 100 and 150 years ago there was a tribal war, and their most valuable musical instrument that worshiped the God of all gods had been taken away from them.

In response, the Tinananon people created a lament which they had sung ever since, which says: “The Salimbaa was taken away from us, but the God of all Gods is going to return it one day so we can worship Him.”

They excitedly said, ‘Today, you have returned the lost Salimbaa to us!’”

A gathering of tribal leaders was arranged, and when they saw the instrument and heard it being played they all cried out, “This is it! This is the Salimbaa!”

They told Caleb of a legend they had long held. In the last days, the God above all gods, who they call Manama, would come down from heaven, and would gather all righteous people to Himself. The leaders began praying to Manama, and they dedicated the instrument back to God.

As a sign of special honor, the chief placed a headpiece on Caleb’s shoulder. “We now consider you a chief of the Tinananon tribe,” he said. “Whatever you believe God is calling us to do, we will follow you.”

Caleb was humbled by the gesture, but he had to leave the village after spending three days praying for the chief. He returned a few months later to find the chief had an encounter with the Lord Jesus, and he had given his life to serve the true God.

On the second visit, the chief asked if Caleb could help translate the Bible into their language. A team of translators met with all 50 chiefs and elders of the Tinananon people, and the process began.

Chief Suhat passed away in 2015, shortly after the translation began. Since then, four churches have been planted among the Tinananon, with Manigos being used by God to help his own people come to know the Lord.

Caleb adds, “It’s amazing how the chiefs have opened the door for the Gospel among their tribe. In 2019 we again visited the Tinananon and found that Manigos had led the small group of believers well, and now it has grown to hundreds of Christians!”

Please enjoy this brief video, as Caleb Byerly shares how God led him to reach the Tinananon people for Christ.

A nd if you are wondering what the Salimbaa sounds like when played, here is a clip of Caleb playing it:

G od bless you,
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Annual Report – A Renewed Focus for the Peoples of Asia

gabe@blueguru.marketing (Gabe Gibitz) — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:20:23 GMT

"I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12-14).

Many Christians found 2020 to be a very difficult and unsettling year, with the Covid pandemic and social and political turmoil combining to disrupt and challenge their lives.

A number of people have contacted us to ask what we think about various political events, social issues, the environment, and a host of other things.

While we understand that the world is shaking right now and people everywhere are under pressure, and if or your family have any specific prayer requests, please send them by letter or email and we will join with you by bringing your need before the throne of God in our prayer times.

Here at Asia Harvest, for decades we have learned that the only way to survive and faithfully do what God has called us to do is to have a laser-beam focus. We exist only to serve the Church in Asia, by helping them reach the thousands of remaining unreached people groups, and by providing Bibles to believers in "closed" countries who are unable to access them.

To move forward in ministry, we have found it necessary to focus on our call and to avoid all distractions. The Apostle Paul described his focus this way: "Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer." (2 Timothy 2:3-4).

As we reflect on an amazing year of ministry in Asia, we have been engaged in an intense spiritual war for the souls of men and women now for over 30 years. Asia is our passion and focus, and we simply don't have the time or energy to get involved with other issues around the world, no matter how compelling they may appear.

As we look forward to what lies ahead, we would appreciate your prayers so that, by God's grace and power, we will be able to faithfully serve Him to the end without being sidetracked.

Even when things in our lives feel unstable, let's remember the words of Jesus, who told His followers: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33).

While 2020 was a year like no other, and all our lives have been disrupted in one way or another, for us the main way that Covid affected us was that we were suddenly twice as busy as usual! The lockdowns caused those we partner with throughout Asia to fly into action to help people survive in their churches and communities.

As a result, a great harvest was reaped of new believers in many locations. In some places, believers were excluded from food distribution by callous officials and villagers. When we provided help, however, the Christians not only welcomed the crucial aid, but they even gave some to their persecutors, which attracted many to the truth of the Gospel and the love of Jesus.

Our policy has always been not to ask people for anything except prayer as we serve God. The Holy Spirit leads people if He wants them to give. Remarkably, in a year when much economic stress was felt around the world, the Lord provided more support than any year in our history!

Thanks to your generous support, we were able to help hundreds of thousands of people across Asia, and 2020 became a record year for donations, and we saw an increase of 56 percent from the previous year. We are thankful for everyone who partnered with us to help see the kingdom of God established among the peoples of Asia.

Cover photo: This picture encapsulates the heart of our call. An evangelist whom we support through the Asian Worker's Fund shares the Gospel to attentive tribal villagers crowded into a stone hut in a remote part of the Himalayas. We are privileged to support almost 1,500 evangelists throughout Asia. Last year they led over 117,000 people to faith in Jesus Christ.

2020/21 Annual Report

In the remainder of this newsletter we present our Annual Report, detailing the help Asia Harvest provided to the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2020.

It has been a privilege to serve the Lord for another year, and we feel greatly blessed to be a link in the chain that resulted in many people coming to know Him. Last year, more than two million Christians were strengthened by receiving God's Word through our Bible projects, while the nearly 1,500 Asian evangelists we support led a total of 117,509 people to Christ among 1,132 different tribes and ethnic groups.

We thank God that last year we were able to send out substantially more project money than we received. Our operating costs are minimal, and are fully covered by non-project donations, and from income generated by book sales. This means that 100% of all project donations are used on the field in Asia exactly as specified.

To read our audited financial statements, please visit the "Resources" link at our website.

Asia Harvest Projects Supported in 2020

China Bible Fund - Equipping China's Christians with God's Word

By God's grace and power, since 2000 we have printed and distributed almost 14 million Bibles to house church believers in China, with 1,462,778 in 2020 alone. This equates to 4,008 Bibles every day, 167 per hour, or one full Bible every 21 seconds throughout the year. Each one is a miracle. Thanks for praying and giving.

Accumulative Graph showing Chinese Bibles printed and distributed by Asia Harvest: 13,934,669

Asian Workers' Fund - Partnering with Pioneer Asian Evangelists

Because of your prayers and partnership, we ended 2020 supporting 1,484 Asian missionaries, serving among 1,132 unreached people groups. A reported 117,509 people experienced God's salvation last year.

A Mongolian mother reads the Gospel for the first time inside her family's yurt (tent).

The Asian Workers' Fund supports Asian evangelists who are working among people groups that have never heard the gospel. These workers encounter many hardships and persecutions, but have persevered and are seeing breakthroughs among many groups.

In 2020, those we support through the project led 117,509 people to salvation in Jesus Christ (an average of 79 per worker). A total of 546,800 conversions have been reported since this project commenced. Hallelujah! This is remarkable considering most of the workers serve in the darkest and most unreached areas of Asia, including among numerous Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist peoples.

The Asian Workers' Fund is constantly expanding and new workers are being recruited. We invite you to support one or more Asian missionaries with a gift of $25 per month each. A laminated prayer card is sent to every supporter of the project.

Asian Bible Fund - Providing Bibles to Asia's Christians

Current Total: 1,232,362 Bibles printed in 125 different languages. Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and deliver.

Asia is home to many groups where people have been prevented from accessing God's Word, sometimes for decades. Whereas our China Bible Fund is separate and focuses only on China, the Asian Bible Fund provides the Scriptures in numerous languages throughout Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and elsewhere.

In 2020 we printed and distributed 206,549 Bibles in 36 languages— the most Bibles we have ever done in a single year. For many people groups it was the first time in history they had Scripture in their language. Often, the Bibles were the answer to years of prayer by desparate Christians, who were hungry for God's Word but unable to access it. All glory to the Lamb of God!

Please pray for this project and for all who are involved in providing God's Word to the precious Christians of Asia. In 2020 we printed Bibles through the Asian Bible Fund in the following languages:

Ahirani, Bareli Palya, Bengali, Bengali Musalman, Bodo Parja, Chin Asang Khongca, Chin Ngawn, Chin Tapong, Dhankavi, Desiya, Didayi, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Hindustani, Holiya, Indonesian, Juray Saora, Kacchi, Kannada, Karen Sqaw, Konda Dora, Koya, Kukna, Kuvi, Lodha, Lodhi, Mundari, Nahali, Nepali, Odia, Pengo, Telugu, Vasavi, Urdu, Vietnamese

From Persecutor to Pastor: A Life Transformed By God's Love

gabe@blueguru.marketing (Gabe Gibitz) — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 19:12:19 GMT

A Life Transformed by God’s Love

“My name is Ramesh, and I was born into a middle-class family. Despite having Christian parents, I always protested their faith and cursed them for leaving our ancestral religion. I was anti-Christ.

Whenever I saw a Christian, intense anger welled up in my heart. I beat many believers, threatened them, burned down their homes, dragged them out of the village, and spat on them. I even used to sit and wait for Christians on their way home from church so I could rob them.

Over time I led a gang of anti-Christian thugs, who did evil activities each day. Because of our violent acts, many persecuted believers moved away from our village.

No matter how much I mistreated the Christians, my parents continued to pray for my soul, asking God to humble me so I would accept Jesus Christ. One day I had to travel to Kathmandu, and on my way out the door my mother said she would pray for my safety. I angrily scolded her and told her to stop praying. On my way home, the bus I was riding in collided with a truck, and our vehicle plunged over a cliff. There were 43 passengers on the bus, and 42 died. I was the lone survivor.

I knew that God had spared my life thanks to my mother’s prayers, and I realized the power of Jesus Christ is real. When I returned home, I immediately thanked my mother and repented of my sins. I cried out to the Lord Jesus and submitted the rest of my life to serve Him.

Today, I minister among many of the believers I once persecuted. They forgave me and accepted me as a member of God’s family, and after I had learned more of the Bible, they asked me to become their pastor.

The Living God has greatly blessed me. My wife and I adopted a beautiful daughter, and we want to win as many souls as possible into the kingdom of heaven. We are now reaching out to several mountain tribes with the Good News of salvation.

Thank you for supporting me. No matter what hardships may occur in the future, I know that my second chance in life is a gift from God, and I owe everything to Him.”

A Mother’s Love: How God Birthed a House Church Movement in China

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 21:22:36 GMT

The Chinese Communist Party has long desired to eliminate or control Christianity, but being atheists, they can never understand that they are not dealing with a mere religion or human institution. Instead, the atheistic regime has been picking a fight with the living, resurrected Jesus Christ! And there is only ever one winner when people battle the Lord!

In the 71 years since China became Communist, the Lord has laughed at efforts to destroy His kingdom, and He has overseen the greatest revival in history, with the Church in China growing from about one million believers to well over 100 million!

We would like to share a precious testimony from Sister Hu, who in 2018 shared the amazing story of how their house church movement started in northeast China.

"Some years ago, my son fell seriously ill with a kidney disease. I visited numerous temples where I earnestly worshiped all the idols, but he got worse. Then someone at the hospital told me that if I believed in Jesus my son could be healed.

I had no idea how to pray to this Jesus, or even what 'prayer' was. How many times must I pray? What words should I recite and what postures should I take? It occurred to me that I should take my son to Beijing and shout aloud to Jesus on the streets, in the hope that this mysterious person would hear me and find us. However, I lacked the money to travel to Beijing or to make offerings to Jesus once I found him.

My fellow workers at the factory all laughed at me when I pleaded for their help to sell my house so I could take my son to Beijing. I cried so hard that I had a stroke and was unable to talk. Feeling ashamed, my co-workers loaded me onto a cart and pushed it to a medical clinic. Two doctors treated me, and strangely one of them said, 'God must have a plan for your life.' I found his comment very odd.

Still guilt-ridden because of the way they had treated me, my co-workers had a change of heart and decided to help raise money for our trip. I had no idea where to go once we reached Beijing, but the hospital administrator also had to go to Beijing for a meeting, so he accompanied us on the long train journey.

I felt overwhelmed by the crowds of people and the hustle and bustle of the big city, but the administrator took us to a hospital, where there happened to be a doctor who specialized in kidney disease. He took one look at my son and said he must be admitted immediately. We stayed in Beijing, with my son receiving treatment as I recovered from my stroke.

One day I visited a big cathedral in the city. It was the first time I had ~ ever set foot inside a church building, but somehow I felt at home. I began attending services there, and some sisters encouraged me to follow Jesus and dedicate my son to Him. I told God that if he healed my son, I would always serve Him and would share the Gospel with as many people as I could.

My son's condition improved, but then he suffered a setback and the doctor said there was no hope. I asked Jesus to heal him, and from that moment my son improved, although he still needed treatment.

We traveled back home on the train, and I told my boss I had enough money either to buy food or to pay the medical bills, but not both. I was perplexed about what to do, but then I remembered my vow to God, so I quit my job and began sharing the Gospel with everyone I met. Soon, a small group of believers emerged, and we began a class to train evangelists and pastors. The fellowship grew quickly and became so large that it caused traffic jams in our town whenever we held a service! We rented a larger building to meet in.

Over time, the Holy Spirit revealed that we should focus on two things: evangelizing the lost and training leaders. We formed teams with five people in each, and we targeted 18 towns with the Gospel. As we approached each town we prayed, and then we would look for the poorest household to share the Good News of Jesus with.

Each team was supported by an intercession and fasting chain, which operated around the clock, with believers rotating in two-hour shifts. We fasted for seven days before a campaign, and to this day we still gather every morning at 4:30 a.m. for prayer, even in winter when it's minus 30 degrees outside.

In the first 15 towns many people believed our message, and we formed new churches in each place. The final three towns were further away, so we had to ride bicycles long distances to reach them. Miraculously, in one town the officials let us use the municipal loudspeaker, to ensure that everyone could hear the message. Many people believed and more churches were formed.

Our meetings were always crowded. Some who came were demon possessed, but when we prayed they were completely delivered. Many others were healed from deafness and other ailments. At first, we had many sisters but only one brother on our teams. We asked God to add 100 new brothers. and after the first evangelistic campaigns, we found that was exactly the number of men who had been converted.

Later, we added mercy ministries to help the sick, elderly, and orphans. Now, our church has grown to 40,000 believers, and we have 1,000 evangelists and pastors. We have seen God perform many remarkable things, which have helped spread His salvation message more widely. Some towns have been so thoroughly saturated with the Gospel that now over 80 percent of the people are Christians.

Jesus has been so good to us. What a wonderful Lord! He has been our best friend and He sticks closer than a brother. The doctor in Beijing told me that my son would never have children, but now his daughter is ten-years-old!

In recent years we have faced fresh challenges, as the government's strict new religious policies have taken effect. We are under great pressure to compromise, but we are determined to fully obey Jesus, and we will continue to evangelize, regardless of the cost.

This is the story of how our churches were formed and grew. Please understand that it has not been human strength that has accomplished any of this! Rather, it has all been the work of the King of Kings, who said: "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty" (Zechariah 4:6).

In our final newsletter of 2020, we have included our latest China Bible distribution map, showing the provinces where each of the Bibles we have produced over the years has ended up. By the miraculous hand of God, the project continues to operate full steam. As long as the Lord continues to hold the door open, we plan to keep helping our brothers and sisters in the Chinese house churches have access to God's Word. If you would like to support the China Bible Fund, donations can be made by mailing a check with the enclosed yellow Response form, or by giving either one-time or monthly support via our secure website.

China Update: The Battle for One Billion Lost Souls

gabe@blueguru.marketing (Gabe Gibitz) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 21:22:23 GMT

China Update: From the Frontlines

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens... a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 7).

As we come to our final newsletter of the year, you would probably agree that 2020 took an unexpected course that few of us had anticipated. The Covid pandemic has affected all of our lives to various degrees.

If you have read our newsletters over the years you will know that Asia Harvest has been a consistent voice and advocate for the Church in China. This year, however, we have felt it was a season when we could better serve God's people in China by being a little quieter than usual.

As the verse at the top of this page says, there is a time to be silent and a time to speak. The Apostle Paul knew the importance of discerning the seasons and following God accordingly. Paul once boldly declared: "I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13), but on another occasion he was hidden inside a basket and lowered over the wall of Damascus to escape from those who wanted to kill him (see Acts 9:20-25).

During this year, our newsletters have mostly concentrated on our work in other countries of Asia, but we have continued to wholeheartedly serve the Lord in China. In partnership with our co-workers, the China Bible Fund has continued to operate strongly, and 2020 is shaping up to be a year when we will print and deliver more Chinese Bibles than any other year in nearly a decade.

The situation for believers in China has been extremely difficult, as Xi Jinping and the Communist Party gradually prepare for what seems like a final assault to try to rid Christianity from the country once and for all.

The Body of Christ, however, has grown to such a size under Communism that they will find it impossible to completely eradicate God's people. Instead, the authorities have been putting plans into place to corrupt the Gospel. By doing so, they hope to control the Church and ultimately render it powerless and subservient to the Communist system.

To that end, the government has openly announced plans to "reinterpret" the Bible and other religious texts, so they will have "socialist characteristics". A glimpse into what that might look like was seen recently when a government publisher altered the ending of the account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. Their blasphemous version now has Jesus concluding his talk by saying: "I too am a sinner," instead of, "Go now and leave your life of sin."

For the record, we would like to state unequivocally that Asia Harvest will never be involved in producing any such Bibles, nor would any of the believers we work with consider using one.

The battle lines are drawn. Please pray for our precious brothers and sisters in China. This year, tens of thousands of house church pastors and evangelists have gone missing, especially in those provinces with a large concentration of Christians.

Most of those tens of thousands are still alive, but in preparation for the struggle ahead, they have gone into hiding. They have completely disconnected from all phones and computers, because those devices are used by the government to track their location.

Furthermore, each person in China must have an ID card. It is impossible for a person to catch a flight or train, open a bank account, get a job, or rent an apartment without using their card. Each ID card contains a computer chip which is also used to track people's movements. Many Christian leaders, before they go into hiding, have placed their cards inside a microwave oven for a few seconds, which ruins the chips and renders them useless.

In this final newsletter of 2020, we would like to share a powerful recent testimony from the Church in China. It is a wonderful example of how the kingdom of God has grown so powerfully in China, despite seven decades of efforts to crush and suppress God's people by the God-hating Communist Party.

We have also included our latest China Bible distribution map, showing the provinces where each of the Bibles we have produced over the years has ended up. By the miraculous hand of God, the project continues to operate full steam. As long as the Lord continues to hold the door open, we plan to keep helping our brothers and sisters in the Chinese house churches have access to God's Word.

If you would like to support the China Bible Fund, donations can be made by mailing a check with the enclosed yellow Response form, or by giving either one-time or monthly support via our secure website.

Thanks to the grace of God and your prayers and generous support, a few months ago Asia Harvest passed the milestone of 13 million Chinese Bibles printed and delivered to house churches in China. We receive detailed reports, allowing us to keep track of the Bibles we print and to create this distribution map. On behalf of all the grateful believers in China, thank you and God bless you!

The Least of These – Helping Christian Widows in India

gabe@blueguru.marketing (Gabe Gibitz) — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 21:22:16 GMT

"Others Can, You Cannot"

To start this newsletter, we would like to share a wonderful quote we came across by a Wesleyan minister named George Watson (1845-1924).

His words resonate with us, and we hope many serious Christians who read them will be encouraged to continue to stand for Christ against the increasingly strong flow of the world, and of the worldly church. Watson wrote:

"If God has called you to be really like Jesus, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put upon you such demands of obedience that you will not be able to follow other people, or measure yourself by other Christians. In many ways He will seem to let other people do things which He will not let you do.

Other Christians and ministers, who seem very religious and useful, may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it, and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their successes, of their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence upon Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward, and keep you hidden in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.

He may let others be great but keep you small. He may let others do a work for Him and get the credit for it, but He will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He may let others get credit for the work which you have done, and thus make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes."

‘The Least of These' - Helping Christian Widows in India

"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" (James 1:27).

If you have received our Asia Harvest newsletters for a while, you will know that we have seven main categories that people can give to as the Lord leads them. However, beneath these seven broad categories we have many other initiatives that help advance the Gospel among Asia's unreached people groups, and establish believers in the faith.

In this newsletter we would like to share about one of our most important projects that you may never have heard of before.

Throughout Asia, we currently support more than 1,000 Christian widows with monthly assistance. The majority of those we are privileged to help are in India, and we consider it a great blessing and honor to be involved in their lives.

The Living Dead

Life for widows in India can be very rough. Today, there are an estimated 34 million widows in India, or 8 percent of the entire female population.

You may have read how, in the past, Hindu widows in some regions would burn themselves alive by leaping into the flames when their husbands were cremated, rather than face life alone in a male-dominated society, where older women still do not generally work in paid jobs and where no government or assistance is provided. As a result, widows in India have been described as "the living dead."

Although the dreadful practice of ritual suicide is now outlawed, widows still encounter massive challenges in India, and without an income many fall prey to evil men. For these reasons, we believe that Christians taking care of widows in India is of utmost importance in the eyes of God.

We have known the Indian leaders who oversee and implement this project since meeting them on a visit to India almost 30 years ago in 1991. Since that time, God's hand has been on their ministry in a mighty way, and the number of churches has grown exponentially as their movement has spread to many parts of the nation.

While their focus has been on discipleship, evangelism and church planting, their churches also came to contain large numbers of Christian widows, who were without any human support in this world.

When forming a strategy to help these dear sisters, the church leaders took the Bible literally, and have carefully implemented the list of requirements that the Apostle Paul laid out to Timothy. We would like to share some of these verses, along with additional comment...

"Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God" (1 Timothy 5:3-4).

The first step is to identify those widows in the churches who are in genuine need; those who live alone without support, and who would struggle to survive without extra help.

Each case is considered carefully, and if any widow has family members or relatives, they are encouraged to take care of their own flesh and blood. That way, the burden for caring for the widows is not simply rolled onto the churches, and only those in the greatest need make it onto the list.

"No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord's people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds" (1 Timothy 5:9-10).

This criterion is adhered to, and only widows aged over 60 are considered for our support. Those with a track record of serving God's people and displaying the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives are helped.

The Impact on the Churches

"If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need" (1 Timothy 5:16).

First and foremost, it is the local Indian Christians who take responsibility for the widows in their midst. They receive love and honor from other members of the Body of Christ, who spend time with them and bring them food and essential supplies. In return, these elderly sisters have much wisdom to share with the younger Christian women, and in this way the family of God is built up in a beautiful way.

By strengthening God's people first, they in turn can take His blessings and reach many who have yet to believe the Gospel. Despite being among the poorest of the poor, many of the widows lovingly share their meager supplies with their non- Christian neighbors. As a result, their selflessness has attracted many Hindus, Muslims and others to bow their knees to Jesus Christ.

The project is making a great impact both directly in the lives of the widows and indirectly to the churches. For example, the funds we provide to the widows helps free up resources for evangelism and church planting, to buy Bibles and discipleship materials, and other crucial needs.

The Role of Asia Harvest

Although most of our activities are focused on expanding God's kingdom among lost people groups, the Bible teaches that we should first take care of our fellow Christians: "As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians 6:10).

In addition to monthly support, a few times a year we also provide special blessings to the more than 1,000 Christian widows we help. For example, in India a woman's sari (garment) is particularly important and is considered a cultural icon, as you can see from some of the photos in this newsletter. Every year we help our colleagues provide new saris, towels and other items to each of the widows. They are received with great joy and gratitude.

Some of the ways we help widows includes providing new saris (above) and towels (below) to each recipient. We also fund literacy programs and Bibles, sewing machines, eye glasses, wheelchairs, blankets and sheets, and aid for medical emergencies and funeral expenses. Some widows have proven to be effective soul-winners in the Indian Church, and the kingdom of God has grown through their labors.

We hope you have enjoyed this pictorial journey into part of Asia Harvest's work that we rarely share in our newsletters. Please pray for the precious widows of India, as the Lord works in them and through their brokenness to bring glory to God.

If you would like to help support widows in India and other parts of Asia, please note that we include this project under the umbrella of our Living Martyrs' Fund, which raises funds in increments of $25 per month. All donations received go directly to the project. Nothing is taken out for administration or any other expense.

Donations can be made by mailing a check with the enclosed yellow Response form, or by giving either one-time or monthly support via our secure website.

Read the PDF Version of this Newsletter

From Darkness to Light – A Tibetan Monk’s Testimony

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 13:39:00 GMT

Pandemic Update

Dear Friends, Many people have asked us if our ministry has been affected by the pandemic and subsequent worldwide lockdowns. The main way our work has been affected is that the last several months have been the busiest we've ever had! Amazingly, during this time of financial stress and uncertainty, God's people have risen up and the level of support we receive has more than doubled the normal level!

We continue to help thousands of poor families in a dozen different countries through this difficult time, and we have been diligent to send all incoming support to the field in Asia as soon as we can. In return, many of the ministries we partner with have reported great breakthroughs in their work, as many Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists who previously showed little interest in the Gospel have been touched by the love of God displayed by His people. In one part of India, our co-workers report that 70 percent of villagers who were helped with relief packages have willingly signed up to do a Bible course to learn more about Jesus!

Thank you to all who have prayed and helped our brothers and sisters in Asia. The Lord Jesus remains completely in control of this world, and is Lord over all, including diseases, lockdowns, and the plans of governments. His kingdom is advancing and cannot be stopped!

The rest of this newsletter is an excerpt from our new book, ‘TIBET: The Roof of the World'. It shares the dramatic testimony of a Buddhist monk named Tenzin Lahkpa, who is still serving God today on the Tibetan Plateau. It gives insight into the spiritual darkness that envelopes the people of Tibet, and the cost that disciples must pay to follow Christ on the Roof of the World.

To order a copy of the book, please visit our website bookstore . An e-book (kindle) version is also available online .

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of the book and we will gladly send you one.

Tenzin Lahkpa - The Tibetan Monk Who Met Jesus

Tenzin Lahkpa was born in a village in the mountains of Amdo (now in west China). His parents proudly named him after the current Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, who hails from the same region. When he was 15, his mother took him to the local monastery to commence a lifetime of Buddhist study and service. She told her tearful son:

"From the moment you were born, I knew that you would be the one to honor our family and become a monk. I have dreamed about this day since you were very little. You were always so smart and kind. You were always so clever, and I knew that your purpose was to be a monk. I know that this is not easy for you to understand, but you were born to be a monk and lead our people into enlightenment."

In the monastery, Tenzin's life was miserable. It was like a huge, dark prison cell that he felt he would never be able to escape from. In the mornings he joined the other monks begging for food on the streets, and after returning to the monastery each day they were abused verbally, physically, and sexually.

According to Tenzin, some of the older monks and lamas were rampant homosexuals and pedophiles who did not think twice about using small children to satisfy their wicked cravings. On many nights, Tenzin was unable to sleep as he heard the muffled screams of anguished young boys in other parts of the monastery. He also grew disillusioned when he discovered that many of the senior lamas, who are supposed to be celibate, had secret wives and families away from the monastery.

Tenzin longed to escape, but he knew he would never be allowed to go free. For more than 20 years he remained enslaved in monastic life, and despite moving to Lhasa and then to India—where he met the Dalai Lama several times—inner peace eluded him.

While he was in northern India, Tenzin was visited by a relative who was a former monk. He was shocked when this man explained that he had moved to America and had become a Christian. Tenzin had never heard that word before, but when he was told it describes a follower of Jesus, Tenzin recoiled in horror, for all monks had been taught never to utter that Name. It had been drilled into them that the Name of Jesus was so dangerous that it had the power to overturn the very fabric of Tibetan life, and Buddhism itself.

For the next few years Tenzin's interest in Jesus grew, but he was frustrated in his attempts to satisfy his curiosity. One day a letter arrived from his mother, asking him to return home because his father had died. Tenzin was heartbroken and made the long overland journey back to Tibet. Not having a passport, he made it only as far as the Nepal-China border where he was arrested, bound, and severely beaten by Communist officers before being imprisoned for six months.

After contracting tuberculosis, Tenzin was admitted to hospital, where a Tibetanspeaking foreign doctor treated him. The physician wore a small cross on his collar, and when Tenzin asked what it meant, he was told that it meant he was a follower of Jesus Christ.

Tenzin was excited to meet a believer in Jesus, as he had many questions he wanted to ask. The doctor gave him some Christian literature, in both Tibetan and Chinese, and asked him to study it.

One day, the doctor asked if he could pray for Tenzin's healing, for his condition had deteriorated and he needed more than medicine to survive. Tenzin agreed, and later described what happened:

"The doctor walked closer to my bed, put his right hand on my right arm, and began speaking in a language I was not familiar with. Suddenly, without warning, I felt something flow through my arm. It was like a warm, soft blanket. It moved into my shoulders and chest, and then throughout my entire body. I could not understand the doctor's words, but his prayer had something my prayers lacked. It had power."

That moment was a turning point in Tenzin Lahkpa's life. He had come face to face with the reality of God's power, and that night as he fell asleep, he had a dramatic, life-changing dream. He recalled:

"A man in a white robe came to me in my dreams. He had a glow about Him that radiated in every direction. I felt warm and safe in His presence. As He approached me, I could tell there was something wrong with His hands. In His palms were scars that had not completely healed over. I tried to look closer to see if I could catch a glimpse of His face, but I could not.

‘Follow Me,' He said. He spoke perfect Tibetan and had a low, soothing voice like that of a loving father.

‘Are you Jesus?' I asked.

But again, He simply said, ‘Follow Me.'

‘Are you the one to show me the path to truth?'

‘Follow Me, Tenzin. I am the Way. I am the Truth. No one comes to the Path but through Me.'

'Okay,' I answered. ‘I will follow You.'"

For weeks Tenzin remained in hospital, using every spare moment to study the Bible. The doctors and nurses were amazed at his recovery, and Tenzin knew it was due to the healing prayer by the Christian doctor.

Awed by everything he had learned, Tenzin realized that a time was coming when he would have to leave the monastery. His journey to discover the truth was taking him on a radically different path.

After returning home, Tenzin was burdened to share what he had learned with his friends at the monastery. He called a special gathering of the monks and requested a public debate with the head of the monastery, Tashi Lama.

Despite knowing that the monks would react furiously the moment he mentioned Jesus, Tenzin felt a supernatural peace within. God was with him and had promised never to leave or forsake him. Even if he was killed, he knew he would be with his Lord and Master in paradise. There was no reason to fear.

Hundreds of monks crammed into the monastery courtyard to witness the debate. Rumors swirled about the reason for the special meeting, with some assuming that Tenzin planned to challenge the lama's leadership in a bid to replace him.

After struggling to find the right words, Tenzin Lahkpa took a deep breath and boldly declared:

"What if I told you that I prayed to a God who said that He could guide me through the spirit world, and I did not have to earn merits to hear from Him because He gave it all to me by grace? I could not earn it on my own.

When I was lying in the hospital bed, I was told about a God who gave His life for me so that I would not have to suffer any longer. He did not do it because I had earned enough merit. He did it because He loved me. His love leads to the path that ends suffering, and His Name is Jesus."

Instantly, an enraged Tashi Lama screamed, "Grab him now!" and dozens of monks rushed at Tenzin, hissing, "He's a Christian! Kill him!"

The new believer was choked and savagely beaten to a pulp, and his battered and unconscious body was left to die. Even his own brother, who was also a monk, was forced to beat him. Tenzin's mother also suffered for her son's actions, and her house was burned to the ground.

The severely injured disciple of Christ recalled his thoughts as he was being beaten:

"I knew that I must die to myself so that I could live in Christ. And if I could live in Christ, then, although they would kill my body, I would live again with Him. In that moment, I no longer feared death.

Although I was on the ground being kicked and punched by everyone, I was not their prisoner. I was being beaten as a free man. I had more hope in that moment than all the other men there. I was no longer a prisoner of Buddha. They were. I was being beaten for leaving Buddha, and they were beating me because they were too afraid to leave."

Hours later, after darkness had fallen, the blood-splattered Tenzin regained consciousness, and he heard a soothing voice say, "Follow Me, My child." A supernatural peace flooded his soul, and moments later a hand was clamped firmly over his mouth. His brother had returned to help him escape in the night.

Tenzin was put on a bus to a faraway city, where he took months to recover from his injuries. He was warned never to return to his home or he would be killed.

For most of Tenzin's life his identity had been chosen for him. His head was shaved and his clothes were the same as all the other monks, to strip him of individualism and identity. He struggled to think for himself or act independently of the monastery.

He was now free, but it would take a long time to adjust. Despite having no money, bank account, or any connections in this world, he walked away from his former dark way of life and toward Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.

In his new location, Tenzin was eventually contacted by some Christians, who warmly embraced him and explained that he had a unique and precious God-given identity which made him different from everyone else in the world.

Meanwhile, the monks back at the monastery remained furious with Tenzin. In their minds he had dishonored his nation, family, and culture. They tracked him down and tried to force him to recant and return to the monastery. When their pleas fell on deaf ears, they decided it was better for him to be dead than to walk away, and several attempts were made on his life.

Later, Tenzin began working with a medical charity in west China, giving him the opportunity to witness to many sick Tibetans who visited the clinic for treatment. One visitor was a Tibetan lady named Mapu. Tenzin shared the Gospel with her and she believed, becoming the first Tibetan he baptized. Mapu loved him, and they were united in marriage. For 20 years he had scarcely seen a woman and had been completely cut off from all contact with the opposite sex, so marriage was another shocking change to his life.

Tenzin and Mapu now have two sons, and he often says the most wonderful gifts God has given him, apart from salvation, are his wife and children.

Not one to lack courage, in 2017 Tenzin heard that a bacterial infection had broken out in his home area. Many people, including his beloved mother, had died as the epidemic swept through. Despite the threat to murder him if he ever showed his face there again, Tenzin was compelled by the love of God to return to the very monastery where he had almost been beaten to death years earlier. He reasoned:

"I knew that most of them wanted to kill me because they felt I had betrayed them. However, I could not sleep knowing that God had given us the means to save them. I knew that because Jesus loved them, I needed to love them too— even if they hated me. I wanted to be there to serve them and to show them the love of Jesus, and I would do so—even if they killed me."

Tenzin led a medical team to his hometown, providing treatment to more than 1,000 people. The locals were hesitant to receive help from him, but so great was their distress that they put aside their prejudices and accepted the assistance.

One day, Tenzin was sitting in the clinic when Tashi Lama walked in. Tenzin immediately grabbed a chair for him to sit on and bowed to honor his former persecutor. Tashi Lama's eyes grew large when he realized he was being served by the man he had tried to murder.

The next day, all the leading monks gathered as Tenzin presented a plan to build the first health clinic in the town.

Tenzin Lahkpa—who was dedicated to Buddha at a young age and who served many years as a monk—is now a jewel in the crown of Jesus Christ, and a living example of God's ability to transform lives radically from the inside out.

Many years earlier, Tenzin's mother predicted that he would lead their people into enlightenment. He is doing just that. He continues to serve the Living God, and he leads a small Tibetan fellowship.

With living examples like Tenzin Lahkpa displaying the liberating power of Jesus Christ, it's no wonder the lamas of Tibet and the demonic world fear His matchless Name, and why they shudder at the thought that the ‘Jesus virus' might one day spread throughout the Tibetan world.

Note: Quotes in this article are from Tenzin Lahkpa with Eugene Bach, Leaving Buddha: A Tibetan Monk's Encounter with the Living God (Whittaker House, 2019).

For many years Asia Harvest has helped spread the Gospel throughout the Tibetan Plateau. Literature, audio and video resources that communicate the Gospel in Tibetan have been distributed. We currently support many ethnic-Tibetan evangelists who work inside Tibetan areas of China, and in the border areas of Nepal, Bhutan and India.

Evangelists can be supported for $25 per month each. If you would like to help one or more of these workers, we invite you to do so through our Asian Workers' Fund. Please add a note "Tibetan worker" when you send your gift. A prayer card and occasional updates will be sent to every regular supporter of this project.

Tibet – The Roof of the World

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 22:10:00 GMT

In this newsletter we are pleased to announce the fourth book in our series on the mighty revival that has swept China during the past 50 years. The China Chronicles are proving to be a great encouragement to many and are enriching the spiritual lives of those who read them.

Tibet has long been acknowledged as one of the most difficult challenges for the followers of Jesus to overcome, with the famous pioneer missionary Hudson Taylor once remarking: "To make converts in Tibet is similar to going into a cave to rob a lioness of her cubs."

In 1886, a Chicago businessman, William Blackstone, preached on the subject, ‘The Need of the World and the Work of the Church'. He explained that all people groups must hear the gospel before the glorious return of Jesus Christ, and he stated: "God seems to be holding Tibet back to be the last field entered just before His coming."

Several generations have come and gone since Blackstone's prediction, and Tibet remains one of the last great blocks of humanity yet to give the glory due to the true and Living God.

The remainder of this newsletter is an excerpt from 'TIBET: The Roof of the World'. It shares the gripping story of the 92-year struggle it took to produce the first Tibetan Bible.

To order a copy of the book, please visit our website bookstore . An e-book (kindle) version is also available online .

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of the book and we will gladly send you one.

Significant discounts are available for bulk orders of this book.

You can buy the first 4 books of the China Chronicles series at a discounted rate here .

The Incredible Story of the Tibetan Bible

Tibet is vast— three times the size of Texas or the United Kingdom, but with only a fraction of the population. We had dozens of epic stories to choose from when considering what to share as an except in this newsletter, but we have opted for the story of how the Tibetan Bible came into existence. This remarkable account gives an insight into the intense demonic opposition faced by all Christians who seek to penetrate the Roof of the World with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The story of how the Tibetan Bible finally emerged after a long struggle deserves to be widely shared. It highlights the level of spiritual opposition that Christian work in this dark part of the world invariably attracts.

German Moravian missionaries in north India gave themselves fully to the task of translating the Scriptures into Tibetan in 1856. Incredibly, it was to take nearly a century to complete, with the first full Tibetan Bible finally being printed in 1948. God used a Tibetan family—the Gergens—who helped with the translation work and themselves came to Christ as a result.

Although Tempu Gergan died after falling ill, his 12-year-old son Sonam had listened attentively to all the discussions between his father and the missionaries, and he boldly decided to confess Jesus as Lord and Master. Sonam's decision angered the local Buddhist monks, and great pressure was applied in a bid to make him abandon his new faith. He rebuffed their threats, and when he was publicly baptized headopted the new name of Yoseb (Joseph).

Help from Above

The first Scripture translated into Tibetan was the Gospel of John, published in 1862. Although a portion of the Bible was now available, it was not well received by Tibetans, who struggled to understand the words and concepts it contained, causing many readers to give up in frustration. Years of discouragement ensued as the Tibetan Christians and missionaries tried to share God's Word with Buddhists, only to encounter uniform apathy and disinterest.

From the start, the translators had struggled with what terms to use to accurately portray Christian concepts and names to a completely non-Christian culture. Long discussions and prayer meetings were held to discuss what Tibetan words should be used for God, Savior, and sin, among many others. Each word that was tried had Buddhist connotations, and it seemed impossible to find terms that communicated the beauty of God's Word to a people steeped in superstition and a completely different worldview.

After the Lord helped the translators find a way to communicate His Word, the New Testament was finally completed in 1903, and Yoseb Gergan immediately began to translate the Old Testament.

Although the Tibetan New Testament did not cause revival to break out, it greatly strengthened the small number of Tibetan believers, and the profile of Christianity was enhanced among the Buddhist hierarchy now that God's Word was available for them to read. The abbot of one monastery said: "I have read all the New Testament. Is it true that there is an Old Testament? If so, will you kindly send me all the books? I am very much interested in Christianity."

Wrestling with the Devil

Many more years passed until finally, in 1935, Yoseb Gergan laid down his pen. He had on his desk the first draft of the complete Tibetan Bible! He let out a deep sigh. Now, the Holy Bible would be available to reach the millions of Tibetans living on the vast plateau beyond the mountain passes.

Incredibly, although the translation has been completed, a further 13 years of intense struggle elapsed before the full Tibetan Bible was finally printed, as a succession of extraordinary events threatened to totally destroy the decades of work. It seemed as if every demon in hell had gathered to prevent the Word of God being available in Tibetan.

First, the workers at the Bible Society in India were unable to print the manuscript because they did not possess the technology to do so. At a time long before computers or photocopy machines, the precious manuscript was carefully placed inside a crate and shipped to the headquarters of the Bible Society in Britain.

The Tibetan Bible arrived in London, but as Hitler's forces swept across Europe, the Bible Society was concerned that the valuable manuscripts in their vaults might be destroyed by a Nazi bomb, so they transported the documents to safer rural locations. The Tibetan manuscript was placed in the ancient cathedral at Ripon, 200 miles north of London. As the Battle of Britain raged,

One 2,000-pound missile from the sky landed on a roadway beside Ripon Cathedral and came to rest against the wall of the church without exploding. Four feet away, inside the church's wall, lay the Tibetan manuscript. Gingerly, a bomb demolition crew defused the bomb. The firing device seemed faultless, and they could not understand why it had failed to explode.

By the time the Second World War ended, Yoseb Gergan was 60-years-old. For a decade he had patiently waited for news that his Tibetan Bible had been printed. With Europe in disarray and no sign of progress, he asked for the manuscript to be sent back to India, hoping that new technology would allow it to be printed closer to home.

Alas, the printers in India shook their heads, saying the manuscripts had been written on cheap Tibetan paper and would need to be rewritten on special white paper. Gergan asked God to give him the strength to complete the massive undertaking.

Two more years passed, and Yoseb felt his s trength beginning to ebb as he continued working on his life's task. Then disaster struck. After days of feeling dizzy as he worked from sunrise to late at night, he fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Yoseb Gergan (pictured above) had suffered a heart attack.

The members of the small Tibetan church cried out to the Living God, asking Him to have mercy. They had never imagined that their beloved pastor would die before the Bible was in circulation. God heard their prayers, and Yoseb experienced a surge of strength. A special table was constructed so he could continue the work from bed, and two Tibetan scribes were employed to do most of the writing, with Yoseb overseeing their work and making corrections.

Finally, on August 11, 1946, Yoseb Gergan wrote down the Tibetan words for the final verses in the Bible: "Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." (Revelation 22:20-21).

Five days later, Yoseb Gergan closed his eyes one last time, and went to his eternal reward.

A Soggy Pulp

Unsurprisingly, more demonic opposition and roadblocks had to be overcome before the Tibetan Bible was finally in circulation. The rewritten manuscript had to be taken on the back of a mule across steep Himalayan mountain passes, and a young Tibetan named Sandrup was employed to deliver the manuscript. The journey was expected to take 50 days, and from there the manuscript would be sent on to the city of Lahore, where the Indian Bible Society was located.

Months went by without any word from Sandrup. He, and his precious cargo, had simply vanished in the remote mountains. The believers worried that he had been murdered by bandits or had encountered some other disaster.

Thankfully, additional sets of proofs had been made by Yoseb Gergan before he died. They were given to a Christian named Bahadur, who retraced the steps of the missing Sandrup. As Bahadur crossed a mountain pass, a massive electrical storm came rolling up from the valley below. He pulled his horse behind a large boulder and squatted close to the ground, waiting for the storm to pass as hailstones the size of eggs smashed into his back and neck. Suddenly,

There was a searing flash of light followed by the crash of thunder. The horse tried to bolt into the darkness, but Bahadur restrained it with tremendous effort. Flash after flash of lightning glanced off the rocks around them, filling the air with the heavy smell of scorched earth. The thunder roared as though the demons of hell had gathered to defy the terrified traveler. Torrential rain followed the hail, pouring from the heavens like a waterfall.

‘Oh God,' he cried, ‘help me now. Deliver me from Satan and his evil host. Protect your Book!' His shouted prayer was answered by another flash of lightning, which laid him out insensible on the ground.

When he revived, the storm had passed. Bahadur noticed that all was quiet, and he suddenly realized he was stone deaf. It would be weeks before he would hear a sound, and then only faintly, as the storm had split his eardrums."

Bahadur bravely soldiered on, and finally reached his destination. The scribes came running out to welcome him, but when the saddle bags were opened, a soggy mass of paper fell to the ground. The storm had succeeded in filling the bags with water. Bahadur tried to pick up the sticky mess, but it was no use. His journey had accomplished nothing. He called God to witness what the devil had done to the precious papers.

One Final Effort

The Bible Society workers realized they were in an intense spiritual battle that required a far greater power than mere human effort to overcome, so they petitioned Christians around the world to intercede for the success of the Tibetan Bible project.

After another delay, a third set of proofs was prepared. Meanwhile, the body of Sandrup, the first courier, had been found at the bottom of a steep cliff. He had perished in an avalanche.

Due to the outbreak of war which led to the formation of Pakistan as a separate country in 1947, the project leaders found that it wasn't safe to send the manuscript to Lahore for printing. It would have to be personally carried across more dangerous mountains, and one of the Tibetan scribes, Gappel, volunteered to undertake the long journey. He entered the war zone, and for months not a word was heard from him.

Four months later, as the Bible Society workers were starting to give up hope of ever seeing Gappel or the manuscript again, news emerged that he was holed up in a little hut in Kashmir. His way to Lahore was blocked by soldiers, but after another series of divine interventions, the manuscript finally arrived in Lahore, where Gappel began to put the finishing touches to the work.

The searing heat and humidity of Lahore soon made Gappel ill, as he had spent his entire life in the crisp air of the Himalayas. Two large fans were installed in his room, and large blocks of ice were placed in front of the struggling Tibetan. His spirit was immediately revived by the cool environment.

With Gappel working up to 20 hours a day to finish the task so he could return home, progress was swift, and the wonderful day finally arrived in August 1948, when the first ever copy of the full Tibetan Bible rolled off the press! It had taken 92 years of struggle and prayer.

God's Word Goes Forth

As soon as his job was done, Gappel hastily headed back to his home in the mountains, and an initial print-run of 5,000 Tibetan Bibles was dispatched to expectant missionaries and Tibetan Christians on both sides of the Himalayan divide.

One recipient of a new Tibetan Bible was Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth and current Dalai Lama, who had fled from Tibet into north India. When a missionary presented him with a brand new copy of the Holy Bible, the Dalai Lama exclaimed, "Thank you! I have heard about this Book. I am told it speaks of the great God who became a man and lived on earth."

After the Communists seized control of Tibet, hundreds of thousands of Buddhist monks were arrested and sent to prison labor camps, where many died after facing horrific cruelties. A Bible reached one imprisoned monk, who after being deeply touched by the words he read, penned a letter in beautiful flowing Tibetan:

"Dear unknown friends. The book you have sent over the mountains has come to my lonely cell. My soul is strangely stirred as I read these words. Light has come to my poor darkened soul. Please send me more light.'

Evangelists can be supported for $25 per month each. If you would like to support one or more of these workers, we invite you to do so through our Asian Workers' Fund. Please add a note "Tibetan worker" when you send your gift. A prayer card and occasional updates will be sent to every regular supporter of this project.

Read the PDF Version of this Newsletter

Video: Thousands of Karen Receive Bibles for the First Time

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 04:48:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your response to our recent newsletter on the Sqaw Karen tribe and their desperate need for Bibles. Many people have expressed how shocked they were to learn that there are Christians in the world today who have been completely cut off from Bibles for more than 50 years!

This week we would like to share a video our co-workers put together of one of the recent Sqaw Karen Bible distributions in Myanmar (Burma). We hope the 9-minute video will bless and encourage you as you see some of our precious brothers and sisters celebrate as they receive God's Word for the first time.

Finally, for those who want to know more about the Karen people:

Some have written to say how surprised they are by the information we shared in our newsletter. They were unaware of the Karen people or that they have been engaged in the world's longest active war, stretching back more than 70 years.

For those who wish to learn more about the wonderful Karen people, their resilience, and their deep faith in the Lord, we thought about what other resources we could share, and although there are now many videos and articles available, it's hard for us to go past a video made in 2006 by a group of four college-age friends from San Diego, California, who spent their summer vacation in Southeast Asia documenting the plight of the Karen people.

This authentic video encapsulates the struggles and beauty of the Karen people, who continue to display the joy of the Lord in their lives despite their long and painful decades of suffering.

WARNING: Although most of the video is fine, certain parts contain the kind of horrible images you would expect to see in a genocidal war zone. Please be aware, especially if there are children nearby when you watch. The video can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iholvIClPM

Our role at Asia Harvest is to help provide thousands of Sqaw Karen Bibles to these desperately needy people, many of whom have been praying for decades for just one copy of God's Word. Please continue to pray for the Karen, and we invite you to join us by supporting our Asia Bible Fund . Each Bible costs just $2.70 to print and deliver.

May God bless you as together we serve the Church in Asia.

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

The Sqaw Karen – A Tribe Desperate for God’s Word

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 23:31:00 GMT

In this newsletter we would like to encourage you with brief testimonies from some of your Christian brothers and sisters whose existence you probably aren't aware of.

The Sqaw (or S'gaw) Karen tribe inhabits the mountains and jungle valleys of eastern Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). They have lived there for thousands of years and are thought to be the original inhabitants of the region. They are the largest of the Karen tribes, numbering over two million people.

The Lord has pursued the Karen people for a long time, and the first Christians among them came to faith in the 1800s. Today, there are many Sqaw Karen believers, but they have been isolated from the rest of the world, and decimated for the past 50 years by the brutal, evil Burmese military junta, who have killed hundreds of thousands of Karen people in one of the worst genocides in modern history. Often the Buddhist Burmese have attacked the Karen people for no other reason than the fact that many are Christians.

Over the years, Asia Harvest has helped provide more than 76,000 Bibles in the Sqaw Karen language through our Asian Bible Fund. These spiritually- hungry believers are greatly appreciative, and the Word of God had made a massive difference in the lives of many families decimated by war and hardship.

We would like to share testimonies and photos from several Sqaw Karen believers who have recently received the Word of God for the first time. As we share their stories, we invite you to pray for them, and please consider giving so that more Christians like will have free access to God's Word. We have more Bible printings in the pipeline right now, in 8 different languages. In Myanmar and other Asian countries the average cost per Bible is $2.70.

" My name is Samuel, and I have served as a pastor among my people since 1993. Long ago, when I went to Bible school, I had my own Bible, but during the war, Burmese soldiers came to our village and we had to run for our lives, leaving our possessions behind. Since that time, I have served the Lord without a Bible.

I later moved, but there wasn't a single Bible in the whole village. Three years later, the church was able to obtain one Bible, but it fell apart from overuse. The Word of God was so rare and precious that the believers decided no one could touch the Bible except me. It had to remain in the church and I could not take it home, for fear that I might lose it and they would again be without God's precious Word.

On January 1, 1999, we started asking the Lord to provide us with our own Bibles. For the past 21 years since that day, we have kept faith and trusted God. Once I went to our nation's capital and visited the Bible Society. I wept bitterly when I found they had just one Sqaw Karen Bible, but they wanted much more money for it than what we could afford.

Now, after your workers visited, our hearts are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude! Not only did you provide one Bible for every family in our village, but they were completely free! Hallelujah!

Just one month after your visit, our church members were studying their Bibles every day, and great changes came to our village. People are now full of the joy of the Lord, they have stopped smoking and drinking, and they love one another. When I walk through the village, I hear people reading God's Word aloud and singing praises. Our meetings have overflowed, and our church building cannot hold everyone. We have been so blessed by God that I feel like we now live in a heavenly village!

Thank you so much for the great and precious gifts you brought to us. You have put smiles on our faces, and we can now experience heavenly life. God bless you all abundantly!"

"My name is Naw and I am 67-years-old. When I was just two, my parents died in the jungle from snake bites. I was raised by my uncle and aunt, and seven times we had to abandon our village and flee into the jungle to avoid being bombed by the Burmese army.

Life was horrible because we were always running for our lives. I started primary school when I was 8, but because of all the commotion it took me 11 years before I finished. I might have set a world record for the longest time in primary school!

After I finished school, the army came again and burned every house in our village to the ground. We again had to run for our lives. My uncle died in this attack and I was very sad.

When I was 12 I had a Bible, but I lost it during that attack, and there was no way for me to get another copy. I had no income at all, and just staying alive was a struggle. Furthermore, I lived in a very remote village that seemed to be forgotten by not only the outside world, but even by other Karen people.

However, I hoped the Lord had not forgotten me, so I always prayed that He would let me own a Bible again before I died. Each time I prayed, I felt confident that He had heard my cry for help.

Then, after praying for 55 years and 6 months, God answered my prayers through your ministry! I asked God for a Bible, and you provided not only a Bible but it also has a hymnbook in the back, which is a great blessing. I have never been so happy and satisfied in all my life!

Every day I read His Word, and the love of God fills my heart. I am so thankful, but I also want to ask if you are aware that there are many thousands of Sqaw Karen people in the remote jungle areas who have no access to Bibles at all, and who are desperate to know the true and Living God.

Please remember them and do your best to take Bibles to them. God bless you more and more as you seek to quench the thirst of our poor Christian brothers and sisters."

"My name is Ti and I am 53-years-old. I have lived in this village since 1992. Before I came here, most of the time we were living in the jungle and running for our lives. We often had to move, and each time we lost all our possessions. We lost land, houses, relatives, friends, animals, and more.

My father once owned a Bible, but it was destroyed in the fighting. I desperately wanted to have a Bible again, but there was no way to get a copy. Even in my dreams I never imagined I would actually have a Bible again, even though I have been praying since 1992 for the Lord to give me one.

Now, after 28 years of prayer, God has given me my own Bible! It is the first time in my life I held my own copy of God's precious Word. Jesus is so good and worthy to be trusted and praised.

Over the years, other people who said they had Bible distribution ministries visited our village and took pictures, promising to return and give us free Bibles. Our hopes always went up, but they never returned. So, when we informed people in a nearby village that Bibles would be distributed for free, one per family, they didn't believe us, because something so amazing had never happened before.

Our heart-felt thanks to all of you for all your hard work, and for keeping your promise and giving us free Bibles. Thank you!

Please remember the hundreds of other Sqaw Karen villages in the mountains and valleys where Christians have never had a Bible in their entire lives. I would say that 97 percent of all Christians in the remote areas have never even seen a Bible. They have no money and there is nowhere to obtain a Bible anyway, even if they could afford one.

God bless you and your supporters. We will never forget what you have done for us."

"My name is Kar. I am 78-year-old. I was married and had nine children, but I am alone now, because all of my children died in the jungle in 1992 when we were forced to run for our lives from the Burmese military. My wife was killed by a bomb in 1993.

I don't have any living relatives, and I don't even know where the other people are from my village, as we all fled in different directions. My life is horrible, and I have lost everything. I feel my life is even worse than what Job experienced in the Bible.

I have always wanted to read the Bible in my language, but I have never been able to find one. Throughout my life I've frequently asked pastors and evangelists where I could get a Bible, but they always told me it was impossible. I decided to trust God, as I realized only He has the power to meet my need.

I started praying for a Bible in 1966 when I was 24-years-old. After praying for 54 years, God has answered my petitions! I have received your free Bible and hymnal, and I am so happy! Even though I only live in a simple thatch hut and am all alone, Jesus Christ has not forgotten me and He has encouraged me with His love! The Bible has become the most precious thing in my life. It is truly the living Word of God. Thanks to you all!"

The Christians highlighted in this newsletter are representative of countless thousands of others who have received life-changing Bibles through our two Bible projects. The China Bible Fund continues to strengthen and equip house church believers in China. Although the cost of printing a Bible changes monthly depending on the latest price of paper, exchange rate fluctuations, etc., we have set our price at just $1.80 each for a full Chinese Bible, and we cover the transportation and any other costs from non-project funds. This way, we guarantee that for every $1.80 sent to us for the project will result in a Bible being printed and delivered to the Chinese house churches.

The Asian Bible Fund continues to provide the Scriptures in languages like Sqaw Karen for an average of $2.70 per Bible . If you would like to provide God's Word to hungry believers like those in this newsletter, we invite you to fill out the enclosed yellow response form and send it back along with your gift. Alternatively, one-time or monthly donations to the project can be made via our website: www.asiaharvest.org

An Exhortation for All Followers of Jesus in Troubled Times

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 05:58:00 GMT

"Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 'Make level paths for your feet,' so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed" (Hebrews 12:13).

Dear Friends,

Recently, many believers around the world have contacted us to express their fears. With events like the Coronavirus lockdowns followed by the violence on the streets of America, and economic uncertainties, people are confused and scared. Satan is the author of confusion, and as the world system stumbles deeper into decay because of people's sin, many are bewildered, not knowing who they can trust, or if anyone can be trusted at all.

Having served Jesus Christ under the noses of hostile governments for decades, we know something about fear. It is a deadly toxin, which can distort our minds and hearts and drag us away from life-giving, daily fellowship with God.

I f we allow it, fear can make us easy prey for Satan, who loves to get our hearts off Jesus and onto the news, social media, and all kinds of worries. The Lord warned us of this danger when He said: "The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22).

World events are only going to get progressively worse as the world spirals toward anarchy, before the great and glorious return of Jesus. He will come to bring judgment and to clean up the mess we have made: "Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short" (Revelation 12:12).

How can a Christian strengthen their heart and mind to survive the dark times ahead? Our answer is one that you have probably never heard from a Christian organization before: do NOT 'read' God's Word! People read newspapers, novels and webpages, but the Bible instructs us not to merely "read" the Word but to "Study to show yourself approved by God, a workman who needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

It's not enough just to have a few favorite Bible verses, or to pick and choose bits of Scripture that make us feel good. To be healthy, a person needs to enjoy the full banquet of God's Word, and not just grab a few snacks here and there. Throughout the Scriptures, we find the people God used greatly were those who diligently studied His Word, for example: "Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel" (Ezra 7:10).

To survive the end times, we must study whole books of the Bible, and invest time each day in getting to know the Lord through His Word and in prayer. It's time to get serious, or our faith will not survive the storms ahead. God's Word will give us discernment and wisdom, enabling us to navigate through this life.

We not only need wisdom as we live in this world, but we also must discern truth from error in today's Church. Each day, thousands of pulpits and the airwaves are spewing out a false gospel that has stripped the Christian message of key words like repentance and holiness, and crucial teachings of the Lord Jesus, such as: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).

Friends, the gospel has become distorted because many preachers are cowardly and do not want to 'offend' listeners. If a believer gives in to this delusion, they often end up ensnared by myths and conspiracies, as Paul wrote to Timothy: "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

The only way to be able to wade through the quicksand of deception that has engulfed many churches and whole denominations today is by cultivating a deep knowledge and love for the Word of God, and then in faith and by the power of the Holy Spirit, living out the gospel and sharing it with others.

Many people over the years have told us they simply don't have time to study God's Word. Usually that is untrue, as they never seem to lack the time to watch television, surf the internet, or gaze at their phone for hour after hour.

Friends, it's time for all believers to get serious and to make wise decisions. We have never seen anyone fall away from the Lord who was strong in His Word, nor have we seen anyone strong in Christ Jesus who was neglecting His Word.

May God bless you as together we serve the Church in Asia.

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

The Red Dragon Rages in China (Video)

Tue, 19 May 2020 19:24:00 GMT

New ParagrapWhile the world has been battling the Coronavirus and economies prepare to be shattered for many years to come, in China the self-proclaimed 'President for Life' Xi Jinping continues his relentless persecution of Christians, at levels not seen since the demonic days of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s.

Recently we wrote that we believe the intense spiritual battle underway in China will be a turning point in the war between the light of the Gospel and the forces of darkness in China. If God's people endure and overcome, the revival fires that have blazed in China for decades may grow to a new intensity not seen before, with tens of millions more people coming to Christ.

The militant atheists who lead the Communist Party are terrified of this prospect. They are doing everything they can to stop the Gospel spreading, which (ironically) they view as a virus. Official government documents have referred to the "Jesus Fever" infecting multitudes of people.

You may have read about mass arrests and persecution and have prayed for the Chinese believers for years, but perhaps you have never been able to picture what persecution looks like in 21st century China.

A few weeks ago (on May 3rd), the below video emerged of a typical house church meeting being raided in the city of Xiamen (Fujian Province). Six brothers who were identified as leaders were taken away and have not been heard from since. Please watch the short clip and pray not only for these brothers and sisters, but for the tens of millions of believers across China who are currently facing similar trials.

In the coming weeks we plan to publish a series of email newsletters about the situation in China, not only focusing on the evil deeds of the Communist authorities, but also on the glorious witness of God's people as they boldly continue to be salt and light to their nation.

Meanwhile, all our projects continue to function in China by the sovereign hand of the Lord. In the first five months of this year we have (illegally) printed and distributed over 250,000 more full Chinese Bibles to the house churches, who face a massive famine of God's Word due to almost every other method being shut down. The government has also blocked access to Bible websites and apps, as they position for an attempt to crush the Church once and for all.

Please know that the Christians in China have been praying earnestly for believers around the world during the current pandemic, and we ask that you also please pray for them as they enter the furnace of affliction.

M ay God bless you as together we serve the Church in Asia.

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Virus Response – Helping Thousands of Families Survive the Crisis

Fri, 01 May 2020 04:51:00 GMT

"A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, 'It is I; don't be afraid.' Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading." (John 6:18-21).

There has been a lot of fear and anxiety everywhere due to the Coronavirus, but for the children of God the crisis presents a wonderful opportunity to pause and refocus firmly on our Lord Jesus. He is still completely in charge!

In John 6 we find the disciples were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee and about to drown when Jesus got into the boat, and "immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading." It didn't say they rowed there, but all of a sudden they reached their destination.

The key to getting through any storm in life is to make sure Jesus is in our boat with us! Even with Him our lives may be excruciatingly difficult and painful, but without Him in the boat with us, our lives and futile and directionless, followed by an eternity of misery. Let's take spend our time getting to know Him better.

