Back to Jerusalem on the Silk Road

By R & S Wa (Missionaries in China)

3,000 years ago, trade caravans carrying silk crisscrossed China and Europe, along the route known as the Silk Road. Then in the 1920s, God gave a vision to the Chinese Church known as the ‘Back to Jerusalem Movement’ (BTJ) to take the gospel westward from China, across Central Asia and all the way back to Jerusalem, ‘coincidently’ also along this Silk Road.

 BTJ is a Christian evangelistic campaign begun in China by Chinese believers to send missionaries to all of the Buddhist, AND Muslim nations. The ‘Back to Jerusalem Movement’ is a call from God for the Chinese church to preach the gospel and establish fellowships of believers in all countries, cities, towns, and ethnic groups between China and Jerusalem. The idea was conceived during the 1920s by Chinese students at the Northwest Bible Institute. However government restrictions and persecution forced the movement to go underground and its leader Simon Zhao spent 40 years in prison in Kashgar.

The vision however still resonates in the heart of the current Chinese Church. Today, much work is underway by China and the international community to build road and railway lines that would run along this Silk Road. This is seen by many as the revived Silk Road that would pave the way for the Chinese Church to fulfill this BTJ vision.

Recently, together with 3 Chinese church leaders we drove nearly 7000km along this Silk Road, reaching Kashgar (near border of Xinjiang) to discern what God is doing in this region. We met with various church leaders, believers and local missionaries in the counties or towns along this Silk Road. It was a joy to meet a 97 year old sister that is one of the two surviving missionaries of the pioneer BTJ movement. Some of her offspring are now leaders in the local churches and she passionately recalls her first foray into the field more than 70 years ago.

Some of our observations from revisiting this Silk Road:

1)     God’s plans would be fulfilled even in the midst of much persecutions and martyrdom. Though the missionaries we met in this trip are still working underground, often interrogated by the authorities, they are still going strong. Today thousands of Chinese believers have taken the gospel across the border to the Muslim nations.

2)     God can use governments and authorities as His tools to fulfill His plans. The China Government has invested billions to build relationship with formidable Muslim nations like Afghanistan and Pakistan. China’s successful foray into Muslim nations, its ambitious plans to develop Kashgar as a trade gateway and good transportation system that links these far remote places are paving the way and we drove for hours without seeing any inhabitants or cars along this Silk Road.

3)     All the missionaries we met are ‘tentmakers’, using their profession and skills to earn a living and have a credible presence in the community. We heard of how the early missionaries, some highly educated university graduates would pick up skills like steelwork, tailoring or farming to meet the needs of the community. Similarly we need to equip the missionaries we are sending out with skills and work that are needed in the community and that can sustain their livelihood. In restricted access nations, full time paid and supported missionaries may not be credible witnesses in the community.

4)     As we fellowship with some local believers from Muslim background like the Urghurs and Kazakhs , we sense that believers from these Muslim people groups in China are rising up. They are strategically effective in reaching out to other Muslims and can easily cross the borders.

5)     The leaders we travelled with felt the challenges of the missionaries serving in these areas. They also sense the urgency of the times to continue the legacy that has been paved years ago. No longer will they just send out missionaries and leave them alone on the field. They are preparing and equipping their missionaries with skills and have resolved to actively support and be part of their work.

Surely history and present development has revealed our amazing God deftly weaving the tapestry for the Chinese Church to fulfill this significant role for such a time as this before Jesus returns. We are living in exciting times!

1Tim2:3-4 “This is good and pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth”

From the Heart of Eric Fung

The Pulpit God used!        

On the 7th November 2013 Pastor Rolly and Joy Bascos heard over the radio and on the streets that a Typhoon was approaching the area and evacuation centres had been set up.  The sky looked dark and ominous but Rolly and Joy having been through many storms in the last few years living there decided to remain at home. But this time things were different. Heavy rain and strong winds started at 11pm and as the storm was raging outside it began to gain momentum and they could feel the ferocity of the wind. By then the typhoon had hit land and by 2am their house was torn apart and the concrete walls collapsed. Rolly, his wife Joy, their two children, his niece and older brother who were in the house rushed out and decided to take cover in the church only to find that here too the walls of the church had also collapsed and the roof and windows were blown off. All that was left standing was the pulpit, a wooden box three and half feet wide, four feet in height and two and half feet in depth. Fearing for their lives the six of them squeezed in this confined space and stayed there for seven long hours while the storm raged around them. They started to sing the song ‘You are my Hiding Place” and kept on singing and praying till the fear left them and they felt the presence of the Holy Spirit with them. They felt a deep trust in the Lord and knew they were safe and secure in God’s loving embrace. When the storm had abated they crawled out of the pulpit and saw the devastation around them. Looking at that pulpit now and seeing that is was just not possible for 6 people to hide there, they know that it was the Lord who made it possible, for nothing is impossible with Him.

