Oct 232012
 



October 2012


A Legacy of new believers

Twelve and a half years after arriving in China, Patrick and Ellen Raymond retired to Arkansas knowing that they had witnessed to 7,200 students, given full Gospel presentations to 2,880 students and led 845 students to receive Christ.

Chinese students who benefited from the ministry of the unpretentious grandparents now live in at least 25 cities scattered throughout six or more China provinces, and those who accepted Christ through their witness also reside on other continents, including three countries in Africa! Read the story http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/eastudents/a-legacy-of-new-believers/.

All sorts of prayers

I’ll pray for that one, Mommy

My second-grade son and I were driving around town. He asked, “Do you know what is the saddest thing to see?” I didn’t know so he said, “seeing people go to temples to worship idols and their ancestors!” We passed a temple and I prayed that the people who worship there would come to know the one true God. He saw another temple and he said, “I’ll pray for that one Mommy.”
From a frontline worker

The only one who prayed for her

“I realized that I might be the only person in the world who has ever prayed for this young lady.” This statement, made by an East Asian urban worker, underscores the importance and the impact that prayer has on the lives of people. In this case, the young woman mentioned is a college student who has shown an interest in Christianity and who has attended a Bible study. She has not yet become a believer, but the worker has faith that the prayers going up on her behalf will one day be answered.
From a frontline worker

A dangerous prayer

Some students voiced a “dangerous prayer” last year … “Lord, what do you want us to do over summer vacation?” and God led them through the International World Changers program to China and Thailand to share Jesus’ love. Read stories of evangelism and ministry through the eyes of teenagers. Follow them to an English camp and experience their trials of making friends and sharing Christ despite cultural barriers. Learn how their prayer changed lives. http://www.commissionstories.com/asia/

Virtual Prayer Walk

Take a virtual prayerwalk of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia at http://goo.gl/maps/UbJ0Y.

Focus on Mongolia

Real Strength

In the land of Genghis Khan, strength and a warrior spirit have reigned through the centuries. Not until the past 20 years, however, have Mongolians known that real strength comes from Christ. Read the story at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/feature/mongolia/christianity-in-mongolia/.

Horse thieves and Jesus

Horse thieves had stolen one of Otgonbayar’s best racehorses. The events that followed led to a 10-year friendship with American Seth Walker* and, more importantly, a relationship with Jesus Christ. Read the story at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/feature/mongolia/horse-thieves-and-faith-in-jesus-a-mongolians-journey-to-christ/.
*name changed

A City on the Edge

View photos and a virtual prayer walk of Hohhot, the city that serves as the capital of China’s Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. Learn how God has transformed the Christian landscape of the city in the past decade. Posted at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/feature/mongolia/hohhot-city-on-the-edge/.

Something for Students

Learn how you can hugely impact lives halfway around the world. http://www.thetask.org/eastasia

Read stories from university students who served in East Asia. http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/east-asia-students/

Including the World

EA1Day events held in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas last month drew about 225 attendees from 80 churches and organizations. Pastors, mission directors and other key influencers received an update on the status of evangelical work among the East Asian Peoples and connected with East Asian Peoples workers on opportunities of partnership. One participant said, “I have been humbled and touched to recognize the vast needs in our world. The statement seems trite, but when we work week to week within our own church walls, we sometimes forget the dying world outside our community. This conference (EA1Day) has reminded me that to truly have the Father’s heart is to enlarge our viewpoint to include the world. I return home pondering just how to infuse this same burden with our church.”


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Jun 282012
 

June Edition

Young hearts needing to hear

Children’s Day is celebrated throughout China and Mongolia on June 1, in Japan and Korea on May 5 and in Taiwan and Hong Kong on April 4. The annual celebrations attest to the value that East Asians place on their young — at least publicly — on whom are pinned many hopes and dreams. Jesus places an even greater value on the little ones, beckoning them to Himself and longing to give them eternal life. Yet the vast majority of East Asian children are growing up in homes where His name is not spoken, His love not yet known. Pray that every East Asian child will have the chance to hear of the Savior’s love.