Whatever the cause of the present pandemic or the plans of governments in the future, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is in control! The governments are upon his shoulders, and as Nebuchadnezzar concluded long ago: "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?'" (Daniel 4:35).

Changes to the Living Martyrs' Fund

For more than 20 years the Living Martyrs' Fund has been one of our main projects, and it will continue to help thousands of needy believers throughout Asia. From this month onward, however, we will not be providing prayer cards or updates from the individual workers we support through the project.

We will continue to help many persecuted believers and their families throughout Asia; and we are adjusting the project to include hundreds of destitute Christian widows. Please note that these changes do not effect our other projects in any way. We will continue to send cards and updates for the Asian Workers' Fund.

China

All of our lives have been affected in one way or another since news emerged from the Chinese city of Wuhan in January that a new type of respiratory virus was afflicting people and spreading quickly. We are not wanting to speculate on the origins of the virus or how the subsequent lockdowns and expansion of government power affect life going forward.

Instead, in this newsletter we want to give a pictorial summary of help Asia Harvest has been able to provide across Asia, thanks to the generosity of many believers.

First, a brief report from a dear friend and house church leader from China:

"In recent months, house churches across the nation have seen a new openness to the gospel since the virus appeared. Even though gatherings have been banned and the Communist Party has shut down many Christian websites and social media platforms, many thousands of people have placed their trust in the Lord anyway.

Because of the crisis and subsequent long isolation period, many people in China have realized that money and possessions will not save them. Churches have been started through telephone and website evangelism, which has been very effective!

Even before the outbreak, people's foundations had become very shaky, with the Chinese economy in terrible condition and tens of millions of unemployed people with nothing to do. Now, with real fear in society as the government begins to implement their "social credit" system, many people's confidence in themselves and the nation's leadership has eroded.

The arrival of the Coronavirus brought all these feelings to the surface, and it is likely that millions of people have become Christians throughout the country because of it. For this we praise the Lord for His great wisdom and mercy!

Now that restrictions have slowly been lifted, zealous church planting has been going on, and such has been the response that in one five-day period, we distributed almost 40,000 Bibles to new believers! The more difficult the environment, the more opportunities we have for ministry. Now is a very effective time to share the Word of God with non-believers in China."

India

When the virus spread to India and the government announced a severe lockdown where all shops were shut and people were ordered to remain home, we were greatly concerned, because the nature of society in India meant that hundreds of millions of vulnerable people were at risk of starvation. Most people in India remain extremely poor, and a typical family does not have a refrigerator or store of food. Multitudes live day to day as day-laborers. Suddenly finding themselves without an income a massive disaster was looming.

Thanks to the prayers and generous giving of many, our partners throughout India quickly launched plans to help as many people as they could, especially the elderly and widows. At the time of writing this newsletter, we have been privileged to provide food and other necessities to 4,750 appreciative families.

Christians are very thankful to God, while the unbelievers who have received help are much more open to the gospel than at any previous time. Many people believed the government abandoned them in their time of greatest need and Hindus didn't raise a finger to help, yet the Christians came and displayed the love of Jesus Christ to them without seeking anything in return.

Pakistan

Pakistan is a predominantly Muslim country with 200 million unreached people, with a smattering of Christians in various places. They often feel cut off from other parts of the Body of Christ. A Pakistani church leader once told us they are surrounded by so many hostile Muslims that they can know how the Israelites felt when they were forced to go to war with the Arameans. The Bible records: "The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside" (1 Kings 20:27).

In recent years, Asia Harvest has been increasingly working in Pakistan through our other projects, especially the Asian Workers' Fund. When the Coronavirus struck, corruption and prejudice meant that the small but faithful Christian communities faced missing out on help, as the masses of Muslims took first place in the line for government aid.

As a result, our co-workers in Pakistan quickly mobilized into action, and with funds provided by Asia Harvest they bought more than a ton of food and essential supplies, which have been distributed to 120 grateful Christian families, numbering about 600 people in total.

We are glad we have been able to help our brothers and sisters there, in line with the Scripture which commands us: "As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians 6:10).

Indonesia

For many weeks, the government of Indonesia ignored the Coronavirus threat, and even continued to allow flights from China, while mocking the risk and saying their country was infection-free. Their foolishness caught up with them in a major way, resulting in a severe lockdown that has affected everyone in this wonderful nation of nearly 300 million people.

On April 4th we shocked many Christians with a post on the Asia Harvest Facebook page that listed the names and locations of 28 Indonesian pastors who had already died from the virus. Some believers in the West still did not take the threat seriously, and some even thought that it was impossible for the disease to touch Christians. Since then the number of believers in Indonesia who have perished from it has increased to hundreds, if not more. One of the dead was Pastor Fu Xie (pictured above) from the city of Bogor.

Our partners in Indonesia quickly formulated a plan to help the most vulnerable. With funds provided by Asia Harvest supporters, they crammed food and essential supplies into their personal vehicles and worked from morning until night each day helping more than 700 families , nourishing both their bodies and souls.

Philippines

Although we don't mention it much in our newsletters, for years Asia Harvest has supported many workers in unreached parts of the Philippines, where they have risked their lives to take the Gospel in a hostile environment.

When the Philippines went into lockdown, our co-workers there immediately came up with a course of action to both display the love of God through aid while presenting the claims of the Gospel to those who have yet to believe in Jesus Christ.

Whereas in most other countries people were helped to survive by being given bags of food, in the Philippines the believers took a different approach, and set up feeding centers where people could come to eat nutritious meals from people who love and care for them. This strategy has broken down many barriers and a new openness to Jesus Christ has been seen.

More than 200 families have been helped through the efforts of our brothers and sisters in the southern Philippines. Thank you for helping to make it happen.

Other Countries

To all who have prayed and given to help our brothers and sisters in Asia during this time of worldwide upheaval, we thank and bless you in the Name of our Lord Jesus! Space doesn't permit us to share about those we have been privileged to help in Malaysia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

In total, during the month of April we were able to assist more than 6,800 families in 8 different Asian countries. At an average of two meals per day, by God's grace we have provided enough food for over 400,000 meals last month! Without this help we shudder to think how many families would have survived.

At the time of writing this newsletter, the lockdown was still in place in most of the countries we work in, and it's likely we will need to continue helping throughout May and beyond. Therefore, if the Lord touches your heart, we invite you or your church to continue to help us as we help the needy in Asia.

All gifts to our Persecution & Relief Fund will go to purchase more food and other essential supplies in Asia, until we have all made it through this crisis.

A Message From Our Brothers and Sisters in Asia!

"From our hearts we say thank you and God bless you to all those supporters of Asia Harvest who have prayed for us in this hour of need and generously supported our efforts to help the most vulnerable families in our midst, especially widows, children and the sick, and the many day-laborers who would not have survived without help due to their dire poverty.

We can already see how this crisis has also given a great opportunity, and countless families that had not previously responded to the Gospel have been overwhelmed by the love of Jesus as they see His people in action. May the Lord reap a great harvest of souls for His kingdom!

We are especially thankful because we know that at this time everyone in the world is affected by the pandemic in one way or another. We ask the Holy Spirit to give you his peace and joy at this time."

43,942 Infections and 43,942 Deaths!

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 18:05:00 GMT

Read About Arthur Jackson and the Plague of 1911

For most of us, the current Coronavirus pandemic has given us new and unexpected experiences, yet we know from the Word of God that far greater challenges lie ahead in this world before the Lord Jesus Christ comes to sort out the mess people have made.

In this issue we would like to share the story of another epidemic in China that you have probably never heard of - the pneumonic plague that struck northeast China in 1910-11.

While today's Coronavirus is bad, can you imagine how devastating things were back then? One report said:

"The impact of the epidemic was widespread, with 100 percent fatality rates reported for those infected. 43,942 cases were recorded, and 43,942 deaths. There was no authenticated case of recovery. As this inexorable deadliness became known, it seized on the public imagination, and the general terror of the forward march of the disease was quite out of proportion." Read more... .

Revival is Stirring in China Again

Many people are asking "where is God" during the current crisis. Friends, He is where He always is - ruling over the universe and working His perfect will and plan of salvation, as time marches forward to the end of the present age.

In recent months, house church leaders across China have reported a new openness to the gospel since the virus appeared, and even though meetings are not allowed and the Communist Party has shut down many Christian websites and social media platforms, many thousands of people have placed their trust in the Lord anyway. This week, our contacts in China wrote:

"More people are realizing that money and possessions will not save them, and many churches have been started through telephone and website evangelism, which has been very effective! Church planting has been going on, and just last week, in a five-day period, we distributed almost 40,000 Bibles to new believers! The more difficult the environment, the more opportunities we have for ministry. Now it is very effective to share the Word of God with non-Christians in China."

As you go through the adjustments to your life currently, please don't lose a heavenly perspective. Jesus is still on His eternal throne, and God remains good! And by the way, although the plague that struck northeast China in 1910-11 seemed devastating to Christians at the time, looking back they viewed the experience as a mere blip on the radar of God's wonderful plan.

The three northeast provinces (formerly known as Manchuria) contained 20,000 Christians at the time of the plague in 1910. The Church quickly recovered, and by 1922 the number of Christians had increased more than 50 percent to 30,575.

Today, northeast China is home to more than 11 million believers!

We encourage you to keep looking to Jesus, study His Word every day, and use this time to grow in Him as you share the Good News with those around you.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).

T he team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Helping Vulnerable Asians in the Coronavirus Outbreak

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:50:00 GMT

$7.13 provides food and essentials to poor families in India for a week

D ear Friends: Many have asked for details of how Asia Harvest is helping people throughout Asia affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. In this newsletter we present some opportunities for people to give, but please do not feel any pressure whatsoever to help , especially as we realize many people around the world are coming under their own financial pressure and an uncertain work future.

If you have any prayer requests for you and your family currently, please email them to us and we commit to lifting them up before God's throne of grace during our ministry prayer times in the coming days. It would be our privilege to pray with you.

Asia Harvest partners in India distributing food and essential supplies to widows in need.

In India , the government gave less than four hours' notice of a 21-day complete lockdown, during which no one can leave their homes and almost all shops and services are closed. Most people in India do not have refrigerators or supplies of food in their homes, so hundreds of millions of poor people are deeply affected, and it's feared many will starve to death without outside assistance.

Our co-workers in India quickly sprang into action. The above photo shows just one of many makeshift distribution centers that have been set up to provide immediate food and essentials to society's most vulnerable people.

We have sent $45,000 in the last few days to help efforts by believers in India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia, but much more will be needed in the coming weeks.

Below is a breakdown of the cost of items being distributed free to families in India. This initial assistance is helping 4,000 poor families and 2,500 widows. As you can see, a little goes a long way there, but the needs are vast!

Contents of Survival Packages for Poor Families and Widows in India
3 bars of soap - $1.73 per family
1 kg of dal (protein) - $2.00
1 kg of cooking oil - $1.60
1 kg of onions - $0.80
Salt and curry powder - $1.00

Total cost: $7.13 to help a family of 4 or $1.78 per person

If the Lord lays it on your heart, help can be sent via our Persecution & Relief Fund by credit or debit card or Paypal .

Distributing further aid in China , meanwhile, has proved extremely difficult, as the government now refuses to let anyone help, especially Christians. This stems from the massive Sichuan earthquake of 2008. At the time, many Chinese believers flooded to the area to help the victims, and the result was a powerful revival that saved tens of thousands of people! Some Christians who have tried to help others during this pandemic have been arrested.

As a side-note, no one with a straight face believes for a moment the Communist Party's claims that they are conquering the virus, nor do they believe the ridiculous official count of only 3,000 or so deaths in all of China, which is an insult to people's intelligence.

We believe the number of infections and deaths in China is massive and is continuing to grow daily, but will never be reported because the Communist Party can never allow itself to look weak. The UK government believes that China could have 40 times more cases than what has been reported. If accurate, that would mean 3.3 million people have been infected in China. Now, restrictions are being lifted as the Communist Party orders people back to work, so the number will go much higher.

Most people in China also do also not believe President Xi's claims, as he tries to take advantage of the crisis to promote militant Marxism as the answer to the world's problems, and to expand China's influence around the globe.

Let's pray the Lord Jesus will be glorified through these difficult times, and that millions of lost people throughout Asia and around the world will find true inner peace and salvation through the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Trouble in China – The Brutal Persecution of the Chinese Church

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 07:45:00 GMT

A real picture of a Chinese believer named Huang Xikai being tortured by Communist police. This and other gruesome images were smuggled out of China and published some years ago. Thousands of Christians are currently undergoing similar barbaric treatment. Please pray for our precious brothers and sisters.

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead" (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).

Although the Apostle Paul didn't go into detail about the kind of pressure he was under when he visited areas in present-day Turkey, it's interesting that the Greek words he used here were in relation to what occurs when a heavy stone, weighing as much as 300 pounds, was slowly lowered onto the chest of a restrained person to torture them. The pressure gradually increased as the stone came down, making it almost impossible to breath. The victim was immobilized, unable to move forward or back. They were completely helpless. That's the kind of pressure Paul experienced when sharing the gospel.

As believers, we often face hardships, but many times we manage to find an escape route, or at least we are able to delay the pain. Sometimes, however, there are no options available, and we must be totally stripped of all props. God is able to bring us to a place of utter helplessness in ourselves or in other people. All we are left with is Jesus, and if He does not sustain us, we will die.

When we get to this place, we will be able to say with Paul that we "rely not on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." Indeed, God did figuratively raise Paul from the dead on that and many other occasions, and he continued to establish God's kingdom among the Gentiles until the day God called him home.

In China today, many Christians also feel like Paul did. Since President-for-life, Xi Jinping, announced his plans to clamp down on religion, massive persecution has broken out against God's people, in ways that have not been seen since Mao's demonic campaigns to destroy Christianity from the 1950s to the 1970s.

In this newsletter, and subsequent issues, we plan to share a thorough overview of what is going on in China today, especially in relation to the Body of Christ.

Why is China still trying to Destroy the Church?

We believe the main reason behind Chinese President Xi Jinping's current mad campaign to control and destroy religion, especially Christianity, is because of the massive growth of the Church in recent decades. The government knows very well that millions of people each year have been turning to Christ, despite all their efforts to persecute God's people and stomp out the revival brought by the Holy Spirit over the last 40 years.

We recently conducted a thorough review of our detailed study on the Church in China, which estimates the number of professing Christians in all 2,803 cities, districts and counties in every province of China. Our previous research almost a decade ago led us to publish a figure of 103 million Christians of all persuasions in China—a figure which was been quoted by numerous media outlets and mission organizations.

When our update was completed last year, we found, according to our best information and estimates, that 129.6 million people in China now consider themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ! Although this still represents only 9.1 percent of China's population, the upward trajectory of the Church appears to be behind Xi's demonically-inspired plans to subdue—and ultimately obliterate— Christianity.

Our study titled "The Church in China" can be freely accessed under the "Resources" tab at our website: www.asiaharvest.org

There, you will find hundreds of inspirational testimonies, pictures, prayer profiles, maps, graphs and other useful information about the Church in China. We hope these tools will be a great blessing to Christians all around the world who desire to learn how God has glorified His Name in the world's most populated country.

Instead of welcoming the great revival has swept millions into the kingdom of God, the God-hating atheists of the Chinese Community Party continue in their futile attempts to dethrone the Lord Jesus and usurp His place in people's hearts and minds.

Like countless other kings and rulers throughout history, their puny efforts will ultimately fail, as they up against the Almighty God, whose Word declares: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).

The Mass Expulsion of Foreign Christians

In 2016, Asia Harvest was among the first to warn that a massive persecution was about to erupt across China. By the following year, house church leaders we work with were telling us things like: "The persecution we're experiencing is the worst since the Cultural Revolution 40 years ago!" We published newsletters such as, "A Gathering Storm: Massive Persecution is Brewing" (September 2017) and "A Special China Issue: Massive Persecution is Underway" (March 2018).

Finally, by mid-2018, other Christian ministries finally caught on to the fact that the Church in China was experiencing savage persecution.

If you have read any of our China Chronicles books, you will know that the typical Communist strategy whenever they plan to persecute God's people is to first remove foreign believers. This cuts the Chinese Church off from outside help, and hides them from the glare of international publicity. This happened in the 1950s before massive persecution erupted, and for the past several years this same strategy has been implemented again.

A Western Christian teaching English to her eager students in China.

The leaders of several mission organizations have told us they are struggling to make contact with their Chinese co-workers. Many believers have been arrested or have gone into hiding, turning off all their electronic devices so they can't be tracked by the authorities.

Meanwhile, thousands of foreign Christians who have given their lives to serve the Lord in China are feeling devastated. They've been kicked out of China and banned from returning for five years or more.

In a single week last year, at least 300 foreign believers—who were living legally in China as students, teachers, business owners and in a host of other roles—were expelled from China from all across the vast nation.

Shell-shocked families turned up in places like Hong Kong and Thailand, having been forcibly expelled from China. They told how they had been issued deportation orders, and were taken immediately to the nearest airport and placed on a flight out of the country. Many were not even allowed to go home to gather their belongings, or to withdraw money from their own bank accounts.

Distraught families were given no opportunity to appeal. After local authorities were ordered to expel them, they did so with military speed and precision.

We have been told that one major denominational mission group has had two thirds of their workforce expelled from China, and over half of another large mission's workers are gone. Many believers, seeing what had happened to their coworkers, decided to leave voluntarily to avoid the spectacle of being forcibly removed like criminals. All of this happened before the Coronavirus outbreak, which has depleted the numbers even more.

The sole reason they have been kicked out of China is because they have been identified as followers of Jesus, as President Xi appears determined to complete the job his predecessor Mao failed to do—to rid the country of Christianity.

One American family, who were expelled from a city in southern China where they had lived for many years, told us that the local authorities showed them a thick file, containing the transcripts of all emails, phone calls and text messages they had sent to friends and supporters for years. These Christians wrongly assumed that their communications were secure on such as Skype and WhatsApp. Their private messages were used as evidence against them as they were unceremoniously expelled from the country they love.

China's Influence Spreads

In the past few years, a disturbing new trend has emerged, as the Chinese Communist Party has exported their atheistic, God-hating philosophies across its borders into surrounding countries. First, seminaries and Bible schools in countries like the Philippines, Myanmar and Malaysia came under pressure not to allow any students from Mainland China to attend. School roll numbers sharply reduced as hundreds of Chinese Christians were forced to return to China.

We have been told of numerous other incidents in diverse locations, with Christians living in border regions of Nepal, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam being warned to stop all ministry or face dire consequences from their giant neighbor.

For example, in 2018 China bullied the authorities in northern Myanmar (formerly Burma) to shut down over 100 churches among the Wa tribe, who were experiencing the early stages of a revival from God. One Sunday morning, thousands of Wa Christians went to their churches to discover the doors had been chained shut and padlocked. Undeterred, believers met in the open air and continued to worship God.

One Wa Bible school inside Myanmar was closed, and 41 of its students were arrested and forced to render hard labor for the Wa rebel army, which is backed by the Chinese Communist Party.

Only recently have many of the Wa churches in Myanmar been allowed to reopen. Many of these persecuted fellowships are not located close to the Chinese border, but China is increasingly flexing its muscles deep inside other countries.

At least 100,000 Christians Arrested in China!

While we knew that something very dark and demonic was taking place throughout China, it was difficult to get a clear picture on the scale of the persecution. Two China Church experts, however, stuck their necks out and put a number on the size of the problem.

Bob Fu (a former house church leader from Shandong Province), and Nina Shea, a respected researcher of the persecuted Church around the world, estimated that in 2017 a total of 3,700 Christians had been arrested for their faith in China. Things escalated so quickly that in the following year, Fu and Shea estimated 100,000 Christians had been arrested! In case you missed that...

One hundred thousand Christians were arrested in China in 2018! Many believers have been taken away and not heard from again.

The number of arrested Christians in China has only worsened since then, but no further estimate has been made.

At a local level, the harassment and persecution of Christians has continued at every level. Thousands of churches have been forced to close, both unregistered house churches and government-sanctioned Three-Self churches. Some fellowships have been ordered to install facial-recognition cameras in the front of the sanctuaries, facing the congregations, and leaders who have refused to comply have been arrested. In many places the police have ordered churches to take down crosses and other religious symbols and to show their patriotism by replacing them with portraits of President Xi and the Chinese flag.

New religious laws that took effect in February 2018 are directed against young people's rights to access the Gospel. The current strategy is two-fold—to introduce school curriculum that Christianity is bad; and to encourage children to attack their parents' faith as dangerous and to report them to the authorities. In many places, schools have held special meetings to teach children how to oppose religion.

Because China is such a huge country, any policy tends to be implemented unevenly, so at the moment there are still parts of the country where the Church has experienced less problems, and others where it is being decimated by the authorities and leadership is being systematically wiped out.

A government initiative called "Return to Zero" has been launched against the house churches, with the stated goal to "dismantle congregations, dissolve organizations, and dismiss the church." Believers who were caught in church raids have been sent back to their home villages and have had their Identity cards confiscated, eliminating their ability to travel.

How God's People are Coping

Many people who contact us often quote a Christian cliché that was first voiced by the early church leader Tertullian: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." It may surprise some to learn that this phrase is not in the Bible at all, but is what Tertullian said true? Is persecution always good for the Church, and does it invariably result in the expansion of the faith?

We believe that while Tertullian's quote may be generally true, a survey of Church history quickly reveals that persecution does not automatically result in the growth of Christianity.

It is not wise to view Chinese Christians as spiritual supermen and women. Did you know, for example, that when the Communists first ramped up persecution against God's children in China in the 1950s—when thousands of church leaders were arrested, killed or sent for long sentences in prison labor camps—that about twothirds of believers in China fell away from the faith? It was from that crushed and refined remnant that the Lord Jesus put together the greatest Christian miracle of the last century - growing His Church from a few million to over 100 million members in the face of fierce persecution.

Although there have been reports of growth among churches in some areas since the persecution began in earnest in 2018, many believers have struggled terribly, and some have fallen away from the faith. In a throwback to the Cultural Revolution, house churches throughout China have broken down into tiny groups of 4 or 5 believers, who meet discreetly for prayer and Bible studies.

Please continue to pray for the Church in China. We invite you to keep partnering with us, as we do all we can to strengthen God's people in this time of tribulation.

Friends, we want you to know that despite the massive persecution underway in China, by the grace and supernatural protection of God, all our Asia Harvest projects remain active.

In fact, in 2019 we secretly printed more Bibles inside the country for the house churches than we had done for many years, and we continue to support hundreds of Chinese church leaders and evangelists through our Asian Workers' and Living Martyrs' funds.

I n our next newsletter we plan to share reasons behind why China's rulers have such intense hatred for God's people. Please note that our email newsletters contain more information and supporting links than we can provide in these paper newsletters, so if you would like to know more please sign-up at our website.

“Fear Not!” – A Word of Encouragement From Paul Hattaway

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 01:06:00 GMT

Please feel free to share this message with anyone who may benefit from it.

S ome of you are aware that we have been in Asia in an area increasingly impacted by Coronavirus infections. After remaining there for several weeks, the number of infected people was increasing daily and anxiety levels on the streets were growing with it. With many flights being cancelled, we are thankful that we were able to leave the area, feeling strong and healthy.

Many people have asked how the virus is affecting the Chinese churches in Wuhan and throughout China. Ironically, the brutal persecution launched by President Xi over the last few years has helped prepare the house churches for the current situation. Thousands of large congregations were broken down into small groups of 5 or 6 believers, who have been meeting together for prayer and Bible study in their homes.

Some Chinese churches set up online services since the virus began, but many of their websites and social media pages have been shut down by the government, who haven't relaxed their atheist ideology even amid the crisis. Cruelly, the paranoid Communist authorities have even taken the opportunity to let people know that their facial recognition technology works just as well when people are wearing masks!

As fear and trepidation spreads throughout the world along with the virus, we would like to encourage all believers to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, for "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7).

If you have placed your trust in Jesus, please don't lose heart at the darkness that is enveloping the world around you. God frequently exhorts His people to "fear not," or "Be of good courage" throughout the Bible.

Rather than worrying about what might go wrong, the Lord wants His children to look to Him in faith, because fear and faith cannot exist together, and the stronger of the two will always kill the other. Our job is to set our eyes on Jesus and His kingdom, for "without faith it's impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6).

To counteract fear, great encouragement is given to followers of Jesus. Please pause for a moment and let these words of Jesus sink into your heart: "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12:6-7).

We know many elderly Christians who are in the age group most at risk of infection. Let's all remember that the extent of our lives is not controlled by the devil, or evil men, or pestilences and plagues. It is our Heavenly Father who controls our lives! His Word declares: "A person's days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed" (Job 14:5), and: "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:16).

So, let's not fear! God is, and always will be in total control. Although our lives look set to be disrupted for some time because of the economic effects of the pandemic, God is not yet finished His work in you or through you. Let us keep serving Him while we have the opportunity. The Lord Jesus said: "As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work" (John 9:4).

All the projects of Asia Harvest are continuing throughout Asia, although a few adjustments have been made because of the virus and the lockdown of whole regions. We believe that in time this pandemic will pass, and the kingdom of God will have progressed according to His perfect timetable.

Let us give thanks to God with a grateful heart. Pray His purposes will be fulfilled in our communities and around the world, and if you will soon find yourself unable to meet in structured church services, the Chinese Church invites you to join them in meeting with God personally and directly in your homes!

Open your Bibles, worship Him, and may you find what tens of millions of Christians in China have discovered: "The Most High does not live in houses made by human hands" (Acts 7:48), and: "the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" (2 Chronicles 16:9).

God bless you,
Paul and the team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

The Church in China – A Wonderful New Resource

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 17:40:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

A fter much work and fine-tuning, we are pleased to announce a new resource on our website that will connect you to hundreds of inspirational testimonies, articles, maps, stats, photos, prayer profiles and other items relating to the Church in China. Here is our new page: https://asiaharvest.org/china-resources/

From the main page, click on any province of the China map and you will be taken to a host of great articles and files on the Church in that province. For example, if you click on Shandong you will be taken to this page .

There, you can read dozens of inspirational testimonies (in both English and Chinese) about what God has done in Shandong, both in the past and currently. You can view a table showing how many Christians there are in every city, district and county within the province, and you can view and download unique maps and photos.

Another province we have completed is Guizhou . This link includes dozens of People Group profiles at the bottom of the page, in addition to all the other features common to each province of China.

Our hope is that this new resource will bless the Body of Christ around the world, and the Lord Jesus will be glorified as His people learn about the wonderful things God has done in China.

These resources are freely available for anyone to use, so please feel free to share our link with others via social media or any other way you like.

Please bookmark our page and visit often, as we will be regularly adding new content to it.

God bless you,

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

China Update #2: Video – Wuhan’s Christians Risk Their Lives to Share the Gospel

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 11:21:00 GMT

Thank you for praying for the Church in China at this time, especially for the believers at the epicentre of the virus in Hubei Province. We would like to share a very precious video with you of Christians risking their lives by preaching the Gospel and distributing face masks on the streets of Wuhan. God's people have risen up during this crisis. Please pray for them, and ask God to glorify His Name in this disaster by granting eternal life to millions of desperate people in Hubei.

Unfortunately, even at a time such as this, the Chinese Communist Party cannot put aside their anti-Christian ideology, and we have been informed that some of the teams of believers who were preaching on the streets have been arrested and their supplies confiscated.

W e are now in a position to help Chinese believers living in the area through a trustworthy local contact. He wrote that their greatest need is for "medical equipment, masks, goggles, gloves, and protective coverings," which they have managed to source. Many Christians in their area have been infected and quarantined.

If you would like to help with this need, please add a note "China relief" when you give via credit or debit card or PayPal to our "Persecution & Relief Fund" or to "where needed most". As with all our projects—as proven by our audited financial statements that are posted on our website —we guarantee that every dollar received will go directly to believers in the infected area.

Selected links about the Coronavirus and the Church in Hubei Province:

There are hundreds of interesting articles being published about the current situation in China, but we would like to share just a few of the more interesting links here.

* From the time the virus first broke in Wuhan, Chinese believers have told us they think the true number of infections and deaths is much higher than what is officially reported. People in China have almost zero confidence in things the Communist Party says. The government's case was not helped by this apparent slip-up in early February, where the true extent of the virus appears to have been inadvertently shared online.

* China has attempted to silence many reports of the virus, and people who have spoken out were threatened by the government and are now missing .

* There has been a massive outpouring of sympathy in China for the doctors and nurses who are heroically trying to save lives, especially after the death of 34-year-old doctor Li Wenliang .

* As the Coronavirus worsens, the crisis poses a threat to Communist Party rule , as millions of people grow frustrated and angry. The Party has shown over 70 years of rule that they will do anything to stay in power. Please pray for God's will to be done and that "the government shall be upon His shoulders" (Isaiah 9:6).

God bless the people of Wuhan and China!

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Coronavirus – Prayer Requests From the Church in Wuhan, China

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 11:28:00 GMT

A real photo of a family at Guangzhou Airport, showing the fear prevalent in much of China today.

In this special e-bulletin we ask you to please pray for the people of Hubei Province, China, especially the many followers of Jesus who live in Wuhan and surrounding districts. Although it's not one of the strongest Christian provinces in China, we estimate that among the 11 million inhabitants of the whole Wuhan Prefecture, approximately 470,000 (or 4 percent) are professing believers, including 240,000 house church members and 160,000 members of government-approved Three-Self churches. There are more than three million Christians in all of Hubei Province.

Over the years, Asia Harvest has printed and delivered more than 380,000 Bibles to believers in Hubei. While that work will need to be put on hold for a while, as the whole province is on lockdown (no one allowed in or out, and internal travel has also been curtailed), our work continues throughout the other 30 provinces of China.

A Prayer Request from a Wuhan Pastor:

Peace be upon you. At this time the virus has been at the center of our thoughts and lives. We are always watching the latest news, and thinking about how our family and the church should face this.
As for my family, I have gathered masks and food and have ventured outside as little as possible. When venturing out in public I have worn a mask, but as for the rest, I place my life in the Lord's hands.
As for the church, we are all part of a great struggle. We are facing a severe test of our faith, and we feel that Christians in our city are not only called to suffer with the people, but we have been called to pray for those who are fearful, and to introduce them to the peace of Christ.
Please pray for the peace of Christ to rule and reign in our hearts , so that we may be a witness to those who are without hope.
Pray that through this hardship, God's children will grow nearer to the Almighty , and that the Lord will use it to purify our souls and give us many opportunities to proclaim the gospel.
Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to be strong in Christ's love. Even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground apart from the will of the Father. With so many millions facing this pestilence, can it be outside God's will? In all that we are experiencing, is it any worse than what Abraham faced in Sodom, and Jonah faced in Nineveh? If God withheld judgment on Sodom because of one righteous man, or because of 120,000 who didn't know their left hand from their right, withheld destruction from Nineveh, what of the city of Wuhan where we live? We are part of many thousands of righteous believers who live in this city, made righteous by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Please pray for God's mercy upon Wuhan , and ask Him to bring peace upon our city, province and all of China at this time.
Please intercede, asking our wonderful Savior to bring peace and healing to those who are afflicted with the illness, to provide supernatural strength and protection for the medical personnel struggling on the front lines, and to bless every official at every level, who are working to help the people of Wuhan!
Please do not be concerned with my welfare, nor be agitated or fearful, but pray in the Name of Jesus. Many people are courageously serving our city, especially the medical personnel who are risking their lives. If they can take on such worldly responsibilities, how can the Body of Christ not more readily take on spiritual responsibilities!
Please ask the Lord to use this pestilence for His glory, so that when it is over, there will be many more souls born-again into the kingdom of God than have perished.
Some more helpful links about the Coronavirus and the Church in Hubei Province:
See our stats and a map showing the Christian population of Hubei Province.
This site tracks the latest figures showing the spread of the virus in China and around the world. It is updated many times each day. As you can see from the graph at the bottom right of the page, the virus appears far from having reached its peak, and the number of deaths is rapidly increasing daily.
Read how churches in Hubei Province are meeting together online during this plague, and one pastor encourages us to realize this is a fierce spiritual battle in China, and not just a physical one.

God bless the people of Wuhan and China!

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

2020 Annual Report – Real Faith in Perilous Times

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 16:27:00 GMT

"Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.'

But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are.' And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.... We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them" (Numbers 13:30-33).

In this famous account of the twelve spies, we see one of the fundamental differences that separate mankind. Two of the twelve believed God, and He ultimately allowed them to see the Promised Land decades later. The unbelief of the ten other spies, however, infected the rest of the Israelites, and as a result they wandered around the desert for 40 years before perishing.

Did you ever consider God's feelings about the bad report of the spies? He was so angry with them that a short time later He threatened to wipe out Israel because of their disobedience. The negative report of the ten spies paralyzed the people with fear. By being filled with unbelief, they were essentially saying God cannot be trusted and His Word is not true.

Joshua and Caleb were honored by God, and a generation later, after millions of Israelites had died and their bones had crumbled to dust beneath the desert sands, those two men of faith were still following God and trusting Him with all their hearts, as evidenced by Caleb's remarkable declaration of faith when he was 85: "So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then." (Joshua 14:10-11).

How could an old man in his mid-80s be so full of life and energy that he was ready to rush into battle for God? What was the main characteristic of Caleb's life that made him like this even in his old age? Surely it was his faith! Caleb still had great faith. He trusted and loved God, and believed the Lord could do whatever He wished.

Cover photo: An old nomadic woman in a remote part of western Mongolia hears the gospel for the first time and receives a Bible, after evangelists traveled hundreds of miles through the snow to share Jesus in the unreached area.

If you've been around church life for any length of time, you will have met some Christians who are old in years but full of life like Caleb. They have a positive outlook on life because they trust and believe in the Lord Jesus, and they have battled against despondency and lack of faith for many years. These are battles we all must have.

On the other hand, you may also have met younger people who are inwardly decrepit. These kinds of people are miserable to be around. They only see the negative side of others and of every situation, and what is supposed to be refreshing, living water flowing from them has turned into a bitter brook.

The good news is that it's not too late for us to repent and to have true, trusting faith in our Heavenly Father! We can ask Him to set us free from doubt and fear so that we may walk hand in hand with Him, and be a vessel of life and encouragement to everyone we meet.

Severe persecution is underway in many of the countries we work in. Those we serve in Asia need a supernatural impartation of the Holy Spirit to enable them to overcome and to be more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Please pray for us as and our co-workers, as we pray for you, to stand firm in God's Word and in His grace as we come toward the end of the age.

Asia Harvest Projects Supported in 2019

China Bible Fund - Equipping China's Christians with God's Word

There remains a critical shortage of Bibles in China today because of the massive growth of the house churches. Tens of millions of Christians are still unable to access God's Word. Our Bibles are distributed free of charge to all parts of China, helping establish new believers in the faith, and adding fuel to the revival that continues to burn throughout the world's most populated country. Each full Bible costs just $1.80 to print.

By God's grace and power, since 2000 we have printed and distributed more than 12.5 million Bibles to house church believers in China, with 1,123,056 in 2019 alone. This equates to 1,942 Bibles every day, 128 per hour, or one full Bible every 28 seconds throughout the year. Each one is a miracle. Thanks for praying and giving.

Accumulative Graph showing Chinese Bibles printed and distributed by Asia Harvest: 12,574,561

Asian Workers' Fund - Partnering with Pioneer Asian Evangelists

Because of your prayers and partnership we ended 2019 supporting 1,349 Asian missionaries, serving among 1,038 unreached people groups. A reported 100,188 people experienced God's salvation last year.

Women and children in Bangladesh eagerly listening to the gospel from one of the evangelists we support through the Asian Workers' Fund.

In 2019, those we support through the Asian Workers' Fund led 100,188 people to salvation in Jesus Christ (an average of 74 per worker). This is the first year ever that the evangelists have reported over 100,000 commitments for the Lord. More than 429,000 conversions have been reported since this project commenced. Hallelujah! This is remarkable considering most of the workers serve in some of the darkest and most unreached areas of Asia, including among numerous Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist peoples.

The Asian Workers' Fund is constantly expanding and new workers are being recruited. We invite you to support one or more Asian missionaries with a gift of $25 per month each. A laminated prayer card is sent to every supporter of the project.

Asian Bible Fund - Providing Bibles to Asia's Christians

Current Total: 1,025,813 Bibles printed in 104 different languages. Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and deliver.

Asia is home to many groups where people have been prevented from accessing God's Word, sometimes for decades. Whereas our China Bible Fund is separate and focuses only on China, the Asian Bible Fund provides the Scripture in numerous languages throughout Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and elsewhere.

Last year we were thankful to pass two all-time milestones in this strategic project. The total number of Bibles printed and distributed passed the one million mark, and the number of different languages we've provided the Scriptures in passed 100. All glory to God!

Please pray for our project and all who are involved in providing God's Word to the precious Christians of Asia. Last year we printed 98,707 Bibles through the Asian Bible Fund in the following languages:

Bengali, Bodo, Bugun, Chetty, Chin Falam, Chin Matu, Chin Ngawn, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kachin, Kannada, Kisan, Kokborok, Konkani, Malayalam, Mannan, Marathi, Muduga, Muthuvan, Nepali, Oriya, Pal Kurumba, Punjabi, Ravula, Sqaw Karen, Tagin, Tamil, Telugu, Tutsa, Vietnamese, Wa

The Drunken Priest - Transforming Lives through God's Love

Each year we receive hundreds of wonderful testimonies from across Asia, but we are only able to publish just a few. We would like to share this testimony from a former Hindu priest in India, as it fits well into our Annual Report, since his story touches on several of our projects.

"I was brought up in a Hindu family. My wife and I have a son and a daughter. When I was young I loved the Hindu deities and I devoted my life to their service, becoming a priest in a famous temple. Although I prayed and blessed others every day, I had no peace or joy in my heart. I often prayed to my gods, but it was completely onesided. There was never an answer, which made me increasingly frustrated. Over time, I began to drink alcohol to help me cope and to forget my worries.

My religious duties became a mere ritual to me. During the day I served as a priest, and at night I consumed liquor in ever-increasing amounts. I became so addicted that I started going to bars and drunk openly in front of all. When I was intoxicated, I used to abuse and fight other people, and I became known as ‘the drunken priest.' I lost all respect from the people and I eventually lost my job in the temple.

Because of my addiction, there was no peace in my family. My wife used to cry and pray to our gods to change me, but they never answered.

One day I got such a severe stomach pain that I could not bear it. My wife prayed to our gods with tears, but again nothing happened. My pain increased. Finally, I was taken to the hospital. The doctors did several tests, but could not find the cause of my suffering.

When some Christian gospel workers visited the hospital, they found me lying on the bed in pain. They spoke to me with love and told me about Jesus, but I laughed, because I knew that gods can't help. Despite my attitude, they confidently told me that Jesus can heal me if I trust him.

I didn't know anything about Jesus and I had never prayed to him, but because of the severe pain, I asked them to pray for me. The moment they lifted up their voices to heaven, I felt as if the Almighty God Himself was listening to their prayers. It was comforting and soothing, and I could feel the power of God reducing my pain. After the prayer, while talking about Jesus, I was completely healed.

The Lord Jesus did this miracle in me—the drunken Hindu priest. On that day, the Lord proved to me that He is the God who can speak, heal, and save even a lost soul like me. I decided at that moment to become His servant. I accepted Jesus as my Savior and was baptized. The Lord healed me, saved me and cleansed me, and now my entire family serves Him.

Today, I am an independent evangelist and pastor. I don't have enough money to buy the Scriptures, so I thank God for supplying Bibles and Gospels through Asia Harvest. I carry hundreds of Mark's Gospel to 30 villages and distribute them to people one by one. This distribution has helped me to start prayer groups and baptize many new believers. As a result, 98 families are now attending our church. This is all because of God's love and the power of the Scriptures.

We are now experiencing growing opposition from Hindu activists, who are furious that I tell the people, "Jesus is the only way to be saved!" By the grace and power of God, however, I plan to continue my ministry and do whatever I can to make our new believers strong in the Lord. Please pray for us, and thank you for your generous partnership in the Gospel.

The Truth About Bibles in China

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 12:25:00 GMT

Please scroll down to watch a short video from China that is sure to touch your heart.

Dear Friends,

We hope the new decade has started well for you and it will be a fruitful year for your live as the kingdom of God spreads through you.

In 2019, by the grace of God we were able to print and distribute more than 1.1 million full Chinese Bibles to the house church Christians, which is an increase of 42.4% on the previous year, and the highest number since 2014. We thank the Lord for this, and we appreciate everyone who prayed and gave so that the believers in China can access God's Word. In the present tense and oppressive environment in China, each copy of the Scriptures is a miracle.

We have been contacted by people seeking an explanation, because the Amity Press in China has been publicizing that they recently passed the milestone of printing 200 million Bibles inside China. Obviously if those claims are true then there would be little need for our project.

We would like to take a moment to explain the reality behind that extraordinary number. Some of you who have read our newsletters for years will already know, but for others this information will be brand new.

The Amity Press in China is by far the biggest printer on earth, secular or Christian. It's a massive business making many millions of dollars profit each year.

Yes, they may have produced 200 million Bibles over the last 30 years, but what they and their partners The Bible Society deliberately fail to mention is that at least TWO-THIRDS are exported out of China. If you go to most Christian bookstores in your country to buy a Bible, chances are that it was printed in China by the Amity Press. Then print millions of Bibles each year in all kinds of languages: Spanish, French, Swahili, Korean, English, and dozens of others.

Therefore over the last 30 years perhaps 60 million Chinese Bibles printed by Amity Press were permitted to remain in China. However, they are ONLY available to registered Christians in Three-Self (government-approved) churches. The 60 million or more house church believers that we serve are strictly forbidden from getting a single crumb of them.

And by the way, the Communist Party has now slashed the quota they allow Amity to print domestically to about 1/3 of what it was a few years ago, so even the registered churches are facing a huge shortage of God's Word.

Finally, instead of us writing more words, it is probably more effective to share the below short video (56 seconds), showing the reaction of Chinese house church Christians when they first received a shipment of Bibles. Although the video is not new, it sums up how precious God's Word is to them, and why we feel so privileged to serve God's people who are so desperate for His Word. Thank you for joining us in this strategic endeavor.

May our Heavenly Father continue to provide the Scriptures to all His children in China!

God bless you,

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

“The Spirit Gives Life, the Flesh Counts for Nothing”

Sat, 28 Dec 2019 09:09:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

As we reach the end of another year we thank the Lord Jesus for His grace and mercy, and for allowing us the privilege of serving His people throughout Asia. In 2019, we were able to print and provide more Bibles to the house churches in China than any year since 2014, while also supporting more than 1,300 pioneer Asian missionaries among unreached people groups and a host of other strategic projects that helped advance God's kingdom throughout Asia. Next month our Annual Report will share more details on all that has been achieved.

To all those who prayed, encouraged us and supported the work this year, we thank you in Jesus' mighty Name! May 2020 be a blessed and fruitful year in your life as you press into the Lord.

R ecently we published a short editorial about Abraham and Isaac in our December newsletter which many people have commented on and asked us to emphasize, so we would like to again share the link to bless those who seek to walk according to the Spirit of God. Read more....

The China Bible Fund – 12 Million Bibles and Counting

Fri, 29 Nov 2019 05:30:00 GMT

" Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love-Isaac-and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.'" (Genesis 22:2).

Sometimes if we read the Bible too quickly we miss important things that the Lord intends us to pay attention to. For example, in the famous verse above, God tells Abraham to take his ONLY son, Isaac, and sacrifice him. Did you ever realize that Isaac was actually Abraham's second son? Ishmael was born first, yet in God's sight Abraham only had one son, and that was Isaac. Thousands of years later the Apostle Paul expanded on the story: "His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise" (Galatians 4:22-23).

Ishmael was produced as a result of human desire and fleshly effort, whereas Isaac was the miraculous result of God's promise. The same principle applies to Christian work today. God is not interested in what we can do for Him! He's only interested in what He can do through vessels that are yielded to the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, much of what passes as Christian activity today is mere human striving, not motivated by the love of Jesus Christ or empowered by the Spirit. Such activity invariably produces frustrated, spiritually barren and burnt-out people.

As Christians we can easily start out serving in the power of God's grace and His indwelling life, but somehow we are deceived into thinking we can continue on by ourselves. The Lord Jesus clearly laid out how much we can achieve for God's kingdom apart from Him when He said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5); and again, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing" (John 6:63).

We know that many people who read our newsletters are involved with ministry work of one kind or another. We encourage you to slow down and make sure you are always connected to the true vine, for only those activities done under the leading and power of the Holy Spirit are useful to the Lord's kingdom and will have eternal value. The rest is wood, hay and stubble and is destined for the fire (1 Corinthians 3:12).

The China Bible Fund - 12 Million Bibles and Counting

Recently, by God's grace and divine enablement, Asia Harvest passed the milestone of having printed and distributed 12 million Bibles to house church Christians in China since the project commenced.

Those who have served God in China, especially in recent years, will know that such a milestone can only be reached by the supernatural hand of God. To print a single "illegal" book of any description in China today is practically impossible, with the Communist Party controlling every aspect of society and crushing anything that doesn't line up with their atheistic philosophy.

While we cannot share any specific details of how the project functions, it would not be an exaggeration to tell you that the latest million Bibles, produced over the last 18 months, were probably more difficult to do than the previous 11 million combined! Many Christians have paid a very dear price for their involvement in this project, and some have even been called to lay down their lives for the gospel.

Please pray for this vital project. It seems almost every other Christian ministry that has been providing Bibles to the 60+ million house church believers in China has been shut down in recent years. Church leaders in China are amazed that we are still able to function and provide God's Word to the hungry new believers in their fellowships.

To each person who has prayed and given so that the Christians in China have been able to access God's Word, we say thank you on behalf of the Chinese Church!

By His grace we intend to serve the believers in China for as long as the Lord holds the door open for us to do so.

Please join with us in lifting up the China Bible Fund before the throne of grace, because without His empowerment and protection the project would not continue for a day. Thank you.

Click on the map below for an expanded view.

Thanks to the grace of God and your prayers and generous support, Asia Harvest recently passed the milestone of 12 million Chinese Bibles printed and delivered to the house churches in China. Our co-workers provide detailed reports, allowing us to keep track of the Bibles we print and to create this distribution map. On behalf of all the grateful believers in China, thank you and God bless you!

The Cedar of Lebanon – A Testimony from China

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 06:19:00 GMT

I n our last newsletter we shared the testimony of Lame Huang, a little-known evangelist from Zhejiang Province in eastern China. We received an overwhelming response to his story, so this month we are sharing another testimony, excepted from our new book "Zhejiang: The Jerusalem of China".

This time we share the extraordinary story of Miao Zizhong, a house church pastor whose strong leadership and courage in the face of overwhelming persecution earned him the nickname, 'The Cedar of Lebanon' from other Chinese Christians.

Although in China, Miao is much better-known than Lame Huang, few Christians in other nations have ever heard of him, so we pray this glimpse into his life will encourage you in your own walk with the Lord.

We pray the testimony of Brother Miao will also stir up the faith of believers inside China, who are currently going through a dark and excruciatingly examination of their faith. May the example of believers like the 'Cedar of Lebanon' remind them of God's faithfulness and goodness, and that regardless of what wicked men do to them, nothing can ultimately separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

The remainder of this newsletter contains an excerpt from 'ZHEJIANG: The Jerusalem of China'. It shares the testimony of house church leader Miao Zizhong, who provided godly leadership to the Body of Christ for decades before his call home to heaven. To order a copy of the book, please visit our website ( www.asiaharvest.org ) for details.

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of book and we will gladly send you one.

On the night of October 17, 1989, more than 1,000 tearful Christians gathered outside a small village in Wencheng County, a mountainous area near the city of Wenzhou. As the brothers and sisters respectfully sang 'Waiting for the Lord's Return to Meet Again', the body of Miao Zizhong was lowered into a grave. This man, who had gone to be with his Lord at the age of 73, was so highly respected that he had earned the nickname 'The Cedar of Lebanon' from his fellow believers.

In the 1950s a total of 49 Chinese pastors from the Wenzhou area were arrested and sent to prison labor camps in northeast China's frozen Heilongjiang Province. Of these men, Miao Zizhong was the only one to survive the ordeal and return home alive.

Miao grew up without knowing the gospel, and he regularly hurled foul-mouthed insults at the servants of the Lord. He became an angry man, bitterly lashing out at other people without provocation.

Everything began to change in Miao's life in 1948, one year before China became a Communist country. When he was 32 he contracted a serious disease, and when he went to the largest hospital in Wenzhou they declared his case incurable and advised him to return home and prepare for death. News got around that Miao was perishing, and a relative visited and pleaded with him to believe in Jesus Christ. He accepted the gospel and repented of his sins.

From the moment Miao received God's offer of salvation, his physical condition improved, and after a while he was completely healed. Overcome with gratitude to the Lord for sparing his life, Miao surrendered his future to God's service, and he immediately traveled to another district to preach the gospel.

For the next six years Miao continued to proclaim good news to the spiritually hungry people of Zhejiang, until the authorities caught up with him in the winter of 1954. He was hauled in front of a 'struggle session' by the local people's militia, and was lectured about the evils of Christianity and commanded to sign a statement renouncing his faith. With a calm demeanor, Miao looked his persecutors in the eyes and declared:

"'Jesus is the Savior of my life. I would be ungrateful to deny Him and as such I would go to hell. I cannot do this.' Upon hearing that, the cadres began to gnash their teeth and with their fists they started beating Miao viciously. He prayed fervently, asking the Lord for help. The evil men used every method, but in the end were unable to coerce him into submission."

Miao was declared a 'counter-revolutionary,' and a few months later he was falsely charged with the crime of 'collaborating with overseas counter-revolutionary organizations.' He was sentenced to five years reform through labor near the border with Russia.

Miao struggled with the bleak conditions and the incessant back-breaking work at the prison camp. He had no hope in this world, and reasoned that if he was destined to die in that place then he should die sharing the gospel with his fellow inmates. When the prison authorities discovered he was still propagating his faith they flew into a rage and added ten years to his sentence.

Miao's Lowest Point

The greatest difficulty Miao Zizhong experienced during his first year in prison was the bitterly cold winters in Heilongjiang. One day, a group of more than 70 elderly Christian prisoners were forced to walk to another place to work. To reach their destination, they had to cross a frozen river.

When they got to the middle of the river the ice cracked from the combined weight of the men and they plunged into the frigid water.

Although most of the men were able to scramble up the riverbank, their wet clothing soon caused all but one to die of hypothermia.

On one occasion, the cruel prison wardens tortured Miao by removing a heavy iron grate from the oven and hanging it around his neck. He was forced to parade around the prison courtyard with the grate—which weighed more than 40 pounds (20 kg)— dangling from his neck. When they had finished mocking him that day, Miao was placed in stocks and thrown into solitary confinement for several months.

Despite the intense beatings, loneliness and deprivation, Miao experienced his most difficult moment during his second year of incarceration. His wife back in Zhejiang had been his best friend and a faithful companion since their wedding, but one day the prison officials delivered a letter from her requesting a divorce. She had heard that Miao's sentence had been extended to 15 years, and she gave up all hope of seeing him alive again. She decided it was better to make a fresh start as a single woman.

Miao was in a state of shock after reading his wife's letter, and after her words sank in he became so angry that he fainted. He had reached his lowest point. Miao considered his miserable situation and felt he had nothing to lose.

Taking no notice of the cold, Miao opened the cell door and ran to a grove where he fell to his knees on the snow-covered ground. With loud sobs he wept before the Lord. He was unable to suppress his grief and tears flowed like a fountain. Suddenly he heard a very clear, personal and tender small voice from heaven saying, 'You must be patient that you may fulfil God's will and obtain the promise.'

Miao Zizhong received comfort and strength from the Holy Spirit as he emptied his soul before God, and he realized that Christ alone would never leave or forsake him. He returned to his cell and replied to his wife's letter, telling her to proceed with the divorce if she wished.

An Angelic Encounter

The overcrowded prison camp was home to 1,300 men from across China, including many church leaders. The unhygienic conditions provided a fertile environment for disease. During one especially cold winter, when the temperature plummeted to minus 45 degrees, a plague swept through the labor camp. Within hours, hundreds of men had come down with severe fever. Their eyes bulged from their heads and many went into convulsion and died. Bodies were dragged out of the cells and tossed into a giant pit, and within days 1,050 of the 1,300 men had perished.

Miao was also infected by the horrible plague and was taken to see a doctor, who shook his head and said, "Here is another one." He was put in a room where corpses were stored before being taken for burial. As Miao lay among many dead bodies he prayed, "Lord, I ask you to save me. Please don't allow me to die here where your Name will be reproached. If you heal me and allow me to return home in peace, I will serve you all the days of my life and will do the work of an evangelist."

Suddenly, an angel dressed in a glorious white robe appeared and tenderly said, "Do not fear. Only believe." In his own words, Miao recalled what happened next as he teetered between life and death:

"The angel stretched out his right hand and took hold of my left hand and led me out of that building. I was taken to a beautiful room, pure white beyond description. The angel had me sit on a chair and he took a stethoscope from around his neck. He then took a white tube and put it in my mouth. When the angel blew into it I felt a cool sensation which made me feel comfortable.

When I came to, the sickness had left me. I knelt among the dead bodies and loudly praised the Lord, rededicating my whole life to Jesus. I was hungry, so I went back to the doctor to ask for food. When the doctor saw me entering he was so shocked he broke into a cold sweat and stumbled backwards, crying out, 'Are... you... a... ghost?'

I laughed and told him, 'Don't be afraid. I am Miao Zizhong. My God has healed me and saved me from death. He has sent me to proclaim the way of salvation to you. Therefore you must believe in Jesus.' The doctor immediately knelt down, saying, 'Your God is true. Jesus is truly alive. I now believe and ask Jesus to receive me.'"

Return to Trouble

The years went by, until Miao found himself the longest-serving inmate at the Heilongjiang prison camp. Thousands of men had come and gone, and conditions were so harsh that even young prisoners only managed to survive a few weeks before they died. Yet through it all, Miao had endured, and his faith in Jesus Christ remained intact. One secret to his survival was that he often slipped away from his cell late at night, when the other exhausted prisoners were asleep. He would go to a small grove near the compound where he knelt down and prayed to God. The Holy Spirit always met him in that blessed place, giving him strength and encouragement to endure another day.

In 1969, Miao completed his 15-year sentence and was placed on a train back home to Zhejiang Province. He was unaware at the time, but he was released at the height of the Cultural Revolution, when Red Guards were terrorizing the land and Christians everywhere were under intense pressure.

As soon as the local officials discovered that Miao had returned home, he was called in for questioning. When asked if the last 15 years had changed his religious beliefs, Miao boldly replied, "These 15 years of labor reform have not changed my belief; moreover, my relationship with Jesus has been strengthened and my faith is stronger than ever!" The officials flew into a fit of rage, pushed him to the floor and beat him with their fists and batons.

The following year Miao was ordered to attend re-education classes by the local authorities, along with dozens of criminals and gangsters.

One hot summer afternoon, Red Guards came and bound Miao's hands tightly behind his back. After being dragged to a place where a high wooden platform had been erected, officials accused him of "hideous crimes" against the nation.

They commanded Miao to publicly deny Jesus, and finished by snarling, "Today, if you continue to believe in Jesus, we will beat you to death!"

Miao Zizhong had walked with God for many years by this time, and he was not going to throw away everything he had stood for. His life meant very little to him, but his faith and the presence of the Holy Spirit meant everything. He looked down from the platform at the large crowd that had gathered, and with a loud voice he made a speech which has gone down as a seminal moment in the annals of Christianity in Zhejiang. Miao declared:

"Fellow countrymen, because of belief in Jesus I have already spent 15 years in the Heilongjiang labor reform prison, where I was 'struggled against' and beaten, yet my faith is stronger than ever. Why is that? It's because the Lord Jesus whom I believe in is the true and living God. He is the Son of God, the Creator of heaven and earth. He was born for us, and because of our sins He was crucified on the cross. Therefore all of you should repent, leave your idols, cease from violence and believe in Jesus that you may obtain eternal life."

As soon as these words left Miao's lips a mob of brutal men rushed onto the platform, and proceeded to kick and beat his head and entire body. As he slowly collapsed to the ground, his voice could be heard above the commotion, saying, "Lord, please forgive them. I commit my soul to you."

Miao was seriously injured. His ribs and other bones had been broken, and he was covered in welts and bruises. Tufts of hair had been ripped from his scalp. He slowly recovered, however, and several months later he was back preaching the gospel.

During another public humiliation meeting later that year, Christians who were present testified that Miao's face shone with glory, like that of an angel. He even taunted his persecutors who demanded to know the secret of his stubborn resistance by telling them: "Why don't you get a knife and cut out my heart? Then you will know what's in it."

Countless more persecutions continued, including one episode when Miao was hit on the head with a small iron hammer after he refused to deny Christ. After several blows his head swelled to the size of a gourd, but his integrity and love for Jesus remained intact.

The Final Lap

After all the abuse Miao Zizhong had endured over the years, people were sure he wouldn't live long, but the Spirit of God helped him complete his race and finish the work entrusted to him. The authorities in Zhejiang didn't know what to do with this man. They had treated him with extreme violence, yet he continued to believe in God and encourage others to do the same.

Instead of persecuting Miao themselves, the local government officials hired a group of thugs to do their dirty work for them. As they dragged the man of God through the streets, they tortured him with knives and kicked him to the ground. When they passed a cesspool full of human waste, they threw Miao's hat into the muck, then retrieved it with a bamboo pole and placed it back on his head.

To howls of laughter, the excrement ran down his face and soaked his shirt. Then, according to an eye-witness, one of the thugs picked up a lump of dog excrement and stuffed it into Miao's mouth. He shut his mouth tight, but they smeared his mouth and lips with it. He tried to spit it out, but all that came out were several mouthfuls of fresh blood.

As Miao Zizhong aged into his sixties, many Christians wanted to know the secret to his victorious faith. One visitor shared that each time Miao received a revelation from the Bible, he would jump up and dance with great joy. He remained single after his wife divorced him, and although he experienced much bitterness in this life, he was full of joy. In every home he stayed there was always the sound of singing, and often he would sing, cry and laugh until tears flowed.

Finally, in October 1989, the 73-year-old Cedar of Lebanon fell, not to rise again until the resurrection of the dead. Miao Zizhong left behind no children, except the thousands of spiritual children he had led to the Lord and nourished with God's Word.

The great need of Christians in Zhejiang continues to be Bibles. Believers in rural areas have struggled to access God's Word for many years, and the large number of new Christians has seen the demand far outstrip the supply. The need for our China Bible Fund is greater than ever, with an increasing number of believers unable to access the Scriptures due to government restrictions and persecution.

With your prayers and support, Asia Harvest has provided almost 700,000 Bibles to house church believers in Zhejiang over the years, and we will continue to do so as long as the Lord Jesus Christ keeps the door open. Please pray for the Church in Zhejiang!

Zhejiang – The Jerusalem of China

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 02:46:00 GMT

This book is available from our online bookstore and is discounted on our bulk books page .

In this newsletter we are glad to announce the third book in our series on the mighty revival that has swept China during the past 50 years. The China Chronicles are proving to be a great encouragement to many people, and are enriching the spiritual lives of those who read them.

We have been entrusted, through hundreds of hours of interviews with church leaders throughout China, with many testimonies that have never been shared in public. It has been a great privilege to record the marvelous acts of the Holy Spirit, as God's kingdom has taken root and flourished in the world's most populated country.

The Zhejiang (pronounced ‘Zhe-jahng') book contains many inspirational testimonies. We have selected just one story to share with you in this newsletter. It is of a little-known Chinese evangelist nicknamed Lame Huang....

The remainder of this newsletter contains an excerpt from ‘ZHEJIANG: The Jerusalem of China'. It shares the testimony of an evangelist, called Lame Huang, and how God used him to reach thousands of people. To order a copy of the book, please see the enclosed form or visit our website ( www.asiaharvest.org ) for details.

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of book and we will gladly send you one.

Lame Huang

On April 15, 1981, an elderly man of God named Huang Detang was lowered into a grave in Xiangshan County near Ningbo City. Huang had never been an ordained pastor, but had lived out his faith as an uneducated farmer. The surrounding communities had such respect for Huang that more than 400 people paid their final respects at his funeral, even though it had not been advertised.

Huang first believed the gospel when he was in his forties. Years later, he developed painful boils on his feet which caused him great agony and prevented him from working. Locals gave him the nickname, ‘Lame Huang.'

In his desperation, Huang cried out to Jesus for healing. A short time later he received a vivid dream, in which the Lord told him: "You must truly believe in Me, and I will heal you. You must witness for Me."

In his dream, Huang thanked Jesus for the help he would receive and promised that once he could walk again he would share the gospel widely. Huang said the Lord told him: "A verbal promise is not enough. You must write a contract of indenture by which you offer yourself up as My servant."

Huang had only a primary school education and didn't know what a contract of indenture was or how to write one. He again cried out for God's mercy and help, and received another dream, in which the Lord showed him how to word the contract. Huang composed the following document:

"I, Huang Detang, sign this indenture by which I offer myself up forever.

Because of my own uselessness, I have boils on my feet. They are very painful and I have nowhere to turn. I can only ask my gracious Savior, my Lord Jesus, to be merciful to me, a great sinner.