At the beginning of this year, while I was praying, God impressed on my heart to reach out and help his children affected by the typhoon, so on the 12th March I landed in Tacloban city Airport or what was left of it (the area worst hit by Haiyan). The airport building had not been spared and as I walked into this rubble to collect my bags I already began to see the havoc Haiyan had caused. I was met by a local pastor and as we drove through the town I saw so many buildings destroyed or completely flattened. Thousands of trees knocked over and cars and metal piled up. Two huge ships were washed onto the road.  Journalist described the devastation as “off the scale and massive”. The official reports say approximately 5,000 over people died but according to the local people I was told 50,000 had perished and this includes the thousands that are still missing. Little children and adults just washed away without a trace. Up till today many families are still searching for their loved ones.

The Lord has showed me so much during the trip and has impressed upon me to evaluate how the Pastors’ in spite of their personal loss of lives of loved ones, home and belongings they have remained focus, pouring their lives into ministering, restoring and rebuilding the lives of those affected. I saw many churches with roofs blown off and some completely destroyed. Some were able to receive assistance and have started rebuilding but quite a few are just praying and remain hopeful. May God use us to answer their prayers.

The Word of the Lord that came to me on this trip was “They (Pastors) rebuild the lives of the victims and we are to rebuild their church.”

I was taken to 10 places covering m

any hours of travelling which was physically exhausting and so emotionally draining as I listened to the pastors and their members telling me about the loss of their loves ones, homes, paddy fields and coconut plantations. I have identified several churches that are truly worthy of assistance but Ps Roly and Joy’s church in particular, I have by faith committed to help. The entire church and parsonage was totally destroyed and they and their two children now live in the ruins of the church with a plastic sheet covering the roof and pieces of wood to act as temporary walls, giving them some measure of privacy. Here on Sunday, the congregation gather for worship. But their faith is strong and they firmly believe that the God who had His arms around during the storm and kept them safe will help them to rebuild their church and their lives.

I am confident being ‘your eyes and ears’ on this trip for what God has shown me, you will partner with me to allow God to use us to answer these pastors’ prayers. Please join us to rebuild these churches.

Prov 19:17 "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done"

Changing Lives in the Katmandu  slums

RamPrasad Shrestha

Director of National Missions Commission Nepal.

 THERE is a slum by a river in the heart of Kathmandu in Nepal where children and their families have been living in filth and squalor for more than 20 years.

In fact, half of all urban Nepalese who migrate to urban areas and end up in slums are children. And the Bagmati river Slum where all the city’s human excrement, factory waste, rubbish and dead animals are dumped, must surely rank as the worst.

It is not surprising that those who live here (many of whom do not have jobs), including the children, are malnourished, uneducated and sick because of unsanitary conditions (such as drinking the poisonous water from the river) and poverty. The children here do not go to school because their parents cannot afford to buy school books, stationary and uniforms for them.

Into this devastation, enter Asian Outreach Malaysia and the National Mission Commission (NMC) of Nepal to minister to these slum dwellers the love of Christ.

The NMC has been feeding and teaching the children since March 2009.  Now about 80 children come to our slum center benefiting physically and spiritually. We also provide stationery, books and other educational materials to encourage them to attend school. Now about 75% of the children go to school.

We thank the Lord that a church has been planted in the slum through the education program and about 30 parents come to the fellowship. We now have three part-time teachers and several volunteers to teach the children.

One of the volunteers is Sarmila, who used to live in the slum. After she married she and her family lived outside of the slum but she never forgot the hardship she went through growing up in the slum. She has return to make a difference, faithfully ministering to the children because she understands their pain and suffering.

Please pray for these vulnerable children so that they might have an abundant life in Christ as we share our material blessings as well as the blessing of salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 John3:18 “Dear children let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth”

Salvation of the Santali Tribe.

