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East Asia Update – January 2012

Ministry, Newsletter, Work

Jan 112012

East Asian Peoples Update

january 2012

Moving to the edge of darkness

Major changes lie ahead for the East Asian
Peoples Affinity Group this year. As we seek to address the great
spiritual needs of the East Asian Peoples, extensive effort among the
Chinese, Korean and Japanese people, as well as among the ethnic
minority people groups of China will be ongoing. But there will also be
an even greater focus on reaching the neediest segments within these
broader groupings. Increased emphasis will also be given to partnering
with Asian Christians to complete the task of sharing God’s love with
the 1.3 billion East Asian people who still do not know Christ. Learn
more all year http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/

Start the year out right

If you haven’t yet ordered your 2012
East Asian Peoples Prayer Calendar, there is no better
time than now! Order as many free copies as you think your prayer group
or church might need and join us in praying for the 1.6 billion East
Asians all year; available at the IMB Resource Center at1-800-999-3113 or http://imbresources.org/.
You can also view or download the calendar from the Resource room on
the http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/
site.An Embracing the Ends of the Earth
conference will be held on February 4 at FBC, North Spartanburg, SC. Go
to http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/embrace/
to find conference details or to learn how to embrace an unengaged
unreached people group (UUPG). Precious lives hang in the
balance.

Calendar now to participate in the East Asian Peoples
Day of Prayer and Fasting, held on the second Monday of
every month. Details can always be found at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/pray/.

Chinese New Year

The Chinese Lunar New Year is the ultimate holiday
for Chinese worldwide. In China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, it is the
one time of the year when businesses and factories close. The world’s
largest annual migration unfolds as millions return to their family
home, filling every seat on airplanes, and packing themselves into
overflowing trains, buses and cars. Red envelopes filled with cash are
exchanged and fireworks light up the night skies as families and
friends are reunited, sharing meals that include dumplings, sticky rice
and many other culinary treats.Give a giftThis year, the Chinese New Year will fall on January 23. It provides a
perfect opportunity to build friendships with Chinese people in your
community. Send a Chinese
New Year card. Read how to “get fired up” and other
suggestions at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org.

Follow a blog

Read the posts of a 20-something Chinese man from the U.S. who will
spend the Chinese New Year holiday with his extended family in Hong
Kong; available on our sister site http://AsiaStories.com/
from January 20 to 24.

New Year prayers

Go to http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/prayer-blog/
to read Chinese New Year requests from frontline workers.Tsunami of prayer for Japan“A giant rock that sits in the middle of a field in Iwate Prefecture,
northern Japan, is now being called the ‘tsunami rock.’ The rock, 21
feet wide, 8 feet tall and weighing an estimated 140 tons, traveled 514
yard inland during the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami. Researchers are
using the rock as a benchmark to analyze the power of the tsunami. Even
more powerful than the actual tsunami though, is the tsunami of prayer
that has reached Japan during these trying times. Thank you for your
steadfastness and faithfulness on your knees before the Solid Rock.”
From a frontline worker

Friday prayers for western China

“It’s Friday, 1:20 p.m. at the Dongguan temple in western China’s
Xining (shee-ning) city. Thousands of white skullcaps bob through the
city streets and fill the mosque courtyard. … As Muslims gather
throughout China for prayers every Friday afternoon, concerned
Christians also pause to pray.”
Read the story at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/explore/muslims-in-china/.

Untimely deaths

Death against choiceEight million lives are lost every year through abortions of unborn
children. More than half of those undergoing the procedure have already
had at least one previous abortion. More than 30 years after the
implementation of China’s one-child policy, many lives are snuffed out
in the wombs of women, many of whose hearts have been numbed by the
decades-long governmental ban on “excess” children, and many whose
babies are aborted against their choice. Another 300,000 children under
the age of 5 die every year, with 36 percent of the deaths taking
places in homes where there is poor access to healthcare.Death by choice

China is still the world’s most populous nation, but about one out of
every 4,000 residents commits suicide every year. The 287,000 suicides
account for about 3.6 percent of the country’s deaths. About 75 percent
of the self-inflicted deaths occur in the countryside. Suicide is the
leading cause of death for the age group of 15 to 34, and rates as the
fifth leading death cause for the country in general.