I now receive the precious Blood of the Lord as the ransom price which has redeemed me from death to life, and I know that the Lord will heal my feet, take my soul to the heavenly kingdom forever, and I will become a child of God with honor and glory.

Because I have nothing to repay the grace of God, I will most gladly dedicate my body and soul to Him. After my dedication, I am totally at the disposal of the Lord. No matter where I am sent, I will go.

Whether it is to the east, south, west or north, whether it is climbing mountains or crossing seas, cold or hot, whether I am hungry or thirsty, or if I suffer want and persecution, I will follow the Lord to the end and not be disheartened. No one in my family or among relatives and friends will be able to pose any obstacles or cause me to go back on my promise.

This indenture is the common wish of both parties and neither of them raises any objection. I sign it as evidence of my willingness.

Huang Detang."

A short time after signing his unique contract with God, the boils on Huang's feet disappeared and he was able to walk freely again.

Over the years, each of the points in Huang's solemn contract was sorely tested, as God took Huang at his word and stretched his faith by sending him on dangerous adventures that resulted in thousands of people hearing the gospel. From the 1950s to the 1970s he ministered during the darkest days of Communist persecution, and was arrested and tortured by the authorities on several occasions.

Huang's ministry was characterized by many instances of God prompting him to do things that made no rational sense, but with his indenture in mind, Huang obeyed the guidance of the Holy Spirit and remained true to his pledge, even when it resulted in great personal hardship.

On one occasion when Huang was preaching he heard the inner voice of the Spirit of God tell him, "Love the one in the last row!"

That night he was unable to sleep, and at dawn he met with the pastor and enquired who the person was had been sitting on the last row of the church. Huang was taken to a tiny shack, where he saw a bedridden man with only a tattered blanket on his bed and dirt covering every inch of the room. The man's limbs were pale, and only when Huang saw the man in the light did he realize he was a leper.

Brother Huang asked the man how many years he had believed in Jesus, but he just shook his head to indicate he was not a Christian. He asked the leper why he had gone to the church service the previous night, and he replied that he had received a dream instructing him to go to the meeting because Jesus wanted to save him. On the day of the meeting he was able to get out of bed for the first time in months, and a neighbor helped him to the church.

Huang Detang didn't know how he could help the man's dire situation, as he was impoverished himself. Then the Lord told him, "Take off your jacket and give it to him." Huang was afraid. His padded jacket was the only one he owned. It kept him warm as he walked through the mountains in winter, and he slept in it while on his preaching journeys. "Surely not, Lord. I have great need of it," Huang argued.

The Holy Spirit said to him: "‘If you do not give it to him, what you preach is like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If you don't have love, what use is it? If you don't have love, you are not serving Me.'

Huang had to obey in tears, but as soon as he had given his jacket away he felt immensely relieved. He was without a jacket for many years and yet not once did he suffer frostbite.

Sometimes the demands that God placed on Huang were too difficult for other Christians to cope with, and they refused to be involved. For example, once the Lord directed him to share the gospel and demonstrate God's love to a dishevelled prostitute, who was near death from syphilis. Huang shared the gospel and provided her with food and clothing. The ladies in the local church, however, did not want to stoop so low as to help such a wretched person, but due to God's love demonstrated by Huang, the woman died a short time later as a follower of Jesus.

Huang continued witnessing for his Lord right up to his death in 1981, at the age of 96. Few people outside his home region in Zhejiang have ever heard of ‘Lame Huang,' but in heaven he is known as the man who kept his contract with God.

The great need of Christians in Zhejiang continues to be Bibles. Believers in rural areas have struggled to access God's Word for many years, and the large number of new Christians has seen the demand far outstrip the supply. The need for our China Bible Fund is greater than ever , with an increasing number of believers unable to access Bibles due to government restrictions and persecution.

With your prayers and support, Asia Harvest has provided more than 690,000 Bibles to house church believers in Zhejiang over the years, and we will continue to do so as long as the door remains open. Please pray for the Church in Zhejiang!

Jesus in the Himalayas – Sharing the Gospel on the Roof of the World

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 05:44:00 GMT

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:8-9).

One of the greatest privileges we have at Asia Harvest is to experience the many parts of the Body of Christ functioning throughout Asia. We get to see and hear reports of successes and struggles from a wide cross-section of God's people across different nations.

Just in the past week, here are a few examples of reports we have received from those we partner with, which reveal some of the diverse needs and challenges they face:

A church leader in western Mongolia wrote to say how thankful he is because they have been able to secure felt to cover the tent where the believers gather to worship the Lord Jesus. With temperatures plummeting to minus 40 degrees in the heart of winter, worship times can be quite miserable because of the extreme conditions. The felt makes a big difference, so they are excited that it will be installed before next winter.

In central India , evangelists we support asked for prayer after the authorities in their state mandated that public schools must have compulsory yoga classes for all students. The Christians are greatly alarmed by this development, as they know the deeply demonic origins of yoga and they don't want their children involved with it (by the way, our Indian colleagues are astonished to hear that "Christian yoga" classes are held in some Western churches. The very postures and breathing techniques used in yoga are designed as offerings to Hindu gods).

There are no Christian schools allowed in that part of India, so at the moment the believers' options seem to be either to allow their children to participate, or deny them an education. They are greatly vexed by this and have asked for prayer.

In China , a group of house church leaders wrote to say they are seeking God's wisdom about what to do during the fiercest persecution the Church has seen in 40 years. They broke their congregations of hundreds of believers into small groups of four or five people who meet discreetly in apartments, but the government is even threatening and fining small groups who gather to study the Bible.

In northern Myanmar (formerly Burma) many of those we support are being persecuted after the local authorities bowed to pressure from the Chinese government, who don't want any Christians in the border areas.

Finally, in Nepal many believers are struggling with the new constitution, which targets Christians and has made most evangelism and baptism illegal, with participants liable to years of imprisonment.

Dear friends, in your part of the world things may be different than in Mongolia, China or India, but one thing is sure: Satan never tires and will continue to harass the people of God until the Lord Jesus destroys him once and for all. May you be encouraged to realize that you are not alone, because as Peter wrote, "you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings."

As we have limited space in our Asia Harvest newsletters, much of the work we are involved with throughout Asia goes unreported. In this issue, we give a pictorial presentation of some of the lesser-known ways we are helping reach people groups in the Himalayas.

Stretching from Pakistan through north India, Nepal and Bhutan, and north onto the Tibetan Plateau, these rugged peaks and deep valleys contain more than 500 unreached tribes and ethnic groups. It is our call and passion to share Jesus Christ with as many of them as possible.

Thank you for praying and giving to our work so the Good News can go forth in the world's highest mountains!

Front Cover photo: A large group of church leaders and evangelists gather together to worship God in the heart of the Himalayas.

Right: An elderly Tamang woman from Nepal.

Jesus in the Himalayas

Above: Believers in this remote area near the Tibet border are overjoyed to receive their first Bibles through our Asian Bible Fund. Below: Christians eagerly studying God's Word in the heart of the Himalayas.

Many young girls in the Himalayas are sold into the sex industry and spend their lives in awful bondage. We have helped set up several sewing centers, where trafficked girls are rescued and taught a trade. Most of them become dedicated Christians. To get the sewing machines to one remote area in Nepal, our co-workers had to carry them on their backs across high mountain passes (below). Sewing machines cost $160 each, and are funded by donations to our Persecution & Relief Fund.

Evangelism and church planting remain at the heart of everything we do. Each year we provide hundreds of bicycles and dozens of motorcycles to evangelists, to aid them in their vital work. This enables them to reach a far wider area with the Gospel, and some villages that previously took a full day to reach on foot are now easily accessible. We support more than 300 Asian missionaries in the Himalayas through our Asian Workers' Fund, with new applications regularly coming in.

Our local partners in the Himalayas have found that one of the most effective ways to reach people with the Gospel is by constructing wells in areas where the water supply is contaminated. These wells, which cost about $1,000 each to construct, not only provide fresh water to grateful people, but they are strategically placed alongside churches, enabling Christians to freely interact with the people in their communities. As a result, many women have heard the gospel and put their trust in Jesus Christ. You can help support this need through our Persecution & Relief Fund.

Numerous other initiatives helping bring the Good News to people in the Himalayas include providing hundreds of solar-powered speakers, projectors and other devices (above) to spread the gospel and facilitate training in remote areas; distributing much loved children's Bibles (right) through our Bless the Children Fund; and equipping evangelists with good jackets, boots, backpacks and other equipment to help them serve more effectively.

The goal of all these activities is to glorify Jesus Christ among those who have never heard His Name. The Gospel has been advancing mightily throughout the Himalayas, with hundreds of baptisms of new believers, whose lives have been transformed by the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Our co-workers wanted to send a special message (below) to those who have prayed for them and supported these strategic projects. Thank you and God bless you!

China Update – A Message from the Church in China

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 07:33:00 GMT

Do you notice anything different about the above photo? It was taken earlier this year, and shows a group of Christians from the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China. The photo shows faithful believers meeting in a public park after their services were shut down and their leaders taken away. Starting last December, more than 100 members of this fellowship have been arrested, with many being tortured in prison.

If you look closely, you will see that many have packed bags next to them as they worship the Lord. They brought their clothes and personal items to the open-air meeting in case they were arrested and taken to prison. Across China right now thousands of churches are going through similar intense hardship.

In this newsletter we would like to give a brief summary of what is presently happening in the Chinese Church. The situation is fluid and changing daily, but our contacts in China have shared the following update, followed by a special message from 2 Corinthians chapter 4, which seems particularly relevant and will hopefully greatly encourage you in your own walk with God.

First, an update on some of the recent developments in China:

Thousands of churches continue to be closed down, and many pastors and evangelists have been arrested. This is true both of city churches and rural fellowships. The persecution is nationwide, and is the result of the implementation of new anti-religion laws introduced in 2017 and 2018.
Many large city churches have tried to protect their brothers and sisters in the countryside by providing resources, finances and teaching so their faith will be strengthened and better able to withstand the storm. Although the most severe persecution first affected the cities, it has now spread even to small towns and villages. The majority of Chinese Christians remain poor farmers and factory workers.
Many house church leaders have gone missing. Large numbers have been arrested, while others have gone into hiding. Invasive technology, however, means it is now very difficult to remain anonymous in China. Some leaders have decided they should simply continue to serve God openly, and they are ready to face whatever consequences their actions may bring.
Even many government-registered Three-Self churches are undergoing a fiery trial. Video cameras with facial-recognition technology have been placed behind pulpits, facing the congregation, and on the walls above church entrances. Scripture posters have been forcibly removed from the walls of many churches and replaced with portraits of President Xi or the national flag.
All children's ministry has been banned. This has always been a particularly sensitive topic for the Communist authorities in China. Children are being encouraged to tell on their classmates if they are involved in any religious activity.
All over the country various local initiatives have been launched in an attempt to stop the growth of Christianity. For example, in the city of Guangzhou the authorities announced they will pay 10,000 Yuan (about US$1,500) to citizens who disclose the names of any missionaries (foreign or Chinese) who work in their city.
In Henan, which is the province with the largest number of Christians in China, the authorities have issued a paper entitled, "Christianity's Enormous Harm on China's Security." Such reports show how insecure the government is as they seek to consolidate their hold on power. In reality, Christians in China are the most peaceable, hard-working and obedient members of society.
There is a massive shortage of Bibles right now. The churches are facing a famine of God's Word as printing slows down, and in many places appears to have come to a halt. Bibles are becoming increasingly rare, and many websites and apps that enabled believers to access the Scriptures have been blocked by the government. Asia Harvest is one of a few organizations still able to provide Bibles to China's house church Christians.

Please pray for this urgent need. Without the nourishment of God's Word, the Body of Christ in China will wither.

A Message from the Church in China (from 2 Corinthians 4)

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God." (2 Cor. 4:1-2).

The first thing that we Christians in China would like the global Body of Christ to know is that we have not lost heart. Although we are experiencing a severe trial and some people have given up the faith, we are thankful for the hardship, because God is pruning His Church. It is vital that all believers know that it's not Satan or any government that prunes God's Church. The Master Gardener is our loving and wise Heavenly Father!

The reason the Lord prunes is to make the vine even more fruitful, for He said: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful" (John 15:1-2). Therefore we do not lose heart, for we know our lives are completely in the hands of our all-powerful Lord and Savior. At the moment, He is getting rid of some unfruitful branches among His people in China, so that His Church will be refined and more holy as we march forward in spiritual warfare.

We look forward to the time when we will be more fruitful for the kingdom of God. In the meantime, we will not stop proclaiming the Gospel, and we are willing to lay down our lives if necessary so that all of China will hear about Jesus Christ.

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake" (2 Cor. 4:3-5).

While our lives are firmly in God's hands, we also recognize that the source of attacks on the Church is the devil. Mankind has been locked in a fierce battle with Satan ever since God declared: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15). The word "enmity" means much more than a separation. This was the commencement of a full-on war to death, as the devil seeks to destroy mankind, especially those people who reflect the character and goodness of God.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Cor. 4:7-9).

We praise the Lord that He sets limits on what man can do to us. Although millions of believers throughout China are now without a church building to go to and countless home meetings have also been closed down, our faith is strong. The truth of God's Word and the indwelling sweet presence of the Holy Spirit can never be taken from us. We are not afraid, for the Lord Jesus told us, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28).

"We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body" (2 Cor. 4:10).

Hallelujah! Already we are seeing the benefits of this time of purging in China. In many places, instead of being decimated, churches are experiencing growth! The hardship has caused Christians to become more serious about our faith, and the gospel ie being boldly proclaimed, resulting in even more people pressing into the kingdom of God.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

Finally, brothers and sisters around the world, we want to thank God for you, for we are all members of the same family. Thank you for praying for the Church in China! Although your struggles may be different from ours right now, we know that the Lord is passionate for His people, and He will never abandon us. God's purpose in suffering is always to humble us, so that we will rely not on our own futile strength, but on the power of His might. We want to conclude by reminding all Christians of this exhortation:

" Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:6-9).

God’s Precious Word – Bibles for the Khiamniungan Tribe

Wed, 01 May 2019 09:55:00 GMT

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse!" (Galatians 1:6-9).

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons" (1 Timothy 4:1).

In this day and age when everyone is expected to be "accommodating" of other's beliefs no matter what they are, many believers have also become too scared to speak up for the truth, even when obvious error is being spread. Millions of Christians think that by remaining silent they are being loving and gracious, but the reality is that God commands us to speak the truth, in love, and to not allow a different gospel to be preached, which will destroy those who hear it.

There is an interesting account about the Apostle John recorded by the early church leader Polycarp. John was living in Ephesus in his old age, and was the last living person to have personally known and walked with the Lord Jesus.

Polycarp shared that John was so old and frail that he had to be carried into the church meetings on a makeshift bed, and as the great apostle was carried to the front he would call out in the loudest voice he could muster: "Little children, love another!"

Can you imagine what it would be like to be at one of those services when the last living apostle was carried past you to the front, exhorting God's people to love? What an incredible experience that would be. That's the kind of Christianity most people want today: non-judgmental, encouraging, accepting, and kind....

Polycarp, however, also shared that John was carried to the Roman public baths each day, as was the custom of the time. One day when John looked across the room as he was washing, the countenance of the "apostle of love" immediately darkened and a stern look of terror came upon his face. He commanded the men who carried him around to pick him up and to leave immediately, before the building would collapse under the righteous judgment of God!

What happened to cause such a dramatic change in John's demeanor? What could be so awful that the apostle couldn't stay another moment in that place?

Polycarp tells us that John had noticed a man named Cerinthus across the room. This man was a heretic, one of the chief opponents of the gospel in his day. He taught that Jesus was not divine and that the resurrection hadn't taken place. The apostle who exhorted believers to love another refused to be in the presence of someone who promoted doctrines of demons which polluted the teachings of his beloved Lord.

Of the many initiatives that Asia Harvest is privileged to be involved with, our Bible projects are vitally important, as without God's Word to nourish new believers and establish them in the faith, there would be no churches to support and our other projects wouldn't exist.

One of the greatest blessings we have experienced over the years is to meet Christians from various tribes and ethnic groups. Although believers often speak different languages and come from vastly different economic and cultural backgrounds, we've seen how barriers can be broken down in seconds by the common bond of love for Jesus Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit in the hearts of our brothers and sisters.

This month we would like to share testimonies and pictures from a few Christians from the Khiamniungan tribe of western Myanmar (formerly Burma), obtained just moments after they received the first Bibles in their language for many decades. Our co-worker in the area said: "One church said they had been praying for 52 years for Bibles! 97% of churches did not have even one Bible. The Christians said this was one of the greatest days in the history of the Khiamniungan people. To God be all the Glory!"

The name 'Khiamniungan' means 'source of great waters.' Thanks to your prayers and generous support the Word of God is now freely available among this precious tribe. May it lead to renewal and revival, so that the Khiamniungan people will indeed be a source of blessing as living water flows from them to the hundreds of unreached tribes living in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Sowing into Fertile Soil

"My name is Ningpao and I am 40-years-old. My parents are farmers who worshipped demons. Our family was very poor and most of the time it was difficult to find food. No one in our village had ever heard about Jesus, because the government did not allow Christians to enter our area. We all lived in fear of the evil spirits.

I was sent to school at Khamti, and while there I saw some Naga people singing about Jesus. I had never heard anything like that before. I asked my friend who Jesus is, and he invited me to worship the living God. I loved the songs and was really interested in Jesus. I asked the pastor to share more, and for three nights he patiently explained the gospel to me. In August 1996 I accepted Christ as my Savior. From that moment I always went to the church, prayed, and worshipped the Lord. By God's grace I stopped drinking alcohol and taking drugs, and I quit smoking. My life totally changed after I accepted Jesus. I was so happy and I told everyone about what Jesus had done for me.

Then I encountered a big problem. My parents and all my relatives and the other villagers told me to stop being a Christian. "If you don't turn away from this foreign god," they told me, "then you are not allowed to stay in our village anymore." I didn't know what to do, but God spoke to me with a still, small voice, "Don't be discouraged, for I am your God and I will care for you and meet your needs." The next morning my parents and the village elders gathered to hear my answer. I told them: "I will never stop being a Christian." They forced me out of the village and told me to never return.

God always provided for me. I lived with a Christian family until I was married, and now my parents and everyone in our village has trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Hallelujah!

I always wanted to read the Bible, but there was only one copy in our church. Even though I have been a pastor since 1996, I never had my own Bible. I prayed earnestly for 23 years for a Bible, and today God answered my prayers. It is like a dream! My Bible is the most precious thing I have ever owned in my life.

Thanks to those who gave so my tribe can have God's Word. You have done a wonderful thing and provided the greatest need of our people. You have sown seed into fertile soil. Much good fruit will come from your loving help."

"My name is Kondou and I am 52-years-old. My parents were killed when I was two by underground rebels from India. As I grew up I often thought of committing suicide, because I was very lonely. I stayed in my village until I was 12. Then I was adopted by a family and I started school. I never went to church, but I always tried to make money and had no peace in my life.

In 2003 I crashed my car and was severely injured. I had to remain in bed for three years and could do nothing. In 2006, on June 30th, an evangelist came to my house and prayed for me. God answered his prayer and as soon as he finished praying, all my life and strength returned and I was totally healed! I immediately surrendered my life to Jesus Christ.

After I accepted Christ, my adoptive parents kicked me out of their home and all work was taken away from me. I was like a beggar with no job, no food, and no one in my life. But after three months a pastor called and gave me a job cleaning the church. I was so happy, because now I could stay in the church and I had enough time to pray and worship God.

When I asked the pastor where I could buy a Bible in my language, he replied sadly: "There are no Khiamniungan Bibles. Even if you have enough money, there are none for sale anywhere." I was so surprised by his words. From that time on I have been praying to God that we would have our own Bibles.

I prayed 13 years for a Bible. Now, this very day, God has placed a precious copy of His holy Word in my hand. Wow! What a wonderful blessing!

I wish to say a million times, "Thank you," because the greatest need of our tribe is to have God's Word. We have about 60,000 people in our Khiamniungan tribe, but without the Bible we would never develop in life or have revival. We would live in darkness, die in our sins, and face God's eternal punishment in hell.

We are overwhelmed with gratitude for what you have done by providing us with thousands of free Bibles in our language. They are being eagerly read by every family and lives are being set free and transformed by the Holy Spirit. Now that we have the key to success, I know our people will thrive. Thank you for your great support. God bless you."

"My name is Patsou and I am a Khiamniungan evangelist. I am 50 years old and I have five daughters and four sons. I grew up in a small village and my parents did not believe in any religion. Our family always struggled because my dad was an alcoholic. There used to be a Christian church in our village, but in 1997 the Burmese Army burned it to the ground. Even though it was never rebuilt, the Christians still worshipped God.

In 2000 I accepted Christ and experienced wonderful peace in my life, because I had Jesus inside me now. I shared with my parents and after three months they were also saved. Praise the Lord! Now all of my relatives have also accepted Christ, and our lives are much better. I thank God for that.

There were no Bibles in our village, not even in the church. So I would go to a church in the nearest town to copy some pages of Scripture. Then I would bring these pages back to my village and share them in our church. We were always sad and discouraged because we did not have a Bible. Our village pastor and the Christians have been praying for a Bible since long before I was a believer. They have been asking the Heavenly Father for Bibles since 1970.

I am so grateful for the wonderful love you have shown our Khiamniungan people. We can now stand proudly, because of God. Thank you for your great gift to us. The Lord has used you to answer 49 years of prayer that we could have God's Word."

"My name is Maung and I am 47-years-old. I have two sisters and seven brothers. My father led demon worship in our village and he always sacrificed to the spirits whenever there were problems.

Just before Christmas 1985 an evangelist visited our village and shared the gospel. The Holy Spirit deeply touched me and I understood where true peace comes from. I accepted Jesus into my life and was baptized. I shared all this with my father and he also surrendered to Christ. When he stopped worshipping the demons the people in our village were angry and forced our family to leave.

We faced many difficulties, but we always had peace in our family, because God's peace is greater than our problems. I did not have a Bible when I started serving God in 1985, but I was praying earnestly for one. In 1991 I went to India where I was able to obtain 12 copies, but when I carried them back into Myanmar the border guards confiscated all of them. I was very sad.

I had to borrow the only Bible at the church to prepare my sermons, but I was not allowed to take it home because that Bible belonged to the church. Finally, after 24 years of praying for Bibles God has answered our prayers! It is an incredible miracle and the Lord has surpassed anything we ever hoped for. Now we have thousands of copies of our Khiamniungan Bible, and they were even given to us as free gifts from loving brothers and sisters around the world. Thank you!

In my village there are 250 Christian families, but there was only one Bible. Now we received 300 Bibles! May the Lord bless you more and more. Your work is great!"

The Christians highlighted in this newsletter are representative of countless thousands of others who receive life-changing Bibles through Asia Harvest's two Bible projects. The China Bible Fund continues to strengthen and equip the house church believers in China. Each full Chinese Bible is printed and delivered for just $1.80, while the Asian Bible Fund continues to provide the Scriptures in numerous languages of Asia for an average of $2.70 per Bible.

If you would like to help provide God's Word to hungry believers like these, we invite you to fill out the yellow response form in this newsletter and send it back along with your gift. Alternatively, one-time or monthly donations to the project can be made via our website: www.asiaharvest.org

God’s Word for the Kharam People

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 10:45:00 GMT

Many mission organizations try to reach mega people groups with populations in the millions of people, but here at Asia Harvest we have always viewed small tribes as our priority, because others are not usually interested in helping these neglected peoples. For decades we have traveled throughout the remote mountains of Asia, looking for precious unreached people groups-irrespective of size-that we can impact for the Lord Jesus Christ.

This month we would like to share a short video with you of one such tribe - the Kharam . Numbering just 2,000 people, this tiny group is locked away in the mountains of northeast India, with few outsiders aware of their existence.

Through our Asian Bible Fund, Asia Harvest recently partnered with Word for the World to help bring the first ever Scriptures to the Kharam people. Now the translation of the Kharam New Testament is underway, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Kharam happens to be the 100th different Asian language we have provided God's Word in since our ministry began. Hallelujah!

We praise God that there are now many Christians among the Kharam people, and it has been our privilege to help bring God's Word to them. One day soon you will meet Kharam people around the throne of Jesus, part of "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb" (Revelation 7:9).

In the coming months we expect to help print God's Word in about 20 more languages, many of which have never had any Scripture published in their history. If you would like to support these efforts, please consider partnering with us through our Asian Bible Fund .

Until all have heard of Jesus,
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Guizhou – A New Book by Paul Hattaway

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 09:24:00 GMT

This book is available from our online bookstore .

In this newsletter we are glad to announce the second book in our series on the mighty revival that has swept China during the past 50 years. The China Chronicles are proving to be a great encouragement to many people, and are enriching the spiritual lives of those who read them.

The Guizhou book contains many inspirational testimonies. We have selected one story to share with you in this newsletter. It is of a Chinese pastor named Wu Liwen, who spent 23 years in prison for his faith. Years later, God showed His faithfulness to Wu and used him to bring thousands of people from the Nosu tribe to faith in Jesus Christ....

The remainder of this newsletter contains an excerpt from 'GUIZHOU: China's Precious Province'. It tells about a key moment in the history of the Church in Guizhou, which is home to 35 million people and more than 80 tribes and ethnic groups. To order a copy of the book, please see the enclosed form or visit our website ( www.asiaharvest.org ) for details.

Pastor Wu and the Precious Book

In 1986, a 72-year-old Chinese pastor, Wu Liwen, was invited to a remote area of Guizhou Province by a group of Nosu tribesmen. The only question the men asked when they met Wu was if he knew who Jesus was.

Wu, who had spent 23 years in prison because of his faith in Christ, prayerfully sought God's will and felt it was right for him to make the arduous journey, even though it involved a gruelling uphill trek and a long donkey ride over treacherous mountain trails—challenges that men of his advanced age don't usually undertake.

After walking for many hours, Wu's Nosu guides led him to a run-down shack in an isolated mountain range, which was to be their home for the night before he was taken to speak to their friends and relatives the next day. Wu expected to encounter a small gathering of perhaps 10 to 15 people.

After a rough night's sleep, the new day dawned and Wu was told they must climb over several more steep hills before reaching their destination. After straining for hours, the group finally cleared the last rise and suddenly Wu heard voices... hundreds of them! Sloping away beneath them, the mountainside rippled in a sea of blue and white—the tribal dress of the Nosu people. Like a late blooming of wildflowers, they covered every open space.

Some people had traveled for days. Others had left their home villages long before daylight. Since no one wanted to miss a word, they came early. Pastor Wu learned that they had been assembled, waiting and watching the trail, for over six hours.

Wu scanned the crowd with tears in his eyes. His mind flashed back to the 23 years he spent in a Communist prison camp. During his darkest moments God had spoken to his heart, telling him to hold on, for a time would come when he would be needed to teach the Word again. That promise had seemed so impossible! But here before Wu stretched 1,500 believers who had never heard a Bible teacher before!

The hours rolled by into the night and still the old pastor taught. The Nosu lit torches and gas lanterns, as no one wanted to leave. At last, Pastor Wu's voice gave out and they allowed him to stop and rest.

The exhausted pastor was taken to a nearby hut, where he was given a hot meal and a bed for the night. Before falling asleep, however, Wu insisted on hearing the story behind the multitude of hungry believers he had just ministered to. His hosts laughed and said, "Let Old Lee tell you. He can tell you about the Book."

An aged blind man emerged from the back of the room and gently sat down on a stool before Pastor Wu. Old Lee's battered face radiated an inner joy. In his arms he cradled a wooden box, holding it closely to his chest as if it contained a priceless treasure. He shared his story:

"Thirteen years ago, no one in this village knew about God. My brothers and I spent most of our time drinking and gambling. We did not understand anything else. One day, I went down the mountain with my brother to beg and to steal. In the marketplace someone handed me this book."

Carefully, Old Lee extracted his prized possession. A small sheaf of coarse, brittle pages, long since yellowed and cracked, trembled in his hands. The pages were crudely stitched together, bound between two squares of dirty cardboard. Old Lee gently placed the book in the teacher's hands. Smiling and nodding, the villagers murmured their approval. "It is part of something called Matthew," Old Lee explained. "Of course, we didn't know what it was when we got it. But we decided it must be some kind of special book, so we hid it."

The precious New Testament was concealed for years during the Cultural Revolution, when men could be killed for owning such a book. They placed it in a secret hiding place and wondered if they would ever have an opportunity to learn more about its mysterious message.

The breakthrough they needed came when Old Lee was forced to attend a government propaganda meeting, where a Communist official made a long speech in which he ranted against religion. At one point he said, "The Christians claim that a man named Jesus Christ came to save mankind. This foreign religion was brought here to deceive us."

Old Lee remembered nothing else from the man's ramblings that day, but he was desperate to learn more about this Jesus Christ. He instinctively knew that the old book in his possession was a Book of Truth, and he was determined to find someone who could read Chinese so they could explain its message. Old Lee continued:

"At first, it was just the three of us. We hid the book in an empty shed, concealed inside the wall. Later, we brought a few others to read it, one at a time. Soon, 10 of us were believers and we met in the forest at night to encourage one another and pray. We became 30, then 50 and 60....

As you can see, our numbers have grown.... There are 1,500 of us now! Previously, we worshipped demons. Now only one family in our valley is not Christian, but they no longer worship demons either. We have heard about baptism. Do you know how to baptize?"

The next morning, news quickly spread throughout the village, and people ran to the hillside to break the news to those working in the fields: "We're going to be baptized!"

That afternoon, a multitude of excited Nosu believers made their way to a stream where Pastor Wu baptized almost 1,000 Nosu people. The next day he baptized hundreds more in a neighboring village. After two more days of teaching from morning till night, it was time for the venerable Bible teacher to return home.

Pastor Wu went to be with the Lord a few years later, but the last phase of his life was spent testifying about the faithfulness of God, and how the Lord had kept the promise He had made during Wu's lowest point in prison many years earlier.

God has continued to do a powerful work among the Nosu in Guizhou. Believers have been called to endure many harsh trials and persecutions over the decades, but God has preserved a faithful remnant, and today many strong churches exist among this blessed tribe, the fruit of a revival which started when someone gave a copy of God's Word to them in the 1970s.

The great need of Christians in Guizhou continues to be Bibles. Believers in rural areas have struggled to access God's Word for many years, and the large number of new Christians has seen the demand far outstrip the supply. The need for our China Bible Fund is greater than ever , with an increasing number of believers unable to access Bibles due to government restrictions and persecution.

With your prayers and support, Asia Harvest has provided more than 80,000 Bibles to house church believers in Guizhou over the years, and we will continue to do so as long as the door remains open. Please pray for the Church in Guizhou!

2019 Annual Report – ‘by My Spirit’ Says the Lord

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 20:22:00 GMT

"This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts.

Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!' Moreover the Word of the Lord came to me, saying: 'The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.'" (Zechariah 4:6-9).

At the end of each year we set aside time to seek the Lord, thanking him for the year that passed and asking Him for guidance and blessing for the year ahead. As we reflected on 2018 we saw a year of huge challenges as well as great blessings and breakthroughs. We started 2018 by warning people that terrible persecution was coming to the Church in China, and that things were heading back to the dire times of the Cultural Revolution. As we were among the first to report these developments, many people didn't believe it and thought we were exaggerating. Since then, the rest of the Christian world has caught on to the fact that cruel persecution is underway throughout China, and the Body of Christ is facing its most severe trials since the 1960s and 1970s.

At the same time, new opportunities arose both inside China and around Asia to advance the glorious Gospel! We were greatly encouraged to receive reports of thousands of families and entire people groups being transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some people have asked how we can continue to serve God in the current environment, when foreign missionaries are being systematically expelled and governments are using incredibly invasive new technology to help them persecute God's people. They want to know how it's possible to keep printing hundreds of thousands of Bibles and doing all the other activities we conduct.

The only explanation we have for how we function is found in the above passage from Zechariah. Zerubbabel was given the huge task of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. The people started with great zeal and shouts of joy (Ezra 3), but after a while they grew greatly disheartened. They were ready to give up and felt completely overwhelmed by having to move hundreds of tons of rubble, one stone at a time. They were also mocked and opposed by enemies who wanted to see them fail. It was in this context of struggle and intimidation that God encouraged Zerubbabel and the workers by telling them how the work would be completed: "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit."

Many people involved in Christian work grow weary and suffer burn out. For years they feel like they have been rolling a large boulder up a hill, only for it to roll back to the bottom each time. Life can be overwhelming, and at times God's people can feel like they're just moving tons of rubble.

This is also true of the activities of Asia Harvest. While at times we face great opposition and uncertainty, the work has been able to continue by the Spirit of God actively protecting and empowering His children to do what they never could do with mere human strength.

In our experience, a few seconds of heavenly visitation from God's Spirit can achieve more for His kingdom than years of human endeavor. Our Lord is the Living God! Not only does He do the hard parts, He can carry the whole load. When we attempt to live in our own strength, life's burdens become very heavy. The Bible is full of examples of God enabling His servants to do the impossible. The Lord delights in such work, because He gets all the glory.

Noah not only built a massive ship by the inspiration and power of the Spirit of God, but can you imagine the scene if he had tried to round up the animals in his own strength to bring them on board? It would have been a perilous situation if Noah had tried to push lions, crocodiles and rhinos up the plank! Thankfully, God did what Noah could not do, and He brought all the animals on to the ark in an orderly manner.

We ask you to pray that everyone at Asia Harvest will continue to walk in obedience and meekness, not getting in the way of what God wants to do. Our desire is to watch the Holy Spirit continue to do the impossible, such as printing millions of Bibles for our brothers and sisters in the most hostile environments; and allowing us to be a link in the chain that is now reaching more than 1,000 different people groups through the Asian Workers' Fund.

As long as the Lord keeps the door open and His grace continues to sweep us along, we will stand back and watch the Holy Spirit achieve things that are humanly impossible. Please pray we will never be deceived into thinking we can do God's work in our own strength, for the Lord Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5) and, "The Spirit gives life, but the flesh counts for nothing" (John 6:63).

2018/19 Annual Report

In the remainder of this newsletter we will present our Annual Report, which details the help Asia Harvest provided to the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2018.

It has been a privilege to serve the Lord for another year, and we feel greatly blessed to be involved in many people coming to know Him. Last year, hundreds of thousands of Christians were strengthened in their faith after receiving God's Word through our Bible projects, and the 1,300 Asian evangelists we support led a total of 77,397 people to Christ among more than 1,000 different people groups.

For 30 years, our strategy has been to operate with as few overhead expenses as possible, so that the maximum resources are placed in the hands of frontline workers—the many Asian Christians we are honored to assist and serve. We thank each person who prayed for and supported our work last year. Without your vital partnership none of these things would have occurred.

From the time of Asia Harvest's inception in the late 1980s, we have always strived to be transparent in the area of finances, and our annual financial statements have been available to anyone upon request. Now, we have taken the extra step of having our finances independently audited each year by a respected firm. These reports are available to view on our website.

If you would like to read our latest audited financial statement, please go to the "Resources" link at our website www.asiaharvest.org

Asian Workers' Fund Partnering with Pioneer Asian Evangelists

Because of your prayers and partnership we ended 2018 supporting 1,299 Asian missionaries, serving among 1,007 unreached people groups. A reported 77,397 people experienced God's salvation last year.

The Asian Workers' Fund provides support to Asian evangelists who are working among people groups that have never heard the gospel. These workers encounter many hardships and persecutions, but have persevered and are now seeing breakthroughs among many groups.

In 2018, those we support through the Asian Workers' Fund led 77,397 people to salvation in Jesus Christ (an average of 60 per worker). More than 321,000 conversions have been reported since this project commenced. Hallelujah! This is remarkable considering most of the workers serve in some of the darkest and most unreached areas of Asia, including among numerous Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist peoples.

The Asian Workers' Fund is constantly expanding and new workers are being recruited. We invite you to support one or more Asian missionaries with a gift of $25 per month each. A laminated prayer card is sent to every supporter of this project.

China Bible Fund - Equipping China's Christians with God's Word

There remains a critical shortage of Bibles in China today because of the massive growth of rural churches. Tens of millions of house church Christians are still unable to access God's Word. Our Bibles are distributed to all parts of China, helping establish new believers in the faith and adding fuel to the revival that continues to burn throughout the world's most populated country. Each full Bible costs just $1.80 to print.

Since 2000, we have printed and distributed more than 11.5 million Bibles to house churches in China, with 708,810 in 2018 alone. This equates to 1,942 Bibles every day, 81 per hour, or one full Bible every 44 seconds throughout the year. Each one is a miracle. Thank you for praying and giving.

Accumulative Graph Showing Chinese Bibles printed and distributed by Asia Harvest: 11,548,681

Asian Bible Fund - Providing Bibles to Asia's Christians

Current Total: 927,028 Bibles printed in 99 different languages. Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and deliver.

Asia is home to many ethnic groups where people have been prevented from accessing God's Word, sometimes for decades. The Asian Bible Fund provides the Scripture in numerous languages throughout Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and elsewhere.

Please pray for our project and all those who are involved in providing God's Word to the precious Christians of Asia. Last year we printed 102,019 Bibles through the Asian Bible Fund in the following languages:

Assamese, Bengali, Bugun, Chetti, Chin Dai, Chin Falam, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Indonesian, Kannada, Karen Sqaw, Kharam, Khasi, Kok Borok, Kui Khond, Kurumba Attapady, Malay, Malayalam, Manipuri, Mannan, Marathi, Marwari, Meitei, Muthuvan, Muduga, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tagin, Tutsa, Ravula, Sadri, Tamil, Telugu, Vietnamese, Wa

Persecution & Relief - Transforming Lives through God's Love

Your prayers and generous support enabled us to respond quickly to several natural disasters in 2018. Thousands of people were given aid and heard the Gospel for the first time, with many believing in Jesus Christ.

The second half of the year brought three terrible natural disasters to Southeast Asia. This presented opportunities for us to help the victims both with physical aid such as food, water, blankets and medicine, as well as spiritual aid as our Asian coworkers shared the Gospel with all who would listen.

On July 23rd, after weeks of heavy rain, a dam collapsed in impoverished Attapeu Province in southern Laos. The flood water raced downhill, wiping out numerous villages and drowning hundreds of people. The devastation was massive, with thousands of homes destroyed.

We support many Lao evangelists in southern Laos through the Asian Workers' Fund, and they were quickly mobilized to help the victims. We provided water, rice, tents, mosquito nets, blankets, insect repellent and other essential items. Every day the Gospel was preached as God's love was displayed, and dozens of people believed and were baptized! The picture below shows some of the grateful Lao families receiving help from our co-workers in Laos.

Two more major disasters then struck different areas of Indonesia. On August 5th, a series of earthquakes left 563 people dead and more than 400,000 homeless on the island of Lombok. Teams were sent to help 1,000 families in 10 villages, and as always, the aid was accompanied with the message of eternal life in Christ for all who repent and place their trust in Him.

The third major opportunity to help came on September 28th, when a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. At the present time, more than 2,500 people are confirmed dead, with countless more missing. We were already supporting many evangelists on Sulawesi among unreached groups, and have provided funds for a group of 16 Indonesian evangelists to spend the next two years reaching people in this area. Thank you to all who prayed and gave generously so we could reach many thousands of people through the Persecution & Relief fund in 2018.

A Message from an Imprisoned Chinese House Church Leader

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 21:20:00 GMT

In October, house church pastor Wang Yi (pictured above with his wife) sat down and wrote a "Declaration of Faithful Disobedience," as he saw the storm clouds of persecution about to close in on him and his church. He instructed his fellow elders to hold the letter and only release it after he had been arrested more than 48 hours.

That moment came on the morning of Sunday December 9th, when officers from China's Public Security Bureau raided Wang's Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu. The church leaders were among 100 believers arrested and taken away that morning. Many have not been heard from since. Just before Christmas, a further 60 church members were detained, with some taken into China's notorious "black jail" system, where people are tortured mercilessly without anyone knowing their whereabouts. Here is Wang Yi's declaration:

"On the basis of the teachings of the Bible and the mission of the gospel, I respect the authorities God has established in China. For God deposes kings and raises up kings. This is why I submit to the historical and institutional arrangements of God in China.

As a pastor of a Christian church, I have my own understanding and views, based on the Bible, about what righteous order and good government is. At the same time, I am filled with anger and disgust at the persecution of the church by this Communist regime, at the wickedness of their depriving people of the freedoms of religion and of conscience. But changing social and political institutions is not the mission I have been called to, and it is not the goal for which God has given his people the gospel.

For all hideous realities, unrighteous politics, and arbitrary laws manifest the cross of Jesus Christ, the only means by which every Chinese person must be saved. They also manifest the fact that true hope and a perfect society will never be found in the transformation of any earthly institution or culture but only in our sins being freely forgiven by Christ and in the hope of eternal life.

As a pastor, my firm belief in the gospel, my teaching, and my rebuking of all evil proceeds from Christ’s command in the gospel and from the unfathomable love of that glorious King. Every man’s life is extremely short, and God fervently commands the church to lead and call any man to repentance who is willing to repent. Christ is eager and willing to forgive all who turn from their sins. This is the goal of all the efforts of the church in China—to testify to the world about our Christ, to testify to the Middle Kingdom about the Kingdom of Heaven, to testify to earthly, momentary lives about heavenly, eternal life. This is also the pastoral calling that I have received.

For this reason, I accept and respect the fact that this Communist regime has been allowed by God to rule temporarily. As the Lord’s servant John Calvin said, wicked rulers are the judgment of God on a wicked people, the goal being to urge God’s people to repent and turn again toward Him. For this reason, I am joyfully willing to submit myself to their enforcement of the law as though submitting to the discipline and training of the Lord.

At the same time, I believe that this Communist regime’s persecution against the church is a greatly wicked, unlawful action. As a pastor of a Christian church, I must denounce this wickedness openly and severely. The calling that I have received requires me to use non-violent methods to disobey those human laws that disobey the Bible and God. My Savior Christ also requires me to joyfully bear all costs for disobeying wicked laws.

But this does not mean that my personal disobedience and the disobedience of the church is in any sense “fighting for rights” or political activism in the form of civil disobedience, because I do not have the intention of changing any institutions or laws of China. As a pastor, the only thing I care about is the disruption of man’s sinful nature by this faithful disobedience and the testimony it bears for the cross of Christ.

As a pastor, my disobedience is one part of the gospel commission. Christ’s great commission requires of us great disobedience. The goal of disobedience is not to change the world but to testify about another world.

For the mission of the church is only to be the church and not to become a part of any secular institution. From a negative perspective, the church must separate itself from the world and keep itself from being institutionalized by the world. From a positive perspective, all acts of the church are attempts to prove to the world the real existence of another world. The Bible teaches us that, in all matters relating to the gospel and human conscience, we must obey God and not men. For this reason, spiritual disobedience and bodily suffering are both ways we testify to another eternal world and to another glorious King.

This is why I am not interested in changing any political or legal institutions in China. I’m not even interested in the question of when the Communist regime’s policies persecuting the church will change. Regardless of which regime I live under now or in the future, as long as the secular government continues to persecute the church, violating human consciences that belong to God alone, I will continue my faithful disobedience. For the entire commission God has given me is to let more Chinese people know through my actions that the hope of humanity and society is only in the redemption of Christ, in the supernatural, gracious sovereignty of God.

If God decides to use the persecution of this Communist regime against the church to help more Chinese people to despair of their futures, to lead them through a wilderness of spiritual disillusionment and through this to make them know Jesus, if through this he continues disciplining and building up his church, then I am joyfully willing to submit to God’s plans, for his plans are always benevolent and good.

\Precisely because none of my words and actions are directed toward seeking and hoping for societal and political transformation, I have no fear of any social or political power. For the Bible teaches us that God establishes governmental authorities in order to terrorize evildoers, not to terrorize doers of good. If believers in Jesus do no wrong then they should not be afraid of dark powers. Even though I am often weak, I firmly believe this is the promise of the gospel. It is what I’ve devoted all of my energy to. It is the good news that I am spreading throughout Chinese society.

I also understand that this happens to be the very reason why the Communist regime is filled with fear at a church that is no longer afraid of it.

If I am imprisoned for a long or short period of time, if I can help reduce the authorities’ fear of my faith and of my Savior, I am very joyfully willing to help them in this way. But I know that only when I renounce all the wickedness of this persecution against the church and use peaceful means to disobey, will I truly be able to help the souls of the authorities and law enforcement. I hope God uses me, by means of first losing my personal freedom, to tell those who have deprived me of my personal freedom that there is an authority higher than their authority, and that there is a freedom that they cannot restrain, a freedom that fills the church of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ.

Regardless of what crime the government charges me with, whatever filth they fling at me, as long as this charge is related to my faith, my writings, my comments, and my teachings, it is merely a lie and temptation of demons. I categorically deny it. I will serve my sentence, but I will not serve the law. I will be executed, but I will not plead guilty.

Moreover, I must point out that persecution against the Lord’s church and against all Chinese people who believe in Jesus Christ is the most wicked and the most horrendous evil of Chinese society. This is not only a sin against Christians. It is also a sin against all non-Christians. For the government is brutally and ruthlessly threatening them and hindering them from coming to Jesus. There is no greater wickedness in the world than this.

If this regime is one day overthrown by God, it will be for no other reason than God’s righteous punishment and revenge for this evil. For on earth, there has only ever been a thousand-year church. There has never been a thousand-year government. There is only eternal faith. There is no eternal power.

Those who lock me up will one day be locked up by angels. Those who interrogate me will finally be questioned and judged by Christ. When I think of this, the Lord fills me with a natural compassion and grief toward those who are attempting to and actively imprisoning me. Pray that the Lord would use me, that he would grant me patience and wisdom, that I might take the gospel to them.

Separate me from my wife and children, ruin my reputation, destroy my life and my family – the authorities are capable of doing all of these things. However, no one in this world can force me to renounce my faith; no one can make me change my life; and no one can raise me from the dead.

And so, respectable officers, stop committing evil. This is not for my benefit but rather for yours and your children’s. I plead earnestly with you to stay your hands, for why should you be willing to pay the price of eternal damnation in hell for the sake of a lowly sinner such as I?

Jesus is the Christ, son of the eternal, living God. He died for sinners and rose to life for us. He is my king and the king of the whole earth yesterday, today, and forever. I am his servant, and I am imprisoned because of this. I will resist in meekness those who resist God, and I will joyfully violate all laws that violate God’s laws."

T he Lord’s servant,

Wang Yi

The Crisis in China (Part Two) – A Statement of Faith and Intent

Sun, 25 Nov 2018 04:01:00 GMT

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" (2 Chronicles 16:9).

"The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits" (Daniel 11:32).

How does the Chinese Church view the Current Persecution?

The Church in China has encountered horrific persecution many times throughout its history, but it has always come through, albeit battered and bruised, to the other side by God's grace and power. Many elderly church leaders in China were deeply concerned that the present generation of Christians had grown lazy and were less committed to Christ as in previous decades. Due to the inrush of materialism that has gripped China, old pastors who had survived the onslaughts of the 1960s to 1980s were afraid for the current generation of house church leaders, many of whom had never experienced real, physical persecution for the Gospel.

Accordingly, many church leaders in China see the current crisis as an opportunity for the Body of Christ to grow. They pray the persecution will once again sift the Church removing false believers from the congregations while strengthening the faith of all who are willing to deny themselves, take up their cross and follow Jesus, even to death if necessary.

The hope is that the Body of Christ in China will emerge from this latest storm stronger and more Christ-like than they entered it, and the Church will be refined like pure gold. Consequently, they will be ready to push on and lead many tens of millions of lost people into the family of God, both inside China and in the surrounding nations.

Why is the Chinese Government so Opposed to Christianity?

Although multitudes of normal Chinese have been attracted to Jesus Christ and have willingly surrendered their lives to Him, the Communist leaders of the nation have always been hard-line atheists who see all belief in God as nonsense and a sign of weakness. President XiJinping, who appears to be a gentle, kind-natured man, is the son of Xi Zhongxun, a famous Communist soldier and revolutionary leader. The very foundation of Communism is atheism. They cannot tolerate faith in God, and over the past century tens of millions of people have been slaughtered throughout the world in pursuit of this God-hating system.

The real problem in this world is not politics, but sin. Only by preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ can people be saved and their sins atoned for, and that's what we strive to do in Asia every single day.

If God doesn't exist, then the Communists have nothing to worry about. Unfortunately for them, however, Jesus is alive and He will judge them severely for all their wicked deeds! No person or government can thwart the plans of Jesus Christ! Thousands of years ago another Godless and arrogant ruler found that he was no match for the Living God, and he humbly declared:

"His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'" (Daniel 4:34-35).

China's leaders may think they have power to do what they want to the Church, but they do not! The Lord Jesus Christ has been given all power and authority on heaven and on earth, and His kingdom will continue to spread. No man or man-made system will stop it, and history is littered with the wreckage of kings and presidents who got in the way of God's purposes.

Lessons from the Story of Bian He

An ancient Chinese book tells about a man named Bian He who lived some 500 years before Christ: One day, Bian found a large stone which was actually an unpolished piece of jade. He presented it to the emperor, but the emperor saw nothing but a large stone, thought he was being tricked, and ordered Bian He's left foot to be chopped off. Bian later sent the same present to the next emperor, who also saw only a stone and ordered his right foot to be chopped off. When a third emperor came to the throne, Bian held his jade in his arms outside the palace and wept for three days and three nights. The emperor sent someone to investigate, and then ordered the stone to be polished. Only then did they discover the beautiful jade within.

To their dismay, one day China (and many other nations) will discover that the Christians they torture and oppress, whom they suppose to be ignorant lumps of worthless stone, are actually the polished jewels sent by God to bring the blessing of Christ's salvation to them.

A Joint Statement by 116 House Church Leaders

After more than 30 years of serving the house churches in China, we have never known them to be timid, even in the face of fierce opposition. We were not surprised, therefore, when a group of 116 church leaders recently publicly posted an open letter to the government, in which they defiantly stated their intent to follow Jesus Christ regardless of the cost. The full text of their statement, in both English and Chinese, along with their real names and churches, can be found on our website . Below is a summary of their key points:

"We are a group of Chinese Christians, chosen by the Most High God to be His humble servants, serving as pastors for Christian churches throughout various towns and cities... We believe and are obligated to teach the world that the one true and living Triune God is the Creator of the universe, of the world, and of all people. All men should worship God and not any man or thing. We believe and are obligated to teach the world that all men, from national leaders to beggars and prisoners, have sinned. They will die once and then be judged in righteousness. Apart from the grace and redemption of God, all men would eternally perish...

In September 2017, the State Council issued the new 'Regulations on the Administration of Religious Affairs' and began implementing these regulations in February 2018. Since then, Christian churches across China have suffered varying degrees of persecution, contempt, and misunderstanding from government departments during public worship and religious practices, including administrative measures that attempt to alter and distort the Christian faith. Some of these violent actions are unprecedented since the end of the Cultural Revolution. They include demolishing crosses on church buildings... forcing and threatening churches to join religious organizations controlled by the government, forcing churches to hang the national flag or to sing secular songs praising the State and political parties, banning the children of Christians from entering churches and receiving religious education, and depriving churches and believers of the right to gather freely.

We believe that these unjust actions are an abuse of government power and have led to serious conflicts in Chinese society. These actions infringe on the human freedoms of religion and conscience and violate the universal rule of law. We are obligated to announce bad news to the authorities and to all of society: God hates all attempts to suppress human souls and all acts of persecution against the Christian Church, and he will condemn and judge them with righteous judgement. But we are even more obligated to proclaim this Good News to the authorities and to all of society: Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, the Savior and King of mankind, in order to save us sinners was killed, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God, destroying the power of sin and death. In His love and compassion God has prepared forgiveness and salvation for all who are willing to believe in Jesus, including Chinese people. At any time, anyone can repent from any sin, tum to Christ, fear God, obtain eternal life, and bring great blessing from God upon his family and country...

Christian churches in China are eager and determined to walk the path of the cross of Christ and are more than willing to imitate the older generation of saints who suffered and were martyred for their faith. We are willing and obligated under any circumstance to face all government persecution, misunderstanding, and violence with peace, patience, and compassion. For when churches refuse to obey evil laws, it does not stem from any political agenda or from resentment or hostility; it stems only from the demands of the Gospel and from a love for Chinese society...

We believe and are obligated to teach all believers that all true churches in China that belong to Christ must hold to the principle of the separation of Church and state and must proclaim Christ as the sole head of the Church. We declare that in matters of external conduct, churches are willing to accept lawful oversight by civil administration or other government departments as other social organizations do. But under no circumstances will we lead our churches to join a religious organization controlled by the government, to register with the religious administration department, or to accept any kind of affiliation. We also will not accept any 'ban' or 'fine' imposed on our churches due to our faith. For the sake of the Gospel, we are prepared to bear all losses even the loss of our freedom and our lives."

The Desperate Hunger for God's Word

Since 1988, when the founders of Asia Harvest first started providing Bibles to the house churches in China, we have done all we can, under the power and enablement of the Spirit of God, to print and distribute the Word of God to the 60-80 million house church believers in China.

In the past year, the need for Bibles has become greater than at any time in our history! The massive persecution that is underway has made it even more difficult for Christians to access the Scriptures, as the government cracks down tightly on every aspect of Christian life.

A decade ago, we can think of a dozen or more mission organizations helping to provide Bibles to China's house churches. One by one, we have seen those ministries stop this crucial activity. Some have been intimidated and expelled from the country; others have compromised in one way or another and been forced to close down or move on. Tragically, it appears Asia Harvest is now one of very few ministries remaining that is still helping fill this vital need among the house churches.

As you have just read, the house church leaders of China have made a statement of intent to continue serving Jesus Christ no matter what. A few years ago, when we first learned about the massive, systematic plan to wipe out the house churches, we felt that this will be a major spiritual battle for the soul of China.

If the Church is refined and comes through stronger than ever, maintaining its zeal for reaching the lost, we can imagine the number of Christians in China doubling or even tripling in size in the next 10 or 15 years. Satan is committed to doing all he can to stop that happening. This battle for the eternal destiny of one billion souls is the reason behind the massive persecution.

One thing is for sure: If the revival in China that has swept more than 100 million people into the kingdom of God under Communism is to continue and expand, the Word of God will be needed to establish and give vision to believers throughout the land. While the delivery of Scripture via all means is welcome electronic Bibles, downloads, video, audio and other ways our determination is to continue helping the way we know best and what the Chinese believers ask for the most. We plan to continue providing full, paper Chinese Bibles for as cheaply as possible, to as many believers as we can, as long as God gives us breath.

Recently, Asia Harvest passed the all-time milestone of having successfully delivered 11 million Bibles to China's house churches. We plan to continue doing so as long as the Lord gives His grace and keeps the door open for us. All of our projects in China remain active. In fact, we are on track to print more Bibles in China this year than any other year since 2014. We appreciate your prayer support at this crucial time in the history of the Church in China.

While you have probably heard about the need for Bibles in China for many years, we ask you not to grow weary. The Word of God is needed more than ever just to meet the needs of new converts who are coming to faith. We invite you to pray for the Chinese Church and for the Bible project, for the supernatural protection of everyone involved in the process, and for the triumph of God's people over adversity.

Asia Harvest continues to print and deliver full Bibles to the house churches in China for $1.80 per Bible. If you would like to partner with us to help our Chinese brothers and sisters, please send a donation along with the enclosed yellow response form. Alternatively, one-time or monthly donations can be set up at our secure website .

T hanks to the grace of God and your prayers and generous support, Asia Harvest recently passed the milestone of 11 million Chinese Bibles printed and delivered to the house churches in China. Our co-workers provide detailed reports, allowing us to keep track of the Bibles we print and to create this distribution map. On behalf of all the grateful believers in China, thank you and God bless you!

The Crisis in China (Part One) – The Worst Persecution in 40 Years

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 10:54:00 GMT

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you... They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ." (John 15:18-19, 21).

Earlier this year we sent out a newsletter entitled "A Special China Issue," which told of the massive and brutal persecution of Christians underway in China. Many people were shocked by what we shared, and some even doubted if it was true, as other sources weren't reporting the trouble.

In the following months it became clear that God's people in China are not merely going through a regular season of hardship, but a major effort is underway to completely control the Church, backed by new technology that creates challenges to the Body of Christ that have never been encountered before. In this newsletter we will update you on the crisis in China, while attempting to answer some of the common questions people have asked.

What's the Latest News from China?

In recent months the government has markedly increased the pressure on Christians throughout the country. We received an unconfirmed report from a long-term China missionary stating that 314 house church Christians have been killed in recent months, and hundreds more are missing. Most house church leaders have gone into hiding and have disconnected their phones and other devices because of the incredible surveillance capabilities of the state.

Thousands of house churches (which are considered illegal in China) have been closed. Reflecting the actions of Mao's Red Guards in the 1960s , religious symbols such as crosses and Scripture posters have been torn down and replaced by flags of China or portraits of President Xi Jinping.

Note: Our website version of this newsletter includes several important links to articles and videos to help people understand what's going on in China and how best to pray. Please visit www.asiaharvest.org for more detailed information.

Links to articles:
Updated: Large Beijing house church banned as China continues Christian persecution
Inmates initiate hunger strike amid mass incarceration crackdown
China Uighurs: Xinjiang legalises 're-education' camps
Leave no dark corner

Cover picture: The Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi Province being dynamited by the Chinese authorities earlier this year.

Some congregations have been ordered to sing the national anthem or other patriotic songs at the start of their services. Others have been ordered to install government facial-recognition surveillance cameras inside their worship halls, and those that have refused to comply have been forced to shut down.

Landlords who rent buildings to Christians are being heavily fined by the government, with new laws allowing fines of between 20,000 to 200,000 Yuan (almost US$30,000). This has created a climate of fear and suspicion, and thousands of fellowships have been forced out of the premises they were renting. On the streets, the police have the power to stop and search anyone they wish and to check their phones and other devices for content they deem a threat to society. These threats may include the presence of a Bible app or visits to Christian websites, or any communication considered unpatriotic.

The most severe persecution is occurring in the vast Xinjiang region in northwest China. In recent years a promising church movement had emerged among the Uyghur, Kazakh and Kirghiz people groups, but most of the church leaders have been arrested and taken to concentration camps in the desert. Reputable news organizations estimate at least one million people are being detained and tortured in those camps right now. Many suburbs in cities like Urumqi, Hami and Kashgar are now depopulated and countless buildings have been boarded up. Although this initiative was designed to target Muslims in border areas, almost all Uygur and Kazakh church leaders have also been taken away. The government doesn't care whether someone is a Muslim or Christian. It's all the same to them.

Spiritual Forces Behind the Persecution

While there are human reasons for the dramatic persecution, we should never lose sight of the fact that Satan and his fallen hosts hate God's people, and they never rest in trying to destroy them. We recently updated our Christian stats for all 2,866 cities and counties in China, and the end result was a marked increase since the last time we reviewed our figures. Currently, we estimate a total of 129.7 million professing Christians in China, of which 109 million are Evangelical believers. The Chinese government is fully aware of the explosive growth of the Church in China, and they are determined to stop it. They don't want China taking over from South Korea as the number one Evangelical country in Asia.

Political Ambitions

If you have read our Asia Harvest newsletters for some time you will know we don't usually mention politics at all, as our call is to equip the Church in Asia and not to be entangled by civilian affairs (2 Timothy 2:4). Our goal is not to favor one political system over another, but to see all people groups of Asia hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If one quote sums up what we think about politics, it would be this famous one from an economist in the last century: "Under Communism man oppresses man. Under capitalism it's the other way around."

To understand the human reasons of why China is so determined to destroy the Church, however, it's helpful to grasp the historical background behind China's geopolitical ambitions. Starting in the 1800s, China was dominated by foreign powers that carved up various parts of the country and exploited their natural resources. The Chinese consider this the darkest period in their history, and have labelled it "The century of humiliation." Chinese resentment and desire to revenge their "loss of face" runs deep. Japan was one of the foreign nations that dominated China during this period, inflicting shameful cruelties on the Chinese people. A few years ago a survey in China found that 82 percent of respondents said China should launch a war with Japan before the end of this decade.

In a bid to try to erase the painful memories of the past, China believes they have an opportunity to be the new world super-power, replacing the United States and the West. To achieve this lofty goal, President Xi Jinping has stopped at nothing to implement his "One Belt, One Road" initiative, which would result in China having the most powerful economy and military on earth. To help him succeed, earlier this year Xi was appointed ‘President for life'. Whereas often in the West we think in terms of months and years, the Chinese think in terms of decades and even centuries. They are not in a rush, and are determined to gradually work their way toward becoming the undisputed world power.

The Communist leaders trying so desperately to implement their global vision are God-hating atheists, and they are determined not to let anyone or anything stand in their way. They want absolute power over what people do, say and think, and Christians, Muslims, or anyone else who may pose a threat to their goals are being subdued, controlled, or eradicated. These are the reasons behind the current campaign to wipe out the Church in China. Mao tried to do this from the 1950s to 1970s, and Xi Jinping seems determined to finish the job that Mao failed to do.

Is Persecution always Good for the Church?

Many times you have probably heard it said that "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." Often people have written to us with this quote, as if it is the sum total of persecution for Christians. It may surprise some to learn that this phrase is not in the Bible at all, but was spoken by Tertullian, a second century church leader in North Africa. For the record, Tertullian's full quote was: "The more ye mow us down, the more quickly we grow; the blood of Christians is seed. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. Dying we conquer. The moment we are crushed, that moment we go forth victorious."