AO Japan – Rev Takahasi Yoshida

The Santali tribe is the one of largest tribal communities in India; they live mainly in the West Bengal Area and some parts of Bangladesh. They speak their own language and are mostly farmers.

A conference was held in Siliguri for the Santali Tribe in January 19th and 20th. I was invited to speak at the conference and arrived at their village with Ps Lucky of AO India.Upon my arrival, I was surprised to see that Santali women have come out to welcome us by washing our feet. Ps Lucky explain  ed that this was their custom even before they were saved, and since there was the biblical example of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples, they have readily adopted this custom.

More than 200 people, including children gathered that Saturday, under a makeshift tent made from plastic sheets. The church building was too small to house everyone. I was amazed to see the children sit there to listen from 10am to 5pm. The Santali love dancing and different kinds of song and dances by the choir and young people were dedicated to God.

Salvation of this group was started from Pastor Tudu’s family more than 20 years ago. Before his salvation, Ps Tudu had a former wife and six children. However one by one the children had died and finally his wife too had died. Ps Tudu remarried, but again his first child from this marriage also died at birth. Though his wife was afraid to try having a child again, she conceived but was fearful for her unborn child. One day she met Ps Lucky’s wife, who is a nurse, and she shared her fears with her. Ps Lucky’s wife encouraged her to believe in Jesus and prayed with her. When it came time to deliver her baby, she sent someone to call Ps Lucky’s wife, who came and safely delivered a healthy baby boy called Samuel. On seeing the mercy and love of God over their son, Tudu and his wife accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

 However, as they were the first Christians in the tribe they were severely persecuted. Ps Tudu and his wife persevered and kept on sharing the gospel and the love of Jesus.  Today, there are 38 Christian families and Ps Tudu and his team have planted 10 house churches and they go out to other Santali villages to evangelize. Their desire is to see every Santali tribe saved.

 

The last day of the conference was packed and it was such a blessing to see many come forward to repent before God at the close of the conference.

Asian Outreach Malaysia.

Dear Partner in Missions,

Warmest Christian Greetings!

I have just celebrated my big day of 3 score and 10 years. Reflecting on my 32 years of ministry and my 26 years in Asian Outreach, I praise God for the many special and unforgettable memories, showing me the faithfulness of God. I am touched with a deep knowledge of God’s presence living in me and speaking to me through these memories. It’s been a wonderful journey of discovering God’s unconditional love and finding joy in sharing that treasure with those I am blessed to meet. All of these memories have impacted me and have helped so much in my personal growth. You have the power from God in Christ, to make each day a time for growth. I can recall each memory so vividly

I remember some years ago I went to visit the Dalit Slum in Sri Lanka. The smell of the slum as I entered was so repugnant that I felt like puking. Our co-worker in Sri Lanka was obviously more used to the smell having been there many times. I prayed that my face would not reveal how I felt. As we walked along, our co-worker, stopped outside a small hut. From where I stood I could see it was just one small room with a dirt floor and inside sat a woman and her children. She was shocked when I went inside but was happy to see my co-worker. Being a Dalit, an untouchable, she felt she was not good enough for foreign visitors. After talking to her, our co-worker told me she would be preparing tea for us. As I entered the slum area I noticed the river flowing by was full of garbage floating in it and this was also their only source of water. I wondered where she would get the water for our tea.

She held the cup of tea to me, her eyes filled with fear and rejection thinking to herself would I accept the tea or refuse to drink it. I looked at her, thinking that if I drank the tea it would probably cause me diarrhea but if I refused, the lady would be faced with rejection. My heart was filled with God’s compassion and I knew that I had to reach out to this woman and show her the tangible love of God. The minute I stretched out my hand to take cup, I could see the joy that came over her. I prayed hard before drinking it. The memory of that joy on her face will always remain with me. It was how I reacted that made such a difference to that lady. Looking toward the window I saw many faces peering in, watching and listening intently and I began to share my own personal testimony of how much God loves me. At the altar call and every hand there was raised. We now have a church there.  Praise God!

The miracles and testimonies I have heard from my co-workers and Foot Soldiers have also shown me the awesomeness of God and has impacted and encouraged me greatly.  It has been my privilege and honor to work with these passionate and spirit filled men and women.  Persecution for preaching the Gospel is a daily affair but their love for the Lord is greater than their fear of persecution. What amazing faith!