Young hearts eager to share

Making Him known

Having grown up in Japan, Hannah Seelen, 13, and Collin Seelen, 16, were eager to join their missionary parents, Charlie and Teresa, in ministry to tsunami survivors in Tohoku, Japan. Their family motto is “Knowing God; making Him known.” Go to http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/making-him-known/ ‎ to see them put feet to their faith.

Time is short

The seven-year-old blonde-haired daughter of missionaries in Taiwan had an urgent request for her mom early one school morning. “Mom, I need to know how to tell people to accept Jesus,” she said. When the mother told her that she would explain the process later that afternoon, the little girl said, “No, I need to do it now. Time is short. I want to tell my classmates.” So her mom sat down and with the few minutes remaining before it was time for school, told her daughter how to share the plan of salvation using a simple ABC approach (Admit you are a sinner, Believe in Jesus, Commit your heart). When the little girl returned home that afternoon, the mother asked how the sharing had gone. “Two of them accepted Jesus!” she replied. As they continued to talk, the little girl said, “Imagine how many more I could tell if I could do it in Chinese.”

None of them believe

One day, I took the kids out to the playground. After running around in the grass, four-year-old Mason* said to me, “I’m going to tell these people about Jesus!” Approximately five adults plus numerous children stood nearby. I told Mason that he could most definitely tell them about Jesus. … Mason then pointed to one elderly lady and said he wanted to tell her. So he walked up to her. “Nai Nai (respected elder woman, or grandmother), I want to tell you the Good News of Jesus. I believe in Jesus. Jesus is God. Do you believe in Jesus?” he asked. The elderly lady replied that she did not believe in Jesus. Everyone was listening and they all told Mason, “None of us believe in Jesus.” In shock, Mason turned to me. “None of them believe!” he said. I looked him directly in the eye. “This is why we live here. So that they may come to know Jesus,” I said. Read the rest of Kayla Shapiro’s story at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/none-of-them-believe/.

Young hearts needing to learn

For many pastors and missionaries, the journey to ministry begins with missions education in childhood. These resources can help you assist children in the journey.

Websites:

Free “Go and Tell” booklets:

Young hearts in crisis — the stats speak

  • 58 million — children in China’s countryside abandoned by parents working in cities
  • 13 million — abortions performed in China each year, largely due to its one-child policy
  • 1,500 — children who lost one or both parents in Japan’s 2011 tsunami

Plans for a special day

EA1Day Events will be held in six locations this fall! Make plans now to participate. Cost is $10 for a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. learning and sharing blitz on strategies to reach unreached people groups (UGPs), unengaged unreached people groups (UUPGs), Western China, students and more. Further details will be posted soon at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/.

  • Criswell College, Dallas, TX – Thursday, September 13
  • SWBTS, Fort Worth, TX – Saturday, September 15 (Korean language)
  • First Baptist, Broken Arrow, OK – Tuesday, September 18
  • Council Road Baptist Church, Bethany, OK – Tuesday, September 18
  • Forest Park Baptist Church, Joplin, MO – Thursday, September 20
  • First Baptist Fayetteville, AR – Thursday, September 20

Years of prayers answered — from frontline workers

“Praise God for many new believers in villages this year. At present, two third-generation outreach groups have begun to meet. What an amazing two years of prayer!”

“You have prayed for three years, and praise God with us that He is providing a prayer walking team to come to Mongolia!”

Stay in the know

Additional articles, videos, prayer calendars, city and UPG profiles and much more can be found at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/.


East Asian Peoples Affinity | P.O. Box 6767 | Richmond | VA | 23230-0767

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Mar 152012
 

East Asian Peoples Update, March 2012

East Asian Peoples Update

 

march 2012
January Edition

Remembering the day that changed Japan
The earth shook so violently on March 11, 2011, that it literally moved Japan’s main island 8 feet. Buildings were destroyed immediately and lives were snuffed out. But the worst was yet to come. A mountainous tsunami obliterated all that was in its path, changing the coastland as it roared deep into the inland. Thousands of lives were lost and the lives of millions more were changed forever. As the nation of 127 million people reeled, news of an impending nuclear disaster began to unfold. One year later, many in Japan are still in crisis.Download the March 2012 prayer calendar at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/japan-one-year-later/ and join in prayers for Japan.

Go to http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/japan-one-year-later/ to read stories of devastation, hope and recovery.