Is what Tertullian said true? Is persecution always good for the Church, and does it invariably result in the expansion of the faith? We believe that while Tertullian's quote may be generally true, it is certainly not always the case.

Persecution in itself does not bring revival. It is a time of testing, and over the years we have known many church leaders in China, Vietnam and elsewhere who have gone through fiery trials, but instead of coming out of prison renewed and more zealous for the Lord, many have emerged spiritually weaker and overcome by sins and temptations. Sadly, we know of some former church leaders who are no longer walking with God. In the 1930s a missionary in northeast China stated, "The blood of martyrs may indeed be the seed of the Church, but sometimes the crop from that seed is not always a good one. "

A survey of Church history clearly reveals that persecution does not automatically result in the growth of Christianity. The nations of Central Asia and the Middle East once contained as many as 30 million Christians, but the Islamic conquests of the region wiped out the Church in numerous locations, many of which have yet to see any more spiritual light for over 1,000 years to the present day.

I n this first of two newsletters on the Crisis in China we wanted to update readers on the latest challenges facing our Christian brothers and sisters there. Next month we will share more on how these tumultuous events are affecting Christian work in China, and and we will include a public statement made by many church leaders. Be assured that despite these new challenges all Asia Harvest projects in China are continuing! Church leaders have cried out to the Lord for heavenly strategies, and are implementing what God has told them to do. Please pray fervently for the Church in China!

On the Ground and Helping in Sulawesi

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 22:43:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi has long been on our hearts. Our founder Paul Hattaway first visited Sulawesi in 1989 and we support many Indonesian evangelists there.

You have probably seen news about the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that has officially killed around 1,500 people in the Palu area, with thousands more missing and feared dead.

Our co-workers on the ground are already assisting the victims and sharing Jesus Christ as they do so. The initial need is US$45,000 to buy 10 tons of rice and 5,000 blankets and food boxes (containing dried fish, biscuits, noodles and milk).

If you would like to support the rescue and aid efforts, we invite you to do so online via our Persecution & Relief Fund , or by mailing a check to one of our Asia Harvest offices . 100 percent of donations marked "Sulawesi" will be applied directly to this need.

Please pray for the survivors of this disaster, and for the kingdom of God in this unreached part of Indonesia. Thank you for your prayers and support.

U ntil All have Heard of Jesus,
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Light for the Nations – Reaching 500 People Groups in India!

Fri, 07 Sep 2018 15:32:00 GMT

500 People Groups in India!

"I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3)

"You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:7-9)

This month our newsletter is a little different than normal — We want to take this opportunity to give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to also thank our supporters for their prayers and generous donations, which have recently enabled us to reach the milestone of supporting evangelists among more than 500 different unreached people groups in India!

All glory to the Living God for the great things He has done! When Asia Harvest started many years ago we would have been amazed if the Lord had used our lives to impact just one unreached people group for His kingdom! We never imagined that one day (in conjunction with many wonderful ministry partners) we would be helping to reach 500 people groups in a single country, while impacting nearly 1,000 different ethnic groups throughout all of Asia.

Where did this vision begin for us? It dates back to a powerful dream the Spirit of God gave to Paul about 30 years ago when he was starting out on his journey with the Lord. The following account is an excerpt from Paul's autobiography, "An Asian Harvest". If you have not yet read the book and would like to, please let us know. It can be ordered from our website, or a free copy will be sent to anyone who requests it when they send a donation:

"One night I had a vivid dream which deeply impacted me and altered the course of my life. In the dream, I was walking along a mountain trail that was strewn with rocks of various shapes and sizes. The rocks represented different unreached people groups. Some were huge and others relatively small, but all were deeply entrenched in the soil on the side of the mountain. As I walked along, I tried to push them loose so that they would tumble down into the valley below. I sat on the ground and used my legs to push against the stubborn boulders with all my strength, but they didn't budge from the positions they had been lodged in for centuries.

In my dream I was growing frustrated by my lack of progress, when all of a sudden a group of Asian men and women approached me on the trail. Seeing what I was trying to do, they immediately began to dig away the dirt and pebbles from around the base of a large boulder. Now that many hands were united behind the task, the boulder finally began to move. When it lurched onto its side we let out a great victory shout! We shoved and kicked it some more, and it finally rolled over again.

Before long, the seemingly immovable boulder was careening down the side of the mountain, crushing everything in its path as it gathered momentum.

Earlier, when I almost died from altitude sickness in Nepal, God had shown me a beautiful vision of His loving heart for the lost sheep of Asia. Now, through this vivid dream, He refined my call and revealed what the main focus was to be for the rest of my life. My role wasn't to personally try to start churches among Asia's unreached peoples, but to dislodge rocks and pebbles by raising awareness and partnering with the Body of Christ to get the job done.

After a while, with God's anointing, Christian fellowships would be established among many unreached groups. As the gospel continued to spread, communities of believers in each ethnic group would gather their own momentum, which would prove impossible for the devil to stop. By helping to bring in the harvest, I hoped to be counted among those who "look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (2 Peter 3:12).

I soon discovered, however, that Satan and his armies don't react kindly when unreached people groups are being delivered from centuries of spiritual oppression. Each nation liberated by the Blood of Jesus Christ means the devil's final destination in the Lake of Fire is a step closer. I needed to prepare for unrelenting spiritual warfare. The Bible warns, "Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.'" (Revelation 12:12).

In the following two pages we present a visual display of the names of all 500 people groups in India we are privileged to support evangelists among through the Asian Workers' Fund. We are thankful to all who have joined with us in prayer and giving, and for the other ministries we have partnered with to help get the job done. Truly, the kingdom of God is "like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade" (Mark 4:31-32).

◆ Aguri ◆ Abdul ◆ Ad Dharmi ◆ Adi Andhra ◆ Agamudaiyan ◆ Ahmadi ◆ Alia ◆ Andh ◆ Ansari ◆ Arain ◆ Arakala ◆ Aray Mala ◆ Arora (Hindu) ◆ Arora (Sikh) ◆ Assamese (Muslim) ◆ Assamese (Sikh) ◆ Atari ◆ Atishbaz ◆ Badaik ◆ Badhai (Hindu) ◆ Badhai (Muslim) ◆ Badwa ◆ Bagata ◆ Bagdi ◆ Baha'i ◆ Bahna ◆ Baidya ◆ Baiga ◆ Bairagi ◆ Bairwa ◆ Bajgi ◆ Bakkarwal ◆ Balai ◆ Baija ◆ Balti ◆ Bangali ◆ Bania ◆ Bania, Agarrwal ◆ Bania, Chetti ◆ Bania, Jaiswal ◆ Bania, Komti ◆ Bania, Oswal ◆ Banjara (Hindu) ◆ Banjara (Muslim) ◆ Banjara Bhat ◆ Banka ◆ Bansphor ◆ Baori ◆ Bari (Hindu) ◆ Bari (Muslim) ◆ Bariki ◆ Barwala ◆ Basor ◆ Bathudi ◆ Batwal (Hindu) ◆ Batwal (Muslim) ◆ Bauri ◆ Bavuri ◆ Bawaria ◆ Bazigar ◆ Bedia (Hindu) ◆ Bedia (Muslim) ◆ Beg ◆ Beldar (Hindu) ◆ Beldar (Muslim) ◆ Bhand (Hindu) ◆ Bhand (Muslim) ◆ Bhandari ◆ Bhangi (Hindu) ◆ Bhangi (Muslim) ◆ Bhantu ◆ Bhar ◆ Bhat (Hindu) ◆ Bhat (Muslim) ◆ Bhatia ◆ Bhattra ◆ Bhil ◆ Bhil Barela ◆ Bhil Kataria ◆ Bhil Paware ◆ Bhil Vasave ◆ Bhisti ◆ Bhogta ◆ Bhoi ◆ Bhoi Ghogra ◆ Bhoksa ◆ Bhotia ◆ Bhotia, Sikkim ◆ Bhottada ◆ Bhoyar ◆ Bhuinhar ◆ Bhuinmali ◆ Bhuiya ◆ Bhulia ◆ Bhumia ◆ Bhumij ◆ Biar ◆ Bidur ◆ Bind ◆ Bindla ◆ Binjhia ◆ Bisati ◆ Bishnupuria ◆ Bissoyi ◆ Boipari ◆ Bondili ◆ Bondo Poroja ◆ Bora Kuthliya ◆ Boya ◆ Brahma Kshatriya ◆ Brahmin ◆ Brahmin, Bengali ◆ Brahmin, Gujarati ◆ Brahmin, Joshi ◆ Brahmin, Kannada ◆ Brahmin, Karhada ◆ Brahmin, Maithili ◆ Brahmin, Purohit ◆ Buna ◆ Burmese ◆ Chadar ◆ Chak ◆ Chakali ◆ Chalvadi ◆ Chamar (Hindu) ◆ Chamar (Muslim) ◆Chandala ◆ Chasadhobi ◆ Chaudhari ◆ Chauhan ◆ Chenchu ◆ Cherua ◆ Chhetri ◆ Chhipa ◆ Daharia ◆ Daityapati ◆ Dal ◆ Damor ◆ Dandasi ◆ Dangi ◆ Darjee ◆ Darzi (Hindu) ◆ Darzi (Muslim) ◆ Daule ◆ Deori ◆ Dera ◆ Devendrakulathan ◆ Dewar ◆ Dhakad ◆ Dhakoda ◆ Dhanuk ◆ Dhanwar ◆ Dharua ◆ Dhimar ◆ Dhobi (Hindu) ◆ Dhobi (Muslim) ◆ Didayi ◆ Dolai ◆ Dom (Hindu) ◆ Dom (Muslim) ◆ Dom (Sikh) ◆ Dora ◆ Dosadh ◆ Drukpa ◆ Dudekula ◆ Dulia ◆ Faqir ◆ Gadaba ◆ Gadaria (Hindu) ◆ Gadaria (Muslim) ◆ Gaddi ◆ Ganda ◆ Ganga Reddi ◆ Gangakula ◆ Gantra ◆ Garasia ◆ Garoda ◆ Gauda ◆ Gawaria ◆ Ghanchi ◆ Gharti ◆ Ghasi ◆ Ghogia ◆ Ghosi ◆ Ghulam ◆ Godari ◆ Godhi ◆ Godra ◆ Golla ◆ Gond ◆ Gond Dhuriya ◆ Gond Dorla ◆ Gond Maria ◆ Gond Muria ◆ Gond Nagawasi ◆ Gond Rajgond ◆ Gosain ◆ Goudu ◆ Gowari ◆ Gowdulu ◆ Gudiya ◆ Gujar ◆ Gujjar ◆ Guria ◆ Gurung ◆ Hadi ◆ Hajam ◆ Hakki Pikki ◆ Halba ◆ Halwai (Hindu) ◆ Halwai (Muslim) ◆ Hazra ◆ Hela ◆ Ho ◆ Holer ◆ Idayan ◆ Irika ◆ Irular ◆ Jad ◆ Jaggali ◆ Jarawa ◆ Jat (HIndu) ◆ Jat (Muslim) ◆ Jat (Sikh) ◆ Jat, Aulak ◆ Jat, Mann ◆ Jat, Rathi ◆ Jatapu ◆ Jaunsari ◆ Jew, South Asian ◆ Jhalo Malo ◆ Jogi ◆ Juang ◆ Julaha ◆ Kachari ◆ Kachhi ◆ Kahar (Hindu) ◆ Kahar (Muslim) ◆ Kaibartta ◆ Kalal ◆ Kalu ◆ Kalwar ◆ Kamar ◆ Kamathi ◆ Kamboh (Hindu) ◆ Kamboh (Muslim) ◆ Kami ◆ Kammara ◆ Kandra ◆ Kanjar ◆ Kaora ◆ Kapali ◆ Kaparia ◆ Kapu ◆ Karan ◆ Karua ◆

Kashmiri ◆ Kathodi ◆ Katia ◆ Kattunayakan ◆ Kawar ◆ Kayastha (Hindu) ◆ Kayastha (Muslim) ◆ Kela ◆ Khairwar ◆ Khandait ◆ Khangar ◆ Kharadi ◆ Kharwar ◆ Khati ◆ Khatik (Hindu) ◆ Khatik (Muslim) ◆ Khatri (Hindu) ◆ Khatri (Sikh) ◆ Khetauri ◆ Kisan ◆ Koch ◆ Kodalo ◆ Koireng ◆ Koiri ◆ Kokna ◆ Kol ◆ Kolah Lohara ◆ Kolha ◆ Koli ◆ Koli Malhar ◆ Kollara ◆ Kolowar ◆ Kolta ◆ Konai ◆ Konda Dhora ◆ Konda Reddi ◆ Kori ◆ Korku ◆ Koshti ◆ Kotia ◆ Koya ◆ Kuchbandia ◆ Kuli ◆ Kumhar ◆ Kummari ◆ Kunbi ◆ Kurmi (Hindu) ◆ Kurmi (Muslim) ◆ Kuruba ◆ Kuruman ◆ Kurunga ◆ Labana ◆ Ladakhi ◆ Laheri ◆ Lama ◆ Liari ◆ Lingayat ◆ Lodha ◆ Lohar (Hindu) ◆ Lohar (Muslim) ◆ Loi ◆ Lunia ◆ Madgi ◆ Madiga (Hindu) ◆ Madiga (Muslim) ◆ Magar ◆ Mahanta ◆ Mahar (Hindu) ◆ Mahar (Muslim) ◆ Mahara ◆ Mahishya ◆ Mahli ◆ Mahratta ◆ Mahratta Kunbi ◆ Mahtam (Sikh) ◆ Majhi ◆ Majhwar ◆ Majjula ◆ Mal ◆ Mala ◆ Mala Dasari ◆ Malai Vedan ◆ Malakkuravan ◆ Malayali ◆ Mali ◆ Mallah (Hindu) ◆ Mallah (Muslim) ◆ Mallik ◆ Mandia ◆ Mangala ◆ Manihar ◆ Maravan ◆ Marija ◆ Matang ◆ Matia ◆ Mazhabi ◆ Megh ◆ Meitei (Hindu) ◆ Metei (Muslim) ◆ Meo ◆ Miana ◆ Mina ◆ Mirasi (Hindu) ◆ Mirasi (Muslim) ◆ Miri ◆ Mochi (Hindu) ◆ Mochi (Muslim) ◆ Moghal ◆ Monpa ◆ Monpa, But ◆ Monpa, Dirang ◆ Monpa, Tawang ◆ Murao ◆ Musahar ◆ Mussali ◆ Mutrasi ◆ Nagar ◆ Nagarchi ◆ Nagarulu ◆ Nai ◆ Naikda ◆ Naiko ◆ Nair ◆ Naliya ◆ Nalkadaya ◆ Namasudra ◆ Namessej ◆ Nat (Hindu) ◆ Nat (Muslim) ◆ Nau Buddh ◆ Newar ◆ Onge ◆ Oriya ◆ Paharia ◆ Paik ◆ Painda ◆ Paliya ◆ Pan ◆ Panchama ◆ Panika ◆ Paniyan ◆ Panka ◆ Panniandi ◆ Pardhan ◆ Pardhi ◆ Parenga ◆ Parhaiya ◆ Paria ◆ Pashtun ◆ Pasi ◆ Patari ◆ Patelia ◆ Patni ◆ Patralu ◆ Patro ◆ Patwa ◆ Pawaria ◆ Pentia ◆ Pinjara ◆ Pod ◆ Ponthai Nocte ◆ Puthirai Vannan ◆ Qassab ◆ Rajbansi (Hindu) ◆ Rajbansi (Muslim) ◆ Rajbhar ◆ Raji ◆ Rajput (Hindu) ◆ Rajput (Muslim) ◆ Rajput (Sikh) ◆ Rajput, Bais ◆ Rajput, Chauhan ◆ Rajput, Garhwali ◆ Rajput, Khaimkani ◆ Rajput, Kumaoni ◆ Rajput, Ponwar ◆ Rajput, Saithwar ◆ Rajput, Thakur ◆ Rajput, Yadav ◆ Raju ◆ Rajwar ◆ Ramdasia (Hindu) ◆ Ramdasia (Muslim) ◆ Rana ◆ Rangrez (Hindu) ◆ Rangrez (Muslim) ◆ Ravidas Chamar ◆ Ravulo ◆ Rawat ◆ Razu ◆ Relli ◆ Rona ◆ Sabar ◆ Sahariya ◆ Saini (HIndu) ◆ Saini (Muslim) ◆ Saini (Sikh) ◆ Sali ◆ Sanauriya ◆ Santal ◆ Sardar (Hindu) ◆ Sadar (Muslim) ◆ Saur ◆ Sayyid ◆ Segidi ◆ Shah ◆ Shaikh ◆ Sherdukpen ◆ Sherpa ◆ Shompen ◆ Silpkar ◆ Sindhi ◆ Siyal ◆ Sonar (Hindu) ◆ Sonar (Muslim) ◆ Sounti ◆ Sunri ◆ Sunuwar ◆ Sutradhar ◆ Taga ◆ Tagin ◆ Tamboli ◆ Tangsa, Hawai ◆ Tanla ◆ Tanti ◆ Tarkhan (Hindu) ◆ Tarkhan (Sikh) ◆ Teli ◆ Thakkar ◆ Thakuri ◆ Thami ◆ Tharu ◆ Tharu, Rana ◆ Tharua ◆ Thori ◆ Tibetan ◆ Tipera ◆ Tiyar ◆ Toto ◆ Turaiha ◆ Turi ◆ Ujia ◆ Vaddar (Hindu) ◆ Vaddar (Muslim) ◆ Vakkaliga ◆ Valmiki ◆ Vanniyan ◆ Varli ◆ Vellalan ◆ Viswakarma ◆ Wattal ◆ Yadav (Hindu) ◆ Yadav (Muslim) ◆ Yenadi ◆ Yerukula ◆ Zangsari

We are overwhelmed with gratitude when we think that the Name of Jesus is being glorified among all the different unreached people groups in India listed on the previous pages. It is amazing to think that each of those names doesn't merely represent a person or a village, but an entire ethnic group (‘nation' in the Bible) that must be reached by the Gospel before the Lord Jesus will return to rule and reign upon the earth!

Of the 500 Indian people groups we are supporting evangelists among, not all needs are equal, just as the boulders in the dream were various shapes and sizes. For example, the Sabar ethnic group numbers just 5,000 people along the India- Bangladesh border, and we currently support 3 evangelists who are trying to reach this unique group with the Gospel. At the other end of the spectrum, 51 million Chamar people live scattered throughout India, and through the Asian Workers' Fund we presently support 74 evangelists who are targeting them. 99 percent of Chamar people are Hindus, with only very small pockets of Christians among them.

Finally, it's good to remain grounded by the sobering realization that a massive task still remains. Please don't believe those who say the Great Commission is practically completed and Christians should relax. It's not true! While we are thankful to be helping over 500 distinct groups hear the Gospel in India, the latest mission research list 2,554 different people groups in India, of which 2,289 have yet to be reached by the Good News of Jesus Christ.

If you would like to learn more about any of the groups listed on the previous pages, we encourage you to go online to:

www.joshuaproject.net/countries/IN

There you can search the names of any of the groups and read their profiles. Let's pray for God's kingdom to come among all nations! Only after this has happened will there be loud voices in heaven declaring: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).

We continue to be in touch with many evangelists who need support to go to unreached peoples. If you would like to help one or more of these precious believers, we invite you to support them through the Asian Workers' Fund . Each donor will receive a laminated prayer card of the evangelist allocated to them, and reports from the field will be sent every six months to those who continue to help.

Responding to the Earthquakes in Lombok, Indonesia

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 06:05:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

Last month we presented an opportunity in Laos, after thousands of people were affected when a dam collapsed and wiped out numerous villages. As a result of your prayers and generous support, our co-workers have been able to help hundreds of suffering people, and long-term plans are being formed to enable people to move on with their lives. At the bottom of this message is a picture of one of the "tent communities" our colleagues set up in Laos to help the flood survivors.

This month we are responding to another disaster — people on the Indonesian island of Lombok have been struck by a series of more than 30 earthquakes and aftershocks in recent weeks, which have killed hundreds of people and left tens of thousands homeless. The most severe quake left more than 460 people dead on August 5th.

Asia Harvest supports many Indonesian evangelists living on nearby islands, and they quickly sprung into action, mobilizing relief teams, including doctors, to assess the best way to help. Their initial relief efforts include providing care packets containing a blanket, 3 kg of rice, 5 packets of noodles and milk. Each packet costs $12, and our colleagues have identified 1,000 families in 10 villages who will need help for weeks to come. As always, the love of God being shown will be coupled with the message of eternal salvation in Jesus Christ to all who place their trust in Him.

Please pray for the survivors of this disaster, and for the kingdom of God in this unreached part of Indonesia. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Some of the tents set up by our co-workers to help people affected by the recent flood in Laos.

Until All have Heard of Jesus,
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Emergency in Laos

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 09:56:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

You may have heard that on July 23rd, after weeks of heavy rain, a dam burst in impoverished Attapeu Province in southern Laos. The flood waters raced downhill, wiping out numerous villages and drowning hundreds of people.

Since that time, the Communist government in Laos has banned all foreign media from the area, as they don't want to be embarrassed in the eyes of the world. They also claim only a small number of people died, which is ridiculous. As the below pictures show, the devastation is massive. Thousands of homes have been destroyed, while hundreds of people are still missing.

We support many Lao evangelists in southern Laos, and they quickly sprung into action, mobilizing a team to assess the best way to help. Their initial relief efforts include providing water, rice, shelter, mosquito nets, blankets, insect repellent, and hand sanitizer to the flood victims.

The poor people in this remote part of Asia, where Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia meet, will likely need help for some time to come. Most of all, they need the Gospel, and our colleagues always take every opportunity to share their faith so that those in need are not only helped physically, but they are introduced to Jesus Christ.

Please pray for the survivors of this disaster, and for the kingdom of God in the forgotten Asian country of Laos, which is home to more than 100 unreached tribes and people groups. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Until All have Heard of Jesus,
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Food for the Hungry – God’s Word for the Sakachep People

Fri, 13 Jul 2018 06:15:00 GMT

" From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work" (Ephesians 4:16).

Over the years we have learned that the importance for Christians to identify what gifts the Holy Spirit has given them, so they know what activities they should be engaged in. At the same time, we've also learned to recognize those areas we are not gifted in, and to be humble enough to let others do those things that God has called them to do. The help Asia Harvest has been able to give to advance the gospel has come about because of the excellent, God-appointed partnerships we have formed. Other ministries possess strengths and abilities we don't have, while we have been privileged to contribute in other ways that help get the job done.

Earlier this year we had a key meeting with the leaders of two other organizations, where we prayed together and strategized about how to get God's Word to tribes and people groups that have never had access to it before. One ministry focuses on translating the Scriptures, and have trained many workers to perform this crucial task throughout Asia. The other ministry we met with are experts at printing the Scriptures (which is not a straight-forward task, requiring ultra-thin Bible paper etc.); while Asia Harvest is playing a role by committing funds to produce thousands of Bibles in each new language, and to help with the transportation of the Scriptures to remote areas.

The pictures adorning the following pages come from a joyous Bible dedication service that recently took place among the Sakachep people. The Sakachep language is spoken by about 60,000 people among various tribes in northeast India.

We recently sent an email newsletter that included a short video of the Sakachep Bible dedication, showing the overwhelming gratitude to God that these precious believers felt when they finally received God's Word in their language. We encourage you to view the video at our website (www.asiaharvest.org) and to share in the joy of our Sakachep brothers and sisters, as 15,000 copies of their Scriptures were distributed.

Late last year, thousands of Christians from the Sakachep tribe gathered together in a remote part of northeast India to celebrate the dedication of the New Testament in their language, which had taken several years to complete.

It was a glorious occasion, and the first time in history that God's Word had been available in their language. Young Sakachep men and women dressed up in their traditional tribal clothing and celebrated before the Lord.

After the dedication service, crowds of eager Sakachep people pressed forward to obtain their own copy of God's Word. Partnering with two other organizations, Asia Harvest was privileged to fund the printing and transportation of thousands of Sakachep Bibles through our Asian Bible Fund.

After the meeting, the Sakachep made their way home with thankful hearts to the Lord Jesus, and with the Scriptures safely in their hands. In the coming months, several more Bible distributions are scheduled in new languages near the Tibetan border, and more than 20 new translation projects are planned for the next few years. Please pray for these projects. If you would like to support these strategic initiatives, we invite you to do so by giving to our Asian Bible Fund .

The Power of God’s Word – Transforming Lives Throughout Asia

Wed, 30 May 2018 04:25:00 GMT

"For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:12-13).

While in some parts of the culturally 'Christian' world the Word of God has been marginalized, cast aside and even banned from the public domain, in unreached areas of Asia the Scriptures continue to be desperately sought after, as hungry souls press into the kingdom of God.

It may be hard for some people to really picture the hunger for God's Word that exists. We recently spoke with a friend who took a backpack of Bibles on USB drives to a staunchly Muslim nation that most Christians would consider too dangerous to enter. He told us that when he first tried to give one of the drives the people resisted, but once they discovered what was on the drives and news spread throughout the community, hundreds of people came running from every direction, besieging our friend! For days he shared God's Word with the hungry people, who thanked him with tears in their eyes, and begged him to teach them everything he knew about Jesus.

For more than 30 years Asia Harvest has been providing the Word of God to people in Asia using two main strategies. Firstly, we do all we can to print and distribute Bibles to believers in restricted countries where access to the Scriptures is prohibited. From the early days when we hauled heavy bags and suitcases across borders, God placed His hand of favor on the project so that now, by His grace and power, we have provided more than 11 million Bibles to house church believers in China alone, and many more in dozens of other Asian languages. All glory to His Name!

The second way we see God's Word transform lives is lesser known, as we don't share so frequently about the printing of Scripture booklets that are used to evangelize unbelievers. Over the years we have printed many millions of Gospel booklets and tracts to help reach the lost.

Recently, a colleague told us of an incident that took place in India last year when an evangelist visited a fanatical Hindu area to distribute Gospel booklets. Unbeknown to him, the people of that village had been plagued for a long time by the presence of a demon-possessed woman. They tried to restrain her every day, similar to the demoniac as recorded in the Gospels: "No one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him" (Mark 5:4).

When the village leader saw that a Christian had dared to enter their remote Hindu community, he was enraged. His men seized the evangelist and the whole village gathered to watch. The Hindu priest asked, "Is your God stronger than our gods? If not, we will kill you!" and they brought the demon-possessed woman and threw her on the ground before him.

The evangelist later recounted that he was terrified by the situation, and he knew his life would soon end unless God performed a miracle. The villagers grew increasingly agitated as they sharpened their knives and sticks in preparation for murdering the intruder.

The Christian bowed his head and silently prayed to the Lord, as the villagers howled with derision. He then looked at the woman and, in the Name of Jesus, bound the demons that had control of her life.

One of our co-workers came across this bamboo cage, which was used to imprison another demon possessed villager. He was gloriously set free in the Name of Jesus Christ, and is serving the Lord today.

Immediately, the woman fell to the ground as if she was dead. For minutes she didn't move at all, and the people were even more incensed, thinking the Christian had killed her with a curse. He continued to call on the Name of the Lord, and took advantage of the intense situation by boldly sharing the Gospel with the crowd.

Finally, after a long time, a hush came over the onlookers. The woman began to move, and managed to sit upright on the ground. For the first time in years she was calm and she even smiled. When the villagers realized she had been set free and the demons had departed her, their intense anger changed to awe, and then joy. Everyone eagerly accepted the Gospel booklets from the evangelist, and they begged him to teach them how to know this Living God, who even has power over demons.

In another location, a powerful witch was deeply disturbed every time her Christian neighbors held a meeting in their home. The sound of people worshipping God especially agitated her, and she told the Christians to stop gathering. When they refused, the witch conjured up a spell and placed a curse on the believers to make them die from snake bites.

Later that night, the Christian family's sleep was disturbed by screaming coming from next door. A snake had slithered into the witch's home and bitten her while she lay in bed! The family rushed over to help their neighbor. They cornered the snake and killed it, and lovingly helped the woman. She recovered and was overcome with the love shown to her by the believers. She later gave her life to Jesus Christ, and shared the story of what had happened, how she had cursed the Christians only to have her curse rebound on to her!

Just in the past month, Asia Harvest provided funds to print 710,000 more Gospels of Mark in 18 different South Asian languages. These little yellow booklets are like missiles for the Lord. They are distributed by local teams of Christians among countless unreached Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist people groups, and those who show an interest in learning more are followed up by the same workers. Over the years we have printed millions of Gospels, and many thousands of people have repented of their sins and surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ.

In this latest production of Gospel booklets, we printed 600,000 Gospels of Mark for just 12 cents each — plus an additional 110,000 booklets containing the four Gospels for 28 cents each — in the following languages and quantities:

Gospel Booklets Recently Printed by Asia Harvest

Gospels of Mark (12 cents each):
Assamese: 20,000
Bengali: 30,000
English: 50,000
Gujarati: 30,000
Hindi: 140,000
Kannada: 30,000
Kui: 10,000
Malayalam: 10,000
Marathi: 30,000
Nepali: 50,000
Oriya: 30,000
Punjabi: 30,000
Rajasthani: 10,000
Sadri: 10,000
Santhali: 10,000
Saora: 10,000
Tamil: 50,000
Telugu: 50,000
The Four Gospels (28 cents each):
Bengali: 10,000
English: 10,000
Hindi: 25,000
Kannada: 15,000
Nepali: 10,000
Oriya: 10,000
Tamil: 15,000
Telugu: 15,000

Please pray that each of these life-changing booklets would find their way to someone who is searching for the truth, and that they would be gripped and convicted of their sin and unbelief by the power of the Holy Spirit as they read the Word of Life for the first time. Ask God to use these resources to bring many lost sheep into His kingdom.

More printings and distributions like the one outlined in this newsletter are undertaken at regular intervals. If you would like to give to this project, you are most welcome. It is a wonderful opportunity to help reach someone who has never heard the Gospel for as little as 12 cents. If you would like to be part of this project, you can do so through our Asian Bible Fund , which firstly provides Bibles for Christians, but also prints millions of Gospel booklets for evangelism among unreached people.

Shandong – ‘The Revival Province’ by Paul Hattaway

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 10:49:00 GMT

In this newsletter we are glad to announce the first book in a series on the mighty revival which has swept China during the past 50 years. We believe The China Chronicles books will be a great blessing and encouragement, and will enrich the spiritual lives of all who read them.

Many people are aware of the extraordinary explosion of Christianity in China, but few know how this miracle occurred. The genesis of this project came at a meeting I attended in the year 2000, where senior Chinese house church leaders expressed the need for their members to understand how God has established His kingdom throughout China.

My intention is not to present readers with a dry list of names and dates, but to record the marvelous acts of the Holy Spirit, as God’s kingdom has taken root and flourished in the world’s most populated country.

I consider it a great honor to write these books, especially as I have been entrusted, through hundreds of hours of interviews with church leaders throughout China, with many testimonies that have never previously been shared in public.

As a new believer in the 1980s, I recall reading reports from the Soviet Union of how Christians were being brutally persecuted, yet the kingdom of God was growing rapidly. By the time the Soviet empire collapsed in the early 1990s, no one had systematically recorded the glorious deeds of the Holy Spirit during the Communist era. Tragically, the miracles God performed in those decades behind the Iron Curtain have mostly been forgotten, and the Body of Christ is much the poorer for it.

Consequently, I have been determined to preserve a record of God’s mighty acts in China, so that future generations of believers can hear about the wonderful events that have transformed tens of millions of lives there.

Map of China with Shandong Province highlighted.

Today, the Church in China is one of the strongest in the world, both spiritually and numerically. Yet little more than a century ago, China was considered one of the most resistant mission fields. How things have changed!

When it’s all said and done, no person will be able to take creditfor the amazing revival in China. It will be clear that this great accomplishment is the handiwork of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. “The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:23–24).

A Note About the Publisher

Shandong is the first book we have written in collaboration with SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge). Incredibly, in a transient world where everything seems to be constantly changing, SPCK have been a rock of stability for a very long time. They were established in 1698, and have produced quality Christian books for the last 320 years without ever going out of business!

SPCK were faithfully strengthening the Body of Christ 78 years before the U.S. Declaration of Independence; and 142 years before the founding of my home country New Zealand! It has been a pleasure working with the friendly and professional staff at SPCK, and they have produced a beautiful book that does justice to the stories contained within its pages.

The remainder of this newsletter contains excerpts from ‘SHANDONG: China’s Revival Province’, with a glimpse into a few key moments in the history of the Church in Shandong, which is home to almost 100 million people. To order a copy of the book please see our online bookstore .

The Jesus Family

In the 1920s, Jing Dianying (pictured) founded an indigenous Chinese church movement in Shandong, which came to be known as the ‘Jesus Family’. For decades the Jesus Family grew and spread throughout China, becoming a forerunner of today’s house church movements.

The work began after Jing and his wife knelt together and dedicated themselves to unreservedly obey the Bible. They sold all of their possessions and gave the money to the poor. When other believers joined them, they pooled their resources and purchased 43 acres of land in the village of Mazhuang in central Shandong. The property served both as headquarters for the church and as home to a flourishing community of believers. The group’s five-word slogan encapsulated their commitment to Christ and their pattern of frugal living: ‘Sacrifice, abandonment, poverty, suffering, death.’

To outsiders, the main distinguishing feature of the Jesus Family was the tremendous love the members had for one another. The elderly were treated with the utmost respect, and children were raised in a loving environment. Each day began and ended with a group Bible study. On Sundays, all members of the Family came together to worship the Lord.

In 1930, the Jesus Family began to tithe one-tenth of the harvest of their land to the poor. God blessed their crops to such a degree that one of the leaders, Heng Shin, later testified, “We felt we should add a tenth each year. This year we are giving away nine-tenths.” Incredibly, on 43 acres of land, the Jesus Family was able to support 500 believers and still give away 90 percent of their harvest to the poor.

As the movement grew, Jesus Family members formed evangelistic groups that visited many towns and villages, preaching the gospel as they walked from place to place. Their example of communal living and genuine Christian love attracted those who were searching for life’s answers, especially the homeless, destitute and despised. Many blind people and beggars joined the Family and found eternal life in Christ. Things were far from easy, and often when the believers entered a new town most of the population would come out to beat and humiliate them.

The Chicken and the Egg

The moral transformation of Jesus Family members was far-reaching. During the civil war that raged throughout China in the 1930s, one of the pastors was arrested and thrown into jail for sheltering a Nationalist soldier. One day, his hungry wife was deep in prayer when a chicken wandered in from the street and laid an egg. The woman’s conscience wouldn’t allow her to take the egg laid by someone else’s chicken for free, but she didn’t know who it belonged to. She caught the chicken and tied a note to its leg along with some cash to pay for the egg, and released it back into the street.

The owner of the chicken was astounded when he received the note and payment, and news of the deed soon reached the Communist judge in the area. He investigated the matter and was amazed to discover such honesty. The judge dismissed the case against the pastor and immediately released him from jail.

The Jesus Family was the first Christian group in China to have a vision to take the gospel from China all the way back to Jerusalem. Their workers carried baskets of food and essentials as they walked across the country. The movement grew rapidly, and by 1941 there were 141 different Jesus Family communities in eight provinces, with approximately 6,000 members in Shandong alone.

Zhang Tangwu

Many men and women of God have suffered greatly for the gospel in Shandong Province. One such brother was Zhang Tangwu from Weifang. Zhang was thrown into prison in the 1950s, where he contracted a strange skin disease on his upper back. When he was taken to court and questioned by judges, Zhang simply smiled and told them about Jesus’ love. In prison his witness was so strong that the other inmates gave him the nickname, ‘Living Jesus.’

Zhang was sentenced to death by the Communists, and as he awaited the day of his execution, the disease grew so bad that puss openly oozed from his back, and the prison doctors were convinced he would soon die. For many years this man of God had prayed that he would not die in prison, but that he might die on the mission field spreading the gospel among sinners.

The other prisoners were terrified of Zhang’s disease, so they threw him out of their cell and made him sleep in the disgusting latrine, in a pool of human excrement and urine. Covered in open sores, the officials knew the unhygienic surrounds of the latrine would quickly cause infection, so they made arrangements for Zhang’s burial the next day. With death knocking at his door, Zhang continued to preach the gospel to every prisoner and guard who came to use the toilet.

Zhang Tangwu knelt down in the excrement and wept bitterly for the wasted opportunities in his life. Painfully, he dragged his half-dead body out of the latrine. With the Lord’s help he inched his way to the prison courtyard, which had a mound of stones in the center. He ascended the mound and held on to the top stone. With a loud voice he proclaimed, “Everyone, listen to me! You must receive Jesus Christ as Lord!” All the prisoners could hear him clearly because their cells faced the courtyard.

With tears in his eyes and in great anguish of soul, Zhang cried out: “I am not crying because of my disease or because of my impending death! I am crying because your souls are precious to God. He loves you and longs to call you His children.”

At that very moment, an earthquake shook the ground and the prisoners were terrified. They were doubly afraid because they couldn’t understand how Zhang had been able to drag himself back from death’s door to preach to them with such a loud and authoritative voice.

Because of the exertion of dragging himself from the latrine to the courtyard, Zhang Tangwu’s infected back split into two. The skin between his two shoulder blades was no longer joined together, and puss flowed down and covered his waist and legs.

The prison guards finally came and carried him back to the latrine. They decided not to shoot him, because they expected him to die within hours anyway.

The next morning when the guards came to inspect Zhang they were amazed to find that his back had become better and was healing. Within three months he recovered completely! Terrorized by the supernatural events that had displayed the glory of God, the authorities were too afraid to deal with Zhang, and they released him from prison.

God granted Zhang Tangwu the desire of his heart, and he continued to preach the gospel among sinners until the end of his life.

God’s Wrath Leads many to Repentance

In recent decades the gospel has continued to spread throughout Shandong Province, sometimes assisted by manifestations of God’s wrath. Government officials who reveled in persecuting Christians were suddenly struck down. Many people believed in Jesus as a result, for they knew the Living God had intervened on behalf of His children by punishing the evildoers for their deeds.

In August 2002, a small group of evangelists traveled to a village to share the gospel with idol worshippers. A 30-year-old man approached and ordered them to stop preaching. When they refused, the man flew into a demonic rage, blaspheming the Name of Jesus and spewing forth filthy insults and curses against God’s servants.

A crowd of onlookers gathered to observe the spectacle, and were amazed to see how calm the Christians remained as they blessed and prayed for the man. After about 20 minutes he left the meeting, but a short time later the villagers learned that he had been knocked down and killed by a car. The villagers knew that God had judged the wicked man, and many repented of their sins and placed their trust in Jesus.

The Church in Shandong Today

In 2016 the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, demanded to meet privately with several senior Chinese house church leaders. Although the content of their discussions was kept strictly confidential, the results were soon evident, as waves of persecution broke out against the house churches throughout China.

In Shandong’s Qingdao City, the police visited a local house church leader and told him, “We know all about your meetings. We have been instructed to close you down, but we will continue to let you meet if you give us all the weekly offerings you collect in your churches!”

The house church leader rejected their attempted extortion, and the church broke up into numerous small groups, allowing them to gather discreetly and without disturbance from the corrupt local authorities.

In 2017 and 2018, many pastors and evangelists have been arrested and interrogated in Shandong, while others have been bundled into vans or taken from their homes and sent to one of China’s notorious secret ‘black jails’—unofficial places where the government’s perceived enemies are taken and tortured mercilessly.

A letter Asia Harvest received from Shandong in late 2016 presented a sobering summary of the conditions in the province at the time:

“The government now requires that all churches be controlled by the Communist Party. They must even display a national flag to show their loyalty. Some large churches have been asked to hand over their offerings to the police. When the pastors refuse to do so, they are ordered to disband their congregations. The crackdown has been spreading and we expect tough times ahead.

The government is once again trying to squeeze the life out of the Church. There are new laws prohibiting any religious activities without government approval—even holding Bible studies of more than ten people in homes. We need to conduct trainings with fewer participants.”

Recently, one Shandong house church leader told us: “Things here are like in Mao’s day! We never thought we would return to such a time. The younger generation of believers have never experienced severe persecution, and they are shaken. Please pray they will patiently endure, and their faith will be tested and found to be like pure gold.”

As you read our new book, you will learn how the Church in Shandong has been blessed with powerful revivals, and from the ruins of ashes, floods, famines and wars has arisen a shining and holy Bride of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ has gained much glory from His disciples in Shandong, where today an estimated 5.2 million people confess Christ as Lord and Savior.

While the current leaders of China appear determined to repeat the mistakes of their predecessors by again trying to destroy God’s children, let us pray that the persecution will again result in revival and rapid growth in Shandong—the blessed Revival Province of China.

The great need of Christians in Shandong continues to be Bibles. Those in rural areas have struggled to access God’s Word for many years, and the large numbers of new believers has seen the size of the need far outstrip the supply. The need for our China Bible Fund is greater than ever , with an increasing number of believers in China unable to access Bibles due to government restrictions and persecution.

With your prayers and support, Asia Harvest has provided more than 875,000 Bibles to house church believers in Shandong over the years, and we will continue to do so as long as the Lord keeps the door open. Please pray for the Church in Shandong!

Special China Issue – Please Pray for Christians in China

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 14:39:00 GMT

E-Bulletin #51 - Special China Issue - Please Pray for Christians in China

Dear Friends,

For decades we have strived to openly share news and prayer requests from Asia, as we seek to help God's people extend the kingdom of Jesus Christ. In this newsletter we have a deep burden to share with you, and we ask for your fervent prayers and intercession for our brothers and sisters in the Chinese house churches. They are now undergoing a fiery trial that is more fierce than anything experienced in China since the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s.

In the past 18 months, the situation for Christians in China has dramatically worsened. At the start, we hesitated to publicly share new information from China for a few reasons. Some of the news we have received from church leaders is so dire that most believers around the world simply wouldn't believe it if we told them. We also wanted to make sure these things were not part of a short-term crackdown, as over the years we have seen numerous seasons of persecution come and go in China. However, we believe it is now time to present the known facts, to help people understand what our fellow believers are experiencing right now.

We have also shared several links to web pages in this message, to help people learn more about the situation from other sources. Please take the time to read these articles.

* President Xi Jinping—who is about to have the constitution amended so he can remain in power for as long as he wishes—first raised concerns among Christians about three years ago when he spoke about the need to control "illegal religion". Persecution has markedly worsened since then, and hundreds of house church pastors have vanished over the past few years. Many are assumed to have been killed. Others may be held in "black jails" — secret facilities where they are tortured mercilessly. When someone enters a black jail they are usually never heard from again. Their families have no idea of their whereabouts, and all communication ceases.

* You are unlikely to hear much fresh information from the Church in China, because most mission organizations working in China have been targeted in recent years. Thousands of foreign Christians have been expelled from the country, while the large 'persecution' ministries have seen their Chinese contacts arrested. The result is that news about the Church in China is becoming difficult to access. The government appears to be trying to throw a blanket over the Church , so that the rest of the world can't see or hear what's going on inside the country.

* Christian activity in China has been strictly monitored, due to the presence of tens of millions of facial- recognition cameras that have sprung up in every city and town, and now even in villages. The data from these cameras is fed into a massive computer network around the clock. Using 'artificial intelligence', alerts are sent to the police if the computers detect any suspicious activity, such as a group of Christians gathering at a location for worship or Bible study. We encourage you to watch the following short video from the BBC. It is sobering, but will help you understand the challenges facing our brothers and sisters in China:
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-china-42248056/in-your-face-china-s-all-seeing-state

* For decades, most members of Three-Self churches in China thought they were safe because they had registered with the government. Many looked down on the illegal house church networks and chided them for not "obeying the laws of the land." The distinctions between the two groups are now blurred. Hundreds of Three-Self pastors have also been arrested in the last few years, and church buildings have been demolished by special paramilitary forces. The largest single worship center in China, the Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi Province, had a congregation of more than 50,000 members. The building, which was constructed with official permission, was recently blown up by the Chinese authorities and is now a pile of rubble:
http://www.dw.com/en/in-xi-we-trust-is-china-cracking-down-on-christianity/a-42224752

Last year the government announced draconian new laws designed to punish "illegal religion" (i.e. all worship or activity outside the control of the atheistic Communist Party). These new laws, which came into force last month, include fines of up to US$30,000 for holding prayer meetings or Bible studies, while Christians who travel out of the country (including to Hong Kong) to attend conferences or other Christian events may be arrested and fined up to US$50,000. These amounts are more than a lifetime's income for many Chinese believers. Pressure is also being applied to those who associate with Christians. For example, landlords face heavy fines if they rent a property to any believers who subsequently use it for meetings.
As a result of this massive suppression, in the past year almost all house church networks we serve have stopped holding large gatherings, and most have broken down into tiny groups of no more than 4 or 5 believers. Even small meetings like this carry risk of detection and police action, so great is the control being exerted.
In some parts of the country, thousands of Chinese Christians have been arrested. The worst of all is in northwest China, where the government has cast a wide net to demolish the threat of Islam, with at least 120,000 people currently believed to be held in concentration camps in the region:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/25/at-least-120000-muslim-uighurs-held-in-chinese-re-education-camps-report
Many Christians in Xinjiang, both Han Chinese and ethnic minority believers, have been rounded up and sent to the same concentration camps. Church leaders we work with have told us things there are "worse than during the Cultural Revolution."
https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2018/02/china-100-christians-sent-re-education-camps-xinjiang/
The supply of Bibles to Chinese Christians has been severely reduced. The house churches have never been officially allowed to access Bibles, but now the registered churches are also reporting a great shortage. Last year, the few remaining Bible courier ministries that were operating from Hong Kong also closed down. A decade ago, Asia Harvest was one of about a dozen known ministries providing Bibles to the house churches of China. Most of those groups have since been forced out of the country through threats, intimidation, seduction, and other means.

We have received reports of some who carried Bibles into China recently being stopped at the border. In the past, officials would confiscate the Bibles and allow the person to continue on their journey. Now, those caught with Chinese Bibles have been interrogated for up to 12 hours, expelled from China, and banned from coming back for 10 years. We believe the overall purpose is to isolate the children of God in China by strangling the supply of God's Word. Many Chinese Christian websites, Bible apps and other resources have also been blocked by the government.

* China is also extending its anti-Christian influence into neighboring countries. We have received reports of believers in Nepal, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam being warned not to spread the Gospel across their borders into China, or they will face severe consequences.

Summary: Few Christians around the world imagined that China would ever return to its intense anti-Christian persecutions like during Mao's rule, but things are lining up for a brutal and prolonged period of struggle for Christians in China. In many ways, because of new technology, believers face an even greater challenge than during the dark days of the Cultural Revolution. Many in the West thought that Communism collapsed with the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Politicians were certain that free market reforms would cause China to open up and embrace democracy. They were wrong. The dark forces of aggressive, God-hating atheism are alive and well in China, North Korea, and other parts of the world.

Please Pray for China

Praise God that He has done a wonderful work of grace in China during nearly 70 years of Communist rule! Today there are at least 100 million Christians in the country, many of whom love the Lord Jesus with all their hearts and are willing to lay down their lives for the Gospel. Pray this persecution will cause the Church to rise up and claim even more of their country for the kingdom of God.
Please pray the kingdom of Jesus Christ would be strengthened and would grow even larger as a result of the current anti-Christian campaign. Pray that Satan would not have his way, but that God's children would be covered by the Blood of Jesus and would come through the tribulations refined like pure gold.
Ask God to glorify His Name once again among the people of China, and that by breaking down into tiny groups of believers, the churches will get back to the basics of the faith and introduce more people to the Lord than ever before.
Most of the younger generation of Christian leaders in China have never experienced severe, physical persecution. Understandably, many are nervous. Please pray our Heavenly Father would reveal Christ's all-sufficiency to them , and they would come through to the other side closer to God and better equipped to lead His people.
Pray the Holy Spirit would give His children heavenly wisdom and strategies to know what to do in this crisis, and that the transformative power of the Gospel will continue to be shared to the one billion people in China who have not yet bowed their knee to the Lord.
By God's hand, Asia Harvest has provided almost 11 million Bibles to the house churches in China over the years. We wish it was many millions more! The pressure is intense, but please pray the Lord will continue to hold open the door for us to continue. Please intercede for our Chinese co-workers who oversee the projects. As long as there is a slight opening, we want to faithfully continue to obey what God first called us to do 30 years ago.
Satan and wicked men have continually tried to destroy God's people in China over the centuries, but God's plans have progressed regardless. Pray the King of Kings would confound the present generation of rulers , and they would learn the lesson that many before have discovered, dating back to the time of Pharaoh's persecution of God's children, when the Bible says, "The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites" (Exodus 1:12).

Please feel free to share this message with any concerned believers, or to post it on social media etc.

Until All have Heard of Jesus,
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

2018 Annual Report – Advancing Without Fear

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 20:29:00 GMT

“Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened. But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (1 Peter 3:13-15).

“Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:1-4).

“Anxiety frequently manifests itself in ungodly concern about provision, performance, or reputation, and appears to be rooted in incomplete knowledge, lack of control over circumstances, or failure to take an eternal perspective on things.” - Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary

At the end of each year we set aside time to seek the Lord, thanking him for the year that just passed and asking Him for guidance and blessing for the new year ahead. This year, it seemed as if the Lord was telling us to be free from fear in 2018, and to continue to serve Him wholeheartedly.

The Oxford Dictionary defines worry as “the state of being anxious and troubled about actual or potential problems.” Naturally speaking, we have some reasons to worry. Many of those we serve with are under massive pressure from governments throughout the region, and over the years a total of more than 50 believers in ministries we have worked with have been killed for their faith. Pressure is coming from different directions, especially with the rapid increase of invasive technology.

Rather than looking at what could go wrong, however, the Lord wants us to look to Him in faith, because fear and faith cannot exist together, and the stronger of the two always kills the other. Our job is to set our eyes on Jesus and His kingdom, for “without faith it’s impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6).

In the past year we have noticed that many Christians are becoming increasingly discouraged and anxious, as evil in this world intensified. Believers know that the Lord warned, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13). Note that Jesus didn’t say “their wickedness”, but “Because of the increase of wickedness”. As believers, we should be careful not to watch too much news, because it’s easy for our hearts to be hardened by the evil around us.

It’s no secret that we live in a sick and failing world. Even unbelievers want to improve the society they live in. In frustration they protest and condemn political leaders, but people will never be able to obtain true joy and peace until the Prince of this world (Satan) is overthrown. Until then, true Christians should prepare for an intense daily struggle for our faith, holiness and integrity, for the Bible warns us: “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:12).

Instead of becoming fearful, however, great encouragement is given to followers of Jesus, for the same passage exhorts us: “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!” (Revelation 12:11-12).

Indeed, the Prince of this world will soon be overthrown, and will be replaced forever by the true King of Kings, who will rule and reign over the nations from His throne in Jerusalem.

As we present our Annual Report on the various projects and activities of Asia Harvest last year, we want to remind you that the devil is not in control of this world’s timetable. The Living God is in control and always has been!

The Lord Jesus is continuing to bring in His harvest from among the nations of the world. Tens of thousands of lost people found salvation in Jesus today, and tens of thousands more will be saved tomorrow, and every day. Jesus’ kingdom is expanding and He is the Victor! His timetable is right on target, and one day when “the full number of Gentiles” has come in (Romans 11:25), God will close the curtain on this sick and sorry age. Until then, we are called to patiently endure, and to “encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

2018 Annual Report

In the remainder of this newsletter we present our 2018 Annual Report, detailing the help Asia Harvest provided to the Body of Christ throughout Asia last year.

It has been a privilege to serve the Lord for another year, and we feel greatly blessed to be a link in a chain that has resulted in many people coming to know Him. Last year, hundreds of thousands more believers were strengthened in their faith after receiving God’s Word through our Bible projects, and the more than 1,000 Asian evangelists we support led a reported 76,000 people to faith in Christ among hundreds of unreached people groups.

For over 25 years our strategy has been to operate with as few overhead expenses as possible, so that the maximum resources are placed in the hands of the frontline workers—the many Asian Christians we are honored to assist and serve. We thank each person who prayed for and supported our work last year. Without your vital partnership none of these things would have occurred.

From the time of Asia Harvest’s inception in the late 1980s, we have always strived to be transparent in the area of finances, and our annual financial statements have been available to anyone upon request. Now, we have taken the extra step of having our finances independently audited each year by a respected firm. These reports will be freely available on our website.

We thank God that last year we were able to send out substantially more project money than we received! Our operating costs are minimal, and are fully covered by general, non-project donations, and from income generated by book sales. That means that 100% of all project donations are used exactly as specified.

If you would like to read our latest financial statement, please go to the “Resources” tab at our website www.asiaharvest.org

Asia Harvest Projects Supported in 2017

Asian Workers' Fund

Partnering with Pioneer Asian Evangelists

Because of your prayers and partnership we ended 2017 supporting 1,179 Asian missionaries, serving among 845 unreached people groups. A reported 76,674 people experienced God’s salvation last year.

The Asian Workers’ Fund provides support to Asian evangelists who are working among people groups that have never heard the gospel. By the end of 2017 we were privileged to support 1,179 evangelists among 845 unreached groups. These workers encounter many hardships and persecutions, but have persevered and are now seeing breakthroughs among many groups.

In 2017, those we support through the Asian Workers’ Fund led 76,674 people to salvation in Jesus Christ (an average of 65 per worker). More than 240,000 conversions have been reported since this project commenced. Hallelujah! This is even more remarkable considering most of the workers serve in some of the darkest and most unreached areas of Asia, including among numerous Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist peoples.

The Asian Workers’ Fund is constantly expanding and new workers are being recruited. We invite you to support one or more Asian missionaries with a gift of $25 per month each. A laminated prayer card is sent to every supporter of this project.

China Bible Fund

Equipping China’s Christians with God’s Word

There remains a critical shortage of Bibles in China today because of the massive growth of churches in rural areas. Tens of millions of house church Christians are still unable to access God’s Word. Our Bibles are distributed to all parts of China, helping establish new believers in the faith and adding fuel to the revival that continues to burn throughout the world’s most populated country. Each full Bible costs just $1.80 to print and deliver.

Since 2000, we have printed and distributed more than 10.8 million Bibles to house churches in China, with 563,087 in 2017 alone. This equates to 1,543 Bibles every day, 64 per hour, or one full Bible every 56 seconds throughout the year. Each one is a miracle. Thank you for praying and giving.

Asian Bible Fund

Providing Bibles to Asia’s Christians

Current Total: 818,344 Bibles printed in 95 different languages. Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and deliver.

Asia is home to many ethnic groups where people have been prevented from accessing God’s Word, sometimes for decades. The Asian Bible Fund provides the Scriptures in numerous languages throughout Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and elsewhere.

Please pray for our project and all those who are involved with providing God’s Word to the precious Christians of Asia. In 2017 we printed 99,078 Bibles through the Asian Bible Fund. We were privileged to provide God’s Word in the following languages:

Assamese, Bengali, Bhadrawahi, Bilaspuri, Bugun, Chambeali, Chin Haka, Dogri, English, Gaddi, Gujarati, Haryanvi, Hindi, Kangri, Kannada, Kurumba, Mandeali, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Pahari Kullu, Pahari Kulvi, Pahari Mahasu, Punjabi, Sakachep, Tagin, Tamil, Telugu, Tutsa.

Bless the Children Fund

Reaching and Discipling Asia’s Children

Your prayers and generous support has so far impacted an estimated 133,916 children for Jesus Christ throughout Asia, with multitudes being exposed to the Gospel for the first time.

The Bless the Children Fund introduces children to Jesus in India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, and other Asian countries. Activities include printing and distributing Christian literature designed for children, funding Sunday school training classes, providing free surgeries for those with special needs, and generally doing whatever it takes to lift children out of spiritual and physical poverty.

The fruitfulness of this project has been tremendous.

Thank you for praying and partnering with us to bless the children of Asia!

The Rohingya

Over the past year, you may have heard about the plight of the Rohingya refugees in western Myanmar (Burma).

The Rohingya have been the target of ‘ethnic cleansing’ as the Burmese military attempts to drive them out of the country. Hundreds of Rohingya villages have been burnt to the ground, men and boys mercilessly slaughtered, and women and girls viciously raped.

Is there any hope for the Rohingya people? YES! In fact, while many aid agencies have been helping their physical needs, for the past three years we have been helping a small group of Rohingya Christians, who met the Lord Jesus in a refugee camp. The Holy Spirit gave them a burden to take the Gospel to their own people, and although most organizations don’t think there are any Rohingya Christians, we can share that they have led more than 130 Rohingya to repentance and faith in Christ!

Many lives have been transformed and the Good News is spreading that Jesus is the only true hope in this world. Please pray for the precious Rohingya Christians.

The group of Rohingya evangelists are among the hundreds of Asian missionaries we support through the Asian Workers' Fund. We invite you to join us as we help them take the Gospel to the unreached peoples of Asia.

Christmas and New Year Blessings from the Roof of the World!

Wed, 20 Dec 2017 07:20:00 GMT

For decades, Asia Harvest has sought to make Jesus Christ known in the most remote and unreached parts of Asia. Few places qualify like this one! If you've ever visited China, we're pretty sure it wasn't via this particular border crossing!

Thank you for your prayers and support throughout the year! Let's keep lifting up Jesus among the most unreached peoples, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14).

We hope you will experience a blessed Christmas and New Year, and we pray 2018 will be a fruitful year in your life for the kingdom of God.

Until All have Heard of Jesus,
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Bibles for Asia – Millions Are Still Without God’s Word

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 17:25:00 GMT

“I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’”

(Revelation 7:9)

One of the greatest blessings we have experienced over the years is to meet Christians from all kinds of tribes and ethnic groups. Although believers often speak different languages and come from vastly different economic and cultural background, we’ve seen how barriers can be broken down in seconds by the common bond of love for Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit dwelling in the hearts of our brothers and sisters.

On the cover of this newsletter you will see some of your family members, from a group you may never have heard of before. They are Christians from the Hahka Chin tribe of western Myanmar (formerly Burma), photographed just seconds after receiving the first Bibles in their language for many decades. Our co-workers found two districts where there were 35,000 Hahka Chin Christian families without any Bibles.

The recent Hakha Chin distribution was due to a partnership between several ministries, including Asia Harvest. The overwhelming joy and happiness that you can see in the faces of these precious believers is just a small glimpse of an incredible day in the future, when the redeemed from every tribe, language, people and nation will worship the Lamb of God and give glory to His Name!

More Bible printing and distributions are in the pipeline right now, in six different countries. In this newsletter we would like to share testimonies and photos from some of the believers who received the Word of God for the first time. As we share some of their stories, we invite you to pray for them, and please consider giving so that more Christians like these can read God’s Word for themselves. In China we print and deliver full Bibles for just $1.80 each, while in Myanmar and other Asian countries the average cost per Bible is $2.70.

I am Mr. Pa. There are many born-again Christians among our tribe who cannot get a Bible in our language. They have tried to use the Burmese Bible, but they don’t understand it very well because it is not our “heart” language. Now we are all so blessed by the Lord Jesus Christ to receive these new, beautiful, and understandable Bibles in our language. Thank you so much!

My name is Far. I am 55-year-old. I was raised in a Christian family, but was not serious in my walk with the Lord. I fell seriously ill in 1998 and all the elders of our Baptist church came and prayed for me. Within three hours the Lord had completely healed me. At that moment I realized that Jesus Christ is not only my healer, but also my Savior. I committed my life to God and was born-again, and I fell in love with God. It has been too difficult to get a Bible. Today I am so happy to receive this gift from my brothers and sisters overseas. Now my family has His Word of life. It is the greatest gift we have ever received.

My name is Joshua. I am 29 and an evangelist from the Holiness Church. As a teenager I was addicted to alcohol, smoking, and chewing beetle-nut. The Holy Spirit convicted me of my sins and I repented, and He set me free from all my addictions. It was a miracle. God gave me a ministry of caring for 18 orphans, and all of them have received Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Many times I have wanted to buy a Bible in our language, but it was impossible. I cannot understand other languages. Thank you, Lord! Now I have my own precious Bible thanks to your love and generosity.

My name is Tei. I am 22-years-old and I was born in Myanmar. When I was a child the Burmese army came to my village and killed people. They burned our houses, so my family had to live in the jungle for many years. I never went to school, but later I learned about Jesus in the refugee camp. I came to know that Jesus really loves and me and now I have hope. Thank you for giving me the Bible. May God bless you.

My name is Cherry and I am 19. My mother was born into a family that worshipped demons, and my grandfather was the shaman for our village. In 2008 he heard about Jesus for the first time and he became a Christian. Little by little the people in my village became Christians, and there are few who still worship evil spirits. I am very happy to receive this Bible, because it is God’s Word. Thank you for helping me know the Lord Jesus Christ!

My name is Shan and I am a 68-year-old widow. Some years ago the Burmese army shot and killed both of my sons. Now I take care of my only remaining family member, my six-year-old grandson. When the soldiers burnt my house down I grabbed by grandson and we ran into the forest. We walked for three days before reaching a refugee camp. I lost my home, possessions, and my Bible. I have lost everything except my grandson. Only God can give me hope and peace. Thank you for coming and helping us with precious Bibles.