What the numbers say

23 million —
children in China under the age of 5 living apart from parents who went
to find work in the cities
48,921 — people in
China 100 years old or older as of mid-2011
157,558 — students
from China studying in U.S. colleges and universities last year

http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org

East Asia Update November 2011

Ministry, Newsletter, Work

Nov 222011

East Asian Peoples Update

November 2011

Thanksgiving Edition 2011

Radical needs call for radical prayer
The 2012 East Asian Peoples Prayer Calendar is now available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/resources/. It can be ordered through the IMB Resource Center at 1-800-999-3113 or online at http://imbresources.org/. Order plenty of this free resource to encourage your prayer group, mission group or entire church to join in praying for the East Asian Peoples all year long.East Asian cities featured – December 4 to 11 Week of Prayer.

In Japan’s male-dominated society, a man’s identity centers on his work. But losing one’s position is a fall from grace that leads to shame. For many Japanese, losing a job means losing their identity. For some touched by the ministry of International Mission Board (IMB) workers to the homeless, it means new birth. Read more about Tokyo, Japan at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org and www.asiastories.com.

Factories are the bus stops and the monuments and the landmarks. Everything exists to serve them in Dongguan, China. The city is divided into 32 districts, each one specializing in a different kind of manufacturing, with more than 3,000 factories crammed into one town. Read the story at http://www.imb.org/.

Special Week of Prayer resources

Lottie Moon was a 4-foot, 3-inch tall spiritual giant who pushed the absolute limits of service. She lived a life so sacrificial that 99 years after her death, hundreds of thousands of Southern Baptists still continue to give to an offering bearing her name. The annual offering now provides 57 percent of the support for the Southern Baptist missionary force of 4,952 missionaries worldwide. This year’s goal is $175 million. Go to http://www.imb.org/ for more information.

Download a bulletin insert for your church at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org.

Read 10 ways that you can be involved in the ongoing work in East Asia at: http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/a-season-of-thanks/.

Precious in the sight of the Lord — giving thanks
This is a great time of year to give thanks for the lives of East Asian Peoples workers who have concluded their earthly journey this year.Two outstanding workers in active service died this year from illness. Both of them were 62 years of age, and both were veteran workers who had served in numerous places. Both left grieving spouses, families and colleagues. But they also left rich legacies of lives that were changed for eternity through their ministries. Read more about active workers at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/field-blog/precious-in-his-sight/.Dan Ray, very tall and obviously Caucasian, always drew strange looks when he told people that he was Chinese. He was born to missionary parents Rex and Janet Gilman Ray on December 25, 1923 in Wuchow, China. Read more about emeritus missionaries at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/field-blog/precious-in-his-sight/ .

Giving thanks — frontline reports
Workers among the East Asian Peoples have many reasons for thanksgiving.* Read more at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/field-blog/east-asian-workers-give-thanks/.

Chinese in Canada.
Give thanks to God for the four new believers from the new outreach in a neighborhood in Calgary who were baptized in September!
Central T people in Asia.Give thanks to God that Central T Christians have the opportunity to attend a weekend training that will provide foundational biblical truths.
Central Y people of China. Give thanks to the Lord of the harvest for showing His power in River village. So far this month, 20 people from River village have turned their hearts to Jesus and been baptized.
Dumpling Heaven, China.
This month five local believers from Dumpling Heaven traveled 36 hours across the country to share the Good News with people from an unreached people group.
JZ City, China.
Thank the Father for sending many friends from another country to show His love to the people of this city. Because of their heartfelt sharing … many became His children.
Metro in the Heartlands, China.
Give thanks to the Lord that many of those who have been trained to share their faith are eagerly applying what they have learned.

*Pseudonyms are used for some cities and UPGs.

