TheBellSite

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.