In Bhutan our Foot Soldier, Pastor Lazarus, was returning home in the evening on a lonely country road near his village when he saw four men by the roadside and knowing they were from his village he stopped to talk to them. These men however, brutally attacked him, beating him up viciously, robbing him and then leaving him for dead by the roadside. When a police car found him a few hours later he had no pulse and he had stopped breathing. Two hours later at the hospital God healed him and brought him back to life.  The police wanted him to press charges and identify his attackers but Ps Lazarus chose not to. He instead chose

To forgive them. Ps Lazarus demonstrated the power of forgiveness in Christ. Did this deter him in any way? No it did not and after a month he was back travelling around the villages sharing the Gospel.

In Vietnam, our Leper Ministry co-worker Hien had been working tirelessly in the Phu Ly Leper Centre but the authorities were not encouraging and even hostile. But she persisted and eventually saw her prayers answered when the authorities began to relax and allow her to visit and fellowship with the patients. Last December to her amazement, the director of the centre personally invited Hien and her team to do a Christmas presentation which he himself attended and enjoyed. That day 28 of the patients ‘children at the center, accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Praise God that Hien would not give up no matter how tough the going got. 28 souls were saved that day because of her great love for God and to trust Him to open the door.

The Glory place Prayer Tower in Siliguri India overflows with miracles, signs and wonders.  Every report I receive from our coordinator there is filled with the goodness of God and His love for His people. In February of this year Ps Jiwan was excited to share about the miraculous healing of a 15 year old Hindu girl. She had a lump in her breast which was swollen and painful. Doctors told her parents she needed surgery which was costly. Pastor Jiwan was asked to visit them and pray for the teenager. He shared about the good news of Doctor Jesus Christ and asked them to trust God to heal her. In the early hours of the morning the next day, the lump ruptured and a lot of pus and blood flowed out. A few days later the swelling was gone and the girl was fully recovered. There was no more lump on her breast. Her parents on seeing the power of God over their daughter’s life immediately accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The young girl herself accepted Jesus also.

God is moving over Asia, reaching, touching and changing lives and I am humbled that I am called to be a part of what God is doing here. I can go on and on, telling you story after story for it never tires me to tell of the goodness and faithfulness of our Lord. I am very encouraged when I think back of these incidences and more passionate to press on to see more people ushered into His Kingdom.

Christians are being persecuted everywhere and even here in our own country Christians are facing great challenges ahead. We never need to fear for God has promised us in Act 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses…” Therefore we stand on the promises of God for He never fails us.

I am truly grateful for your continued support which has encouraged me and enable me to fulfil God’s plan for this ministry. My co-workers and I would not have been able to do it without your support and I thank you for sowing into the lives of others. May God bless you and your families.

Luke 6:38

Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Reaching Asia’s Unreached

By Pastor Stanley Gerard

Associate Trainer

Planting in Faith

THE pioneers of Asian Outreach, like any other Christian organization, individual or church, worked hard without seeing the fruits of their labour of love. Yet they planted seeds by faith, and in so doing, they began the work of salvation in the lives of many. It was this conviction that gave them satisfaction --- that they had done their work and did it well as another generation reaps the harvest.

For the past 10 years, I have been involved in church planting in many countries, including several restricted-access nations. I thank God for those brave workers and church planters in my team who are working in the field with me to obey the Great Commission--- to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”(Matthew 28:19).

Blessed are the Persecuted

You cannot imagine the persecution they face in these restricted-access nations. Danger lurks in every corner. You never can tell if your neighbour who smiles at you when he sees you today is going to turn on you tomorrow. Their wives and children are also not safe, having always to be careful of what they say and who they talk to.

Counting the cost and Following Him

Why do they still want to do it? Why risk everything?

It is because each one of these church planters had a personal encounter with the living God and their lives have never been the same since. (Psalm 103: 4 “…who redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and compassion.”) They have known His love and saving grace, and they trust Him no matter what happens. He is Abba, their Father.

Let me share with you a pioneering work in a fishing community in Bangladesh, a restricted-access nation.

Church Planting in Action

Today, there are 22 believers here. When we visited them in October last year, they were happy to see us and continue to be receptive to God’s Word. Most of them were poor and struggling to make ends meet and like anywhere else in this country, jobs were not easy to come by. They cannot depend on the government to make their lives better and survival is a struggle yet they are eager to hear the Word of God. Truly, blessed are the poor.