 

A doll from a God who cares
Day after day, she helplessly watches her six-year-old granddaughter cry inconsolably, grieving the death of her mother at the hands of the tsunami that struck the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. The little girl begs her grandmother for a doll. She needs something to hold, something to protect, something to love in her distress. But there are no dolls, no toys at all. Little does she know that God, whose eyes roam throughout all the earth, has already taken notice of the little girl’s pain. In his compassionate love, He has already prepared to meet her need. Read the story at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/field-blog/a-doll-from-a-God-who-cares/.

More stories can be found at http://asiastories.com/features/road-to-recovery/

 

Japan: one year later

The piles of rubble and debris are gone. The cars deposited on top of apartment buildings and ships stranded on streets by the March 11, 2011, tsunami have been carted off for recycling. The “smell of death”

has been replaced with the fragrance of fresh cut pine and construction. Hearts that were closed to the Gospel for hundreds of years are now open. Japan’s tsunami changed more than the landscape. See how Southern Baptists responded to the vast physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the Japanese. http://asiastories.com/features/road-to-recovery/

 

Japan: Tsunami survivor searches for comfort

She survived Japan’s tsunami. One year later, Shukuko Sasaki’s looking for comfort from the nightmares. Her husband and two distant relatives ran with her for higher ground. She’s the only one that survived. http://asiastories.com/features/road-to-recovery/?story=7790

 

Japan: Southern Baptist “Yellow Shirts” minister to survivors

The bright yellow shirts and vests of Southern Baptist disaster relief workers are well known in Japan. After one year of cleaning rubble, reconstructing houses, serving coffee and any other odd jobs they could find to do, doors are starting to open for the Gospel. Read how two different Japanese homeowners discover the mysterious joy behind the “yellow shirts.” http://asiastories.com/features/road-to-recovery/?story=7808

 

Students in focus
University cities receiving the Gospel

Three videos tell the story.

    • Millions of Chinese students are congregated in university cities: http://vimeo.com/.

 

 

 

CIC (Christmas in China) 2012

“This has been one of the best Christmases I’ve ever experienced. It was not about the presents or decorations but about rejoicing in our Savior,” said a participant in Christmas in China 2011. Registration is already underway for CIC 2012!. Apply at http://thetask.org/cic.

 

Radical obedience — stories from frontline workers
They have left home and country to learn new cultures, languages and peoples. They work with East Asian Christians who have also left all to follow Him. Read their stories, share in their lessons learned and rejoice in their victories: posted at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/field-blog/stories-of-sacrifice-and-obedience/ throughout March. Read some excerpts below.

Dying to live

I looked straight into their eyes and said, ‘Your methods will not work on me because I decided to die for Jesus the day I decided to follow Him.’ The prison guards were shocked and shook their heads. http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/field-blog/stories-of-sacrifice-and-obedience/

Moving toward Him

But they followed God in obedience back to Japan. Soon thereafter, the horrific earthquake and tsunami struck, centered around Sendai, the place they considered “home”. It was the very city where they had raised three children and buried one, and where lifelong friends still lived and worked. http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/field-blog/stories-of-sacrifice-and-obedience/

Gaining understanding

When she came to visit she said her husband had left her for another woman, hidden her son in another city, and sent her home to her parents. She said she had lost everything and just wanted to die, and then she remembered what we had told her about Jesus. http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/field-blog/stories-of-sacrifice-and-obedience/

 

Amazing reports from frontline workers
“God provided opportunities to go to countryside towns, and at least 350 people heard the name of Jesus who had never heard previously. There are now open doors for further contacts to be made.”"Praise God, we had 20 friends come and share the Gospel with almost 500 people, and they saw seven people pray to receive Christ!”

“Since visiting believers came to our city last June for outreach and discipleship, there have been 40 people saved and 17 baptized in three groups. Praise the Lord!”

 

A vital resource for you
There’s still time to order the 2012 EAPAG Prayer Calendar, available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese. The calendars are available free through the IMB Resource Center at http://imbresources.org/ or 1-800-999-3113. You can order multiple copies and only have to pay mailing. Or you can download the calendars at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/resources/
To change your address, profile, or to unsubscribe, please use the safe links at the bottom of this email.