My name is Zuam and I am 46-years-old. My parents died when they placed chemical fertilizer on their vegetables when I was only six months old. My aunt and uncle took me in and loved me as if I was their own child. However, when I was five a man told me they were not my real parents. I was devastated and it caused me incredible emotional pain. I tried to commit suicide several times. In 2005, when I was 34, I repented and submitted my life to Jesus Christ, and God accepted me as His child. For years we prayed for a Bible, and God has amazingly used you to provide us with His precious Word. It is my dream come true. Thanks to all who have blessed us.

My name is Thong and I am the Principal of a Bible college. My have 100 students at the school, but only 8 of them have a Bible. Our students want to buy a Bible, but there are none available. Now you have come and distributed so many copies of God’s Word in our language for free. It will make a tremendous difference in our school and community. Thank you and God bless you all! May the Lord use you more and more to help all people have God’s Word, especially those who are of the family of faith.

The believers highlighted in this newsletter are representative of countless thousands of others who receive life-changing Bibles through Asia Harvest’s two Bible projects. Our China Bible Fund continues to build up the house church believers in China. Each full Chinese Bible is printed and delivered for just $1.80 , while the Asian Bible Fund continues to provide the Scriptures in numerous languages of Asia for an average of $2.70 per Bible .

If you would like to help provide God’s Word to hungry believers like these, we invite you to fill out the yellow response form in this newsletter and send it back along with your gift. Alternatively, one-time or monthly donations to the project can be made via our website: www.asiaharvest.org

The Two Sides of God – Gaining a Balanced View of the Bible

Wed, 25 Oct 2017 12:17:00 GMT

“Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God” (Romans 11:22).

“You feel sorry for us in India because of our great poverty in material things. We who know the Lord in India feel sorry for you in America because of your spiritual poverty. We are praying that you also might come to church with a hunger for God and not merely a hunger to see some form of amusement.”
— Bakht Singh, Indian church leader

Several years ago the Smithsonian Institute displayed an exhibit of Thomas Jefferson’s Bible. Jefferson had taken a pair of scissors and cut out all the parts of the Bible he didn’t like, and God’s moral laws which he felt were outdated. He removed all mention of hell, and because he didn’t believe in miracles, he chopped those passages out too!

While most Christians would agree that Jefferson’s actions were ridiculous, I’ve met numerous believers who do exactly the same thing to God’s Word, albeit not usually with a pair of scissors. By picking which parts of the Bible they want to accept, people invariably choose those verses that make them feel good about themselves, while ignoring the rest.

The following excerpt is taken from Paul Hattaway’s autobiography, ‘An Asian Harvest’ . Thousands of Christians have already been greatly blessed and encouraged by the book. With Christmas approaching, we invite you to consider giving the book to friends or family. Orders can be placed by mail, or from our website (www.asiaharvest.org).

Alternatively, if you send a donation to any Asia Harvest project, please indicate that you would like a complimentary copy of book and we will gladly send you one. If you give online, add a note “please send your new book” when you donate.

During the years when I spoke in meetings throughout the world, at times I found it difficult to effectively communicate testimonies from the Church in Asia to believers in “free” countries. Often when I spoke in meetings, people looked at me like I had just dropped in from another planet.

I became aware that the spiritual dynamics of the persecuted Church in Asia were completely different from those in Western Christianity. The differences were so stark that it sometimes felt like I was interacting with two different faiths. Even the most basic understanding of God’s character appeared to be fundamentally different.

For example, on one occasion in China I shared a powerful testimony from the Mru tribe of Myanmar. The Mru number about 25,000 people, most of whom are Buddhists. The gospel had recently experienced a breakthrough among them, and several Mru villages turned to Jesus Christ. The Buddhist monks were furious when they heard about it, so they hired two gangs of thugs and sent them to the Christian villages to beat the believers, rape the women, and burn their houses down.

Armed with chains and machetes, the first group of thugs made their way on foot to the Christian area. Before reaching their intended destination, however, a freak electrical storm descended on them as they traversed a mountain pass. All of the men were killed by lightning. The lightning also struck the 400 year-old Buddhist temple in the Mru township, burning it to the ground.

The second mob of would-be persecutors traveled to the Christian villages aboard a large raft. As they made their way down the river, a thick fog suddenly enveloped them, making it impossible to see where they were going. A barge sliced through the fog and struck the raft, hurling the thugs into the rapids where they all drowned.

When news of these events spread, the fear of God fell on the Mru communities. Realizing that the Living God had displayed His awesome wrath, hundreds more people turned to Christ and repented of their sins.

When I shared this testimony with the Christians in China, they literally jumped up and down with joy and shouted, “Hallelujah!” at the top of their voices. They rejoiced in the judgments of God, as the Bible says: “Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, Lord” (Psalm 97:8).

Just a few weeks later I found myself standing in front of a congregation in Texas. As I shared the same testimony from Myanmar, I looked out at a sea of grim faces staring back at me. There was no rejoicing in that meeting, and not a single “Hallelujah” was uttered.

After the service, an elderly lady came forward to confront me on behalf of the other church members. She strongly rebuked me with the words, “Our God is not like that, brother. Our God is a loving God!” I noticed many people behind her nodding their heads in agreement.

Like that congregation in Texas, many believers imagine God to be a cuddly teddy bear-like figure, whose main purpose is to encourage and bless them. They think God is so gentle and loving that He would never harm a fly, and Christians who dare to mention His wrath or coming judgment are often pushed into a corner and considered a threat to the peace of the church.

With such a skewed, chummy attitude toward God, it’s no wonder that many Christians no longer fear Him. They love to hear about how John reclined at the dinner table by leaning against His best friend Jesus, but few remember that the two men met again many years later. This time the resurrected Lord Jesus was dressed in the robes of a Roman judge. John was absolutely terrified, and wrote, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:17).

All followers of the Lord Jesus need to cultivate a deep, loving intimacy with Him, while not becoming so familiar that we lose a healthy fear of God. May we never forget that one day the anger of the Lord will be so fierce that people will “call to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” (Revelation 6:16-17).

I once shared at a home meeting in New Zealand about the need for every Christian to take up their cross and follow Him. To illustrate my message, I shared the testimony of Sister Yuen of Shanghai. It is a favorite story of the house church believers in China, and touches a deep chord in their hearts whenever they hear it.

Sister Yuen, a widow with two small children, was arrested and thrown into prison because of her faith. In a bid to make her renounce Christ, the guards brought Sister Yuen’s children and had them stand outside the prison gate. With their arms outstretched, they begged their mother to come home.

The guards taunted Sister Yuen by asking, “Doesn’t your God want you to take care of your own children? You can return home today if you just sign a statement declaring you will no longer be a Christian.”

Like any mother, Sister Yuen’s heart was torn at the sight of her crying children, and she asked the guards to bring her a sheet of paper and a pen. They hurriedly fetched the items, thinking they had finally found a way to break her faith in God. Sister Yuen calmly wrote on the paper and handed it to the prison warden. A moment later his face turned red with rage. She had written in large letters: “Jesus can never be replaced! Even my own children cannot replace Jesus!”

Sister Yuen was sentenced to 23 more years in prison. By the time she was released her children were adults, having been raised by the atheistic state. She spent months trying to locate them, and was finally able to reconcile with her daughter. Her son, however, had become a policeman and his heart was filled with hate for his mother and her God. He wanted nothing to do with her ever again.

As I shared this powerful testimony with the small group of New Zealand believers, a married couple, who were well-regarded in the Christian community of that town, threw their heads back and began to sigh and moan.

After the meeting, coffee was served. The couple marched straight up to me, obviously wanting to get something off their chests. “Your story is stupid!” they protested. “If we were in that woman’s position, we would have signed the paper. Of course God wanted her to take care of her own children!”

“So are you saying you would willingly deny the Lord Jesus to avoid going to prison?” I enquired.

“Yeah, we would,” they stated matter-of-factly. “God would understand and forgive us.”

I was astonished that a pair of professing Christians could openly admit they would willingly deny their faith under pressure, and they didn’t see anything wrong with it. I asked if they were concerned about the words of Jesus, who said, “Whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33).

“God wants us to take care of our children,” they reiterated.

Following that incident, I was more careful about who I shared precious testimonies with, and was reminded of the warning the Lord gave His followers: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6).

Anyone who wants to be a true Christian must first get to know who Jesus Christ really is, as revealed in the Scriptures. It may surprise them! Many church-goers have created a sentimental image of God in their minds. They imagine Him according to how they want Him to be, and not as He really is.

Our lives must be shaped by the Word of God, and we need to make sure we never shape the Word of God according to our lives. Possessing a self-made image of God is a dangerous form of idolatry.

My prayer for our family and co-workers, and for all Christians, is that we would gain a correct Biblical view of God. We must abandon all views of His character that do not conform with Scripture, for if that is distorted, the rest of our faith will be warped. The Bible instructs us to “consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God” (Romans 11:22).

For years the Lord had been stripping me of wrong ideas about His nature. The Holy Spirit gradually opened my eyes to see God as He really is in the Bible, and not how I think He ought to be.

As I studied His Word, I obtained a more balanced view of the two sides of God’s character. Just from the New Testament I discovered that God is love, but He is also an all-consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29);

I learned that the Heavenly Father is building a heavenly mansion for those who belong to Him, but He has also created a dreadful lake of fire for all who “refuse to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10);

I read how the love of God has been revealed in Jesus Christ, but also that the wrath of God is being revealed against mankind (Romans 1:18);

I saw that the Lord delivers people from sin but He can also hold people under His punishment (2 Peter 2:9), and that while the Holy Spirit softens hard hearts, He is also able to harden people’s hearts (Romans 9:18);

I trembled to learn that while God loves to display the riches of His glory through vessels of mercy, He may also display His power by patiently preparing vessels of wrath for destruction (Romans 9:22-23);

Finally, I realized that in the New Testament the Living God opened blind eyes, but He also blinded seeing eyes (Acts 13:11), and while He brought the dead back to life, He also struck some people dead (Acts 5:1-10);

The good news is that if we still have breath in our lungs, it’s not too late to change! Whether it’s the persecuted Church in Asia or the Church in other parts of the world, “the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

A Gathering Storm – Asian Christians Brace for Persecution

Tue, 12 Sep 2017 15:00:00 GMT

Massive Persecution is Brewing Across Asia

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father as well” (John 15:18-23).

In terms of influence for the Gospel and where Asia Harvest invests the most resources, the three main countries we work in are China, India and Nepal.

Many Christians are unaware that in each of those countries, dark and foreboding storm clouds of persecution have been gathering on the horizon, and are now starting to break forth on the followers of Jesus Christ.

Thankfully, the Lord never hid the truth from His children. In the Gospels, including the above verses, Jesus told us to expect to suffer and be hated for being His disciples. That is the normal Christian life. For many centuries, believers understood that to be identified as a Christian equated to a death sentence, and the Church grew in leaps and bounds. In recent decades, however, a false gospel has arisen in the West, which has spread to Asia and around the world.

This false gospel teaches that if we follow Jesus we can expect great blessings, ever-increasing rewards in this life, and that we will be overwhelmed with happiness and good times, all because “God loves us so much.”

A number of years ago we were honored to write The Heavenly Man, which told the story of the intense suffering and endurance of a Chinese Christian named Brother Yun. Although multitudes of believers around the globe were deeply encouraged and strengthened in their faith after reading his testimony, others were angry and rejected it. One large American denomination, with thousands of churches, banned the book from their bookstores, because its message of faith amid persecution didn’t match their narrative that Christians are destined to only experience ‘success’ in this life.

We know of many Christians who embraced this false message, and now their lives are ruined, swamped by sin, and they have grown disillusioned by the daily grind that comes from following Jesus in a sinful and demonized world.

The good news is that the Lord helped prepare us for suffering. He promised, “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:32-33).

Let’s take a brief look at some recent developments in Asia, and we ask you to pray for your brothers and sisters in each country .

Please “remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering” (Hebrews 13:3).

China

While many Christians around the world have believed the lie that persecution of Christians is something in China’s distant history, house church believers throughout the country continue to experience extreme hardship. Church leaders in some parts of China say that persecution is now the worst since the 1960s and 1970s.

The current wave of brutality against God’s people began about two years ago, when President Xi Jinping announced his government was cracking down on religion. To start with, hundreds of foreign Christians who were living in China as students, teachers, businessmen and the like had their visas revoked. They were expelled permanently from the country, including more than 150 workers affiliated with one mission alone. Many of them were faithful believers who had served many years in China.

Last year, President Xi summoned a small group of prominent house church leaders to Beijing for a personal meeting. Although the contents of that meeting have been kept strictly confidential, within weeks severe persecution broke out against the unregistered house church movements throughout the country.

The attacks started as discrimination. At first, Christians were hassled, lost their jobs, or were blocked from entering university. As time progressed the heat has been turned up, and this year we have received reports of many church leaders and evangelists being bundled into unmarked vehicles, not to be seen again.

Various reports have reached us from China of harsh and widespread persecution. One tribal pastor in the remote mountains of southwest China was recently beaten to death for his faith.

Please pray God will continue to be glorified through His Church in China . For more than half a century the Holy Spirit has moved powerfully throughout the land, saving more than 100 million people and setting them apart for His glorious kingdom. The atheist Communist authorities have always hated the Church and wanted to destroy it, but the Lord Jesus has laughed at their plans and has gathered a huge harvest.

Please pray the harvest in China would continue to be gathered, until He who sits on the throne of heaven returns to wreak vengeance on the nations for their wicked deeds. All the wrath of men will amount to nothing in the end, as we all bow our knees before the King of Kings who declared,

“Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, ‘Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath” (Psalm 2:1-5).

India

India, which in a few years is poised to overtake China as the world’s most populated country, has generally left Christians alone in the past, as they have been a tiny minority among countless millions of Hindus.

In the last twenty years, however, the situation has changed, with a rapidly increasing number of Christians causing alarm to the authorities. At the same, groups of fundamentalist Hindus have emerged, threatening to kill Christians and destroy the rise of Christianity. One of the most powerful of these groups is called the RSS. They are implicitly backed by the Indian government, and have published detailed plans of how to eliminate Christian communities, including sending Hindu doctors to sterilize Christian girls so that they will never be able to have children.

Please pray that the Living God would continue to be glorified throughout India through His redeemed children. Intercede so that Satan and his plans would come to nothing, but the Name of Jesus Christ will be lifted up over every people group in India.

Nepal

Nepal, the Himalayan kingdom sandwiched between the two giants of China and India, also recently launched a major crackdown. On August 8th, the parliament passed a new ‘anti-conversion’ law which is obviously aimed at Christians, since hundreds of thousands of Nepalis have eagerly pressed into the kingdom of God in the last few decades. This has caused other religious leaders to fume with envy as sin-bound people experience the forgiveness and freedom of life in Jesus.

The new law carries a sentence of up to five years in prison for anyone caught influencing another person to change religions, while a second part of the vague legislation makes it an offence to “hurt the religious sentiment” of another person or community. This charge carries a two year prison sentence. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Nepal .

Thousands of years ago another earthly ruler arrogantly stood up against God’s purposes, so for seven years the Lord turned him into a cow! King Nebuchadnezzar finally learned a lesson that the leaders of China, India and Nepal will also need to learn. The humbled king declared,

“His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:34-35).

Our Response: Elijah or Jesus?

Over the years the Church in many parts of Asia has faced intense pressure and seasons of persecution. Believers in other parts of the world now feel similar storm clouds gathering on the horizon in their countries.

We have learned a few things about how to deal with intimidation and threats, which we hope you may find useful. First, it’s crucial not to give in to fear and anxiety, but to remain calm and focused on Jesus, daily meditating on the Word of God. Satan loves nothing more than to intimidate believers into a state of immobility.

Two men in the Bible were the targets of intimidation as evil-doers sought to stop their work. The way they responded could not have been more different. One man responded wrongly, while the other man responded how God wants us to.

Elijah was threatened by the wicked Queen Jezebel, who vowed to cut off his head. The prophet was terrified and fled into the desert, where he prayed that he might die. “’I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors’” (1 Kings 19:4). A short time later he was instructed to anoint Elisha to succeed him in the ministry.

The second man who was the subject of attempted intimidation was the Lord Jesus. When He was told to be on guard because Herod wanted to kill him and stop His good works, Jesus responded with great boldness and without a hint of fear: “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’” (Luke 13:32).

By God’s grace, the attitude of those we serve in China, India and Nepal will be the same as that demonstrated by the Lord. The Gospel must continue to go forward, because the sun is still up and there is much work to do! Jesus taught, “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” (John 9:4).

In the meantime we plan to keep marching forward with our vision securely fixed on Jesus Christ, as we continue to print and distribute tons of Bibles in many languages. By God’s grace and provision we will also continue to support as many evangelists among unreached people groups as we can.

We invite you to join us in helping the kingdom of God continue to advance throughout Asia.

The Living Martyrs – Helping those who have Given all to Jesus

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 09:51:00 GMT

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9-10).

In the Book of Acts we see the early Church reaching entire communities. There are many places in Acts where the believers prayed for the sick and saw them instantly healed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word used to describe these supernatural healings is iáomai.

Are you aware, however, that on more than two dozen occasions in the New Testament a different Greek word, therapeuo, is used to describe healings? This word, from which we derive the English word ‘therapeutic’, is used to describe the healing of the paralyzed man in John chapter 5 and the healing of the daughter of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:28. The Apostle Luke, a medical doctor, used this word fifteen times in his writings.

Finally, when the Apostle Paul and his colleagues were shipwrecked on the Island of Malta in Acts 28, they decided to make the most of the situation by reaching out to the local population. Both kinds of healing, the supernatural and the natural, occurred when the father of the chief official of the island was healed of fever and dysentery. The Scripture says, “Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him [iáomai]. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured” [therapeuo] (Acts 28:8-9).

It seems that after seeing God heal the sick man supernaturally, Dr. Luke and his fellow believers held a medical clinic to minister to the people of Malta, and as a result many were exposed to the Gospel for the first time.

The Living Martyrs’ Fund

Helping Church Leaders who have Given their All for Christ

A martyr has been defined as “a Christian who chooses to suffer death rather than deny Christ or His work... One who sacrifices something very important to further the Kingdom of God and endures great suffering for Christian witness.”

In this newsletter we would like to share about one of our long-standing projects, the Living Martyrs’ Fund . For almost twenty years this project has been a foundational part of our work, and hundreds of church leaders have been greatly blessed and encouraged by the help they have received through the fund.

This project is available to church leaders in Asia who have been persecuted because of their witness for Christ. Often, as a result of brutal torture, imprisonment, and extreme hardship, these leaders are now physically or mentally disabled and are unable to earn a living.

In China, where the majority of our Living Martyrs’ Fund recipients are located, many house church pastors who have been imprisoned for their faith are declared to have lost their “political rights.” This means they are not permitted to have a passport or travel freely within China; they are banned from ever having a government job, and any benefits such as a pension or medical insurance is taken away from them.

Furthermore, their wives and family members are also frequently punished. Their sons and daughters are often banned from attending university or college. Subsequently, many of the ‘living martyrs’ we are honored to support are left destitute, and in dire need of additional help over and above what their own families are able to provide.

The monthly amount we give to these faithful servants of God goes a long way to relieve some of their daily struggles. They come from churches that believe in the supernatural healing of God, and they have been prayed for many times. They remain gravely ill or injured, however, and so they deeply appreciate the support they receive, which is often used to buy medicine and other daily essentials like nutritious food and clothing. The local churches in their area are also expected to take care of these saints as is fitting for believers to do, but some live in remote areas where there are few Christians to assist them.

Many of the testimonies we receive from our project leaders are heart-rending. One former church leader in Vietnam, who boldly stood for the truth of the Gospel for decades and endured horrible punishment for the sake of Christ, was found by our colleagues to be living in a bamboo shack on the edge of a jungle. This widower, in his 70s, was struggling to scavenge enough food to stay alive. His relatives had long ago deserted him, ashamed of his stubborn faith in God, and the believers in that part of the country had lost touch with him and didn’t know his whereabouts.

For the past several years this precious Vietnamese brother has been helped through the Living Martyrs’ Fund. He is deeply thankful and tears well up in his eyes whenever he thinks of how God’s people did not forget him in the time of his greatest need.

In the following pages we will share a few short summaries from among the hundreds of applications that have come across our desk for the Living Martyrs’ Fund . Some of these we are already supporting, while others we hope to begin helping soon. Although we have changed their names and details to protect their identities (and the pictures are not of these specific believers), their testimonies are true.

Vietnam

Brother Vue is in his late 50s. For decades, he and his wife faithfully took the Gospel to the lost, establishing countless believers in the Christian faith. In the course of serving the Lord they endured terrible hardship and persecution. Several years ago his wife suffered a trauma which left her paralyzed. Now she has a growth on her neck and a brain disorder which doctors are unable to treat. She experiences constant pain and neither Brother Vue or his wife is able to earn an income. They have exhausted their personal funds after selling their property and Brother Vue must devote his time to caring for his wife’s failing health. This precious couple needs help just to survive.

Sister Qui is a widow, all alone and almost 90-years-old. She told our co-workers of her deep loneliness as her health deteriorates. She suffers from insomnia and cardio vascular difficulties and is partially blind. In the last few years her memory has also been fading as she nears the end of her life in this world. Sister Qui misses her husband greatly, and deeply appreciates the support we send her as it enables her to afford medicine and daily food.

Brother Trinh , who is now in his late 60s, was enlisted into the North Vietnamese army as a young man. As payment he received a small block of land to build a hut. Trinh became a Christian in 1991, however, and served the Lord by sharing the gospel at every opportunity. The Communist authorities labelled him a traitor and began to severely persecute him. His government support was stopped and the police continually harassed him. Despite these hardships he continued to serve the Lord. Some time ago he had an accident and suffered a broken jaw, which never healed properly. He also has dangerously high blood pressure, the result being that he can no longer work for a living. The amount Brother Trinh receives through the Living Martyrs’ Fund is a great blessing to him. It allows him to buy medication and receive treatment for his health issues. Subsequently, he is still testifying about Jesus Christ to everyone he comes into contact with.

India

Simon had been an effective church planter for several years when radical Hindus ran his motorcycle down in an attempt to murder him in February last year. A few days later the Hindus came and attacked him and other believers during a church service. Simon was hospitalized for weeks with head and chest injuries, and his leg was broken in several places. He thanks God for helping him survive, but his family is now destitute and he is unable to work due to the severity of his injuries. Please pray for this courageous and faithful family.

Brother Sodi and his family were ostracized from their village by Hindus because they refused to participate in idolatrous festivals. They were severely beaten and their goats and all worldly possessions were seized and sold, to force them to pay for the village rituals. Now they are not allowed to draw water from the village well, and the entire community refuses to speak to them or do business with them. Brother Sodi and his family are in great need of help just to survive. Despite this persecution they refuse to deny Christ and are faithfully continuing to worship Him.

Martha was a widow when she met Jesus Christ and surrendered her life to Him. Her simple home was used as a place to worship God, until one day radical Hindus sexually assaulted Martha and mercilessly beat her and her two children. They were forced to flee the village to a neighbouring state, where they are hiding from packs of bloodthirsty men who are hunting for them as they seek to take their lives. We are providing funds for this precious family as they reconstruct their lives and Martha learns a new trade.

China

Brother Zhou has been a house church leader for more than twenty years, faithfully leading God’s flock and reaching many people for Jesus Christ. Because of his refusal to close his house church and join the government-approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement, Zhou was abducted from his home by the secret police and tortured mercilessly in 2008 and 2014. As part of his punishment, the guards held him on the ground and poured some unknown liquid down his throat. As a result, ever since that time Brother Zhou has suffered severe stomach diseases which have ruined his health and caused untold suffering. Through it all, Brother Zhou has remained faithful to the Lord, but he is unable to work for a living and his family is destitute. Because he has been in prison, Brother Zhou is denied access to any government assistance and is not permitted to have medical insurance. The Living Martyrs’ Fund helps Brother Zhou buy medicine and treatment, as well as providing basic necessities for him and his family.

Brother Wan , who is now in his sixties, has served God as an evangelist since the time he first met Jesus Christ many years ago. Over the years he has been targeted by the authorities and has been called to endure four imprisonments for the sake of the Gospel between 1996 and 2013. On each of those occasions Brother Wan was tortured and treated with utter contempt. He is now a broken vessel and was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Brother Wan is a dear brother who needs a “cup of cold water in Jesus’ Name” to help him make it through to the end. He is deeply appreciative of the prayers and assistance to help alleviate his struggles.

Although he is a relatively young man in his late 40s, Brother Xin has been a bold witness for Jesus Christ and has led many people to repentance. He is also a highly respected Bible teacher. The Communist authorities targeted him because of his house church activities and he was arrested and jailed three times (2004, 2009 and 2014). During those incarcerations, this man of God was publicly humiliated and nearly beaten to death. Now a widower without any family members to help him, Brother Xin suffers from post traumatic stress and has a slipped lumbar disc in his lower back, causing him constant and severe pain. He does not complain, however, and has patiently endured the scorn of sinful men. By receiving support through the Living Martyrs’ Fund, this precious brother will be able to afford treatment for his injuries and will hopefully begin on the road to recovery. Meanwhile, he continues to be a great blessing to many believers by encouraging them in God’s Word when they come to visit his home.

Brother Chee , who is now approaching the age of 70, faithfully served as a house church leader in north China for many years. After shepherding God’s flock through many trials and difficult times, Brother Chee was arrested and thrown into prison four times for the sake of the gospel, most recently in 2013. On each occasion he was brutally tortured and and forced to pay a heavy fine, all because he refused to compromise his testimony about Jesus Christ. Despite massive pressure, he withstood the tests and continues to love the Lord and His people to this present day. All the hardships over the years have taken their toll on Brother Chee. He and his wife are now destitute and he is battling Parkinson's disease. In China, being a convicted criminal means he is forbidden from receiving any government pension or medical benefits. He is relying on the Lord Jesus, and is thankful that believers around the world have not forgotten him.

If you would like to support one or more living martyrs then you can give to this project via our website .

All supporters of this project will receive a laminated prayer card of a living martyr, with a short summary of who they are and their testimony so you can pray for them.

Projects That Advance the Gospel

Wed, 05 Jul 2017 09:36:00 GMT

Asia Harvest is known for our core projects, such as China Bible printing and the Asian Workers' fund, but we are involved in numerous other projects which we don't normally have space to share about in our newsletters. One of these is the Persecution & Relief fund , through which many important initiatives are funded that make a huge difference in people's lives throughout Asia. This month we would like to mention just two ways we are helping the Gospel advance through the Persecution & Relief fund...

Ministering to the Victims of War in Marawi

Are you aware that in the past month, ISIS has attempted to establish an operational base in Southeast Asia to promote their evil agenda? The large city of Marawi in the southern Philippines fell to the terrorists, many of whom are highly trained assassins from nations like Syria and Iraq. The Philippine army has struggled to drive them out of the city, and more than 400 civilians have so far been killed. Christians have been beheaded or taken hostage, women and girls raped, and all the usual diabolical things that accompany this cancer on humanity.

Co-workers of Asia Harvest were in Marawi just days after the fighting began, establishing plans to help many of the 400,000 people who have fled the violence, or who are now holed up in relief centers. We sent an initial $10,000 to help faithful believers minister the love of Jesus Christ to the terrorized people of Marawi. Essential supplies such as food, water, medicine and clothing have been provided, and more detailed plans are being put into action. All of this relief work is accompanied by the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus, as our intention is always to reach the whole person: spirit, soul and body. Please pray for God's kingdom to come among the people of Marawi. Pray the ISIS terrorists would be driven back and they would not succeed in establishing their much sought-after caliphate in Southeast Asia. If you would like to help with this emergency, please add a note "Marawi relief" when you send a donation to the Persecution & Relief fund.

150 Bicycles Help Spread the Gospel

Although we rarely mention it, Asia Harvest often provides bicycles and motorcycles for evangelists throughout Asia. These are a great blessing, enabling the evangelists to visit three or four times as many villages than they can on foot. Each bicycle costs $100. Last year we provided more than 150 bicycles to evangelists in India through our Persecution & Relief fund , and we plan to provide a similar number in other parts of Asia in the coming months. If you would like to participate in this project, please add a note "for bicycles" when you send your gift.

Until All Have Heard of Jesus,
The team at Asia Harvest

An Asian Harvest – The Autobiography of Paul Hattaway

Fri, 02 Jun 2017 11:51:00 GMT

About 15 years ago, missionary friends who were familiar with my testimony encouraged me to write a book to inspire others. I hesitated, not least because our work in Asia requires me to maintain a low public profile. For years I pushed all thoughts of writing an autobiography to the back of my mind and concentrated on the work at hand.

A few years ago I realized that 25 years had elapsed since God first launched me out in Christian service. At the time, various people asked how Asia Harvest had been founded, and what principles had spurred our growth over the years. After receiving a number of these enquiries, I began to seek God more earnestly about whether or not He wanted me to share my testimony.

It gradually became clear that the time had come to share my story. This month we are glad to announce the release of my autobiography. I hope the Lord Jesus Christ will use it to encourage you as you walk with Him.

I am greatly honored to have witnessed some marvelous things on my adventure with God. I have shared many of those experiences, as well as some of the severe trials we have been called to endure along the way.

In the remainder of this newsletter we share one of the chapters from the book. Only in hindsight did I realize the event described in this chapter, which took place on a remote Himalayan mountain in 1991, was the moment the Holy Spirit first brought Asia Harvest into existence. Since that time, everything useful that has sprung from my life has been the direct result of God’s grace and mercy to me, and the focus of Asia Harvest’s work has flowed from the supernatural vision God gave me that night.

May the Lord be exalted through this book, so that many of God’s children will be challenged, encouraged, and drawn closer to Him. May Jesus receive all the glory, for He alone is worthy.

The following excerpt is taken from Paul Hattaway’s new autobiography, ‘An Asian Harvest’. If you would like to order a copy, please see the enclosed form or visit our website (www.asiaharvest.org) for details.

A Heavenly Vision

April 1991

My extensive travels throughout Asia in 1991 included a trip to the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. Nepal was a tightly controlled country at the time, and Christians were persecuted for their faith. Prayer meetings were often held in secret, with believers pressing pillows or cloth over their mouths to muffle the volume of their prayers, lest their neighbors report the gathering to the police.

A ministry in Kathmandu asked if I would travel to western Nepal to help deliver a load of Bibles to a rural community of new believers. I jumped at the opportunity, and a few days later I joined a Nepali Christian named Ramesh on a seventeen- hour bus ride to the west side of the country. It was the first stage of an arduous journey that almost ended my life.

Our first stop was the town of Nepalgunj near the Indian border. After resting for the night, we caught another bus deeper into the mountains. I was only able to fit fifty Bibles into my backpack, owing to the large size of the Nepali Scriptures. My pack weighed at least 50 kg (110 pounds), and it felt like I was carrying bars of iron. Instead of sitting inside the bus, Ramesh and I decided to travel in the “air- conditioned” compartment. We climbed onto the roof and sat inside the spare tire that was secured to the roof by ropes.

Typically, bus journeys in Nepal are exciting experiences. This was a particularly hair-raising ride, as our driver navigated the narrow dirt roads at breakneck speed. As he drove around blind corners, with the cliff edge just a few feet away, he would calm his nerves with an occasional swig of whiskey or a puff of marijuana. It didn’t help my state of mind when I glanced down from the roof and saw the burned-out shells of wrecked buses and trucks at the bottom of the valley floor, thousands of feet below.

That day we commenced our travels on the plains of southern Nepal, not far above sea level. Eight hours later we were at more than 10,000 feet above sea level, in the midst of the Himalayas. Through the day we had crossed numerous mountain passes and traversed into deep valleys, only to begin climbing again toward the next pass.

After sunset we arrived at a small town and found lodging for the night. The following morning Ramesh woke me before dawn. We had a full day’s hiking ahead of us if we were to reach the Christian village by nightfall.

I set out with great determination that morning. What a great joy it was to deliver God’s Word to new believers! I looked forward to meeting my Nepali brothers and sisters, with whom I would spend eternity.

After a few hours of difficult hiking, my heavy backpack felt like it weighed a ton, and the energy began to drain from my limbs. I knew I was holding Ramesh back, but he was my guide and translator and I would have been totally lost in those mountains without him.

For hours I pressed on, one step at a time. I was determined to reach our destination and deliver the Bibles, no matter what. By mid-afternoon, as we climbed yet another steep incline, I sensed I was in trouble. I was sick from both ends, and my body shook from dehydration and the stress of my endeavor. A few hours later I felt even more disorientated, and was barely able to walk. Feeling frustrated, Ramesh could see I wasn’t going to make it to the village, which still lay three hours ahead.

We passed a tiny village of homes constructed from uncut stones and dried mud, before continuing up another hill. We were now in a remote area, far from any road, as the sun began to set. When we reached a clearing at the top of the next hill, I sat down to rest. Feeling too exhausted to unclip my pack, I just lay on my back.

Ramesh was growing increasingly anxious. Being a local, he knew the dangers of spending the night outside in the Himalayas. Wolves, jackals and other wild animals roamed the hills at night, in addition to some of the world’s most venomous snakes and spiders.

“Okay Paul, let’s go!” he ordered. “We’ve got to get moving! We can’t stay here any longer. It’s too dangerous. We Nepalis say only crazy people sleep out in the open.”

By this time I was scarcely able to acknowledge Ramesh. My mind had become clouded and confused. I was so weak that the most I could do was to motion with my index finger, signaling to my guide to go on alone. “Okay brother,” he exclaimed. “I’ll go ahead and will try to send someone to help you.”

That was the last time I ever saw Ramesh.

I was now alone, and a chill ran through my body as the last rays of sunlight descended behind the mountain peaks. I had never felt so totally devoid of energy, and my mind seemed to be shutting down.

Ironically, I knew what was happening to me, but I wasn’t able to do anything about it. A few days earlier in Kathmandu, I had picked up a magazine at the mission guesthouse and read an article about altitude sickness. Every year, many trekkers in the Himalayas perish from it. Altitude sickness strikes people who ascend too quickly, before their bodies have time to adjust to the reduced air pressure and lower oxygen levels. Many people die when, in their weakened state, they simply close their eyes and fall asleep. Their lungs fill up with fluid, causing them to suffocate, and they never wake up. The medical term for this fatal condition is pulmonary edema. I already had most of the symptoms and was coughing uncontrollably. A bubbling sound was coming from within my chest as my lungs began to fill with fluid.

Even though I knew what I was suffering, I was completely powerless to overcome it. The only solution for someone suffering from altitude sickness is to quickly head down to a lower altitude, in the hope that their body will adjust to the thicker atmosphere.

Another half-hour passed, and it was now completely dark. The temperature had plummeted, and for the first time I was aware that I was about to die. An overwhelming exhaustion enveloped me. Every cell in my body wanted to rest. My eyes were heavy, and I was on the verge of nodding off to sleep.

A few months earlier I had read Foxes Book of Martyrs — a book full of stirring accounts of Christians who had died heroically for the gospel. I wondered if my church back home would ever learn how I had died.

Incredibly, at the point of my greatest weakness, pride rose up within me. I wanted my friends to know I had perished while serving Jesus, so I made a huge effort to pull my personal Bible out of my pack and place it beside me. When my body was discovered, I wanted people to know that I had been reading God’s Word to my very last breath!

As I contemplated the end of my life, I suddenly had a dramatic and life-changing experience.

Firstly, my heart was overwhelmed with “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). I knew, without a shadow of doubt, that I was going to heaven. It was a supernatural revelation, not something I conjured up by myself. I didn’t merely hope or wish that my eternal destiny was secure. My confidence had nothing to do with me. I had numerous faults and my life was still very much a work in progress. Every particle of my being, however, knew I was saved because of the blood of Jesus Christ! It was His blood that made me acceptable to God, and nothing else. I realized I was saved not because I was good enough, but because Jesus is good enough.

“Lord Jesus,” I whispered, as tears welled up in my eyes, “I’m coming to see You soon. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for your precious blood. I love You.”

Now lying on my side, I turned on a small pen light that I kept in my Bible cover. Mustering my last ounce of energy, I opened the Bible to near the middle of the book. I looked down to find I had opened to Psalm 91.

When I read to the end of the Psalm, these words grabbed my attention:

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:14-16).

As I pondered these beautiful words, a heavenly vision suddenly flooded my spirit. It lasted no longer than a few seconds, but it came with such clarity I will never forget the details.

Some people later suggested I may have been hallucinating because of my weakened state. All I know is that this brief encounter altered the course of my life and resulted in me loving the Lord Jesus with a greater passion than ever before.

In the vision I was positioned high up in the air, looking down upon a huge open plain containing countless millions of Asian people, from a myriad of ethnic groups. Each person was adorned in their traditional tribal clothing. The colorful sea of humanity stretched to the distant horizon, further than my eyes could see.

As I gazed upon the vast multitude, a deep, overpowering sense of God’s love and compassion flooded my soul. These words about Jesus were impressed on my mind: “He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

The vision ended as abruptly as it had begun, and I remained alone in the dark of the Himalayas, lying on the cold ground. For the next ten or fifteen minutes I was awestruck by the vision. My heavenly Father, in a moment of time, had shared His heart with me for the lost peoples of Asia. His amazing love so overwhelmed me that I could scarcely contain it. It felt like my heart might explode within me.

After the vision, a deep sense enveloped me that I was not going to die that night. God had shared a glimpse of His heart for a reason. He wanted me to invest the rest of my life taking the gospel to as many Asian people groups as possible. I realized my work was far from complete, and Jesus wanted me to live!

Although I felt spiritually uplifted from my heavenly experience, I was still unable to move and I remained completely devoid of energy. As I looked up into the star-filled sky, I began to shiver uncontrollably, and wondered how I was going to survive the night without a sleeping bag or warm coat. As I lay there, I thought I heard a sound way off in the distance. My ears perked up, but all I could hear was the chirping of crickets.

A few more minutes passed, and again I thought I heard a tiny sound in the distance. Then it stopped again. The third time I heard the sound, I knew my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. I really was hearing something. It sounded like a faint trickle of water, ebbing and flowing in intensity. Sometimes it was louder, then it would fade away for a few minutes before returning.

As the time went by, it was apparent that the sound was getting closer! It was now just a few hundred yards behind me, and I recognized the sound as the tinkling of a bell. Someone was coming down the trail toward me!

A Nepali man and his donkey suddenly emerged into the clearing. The donkey had a small bell around its neck, which tinkled as it walked along. Because of the hills and valleys, the sound-waves had reached my ears when the donkey was at the top of a hill, only to disappear when it went down into a hollow.

The man didn’t say a word to me. He looked at me lying in the dirt and immediately summed up the situation. He lifted up my pack, and with a great struggle managed to secure it with rope across the back of his donkey. He then helped me to my feet, and although I was unstable, the Lord provided a boost of energy and I was soon staggering back down the trail from where I had come earlier that day.

After about thirty minutes we reached the small village of stone and mud houses that Ramesh and I had passed hours earlier. The man motioned for me to wait while he spoke with a woman who managed the only shop in the village. Beneath the shop was a tiny space with a small opening. I got on my hands and knees and crawled inside. The woman pushed my pack into the opening, said some things in Nepali that I couldn’t understand, and left for the night.

Although the Lord had spared my life, I remained extremely ill. For days I lay under the shop, too sick to move. The lady brought me water and some lentil soup, but everything that passed my lips immediately came back up. She gave up trying to provide me with sustenance and brought me an old broken bucket to throw up in.

That Nepali woman was like an angel to me, emptying my bucket every day and trying to cheer me up by bringing children from the village to stare at me. That part of Nepal was isolated and far from the normal tourist routes. I was almost certainly the first foreigner any of the locals had ever seen.

Finally, after remaining there for a full week, I regained some strength and was able to contemplate my situation. The next day I decided to try to retrace my steps back to the capital city of Kathmandu. I walked all day back to the road and hailed a bus. This time I took a seat inside. From Nepalgunj I bought another ticket for the long journey back to Kathmandu. I was upset because I had failed to deliver the Bibles to the new believers, but hauled them all the way to Kathmandu, where I placed them back on the shelf at the mission guesthouse.

During the week I spent recovering beneath the shop, I expected my friend Ramesh to come back and find me, but he never did. I found out later that he had continued on to the Christian village, hoping I would be able to make my own way back to civilization. I asked the ministry leaders to thank Ramesh for sending the man with his donkey to rescue me. They replied, “Ramesh says he doesn’t know what you mean. He didn’t send anyone with a donkey.”

I weighed myself on a set of scales at the guesthouse, and was shocked to discover the toll my illness had taken on my body. I had lost 23 kg (50 pounds) during the ten days I was away. Looking back, the experience in Nepal had a major effect on my life.

The brief supernatural vision God shared with me of His heart for the peoples of Asia revolutionized my life and service for Him.

Although the Lord Jesus had first called me in 1987, and had thrust me onto the mission field while still in my teens, with the benefit of hindsight I believe the ministry of Asia Harvest commenced that night in April 1991 atop the remote Himalayan mountain.

My heavenly vision in Nepal was the launching pad for everything that has happened in my life and ministry since that day. Over the years, God has unfolded this vision in amazing ways, as the remainder of my story will reveal.

My hope and prayer is that one day, like the Apostle Paul, I may be able to say, “I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven” (Acts 26:19).

Indonesia – Jesus is Reaching the Muslim World

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 09:32:00 GMT

“But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish” (Jonah 1:3).

It’s unfortunate that many Christians know so little of the Book of Jonah, except that a ‘great fish’ swallowed him and later spat him out. Most people’s knowledge of Jonah seems to stop there, and they have missed the main point of the book.

When God commanded Jonah to preach in Nineveh, not only did he run away, but he went as far as possible in the opposite direction. Nineveh was 550 miles northeast of Israel, but he headed to Tarshish, located on the coast of Spain some 2,500 miles to the west! The Prophet Jonah was a man of God, so what motivated him to disobey the Lord in such an extreme way?

After he returned home from his remarkable ordeal, God again instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh. This time he went, albeit reluctantly. He preached God’s coming judgment, and incredibly the whole city repented of their sins, from the king down. Jonah’s worst fears were confirmed. Those evil-doers had met God’s conditions and he knew the merciful Lord would relent of His punishment.

Jonah was “very angry” when the city repented. He threw a major hissy-fit and prayed, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ But the Lord replied, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’” (Jonah 4:1-4).

To understand why Jonah was so upset we need to know what Nineveh was like at the time. The city had emerged as the center of the Assyrian empire, known for its cruel and ghastly acts. For generations they had bullied and destroyed surrounding nations. The Ninevites were similar to Islamic extremists today, performing barbaric acts of terror.

If we understand that similarity, we may begin to grasp why Jonah was so keen to disobey God. If we’re honest, if the Lord told us to travel to the Middle East and preach to ISIS, we might head in the opposite direction too. Interestingly, Nineveh was located just outside the present-day city of Mosul in Iraq, which is still in the news today as a terrorist stronghold, thousands of years after Jonah’s visit.

Before we rush to judge Jonah, we see many similarities between his attitude and that of many Christians today. In the past few years a number of people have rebuked us for our desire to reach Muslims with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some church-going professing Christians have brazenly told us we are false believers because we don’t appear to “hate God’s enemies with perfect hatred.” Just like Jonah, they don’t want a certain group of people to experience God’s grace. Some have even said they would rather see all Muslims annihilated and wiped off the face of the earth.

Friends, if you love the Lord Jesus, please guard your heart closely and ensure it doesn’t grow bitter against Muslims or anyone else. While it’s right to hate the demonic, filthy acts of terrorist groups like ISIS, if we allow a root of bitterness to gain hold we will be defiled and it will affect everyone around us. Satan would love for that to happen. One way to tell if bitterness has crept into our hearts is to gauge our response when we see pictures of Muslims.

When you look at the above picture, do you feel anger or disgust rising up in your heart? If so, please cry out to God for deliverance. The three young women in the photograph have just obtained their first ever copies of the New Testament. They are thrilled, and can’t wait to get home and study the teachings of Jesus. Millions of Muslims have been searching for Bibles for years because they are tired of centuries of dead legalism and bondage and they long to know the Truth.

A few people have asked us if we are “for or against” Muslims. We are for Jesus Christ , and if the Holy Spirit is drawing people to God out of the Muslim world, we want to be part of it. There is no greater joy than to see a Muslim transformed by the blood of Jesus.

We currently support more than 150 evangelists throughout Asia who were once Muslims, but who now love the Lord Jesus with all their hearts. They daily risk their lives to make Him known in the midst of their communities. We regularly receive amazing reports from these co-workers, telling how many Muslims are surrendering their lives to Jesus after discovering that He is the living Savior of the world.

Finally, we encourage you not to harden your heart against Muslims for one more reason you may not be aware of: God is working powerfully in the Muslim world and every day thousands are becoming born-again Christians! The respected mission publication, Operation World, recently released a list of countries with the fastest growing churches in the world. It may shock you to learn that the top three countries are all Muslim—Iran, Afghanistan and Gambia! Rounding out the top ten are four more Muslim nations: Algeria (6th), Somalia (7th), Kuwait (9th) and Tajikistan (10th).

May God search our hearts and motives, lest, like Jonah, we find ourselves out of touch with His eternal plans for our generation. We will miss what God is doing today if we don’t want Him to show mercy to a group of people we consider undeserving of His grace.

We serve a wonderful God who desires to know all people. We’re glad that’s the case, otherwise we would be lost and heading to hell. The day is coming when the Lord Jesus will judge the whole earth and purge all evil and evil-doers. Indeed, Nineveh’s repentance was not permanent. The Prophet Nahum foretold the destruction of the city 150 years after Jonah’s visit.

While the door of opportunity to bring lost people to salvation remains open, we plan to do all we can to help bring in the harvest, realizing that it’s not our role to tell the Lord whom He should or shouldn’t accept into His family, for “God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden... I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people; and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one” (Romans 9:18, 25).

One day, just as He did in the time of Noah, the hand of God will close the door on this sick and vile world. When He does, many will be surprised to discover that millions of former Muslims have been saved by His grace and washed clean by His precious Blood.

Indonesia - A Holy Wind is Blowing

Next year it will be 30 years since we first started working in the enchanting country of Indonesia. While Christians around the world tend to know more about other parts of Asia like China, Japan, and India, Indonesia is often left off people’s radar. This is sad, because the Lord Jesus is beginning to move powerfully among the maze of 18,000 islands (922 of which are inhabited) that make up this beautiful and complex country.

Did you know that Indonesia contains the most Muslims of any country on earth? Don’t allow this fact to make you fearful, however, for most visitors to Indonesia are met with a very warm welcome from smiling and friendly people. Indeed, Muslim leaders from other more fanatical countries like Saudi Arabia do not consider Indonesians to be genuine Muslims, and label them ‘infidels’ (unbelievers). It is in this context that the wind of the Holy Spirit has been sweeping multitudes of Indonesians into the kingdom of God.

Throughout history the Lord Jesus has used political events for the benefit of His kingdom, and He has used political events to establish His Church in Indonesia. In the 1960s Communism was sweeping through much of Asia, backed by China. One by one the nations of Southeast Asia were becoming Communist. Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia had embraced the empty philosophy, and many other countries were doing all they could to crush Communist insurgents in their midst. Indonesia had one of the largest Communist parties in Asia, with 800,000 members. With the government losing control, President Suharto launched a massive crackdown on the Communists, killing hundreds of thousands of them.

In 1967, the government of Indonesia decided they would rather live with religious people than with Communists, so laws were passed that every Indonesian citizen must identify with one of four accepted religions—Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism or Christianity. Before that time, Christians in Indonesia had been a small and persecuted minority, often struggling to survive in a sea of Muslims. All of a sudden it was legal to be a Christian, and over the next few years more than two million Indonesians joined Christian churches.

Although it’s true that some joined the churches out of political expediency, hundreds of thousands of people genuinely repented of their sins and placed their trust in Christ. Most of the newly baptized Christians were ethnic Chinese or from tribes like the Dayaks, but thousands of Muslims also heard the gospel and believed, especially on the main island of Java. While many devout Muslims firmly resisted the gospel, others who followed a more relaxed form of folk Islam were disenchanted with their religion and decided to follow Jesus Christ instead.

In the five decades that have passed since the constitutional change guaranteeing freedom for Indonesian Christians, the Church has continued to grow steadily. The shining witness of their transformed lives has influenced many of the believers’ friends and relatives. Millions of Indonesians have been blessed to discover that Christianity is based on the living Jesus, and is not a dead religion made up of oppressive rules.

Over the years the growing number of Christians in Indonesia has caused tension, as the more devout Muslims try to keep control of the population. Severe persecution occasionally breaks out against the children of God, but through it all the kingdom of the Lord Jesus has continued to expand, and many hungry people have been swept into His family.

While we should rejoice greatly over the awesome things God has already done in Indonesia, there remains 222 “most unreached” ethnic groups in the country today, totaling more than 150 million people. The linguistic, cultural, and spiritual barriers between Indonesian Christians and these unreached tribes means that few of those people have ever heard the gospel in a clear way.

We are in contact with Indonesian evangelists who need prayer and financial support through our Asian Workers’ Fund . Please pray fervently for the salvation of every people group in Indonesia. Until each one has believers redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, the Lord Jesus will not return to rule and reign upon the earth.

You can support one or more workers with a gift of $25 per month each . If you have a preference, please note the name of the group(s) you would like to help to reach when you send a gift for the Asian Workers’ Fund . A laminated prayer card of the worker being helped will be sent to each donor.

MADURA
8.1 million people
<0.1% Christian

JAVA BANYUMASAN
8.2 million people
1.9% Christian

RAWAS
207,000 people
0.0% Christian

JAMBI
1.1 million people
<0.1% Christian

BALINESE
3.6 million people
0.2% Christian

TESTIMONY CORNER

Of the hundreds of worker reports we receive from Asia, many are from faithful evangelists reaching their own tribes in Indonesia. Every now and then a testimony reaches us which is particularly God-glorifying. Here is one man’s remarkable story:

"Praise God, for He is very good. I am grateful that He chose me to be His servant. I am from a large ethnic group that is outwardly Muslim, but in reality many people practice black magic. I was one such person, trapped in deep sin and spiritual darkness. For 30 years I kept thousands of snakes and I slept in the same room with them. I used magic charms and demonic power to prevent the snakes from biting me, and many people came to witness the spectacle of a man surrounded by thousands of poisonous snakes. I even had a small group of disciples whom I taught my magic arts to. I was well known in our area of Indonesia.

One day I had a terrifying vision that I was going to die for two days but would come back to life, and I told it to my wife. A short time later I was bitten in the leg by a venomous snake and I fell unconscious. Thankfully my wife did not bury me because she remembered my vision.

While I was dead or in a coma, a man dressed in white stood in front of me. I dared not look into his face because it was so bright it would have burned my eyes out. I fell down and worshipped Him, and He said, ‘Come to me and I will make you a fisher of men.’

After two days I was revived and my life was spared. I wondered who the great Man was that I had seen. I asked my wife but she didn’t understand what I meant. One day I shared my experience with a young man. He told me the person who spoke to me was the Lord Jesus Christ, and he showed me verses in the Bible about others who had met the glorified Jesus.

Over time I surrendered my life to God and became a dedicated Christian. I also brought many of my disciples to faith in Christ. Over the years I have experienced many trials, but God has always been with me. I have started three churches and now many hundreds of my people also follow the Living and True God. Hallelujah!”

What We Can Learn from Jonah

Sun, 26 Mar 2017 07:15:00 GMT

Our April newsletter will contain a message from our founder about the life of Jonah. We believe is so important for Christians today that we have decided to send this E-bulletin to share it with you as soon as possible. If it encourages you, please feel free to share it widely.

"But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish" (Jonah 1:3).

It's unfortunate that many Christians know so little of the Book of Jonah, except that a 'great fish' swallowed him and later spat him out. Most people's knowledge of Jonah seems to stop there, and they have missed the main point of the book.

After he returned home from his remarkable ordeal, God again instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh. This time he went, albeit reluctantly. He preached God's coming judgment, and incredibly the whole city repented of their sins, from the king down. Jonah's worst fears were confirmed. Those evil-doers had met God's conditions and he knew the merciful Lord would relent of His punishment.

Jonah was "very angry" when the city repented. He threw a major hissy-fit and prayed, "Isn't this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.' But the Lord replied, 'Is it right for you to be angry?'" (Jonah 4:1-4).

If we understand that similarity, we may begin to grasp why Jonah was so keen to disobey God. If we're honest, if the Lord told us to travel to the Middle East and preach to ISIS, we might head in the opposite direction too. Interestingly, Nineveh was located just outside the present-day city of Mosul in Iraq, which is still in the news today as a terrorist stronghold, thousands of years after Jonah's visit.

Before we rush to judge Jonah, we see many similarities between his attitude and that of many Christians today. In the past few years a number of people have rebuked us for our desire to reach Muslims with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some church-going professing Christians have brazenly told us we are false believers because we don't appear to "hate God's enemies with perfect hatred." Just like Jonah, they don't want a certain group of people to experience God's grace. Some have even said they would rather see all Muslims annihilated and wiped off the face of the earth.

Friends, if you love the Lord Jesus, please guard your heart closely and ensure it doesn't grow bitter against Muslims or anyone else. While it's right to hate the demonic, filthy acts of terrorist groups like ISIS, if we allow a root of bitterness to gain hold we will be defiled and it will affect everyone around us. Satan would love for that to happen. One way to tell if bitterness has crept into our hearts is to gauge our response when we see pictures of Muslims.

When you look at the above picture, do you feel anger or disgust rising up in your heart? If so, please cry out to God for deliverance. The three young women in the photograph have just obtained their first ever copies of the New Testament. They are thrilled, and can't wait to get home and study the teachings of Jesus. Millions of Muslims have been searching for Bibles for years because they are tired of centuries of dead legalism and bondage and they long to know the Truth.

A few people have asked us if we are "for or against" Muslims. We are for Jesus Christ , and if the Holy Spirit is drawing people to God out of the Muslim world, we want to be part of it. There is no greater joy than to see a Muslim transformed by the blood of Jesus.

May God search our hearts and motives, lest, like Jonah, we find ourselves out of touch with His eternal plans for our generation. We will miss what God is doing today if we don't want Him to show mercy to a group of people we consider undeserving of His grace.

We serve a wonderful God who desires to know all people. We're glad that's the case, otherwise we would be lost and heading to hell. The day is coming when the Lord Jesus will judge the whole earth and purge all evil and evil-doers. Indeed, Nineveh's repentance was not permanent. The Prophet Nahum foretold the destruction of the city 150 years after Jonah's visit.

While the door of opportunity to bring lost people to salvation remains open, we plan to do all we can to help bring in the harvest, realizing that it's not our role to tell the Lord whom He should or shouldn't accept into His family, for "God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden... I will call them 'my people' who are not my people; and I will call her 'my loved one' who is not my loved one" (Romans 9:18, 25).

Until All Have Heard of Jesus,

The team at Asia Harvest

The Eagle and the Cell Phone

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 08:10:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

One of the greatest privileges we have is when we meet and pray with church and ministry leaders throughout Asia. They share both exciting testimonies as well as the intense struggles they are experiencing. Recently we sat down for lunch with one leader who serves God in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh .

With mountains up to 6,800 meters (22,300 feet) above sea-level, Himachal Pradesh contains many hidden tribes and ethnic groups that have yet to hear the Name of Jesus. According to Joshua Project, Himachal Pradesh is home to a staggering 367 people groups, of which 350 remain unreached (less than two percent Christian).

Our friend shared an amazing story, which reveals how keen God is to reveal His Son to the precious unreached tribes of this remote region. Last year a teenage girl we will call Sarita heard the Gospel and believed. She was the first known Christian in her village, and the Hindu leaders were angry and tried to get her to renounce Christ. Sarita refused, and continued to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord.

One day Sarita went to the forest to cut grass for the animals. After working several hours she sat down for a rest, when a crow suddenly swooped down, snatched up her cell phone in its claws and flew off! The young sister was deeply upset, as she had not owned the phone for long and she used it to communicate with Christian friends and receive online Bible teaching.

When she returned home, Sarita shared what had happened and the Hindu villagers mocked her. Undeterred, the young Christian told them that Jesus is the Living God who controls nature. She told them she was going to pray and ask Him to do a miracle. This made them laugh even more!

Three days later, when many of the villagers were outside working in the hot sun, they saw an eagle slowly circling overhead, with an object in its claws. Thinking it was probably a mouse or other small animal, they watched in amazement as the eagle glided in low to the ground (something they never do). As it flew over the village it gently dropped the object right next to where Sarita was sitting, before flying off. The people rushed over and were astonished to see that the eagle had returned Sarita's cell phone, still in perfect working condition!

This miracle had a powerful impact on the whole community. They no longer opposed Sarita's faith, and they agreed that Jesus is the Living God. Many asked to hear about God, and the Gospel spread to many Hindus who had never previously heard the Name of Jesus Christ before in their lives. Many were saved and today there is a church in this remote village!

Asia Harvest is currently supporting more than twenty local evangelists in Himachal Pradesh through our Asian Workers' Fund . Please pray the 350 unreached tribes in this needy region will soon hear the Gospel, and the praises of God will sound throughout the peaks and valleys of this beautiful land.

Until All Have Heard of Jesus,

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

2017 Annual Report – Because He Lives!

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 18:19:00 GMT

"If there is no resurrection of the dead then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised... And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:13-15, 17).

As we launch out into another year serving the Lord Jesus Christ among the people of Asia, the thing that excites us most is how the Gospel has continued to advance despite (or perhaps because of) fierce demonic opposition. People who try to understand why the Church is growing so quickly in Asia will never understand it unless they have a personal relationship with Jesus. Without first knowing Him, they will reach wrong conclusions as to why millions of Asians are pressing into God's kingdom.

When we think about what the Living God is doing in many parts of Asia right now, we can boil the reason for the phenomenal growth down to just three words: "Jesus is Alive!"

In China, 2016 saw the government launch a massive crackdown against the house churches. Many pastors throughout the country have been bundled into vans and not seen again, or taken to dreaded 'black jails' (secret facilities where they are mercilessly tortured). Reports have come across our desk about some church leaders who were arrested and injected with an unknown substance. They were returned to their families in a vegetative state, and are now permanently mentally incapacitated.

This evil crackdown is all because the insecure Chinese government is desperate to stop the growth of Christianity. They don't understand that it cannot be stopped, because the Church is a living, breathing entity which follows a living, breathing God. Jesus is Alive!

In India the believers face similar challenges. The government there is also deeply alarmed by the rapid growth of Christianity in many parts of the country; where Hindus are coming to the Lord Jesus by the thousands. The RSS (a radical Hindu organization) has vowed to eradicate Christianity from India by 2021. They are destined to fail! The enemies of the gospel don't realize who they are up against. Like Saul of Tarsus, when they persecute Christians they are persecuting Jesus Christ, and the more they attack the Church the more it grows, because Jesus is Alive!

If Christianity was merely a human religion or man-made philosophy it would have folded centuries ago. Muslim extremists are just one group determined to wipe out Christians, yet experts say the fastest growing church in the world right now is in Iran. It makes no natural sense how this could be possible, but when sin-bound people encounter the Living Jesus Christ and are healed and set free by His power, their lives are completely transformed and nothing can separate them from the love of God. Only a living Savior could perform such a mighty miracle!

The kingdom of God continues to march forward, quietly but surely. Wicked governments can't hinder God's plans. Nor can Muslims and Hindus stop them. The more they try, the more the Church will grow. This has always been the case with the people of God. The Bible notes that when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt, "The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites" (Exodus 1:12).

The nations of this world will grow increasingly frustrated and violent as Gods plans march on towards His ultimate goal. One day before long, God's timetable will be completed, and He will close the curtain on this sick and sorry age. A trumpet will sound, and a loud voice will be heard in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Revelation 11:15).

A Special Prayer Request from Paul

Many who pray for and support the work of Asia Harvest first heard about us by reading one of our books, like The Heavenly Man or Operation China.

In the past few years I have taken a break from writing books, and have concentrated on leading the ministry well and getting over a few health issues. By God's grace I am strong and back in the midst of the battle. I believe the Lord has led me to begin writing books again for His glory and the edification of His people.

I have been working on several books recently, which I believe will be a great blessing and encouragement to many: May I please ask you to pray for me as I write? Pray the Lord would guide each step of the process and lead us to the right publishers. Please pray the Lord Jesus would be lifted up through the books, and that the Holy Spirit would use the pages to communicate God's heart.

I believe the first book will be a surprise! We plan to announce its release in a few months. Thank you and God bless you.

2017 Annual Report

In the remainder of this newsletter we share our 2017 Annual Report, detailing the help Asia Harvest provided to the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2016.

It has been a privilege to serve the Lord in Asia for another year, and we feel greatly blessed to be a link in a chain that has resulted in many people coming to know Him. Last year, just under a million believers were strengthened in their faith after receiving God's Word through our Bible projects, and the small army of Asian evangelists we support led thousands of people to faith in Christ among hundreds of unreached people groups.

For more than 25 years our strategy has been to operate with as few overhead expenses as possible, so that resources get to the hands of the frontline workers-the many Asian Christians we are honored to assist and serve. We are thankful for each person who prayed for and supported our work last year. Without your vital partnership none of these things would have occurred.