Those who still need to give thanks
A worker among the Coconut People of East Asia writes, “As you focus on thanking God this month, the Coconut people will be burning incense to their dead ancestors. Please pray that the strongholds will be broken and the blinders will be lifted, and ask that the Coconut people will turn to the Father!”There is extreme lostness among many East Asian Peoples Unreached People Groups. Go to http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/embrace/ to explore ways that you can impact lostness through your prayers and involvement.

Student opportunities
Visit www.onelifematters.orgto find out how to make your one life count!Hands On Fall 2012 jobs will be posted soon at http://www.thetask.org/.

Looking for Chinese faces in AfricaFollow Joy Tiller on her trip to Africa. Read “Prayers of Joy” at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/prayer-blog/prayers-of-joy-looking-for-chinese-faces/.

East Asia Update – August 2011

Ministry, Newsletter, Work

Aug 292011

East Asian Peoples Update

August 2011

Stand by me
He looked up at me with fear mixed with wonder as he kicked off his shoes and stepped up into my house. Our son Trevor, who was also 6, had met this boy at Sunday school the week before … So began a lifetime friendship of my son and Makoto. … When the doctor told Trevor he had leukemia, he said, “I’m not afraid to die, but I want to be in Japan.” Unfortunately, he went too fast … We returned to Japan, carrying Trevor’s ashes. At the funeral, the three best friends, Makoto, Katsuya and Jun shuffled to the front of the church … Then in their best English, they sang the anthem of their shared youth, “Stand by Me”. Makoto is (now) a grown man with a wife and child. Makoto went on to college, then seminary and today as you read this, he’s being ordained and installed as the pastor of the church he first stepped into when he was 6. Read the complete story at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org.

Going back

We exited the train station amidst a flood of people pushing their way towards the gate and out the other side. The sunlight hit us followed by the noise of voices, honking and shouting. “Do you need a ride, a map?” We headed for the taxi line. I began to take it in … the store-front signs written in Asian characters instead of letters, the familiar golden arches of McDonalds, the smog, the traffic and the smell of the street. I’m back in a place I love. This is East Asia. Going back to East Asia helped me put the puzzle pieces of my life and call together. Read the story by a Canadian short-term worker at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org.

Japan in crisis

Earthquake orphans

Approximately 200 children lost both parents in the Japan earthquake and tsunami of March 11, and 1,100 lost at least one parent. Almost one half of them are primary school students or younger. Many are living with extended families for now, but with high unemployment in a number of areas, orphanages may be the only option for some. The first wave of short-term teams specifically going to minister to the children in the disaster areas has been sent. Pray that each of these children will come to know Jesus who said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18 NIV). Read more prayer reports

Telling their stories

Twenty-three boats out of 800 are left in one port along the east coast of Japan. With the death of loved ones, Japanese who have survived the tsunami and earthquake are sober, hopeless and grieving in the midst of intense cleanup and decisions for their future. Read the story.

Lost Mongolians

An estimated 4 million ethnic Mongolians live in the Inner Mongolia region of China, outnumbering the 3 million living in Mongolia! But only a small percentage of them profess Christ. Join us this month in praying for their salvation. Read the profile in English, Chinese or Korean at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/

EA1Day

Choose from four exciting EA1Day gatherings in October and learn how to impact China’s western cities, Japan’s unreached millions, Tibetans, Hui and Mongolians for Christ. Registration deadline is October 10. Go to http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/news/ea1day/ for more details.

What if? — Reflections

U.S. university students who spent last semester serving among the East Asian Peoples in the Hands On program stopped to reflect:

“What if we never went where we went, said what we said? So many wouldn’t have heard. So many lives wouldn’t have changed.”
“It broke my heart. They have been told from childhood that there is no God.”
“It was so crazy to meet people who have never heard of Jesus!”
“We traveled on motor bike or horseback and “GPSed” where we had been. The task is huge!”
“To see God saving people out of lostness is so amazing.”
“Seeing these Chinese believers baptized … Oh my goodness … They really get it!”

Rough days

When pigs can be sheep
It was a rough day in kindergarten for a little girl who sang a song about God’s love and then tried to convince her classmates that they were God’s little lambs. “We’re not sheep, we’re pigs,” they replied. It seems that all of the little sheep were born in 2007, the Year of the Pig according to the commonly used Lunar calendar.