Pastor Samuel and Pastor Bullet, two local pastors have a vision for the entire community to be saved. Up to date they have planted 2 churches and 18 cell groups. We pray that once the seed is planted, God would open more hearts to receive Christ as their personal Saviour.

Today, Asian Outreach has trained thousands of workers or foot-soldiers. Many churches have been planted, especially in restricted-access nations. Today, church planters have reached the very borders of Afghanistan and Iran.

Donations needed

However, the work of the church planters have been hindered because of the lack of finance, among other problems. Due to this lack, we have had to slow down the implementation of our church planting plans.

My prayer is that churches and individuals can come together and do what it takes to accomplish the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all nations.

Allow me to end with this quote “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving”. May this truly reverberate in the Body of Christ, and in the soul of every brother and sister to give out of the love in their hearts to enable the Great Commission of God to spread to the ends of the Earth.

Zec 10:12 “I will strengthen them in the Lord and in His name they will walk.”

Prayer points

1. We pray for safety and protection of all the pastors, leaders and believers (especially the converts) 

    from radical extremist. 

  

2. We ask the Lord to strengthen the leaders and pastors to be fearless in their zeal for the gospel.

3. We lift up the government of Bangladesh to have wisdom and fairness not to give in to the

     extremist demands. 

TOWARDS THE NEXT LEVEL - IN MISSIONS.         

Rev Lawrence Yap.

Senior Pastor.

Charis Christian Centre.

AOM board member.                                                       

Allow me to say this, from the heart of a pastor to the heart of another – that if our church is not involved in any missions at all – then we are missing the heartbeat of God!

I used to think that a church has to come to a certain size, then only will we be financially capable to be involved in “missions”.  This is a myth and all of us can be involved one way or another if we learn to ‘think outside the box.’

Let me just share some insight.

The last 5 to 10 years have been a time of rapid changes and this has brought about many opportunities for the gospel work.

·        Political and economic maps were redrawn thus enabling new opportunities for Kingdom works. Just consider Libya and Myanmar as examples of how windows of opportunities are opening.

·        Technological advances like smart phones; social networks etc., literally connecting people and the world in an instance. This is part of “Globalization” but this also means ‘opportunities’.

·        The ‘center of gravity’ of the gospel has shifted to the southern hemisphere.

-This means that much of the spiritual activities of the church is no longer focused on Europe or North America but instead has come to Asia and the Pacific realm where mega congregations; church planting and community transformation programs are taking place. We in Malaysia are part of this shift!

·        A “diaspora” (dispersion) of nationalities.

-Just in Malaysia alone, we are surrounded by people from Myanmar, Nepal, Iran, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Africa and other Middle Eastern nations. In a way, we do not ‘go to the nations.’ The ‘nations have come to us!’

What do these things mean to you? Which of the above factors capture your attention and that you see is a ‘possibility’ in your church setting?

Perhaps you can spend some time - praying and thinking through these factors of what you can do for God in terms of spreading the gospel. It need not be just going out ‘to preach’ per se.

We need to take missions to the next level. We need not be locked in to the old fashion way of sending missionaries abroad – though it should still be done. God can give us wisdom and creative ways, for example, of how a businessman sponsored thousands of gospel radios that were assembled in a factory and brought into the interiors. Another businessman allowed his restaurant to be utilized as a worship place at 12 midnight for his foreign workers. Yet, there are many who have become ‘cyber world evangelists’.

The challenges of the gospel work are as real but God is sovereign. New doors and new frontiers have been opened up for us. We must seize the moment. As our members get involved, they grow spiritually too.

Remember that in missions, not everyone may GO, but we can certainly GIVE and PRAY and to DO what we can for God - right at our doorsteps!

Yours Together for His Kingdom.

Trekking with God in the jungles of Sarawak

By Pastor Benny Ng

AOM Coordinator for Sarawak   

“I WILL wear adult diapers if I have to on my mission trip!”

This is what I told my wife when she was worried about my health and thought maybe I should take a break from ministry to get better first. I had been suffering from diarrhoea for three days and nights after ministering two villages in Sarawak. I still had one more village to visit.

Ministry in Long Sukang

I sensed the Lord’s leading and trusted that He would heal me as I wanted to honour my commitment to the church in Long Sukang. Sure enough, the Lord healed me as I got into the twin otter plane the next morning to travel from Miri to Lawas.