We thank God that last year we were able to send out substantially more project money than we received!

How is this Possible?

Although our operating costs are minimal, we do of course have some expenses. These are covered by general, non-project donations, and also from income generated by book sales. Our ongoing commitment is that 100% of all project donations will be used exactly as specified. Nothing is deducted for administration, bank fees, or any other expense. As a result, if someone sends us $100 for Bibles or to support evangelists, $100 really does go to the workers on the field.

If you would like to read our latest financial statement, please go to the "Resources" tab at our website www.asiaharvest.org

Asia Harvest Projects Supported in 2016

ASIAN WORKERS' FUND

Partnering with Pioneer Asian Evangelists

Because of your prayers and partnership we are supporting 1,677 Asian missionaries, serving among 756 unreached people groups. More than 67,000 people experienced God's salvation last year.

The Asian Workers' Fund provides support to evangelists in Asia who are working among ethnic groups that have never heard the gospel. By the end of 2016 we were privileged to support 1,677 evangelists among 756 unreached groups throughout Asia. These workers encounter many hardships and persecutions, but have persevered and are now seeing breakthroughs among many groups.

In 2016, those we support through the Asian Workers' Fund led 67,496 people to salvation in Jesus Christ. A total of more than 164,000 conversions have been reported since this project commenced. Hallelujah! This is even more remarkable considering most of them labor among some of the darkest and most unreached areas of Asia, including numerous Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist people groups.

The Asian Workers' Fund is constantly expanding and new workers are being recruited. We invite you to support one or more Asian missionaries with a gift of $25 per month each. A laminated prayer card and worker updates are sent to every supporter of this project.

CHINA BIBLE FUND

Equipping China's Christians with God's Word

There remains a critical shortage of Bibles in China today because of the massive growth of the church in rural areas. Tens of millions of house church Christians are still unable to access Gods Word. Our Bibles are distributed to all parts of China, helping establish new believers in the faith and adding fuel to the revival that continues to burn throughout the world's most populated country. Each Bible costs just $1.80 to print and deliver .

Since 2000, we have printed and distributed more than 10.2 million Bibles to house churches in China, with 673,852 in 2016 alone. This represents 1,846 Bibles every day, 77 per hour, or one full Bible every 47 seconds throughout the year. Each one is a miracle. Thank you for praying and giving.

ASIAN BIBLE FUND

Providing Bibles to Asia's Christians

Current Total: 719,266 Bibles printed in 72 different languages. Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and deliver.

Asia is home to many ethnic groups where people have been deprived access to God's Word, sometimes for decades. The Asian Bible Fund provides the Scriptures in numerous languages throughout Southeast Asia, North Korea, the Indian subcontinent, and elsewhere.

In 2016 we printed 77,179 Bibles through the Asian Bible Fund. Last year we were privileged to provide God's Word in the following languages:

Bengali, Bengali (Mwslmani), Cham (Eastern), Chin Haka, English, Gujanti, Hindi, Hmong Bua, Indonesian, Kannada, Marathi, Mnong (Central), Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Vietnamese.

Please pray for our project and all those who are involved with providing God's Word to the precious Christians of Asia. Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and deliver through the Asian Bible Fund.

BLESS THE CHILDREN FUND

Reaching and Discipling Asia's Children

Your generous support has so far helped lead an estimated 63,014 children to Christ throughout Asia, and multitudes more have been exposed to the Gospel for the first time.

The Bless the Children Fund introduces children to Jesus Christ in India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, and a host of other Asian countries. Activities include printing and distributing literature designed for children, providing free surgeries for those with special needs, and generally lifting children out of spiritual and physical poverty. The fruitfulness of this project has been tremendous. It costs an average of just $20 to reach a child for Christ .

In our December 2016 newsletter we shared about a strategic initiative to distribute 100,000 children's Bible story books to children in two countries of Asia. To meet that goal we required $170,000, but when we sent out our newsletter we had practically nothing in our account for it. We are deeply thankful for the generous response, and we received just enough to complete the project! The books have been distributed to appreciative children and their parents among many different tribes, and follow-up work is currently under way. It will take a few more months before all the reports come in, but we bow before the living God for His goodness and mercy. Thank you for praying and partnering with us to bless the children of Asia!

LIVING MARTYRS' FUND

Because of your partnership we are supporting 368 living martyrs.

"A martyr has been defined as "a Christian who chooses to suffer death rather than deny Christ or His work...One who sacrifices something very Important to further the Kingdom of God and endures great suffering for Christian witness."

The Living Martyrs' Fund supports pastors and evangelists in China, Vietnam and elsewhere who are unable to work because of injuries or illness caused by persecution. They and their families face extreme poverty and hardship. Through a gift of $35 per month you can help support one of these living martyrs. A prayer card is sent to every supporter of this project.

BLESS THE CHILDREN FUND

Your generous support has so far reached 63,014 children throughout Asia.

The Bless the Children Fund introduces children to Jesus Christ in India, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Nepal, and a host of other countries. Activities include printing and distributing Gospel literature designed for children, providing free surgeries for those with special needs, and generally lifting children out of spiritual and physical poverty. The results of this project have been staggering. It costs an average of $20 to reach a child for Christ.

PERSECUTION & RELIEF FUND

Transforming lives from ashes to beauty with God's love.

Over the years Asia Harvest has provided assistance to the victims of natural disasters that have struck Asia. In addition to providing aid through medicine, tents, blankets, food and water, rebuilding homes etc., the Christians we partner with take every opportunity to share the Gospel, and many people have come to know Jesus Christ. This project also provides physical and spiritual relief to Christian communities and families throughout Asia who have been affected by persecution.

TESTIMONY CORNER

"Greetings in the Name of Jesus! My name is Enkhsarul and I live in Mongolia. I had been a Buddhist my entire life, and I knew nothing at all about Christianity.

I first heard the Good News when a team of Christians visited our remote area. They shared about Jesus Christ and gave me a New Testament. When I discovered that Jesus had the power to deliver, I confessed my sins and received His salvation into my heart.

Sometime later my youngest son Chinbatar developed a kidney problem and was unable to go to the toilet for days. The doctors said it was hopeless and we should prepare to lose him. They told us to call on a Buddhist lama or a spirit-priest for spiritual help and comfort. Instead, I went to the hospital and I held the hand of my seven-year-old son and spent the whole night praying for him in the Name of Jesus Christ. The next morning he was much better and his body started to function normally again.

Because of this great miracle, our entire family became followers of the living God, and He brought real transformation to our lives. God has been so good to us. We all love Him, and the Holy Spirit has given us the strength to keep on believing. All glory to the true and living God!"

Brother Enkhsarul, from Mongolia, is one of hundreds of Asian evangelists we support through the Asian Workers' Fund. We invite you to join us as we help them take the Gospel to the unreached peoples of Asia.

Asia Harvest Financial Statement

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 15:10:00 GMT

Dear Christian friends,

As another year draws to an end, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support. Although the year has not yet concluded, in 2016 we thank the Lord Jesus Christ for enabling us to print and distribute more than 700,000 Bibles to Christians in China and other restricted countries; and we are thankful that we are currently supporting over 1,650 Asian missionaries serving among 755 different people groups.

Many believers we know are under great pressure as the world grows darker by the day. We pray you and your loved ones will not draw back, but will press into Jesus more intimately than ever before as you walk with Him. May 2017 be your best year so far for the kingdom of God!

From the time of Asia Harvest's inception in the 1980s, we have always strived to be completely transparent in the area of finances, and our annual financial statements have been available to anyone upon request.

Now, we have taken the extra step of having our finances independently audited each year, which will be freely available on our website. We have engaged a respected auditing firm, and their most recent report can be downloaded here .

Many donors rightly want to know what percentage of their gifts go to the field, and how much is used on administration. You may be surprised at how we operate at Asia Harvest.

From the start of Asia Harvest our desire has been to send as many resources as possible to the frontline Gospel workers in Asia. As a result, we maintain no physical office, have few assets except our bank balance, and most of our work is done by unpaid volunteers. Our overhead expenses are therefore minimal, enabling us to achieve more with the resources God has placed in our hands, such as printing full Chinese Bibles for just $1.80.

On the final page (p.12) of the audit report you will see a table listing the total amount of donations we received for each project last year (Revenue), and the total amount we sent out to reach people on the mission field in Asia (Expenses). We thank God that last year we were able to send out substantially more project money than we received!

How is this Possible?

Although our operating costs are negligible, we do of course have some expenses. These are covered by general (non-project) donations people send us for running the ministry, and also from income generated by things such as book sales. Our ongoing commitment is that 100% of all project donations will be used exactly as specified. Nothing is deducted for administration, bank fees, or any other expense. As a result, if someone sends us $100 for Bibles or to support evangelists, $100 really does go to the workers on the field.

Until All Have Heard of Jesus,

The team at Asia Harvest

Reaching Asia’s Children

Fri, 02 Dec 2016 12:05:00 GMT

One of the first things people notice when they come to various parts of Asia is how many children there are everywhere. In countries like India, Nepal, and Indonesia, around one-third of the population are children aged below 14. Perhaps the youngest population of all the countries we work in is found in Laos, where it’s not uncommon for families to have 7, 8, or even 10 children.

The devil, with the help of wicked men, has always known that the future of any movement depends on its youth. The evil one has focused many of his most severe attacks on children, whether by Pharaoh at the time of Moses, or Herod’s slaughter of the children in Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus.

In China—where the economic future and social fabric are under strain because of the terrible ‘one-child policy’ of the past three decades—the Communist government has long been terrified of Christian activity among children. While evangelists often faced two or three years in prison if caught preaching the gospel to adults, those engaged in outreach to children invariably faced more severe punishment and harsher prison sentences.

Although it may go against conventional wisdom, over the years we have seen how the Lord has penetrated entire communities by first reaching the children. When God gets a hold of them, their dramatic change in behavior is a powerful witness which convinces adults of the power of the gospel. Countless rebellious and unruly kids have been transformed by the Holy Spirit into obedient and respectful children.

We know from Scripture that Satan’s primary desire is to usurp God and attempt to steal His glory. A big part of the enemy’s plan is to corrupt the young generation, so that they will grow up without faith in God and unable to discern right from wrong. We can see evidence of this around us every day as society decays.

On the other hand, children who have been redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ are tremendous weapons for the kingdom of God, and a powerful force for good in their schools and communities. The devil trembles whenever the Holy Spirit brings children into the kingdom of God. King David once proclaimed, “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” (Psalm 8:2).

In this, our final newsletter of 2016, we would like to share with you a wonderful opportunity to help the Church in Asia reach tens of thousands of precious children with the gospel in the coming months. Please pray for this project and prayerfully consider if you might be able to help get God’s Word into the hands of children throughout Asia.

Sharing God's Word with the Children of Asia

One of the greatest joys we at Asia Harvest have experienced over the years has been to see and hear reports of how the Word of God has transformed entire communities. We don’t just mean that powerful preaching has achieved such results, but the seed of the printed Word of God itself has found much fertile soil in the hearts of multitudes of people.

On countless occasions after giving out a gospel booklet, or an evangelistic tract, people’s consciences have been pricked and the Holy Spirit has convicted them of sin. Truly, “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

We realize that in your part of the world society may have become hardened against the Christian message for a variety of reasons, but throughout Asia— especially in those places that have yet to hear about Jesus Christ—there is a great hunger to read and listen to the Bible. Many times we have seen both young and old people captivated when they are first exposed to the life and teachings of Jesus. We have even had groups of people chase us down the street begging for a gospel booklet so they can take it home and study it with family members and friends.

This month, we would like to present a tremendous opportunity to reach many children through our Bless the Children Fund . Our co-workers in different countries of Asia have been pleading for more good printed material specifically designed to reach children with the gospel. The desired books have already been translated and used in the past, with great success.

In one country of Asia (which we aren’t able to name for security reasons), 30,000 Children’s Bible Story books were printed and distributed a few years ago across a wide geographical area. The church leaders who oversaw the distribution are humble believers who avoid exaggeration, so they set up a database to carefully track the number of solid decisions for the Lord that resulted from the project.

After months of research they reported that “more than 10,000 came to faith in Jesus,” and were being discipled by local believers! We were overjoyed to hear this news, and rejoiced to think that 10,000 children were now following the Lord who otherwise may have grown up without ever knowing His Name. “Oh no, you misunderstood!” our co-workers replied. “We didn’t say that over 10,000 children have placed their trust in the Living God. Our research has found that more than 10,000 families are currently being discipled!”

We believe one of the key reasons for the success of this project is the quality of the books themselves. They are beautifully illustrated in full color, and the children who receive these books treat them as precious gifts. Each of the Bible stories is presented with a Scripture verse to help readers meditate on what they have just read, followed by three questions pertaining to the page they have just studied.

The books are such a blessing that they are read multiple times, and talked about at school and among friends. Neighbors frequently come together to discuss the Bible with one another, and in many villages and towns children gather to read the stories as a group, like in the picture below.

One of the unexpected blessings of this project is that not only have thousands of children reached out to Jesus Christ, but their parents have also found Him! In some places the families may have already been nominal Christians, but their understanding of the Bible greatly increased as they read the books together. In many other instances, adults did not understand God’s Word because they are illiterate, or semi-literate. The books helped them grasp the reality of the Lord Jesus.

The ministry leaders were so encouraged by the past fruit of this project that they have requested to do it again this year in different regions. Much planning has already been done. Follow-up teams are poised to help people take the next step in their relationship with God. This year, they have requested 50,000 children’s Bible story books , which they will distribute to children through a network of churches in time for Christmas, and into early 2017 if necessary.

In another country, our co-workers have also requested 50,000 of the books in their language by the end of the year. They have teams of pastors, evangelists and Bible teachers waiting to bring in the harvest. In total, after much prayerful consideration, we have committed to print 100,000 Children’s Bible Story books. The average cost per book, for printing and delivery, is $1.70 . We therefore need $170,000 to complete this project, and we trust the Lord will provide.

Few things are as dear to God’s heart as reaching children with the message of salvation. Based on past results, we anticipate that tens of thousands of families will put their trust in Jesus Christ.

Please pray for the success of this project as it unfolds in the coming months. Ask God to protect and grant favor all those involved, so that His Name may be glorified and thousands of children will come to know God as their Heavenly Father.

If you would like to support the project financially, please return the enclosed yellow form along with a gift desingated to the Bless the Children Fund . Alternatively, you may give via our secure website (www.asiaharvest.org).

Testimony Corner

In a recent newsletter we shared an astonishing testimony about an 84-year-old tribal woman in Myanmar (Burma) who finally received her own Bible after 71 years of praying for one. We thought her testimony was an isolated one, but our co-workers recently came across this dear 81-year-old man, from the same tribe, who has a remarkably similar story to tell. Here is part of his testimony:

"My name is Saw and I was born in August 1934. I am now 82-years-old and I am part of the Karen tribe. I was brought up in a Buddhist family.

Because of war between my people and the Burmese military, my family was forced to move from place to place during my childhood. When I was 12- years-old my parents were killed by the army. I was completely devastated and I didn’t know how to go forward with my life. The foundations of my life were suddenly destroyed and my existence felt meaningless.

At my lowest point I was invited to stay with a Karen pastor and his family. I will always be indebted to their kindness to me. In 1952, when I was 18, I accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He transformed me from the inside-out and for the first time I felt the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit in my heart.

I regularly attended church and was an active believer, but in our congregation there were no Bibles except the pastor’s personal copy. I had never even touched a Bible, because I thought they were so rare and precious that only the senior leader of a church had the right to touch one.

Since 1952 I have continually asked God to help me have my own Bible, so I can know and obey His Word. After 64 years, the Lord has answered my prayers through your ministry of love! I tried to pay for it, but was told it was a free gift. I praise God and I promise I will always pray for you.”

Brother Saw recently received a Bible through our Asian Bible Fund . We have provided the Scriptures in 72 different languages through this crucial project. Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and distribute. Thank you for your prayers and support.

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China’s Forgotten Tribes

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 07:42:00 GMT

“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength... He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:25-29-13).

In our previous newsletter we shared how God has enabled us to reach the milestone of printing and distributing 10-million Chinese Bibles, over a period of many years.

Some of the feedback we received from believers was along the lines of, “Congratulations, you guys have worked hard!” and “What a great achievement!”

In our newsletter we emphasized how reaching that milestone was a great miracle of providence by the Lord Jesus Christ, and that without His supernatural power and protection it would be impossible to even consider such a project in a Communist country that seeks total control of its people.

A few years ago we visited a Christian bookshop. After looking around for a few minutes, we were unable to find any books worth reading amid the rows of shallow ‘self-help’ books telling us how we could ‘maximize our potential.’ As we prepared to leave, something in the corner of the store caught our attention. It was a set of ‘Samson muscles’ that children could strap on their arms to look just like Samson!

On the surface this toy seemed like just a bit of harmless fun, but we later thought about how Christians often think God’s work can be accomplished by human strength, and in so doing we rob God of the glory due His Name.

The Bible tells us that among Samson’s exploits, he tore a lion apart with his bare hands (Judges 14:6), struck down 30 Philistine men (14:20), caught 300 foxes and tied their tails together (15:4), slaughtered 1,000 men with a donkey’s jawbone (15:15), and tore off the city gate of Gaza and carried it to the top of a hill (16:3). Finally, Samson pushed down a pillar holding up the Philistine temple, killing 3,000 enemies of God’s people (16:30). Despite his moral failures, the New Testament lists Samson as one of the great heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11:32).

Did Samson indeed have huge bulging muscles like the drawings of him in children’s Bible story books and videos? Did he perform those mighty acts because of his huge muscles, or because of God’s mighty power? Some Bible scholars believe the city gate and posts of Gaza weighed about four tons. City gates at the time were often nail-studded and covered with metal to prevent them being burned during an attack.

Could the strongest man in the world today lift four tons, not to mention that he carried it for a distance of 36 miles uphill? Of course not! Anyone who attempted it would immediately be crushed like an ant. If Samson was a huge, strongly built man, would the Philistines have been so confused that they begged Delilah to find the source of his strength?

No, Samson’s superhuman strength wasn’t the result of bulging biceps. The source of his strength was the Holy Spirit. We wonder if one day we will discover that Samson was actually a normal-size man!

Over the years we have often come across the same misguided thinking in relation to God’s work in Asia. For example, if a person looks only for human reasons behind how the Church in China grew to over 100 million people under Communist rule, they will invariably reach a skewed conclusion if they fail to realize the revival is a sovereign act of the Living God. Some people we know have come to China expecting amazing fellowship with powerful saints, but have been disappointed to find the Church there looks a lot like the churches in their homeland, with failings and weaknesses that cause it to depend on the grace of God. On the outside they make look the same, but on the inside the Lord has done a mighty work in China.

In Christian ministry we have learned there are two ways to operate—in our own strength (which often leads to burnout and frustration), or in God’s strength, which achieves much of eternal value. As Christians, we don’t need ‘Samson muscles.’ Rather, we need to humbly serve God and seek His grace and strength. One day we will all be required to stand before the Creator and give an account of our lives and work. May it be found that we didn’t attempt to do God’s work in our own strength, for such efforts will be shown to consist merely of "wood, hay and stubble." They will be "burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." (I Corinthians 3:15).

May we rely on the Holy Spirit’s divine power to motivate and complete the tasks He has called us to do, for the Lord said “the Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing” (John 6:63).

At the end of the day, may we be able to say with the Lord that the work He had called us to was done “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6).

The Many Faces of China

One person who read our recent newsletter wrote to ask what our biggest battle has been over the years regarding the China Bible project. After thinking a few minutes, we realized the greatest struggle has not been with the Chinese government. Rather, the most difficult struggle has been a huge battle for the truth.

For almost 30 years, blatant lies and subtle propaganda have been spread around the Christian world claiming that there are plenty of Bibles in China today. Millions of Christians have believed these lies. Indeed, some of the most wellknown names in Western Christianity have lent their voices to reinforce this deception. At the same time, we have met many house church leaders from all parts of China who beg us for Bibles, as they tearfully explain how new believers are perishing because of a famine of God’s Word.

We have found that one of the main reasons people are confused when it comes to China is that it’s difficult to grasp the massive size and scale of the country. People often assume the small slither of information or experience they have must apply to the whole country. For example, someone might travel to a big city like Beijing or Shanghai where they meet local Christians in a house meeting. If those believers have Bibles, a wrong assumption could be formed that what they experienced there must be the same everywhere in China, across thousands of miles and more than 2,400 cities and counties that make up the world’s most populated country.

Another deception that many believers around the world have believed is the notion that persecution of Christians is a thing of the past in China. In reality, things are currently very difficult for house church believers, with many leaders saying the persecution now is the worst it had been in 20 years. The Chinese government appears to be determined to crush the unregistered part of the Body of Christ, while at the same time they assure the world there is religious freedom and harmony.

In the last few years most of the publicity in the global Christian press has focused on the removal of thousands of crosses and the destruction of church buildings in Zhejiang Province. In our opinion, such things are of little consequence. The Holy Spirit doesn’t dwell in crosses or man-made buildings anyway, but in the hearts of God’s children. As one veteran China missionary recently commented, “The believers in China would much rather have crosses separated from their church buildings than to have their heads separated from their necks!”

Right now many house church leaders throughout China are missing or have gone on the run. Some are being detained at so-called “black jails” - secret facilities where the authorities torture people without trial and beyond the scope of public knowledge. As awful murder took place several months ago in Henan Province, when Ding Cuimei, a pastor’s wife, was bulldozed into a pit and buried alive.

Please pray the severe persecution would result in the rekindling of revival throughout China, so that the Church would grow even stronger and larger!

In the remainder of this newsletter we would like to report on another face of China that many people are completely unaware of. While most Christians have heard about the revival fires that have burned throughout China for much of the past three decades, few are aware that this great land is also home to 500 non-Han Chinese ethnic groups, ranging from Turkic-speaking Muslims in the northwest deserts, to dozens of colorful and diverse tribal groups along the border with Southeast Asia. Of these 500 distinct people groups, a staggering 410 are still unreached .

We first encountered China’s minority groups in 1988, and ever since they have been a major focus of the vision and work of Asia Harvest. In 2000 we published a large color book, Operation China, which profiled all the peoples of China and brought their existence to the attention of the worldwide Body of Christ. (The book & CD are still available from us if you’re interested, and all the individual profiles from the book are freely available on our website).

Earlier this year we spent a wonderful time of prayer and fellowship with the leader of a great Chinese ministry to the unreached peoples of China. At one stage he showed us a video that made us weep with tears of gladness. What a blessing it was to see hundreds of minority people throughout China being baptized!

For the first time we are hearing of breakthroughs among many of China’s smaller unreached people groups. Although the number of new believers is not huge at the moment, dozens are being saved here and there. Added together, the Gospel is beginning to flourish and lives are being transformed from darkness to light. On the following pages we present brief profiles of six of China’s minority groups. Our coworkers currently have local evangelists ready to serve among each of these groups.

If you believe the Lord would want you to help one or more evangelist among these groups, we invite you to support them through our Asian Workers’ Fund at $25 per month each. One hundred percent of donations received go to the workers on the field. If you would like to support a worker among one of the following six people groups, please note the name of the group when you send your gift. A laminated prayer card will be sent to each donor, and a written update is sent every six months to those who continue to support a worker.

AMDO TIBETANS

Population: 1,080,000
Christians: less than 0.1%

More than one million Amdo Tibetans inhabit the towns and plains of the Tibetan Plateau in western China. Many are nomads, moving frequently to new areas when their yaks, sheep and goats need new pasture. There are thought to be no more than a few hundred Christians among the four different Amdo language groups. Please pray many would soon hear of Jesus Christ.

BAI

Population: 2,400,000
Christians: 2%

The Bai are the descendants of the powerful Nanzhao kingdom which ruled southwest China about 1,500 years ago. Today almost 2.5 million friendly Bai people inhabit the towns and villages around the ancient town of Dali. Most have never heard the Gospel in their lives, although there are moderate numbers of Bai Christians in various locations.

PUMI

Population: 45,000
Christians: 1%

Living not far from the Bai people in southwest China, the Pumi tribe number about 45,000 people. Most Pumi are poor, hard-working farmers. In recent years small numbers have placed their trust in the Lord Jesus for the first time. Our co-workers are working hard to train these Pumi believers to take the Gospel to the hundreds of villages that have never heard of Jesus.

DE'ANG

Population: 20,000
Christians: less than 1%

Although only 20,000 De'ang people live in China, they have three different subgroups each speaking their own language. An additional 700,000 live across the border in Myanmar (Burma), where they are better known as the Palaung. New believers are often severely persecuted by the Buddhist monks among this tribe. We are supporting evangelists reaching this group in both China and Myanmar through the Asian Workers’ Fund.

SHUI

Population: 500,000
Christians: less than 1%

The majority of the 500,000 Shui people in China are animists, who worship elements of nature like rivers, mountains and even large trees. Most have never heard of Jesus Christ. We are helping a few Shui Christians who have a passion to reach their own people for Jesus. Please pray for a breakthrough among this unreached group.

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She Waited 71 Years for a Bible

Thu, 01 Sep 2016 08:53:00 GMT

We give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for His eternal Word. Without it our lives would be like a rudderless ship, being pushed around by the wind and waves. We are constantly amazed at the need for the Word of God throughout Asia, and one of our greatest privileges is to provide Bibles to believers who are unable to access the Bread of Life. Our co-workers recently met an 84-year-old female believer in Myanmar (Burma), who shared her astonishing story:

"I was born in December 1931. My parents were very poor so I started first grade when I was 13 years old. There was only one Bible in our village and it belonged to our pastor. I really wanted to have my own copy, so I have been praying to God for a Bible since 1945, when I was 14. Whenever I saw the Bible in the pastor's hands, I really wanted to have my own, so I kept praying.

"I was very hungry for the Word of God and I desperately wanted to read it, but there were no Bibles available. This was truly heartbreaking for me and I became so discouraged that for a time I stopped praying to have a Bible. But then someone gave me the Book of Mark. I was elated and I read it whenever I could. I almost memorized the whole book, and it strengthened my faith. By the grace of God, today I received the full Bible from you for free. This is amazing. Only God can do this. He has answered my 71 years of prayer for a Bible. The Lord is so good to me. My favorite Scripture is Psalm 23. I send my thanks to all who donated, supported and brought this precious Bible to me. I will always read it. God bless you all."

This dear sister received a Bible through our Asian Bible Fund . We have so far provided the Scriptures in 72 different languages through this project. Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and distribute. Thank you for your prayers and support for this crucial project.

How to Give to our Work
1. One-time or monthly support by credit or debit card or Paypal
2. By mailing a check/cheque to one of our offices ( Contact page )
3. By bank transfer to one of our accounts around the world ( Contact page )

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Ten Million Miracles – Praise God for 10-Million Chinese Bibles!

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 06:34:00 GMT

“They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away... Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:5, 8-9).

In this special Asia Harvest newsletter we give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ. By His great power and grace we recently passed the all-time milestone of 10 million Chinese Bibles printed and delivered to house church Christians in China!

For us, this vision began in 1988, when God first called Paul to carry Bibles from Hong Kong across the border into Mainland China. Joy received a separate call a few years later, and we met on the mission field and later got married. For the first decade or so of our service, the only way to get precious Scriptures into China was by carrying them in bags and suitcases across the border. We hosted numerous short-term teams who hauled tons of Bibles to hungry Chinese believers. This method was exciting, but also costly and slow. By the late 1990s it was clear the need for Bibles among the house churches in China was so large due to revival, that carrying one bag at a time was never going to meet the need.

In the 12 years from 1988 to 2000, the teams we hosted carried a total of around 174,000 Bibles into China. Then in 2000 a door opened for us to work with house church networks to discreetly print Bibles directly inside the country. This development immediately opened up a whole new world of possibilities.

“With great thanksgiving to God I commend Asia Harvest and all of their supporters as they celebrate 10 million Bibles provided to the Church in China!

I have cherished my relationship with Paul and Joy since 1992, when we first met while distributing God’s Word in China. The need remains enormous, and Asia Harvest’s faithful consistent role has been vital over many years.

China is a huge nation, and while we are thankful that millions now have access to Bibles, we grieve that many millions of believers are still unable to access God’s Word—not counting the hundreds of millions of potential seekers.”

Over the years, Asia Harvest has consistently demonstrated the highest integrity, wisdom, and a servant heart to extend God’s glory and not their own. I hope the Lord will enable them to continue and even expand in the years ahead.

— Gary Russell, Director of China Harvest

Two Pivotal Events

Over the years the Lord greatly increased the number of Bibles we have printed and distributed in China. If anyone reading this newsletter looks at us and thinks we achieved this goal, they have completely missed the truth. This hasn’t been a human accomplishment, but a miracle from the Living God.

Looking back, we can see how the Holy Spirit orchestrated certain events which proved to be major spiritual landmarks along the way. We have never publicly shared the following two stories before...

The first key event took place in central China in the year 2000, at a meeting with a group of about 40 house church leaders. One evening, a senior leader unexpectedly felt led by the Holy Spirit to pray for us. He consulted some of his colleagues, and a few minutes later a group of eight or nine men emerged from their dormitory, saying they believed the Lord wanted them to pray a special blessing over us. The leaders sat me down on a chair in the middle of the room. They laid their hands on my head and cried out in unified prayer, as they typically do in China.

After praying intensely for about ten minutes, the senior pastor said, “Brother Paul, we recognize the special gifts God has given you, and we ask the Holy Spirit to pour His blessings upon you and your family. May you be anointed with the power and presence of Jesus Christ, and may His favor rest on the work of your hands, so that millions of people will hear the gospel!”

In hindsight, it’s clear that our work took off exponentially after that powerful prayer of blessing in China. The quantity of Bibles we provided experienced a dramatic and sustained increase from that moment on.

The second pivotal event occurred in 2006, in the small town of North Bend, Washington. We had traveled to the bedside of a dying man, Brother David, who wanted us to record his testimony. Brother David’s emaciated body was literally being eaten up by diabetes. He was partially blind and deaf, and had suffered multiple heart attacks over the years.

Over the course of a week, David shared his remarkable testimony from the early 1980s, when he led a bold and courageous project that delivered one million Bibles by ship to a beach in Mainland China. David and the crew literally risked their lives, and by the hand of God, 232 tons of Bibles were delivered ashore to thousands of waiting Chinese believers, who had been starved of God’s Word for decades. Brother David’s story was published in the book, Project Pearl: The 1-Million Smuggled Bibles that Changed China.

Before we left his home, David shared with me how as a young man God had given him a vision to provide ten million Bibles to Christians in China. For years both before and after the risky boat delivery in 1981, he led initiatives toward achieving this goal, but then failing health took its toll. In total, he told me he had been involved in providing about two million Bibles to China, but he knew he would not be able to reach the target the Lord had given him.

David prayed for us and asked the Lord to transfer this vision to Asia Harvest, for the glory of God and the expansion of His kingdom in China. We agreed, and with tears in his eyes, he prayed the Holy Spirit might anoint our lives and work, so that at least ten million Chinese Bibles would be distributed to believers in China.

Brother David died in May 2007, but the graph on the following page reveals the results of his prayer. In subsequent years our project took off exponentially, and has continued strongly under the hand of God’s blessing to the present day.

Our Secret Fundraiser

The famous missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, once wrote, “God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”

Over the years, some people have noticed the large quantity of Bibles we distribute, and assume we must be well connected to some rich and famous people. Nothing could be further from the truth, although we are joined to the richest and most powerful individual in the universe, who once declared, “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it” (Psalm 50:12).

From the start of this project (and others) we have never begged or asked anyone for support, nor have we held fundraising programs or employed any gimmicks to try to get things done. All we have had is our free newsletter, and later our website, where people are welcome to pray and participate financially if the Lord leads them, without feeling compelled or manipulated.

By adopting this strategy and always seeking to put God’s kingdom first, the Lord Jesus has honored His work and has been pleased to supernaturally provide bread to feed His hungry children throughout China’s house churches.

From a human perspective, our ministry had no chance of producing significant numbers of Bibles. We have had one special advantage, however, which tipped the scales in our favor. The Lord Jesus Himself decided to be our fund-raiser! As this crucial project blossomed, the Holy Spirit moved on the hearts of many people to pray and give so that Chinese Christians—especially new believers living in impoverished rural areas—would have access to His Word.

Thanks to the grace of God and your prayers and generous support, Asia Harvest recently passed the milestone of ten million Chinese Bibles printed and delivered to the house churches in China. Our co-workers provide detailed reports, allowing us to keep track of every Bible we print and to create this distribution map. On behalf of all the grateful believers in China, thank you and God bless you!

Instead of connecting us with a few large donors, the Lord chose to link us together with hundreds of normal believers throughout the world. We marvel at the wisdom of God in leading us to function in this manner. A few individual snowflakes can easily be brushed aside, but a multitude of snowflakes can join together to stop trucks and derail freight trains.

Over the years, the median size donation we have received is $52, as the Holy Spirit connected us with many members of the Body of Christ. The number of Bibles we were able to provide grew rapidly, and God gained much glory for His Name.

We received many touching letters from Christians who sensed the Holy Spirit prompt them to support the Bible project. Some children broke open their piggy-banks and sent their hard-earned savings. One young American lady mailed a check for $5,000, with a note explaining that she had been saving for her wedding, but the Lord directed her to give the money to print Chinese Bibles instead.

A dear sister in Europe, who has suffered many hardships throughout her life, wrote to us after sending a donation a few months ago. She said, “I want to share with you that this moment is a precious and much desired occasion in my life. By the grace of God, with my recent gift I have now personally sent 100,000 Bibles to the suffering church. To reach this target took 40 years. Please pray that I may continue in my work for Him as I grow older.”

What God Has Done

Some people assume that printing “illegal” Bibles inside Communist China must be a fairly straightforward task. If they tried it, they would soon discover that China has crafted one of the most sophisticated and intrusive security mechanisms of any country on earth. They are determined to control the population, and they don’t hesitate to crush any perceived threats to their authority. Printing or distributing Bibles this way inside China carries the risk of a three-year prison sentence without trial for those involved. Many have been willing to count the cost.

We bow in amazement before the One who said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18), as we consider what the Lord Jesus Christ has achieved through the China Bible Fund. It is astonishing what He has done! Consider this astonishing fact: Most of the Bibles we produce are 5.7 inches (14.6 cm) in length. If each of the ten million Bibles was laid end-to-end, do you know how far they would stretch? The line would go 900 miles, or 1,460 kilometers!

Truly, our Lord “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!” (Eph. 3:20-21).

Large quantities of Bibles cannot be safely produced and delivered inside China apart from the supernatural power of the Almighty God, and with hundreds of intercessors praying for divine protection over every step of the process. Each Bible produced and delivered under these circumstances really is a miracle.

The Future

The tragic reality is that the rural churches of China continue to experience a massive famine of God’s Word today. Several years ago, an extensive survey by many church networks revealed a shortage of 34 million Bibles, just for each member of their fellowships to personally own a copy of God’s Word.

Against all odds, the Lord has taken our small, insignificant ministry, and has provided ten million Bibles to His Church in China. Perhaps one day in the future, things will change and God’s Word will be freely available in China. Until that time, as long as the Lord Jesus enables us, we will continue to supply as many Bibles as possible, at the cost of just $1.80 per full Bible. All glory to the Lamb of God!

Each Bible has been a miracle. Please pray this project will only continue to function “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6).

To everyone over the years who has prayed and given, whether through Asia Harvest or other organizations, so that China’s house church Christians would have access to God’s Word, we say thank you!

“Greetings of love in the Name of our Lord Jesus the Christ. We weep with joy and delight each time we receive a new shipment of Bibles, and we thank our Heavenly Father for you, our brothers and sisters, who provide these most precious gifts. The Bible co-ordinator asked us to document how many Bibles we need to meet the current deficit if we are going to provide God’s Word to every new believer in our fellowships. After much research we have discovered that number currently stands at 713,492 Bibles.

We look forward to meeting you all in heaven, where we can personally thank everyone who has provided the Bread of Life to us. Our lives have been eternally touched by your ministry, and many more souls will worship before the Throne because of your loving labors. May our Lord bless you and protect you from evil until we cross over to eternal rejoicing.”

— Brother Li, Senior House Church leader, Eastern China

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Faith in Jesus Shines Through After Devastating Fire

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 07:41:00 GMT

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians 6:10).

Just last Wednesday evening, June 22nd, a massive fire ripped through an impoverished village in a Muslim country where Asia Harvest has been helping for many years.

Thousands of people have been affected by the fire, among then 22 Christian families who are the light of Jesus amid a sea of darkness in their communities. They have lost everything except their faith. Here is what three of the Christian families wrote:

"I was praying when I saw the big fire, and I told the Lord Jesus, "It's okay if part of my house burns down but I ask you preserve part of it so we can find some shelter for our children. I was shocked when I went in the morning and found our house was still intact while all of my neighbors' homes were burned to ash. The Lord Jesus is awesome! We are reaching out with the Gospel to those who have lost everything."

"Everyone was panicking and grabbing what they could, but the first thing we did was to secure our precious Bible. We are content to lose all our clothing and shelter but we can not live without God's Word."

"We lost our home and all worldly possessions but we still have the peace and joy of the Living God in our hearts. I am encouraging my neighbors to place their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ."

In response, Asia Harvest has already provided initial emergency funds for food, water, clothing, medicine, bedding, cooking-ware and shelter. In the coming days and weeks we hope to provide so that the Christian families who have lost their homes may start to rebuild.

Please pray for those who have been affected by this disaster. Please ask God to embolden the Christians to be light and salt to their unsaved neighbors. If you would like to give to this urgent need, you details are below of how to do so. Please designate any donations to our Persecution & Relief Fund.

God bless you!
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

State of the Nations – An Overview of God’s Kingdom in Asia

Tue, 31 May 2016 13:37:00 GMT

“But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool” (Hebrews 10:12-13).

Do you know that the practice of a king’s enemies becoming his footstool frequently occurred in Middle Eastern culture? Archaeologists have unearthed footstools with the faces of conquered kings carved into them, which enabled a victorious ruler the pleasure of looking down at his vanquished foes.

The Lord Jesus never minced his words. He told us the truth, but always offered hope even in the midst of the fierce storms of life. When asked about the signs of the end of the age, the Lord replied, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:12-14).

There is a rapid increase of wickedness in the world today, but we encourage you not to be one of those whose love for God grows cold. It’s easy to become cynical at the state of society and at much of what passes under the banner of Christianity, but we must fight against cynicism and press in to the heart of Jesus even more as the days become darker.

The only way to keep our love from growing cold is to be grounded in the Word of God and to daily surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit. The Bible promises: “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:8-10).

When the powers of darkness seem to be closing in and pressure from the world threatens to snuff out your light, it’s crucial to remember that Jesus is the victorious King! He conquered the grave, and “having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).

The time is coming when Jesus will receive His mighty inheritance, and He will rule and reign over all the nations of the world. On that day all of His enemies will be made His footstool, and a loud voice in heaven shall declare, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

In the meantime, God’s children must continue to patiently endure as His plans are fulfilled throughout the earth. If you belong to Jesus Christ, do not lose hope! Keep trusting God, and “do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay...we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved” (Hebrews 10:35-39).

State of the Nations

From time to time we like to present a snapshot of the state of the Gospel throughout Asia. In the following pages we provide a brief overview of nine countries Asia Harvest is working in. The statistics used are the latest from Joshua Project, who define a people group as “unreached” if less than 2 percent of its population are evangelical Christians.

While we have much to thank God for in Asia, the facts and figures are a sobering reminder of how much work remains to be done. Our life’s goal is to reach as many unreached people groups as possible with the salvation of Jesus Christ. We appreciate your prayers and partnership, as together we “look forward to the day of the Lord and speed it’s coming” (2 Peter 3:12).

China

Population: 1,388.2 million
Non-Christians: 1,279.9 million (92.2%)
All Christians: 108.3 million (7.8%)
Capital: Beijing
People Groups: 550
Unreached: 456

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 33 people groups in China.

God continues to move powerfully throughout China. The greatest need remains for Bibles and discipleship materials to feed tens of millions of hungry house church believers. Most of China’s ethnic minority groups, however, remain unreached. The Gospel has spread rapidly among the Han Chinese majority, but has encountered strong ethnic, cultural, geographic and language barriers as it struggles to penetrate the more than 450 distinct (non-Han) minority groups in China. Hundreds of groups still lack a vibrant Gospel witness capable of impacting their population.

India

Population: 1,282.8 million
Non-Christians: 1,254.6 million (97.8%)
All Christians: 28.2 million (2.2%)
Capital: New Delhi
People Groups: 2,234
Unreached: 2,018

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 368 people groups in India.

India poses the most complex challenge for the Body of Christ today. Home to more than 2,200 distinct people groups, the Gospel has flourished among some groups, but most remain devoid of spiritual light. India will soon surpass China as the world’s most populated country, but 98 out of every 100 people remain lost and in desperate need of Christ’s salvation.

Nepal

Population: 29.4 million
Non-Christians: 29.1 million (99.1%)
All Christians: 0.3 million (0.9%)
Capital: Kathmandu
People Groups: 249
Unreached: 238

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 53 people groups in Nepal.

Living among the highest mountains on earth, more than 240 distinct tribes and castes inhabit Nepal. There were just 25 known Christians in Nepal in the 1950s, compared to more than 300,000 today. Some tribes have experienced revival in the past 20 years, but over 200 remain relatively untouched by the Gospel. There is much work left to do in Nepal.

Vietnam

Population: 93.8 million
Non-Christians: 84.9 million (90.5%)
All Christians: 8.9 million (9.5%)
Capital: Hanoi
People Groups: 118
Unreached: 80

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 26 people groups in Vietnam.

The Gospel has spread inconsistently in Vietnam, and Protestant Christians make up only about 2% of the population. Most churches are in the south and central provinces, with fewer believers in the north. Dozens of tribes remain completely untouched by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Please pray every segment of Vietnam will soon bring glory to the Living God.

Laos

Population: 7.2 million
Non-Christians: 7.0 million (97.2%)
All Christians: 0.2 million (2.8%)
Capital: Vientiane
People Groups: 136
Unreached: 114

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 22 people groups in Laos.

Laos is one of Asia’s forgotten countries. Because of its small population, many organizations don’t consider Laos a priority, but it is one of the most ethnically-diverse countries on earth, containing 136 distinct tribes. Only a few dozen groups have a significant Christian presence, while more than 100 remain untouched by the Gospel. Please pray for their salvation.

Myanmar (Burma)

Population: 54.4 million
Non-Christians: 49.6 million (91.1%)
All Christians: 4.8 million (8.9%)
Capital: Naypyidaw
People Groups: 153
Unreached: 49

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 13 people groups in Myanmar.

The spread of Christianity in Myanmar is uneven, with some tribes in revival while other areas are full of dead religion. There is a great need for the Scriptures and for discipleship. Please pray the 31 million Buddhist Myen people will soon know the Living God.

Indonesia

Population: 254.2 million
Non-Christians: 221.7 million (87.2%)
All Christians: 32.5 million (12.8%)
Capital: Jakarta
People Groups: 779
Unreached: 221

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 66 people groups in Indonesia.

Indonesia is a paradox. It contains more Muslims than any other country on earth, spread across more than 750 distinct ethnic groups. God has moved powerfully, with more than 30 million Christians throughout Indonesia. With most believers being ethnic Chinese, over 220 people groups remain unreached. Please pray the Name of Jesus will be glorified throughout this large and important country.

Cambodia

Population: 15.9 million
Non-Christians: 15.4 million (96.8%)
All Christians: 0.5 million (3.2%)
Capital: Phnom Penh
People Groups: 42
Unreached: 30

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 12 people groups in Cambodia.

Cambodia was known as the “killing fields” in the 1970s, but a vibrant and growing church has risen from the ashes of that horrific genocide. While a number of tribes have embraced the Gospel in recent years, most of the 14 million Buddhist Khmer majority have yet to hear about Jesus. Please pray for their salvation.

Bangladesh

Population: 159.8 million
Non-Christians: 159.2 million (99.6%)
All Christians: 0.6 million (0.4%)
Capital: Dhaka
People Groups: 316
Unreached: 283

Asia Harvest is helping to reach 43 people groups in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is one of the poorest and most unreached countries on earth, containing nearly 300 distinct ethnic groups who have yet to trust Jesus Christ. Nine out of ten people in Bangladesh are Muslims. Please pray the fame of the Lord will spread widely to every part of this large and needy land.

Testimony Corner

We are constantly blessed to read field reports from the hundreds of evangelists we support throughout Asia. One recent report grabbed our attention. In a remote area of Laos (a Communist country sandwiched between China, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia), our coworkers came across a village with a demon-possessed man who had been tormented by evil spirits for years. The locals had given up all hope, and had built a thick wooden cage (see picture) to restrain the man and to protect themselves from his violent attacks.

When the evangelists saw the caged man the compassion of the Lord came upon them. They prayed for him in the Name of Jesus, and the dark forces that had bound the man for years were demolished. The change in the man’s life was so dramatic that many villagers demanded to know the God who had done this great miracle. As a result, 34 people accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and are now meeting together in a house church, including the man who had been so wonderfully set free. Hallelujah!

These workers in Laos are among hundreds of Asian evangelists we support through the Asian Workers' Fund. We currently have dozens who need support. We invite you to join us as we help them take the Gospel to the unreached.

A Testimony From the Heart of God

Thu, 05 May 2016 06:08:00 GMT

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Revelation 12:11)

One of our greatest blessings is to work alongside Asian believers who serve God with all their hearts. We recently began supporting Brother John through our Asian Workers' Fund .

John was raised in an Islamic area of Asia. When he was a young man, Muslims burned his village to the ground and murdered several of his relatives. He decided to spend the rest of his life wreaking vengeance on Muslims, and joined the military to learn how to be an effective killer. John recently told us,

"One day, a group of Christians visited the military camp and boldly shared the Gospel. I repented and received the Lord Jesus that day. After receiving discipleship training and taking a Bible course, I went into ministry. I still don’t know how God changed my heart that was once full of hatred for Muslims. Now I see them just like myself—sinners, human beings that the Lord Jesus died to save. My joy overflows as they receive Him as their Savior! To God be the glory!

The Lord has blessed my wife and I with four children. For many years now we have lived among a large Muslim population. All our children have invested their lives to help Muslims come to know Jesus Christ as Lord, and we thank God that many are finding salvation in Him. All glory and honor to Jesus alone!"

John is one of dozens of unsupported Asian missionaries who currently need support. Please pray for John and his family as they share the Gospel among several Muslim groups. If you would like to support an Asian missionary to the unreached, you can do so for $25 per month through our Asian Workers' Fund . A laminated prayer card of your worker will be sent to you, and written updates will be provided every six months.

How to Give to our Work
1. By credit or debit card or Paypal
2. By mailing a check/cheque to one of our offices ( Contact page )
3. By bank transfer to one of our accounts around the world ( Contact page )

God bless you!
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Introducing the ‘Bless the Children Fund’

Fri, 25 Mar 2016 04:28:00 GMT

Read the PDF Version of this Newsletter

“All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace.” (Isaiah 54:13)

The world seems like a very dark and depressing place at the moment. If we spend too much time watching the news it’s easy to think that evil is winning and God’s kingdom is losing. Nothing could be further from the truth!

We recently spent an extended period of time meeting our project leaders throughout Asia. After weeks of praying and strategizing with these key co-workers, we felt greatly encouraged. Despite many hardships and struggles, the kingdom of God is advancing in extraordinary ways, and entire communities are being transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have been serving the Lord in India since 1991. To be honest, in the early part of those 25 years we often felt demoralized about the prospects for the Gospel there. Anyone who has spent time in India knows that it’s a place of chaos and confusion, and we struggled to see how the myriad of more than 2,300 unreached people groups within that amazing country could ever be reached. More than once we said, “India is so complex that only God can reach it.” Well, we have some good news: God is reaching India!

While the Gospel continues to face many barriers in the cities, where resistant Muslims and high-caste Hindus tend to live, the bulk of India’s population lives in more-than one million rural villages. About 90% of those villages are inhabited by poor Hindus and tribal people, and it is among these precious groups that the Lord is reaping a mighty harvest.

If you are familiar with the work of Asia Harvest, you will know that China has been our major focus since we began in the 1980s. Indeed, we gained a reputation for knowing something about the Church in China, and even wrote several books on the mighty revival there. Now, we are seeing and hearing testimonies from throughout India that are very similar to stories that came out of China when the revival fires burned hot in the 1990s. We are excited to be in a position to help the kingdom of God advance in India, as we have in China. In fact, after much prayer and many meetings with key ministry leaders, we would like to make a bold prediction: In the next decade or so, India will be home to more Christians than China!

Experts say India will surpass China as the world’s most populated country just six years from now, in 2022. India’s population currently stands at over 1.2 billion people. The government claims that 3.5% are Christians, which would give a total of about 42 million believers. However, every Indian church leader we know says the government’s estimate is ludicrously low, and that the true percentage of Christians in India may already be at least 8 to 10 percent. If true, that would give a total number of between 96 to 120 million Christians in India today. Hallelujah!

The Holy Spirit is doing a powerful work throughout India, especially among the poor and downtrodden of society, and many are pressing into the kingdom of God. This is not going unnoticed. The Hindu newspaper on August 30th last year ran an article about religion in the large state of Odisha with the headline: “Population of Christians Grew by 478% in Odisha in 50 Years.” The article summarized how Christianity in the state far outpaced Hindu and Muslim growth over that time.

While the population in many Western nations is aging, when you travel to a place like India you are instantly struck by the extraordinary number of children everywhere. In fact, 40 percent of India’s population are children under the age of 15. For the kingdom of God to flourish throughout the thousands of ethnic groups in India, the children must hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

In the remainder of this newsletter we are honored to introduce a new project, which we have named the Bless the Children Fund . We are excited about the effect this project will have on the lives of thousands of families and their communities. Reaching children for the Lord Jesus has always been a major focus of Asia Harvest’s work. We have provided help in many ways, including printing thousands of children’s Bibles and story books, training workers in children’s ministry, and supporting orphans. We have also been engaged in many humanitarian initiatives that are always accompanied by the proclamation of the Gospel. These include providing hundreds of wheelchairs to disabled children, supporting the children of persecuted church leaders in China and other countries, and rescuing girls from sexual slavery in South Asia.

We plan to continue supporting all these and more important initiatives through this new project. Even Project Smile, which has provided more than 15,000 surgeries to children in Vietnam over the past 15 years, has now been placed under the umbrella of our new Bless the Children Fund .

Blessing the Children of India

With a staggering 40 percent of the population of India aged 15 and under, now is the time to impact the future of this great country for Jesus Christ. We would like to share some ways our co-workers in India are doing this, by describing six effective steps they employ to reach precious children with the Gospel.

1. Vacation Bible Schools
In the next few months, all across India, untold millions of people will be busy working in the fields from morning until night, bringing in the harvest. This is the most crucial time of the year, because there is little government assistance in India. If the harvest fails, countless millions of people will struggle to survive. During this time, our Christian colleagues, who already serve God is more than 1,000 villages throughout India, offer free “Vacation Bible Schools” (VBS) to village children. This program actually dates back a long time, having been introduced by missionaries over 100 years ago. Parents are more than happy that someone has offered to look after their kids for up to ten days while they gather the harvest, and they gladly send them along, knowing full- well that the program is run by Christians.

2. Cleaning the Outside
Many of the children who first turn up at the VBS have great physical needs, so before their spiritual needs are met, the children are given a good clean. Our Indian Christian brothers and sisters bathe the kids, give them a haircut, wash their dirty clothes, clip their fingernails and toenails, and generally scrub them up nice and new! They also feed the children healthy food, with hardboiled eggs, bananas and nutritious biscuits filling the bellies of the children. Many of them come from extremely poor families who struggle to survive from day to day. Incredibly, the cost of providing food to these precious children amounts to just 10 Rupees (about 15 cents) per day for each child.

3. Song and Dance
You are probably aware that Indians love to sing and dance. Their entire culture seems to be centered on music. After the children have had their physical needs met, our co-workers don’t waste any time before they introduce the children to songs about Jesus Christ. Many wonderful Christian teenagers, like the ones pictured below, lead the way in teaching the Gospel to Hindu, Muslim and tribal children through song and dance (Note: on the Asia Harvest website we have some short video clips of children being taught about the Lord this way).

4. Teaching the Basics
Each child is then introduced to the basic truths about God and the Bible, starting with Creation and the Fall of Man, through to the Death, Burial and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The younger children are given large coloring books and pens, and are taught Bible stories as they color in. Older children study more detailed aspects of the Gospel, and can ask questions as they interact with their Christian teachers. There are 5 different study books produced for various age groups, ranging from small children to 15 year-olds. Each book costs just $1 to print, so a full set of books costs $5 per child. This sounds inexpensive, although this year alone we are printing books for 30,000 children, so we would appreciate it if you could please join us in praying for this need.

5. Confused Parents Demand Answers!
Recently, the main Indian leaders of this work shared that after just the second or third day of the VBS, many parents come marching in, demanding to know what has happened to their children. “We want to give our lives to your God!” they exclaim. “In just a few days our children have been transformed. They are now obedient and respectful. They came home singing joyful songs that you have taught them. Our gods cannot change a person on the inside like this. Please help us! We want to know your God.”

6. Joining God’s Family
The Vacation Bible Schools take place every year, and are a tremendous way of introducing children to the faith. This year alone, 30,000 precious children in more than 700 villages throughout India will have their first contact with Christians through this strategic project. These children come from 132 different unreached ethnic groups . Many go on to become mature followers of Jesus Christ, walking in His grace and knowledge. They, in turn, reach out to more children the following year. It is through projects like this that India is being saved!

In future newsletters we plan to share details of how the Bless the Children Fund functions in other countries of Asia, including China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal and elsewhere. We invite you to join with us in praying for the salvation of Asia’s children. By reaching them, entire communities and ethnic groups are being impacted for the kingdom of God.

The average cost of reaching a child through the Bless the Children Fund is just $20 . This includes all the materials and costs from when the children arrive, to the time they graduate from the courses as true followers of the Lord, including being provided with a Bible in their local language. If you would like to support this project we welcome you to do so. Support can either be mailed in to us by using the enclosed yellow Response form, or one-time and monthly donations can be set up online via our secure website at www.asiaharvest.org

How to Give
1. By credit or debit card or Paypal to our Bless the Children Fund
2. By mailing a check/cheque to one of our offices ( Contact page )
3. By bank transfer to one of our accounts around the world ( Contact page )

Testimony Corner

“I was born into a Hindu family. We prayed to many idols and also worshipped nature. I had heard about Christianity but didn’t understand why it was any different from other religions. My wife and I had a son. While I was away working as a driver he fell sick and was admitted to hospital. I rushed back home but by the time I arrived my beloved son had died.

Two evangelists heard the sad news and visited us. In her desperation, my wife asked them to pray for our son so that their God might raise him back to life. Before praying, they asked us to close our eyes. I did not believe, so I kept my eyes open. To my surprise, I saw the two Christians pray very intensely. When they finished their prayer my son sat up. He was alive! My heart leapt with joy to see this great miracle. I left my sins behind and became a lover of Jesus Christ. I committed my life to Him and received His wonderful salvation. I am now burdened to tell other unreached people what God has done in my life.”

Surendra is one of hundreds of Asian evangelists we support through the Asian Workers' Fund. We have dozens needing support right now. We invite you to join us as we help them.

Whole Villages Being Reached in India

Sun, 28 Feb 2016 22:43:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

For thousands of years India has been under Satan's control, but we want to let you know that the Lord Jesus Christ is on the move! In many rural areas, entire villages and tribes of people are hearing the Gospel for the first time and believing! As they surrender to the Living God, He is transforming their lives and communities in an extraordinary way.

One project that is proving extremely effective in reaching people for Christ is part of our Persecution & Relief Fund. With more than nine out of ten women being illiterate in some areas, our Christian co-workers in India are teaching women to read. They use the Gospels as their textbooks! The very first words they ever learn to read are the most important words of all. Not only are thousands of women exposed to the message of salvation for the first time, but they have intensive interaction with the Christian women teachers, who are able to answer their questions and explain what it really means to be a follower of Jesus.

By the end of the class, not only are the women able to read, but our co-workers report that upwards of 70 percent of the Indian women who complete the course also believe in the Lord Jesus and commit their lives to Him. Hallelujah!

Asia Harvest recently began supporting more than 200 Christian literacy teachers/evangelists through this life-changing project. They are each taking the Gospel to at least one village, so more than 200 villages, containing tens of thousands of people are being impacted for the kingdom of God. People from more than 60 different unreached ethnic groups are among those hearing about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Please pray for this strategic project, and if you would like to support it financially, we invite you to do so through our Persecution & Relief fund. All contributions are welcome, but $300 will fully support one worker for a year ($25 per month).

God bless you!
The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

2016 Annual Report

Thu, 28 Jan 2016 11:16:00 GMT

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

In the final week of each year, after the commotion of Christmas has subsided, we like to set time aside to seek the Lord, and to ask Him to speak to us about the direction of Asia Harvest for the next year. In the past, many exciting things have been revealed to us. One year the Holy Spirit impressed on our hearts that He wanted to double the total number of Bibles we had produced in China. Without telling anyone, God brought in the funds needed to achieve that goal on the very last day of the following year!

At the end of 2015, as we prayed and asked the Lord Jesus to reveal His direction, the impression we gained may appear a little less exciting to some, but we believe He told us to persevere, and as the above verse says, “to let nothing move you.” Perseverance is a key to bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. All of us encounter hardships and trials in this fallen world, but it’s crucial not to give up when times look bleak. The Bible reminds us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

The first Protestant missionary to India, William Carey, came to be known as ‘the father of modern missions’. When he was once asked for the secret of his success after decades of work in India, Carey replied, “I can plod. I can persevere in any definitive pursuit. To this I owe everything.”

Serving the Lord can be adventurous at times, but like William Carey, as we look back over the years we see how God brought much growth in our work as we kept on doing the unglamorous everyday tasks He called us to do.

Many of those we serve on the mission field throughout Asia have also been called to stand and persevere in 2016. We write these words from the heart of Asia, where we have been meeting with various project leaders, praying together and evaluating various strategies for the advance of the gospel.

Last year, two men in ministries we are privileged to serve laid down their lives for the gospel. Both martyrdoms took place in India in the month of August. We would like to honor these two men, who were “counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41).

Samuel Gonda , a 35-year-old evangelist and father of two, was forcibly carried off by four men in the middle of the night. In the morning his family found his dead body, but his spirit had already departed to be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever.

Another Indian evangelist Guru Madi (aged 28) had been threatened by local Maoists (Communists) because many of their members were being transformed by the gospel. They warned him to stop preaching, but he would not be silenced.

On 24 August 2015, a mob dragged Guru from his bed. His wife and two young children found his body a short distance away, with a bullet hole through his chest.

We are thankful for the faithful testimonies of Samuel Gonda and Guru Madi. They endured to the end, and have joined the roll of thousands of Christian martyrs down through the centuries who “did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Revelation 12:11).

We thank everyone who prays and gives so generously to our work. Because of your help, we have provided long-term assistance to the widows and children of these two men, and will continue to do so for as long as it takes for them to move forward.

Thousands of other servants of God we work with throughout Asia were not called to suffer martyrdom last year, but all believers are called to faithfully persevere as they march forward, carrying the light of the gospel into this dark world, for this is how the kingdom of God is established. The Scriptures exhort us:

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:8-11).

As we pray with our colleagues throughout Asia, it’s clear to us that God’s children everywhere are under great pressure, in various ways. For example the Church in Nepal, still reeling from the massive earthquakes last year, are struggling to come to terms with a recent constitutional amendment, which makes it illegal for any person to convert from one religion to another. This change was clearly aimed at Christians, as the Lord Jesus has reaped a growing harvest from among the population of Nepal in recent years.

In India, many believers are deeply burdened because the schools have made daily yoga lessons compulsory for all students. Each lesson starts with a prayer to the sun god. The true followers of Jesus are once again being tested.

In Indonesia and other predominantly Muslim countries, many believers are feeling pressure from Islamic fundamentalism, as growing numbers of young Muslims are attracted to the warped ideologies of the ISIS death cult.

In China, Vietnam and elsewhere the battle is quite different, as Christians there are called to overcome the temptations and trappings of rampant materialism and consumerism, while retaining their passion for the Word of God.

Although the challenges you face will be different from those of your brothers and sisters in Asia, we encourage you to persevere, and we pray that in the coming year you will draw closer to the Lord Jesus than ever before. He has said, “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:12-13).

In the remainder of this newsletter we share our Annual Report, detailing the help that Asia Harvest provided the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2015.

It has been a great privilege to serve the Lord in Asia for another year, and we are blessed to be a link in a chain that has resulted in many people coming to know Him. Last year, more than a million believers were strengthened in their faith after receiving God’s Word through our Bible projects, and the hundreds of Asian evangelists we support led thousands of people to faith in Christ among hundreds of unreached people groups.

For more than 25 years our strategy has been to operate with as few overhead expenses as possible, so that resources get to the hands of the frontline workers of God’s kingdom—the many Asian Christians we are honored to assist and serve. We are thankful for each person who prayed for and supported our work last year. Without your vital partnership none of these things would have occurred.