Dr. Pepper and praise

One East Asian family prepares for difficult times by keeping a stash of Dr. Pepper’s on hand. As the drink is not available locally, they always pack a few cans in their suitcases when they return from overseas travel. Then when what they refer to as a “last straw day” comes, they pull out a can and share it as a family. Each one who takes a sip shares some words of thanksgiving and by the time the soft drink is gone, their hearts are joyous once again.

If you would like to subscribe to
East Asian Peoples Update, e-mail: eastasianpeoples@pobox.com

Texas to Taiwan – August 2011

Holiday, Ministry, Newsletter, Photo

Aug 022011

Our latest newsletter appears below.
If you didn’t receive it in you email you can subscribe to our email list HERE.

Greetings From Texas!

It is hard to believe that our time stateside has come and gone so quickly! Had you asked us a month ago if we were ready to return to the field, we probably would have said “no”, however we now feel like we have rested well, played hard, and eaten enough, and now our hearts are turning back towards the people and work in East Asia.

Highlights:

Fran & Paige – a day at the Arboretum
Fran, Paige, sister, in laws & friends – Mom’s Day surprise
Fran & sister Boo – 3 days at Galveston
Jackie & Fran – Bike rides & 3 mile walks at North Park Mall
Fran – stretch class at PCBC & morning walk’s with a friend.
Jackie & Fran – 3 days at BSF Headquarters in San Antonio
Jackie & Fran, Paige & Chris – 2 days in LaGrange
Jackie & Fran – fun w/lifetime friends on Memorial Day
Week night dinners with Travis
Jackie & Fran, w/Paige & Chris – 8 days in Canada!
Jackie & Fran – 6 Days in VA for stateside renewing & reunited with Taiwan co-workers
Jackie – numerous trips for dental work & Fran- numerous cholesterol tests
Family gatherings at graduations and funerals
Millions of trips to half price books (Jackie pouts if we pass by w/out stopping)
Discovered some great Food: Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill, Pizza by Marco, Cindy’s Delicatessen, Charlie’s Philly cheese steak, & THE FOOD CHANEL! [Jackie has nick named Fran “Frachel” because she loves Rachel Ray’s 30-minute meals!]
Lunches/or coffee with a few faithful friends!
Meeting the next generation of Taiwanese UTD students!
Scanning many generations of photos for both the Bell & Hogue families

We are so very thankful for:

Lottie Moon supporters
Southern Baptist Church partners with International Mission Board
Park Cities Baptist Church – provision of a mission home!
Bible Study Fellowship, International (BSF) – its worldwide ministry
Brenda Rhodes – provision of a mission car!
Many “No alarm” days – we came home very tired, and finally begin to feel rested. As we return to Taiwan Aug 15, we are so thankful for this season of rest. We are amazed how the sermon series at PCBC took us through Philippians, emphasizing our new life in Christ. Our week in Richmond focused on “Renewal”, encouraging us to rest physically as we reconnect with loved ones. Our week in Canada renewed our spirits as the Rockies revealed the majesty of God. We truly are thankful for our REST IN HIM!

Ways to pray:

As we return to field service, we hope you will continue to be our prayer partners! Jackie will begin a new work assignment, serving as Admin Specialist to the Strategy Training Team for East Asian Peoples Affinity Group. Please pray he will be quick to learn his new job assignment, and that his gifts and skills will compliment our co-workers. He will also continue to serve as substitute teaching leader of the Evening men’s BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) class. Fran will continue to serve as the teaching leader of the day women’s BSF class. Pray that the “Acts of the Apostles” study be used in these Taipei classes to bring new life to truth seekers, and a renewed passion for Christ among believers and a commitment to actively serve the local churches and the world. We will also resume our in home bible study with young Adults. Many of them are UTD Alumni and love our common love of Dallas. Pray the Lord will re-gather them to our home in September and that many will come to know and trust Christ.

For those of you that weren’t able to re-connect while we were in TX, know that you are always welcome to come see us in Taiwan. When you come, you will experience a land of beauty as you minister to a spiritually hungry people group.