 

 

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Feb 082012
 
 

 

East Asian Peoples Update

FEBRUARY 2012

January Edition

Praises from frontline
workers

“This has been a great year for the work
among the Iron Peas*: five new churches and more than 800 new
believers. Please pray that all workers will press on to the goal of
seeing that every Iron Pea has an opportunity to positively respond to
the Gospel in such a way that all will one day be gathered around God’s
throne. Pray for more and more Iron Pea believers to step up and do the
work of evangelism, discipleship and church planting.” *pseudonym for
an ethnic minority group

“Praise God, we had 20 friends from the USA come and share the Gospel
with almost 500 people and they saw 7 people pray to receive Christ.”

 

Tibetan people needing the
Gospel

The dust-covered Tibetan pilgrim just wants Buddha
to bless him. Leathery-skinned and gaunt-faced, he wears sheepskin
mittens on his hands and an apron and kneepads over his clothing. He
claps his hands together in front, raises them to the sky, then kneels
down to lie flat on the ground. He slowly inches his body forward until
he is prostrate. Then he stands to repeat the process. … The man
focuses intently on the prayer task before him, worrying that if he
fails in this physically daunting task, he will not earn the blessing
he is seeking.

Genuine prayer, commitment of Christian workers to learn their culture
and language, and perseverance to spread the news of God’s love will be
essential to the Gospel making major inroads into the Tibetan people
group. Read the story at China’s Tibetans and
additional Tibet features at:

 

Exploited women hearing the
Gospel

CHINA. The young
Chinese woman steps from a back room into the soft, pink light of the
small brothel. A middle-aged Chinese man follows a few steps behind.
Under the watchful eye of the shop’s owner, the customer hands her a
wad of bills — about $60. She nods and accepts the money. Transactions
like this take place every day in brothels throughout China, says
Belinda Baker*, a worker who shares the Gospel among commercially
exploited women in a city of 8 million people. Read the story at http://asiastories.com.

 

Let your heart be broken

As you step over the threshold of a Chinese
temple, you step into a world of gods, spirits, ghosts, ancestors,
mythical creatures and celestial beings. Take these temple tours and
let your heart be broken over that which breaks the heart of the
Father: Chinese Temple Tour
and East Asian Temples.

 

Embracing the unengaged

Attend one of these conferences to learn how to
engage an unengaged unreached people groups (UUPG). You and your church
may be God’s chosen instrument to point one of the 298 East Asian
Peoples UUPGs to salvation. Read more at Embrace a UUPG

  • February 11
    Champion Forest Baptist Church, Houston, TX
  • February 18 Castle
    Hills Baptist Church, San Antonio, TX
  • March 10 Redbud
    Baptist Church, Lubbock, TX
  • March 24 Immanuel
    Baptist Church, Highland, CA
  • March 29 First
    Baptist Church, Orlando, FL

Read the prayer profiles at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org
and commit to advocating for the salvation of an entire UUPG. Select a
profile to use as a bulletin insert and invite your entire church to
join in prayer.

 

Stay in the know

Go to http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/
to read the latest stories and features. Our East Asian Peoples Twitter
and Facebook are also updated frequently. Sign on at EA Facebook EA Twitter

 

Pray in the know

Order your 2012 East Asian Peoples Prayer Calendar
now to guide in your prayers all year long. The free resource can be
ordered in quantities large or small at 1-800-999-3113 or online at http://imbresources.org/.
You will be asked to pay mailing charges. The calendar and additional
prayer resources can be found at East Asian Peoples.

 

Share with those who don’t know

Millions of East Asian people have never heard of
Jesus. Share His love on site. Explore opportunities at http://eastasianpeoples.imb.org/connect/.

 

Impressive numbers

  • 200 million Record
    number of tourists visiting Beijing in 2011, from both China and
    overseas.
  • 14,553 feet above sea level
    World’s highest airport under construction in Tibet’s Nagqu county and
    due to open in three years.

 

Just in case you missed it

Chinese-American T.Y Po joined the world’s annual
largest migration late last month to celebrate the Chinese New Year
with his aunts, uncles and cousins in Hong Kong. Read his candid posts
at http://asiastories.com

 

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