Partnering with Pioneer Asian Evangelists

Because of your prayers and partnership we are supporting 1,089 Asian missionaries, serving among 594 unreached people groups. More than 24,000 people experienced God’s salvation last year.

The Asian Workers’ Fund provides support to evangelists in Asia who are involved with strategic work among ethnic groups that have never heard the gospel. By the end of 2015 we were privileged to support 1,089 evangelists among 594 unreached groups throughout Asia. These workers encounter many hardships and persecutions, but have persevered and are now seeing breakthroughs among many groups.

In 2015, those we support through the Asian Workers’ Fund led 24,096 people to salvation in Jesus Christ . A total of 81,310 conversions have been reported since the project commenced. Hallelujah! This is even more remarkable considering most of them labor among some of the darkest and most unreached areas of Asia, including numerous Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist people groups.

The Asian Workers’ Fund is constantly expanding and new workers are being recruited. We invite you to support one or more Asian missionaries with a gift of $25 per month each . A laminated prayer card and worker updates are sent to every supporter of this project.

Providing Bibles to Asia’s Christians

Current Total: 642,087 Bibles printed in 69 different languages.
Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and deliver.

Asia is home to many ethnic groups where people have been deprived access to God’s Word, sometimes for decades. The Asian Bible Fund provides the Scriptures in numerous languages throughout Southeast Asia, North Korea, the Indian subcontinent, and elsewhere.

In 2015 we printed 84,766 Bibles through the Asian Bible Fund. Last year we were privileged to provide God’s Word in the following languages:

Assamese, Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Haka Chin, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Khasi, Kuki, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Marwari, Mizo, Mundari, Nepali, Oraon, Oriyan, Punjabi, Sadri, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Tidem Chin, Urdu, Wa.

Each Bible costs an average of $2.70 to print and deliver through the Asian Bible Fund.

Please pray for our project and all those who are involved with providing God’s Word to the precious Christians of Asia.

There remains a critical shortage of Bibles in China today because of the massive growth of the church in rural areas. Tens of millions of house church Christians are still unable to access God’s Word. Our Bibles are distributed to all parts of China, helping establish new believers in the faith and adding fuel to the revival that continues to burn throughout the world’s most populated country. Each Bible costs just $1.80 to print and deliver .

Since 2000, we have printed and distributed more than 9.5 million Bibles to house churches in China, with 867,507 in 2015 alone. This represents 2,377 Bibles every day, 99 per hour, or one full Bible every 36 seconds throughout the year. Each one is a miracle. Thank you for praying and giving.

The Big Event of February 2016

Last year our activities were suddenly shaped by the massive earthquakes that struck the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal in April and May 2015. Our co-workers in Nepal were perfectly placed to help in the relief efforts, with much of their work already being near the epicenter of the quakes. They worked tirelessly, and always make sure the Good News of Jesus Christ was presented to those they helped physically. Thanks to a generous response from our supporters, we were able to feed and provide shelter to thousands of Nepalis from many ethnic groups. As the people of Nepal continue to get back on their feet, our contacts have found the communities they serve possess a newfound respect for Christians, and the people have a new openness to the Gospel.

We assisted countless others throughout Asia in 2015 through the Persecution & Relief Fund . Believers received life-saving operations they otherwise couldn’t afford, hundreds of widows and orphans were assisted in their distress, and numerous bicycles and motorcycles were provided to evangelists to help the Gospel go forth more quickly to reach thousands more people. In response to our October newsletter on Afghanistan, we have provided funds to construct fresh water wells in 20 villages of that war-torn nation.

Thank you for your prayers and generosity to this and all our projects in 2015. The Bible says that “God’s kindness leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4), and by displaying the love of God through practical methods, a great number of people last year were led to repentance and have experienced the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Testimony Corner

"On a recent trip I stopped to have dinner at a roadside hotel. While I waited for my food, an Imam (Muslim priest) sat down across from me. We began a conversation, and when he heard my family name he realized I come from a Muslim background. Intense questioning ensued because I was now a Christian, and I asked him what he thought of salvation.

To him, salvation occurs when a Muslim makes a pilgrimage to Islam’s most sacred site in Mecca. I took Scriptures from the Qur’an and the Bible and showed him that blood sacrifices are required to obtain God’s forgiveness. I explained that it is now only through the blood of Jesus Christ that true forgiveness and salvation comes.

The Imam broke into tears as I shared the love of Jesus and I helped clarify all of his doubts about the Gospel. He found true salvation and was eager to share his new faith with other Muslims so they too can find the Truth!"

Brother Vimal, a former Muslim, is one of hundreds of Asian evangelists we support through the Asian Workers' Fund. We invite you to join us as we help them take the Gospel to the unreached peoples of Asia.

May the Lord Jesus Bless and Use You in 2016!

Sat, 26 Dec 2015 00:37:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

As another year comes to a conclusion, everyone at Asia Harvest would like to thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support throughout 2015. We feel so privileged to serve the Lord in Asia.

Despite the gloomy news coming from many parts of the world, we want to encourage you that the Lord Jesus Christ is still in complete control of this world's timetable! He has been steadily reaping the harvest among the nations, and tens of thousands of people daily experience salvation throughout Asia. The kingdom of Jesus is expanding and He is the victor!

The blessed day will come when every ethnic group in the world will contain believers redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus, and He will draw the curtain on this sick and sorry age. Until that day we plan to keep marching forward, determined to lift up the banner of Jesus Christ among Asia's unreached peoples, and we invite you to again join us in 2016 in helping this vision become a reality.

In the coming year, we pray you and your loved ones will draw nearer to the Lord than ever before, and as you surrender your life to the Living God, He will use you to exalt the Name of Jesus, who said, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32).

God bless you!

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

A Pictorial Journey of God’s Word

Sun, 29 Nov 2015 23:54:00 GMT

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.” (Psalm 119:105-106).

Some years ago a passenger boarded a flight in Los Angeles, intending to fly to Oakland, California. The flight was due to last about an hour, but six hours into the flight he started to think something may have gone wrong! Somehow, due to a mixup, instead of being on a flight to Oakland he had boarded an international flight to Auckland, New Zealand! He continued to his new destination, where he was given a free holiday by the embarrassed airline.

Many Christians today presume they are heading to heaven. They have bought their ticket, and are confident of their final destination. Could it be that many will one day discover, to their horror, that they have been heading the wrong way for years, having acquired a false understanding of the Christian faith through a lack of knowledge of God’s Word?

Over the years, as we have traveled around various parts of the world, we have met many believers who have wanted to engage us in arguments about what English version of the Bible is the most accurate. Our focus is on something quite different.

We don’t have time to argue about translations, as we are in contact with church leaders of tens and hundreds of thousands of Christians throughout Asia who cannot access any version of Bible at all! Countless millions of people have never even seen a page of the Bible in their lives. They are unsaved and clueless about Jesus Christ. The Word of God is a lamp for our feet and a light to our path, but for multitudes of new Christians there is no light available to show them the way to walk with God.

Similarly, people sometimes want to engage us to find our views about the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. Of course we look forward to that wonderful event, but our focus is on reaching the more than one billion people in Asia who have yet to hear that Jesus came the first time!

Throughout Asia one of our greatest and most important privileges has been to provide Bibles for believers in countries that don’t allow free access to them. This has been a major part of our work since the 1980s. By the grace of God and the generosity of His people, we have now provided the Scriptures in 68 different languages through our Asian Bible Fund , in addition to our separate China Bible Fund which has printed and distributed more Bibles to the house church believers in China than we ever imagined possible when we started out.

In this our fifth and final newsletter of the year, we would like to share a pictorial journey of God’s Word in just one of the places we provide Bibles. We recently included some of these photos in an email newsletter, but we realize many people are not on our email list so we wanted to share them in this paper newsletter also. The pictures show a progression from the time the Bibles are printed to when they reach the hands of hungry Christians in a remote area hundreds of miles from where they originated. We hope you enjoy sharing a glimpse into part of this journey.

If you would like to help our vital Bible projects, we invite you to pray for all those involved. If the Lord impresses it on your heart, you can give to either our Asian Bible Fund ($2.70 per Bible) or our China Bible Fund ($1.80 per Bible). Thanks and God bless you.

A Pictorial Journey of God’s Word

Asia Harvest has provided millions of copies of God's Word in 68 different Asian languages. This newsletter traces the journey of 10,000 Bibles that we printed and delivered to just one tribal group in Southeast Asia.

STEP 1: 10,000 BIBLES PRINTED AND PREPARED FOR DELIVERY

STEP 2: BY BOAT

Next, the boxes of Bibles were transported in long-boats along the river to where many Christians were waiting to take them to the local bus station.

STEP 3: UP THE RIVER BANK AND TO THE BUS STATION

All hands were required to carry the heavy boxes up to the road. Local Christians provided their vehicles to move God’s Word to the bus station for the next stage of the journey.

S TEP 4: HUNDREDS OF MILES BY BUS

The longest part of the journey required the Bibles to travel by bus across the country. Here, some of the Bibles are about to be passed through the window and loaded onto the bus.

S TEP 5: BY MOTORCYCLE INTO THE MOUNTAINS

At the destination city the local believers came to take the Bibles on their motorcycles into the tribal areas where the expectant Christians awaited their arrival.

S TEP 6: ON FOOT TO THE VILLAGES

Hundreds of villages where the tribal believers live have no roads leading to them, so the Bibles were carried on foot along trails.

S TEP 7: SAFELY DELIVERED TO THE CHURCHES

Below is one of hundreds of churches where the Bibles were delivered and distributed. Thousands of tribal Christians were strengthened by God’s Word, and many new believers were subsequently added to the churches. Thanks for joining us on our pictorial journey. These hungry Christians had been praying for years for God to provide His Word to them. Thank you for praying and giving to make all this possible!

Afghanistan – The Gospel’s Final Frontier

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 05:25:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

We would like to introduce you to a country you will have heard about often, but probably only in terms of death and destruction. Our Lord Jesus died for the 72 unreached ethnic groups and 30 million people of Afghanistan . We would like to tell you about the people of this amazing country, and we will even present an opportunity for sharing the Gospel there.

Instead of images of sin-stained old men holding machine guns, which you have no doubt already seen through the media, we would like to present another side of Afghanistan in our newsletter. We want to show the lost humanity of people waiting to meet the Savior whose Name they have not yet heard. Yes, Afghanistan is a brutal and harsh place, but it is also home to millions of precious children and families not too different from people elsewhere. They want to live in peace, and they long for their children to grow up in health and wholeness.

Three ways you can bless the people of Afghanistan

In your church or family, please pray for each of the unreached groups of Afghanistan listed on pages 4-5 of our newsletter . Pray each group will soon hear the Gospel in their own language; and the Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of some to repent and believe upon Jesus Christ for salvation.
Please consider our “ Persecution & Relief Fund .” All gifts marked “Afghanistan” will help provide wells for Afghan villages without access to clean water.
Please pray for all Christians involved with these projects and for all believers in Afghanistan, that the Holy Spirit might protect and refresh them, and use their lives to glorify Jesus in Afghanistan.

How to Give

By credit or debit card or Paypal to our Persecution & Relief fund
By mailing a check/cheque to one of our offices (see addresses on our Contact page )
By bank transfer to one of our accounts around the world (see our Contact page )

May God be glorified among all the peoples of Afghanistan!

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

The China Bible Deception

Tue, 04 Aug 2015 04:58:00 GMT

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:12-13).

Over the years as we have met Christians in many parts of the world, we have been asked this question: “Before the Lord Jesus returns, do you think the world will see a great, sweeping revival, or do you think there will be a mass falling away from the faith?”

After thinking long and hard about this question in light of the Scriptures, we answer, “Yes!” We believe both are true, and each scenario is taking place simultaneously right now.

On one hand there is no doubt that God is doing an amazing work in many parts of the world that had never previously heard the Gospel. Tens of millions of people have been swept into the kingdom of God in recent decades in some of the countries we are privileged to serve in, such as China, India, Nepal, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia. Similar reports come in from nations in Africa and Latin America. These are truly amazing times for the Gospel, especially in places where it had never taken root in the past.

On the other hand, the church in “Christian” lands is struggling both spiritually and numerically. In some places the situation is dire. Pulpits are full of smiling preachers giving watered-down presentations of the Gospel, which inoculates unbelievers against the claims of Jesus and hardens the hearts of the listeners. Deception is rampant, and the faith of many is being found wanting as society disintegrates around them. Those nations with spiritual life are being given more, while those who refuse to abide in Christ and have rejected God are shriveling on the vine. Perhaps this is what was meant by the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25:29: “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

Our Lord spoke much about the end times and the conditions in the world before His Coming. One of the main warnings he gave was of widespread deception. Believers must guard against it and warn others not to fall prey to false doctrine and practice.

In relation to work in China, it’s not difficult for us to see how deception has already gained a major foothold in much of the worldwide church. Take the matter of Bibles in China for example. In our experience we would say a clear majority of Christians in Western nations are “certain” that Bibles are freely available to all Christians in China today. They have read articles about it, or heard some ministry leader on radio or television saying there are now plenty of Bibles. There are even Chinese officials who travel around the world extensively, proclaiming this lie.

Friend, have you believed such a thing? If so, please let us tell you in love... don’t be deceived! It is simply not true. We think this lie is one of the biggest deceptions in the Christian world in the past 50 years.

Some of the biggest names in Western Christianity are vocal in telling believers everywhere that China has all the Bibles it needs. On this matter, these people are “deceiving and being deceived” as Paul’s letter to Timothy stated. We would like to see some of these people sit face to face with house church leaders—like the ones whose letters are interspersed throughout this newsletter—and repeat to them what they so confidently proclaim to Western Christians. The Chinese leaders would look upon them with deep pity and disbelief.

You probably know there are two main types of Protestant churches in China today— those belonging to the government-approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and the illegal house church movements. Most experts agree that about one-third of China’s Christians attend the government churches, while two-thirds remain outside state control. Bibles are meant to be readily available to believers in the Three-Self churches, but in recent years even the official supply appears to have dwindled in a number of regions.

“Our fellowships are in the countryside and we have been attempting for many years to get enough Bibles so that all believers in our churches could have their own copy. We previously tried to get Bibles from the government- controlled Three-Self Church, but we became frustrated with their many unfulfilled promises to deliver Bibles. Sometimes a few would come; but normally there would be none or many less than we ordered. We travelled from fellowship to fellowship collecting eggs, rice or whatever people could afford to donate to raise funds to purchase these Bibles, but we were cheated many times. We currently need 184,234 Bibles so that every believer in our fellowships can have their own copy. Your delivery of God’s Word to us is an answer to prayer and we thank you beyond what words can express!” - A Regional Church leader, Heilongjiang Province

Some church and mission leaders around the world claim China’s house churches are also able to obtain large quantities of God’s Word through the government channels, but this is nonsense. In the past, they have been able to pick up a few crumbs that fell from the table of the government churches, but that supply has been cut off. The house churches, who number at least 60 million believers throughout China, have been deliberately starved of Bibles in a bid to force them to register with the Three- Self Patriotic Movement. Most refuse to do so regardless of the pressure and manipulations.

Some people have contacted us over the years, asking why Asia Harvest continues to print Bibles for the house churches in China. Some have made a few trips to major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, where local believers tell them they have enough Bibles. Others have contacts in Guangdong Province, where Bibles have been more accessible for decades due to its close proximity to Hong Kong. Many foolishly think that what they are told in a few major cities must also apply in all of China’s 31 provinces, and they zealously report it back in their home countries.

Others claim they can help us order as many Bibles as we need for the house churches, and that once paid for, the Bibles will be printed and delivered without complication. These people seem sincere, and whenever we are told this we reply, “Great! Let’s start by ordering 20,000 Bibles, please.” On every occasion, the truth soon emerges that the person’s confidence was misplaced. When they attempt to place a large order, they invariably find they are unable to secure more than a small number of Bibles, perhaps only 20 to 50 copies, when the house churches need tens of thousands each month just to keep pace with the new believers coming to Christ.

The claims that Bibles are freely available to all Christians in China is a big deception, designed to trick Christians around the world. It has largely been effective. The tragic reality is that the house churches in China are experiencing a massive famine of God’s Word.

Friends, the situation in China is increasingly desperate, and the revival fires that have burned throughout the world’s most populated country for the past 40 years have started to dim. Please remember to uphold the Chinese house church believers in prayer.

A decade ago we knew of at least a dozen different mission organizations that were providing God’s Word to the house churches in China. Today we are aware of just three or four. The remainder stopped this crucial ministry for a host of reasons, from financial hardship to scandals in their organizations. Others found it is politically incorrect in the Christian world to help the house churches in China, because they are illegal entities. Those organizations found it more comfortable to align themselves with the Chinese government and the official church. Ministries like Asia Harvest that continue to supply Bibles to the house churches have been increasingly marginalized and placed under pressure, and security has been tightened as China seeks to block the flow of God’s Word to churches that refuse to submit to their control.

In this newsletter we celebrate Asia Harvest recently passing the milestone of 9 million Bibles printed and distributed in China since we began many years ago.

If the day truly comes when Bibles are freely available to all Christians in China, we will be the first to rejoice! In that day we will gladly step aside and encourage the house churches to access God’s Word through normal channels like bookstores. Unfortunately, that day seems far off. As long as the need remains and millions of God’s children hunger for the Bread of Life, by God’s grace and providence we plan to continue printing Bibles for the house church believers in China, whether it is politically correct to do so or not.

We understand how the subject of Bibles in China must seem contradictory and confusing to people. Let us try to summarize it with this little illustration:

Imagine there are 100 Christians living in your town. Seventy attend your church, and 30 another. The smaller church has agreed to come under the control of the atheistic government, but your church refuses, believing the Church should only be under the headship of Jesus Christ. As a result, the government permits the church of 30 people to have Bibles, but your church of 70 are barred from accessing God’s Word. Those who attempt to illegally produce or distribute Bibles risk arrest and three years in prison without trial. Furthermore, imagine if the smaller church uses political power to convince the world there is complete religious freedom in your town, and that Bibles are freely available to everyone.

The above illustration, in a nutshell, is the ludicrous and unjust situation that tens of millions of Christians in the Chinese house church system find themselves in today. As long as the Lord Jesus Christ continues to give us breath and the need for God’s Word remains among China’s house churches, we plan to continue supplying as many as we can as the Lord provides the resources to do so.

“Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, thank you so much for providing the Bread of Life to the new believers in our fellowships! There is an old saying that if you give someone a fish you feed him for a day; but if you teach him to fish you feed him for a lifetime. I believe that by providing these Bibles you are feeding us for a lifetime. We use these Scriptures every day to learn more about our Heavenly Father’s plan for our lives and to become more effective in sharing the Gospel with seekers and those that have never heard the Good News. May the Living God bless you!” - A House Church leader, Shaanxi Province

China Bible Map

Bibles Delivered by Province:

Anhui - 910,611
Heilongjiang - 861,926
Inner Mongolia - 807,782
Shandong - 697,013
Henan - 695,974
Zhejiang - 661,679
Jilin - 475,022
Shanxi - 387,472
Gansu - 337,531
Jiangsu - 318,260
Sichuan - 290,481
Liaoning - 278,983
Guangxi - 262,305
Shaanxi - 255,553
Hebei - 248,463
Jiangxi - 243,336
Hubei - 222,972
Qinghai - 210,212
Xinjiang - 200,599
Shanghai - 195,218
Chongqing - 190,691
Fujian - 131,083
Hainan Island - 127,855
Guangdong - 77,178
Beijing - 69,932
Yunnan - 31,566
Guizhou - 13,693
Hunan - 12,764
Tibet - 5,637
Ningxia - 5,594
Tianjin - 4,989

TOTAL - 9,232,375

Thanks to the grace of God and your prayers and generous support, Asia Harvest recently passed the milestone of 9 million Chinese Bibles printed and delivered to the house churches in China. Our co-workers provide detailed reports, allowing us to keep track of every Bible we print and to create this distribution map. On behalf of all the grateful believers in China, thank you and God bless you!

“Over the years since I first heard the Gospel and became an evangelist I have often cried out to the Lord about our need for Bibles so that our new Christians can be strong and fruitful disciples of Jesus Christ. Tragically, many times when we have led people to the Lord and failed to provide them with Bibles, some have given up the faith or lost focus. As of our last count we need an additional 389,339 Bibles for everyone in our churches to have their own copy. The Bibles you provide have been an answer to our prayers and we thank the Lord for you. We appreciate that you have allowed yourselves to be used by the Lord in this important work! We are glad to now also support the Bible fund from our own fellowships. Although the amount we can give is small we feel honored to be involved in this important ministry.” - A Regional Church leader, Inner Mongolia

We thank God for every person who has prayed and given to help get God’s Word to hungry believers in China. Occasionally people ask us what our annual budget is for the China Bible Fund. This question always makes us smile, because we have no budget. A budget implies that we have fixed expenses to meet. We don’t. Our method all these years has been much more simple. We have never fretted about provision.

If a million dollars comes in for China Bibles, we can print and supply a million dollars of Bibles. If a hundred dollars comes in, we provide $100 of Bibles. That is our budget. Apart from sending out free newsletters like the one in your hands, we do no fund- raising whatsoever. The Lord Jesus is our fund-raiser. His Spirit moves on believers’ hearts and leads them to get involved with this project and others. Incredibly, He has so far provided 9.3 million Chinese Bibles through Asia Harvest.

For years we have printed full Chinese Bibles for just $1.80 each. This price is kept low because the rural Chinese house church Christians, despite their poverty, insist on covering all the considerable transportation and shipping costs of the project. Some house churches also now donate whatever they are able towards the cost of the Bibles.

By the grace of God we plan to continue until every single Chinese Christian who hungers for the Word of God is able to access it. Please pray for everyone involved with this crucial project, both inside and outside China. Without the protection of the Holy Spirit this whole initiative would fold in an instant.

T hank you.

The Journey of God’s Word to Myanmar (Burma)

Tue, 30 Jun 2015 09:41:00 GMT

This month we would like to share with you various pictures (below) of the long and difficult process involved with getting Bibles safely delivered into the hands of hungry tribal Christians in a remote part of Myanmar (Burma).

Asia Harvest has been privileged to provide millions of copies of God's Word in 68 different Asian languages. Please pray for our Bible projects, which are a vital lifeline to His people throughout Asia.

We warmly invite you to pray for our Bible projects, and to join with us to help meet the needs of many tribal believers throughout Asia, some of whom have been without Bibles for decades.

HOW TO GIVE

By credit or debit card or Paypal to our Asian Bible fund or China Bible Fund
By mailing a check/cheque to one of our offices (see addresses on our Contact page )
By bank transfer to one of our accounts around the world (see our Contact page )

May God continue to feed millions of His children throughout Asia with the Bread of Life!

The team at Asia Harvest
www.asiaharvest.org

Step One: by Truck

10,000 Bibles begin their journey from a secret location.

Step Two: by Car

Local Christians provide their vehicles to move God's Word to the next stage of the journey.

S tep Three: by Boat

Boxes of Bibles being transported in a Burmese long-boat.

Step Four: up the River Bank

All hands required to bring the heavy boxes up to the road.

Step Five: by Motorcycle

The journey is nearing completion.

Step Six: on Foot

Local Christians gleefully carry Bibles back to their waiting village.

Step Seven: Delivery Completed!

These precious tribal Christians receive God's Word for the first time in more than 20 years.

Thank you for praying and giving to make all this possible!

Relief Is Reaching the Most Remote Parts of Nepal

Fri, 15 May 2015 03:58:00 GMT

Because of your generous gifts, relief is now reaching the remote Nubri valley in northern Nepal. The only way to get there is by helicopter. Tons of supplies are making their way to Nubri, Tsum and other isolated areas.

Thank you and God bless you!

We expect we will be helping the quake survivors in Nepal for months to come as the recovery process shifts from the emergency to the rebuilding stage. Please continue to pray. If you would like to contribute, it would be a great blessing.

HOW TO GIVE

By credit or debit card or Paypal to our Persecution & Relief fund
By mailing a check/cheque to one of our offices (see addresses on our Contact page )
By bank transfer to one of our accounts around the world (see our Contact page )

We guarantee that all donated funds will be sent directly to the relief efforts in Nepal. Nothing is taken out for administration or any other expense.

Nepal Update: $1.07 Provides a Hot Meal to Earthquake Survivors

Mon, 04 May 2015 08:37:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

We thank the Lord Jesus Christ for the many prayers and generous donations received on behalf of the people of Nepal since the horrific April 25th earthquake.

With Your Support We Plan to Feed 2,000 People, Twice per Day.

Asia Harvest has committed to feed 2,000 homeless earthquake survivors for the next two weeks in the city of Bhaktapur. This is in conjunction with two churches in the city, who are expressing the love of Christ to the people in a wonderful way.

These 2,000 people have gathered on open fields, sheltering under tarps and sheets of plastic. Each simple meal (consisting of rice, lentils, sugar and other basic food) costs just $1.07 to buy and prepare. This doesn't sound like much, but for the two-week period feeding that many people will cost a total of $60,000. After two weeks the government says they will be in a better position to assist, but they greatly appreciate the vital help being provided by Christians now. It is literally a life and death situation for many of them.

Please pray for the 2,000 people we are privileged to be helping. Pray that when the time comes to rebuild their lives, many of them will build with Jesus Christ as their unshakable foundation.

Would you please consider helping the precious people of Nepal? A gift of $30 will feed one person for the next 14 days (two meals per day). A donation of $300 will help 10 people .

This is a wonderful opportunity not only to sustain these desperate people in their hour of great need, and in doing so we will be blessing the Lord Jesus who said, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me...Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:35,40).

HOW TO GIVE
1. By credit or debit card or Paypal to our Persecution & Relief fund
2. By mailing a check/cheque to one of our offices (see addresses on our Contact page )
3. By bank transfer to one of our acounts around the world (see our Contact page )

We guarantee that all donated funds will be sent directly to the relief efforts in Nepal. Nothing is taken out for administration or any other expense.

Please check our website (or our Facebook page) for updates in the coming days.

May God be glorified among all the peoples of Nepal!
The team at Asia Harvest

Nepal Update: Help Is on the Way

Wed, 29 Apr 2015 10:59:00 GMT

Friends,

Thank you for your prayers and support for the people of Nepal, even as the official death count rises to over 5,000.

Thanks to the generous support of many, we have already sent $40,000 to Nepal, but much more will be needed as areas near the epicenter are visited for the first time.

Our coworkers on the ground in Nepal have come up with a specific course of action to help the worst affected. Earlier today they wrote:

"I am writing to you with a heavy heart. The remote areas that have defined the mission have been catastrophically hit by the affects of the earthquake. Initial reports indicate close to 90% destruction with widespread loss of life. Many of the projects and infrastructure that we have worked so diligently to build over the years has been dealt a significant blow.

What remains intact is our resolve to see Christ exalted amongst these remote communities. We have an unprecedented opportunity to unfold God's pervasive grace upon areas where hearts are now open and they are crying for help. We are positioned for success through the decades of community building that now affords us the relational grid to deliver both natural and eternal results.

An "air team" is boarding helicopters by the end of this week to meet with remote community leaders and further assess the damage. Plans are underway to dispatch a "ground team" in an effort to reach these communities by foot. It is no exaggeration to expect up to 3-4 weeks of walking over landslides to reach these areas. We will be commandeering hundreds of donkeys to help transport crucial supplies including tarps, rope, portable water filtration systems, medicine and food . Once on site, emergency health care will be provided along with crucial aid . This will be just the beginning.

We need your help more than ever. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity for exalting Christ in the hearts of unreached people groups that have remained resistant to the gospel until today. Now is the time to hoist the flag of God's kingdom at the top of the world. We are giving our everything to capitalize on this opportunity and I ask you to join us in the same measure."

We guarantee that all donated funds will be sent directly to the relief efforts in Nepal. Nothing is taken out for administration or any other expense.

Emergency in Nepal

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 05:49:00 GMT

The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal urgently needs your prayers and help. On Saturday April 25, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the nation. More than 3,500 people are already confirmed dead, but this number is expected to rise sharply by the thousands in coming days. Seismologists say the quake was 22 times more powerful than the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Asia Harvest has been serving in Nepal since April 1990 - exactly 25 years ago. We currently support over 100 Nepali missionaries throughout the country. Communications are down in much of Nepal, but we have managed to hear from our three largest ministry partners. They report widespread devastation and fear, and while it is not known if any of their workers have died, a number of their immediate family members have perished and everyone is sleeping outside, too afraid to go inside buildings as frequent aftershocks continue to strike. Due to the remote locations of many of the workers, it may take weeks before a clear picture emerges of the loss of life and the scale of the disaster.

Please pray for the people of Nepal. Pray this disaster will turn hearts toward the Lord Jesus Christ, and many will find eternal life in Him. Our partners are best placed to help their local communities.

Please consider a donation to our Persecution & Relief fund. All funds we receive will go to Nepal and provide necessities including blankets, medicine, food, water, tents and clothing . Once the initial rescue stage has been completed we will use funds for the rehabilitation stage so that people can start to get back on their feet again.

We guarantee that all donated funds will be sent directly to the relief efforts in Nepal. Nothing is taken out for administration or any other expense.

Please check our website for updates in the coming days.

Thank you and may God be glorified among all the peoples of Nepal!
The team at Asia Harvest

Bringing Joy to the Heart of God

Fri, 24 Apr 2015 01:44:00 GMT

The Scriptures talk about a number of things that break God’s heart and that stir Him to action. For example, the Bible frequently highlights the needs of the poor and oppressed. James declared, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world“ (James 1:27).

Because of a lack of space, many of the activities of Asia Harvest do not get reported in our newsletters. In our ministry, providing relief for widows and orphans ranks as a high priority, because we see it is a high priority to our Heavenly Father.

Asia Harvest supports numerous initiatives that help persecuted Christians and widows and orphans in need throughout Asia through our Persecution & Relief fund and other projects.

We would like to share some of the testimonies we recently received from people being helped by your loving support.

An Indian Brother in Distress
An urgent message arrived from one of the ministry leaders we support in the great country of India. A 29-year-old engaged evangelist named Arun, who shares the Gospel in the slums of a large city, had fallen seriously ill. He was paralyzed and unable to speak or walk. A doctor diagnosed that he immediately required two replacement heart valves, and that he had suffered two strokes as a result of the lack of medical care in his area.

We joined hands with another ministry, and we each covered half the cost of these urgent operations. The funds we sent came from gifts received for the Persecution & Relief Fund . By the time you read this newsletter, Arun will have undergone surgery. Please pray for this young man’s healing and for his fiancé, that their lives may continue to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

UPDATE: Please pray. Arun had the surgery but was re-admitted to the emergency ward after returning home for a few days. His heart-rate was 180. Doctors are continuing to treat him. Please lift this brother up before the throne of grace in his time of need.

Vietnam Widows in Great Need
The day after we sent assistance for Arun, a batch of applications for the Living Martyrs’ Fund arrived from our co-workers in Vietnam. These letters always touch our hearts. We would like to share just two that we received from elderly widows. We committed to start supporting 20 of these faithful widows immediately, with the loving assistance of concerned believers around the world.

Sister Lily wrote, “I am now 70-years-old. My husband was martyred for Christ while preaching the Gospel many years ago. Since that time I have been alone and at times I feel totally overwhelmed by the needs and difficulties I face. I am greatly encouraged that fellow believers are considering helping my needs in the twilight of my life. This causes me to constantly praise His Name! My greatest joy is to commune with God and to pray for those around the village.”

Another elderly sister, Madeline, wrote, “I am now 85-years of age. My health is deteriorating and I suffer insomnia along with cardio vascular difficulties, partial blindness and worsening memory loss. I will deeply appreciate the funds you send as it will enable me to buy medication and daily food. I miss my husband deeply, and wonder how I could survive if the Lord does not provide my daily needs. Thank you and God bless you!”

Blankets for India
The past winter saw record low temperatures and snowfall across northern India, where we support hundreds of evangelists through the Asian Workers’ Fund . Thousands of people reportedly froze to death in areas not accustomed to such harsh conditions. An urgent request came in, asking us to help provide blankets and relief to 400 vulnerable Christian families and widows. We had the privilege of assisting, and subsequently received dozens of letters of appreciation. Here are a few of them:

“My husband died of cancer a year ago and I have been a widow since. It has been difficult to survive and I do not receive any government assistance. During the brutal winter I sheltered from the cold by covering myself with old rice sacks at night. The sacks were so dirty that they caused me to itch all day. Then I received a lovely warm blanket from you, and my heart was filled with gratitude. I will never forget your grace and love and the difference you have made in my life.” - Hiramani

“I live in a straw hut that is not covered properly as we were unable to make enough straw this past harvest season. Every night the dew fell through the gaps in our roof, and our family suffered great misery due to the bitter cold. Then you made us warm by providing a nice blanket, and you have covered us with your love. Thank you so much for your generous gift.” - Jhitri

“I have no income or government assistance, but with four little grandchildren to take care of, my burdens are very heavy. When the cold weather arrived I couldn’t bear to see the little ones suffer so I have them all my warm clothes. After that I had a very pathetic time in the cold. Even sitting near the fire seemed to make no difference. Then your blanket arrived. It made me so happy. Thank you!” - Premsila

“I am a widow who lost my husband last year. This winter was terribly cold, and I did my best to gather sticks to put on the fire at night. I was much more concerned about keeping the fire alive than eating food. I didn’t know if I would survive, and I fluctuated between life and death due to the miserable conditions. Then when I received a lovely warm blanket from you my tears rolled down my cheeks. Thank you so much for your love.” - Suabati

We want to thank the many people who have prayed and given to our projects. We hope these letters are an encouragement to you. We feel so blessed that God has connected us with Christians who have a desire to make a difference in people’s lives.

It always amazes us how many lives can be impacted by so little investment. The 400 blankets we provided in India cost a total of $1,300 — just $3.25 each!

Aligning Our Lives with God’s Priorities

Tue, 07 Apr 2015 03:56:00 GMT

Many years ago, one of our good friends on the mission field was a man named Graham. He was a deep thinker who loved to encourage other believers to follow the Lord, sometimes by using unconventional methods to grab their attention.

One day after church, Graham was asked to give a ride home to a couple of teenagers from the youth group. A horrible murder had taken place in their town just a few days earlier. Graham tried to discuss what had happened with the youngsters, but was met with stony silence. All efforts to discuss the event were ignored. After driving for about twenty minutes, Graham casually rolled down his car window, and in full view of his passengers, he tossed a small paper bag onto the side of the road. The young believers were shocked! They angrily denounced his action with disgust and condemnation. When they had calmed down, Graham asked why they hadn’t shown any anger or concern at all about the murder victim or his family, yet his simple act of littering had riled them so much.

Friends, much of what happens in Christian circles today is like that. Much church activity majors on minor things, and minors on the major things that are most important to the heart of God.

For example, billions of dollars are spent on elaborate church buildings in much of the world, despite the Bible declaring “the Lord of heaven and earth does not live in temples built by human hands” (Acts 17:24). Meanwhile, the other half of the world’s population has never seen a Bible or heard the gospel even once in their lives.

The Canadian pastor Oswald J. Smith once famously stated, “No one has the right to hear the Gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once.” If the Body of Christ had a focus like that, the world would be a very different place today.

Christians should regularly examine our hearts to ensure we are focusing on things with real eternal value; so that we will be investing our time, energy and resources on the things that matter to the Lord Jesus Christ, who declared, “God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). Because it’s so easy to lose focus, we ought to pray fervently, asking the Lord to open our eyes and help us to have the same priorities that He has.

You are probably familiar with the huge humanitarian agency World Vision, which sponsors children in impoverished nations around the world. Are you aware of how World Vision started in the 1950s? Its founder, Bob Pierce, had little money or influence, but he loved God. He wanted to make his life count, so he got on his knees and prayed, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”

The Lord answers sincere prayers like that. Bob Pierce has long since passed away, but the work he started continues to touch the lives of millions of children throughout the earth.

We pray that you, dear friend, will also have a heart that beats with the same purpose as the heart of the Lord Jesus. Please also pray for us and all those we work with throughout Asia, that God would cause us to always be focused on the things that matter most to Him.

Asia Harvest Annual Report 2014/15

Thu, 26 Feb 2015 16:38:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

We are thankful for the opportunity to share our Annual Report, detailing the help Asia Harvest was able to provide the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2014.

It has been a great privilege to serve the Lord in Asia for another year, and we are blessed to be a link in a chain that has resulted in many people coming to know Him. Last year more than a million believers were strengthened in their faith after receiving God’s Word through our Bible projects, and the hundreds of Asian evangelists we support led thousands of people to faith in Christ among dozens of remote unreached people groups.

For more than 25 years our strategy has always been to operate with as few overhead expenses as possible, so that resources get to the hands of the frontline workers of God’s kingdom—the many Asian Christians we feel honored to assist and serve. We are thankful for each person who prayed for and supported our work last year. Without your vital partnership none of these things would have occurred.

Read the 2014/15 Annual Report

Keeping Things Simple

Thu, 05 Feb 2015 16:58:00 GMT

“I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2-3).

Over the years we have come to understand that the Gospel is a simple, life-giving message that can transform whole communities, turning darkness to light and changing people bound by chains of sin into children of God. Often, however, a Christian’s faith can become cluttered the further they go in their walk with the Lord. Layers of human tradition can easily be added to the simple message that once gave us a “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

We hear from many believers whose lives have become bound up with the cares of this world. They are anxious about the moral direction of their nation, disillusioned and bitter with ungodly politicians, or vexed by all kinds of conspiracy theories and worries. Believers ought to step back and ask themselves some simple questions: Does dwelling on these things help you love Jesus Christ more? Do they produce a desire in you for holiness and a hunger for God’s Word? Do they give you a zeal to share the Gospel with the lost and a jealous desire for wellbeing of God’s people? If not, then those cares will take you away from a simple, abiding and loving faith in Jesus. Such things may be part of the “serpent’s cunning” referred to in the above Scripture.

Keeping Things Simple In Asia

When it comes to serving the Lord in missions, things can become complicated too. Recently a big Christian “think tank” contacted many mission organizations, including us, because they desired to clearly define what a ‘church’ is. We saw some of the responses from others. Their answers were so complicated it left us tied up in knots! Words were used that required a dictionary to find their meaning. When it came time for us to respond, we decided not to waste words. Instead, we simply sent them this picture.

To us, this picture is a perfect definition of church! These Indonesian believers have gathered together on a few connected boats to worship the Lord. Their faces are full of joy and light, and they clearly enjoy one another’s company. They don’t seem too anxious about pending economic doom or the moral demise of society. They just love Jesus and are thankful for the opportunity to meet together and to feed on God’s Word.

We should never look down on Christians in other parts of the world who may lack the resources our churches do. After all, which setting better resembles a church meeting in the Gospels: the casual gathering of these Indonesian fishermen, or the elaborate and costly buildings that saturate much of the Christian world?

We are determined to keep things simple in the work the Lord has called us to do. We have learned so much over the years from the sincere, child-like faith of countless brothers and sisters in Asia. They have much they could teach us in the ‘sophisticated’ Church.

As we continue to serve the Lord in Asia, we are constantly reminded that the greatest progress in the kingdom of God is often made through simple servants. In our experience the Gospel advances best and quickest in Asia through simple believers who sit down in teashops and factory dormitories throughout Asia to respectfully tell their friends what a difference Jesus has made in their lives.

This is how more than 100 million people became Christians in China in the past few generations, and tens of millions more are pressing into the kingdom throughout other parts of Asia. It has little to nothing to do with clever church-planting strategies or media evangelism. It has much to do with the power of simple believers sharing their stories with others who have not yet heard. Never underestimate the power of a testimony. It can blow Satan’s kingdom to pieces! The church will triumph over the devil “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11).

It is a great joy for us to be allowed to serve the Church in Asia, and to come alongside them (not controlling, leading or manipulating them) as they reach out to the lost. Many of those we serve have few possessions by the world’s standards, but they possess Jesus Christ and they desire to make Him known to as many people as possible. God loves such an attitude, and He empowers them to do great works and to bring multitudes into His kingdom.

Be Encouraged

Dear friends, we would like to encourage you in your own walk with God. By “walk with God” we mean exactly that. Our Heavenly Father desires the same thing from you that He did with Adam and Eve long ago. He longs to walk with you in the cool of the evening, as you share your affections and life with Him. If it has been a while since you opened your heart up to the Lord and just honestly shared your life and struggles with Him, please stop and do so now. Jesus said, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37).

May we never lose the simplicity of faith and relationship with the Lord Jesus. We recently heard one preacher say that when he is asked why God decided to create people, he replies, “He had one Son already and He enjoyed that Son so much that he wanted a bigger family.”

It’s not too late for anyone to go back to the simplicity of a loving relationship. You may need to cut some things out of your life that are blocking the flow of His presence, such as ungodly influence or some human or church traditions, but our Heavenly Father is waiting to meet with you again and take a stroll with you in the cool of the evening.

Asia Harvest currently supports more than 1,000 Asian missionaries in over 600 unreached people groups through the Asian Workers' Fund . These servants of the Lord have committed their whole lives to the Gospel but are hindered by lack of finances. You can help share in the support these dedicated workers for $25 per month each . A prayer card and bi-annual updates are sent to all regular donors of this project.

Asia Harvest E-Bulletin – January 2015

Mon, 19 Jan 2015 15:52:00 GMT

Dear Friends, We hope your year has started well. We appreciate your prayers, encouragement and support last year. Next month we will send out our Annual Report, but we covet your prayers as we continue to follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus by pursuing lost people groups in the most remote and difficult parts of Asia.

There is much work to do! Do not be deceived as many believers are, into thinking the work of reaching the world is basically completed and we can now sit back and relax. Are you waiting for the return of the Lord Jesus to this earth? So are we! But He will not, and cannot return until there are worshippers of the Lamb from among every "tribe, language, people and nation" (see Rev. 5, and Rev. 7).

According to our latest research, out of a total of 6,540 distinct ethnic groups in the Asian countries we are targeting, 5,005 groups are still considered "most unreached" and are yet to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

This month we would like to share a short 7-minute video of just one of the unreached people groups of Asia - the little-known Kalash people of north Pakistan . This video will give you an insight into the kind of environment these groups live in, and why they remain unevangelized. As you will see, even travelling to the Kalash area is not for the faint-hearted. They will never know the Lord Jesus unless Christians first pray fervently for their salvation, so we invite you to watch the video and pray that the Kalash people may soon hear the Gospel and the Name of Jesus will be rightly glorified among this unique tribe.

Asia Harvest currently supports more than 1,000 Asian missionaries in over 600 unreached people groups through the Asian Workers' Fund. These servants of the Lord have committed their whole lives to the Gospel but are hindered by lack of finances. You can help share in the support these dedicated workers for $25 per month each . A prayer card and bi-annual updates are sent to all regular donors of this project. Click here to learn more.

Sound Doctrine and Poisoned Cows

Mon, 15 Dec 2014 15:11:00 GMT

Effective Evangelism

In the past we have shared about the soul-winning benefits of providing the Scriptures to hungry believers. In China, feedback has suggested that an average of two or three people come to Jesus Christ either directly or indirectly after Bibles are sent to churches. We know of numerous instances where the church in an area has doubled after receiving a shipment of Bibles. Now, we would like to focus on another major benefit of providing God’s Word to believers. To some, this reason may not sound quite as exciting as the evangelism stories, but it is crucial to the well-being and development of the kingdom of God in Asia. The second major benefit is...

Sound Doctrine

Asia is full of strange and bizarre religious beliefs. Numerous cults and sects flood the continent, and it is a constant battle for Christian leaders just to keep the most dangerous heresies from infiltrating and destroying their flocks. For example, in China a cult called the Eastern Lightning continues to ravage churches throughout the country. At the core of the strange movement is the belief that Jesus has been reincarnated as a woman and is living in central China, waiting for the right time for her identity to be revealed to the world.

When you read this you may think, “That’s ridiculous! No Christian would ever believe such nonsense.” Well yes, but in a country where Bibles been limited to members of the government-approved church in a deliberate attempt to strangle the massive house church movement, many believers with a shallow knowledge of the Bible have been easy pickings for this cult. While in some parts of China the church has strongly resisted the Eastern Lightning, in other areas the impact has been devastating. Several years ago we met a senior house church leader responsible for many churches in northwest China. With tears in his eyes, he recounted how the cult had specifically targeted their congregations. Consequently, in just two years the number of fellowships under his leadership had shrunk from 400 to 250.

This brother is a godly, mature man who loves the Lord Jesus with all his heart. With the Scriptures and Bible teachers in short supply, however, his leadership team had simply been unable to withstand the onslaught of the cult.

Poisoned Cows

Earlier this year we read about a strange situation that occurred in a farming area in New Zealand. Without warning, one farmer found that his cows were falling sick and dying. The illness was a great mystery, and the farmer had never experienced anything like it before. He called in health inspectors who tested the farm’s water supply for contaminants and conducted other environmental tests. While all this was unfolding, more cows fell sick and died. Soon almost his entire herd of 100 cows was sick.

When the results came back from the laboratory, the cause of the cows’ sickness was found to be lead poisoning. The lead readings were off the chart, and the remainder of the herd was slaughtered. The farmer was baffled. A further autopsy of one of the dead cows revealed the cause.

A rifle range was located near the farm. Over time, hundreds of stray bullets and casings had landed in the adjacent farmland. They were inadvertently mulched up with the grass to produce straw, which was then fed to the livestock. The tiny specks of lead, too small to see with the naked eye, had poisoned the cows.

False Bible teaching can have the same impact on a believer that the lead poisoning had on the herd of cows. Over time, wrong teaching produces wrong thoughts about the character of God. This manifests in our lives as sinful behavior, which ultimately leads to spiritual death (alienation from Jesus Christ). For this reason all Christians should pay careful attention to what we are being fed. First and foremost, if we don’t know God’s Word ourselves, we will not be able to discern if fragments of poison are part of our regular spiritual diet.

Surely nothing is more important in Christian work than the teaching of sound doctrine. This is particularly important for those involved in Bible teaching or missionary work. Many Christians think that being politically correct is more important than standing up for truth, even the truth of God’s Word.

The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon once taught about the grave responsibility preachers have to teach sound doctrine. He said, “Ensuring a printing press is correct has to be done with great care since thousands of copies will be faulty if the proof sheet is not as it should be. Similarly, a minister should be seriously earnest to teach truth because his people will imitate him. If the town clock is wrong, half the watches in the place will be set to the wrong time.”

For good reason the Scriptures warn, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly” (James 3:1).

The Apostle Paul gave a dire warning about the dangers of false teaching when he wrote, “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:9).

All who work in Christian ministry should carefully study 1 Timothy chapter 4, which instructs us about the perils of false doctrine. The passage concludes with this exhortation: “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).

At Asia Harvest, we are constantly doing all we can to ensure that we, and those we work with and support, are upholding and teaching sound doctrine, and not compromising any of the essential truths of God’s Word. We consider this the first and most basic of our responsibilities. If we don’t ensure the message we are spreading is accurate and true, then everything we do is in vain, and all we could look forward to would be the judgment of God for misrepresenting the truth of the Gospel that His beloved Son sacrificed His life for!

God’s Antidote

The most effective way we know to counteract error and heresy in the Asian church is to provide as many Bibles as possible to serious believers who desire to know and obey the Scriptures. For many years we have seen that God’s Word truly is “living and active”. We have seen the Living Word transform lives as people have read it and allowed their minds to be renewed and transformed by it.

We have seen heresies crumble and crooked teaching made straight by the power of the Holy Spirit confirming the Word of God. Because He is alive, the Word of God Himself, Jesus Christ, can rightfully claim: “my word that goes out from my mouth will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

A Reality Check

Many people ask us, “Aren’t there already enough Bibles for people in Asia today?”

Here are some shocking statistics which may provide a reality check...
There are 7,000 languages in the world today.

Of these, only 513 have the full Bible available.

In Asia, 1,600 languages have no Scripture available at all , not even a single book or portion of the Bible.

Half the people in the world have never even seen a page of the Bible in their lives! Getting God’s Word to those people is our priority and focus, and we invite you to help get this done. Click here to learn how.

God’s Greatest Missionary

Thu, 11 Dec 2014 18:34:00 GMT

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12).

“The greatest missionary is the Bible in the Mother tongue. It never needs a furlough, and is never considered a foreigner.” — Cameron Townsend, Founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators

Providing God’s Word to the Body of Christ in Asia has been the cornerstone of Asia Harvest’s ministry since we started more than 25 years ago. We still remember how nervous we felt the very first time we approached the x-ray scanner at the Chinese border with a heavy suitcase full of Bibles. God graciously allowed us to get all the Bibles through that day, but on dozens of subsequent occasions we were “caught” and our Bibles confiscated.

Back in those days (in the late 1980s) we sat spellbound as stories were relayed from remote corners of China about the dramatic and desperate need for God’s Word. One report emerged from the mountains of southwest China. A Chinese missionary had visited a remote valley where there was rumored to be a small number of churches. After two days of hiking through the mountains, he was nearing a village when he came across a distraught man on the trail. The man looked like he hadn’t slept for days, and was mumbling to himself.

Alarmed, the missionary asked the man what was wrong and if he could help his state of mind. After calming him down, the upset man said, “I am a Christian, but I am lost and going to hell. I have not heard the audible voice of God, and today is the third day since I became a Christian. I was on my way to throw myself off a cliff at the top of the mountain when you met me.”

The missionary asked the man to take him to his village so he could meet the other believers in the church to hopefully get to the source of the misunderstanding. After much discussion, the missionary discovered the problem...

None of the Christians living in that valley had ever seen a complete Bible. Instead, somehow they had come into possession of a single page of the Scriptures, and that was all they had to base their faith on!

That one page was from the Book of Acts, chapter 9, when Saul was confronted by the Resurrected Christ. Saul was thrown to the ground and heard the audible voice of Jesus ask him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4).

The missionary remained in the valley and taught the believers for several days. Complete Bibles were later carried in to help them gain a more rounded knowledge of the Word of God.

Our Greatest Privilege

The need to get God’s Word into the hands of hungry believers has never left us, although over the years the methods for us achieving that goal have changed dramatically. In the late 1990s we started printing Bibles directly inside China and other countries in the region. In our last newsletter we shared about a new project we are involved with to provide the Scriptures to the persecuted church in North Korea. It is one of more than 50 different Asian languages into which we have been privileged to print and deliver Bibles. In many cases the Christians who receive them have been unable to source the Scriptures for years, sometimes even decades.

Our coworkers frequently travel to remote regions and meet with Christian leaders, who share their great need for Bibles. Often they find a whole region will only have a few tattered copies of the Scriptures. Hundreds of believers are forced to depend on those crumbling Bibles for their spiritual sustenance. Note: The photo below, taken this year, is of a Bible presented to us by Lahu tribal believers in Myanmar (Burma). At least 40 years old, the cover has fallen away, all the pages are loose, and the edges have been devoured by moths.

Our project leader was able to reconstruct the original plates of this Bible and reprint thousands of new copies for the thankful Lahu believers.

Over the years, we have often shared about the need for Bibles in China and other parts of Asia. People have prayed and respon

ded generously, and the number of Bibles we have been able to provide has exceeded our expectations! Yet the need remains great, and countless millions of Christians in Asia are still unable to access God’s Word because of hostile governments, war, poverty, and other reasons.

A Wonderful Christmas Gift

We pray you and your loved ones will enjoy a blessed and restful Christmas this year. As you do, we invite you to consider two things...

Firstly, where does the Bible sit as a priority in your life? Do you read it and long to obey God’s Word? Or has your heart grown cold over the years? Nobody has ever fallen away from God while remaining strong in His Word; and nobody can love Jesus Christ and grow in His grace without first loving His Word. The two are mutually inseparable. Our relationship with God is directly related to our relationship with His Word. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). It’s not too late to cry out to God. Ask Him to change you and to renew a desire and hunger for His Word.

Please consider how you can help our fellow Christians in Asia this Christmas. We operate two main Bible projects: the China Bible Fund (costing just $1.80 to print and deliver a full Chinese Bible) and the Asian Bible fund through which we have printed the Scriptures for believers in more than 50 different Asian languages, in many nations including North Korea, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and elsewhere.

We know of no greater investment a Christian can make in God’s kingdom than by helping other hungry believers have access to the Word of God. The Bible truly is “God’s Greatest Missionary”.

If you would like to help, you can do so by clicking here , or by mailing a check to one of our offices.

Whether you would like to participate financially or not, we do ask for your prayer support for these projects, the Lord’s protection over the many workers involved, and most of all, that the Name of Jesus Christ will be glorified in His Church throughout Asia, and lifted up for all people to see and hear the message of salvation. Thank you!

God’s Solution to Terrorism, Part 2

Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:10:00 GMT

#6: Fear Not

If you have placed your trust in Jesus Christ, please don’t lose heart at the darkness that is enveloping the world around you. We recently heard that the exhortation for God’s people to “fear not,” or “Be of good courage” appears 366 times throughout the Bible—once for every day of the year and an extra one for leap years! God is still on His throne, and His plans both for our lives and for this world will be fulfilled if we endure and don’t lose heart. Our Lord encouraged us, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 4:7).

#7: Cleanse our Hearts

As Christians, our aims and desires should be the same as the Lord’s. He is our boss, and our greatest goal should always be to love Him and do His will by reaching out to others (even terrorists) with the Good News of salvation. We need to be careful that our hearts don’t grow bitter over the wickedness all around us. Let’s focus first and foremost on the wickedness in our own hearts, and ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse us from sin and hate. Last year one of our Asia Harvest newsletters included a picture of a group of Muslims as this newsletter does. One subscriber was distressed and demanded to be removed from our newsletter list. He wrote, “I am deeply offended by the picture of Muslims in your newsletter. I find it hard to even pray for them that they find Christ as Savior.” We started our article with the point that all terrorism is from Satan. He would like nothing more than to choke the life out of Christians’ hearts through fear and anxiety. May the Lord set us free so that we don’t become unwitting victims of terrorism through the snare of bitterness. We need to constantly ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse and purify us from all unrighteousness. Let us bow before Him and pray the words of David, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me” (Psalm 51:10-12).

#8: Spread the Gospel!

Despite many obstacles and dangers, the kingdom of God continues to advance in Asia among many Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist people groups. Last month we were blessed to receive pictures of the baptism of 18 former Muslims, including two imams (Islamic priests). Their faces were full of light and joy as they emerged from the water as new creations, their old sins washed away! This is what it’s all about. We must not stop reaching out to Muslims and others who need Jesus. In sport, it’s often said that “the best form of defense is attack.” Similarly, the best strategy to stop the spread of worldwide terrorism is for the Church to share the truth and light of the Gospel, in the hope that some will believe and put their trust in Him. The best way to dispel darkness is still to simply turn on the light! This, dear friends, is God’s solution to terrorism... Preach the Good News to all creation! Only Jesus working in the lives of people will bring freedom. May we never be embarressed to tell the world that Jesus is the answer. If we don’t tell them, they have no chance of ever knowing God’s salvation. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). A generation ago, the mission statesman Brother Andrew wrote this about the threat of Communism: “If you do not go to the heathen with the Gospel, they will come to you as revolutionaries or as occupying forces.” If the Church grows disillusioned and weary of spreading the Good News, the scope of worldwide terrorism will expand quickly. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9-10).

#9: Forget the Sentiment

Please don’t think that before you can do anything to reach Muslims and others that you first need to have a deep emotional connection or feelings of love toward them. It certainly helps, but Jesus loves the unlovable and reaches the unreachable! If you came across someone drowning in a river, would you stop and consider whether you have feelings of love for that person, or even if you like them? Hopefully not! What a drowning person needs is to be rescued before it’s too late. By doing all you can to help a perishing soul you are displaying true love to them.

We must love our enemies, and the greatest act of love we can show them is to lead them to salvation in Jesus Christ, who taught His followers: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).

#10: Jesus Wins!

We once heard a story about Bible college students who had spent weeks studying the Book of Revelation. At the end of class one day, a group sat down in the school gymnasium, and discussed among themselves what the main theme of Revelation was. They all had different convoluted views and theological explanations, but no one was able to grasp the mystery of the last Book of the Bible. Across from them, the elderly school janitor was enjoying a sandwich as he read his Bible during a break. The students, in a halfmocking tone, decided to ask this man what he thought the main theme of Revelation was. “Simple,” he replied without hesitation: “Jesus Wins!” Friends, in our newsletter we have touched on a number of causes for terrorism, but through it all, please never lose sight of the fact that Jesus wins! He is already the victor through His death and resurrection, and even though it’s difficult to see God’s unfolding purpose when evil seems so prevalent, be confident that Jesus remains fully in charge, and is working everything out for His purposes, both in your own life and in the world. The Lord has a plan that cannot be thwarted. He is busy saving some from among every tribe, language, nation and people group on the globe! Included in this number will be many former terrorists and those who are enemies of the Gospel. Jesus has always pursued those who need Him the most, for “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). God loves the hundreds of millions of lost Muslims in the world and desires to know them as His children. At the moment we must work hard to see the kingdom of God expand, but the day is coming when terrorism will be no more, and all the enemies of God will be put under the feet of Jesus. In that day, a trumpet blast will sound, and “loud voices in heaven” will proclaim: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

Helping Others Get the Job Done

You might have noticed that several unreached people groups are featured on our homepage. We invite you to prayerfully consider praying for and supporting an Asian missionary reaching out to them with the Gospel. We currently need support for missionaries working among the Uygur, Kirgiz and Hui people through the Asian Workers' fund.It’s a great privilege to help sow the seeds for a breakthrough among these and many other unreached people groups. Those who wish to support a worker will receive a laminated prayer card of the evangelist their support is helping. Click here to learn about Asian workers to sponsor! Thanks and God bless you!

God’s Solution to Terrorism

Wed, 27 Aug 2014 16:02:00 GMT

We live in an increasingly dangerous world, with terrorism—specifically Islamic terrorism—on the rise in many areas. Even places long considered peaceful have recently been shaken by evil acts. The city of Kunming in southwest China—a place we have spent much time over the years—was left reeling in March after eight Uygurs (a large Muslim group in northwest China) stabbed 29 people to death and injured 140 more inside the Kunming train station.

Many people have opined as to why Islamic terrorism is on the rise. The world offers human reasons behind the problem: social displacement, cultural and ethnic conflict, political corruption, economic inequality, and more. While there is no doubt all these factors contain an element of truth, what does God say about the real cause of global terrorism, and what does the Bible say about how to prevent it from spreading?

In this newsletter we would like to look at five key reasons behind this global problem, and share five insights into what we believe is God’s solution. One thing for sure: the world is oblivious to the true source of terrorism, and what we share will never make it into the world’s media. Some of our statements may not be politically correct in today’s age where good is called evil and evil good, but our concern is not to be politically correct, but Biblically correct.

#1: The Battle is Spiritual

The first point the world misses when evaluating terrorism is that it comes directly from Satan. Jesus stated, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Every act of murder and terror is an act motivated by Satan. He is the Father of terrorism. With each passing day, Satan is becoming more active in the world. “Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:12).

While God expects civil governments to stem crime and protect their citizens, dropping bombs on Muslim communities will never result in the eradication of terrorism. In fact, it tends to stir up the pot and exacerbate the problem. The world doesn’t believe in a literal devil, so they have no way of discerning the cause of acts of evil. The Bible puts it bluntly: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

#2: Terrorists Confuse

Light and Darkness Did you ever realize that about half of the New Testament was written by a former terrorist? The Apostle Paul was full of hatred and envy at the success of a new group called Christians, and his passion spilled over into violence and murder. It’s a good thing the Lord didn’t give up on Paul. We are still benefiting from his life and ministry two thousand years later.

The strongest enemies of the Gospel often confuse light and darkness. The Lord told us a day will come when “anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them” (John 16:2-4).

#3: The Rise of the Church

One reason for terrorism you will never see reported in the media—even though terrorist leaders including Osama Bin Laden have often alluded to it in their speeches—is the growing influence of Christianity in Muslim nations.

The stark reality is that many Christians in countries like Syria and Iraq face death right now. In the city of Mosul alone—a city that has a Christian history dating back 1,700 years—terrorists have given all Christians three choices: pay a huge “tax”, leave and never come back, or die. As a result of this tidal wave of terror, the number of Christians living in Mosul has fallen from 60,000 in the year 2000 to zero today.

In many parts of Asia, Christians and Muslims lived alongside one another for generations without any great trouble, but in recent decades the church has grown both numerically and in influence, which has caused a violent reaction.

Thousands of Indonesian Muslims have been transformed by Jesus Christ. Local religious leaders felt threatened by these developments, so they recently lashed out and murdered a number of family leaders who had converted to Christ.

God’s plan to bring the salvation of Jesus Christ to every ethnic group is progressing, and will not be thwarted! We anticipate that the more the Church grows, the more terrorism will continue to expand. Yet the more the Church is persecuted, the more it will grow, just like the children of Israel in Egypt: “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites” (Exodus 1:12).

#4: Frustration and Envy

As the church has risen up and millions of lives have been transformed by the Holy Spirit, the leaders of other religions have been faced with a difficult reality. They know that their religions offer people little hope of real transformation. They may be able to give people discipline or focus them on a common goal, but only Jesus Christ has the power to change evil to good and to bring light and life to communities that for generations have lived in darkness and death.

When people are faced with a decision between following Jesus and the desire to retain centuries of tradition, they often choose to strike out against God’s people. Most are unwilling to face the reality that their own belief system is devoid of any real lifechanging power. The Lord Jesus summed it up: “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:19-21).

#5: The Role of Shame

Most Westerners don’t understand the huge role that shame plays in Islam and other religions (including legalistic strains of Christianity). Shame is a powerful driving force that can compel people to take violent action.

Do you know that many Muslims feel deep disgrace that one billion of them are unable to wipe one tiny nation, Israel, from the face of the earth?

Millions feel shame that their religious zeal and dedication fails to give them inward freedom, while Jesus Christ is freely giving others hope, peace and joy.

The shame of realizing they and their ancestors have believed a lie is too much for most to consider, so they channel their frustrations and into violence against the Church, even to the point of being willing to murder their own family members who become followers of Jesus.

There are countless examples of the role of shame in terrorism around the world. The Mullahs and clerics of Iran continue to kill and punish Christians for their faith. Like school ground bullies, they think that inflicting pain on Christians shows strength and power, but in reality it just shows how empty and spiritually impoverished they are.

Meanwhile, the light of Jesus continues to shine through the good deeds of Christians. The evidence of the transformative power of Holy Spirit in believers’ lives is undeniable. Even while writing this newsletter, we received the following report from one of the Asian missionaries we support. After their team provided free medical and dental clinics for 700 people in a poor Muslim area, they wrote, “One of the Muslim leaders told us he wanted to know the teaching of Isa (Jesus) because of the care and love he has witnessed from us. An increasing number of people are attending our Bible studies and weekly discipleship training.”

The unselfish and compassionate acts of God’s people are gradually winning over the hearts and minds of many Muslims who are receptive to the truth. For, “It is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people” (1 Peter 2:15).

Helping Others Get the Job Done

On the front cover of this newsletter is a picture of Uygur (pronounced ‘wee-gur’) men praying at a mosque in Kashgar, northwest China. This is the same group that has spread terror throughout parts of China in recent months.

There are less than 1,000 Uygur Christians in all of China, compared to 13 million Muslims. Reaching them with the Gospel is a difficult and risky task. As you look at the faces of the men in the picture, do you wish they would know Jesus Christ as Lord, but have no idea how you could help that become a reality?

We would like to share a wonderful opportunity that exists to help reach the Uygurs for Jesus. We currently need support for more than a dozen Asian missionaries working among the Uygur people through the Asian Workers’ fund . It’s a great privilege to help sow the seeds for a breakthrough among this and many other unreached people groups.

“I come from a Muslim family. I had an experience where my son became sick and died. Even though I was a Muslim, I prayed that if the Prophet Isa (Jesus) really died and rose again, then He could also make my son live again. And He did it! My son was raised from the dead! Through this miracle, I became a Christian. I also gave my son a new name, changing it from Usman to Paul. I was baptized and later attended Bible school. I have served God ever since.” —Testimony from one of the missionaries we support in Indonesia

We have found that while all efforts to establish the kingdom of God are greatly needed, the most effective way to reach the Uygurs has not been through Western missionaries, or even Chinese missionaries. Rather, we have come to see that the most effective and long-lasting results occur when Uygur Christians reach their own people.

They put their lives at risk to do this work, and they need prayer and support to enable them to go more places and minister more effectively.

Please prayerfully consider taking advantage of this opportunity to help establish the Gospel among these needy groups, so that not only will Uygurs be reaching Uygurs for Christ, but Kazak believers will be taking the Gospel to Kazaks, Kirgiz to Kirgiz, Hui to Hui and so on.

A Word from Paul and Joy

Thu, 01 May 2014 12:24:00 GMT

“Since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God” (1 Peter 4:1-2).

In our March newsletter we exhorted readers to keep walking in God’s grace and truth, and to beware of the twin pitfalls which all Christians much avoid—legalism on one hand, and the false prosperity Gospel on the other. Having seen the faith of countless believers shipwrecked by these two distortions, we wanted to encourage all who love the Lord Jesus to continue in God’s Word and relationship with Him.

Quite a few people has strong reactions to our message, both positively and negatively. Helen from Australia wrote, “Many thanks for your wonderful message to us in the March newsletter. It was very powerful and it has strengthened me so much. I feel greatly encouraged.”

Stan from Illinois shared: “I couldn’t agree with you more. The Christian life is not about living up to a standard; it is about living under an influence. The influence is the Holy Spirit, of course. Legalists think about living up to the standard. Prosperity gospel people do not think about living under the influence, only about the benefits that the influence is supposedly guaranteed to bring. Hebrews 11 is the chapter that really puts the nails in the coffin of the prosperity gospel. That chapter lists the heroes of the faith, but they fall into two categories—those who get rescued and those who meet horrible deaths (sawn in two, etc.) What strikes me is that BOTH categories are held up side by side as models of genuine faith. There is no hint that the rescued ones had more faith or better faith than the ones who died for Christ. It’s the total opposite of the prosperity gospel explanation of suffering.”

On the other hand, others challenged us for mentioning the Prosperity Gospel in a negative light. One man wrote, “I felt very discouraged after reading Paul and Joy’s message. If our churches are too legalistic and others teach false doctrine, what is the answer? Are we not to continue to invite our neighbors to church even when they never come? Our church is dying in our small community. We are all over the age of 50. What can we do?”

Friends, we believe one of the major problems in the Church today is that much of what is portrayed as faith is actually just humanism with a Christian veneer thrown over the top.

For example, Western culture teaches that from an early age, “You can be whatever you want, and you can do whatever you put your mind to.” Is that true? Certainly not! On the contrary, we can be what God wants us to be and do what He calls and empowers us to do, if we walk in obedience to Him. We meet many Christians who have become disillusioned because they were told they hold the keys to a successful life, if only they strive hard enough, or believe strongly enough. Then as the years pass by and their hopes and dreams fail to materialize like they expect, they grow increasingly despondent and their hope fades. Disappointment sets in—even bitterness towards God—even though He has never once told a person to try to fulfill their own dreams and desires. When the inevitable trials and hardships of life come along their faith crumbles, just as Jesus warned in the Parable of the Sower: “The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away” (Matthew 3:20-21).

Humanism is rampant in many parts of the Church today. In subtle ways it places people in God’s position and attempts to place God in our position. Everything is turned upside-down. In the Bible people were exhorted to believe in God, but these days we’ve heard preachers tell their audiences that God believes in them! We are told to trust ourselves, but Jesus said we should trust in Him. Humanism says people are basically good, but God’s Word declares, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

In one sense, a Christian is not called to live for Jesus! Rather, our job is to die to ourself and allow Jesus to live through us. We need to get out of the way and humble ourselves. Only when we do this can His glory shine through our lives.

The Prosperity Gospel is not simply about financial matters. It is a broader philosophy that believes if a person follows Christ then things will generally go well for them in this life.

Such a teaching is popular and enticing, but is it Biblical? Did you ever consider that of the 12 men Jesus called to be apostles, ten were murdered for their faith, one (John) died in exile on a small island, while one committed suicide? Was something wrong with the apostles’ faith? How about Christians in China, Iran, North Korea and a host of other nations who are beaten, imprisoned and even killed because of their love for Jesus? We have even heard people say that persecuted believers need to trust God more in order to “experience the victorious life” that the Bible promises!

Dear Christian, don’t be deceived by the false teaching of humanism that is presented as truth in many churches today.

It will not bring you closer to the heart of Jesus, but will only result in heartache and confusion. It’s better to live in truth, humble ourselves and seek God’s glory, than to pump ourselves up into thinking we control our own destiny and well-being, which only ends in bitter disappointment.

The secret to the Chinese revival we have spent many years sharing on is this: The mighty movement did not come about not by human desire and endeavour, but through hardship, sacrifice, and people humbling themselves to obey God’s will in their lives. Nobody will ever understand the revival that has brought as many as 100 million Chinese people into the kingdom of God unless they first understand the role of suffering. Suffering has been the launch-pad for revival, helping the Church in China to walk in obedience to the will of God.

Before any resurrection can occur there must first be death. The Church in China was first called to die before they experienced the miracles and resurrection power of Jesus in their midst. Many believers today desire to experience God’s power like in the Bible, or in China, but the question to ask is this: ‘Are you willing to first die to yourself?’ God will never share His glory with someone who lives for their own desires and reputation.

Such talk is nonsense to anyone who has swallowed the lies of the humanistic ‘Prosperity’ Movement. The Scriptures state that even the Lord Jesus “learned obedience from what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). If the sinless Son of God needed such a lesson, how much more do we!

The true Gospel has not changed, and never will.

God’s kingdom always advances through human weakness, not strength;—for when we are weak, He is strong. This is the truth, whether we like it or not. Those who really want to follow Jesus must find the true Jesus of the Scriptures, not the twisted caricature of the Lord that is often portrayed today. Only knowing the true Jesus will set people free to know and obey the will of God.

Whenever God has moved in awesome power throughout history there has been no room for humanism in the Church. Christ alone is exalted, and all people are humbled. May we learn this lesson in our own lives and churches. Any true faith will display the equation shared by John the Baptist: “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).

We would like to conclude by sharing a selection of quotes a reporter wrote about a powerful revival which occurred more than a century ago, which resulted in thousands of people coming to Christ. Note the deep humility and self-abasement that is the mark of this and all true moves of God. Humanism cannot exist in such an environment. May we get to a place in our lives where all we desire is for Jesus Christ to be exalted!...

“I came to abhor myself. I begged the Lord to drop a curtain so close behind me on my past that it would hit my heels. He told me to forget every good deed as though it had never occurred, as soon as it was accomplished, and go forward again as though I had never accomplished anything for Him, lest my good works become a snare for me.”

“Men must come to know their own weaknesses before they can hope to know God’s strength. The natural strength and ability of man is always the greatest hindrance to the work of God, and to God’s working. God exalts no man or mission, but rather humbles all in the dust together, that He alone may be glorified.”

“The temptation seemed to be always, toward empty manifestation. This does not require any particular cross, or death to the self-life. Hence it is always popular. But there is only one safe, honest course to pursue with the ‘old man.’ Bury him under six feet of earth, with his face downward. The harder he scratches the deeper he will go.”

An Encouraging Word from Paul and Joy

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:02:00 GMT

As a family we get to meet Christians in various nations from various ethnic, social and church backgrounds. This gives us an opportunity to see and hear how believers are doing, and we try to encourage as many as possible to remain steadfast in the faith.

Over the past several years we have become increasingly aware that many Christians we meet—whether they be from India, Indiana, Beijing or Birmingham—are struggling in many areas. They are being tested in their marriages, jobs, finances, health and moral purity. Many have told us that “whatever could go wrong has gone wrong” in their lives. Satan knows his time is short, and the heat is being turned up everywhere on those who identify themselves as followers of the Lord Jesus.

We meet believers who have become disillusioned in their walk and service for God. There seems to be two different traps that many struggling Christians we meet have fallen into.

On one side of the path lies the danger of legalism. Countless people have been crushed by legalistic church environments, where unbiblical rules, regulations, traditions and ‘principles’ are forced upon them. Environments like this are toxic, and over time many people simply give up because they can’t endure the burden and shame of living by rules they are unable to keep.

Multitudes of people who believe in Jesus Christ have found themselves trapped in a spiritual desert. Legalism is a vicious yet subtle master. It promises living water for your thirsty soul but ends up giving you a mouth full of gravel. Young people are deserting such churches in droves, running in the opposite direction to get as far as away as possible.

If you are a believer who finds yourself in this position, we encourage you not to give up on Jesus.

Realize that Satan is a very cunning foe, and his favorite strategy is designed to rot Christianity from the inside out. He doesn’t care what we believe, as long as it isn’t the Gospel that gives life and nourishment to our souls. The Bible says, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ... These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Colossians 2:8,17).

Friend, if you find yourself trapped in a cycle of continually striving and failing to obey human rules, we encourage you to keep placing your hope and trust in Jesus and continue to feed on His Word. The reality is always found in Jesus Christ, not in obeying rules and man-made traditions.

Many believers we meet have fallen into a ditch on the other side of the road. These brothers and sisters believe aspects of the ‘prosperity gospel’. Perhaps for a while all seemed well in their lives, but as the poisonous teaching worked its way through they found themselves growing progressively more distant from the Lord. After a while their faith began to falter and their heart grew less responsive to the Word of God. The poison of the prosperity Gospel will always bring death and destruction to a believer’s life unless the Great Physician removes it from their system.

The Bible warns us with great clarity about the perils of this false gospel. Paul told the Galatians, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:6-8).

Be aware that the ‘prosperity gospel’ goes much deeper than just matters to do with money and finances.

It is a general and wide-spread philosophy that says if you follow the Lord your life will go well and each day will be better than the previous one. This belief system teaches that if you do and say certain things, then your life is guaranteed to get progressively better.

The truth is that Jesus said if we follow Him we must take up our cross daily (ie. prepare to be crucified). He promised the world will hate us and persecute us. Jesus didn’t tell us these things to make us scared. On the contrary, He told His followers, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Often people who believe the prosperity gospel collapse as soon as hardship and trials come along. When things start to go wrong, the false foundation they have built their lives on begins to disintegrate.

How can you tell if such poison is in your system? There are a few things to check for. Over time the prosperity gospel results in a believer losing the fear of God. Sin becomes tolerated and practised, rather than being something to be feared and discarded. This false teaching is so destructive that a believer may start their Christian life humbly bowing before the Lord Jesus, but within a few years they ascend His throne and act as if God is their servant and they have the power to order Him to do what they want. The Apostle Paul spoke of the need for believers to “hold on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith” (1 Timothy 1:19).

If you are a Christian who finds yourself struggling because of false teaching you have believed, we encourage you not to give up! As long as you have oxygen in your lungs there is hope! The antidote for those who have fallen prey to the prosperity gospel happens to be the same as for those ensnared by legalism. The answer is Jesus! The reality is found in Christ.

As the world grows darker, we need to humble ourselves before the Living God and plead with Him to help us steer clear from the two dangers of legalism and false teaching. Both are places of destruction that millions of believers have fallen into. If you are struggling, don’t hide from God like Adam and Eve did, but rather come running into the arms of Jesus. Remember these wonderful words of the Lord, and allow them to soak into your heart and mind:

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty... All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:35, 37-40).

March Newsletter: 2014 Annual Report

Fri, 14 Mar 2014 15:38:00 GMT

We are thankful for the opportunity to share our Annual Report, detailing the help that Asia Harvest provided the Body of Christ throughout Asia in 2013.

Each year that we follow and serve the Lord Jesus brings with it a new emphasis. Looking back on last year, we believe the Lord challenged us to refocus our efforts on the things He has called us to, and not to be distracted by anything that might seek to take our focus off the one thing that matters—pleasing our Heavenly Father.

May the Lord bless you in 2014!

Mon, 30 Dec 2013 14:16:00 GMT

Dear Friends,

As another year winds down, we would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation for your prayers, encouragement and support throughout 2013. We hope you experienced a blessed Christmas, and we pray 2014 will prove to be your best and most fruitful year yet knowing and serving the Lord Jesus. He alone is worthy of our very best!

This year was personally a difficult year for our family. You may recall that I suffered a totally unexpected health challenge in May. I am thankful for the many prayers that went up before God's throne on my behalf. Many people have recently enquired how I am doing. I have been recovering well and it's expected I will be back to 100% soon.

Many blessings have come about because of this experience. It helped us to prayerfully rethink the structure of Asia Harvest, resulting in us being an even more streamlined ministry, more focused than ever before on doing all we can to see the most unreached people groups in Asia hear the Good News and experience the transformative power of the Lord Jesus. The highlight this year was the many new Asian evangelists we began helping through the Asian Workers' fund. At the start of 2013 we supported 359 evangelists among 172 different ethnic groups. By the end of 2013 the reach of the project has more than doubled and we are now privileged to support 756 workers among 378 unreached groups.

The world continues to be an unstable place, and we are thankful and privileged for every day we have to serve the Lord Jesus in Asia. The harvest continues to be reaped in many previously unreached areas of Asia, and we realize we could not achieve any of this without your prayers and involvement.

For our Soon Coming King,

Paul Hattaway & family, and co-workers at Asia Harvest

The Economic Meltdown: A Christian Perspective

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 21:46:00 GMT

Original Article February 2009 (updated April 2011)

Since July 2008, fear and alarm has spread around the globe as the world economy has experienced a severe shaking. Stock markets have plummeted, banks and companies have failed, and tens of millions of jobs have been lost. Millions of people feel helpless and fearful of the future, but in this article I would like to encourage Christians with the fact our help and confidence should not be placed in the economy, but in Jesus Christ. We do not know what the future may hold, but if our lives are in the hands of God, the peace of the Holy Spirit will flood our lives, regardless of how dire circumstances around us may get.

Having studied economics, none of these events have come as a surprise. In fact, it is a surprise that things managed to go so long before the inevitable collapse took place. It is funny to me when I hear a politician or economic "expert" express amazement at the events of recent months, as though it was something completely out of the blue which nobody could have predicted. In fact, many economists and financial experts had been issuing dire warnings for years, but those men and women were invariably written off by the mainstream as being kooks and alarmists. Their predictions, however, were not based on some kind of mysterious set of beliefs or weird worldview, but rather they were based on a simple analysis of the available economic data. Some of these economists, ironically, now find themselves held up by the media as geniuses!

Indeed, the Christian financial advisor Larry Burkett, who often appears on James Dobson's Focus on the Family radio program, wrote a book way back in 1991 entitled, The Coming Economic Earthquake. In this book, Burkett warned readers of the dire economic meltdown which is now upon us, 17 years later. Several times in the book Burkett noted that he "is not a prophet," but that he was simply basing his predictions on basic economic and financial principles - if you spend more than you have, you are heading for trouble.

Dark Clouds on the Horizon

On a recent trip to the United States, many Christians engaged me in conversation and, as it seems to be the topic on everyone's mind at the moment, the conversation soon turned to the economy. Most people seemed completely oblivious to the problem, believing it to be a temporary glitch that will soon fix itself, and life in America will return to normal. Others just can't grasp all the talk going on. They are unable to fathom what a 'billion' is, let alone a 'trillion' so they just tune out and continue their life as normal. With 600,000 people joining the unemployment line every month in America, however, life may never return to "normal" as the meltdown continues. It will soon affect everyone to one degree or another.

Firstly, let me say that I would much rather talk about the Lord Jesus, and about the wonderful things God is doing throughout Asia. He continues to reach the unreached, and love the unloved. The kingdom of God continues to advance, and thousands are being won from darkness to light every day. Jesus is my passion and the expansion of His kingdom in Asia is my call.

Briefly, however, let me provide some links to those who want to learn more about where I believe the economy of America (and the Western world, and indeed most of the whole world) is heading in the near future. I believe that the unbridled taking on of personal and national debt, and the unashamed printing of money out of thin air means we are heading towards an inevitable 'hyper-inflation.' Hyper inflation is something you would want to avoid. It has occurred in about 70 countries in the last 100 years (Germany in the 1920s, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe right now, etc). During a hyper-inflation, currencies become worthless and society ceases to function as we know it. I am not talking about normal inflation. Normal inflation is when a meal at your favorite restaurant costs $9.95 last year, and $10.95 this year. Hyper-inflation is when you need to bring a wheel-barrow of cash with you and negotiate the price up front, because by the end of the meal the price may have increased from when you sat down!

This may sound far-fetched, but it is exactly what has happened in numerous places around the world. During the German hyper-inflation of the 1920s, people found their money so worthless that they used it to light their fires, as pictured in this famous image from the time (right). Those living in the United States should not feel that their great nation is immune to hyper-inflation. Indeed, the curse of hyper-inflation already ravaged the US, from 1861 to 1865. During those four years, the average price of commodities in the Eastern Confederate states increased 90-fold and cash became near worthless.

I believe the US government's current action of printing and borrowing more money in a bid to get out of the current crisis is doomed to failure. Inflation by definition is the increase of the money supply. By increasing the money supply at a rate never before seen in the history of the world, terrible results are sure to follow. It may take a while before the excess liquidity works its way through the system and shows itself in runaway inflation, but it will come. The two things that got America into its current predicament were overspending and excessive debt. They are now trying to get their way out of the mess by spending more, and taking on board even more debt.... Go figure. For those readers who live outside of the United States, there is no reason to feel smug. The money supply is also being increased at a massive rate in the UK, European nations, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere.

Before we all criticize the governments of the world, many of us should also realize our personal responsibility and errors. I have met numerous Christians who, even though they work hard, were pursing a lifestyle far beyond their needs, and beyond their means. Statistics show that the average worker in China is able to save 30% of his or her wages, while in America and several other Western nations the average saving rate has plummeted to zero. I believe the Lord wants His children to live reasonable lives, staying completely out of debt and to live within our means by not wasting the resources God has placed in our hands. Governments and economists think they can stimulate the economy by getting people to spend and borrow even more, but God's way for handling money is for us to give, save, and invest.

John Williams is a respected economist who used to work for the US government and knows a thing or two about inflation. Back in April 2008 (before most people knew there was an economic storm on the horizon), Williams posted a "Hyperinflation Special Report" on his website. If interested, you can read his report here: http://www.shadowstats.com/article/292 . The report is quite long, but if you just read the first few pages you will get the main idea of what he wrote.

If you are somewhat confused by the whole world of economics (you are not alone!), yet if you have the desire to at least get a grasp on some basic principles that will help you understand the causes behind what is happening, then I strongly recommend you view economist Chris Martenson's 'Crash Course': http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse . The entire course will take you about 3 hours to watch (which you can spread over as many days as weeks as you like). It is free, and presented in such a simple and clear way that most people will have no trouble understanding what he is talking about. A warning however: if you have no idea that we are at the start of a massive financial upheaval in society, you may need to take your time and try to slowly assimilate what you will learn bit by bit.

What about Asia Harvest?

Several years ago a colleague and I visited the headquarters of Overseas Missionary Fellowship in Singapore. OMF was founded as the China Inland Mission by Hudson Taylor in 1865. For decades they were the only Christian organization forging ahead with the Gospel in interior areas of China, and many Chinese church leaders to this day consider the current revival sweeping their nation owes much to the efforts of those faithful missionaries and their Chinese coworkers.

The staff at OMF kindly allowed us to spend as much time as we needed going through their library and archive room, copying old books and magazines, which we have since used to produce several books on Christianity in China. As I read through these rare documents, I realized there were several times when the economic climate of the day deeply affected the mission’s work. Donations dropped dramatically during World War I, and the missionaries in China had to adjust their lives and budgets accordingly. Some returned home. The same happened during World War II. In between, the Great Depression of the 1930s ravaged the world’s economy, and the mission’s income fell to just a fraction of what it had been previously.

During all these times, the leaders of the China Inland Mission didn’t complain. They weren’t running a business, but were serving the Lord in a ministry that He had established. During times of plenty, they served as the Lord provided. During times of difficulty, they continued to serve faithfully, even if it meant personal hardship.

A number of people have contacted us and asked how the present economic developments will affect the work of Asia Harvest, and whether we are taking any preventative actions.

To begin with, we are thankful that 2008 was a record year for giving to our projects, and we have been able, by God’s grace, to print more Bibles than ever before, support more evangelists, conduct more free surgeries for children in Vietnam, etc. We thank the Lord Jesus Christ for every person who has helped His work through their prayers, participation and giving. Secondly, from the very start of Asia Harvest more than 20 years ago we have been acutely aware that it is God who must be the motivator, empowerer and leader of this organization. We have never gone out to actively fund-raise or anything like that — our goal has always been to simply serve as a link between the Church in Asia (especially those unreached and more difficult areas), and Christians around the world.

We present certain strategic projects in our newsletter which we feel the Lord would like us to help with, and people give as they sense the Holy Spirit prompting them to get involved.

For these reasons we hope people who support our work do so because they want to be involved with a great opportunity to help expand the kingdom of God in the unreached areas of Asia, and not from any sense of obligation. For the Apostle Paul wrote, "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:7-8).

Our philosophy is quite simple: If the Lord provides, then we pass it on to the front lines in Asia where resources make a great difference. If the funds dry up in the future, we will continue to serve to the best of our ability. We believe this kind of outlook helps us not to worry about what tomorrow may bring, and enables us to serve with peace and joy in our hearts now.

A Christian Perspective

What I have written so far probably doesn't encourage you too much. It is actually much worse than what I have written here! There is no space here to mention that even if the current recession/depression does come to an end after a number of years, several other massive storm clouds are gathering in the distance, ready to sink the system. These include the unfunded liabilities of the US government (i.e. they have already spent the $85 trillion needed to fund Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid). The 'baby-boomer' generation is set to reach retirement age in the next few years. When Social Security was started in 1940, the ratio of workers to retirees in America at the time was around 20 to 1. That is, for every one person planning to retire and receive Social Security benefits, there were 20 tax-paying workers providing for it. In a few years, the demographics will have changed so much that for each retiree in America, there will be just 1.7 workers! You may try to imagine what consequences this will bring.

In summary then, I think you will have the impression that from a worldly perspective I think the outlook is extremely grim.

However, as Christians our hope is not in this world! There is another perspective that we should cultivate and possess.

Now that the stock market and other investments look like they will continue on a downward spiral, and people have seen their savings, investments and retirement funds shrink before their eyes, there are many people in the financial world claiming to know where people can put their money for a sound return. Many claim that gold and silver will protect them, but while these may guard against inflation in the short-term, Jesus warned, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).

Friends, whether you have any money or not, there is a place to invest where the most amazing returns are guaranteed! While we have time, let's invest our prayers, energy, and resources into the kingdom of God, especially in those areas of the world still waiting for the Gospel light to come for the first time. Believe me, there are still many such places where the Name of Jesus Christ has never been uttered. These should always be our priority.

Nobody can predict exactly what the world’s economy will do in the future, but we do know that Jesus is in control of everything! As Christians we should not fear, but should trust in His unfailing love. Don’t be depressed by what you hear on the news. Our attitude should be the same as that of Jesus, who said, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work" (John 9:4). Paul taught that our attitude should be like, "those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away" (1 Corinthians 7:30-31).

A Christian friend, Roger Hertzler, has written a short book entitled Through the Eye of a Needle, which presents where Christians should invest their lives and finances, and reveals the Biblical attitude Christians should have towards using those resources God has placed in our hands.

The Ultimate Economic Meltdown

Only the King of Kings knows exactly where the present economic crisis will end up when it is all said and done. Perhaps it is the start of what many Christians believe is the end, that the present problems will lead to a one-world currency, one-world government, the arrival of the Anti-Christ, and the glorious return of Jesus Christ. Or perhaps the present crisis is just another foreshadow of events still to come at a later time.

We can be sure of this: the Bible talks about one ultimate economic meltdown, when the great city of 'Babylon the Great' (which many Bible scholars believe is symbolic of the world financial system) will totally collapse in just sixty minutes! When this economic system collapses, "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more—cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men." (Revelation 18:11-13).

Friends, have you ever noticed what the response was from the people to God to this catastrophic collapse? What is a healthy Biblical response for Christians to have when these events unfold? Should we tremble and feel totally useless like the people of the world will do on that day? No! If our focus is on God and our confidence is in His loving care and protection, then we should not fear that which the world fears. After the collapse of 'Babylon the Great,' the Apostle John records,

"After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants' ...
Then a voice came from the throne, saying: 'Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!'

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
'Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Revelation 19:1-2, 5-8).

Between now and this great and glorious day, when the Lamb comes for His Bride, let’s not focus on the world’s economies, but let us heed the words of Jesus: "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:32-34).

Update April 2011:

More than two years have passed since this article was written. In that time many countries, in particular the United States, have avoided (or rather, delayed) economic calamity by inflating their money supplies. Debt levels are now out of control and unsustainable, as citizens struggle to comprehend the size of the looming disaster. A large part of the apathy that many people still have is due to a lack of numerical comprehension. Talk of "millions" has become talk of "billions" and now "trillions." Such numbers are meaningless to the average guy on the street, and so the government and Federal Reserve continue to create the illusion that the economy is improving and things are getting better! It is like someone who has fallen out of a high-rise building. At the start of their descent they are worried, but after falling 50 stories they start to think, "Well, this is not as bad as I thought."

In the last few months, monetary velocity has started to pick up. People are noticing their money is not going as far as it did just months ago. Prices are up, gas is up, and package sizes are shrinking in the stores! Inflation is coming, and is here. Economic historians point out that there is always a tipping point which triggers hyper-inflation. This tipping point occurs when people lose confidence in the value of their money, and they flee it for hard assets. It could get ugly.

Here are a few things to ponder, which illustrate the size of the debt of the United States...

The US national debt is currently at $14.3 trillion ($14,300,000,000,000). Let me ask you a question, and please contemplate an answer before reading on... Let's say a miracle took place and the nation's leaders suddenly decided to not borrow a single dollar from today. If America paid back $1 million per day of it's current debt (not counting interest), how many years do you think it would take to pay off the debt? ...... The answer is .... 39,178 years!!! If you don't believe me, find a large calculator and see for yourself.

If you include the US Unfunded Liabilities (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security etc), the debt currently stands at $113.4 trillion. At a million dollars a day, it will take a mere 310,684 YEARS to break even!!! (A link you might find useful to keep track of this mess is: http://www.usdebtclock.org/ )

We share this message not to bring fear into your life, but to encourage you to seek the Lord like never before, and to consider ways you might respond in your own life to the coming collapse. While America (and probably the world economy) is on the brink of going off a cliff, the leaders continue to play silly games and ignore the problem. We believe it is already too late to turn around, and is only a matter of time before a lot of pain will be felt by all of us. It is also our prayer that you will not go into the bunker, but will continue to be salt and light to the world. The harvest is ripe. Thousands of people are becoming citizens of the kingdom of God every day, especially in those parts of the world where they had never before heard of Jesus.

Recently, a sincere Christian asked me, "Do you believe the Bible teaches that the end times will see a revival and a huge harvest of souls for the kingdom of God; or will the end times see a mass falling away from the faith?"

My reply was... "Yes!"

Both things are indicated in the Scriptures, and both are happening right now. Those parts of the world where Christ has not been named are now hearing the Gospel and multitudes are embracing Jesus as their loving Savior. On the other hand, all or most of the long-term "Christian" nations around the world are experiencing a turning away from the faith, as secularism, humanism, atheism, and a host of other "isms" erode people's faith, harden their hearts, and lock them in a prison of unbelief and sin.

In the meantime, we should continue to serve the Lord with all our heart and strength, while we have the opportunity. At the same time the world seems to be unraveling with new earthquakes, tsunamis, floods seemingly weekly. The Scriptures continually exhort us not to be afraid. The Lord Jesus clearly stated these things would increase in frequency just before His return. He said, "When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28). The return of our King is a horrible day of wrath for those who refuse His rule, but those of us who trust in God for salvation are called to "wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath" (1 Thess. 1:10). Let's continue to serve the Lord together, until every person God calls to salvation has come into His family. We only have this life to reach souls for Him.

There’s a Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:38:00 GMT

"Now he has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ The words ‘once more’ indicate the removal of what can be shaken— that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’" (Hebrews 12:26-29).

Since the Lord Jesus first called us to serve Him in Asia, we have been privileged to be a link between the Church in Asia and Christians around the world. We get to travel to various countries, and meet believers from a myriad of cultures and backgrounds. It has given us a fresh appreciation for the Body of Christ.

Over the last few years many Christians we have met have reported that they are going through a shaking process. The kind of shaking people are experiencing varies from place to place, and from person to person. Many are under pressure financially, through health crises, marital struggles, persecution and discrimination, church splits, etc. People’s moral and ethical integrity is being tested and shaken. Many of our Christian friends in Christchurch, New Zealand, have had their nerves frayed by continual physical shaking with more than 7,500 earthquakes and aftershocks in the past year.

It is not only individual lives that are being shaken. Many churches and ministries have been experiencing a great shaking also. One of the world’s largest mission organizations, which has a history of almost 200 years, has experienced such major financial difficulties in the last few years that they have had to bring hundreds of missionaries home from the field.

We tell you this not to depress you, but hope that if you are experiencing a difficult time in your life, you will realize that God is busy purifying those He loves. He does this for our own good, and for His glory. Jesus is not returning for a messed-up bride. He is returning for a beautiful bride, for the Lord "gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.’" (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Because we live in a fallen world, much of the time we don’t feel too radiant, holy and blameless, but God loves His children so much that He patiently helps us to become all that He intends. A large part of that process is allowing the Holy Spirit to shake our lives. He wants to shake out sinful patterns and thoughts, bad attitudes and practices, false ideas and beliefs. He wants to set us free from both legalism and licentiousness. When the shaking process is complete, we will be better equipped to serve and glorify Him.

Once we heard on the news that a wealthy businessman gave a brand new $200,000 Ferrari for his son on his 18th birthday. Two hours later the teenager was dead. He had not been trained to receive such a gift and was unable to drive the car with the necessary level of skill and caution. Our Heavenly Father will not bestow His children with certain gifts unless they are equipped to handle them responsibly without disgracing His Name and hurting themselves.

One thing we have realized in our own lives over the years is that hard times and shakings are designed and permitted by the Lord for our own good. When things are comfortable we can easily slip into spiritual complacency. Lives that make a difference are often first tested in the furnace of affliction and difficulty. Times of ease, prosperity and idleness, on the other hand, often lead to sin. When King David chose to commit adultery and murder, Israel was experiencing a time of unparalleled prosperity and success.

The Church in China was feeble and struggling before Communism came to power. Decades of affliction have resulted in a strong and determined Chinese Church today, and there are now approximately 100 million more Christians than before their struggles began. It is not the persecution and shaking in itself that makes us holy. Rather, difficult circumstances drive us to God’s Word, and it is the "washing with water through the word" which makes us holy.

Take note of what the Almighty God once told Israel: "See, I have refined you, though not as silver. I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another" (Isaiah 48:10-11).

The same is true for Christians today. The all-wise God will not let His Name be defamed, and He is shaking the Church. It needs to be shaken so that false believers will either repent or be separated from the flock. In the American ‘Bible belt’ the divorce rate and the number of unwed teen pregnancies is reportedly now higher than the rest of the country. Recently we read a shocking study into the state of Christianity in America. Researcher David Campbell questioned thousands of Christians throughout the nation and found that 83% of evangelical Protestants agreed that "good people" of other religions will go to heaven.

Another study in USA Today reported that 52% of Christians in the United States believe that eternal life is not exclusively for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

From these surveys, it seems that the majority of professing believers no longer think Jesus is required to get into heaven. There seems to be a growing consensus among church-goers that we can make it on our own, and all "good people" will go to heaven. Not only does this directly contradict the Scriptures, it is a direct slap in the face of God, who sent His beloved Son to die on a cross for sinful mankind. If it is possible to get into heaven by being good, then Jesus obviously wasted His time dying such a cruel and painful death for all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The Lord of Lords and King of Kings will not let His Name be defamed in such a disgraceful manner by a backslidden church, and so He is shaking His children all around the world. If you are going through a testing time, you need to realize that your experiences are common, and should be expected. The Bible addresses Christians this way:

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.... However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? ... So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good" (1 Peter 4:12, 16-17, 19).

There are great changes going on in the world. The number of earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters seem to be dramatically increasing. The financial systems of the world are swaying back and forth, causing fear and trepidation in the hearts of millions. At such a time as this, God’s people need to rise up and live godly, uncompromising lives as we walk in His light. The Bible exhorts us to submit to God’s cleansing process so that we may be, "an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).

This is a time for every Christian to make a decision about the level of commitment they want to make to God. Those who are content to keep one foot in the world will soon find such a compromised faith impossible to maintain.

For those who don’t want to be mere church-goers, but who desire to know and obey the Lord Jesus more than ever, be encouraged! The Bible says we should "...not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

An Emergency in China: Interview with Paul Hattaway on the Shortage of Bibles in China Today

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:39:00 GMT

For nearly a quarter of a century Asia Harvest has been providing Bibles to the house churches in China. In the early years this consisted of hosting many short-term teams who came to Hong Kong and carried Bibles in their bags and suitcases across the border into China. In the late 1990s we started printing Bibles secretly inside China. This greatly increased the quantity we could supply, while sharply reducing the cost per Bible. Overall, Asia Harvest and our supporters have now printed and delivered more than 3.8 million Bibles to the house church believers in China.

The following interview with Paul Hattaway, the director of Asia Harvest, was first published in our May and July 2011 newsletters. This interview is eye-opening and thought provoking. Feel free to forward the link to your friends or otherwise share it as needed.

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Asia Harvest: Let’s get straight to the main topic of this interview. Are Bibles still needed in China? Paul Hattaway: Yes! But first, please let me thank everyone reading this interview who has prayed and given so that believers in China can have Bibles. On behalf of our brothers and sisters who now have God’s Word to help them grow, thank you and God bless you!

Not only are Bibles still greatly needed, many Chinese church leaders are telling us the need is greater now than at any time since the 1980s. There is a growing emergency in China because of the lack of God’s Word among the rural house churches. If this need is not rebalanced soon, I fear it will have dire consequences for the revival that has been burning so brightly in China for the last 30 years.

AH: If there is such an urgent need for Bibles in China now, how come so few Christians around the world are aware of it?

Paul: There are several main reasons for this. The first is that providing Bibles for China (and many other countries) seems "out of fashion" in many churches today. Someone recently told a friend that helping get Bibles to China’s Christians is "so 1990s!" It seems to no longer be the "in thing." If providing God’s Word to hungry believers who can’t access it is no longer a priority, may the Lord have mercy on us!

Another misconception is that many people believe China is now a rich country, so they no longer need our help. One American Christian recently told us, "We owe China billions of dollars, so they can take care of themselves." The first thing to say to this statement is that the Chinese government owning American debt does not mean the average person in China benefits in any way! About 90% of China’s house church Christians live in rural areas of the country, often thousands of miles away from the glistening skyscrapers of modern cities like Beijing and Shanghai. The revival in China at the moment is burning brightest in remote provinces like Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu and Qinghai. Thousands of people in these regions are coming to Christ daily, and they are among the poorest of the poor in China.

I wish I could take people who think China is now swimming in wealth to some of the areas we go. They would get the shock of their lives! The recently updated Operation World book lists the average annual US income at $47,000 per person. The UK and Australia are slightly lower. China’s average per-capita income is just $3,200 per year, but there is a massive division between what those in major cities and those in the countryside earn. Many of the Christians we provide Bibles to are among the poorest people in China. They are burdened by grinding poverty and struggling to survive on just a few hundred dollars a year. For most, even if they were able to access a Bible, they would struggle to afford one.

AH: Most Christians have heard that Bibles are now legally printed inside China, so hasn’t that taken care of the need?

Paul: You have raised the main reason why people are confused about the current need for Bibles in China. For years there has been a concerted attempt by the government-approved church to convince the world that Bibles are now freely available in China. They have successfully launched a global offensive via Christian radio, television and magazines to announce the "good news" that China no longer needs Bibles. Can you imagine any other country in the world saying they have no need for more Bibles? Yet the government church leaders in China —home to one-fifth of the world’s population—say this with a straight face and many Christians foolishly believe them.

Some high-profile Western Christian leaders have joined in the chorus of support, reinforcing the false notion that China has plenty of Bibles. The propaganda campaign has been so successful that we regularly receive letters and emails from around the world, informing us that we are so out of touch we haven’t realized that China is now "awash with Bibles."

It is true that for many years the government has allowed the printing of a limited number of Bibles in China. These are all produced at the Amity Press in the city of Nanjing, and each Bible has an official permit number. I am thankful for every one of them!

These official Bibles are printed primarily for members of the state-sanctioned churches in China, known as the ‘Three-Self Patriotic Movement.’ There are approximately 20 million Christians in these churches. It is usually not difficult for Christians living in most major urban centers to buy a Bible at one of these churches. However, if you want to buy more than five or ten Bibles you will probably find it difficult, and questions may be asked about who they are for.

For the last 23 years we have been serving the unregistered house churches in China, who number more than 50 million believers. I can tell you that it simply isn’t true that the official Bibles are freely available inside China for all Christians. It would be wonderful if it were true, but it is not the case.

Each of the house church networks we serve have verified needs of hundreds of thousands of Bibles just to provide God’s Word to their new converts!

AH: The Amity Press, which prints Bibles with government permission in China, report to have printed tens of millions of Bibles in China since its inception. Surely many of these find their way to the house churches too? Paul: The numbers of Bibles reportedly produced by Amity Press are impressive. What they fail to mention, for some strange reason, is that two-thirds of the Bibles they print in China are for EXPORT! Amity Press has become one of the largest commercial printers in the world, and two-thirds of the Bibles they produce are in other languages and are exported out of China. If you have a look at an English NIV Bible, for example, don’t be surprised if it says it was printed in China.

The bottom line is that the Chinese Bibles that do remain inside the country are for distribution among members of the Three-Self churches. The more than 50 million house church Christians struggle to pick up more than a few crumbs that fall from the table of the registered church.

My heart breaks for these believers, and the way they have been neglected by much of the Body of Christ. More and more mission groups are signing up to work with the Three-Self Church in China, because it is safer for them to do so. What about the 50 million precious followers of Jesus among the "illegal" and despised unregistered house churches? Should we just ignore them and let them waste away without access to God’s Word?

Although they wouldn’t say so publicly, I know how painful it is to house church leaders when yet another big-name Western Christian comes to China and saddles up with the government. One world-famous preacher, convinced he was an expert after a week or two in China, even had the audacity to rebuke the house churches for their refusal to register with the Communist government. Such statements show a complete ignorance and disrespect for our brothers and sisters who have suffered so much for their faith and the principles they have taken a stand for. After 50 years of persecution, the house church Christians in China do not need further wounds at the hands of ill-informed Christians from other nations.

Many house church leaders have shared with us that they consider being deprived of Bibles as another form of persecution.

We are not ashamed to say how privileged we are to serve the illegal and increasingly-neglected house churches of China. We aim, by God’s grace, to provide as many Bibles to our dear brothers and sisters as the Lord grants us the resources to print and deliver.

AH: What do you say to those Christians who say we must obey the laws of the land, and the laws of China right now say you can not print Bibles except through the Amity Press?

Paul: I agree that we should always obey the laws of governments and those in authority, as long as those laws do not go against the higher law of God. Jesus commanded us to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to all of mankind.

About 60 countries in the world today do not allow missionaries and are hostile to the message of Christ. Should we obey the laws of the land and forget about the hundreds of millions of people who live in those countries? Should we let them go to hell without hearing about Jesus?

Was Daniel misguided when he refused to obey the law of the land to bow before an idol? Were Peter and John sinning when they defied orders to stop telling people about Jesus? Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we can not help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20).

I suspect many Christians today use the "obey the laws of the land" verse as a self-righteous excuse for doing nothing.

Jesus commanded us to feed those who are hungry, and in China today there are multitudes of His children spiritually starving because of a lack of God’s Word.

We look forward to a day when Bibles are freely available to all people in China—including house church Christians. In the meantime, we continue to print as many Bibles as God grants us the ability to do.

AH: Some people say the house churches should get their Bibles via the government churches. Is this possible? Paul: Some well-meaning missionaries have told me that official channels in China will provide Bibles to the house churches if we ask. I reply, "Great! We need 50,000 Bibles delivered here, and 35,000 delivered there," and so on. Immediately my friends’ eyes look down, as they realize they can’t help with so many. If we needed 50 or 100 Bibles it could be arranged, but such a tiny trickle of Scriptures is like trying to put out a raging forest fire with a garden hose!

Even if the house churches were able to access large quantities of Bibles that have been printed for the registered churches, this might temporarily alleviate some of their needs, but doing this would not add a single Bible to the total number available in China. In a way it would be like taking a bucket of water from one end of a swimming pool and pouring it into the other end.

AH: How can people reading this interview respond?

Paul: On behalf of the Christians in China, I would firstly ask you to pray. The structure is already in place to supply many millions more Bibles to the house churches than are currently being provided. Please pray that the most basic need every Christian has—access to God’s Word—would not be hindered.

There is no point us trying to persuade people to get involved with this need by mere human strength or reasoning. Please ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s heart on this matter, so that more people and churches might respond to this need from a position of understanding and because they see a God-given opportunity to make a strategic difference in the lives of many.

Part of the problem is a lack of support. Quite simply, the more funds come in, the more Bibles we can print and deliver for $1.80 each.

Amid all the talk of millions of Bibles needed, let’s remember that each individual person is precious to God. These Bibles go to real believers, young and old, who have been saved by the grace of God, and who desire to know more of the Lord Jesus. For this reason, every single Bible is precious and life-changing. Every donation to this project is important and strategic, whatever the amount. Please also consider sharing the need for Bibles in China with your Christian friends and relatives.

AH: We have ascertained that there is a huge need for Bibles in China among the house churches. Just how great is the need?

Paul: Our co-workers needed to answer the same question, so last year they asked many leaders of house church networks in China to survey their members and tell us of their needs. The result was staggering. Added together, the house churches throughout China urgently need 34 million Bibles, just to provide the Word of God to all of their members. It would be many millions more if enquirers are considered, but our priority is to provide Bibles to as many believers as possible.

AH: This is a huge number. How did the need get to be so large?

Paul: It has been stated that "every Christian in China is an evangelist," and generally this is true. In one sense, the problem of providing Bibles can never be fully met while the church is in revival.

The more Bibles that are printed, the more people get saved and the more Bibles are needed!

Many China ministries believe that, on average, two to three people come to faith in Jesus Christ for every Bible that is printed in China.

For years one major mission group has said at least five people experience salvation for every Chinese Bible. Our experiences line up with these claims.

We have received numerous letters from church leaders telling us how they used to have 500 believers in their area, for example, but after we delivered a shipment of Bibles they grew to two or three times that number in a short time. It is a great problem to have!

In the past, many missionaries to China were greatly discouraged because of the difficulty trying to reach people. The Welsh missionary Griffith John wrote, "The good news is moving very slowly. The people are as hard as steel. They are eaten up both soul and body by the world, and do not seem to feel that there can be reality in anything beyond sense. To them our doctrine is foolishness, our talk jargon. We discuss and beat them in argument. We reason them into silence and shame; but the whole effort falls upon them like showers upon a sandy desert."

The seasons have changed, and for the past 30 years God has done a mighty work in China. Countless millions are meeting Him for the first time. Now is the time of salvation in China!

People reading this may feel that their own communities bear little resemblence to what is happening in China and many other parts of the world today.

Don’t be jealous, however. For when God was powerfully visiting many parts of the Western world in past generations, China was blind and hardened to the Gospel message. Millions who perished are now burning in hell because of it.

AH: When we share about the needs of China and Asia with Christians in our country, someone invariably says, "We have plenty of needs in our area too, so why should we worry about people on the other side of the world?" How do you respond to this?

Paul: Certainly there are needs everywhere, but there are a few different ways I would respond to this attitude. The first and most important thing people need to consider is what does the Bible teach? God clearly reveals that His heart is for the whole world. Our God is a missionary God, who sent His own Son to reach the lost. He didn’t command His followers to only go into their local communities, but to the ends of the earth. The disciples were told, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem [the local area], and in all Judea and Samaria [neighboring regions], and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Notice the Lord didn’t say they should "first" reach Jerusalem, "then" Judea and Samaria, and "ultimately" the ends of the earth. All three are to be done simultaneously. Christians need to be involved in reaching the far ends of the earth at the same time they are reaching their local communities.

People often think they are at the center of the universe, whereas God’s primary concern is for the lost masses and people groups who have never heard the Gospel. If we count ourselves among His followers, we need to have an interest in the big picture. He cares for His lost sheep wherever they are, especially for those in the most remote and neglected lands.

Often during my travels in the West I feel a bit weird. We meet many sincere Christians who spend all their time and energy "reaching" towns in their country which already have churches on every street corner.

Then we travel thousands of miles through areas of Tibet or Central Asia where not a single church building can be seen. There are no Christian workers, and few people have ever heard the Name of Jesus. Such things must look strange in heaven.

AH: Many Christians don’t help with needs on the other side of the world because they are unable to relate to those languages and cultures. How can this be overcome?

Paul: In regards to Bibles in China, we are all one family in Christ. We have millions of brothers and sisters in China starving without God’s Word, despite there being a proven and efficient method to provide Bibles for just $1.80 each. This opportunity should excite Christians who hear about it, regardless of where they live in the world.

Another way to look at things is from a strategic investment point of view.

Several years ago the World Christian Encylopedia published a fascinating study on the financial cost of producing one new baptized follower of Christ in various parts of the world. This was calculated by finding the total spent on all Christian activities (outreach, church buildings, Christian television and radio, literature etc.) in a country, and dividing the amount by the number of baptisms each year.

Incredibly, the study estimated that it costs $1.5 million to produce every new baptized believer in the United States! Are these believers precious to God? Of course they are! But so are souls in China, the most populated country on earth, where about 1,300,000,000 people are lost in their sin and hell-bound.

Providing God’s Word to fellow believers in China should appeal to all kinds of Christians. For those with a shepherd’s heart, here is an opportunity to nourish and strengthen new believers with the Scriptures. For those with the heart of an evangelist, I can’t think of a more attractive investment. $1.80 will provide a Bible, which will bring an additional two or three Chinese people (on average) to salvation. That’s unbeatable investment value!

AH: Can you share a little about why the Bibles we print in China are so inexpensive? Most people think $1.80 is a very low price for a Bible. Other organizations charge anywhere from $3 to $10.50 for similar Chinese Bibles.

Paul: There are no gimmicks or trickery involved with our cost price of $1.80 per Bible! If someone sends us $1.80, then one Bible really is printed and delivered to a believer in China. If we receive a donation of $180, then 100 Bibles really are printed and delivered.

The Bibles we print in China are full Bibles (not just New Testaments), excellent quality, with strong covers and binding. As a ministry, we have always wanted to supply as many Bibles as possible, for as economically as possible. After 3.7 million Bibles, we have yet to receive a single complaint from anyone in China!

The reason why our cost price is much less than most other organizations is something people who want to know will need to ask the other organizations involved. We are glad for every Bible that is produced for China. We just wish there were a lot more!

We do not use this or any other project as an excuse to raise funds for ourselves. Anyone who knows the way we operate will testify that we do so with a bare minimum of staff and overhead expenses.

Our goal is simply to do what the Lord has told us to do, and that is to provide as many Bibles as possible to His children in China. We have been doing this since 1988. This is a matter of life and death. We have been blessed to see the life-changing difference God’s Word makes when it is provided to a community, and horrified to experience the depravity and deception that envelops a people group or place when the Scriptures are absent or ignored.

We feel the time available to reach the lost is running out, and God’s clock will soon strike midnight. There is no time to play games or make excuses. This is no time to live our lives like we will be on this earth forever, while the lost perish around us. May we pray like Moses, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).

Another key reason for the low cost of our Bibles is the diligence of our Chinese co-workers. They have spent a lot of time finding the most secure and economical way to print Bibles, because their motive is also to reach as many people with God’s Word as possible.

AH: How do you know that all the Bibles being printed in China are really getting delivered to believers?

Paul: Many people who are experienced in China Christian work have told us they are greatly impressed by the level of reporting we receive from our Chinese co-workers.

Within weeks of each print-run, we receive detailed reports showing us where every single box of Bibles ended up, along with extensive accounting.

We then have some Western colleagues who do "spot checks" to ensure the information we receive is correct, that the funds have been used with full integrity and the Bibles have been delivered as reported.

For partner ministries, we take the distribution reports and overlay the information on maps of China, giving a powerful visual display of the locations in China their support has impacted.

This tested and effective method of providing Bibles to the hungry believers in China has not just fallen into place by accident. It has come about through many years of prayer, faith, and hard work by many people in China. Some have been arrested and imprisoned for their involvement, so it has also come at great cost.

AH: The house churches in China need 34 million Bibles for their members. At $1.80 each we would need $61.2 million! ....

Paul: Let me interrupt you there. Such numbers often discourage people from thinking they can make a difference. When one missionary arrived in India he was asked, "How do you plan to reach a billion people?" He replied, "One at a time!"

In the same way, every single Bible that is printed makes a huge difference in the lives of those who receive it. These are people just like you and me. They are young men and women whose lives have been transformed by the Gospel. They are families who desire more of Christ, and who want to raise their children in a godly home.

After receiving a Bible, their faith is established and strengthened, and they in turn share the Gospel with their neighbors and friends.

Everyone reading these words can make a huge difference in China, regardless of whatever resources they may or may not have at their disposal.

Firstly, please pray for this project. We don’t want to take on this need in our own strength, without God’s blessing, because our endeavors will fall flat.

Believe me when I say that every person who becomes closely involved with the Bible project immediately finds themselves in an intense spiritual battle. Satan does all he can to disrupt and destroy this work. Please pray for God’s power, protection, and provision to cover all who are involved in providing Bibles to the Chinese house churches.

Secondly, in this time of economic difficulty for many, let us remember the words of the hymn, "Little is much, when God is in it!" You don’t need to be materially wealthy to make a great difference in people’s lives in China.

Recently we received a letter from a friend named Rich, who lives in New Jersey. He wrote, "How’s this for a clever way of sending Bibles... I called up my private garbage collector and requested a smaller size can. Now I save $5.40 every two months—just enough for three more Bibles!"

With this simple action, Rich is able to provide 18 more Bibles to the believers in China each year. These 18 Bibles will result in between 36 and 54 people coming to know Jesus for the first time. I realize that this sounds too good to be true, except that all the evidence points towards it being true!

Therefore please don’t think you are unable to make a difference in China. God always looks for an obedient heart, and is not impressed by the things that people are often impressed by.

AH: At the same time isn’t it true that those who do have a lot of resources at their disposal should also be involved?

Paul: Yes, of course. It is a huge responsibility to be a Christian with the means to help God’s work. To those whom much has been given, much will be required.

May I be really blunt with you? The main reason 34 million Christians in China are without access to God’s Word is not because China is a Communist nation, but because the priorities of the Church around the world has become so skewed.

Multitudes of believers are spiritually blind to things that matter most to God, and they major in things of little consequence.

You mentioned earlier that if we had $61 million we would be able to provide God’s Word to every believer in China who is without a Bible.

When we think of such a large number we may feel personally helpless, but is such an amount a lot of money for the worldwide Church to provide?

A few years ago my family and I were in the United States, where we visited some friends. They took us to see their church building where several thousand believers meet every week. As far as buildings go, the church was an impressive structure, but our friends explained the church was building another facility right next to the existing one.

The "old" building (which was actually quite new) would then be used for Sunday school classes and other purposes. The church had purchased a row of houses on an adjoining street, and demolished them to make room for more parking spaces. The total cost of this new church building was $40 million.

I wonder what the leaders and members of that one congregation would say if we met with them and asked them to abandon their plans? Instead, they could remain in their existing building and use the spare money to provide more than 22 million Bibles to the Christians in China, who in turn would lead 40, 50, or 60 million lost souls into the kingdom of God.

The above example is just one congregation, in one medium-size city, in one state of America.

There are countless other examples of far more lavish expenditure on things God has little interest in. It is by no means just an American problem either. One church in Singapore has recently raised $400 million to construct their new church building!

All of this must look very strange in heaven, the dwelling place of our God who "is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands" (Acts 17:24).

So after sharing this perspective, let me ask you this rhetorical question: is $61 million really a lot of money for the whole Body of Christ to provide so that all believers in China will have a Bible?

Could it be that the main reason the Gospel has yet to impact thousands of people groups in the world after 2,000 years is because Christians have their priorities all messed up?

I am reminded of a church in Australia who stopped supporting all of their missionaries, and instead used the money to pay for a 20-minute fireworks display. I’m sure it was an amazing show, but what does God think of such things? I could continue with many similar examples but they wouldn’t be very edifying!

Our responsibility, in our own lives and families, is to earnestly seek the Lord and ask Him to make sure our priorities line up with God’s priorities.

Bob Pierce, who founded World Vision, often prayed, "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God." The Lord answered his prayers, and today millions of children throughout the world are fed, clothed and educated every day as a result.

Please pray our Heavenly Father would break through the spiritual blindness. Pray the Holy Spirit would reveal God’s broken heart about those in China and elsewhere who are without access to His Word.

AH: Thanks for sharing your heart on the need for Bibles in China today. I think many readers will be surprised by the things you have shared. Is there anything you would like to say in conclusion?

PH: I am thankful for everyone who has taken the time to read this interview. If all you have learned is the size of the need in China, then we have failed. I hope you can clearly see the exciting opportunities that exists to help meet this need.

On behalf of our neglected spiritual family who meet in China’s house churches, I ask you to prayerfully consider how you can help provide Bibles, regardless of the amount. Every single Bible is important.

It is a great opportunity to be involved in transforming many lives from darkness to light through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our commitment to you is that we will continue to print and deliver as many Bibles to the Christians in China as we are able, as inexpensively as possible.

By God’s grace we will not tire until the need is met, or the Lord Jesus returns for His bride!

------------

If you would like to help support the need for Bibles in China, you can do so by post or by setting up one-time or monthly donations

via our secure donation page.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Further Comment on the Worldwide Economic Meltdown

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:40:00 GMT

More than two years have passed since my blog "The Economic Meltdown: A Christian Perspective" was written. In that time many countries, in particular the United States, have avoided (or rather, delayed) economic calamity by inflating their money supplies. Debt levels are now out of control and unsustainable, as citizens struggle to comprehend the size of the looming disaster. A large part of the apathy that many people still have is due to a lack of numerical comprehension. Talk of "millions" has become talk of "billions" and now "trillions." Such numbers are meaningless to the average guy on the street, and so the government and Federal Reserve continue to create the illusion that the economy is improving and things are getting better! It is like someone who has fallen out of a high-rise building. At the start of their descent they are worried, but after falling 50 stories they start to think, "Well, this is not as bad as I thought."

Here are a few things to ponder, which illustrate the size of the debt of the United States....

My reply was... "Yes!"

Asia Harvest

The State of the Nations 2026

2025 - Year in Review - Breakthroughs in Unexpected Places

VIDEO: Fires Target 11 Believers in India

Bibles for the Hidden Rawang People

From the Lips of Children and Infants

(These Stories were made possible because of support from - The Children's Fund)

When a Mountain Collapses

Gospel Response to a Tragedy in India

Beautiful Feet - The Asian Workers' Fund

Why We Raise Support in $25 Increments

Other Strategic Resources

Finally, we would like to share a few powerful testimonies that recently arrived on our desk from Asian evangelists.

﻿ They offer a glimpse of hundreds of similar testimonies we receive:

India

Pakistan

Myanmar

Read Our Full Newsletter!

John Sung - China's Greatest Evangelist

Unrelenting Attacks

Smelly Feet and Big Shots

The Gift of Healing

A Thorn in the Flesh

Read Our Full Newsletter !

Fujian - The New Book by Paul Hattaway

Changing Lives in Myanmar

RESPONDING TO THE EMERGENCY IN MYANMAR

A Rescue Shop at the Gates of Hell

Shining the Light of Jesus in the Darkness of Asia

Read Our Full Newsletter

2024 Year in Review - Proclaiming God's Works in our 200th Newsletter

Read our Full Newsletter

VIDEO: Myanmar Revival Fires Spreading

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:

20 Million Miracles ...and counting!

﻿ Our Secret Fundraiser

Headwinds ﻿

Read our Full Newsletter

The 'Operation' Series

A Message & Prayer Request from Paul Hattaway

TOP PHOTO DESCRIPTION:

Operation Myanmar

Please Note

• As we near the end of the Myanmar series, we plan to make available the complete Operation Myanmar book in paper or e-book form, which will contain all the profiles. Please don’t ask about these for a while though, as it will take at least 18 months before they are ready.

Meanwhile, we will send the individual profiles to people as they become available.

ABOVE PHOTO: Millions of young Burmese boys like this teenager are sent to serve as novice monks in Buddhist monasteries.

(Our thanks to the photographer David Lazar, who granted permission for us to share these images.)

Future Series

The 'Operation' Series

PHOTO BELOW: Most of Myanmar's 233 ethnic groups are located in poor, rural communities that have changed little in many generations. This photo of people from the Intha tribe in Shan State shows life there is little different than from a century ago.

Read our Full Newsletter

Myanmar - War and Revival

A View From Inside

Shine and the Witchdoctor

Idol Temples and Drug Factories Closing

The Koho People - Bibles at last for the Koho of Vietnam

Memories of an Ancient God

Desperate for God’s Word

Thanks from a Koho Church Leader

Hainan - The Reality of Revival

﻿ When Heaven Came to Hainan

Little Wang

Hainan - A New Book by Paul Hattaway

The Qigong Master's Defeat

The Piano Player

Annual Report 2024 – No Shrinking Back in Times of Chaos

2023/2024 Annual Report

The Lisu People - Providing God's Word to Hungry Believers

A Remarkable Homeland

An Oppressed People

Jesus, the King of the Lisu

Decades In Decline

Thank you for your Prayers and Giving!

Read our Full PDF Newsletter

Watch: Myanmar's Spiritual Dawning

Newly Released Asia Harvest Footage – Direct From The Field :

China Update - President Xi Jinping and His Role in the World

President Xi Jinping and His Role in the World

A Prediction...

No, for the following SEVEN REASONS:

They offer a glimpse of hundreds of similar testimonies we receive:

Our Secret Fundraiser

Headwinds

PHOTO BELOW: Most of Myanmar's 233 ethnic groups are located in poor, rural communities that have changed little in many generations. This photo of people from the Intha tribe in Shan State shows life there is little different than
from a century ago.

When Heaven Came to Hainan

2022-23 Annual Report

China Bible Fund

Asian Workers' Fund

Asia Bible Fund