Here, nine churches from nearby villages came together for the revival meetings. We were treated like VIPs with welcoming dances and songs, and feted with sumptuous traditional delicacies. And the icing on the cake was the invitation by the leaders to return soon for more meetings and training.

Ministry in Long Jawe

Earlier, my team from the Hong Kong Sha Alliance church and I journeyed deep into the jungles of Sarawak, traversing’s the State’s tough, bumpy trails and long winding rivers to reach the Orang Asli there, namely the Ibans and Melanau living in the villages of Long Jawe and Long Busang.

It took seven hours to get to Long Jawe. Along the way, we saw numerous villages - covering an area double the size of Singapore - that were submerged in flood waters. The villagers were known as Orang Ulu (interior people) and comprised the Kenyah, Kayan and Penan tribes). The flood was caused by the building of the Bakun dam, which resulted in much of the cultural artefacts of the various tribes being destroyed.

The church of Long Jawe, which was once vibrant and now cold, floats 30 feet above sea level --- a rare sight indeed. The area is now home to only a handful of Kenyahs who live in floating houses. Back in its Heyday when the foreign missionaries were here this was a thriving church and we pray for revival fever to return to this church.

Ministry in Long Busang

We took a two-hour boat ride to Long Busang where some 30 % of the Kenyah people are non-Christians. To our surprise, the village head and other non-Christian leaders welcomed us with open arms .We were invited to their homes for visitations and still more amazing, every home requested us to pray before meals.

Before we started our ministry in the church, the pastor used the church’s PA system to invite the whole village to come for the meeting.

During altar call after my sharing, an old lady came up to me to thank me for relieving her from the burden of bitterness towards God for many years because her son committed suicide. She left with newfound joy in her heart when God healed her of her grief when she finally chose to let go of her anger.

God’s Protection

As I travel the length and breadth of Sarawak’s interior, the journeys are always challenging as I never know what to expect when I go into the jungle to minister to the local tribes. Because I am to be obedient to His calling, I know God will protect and keep my family safe, and that He will be in the jungle with me, guarding me too.

Fruit of our Labour

To see these people come to the Lord is my reward. For truly there is no better reward than seeing the people you have touched are also going to Heaven with you.

Gal 6:9-10 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

Prayer Points

1. We ask the Lord to protect Benny and the teams he travels with and grant them journey mercies.

2. We pray for the gospel to reach every tribe and the salvation of every tribe in Sarawak.

3. We pray for the plight of the unreached peoples group in Sarawak who have been robbed of their 

    natural habitat and exploited and are in danger due to men’s greed for wealth.

ORISSA  

 by Ps Paul Silvanus

Apostolic Faith Mission, Chennai                   (AOM partner in Chennai)

                                                    

The state of Orissa situated on the coast along the Bay of Bengal is the 9th largest state by area in India, and the 11th largest by population. Orissa is surrounded by Andhra Pradesh on the South-East, Madhya Pradesh on the West, Bihar in North, West Bengal in North-East and Bay of Bengal in the East. The Climate of Orissa is usually humid or hot & moist and its people are overwhelmed by epidemics, malnutrition and illiteracy.

Orissa known as the melting pot of religions has many diverse faiths like Brahmanism, Jainism, Shivaism, Vaishnavism, Islam and Christianity. Religious communal disharmony arose even before Indian independence in 1947 due to religious conversion. Christian missions have been active in Orissa among the tribal and backward Hindu castes from the early years of the twentieth century. Hindus have alleged that the increase in the number of Christians in Orissa has been a result of exploitation of illiteracy and impoverishment by the missionaries.

Orissa is well known for its religious persecution especially among the Dalits or untouchables, considered lower caste people and just like in other parts of India, they are subject to social and economic discrimination. Conversion from untouchability has encouraged millions of such people to escape from their circumstances through joining other religions. The Tribal Pana Dalits have converted to Christianity in large numbers and prospered financially. Over the past several decades, most of the Panas have become Dalit Christians. In recent years the authorities have passed the Anti-Conversion Law.

 The first wave or violence started in December 2007 and this aggression was followed by even more widespread violence in August 2008. Both these assaults were organized by anti-Christian Hindu extremist and in both cases not much intervention by the local authorities was done to stop the killings. In the 2008 attacks more than 500 Christians were killed and many of their homes and churches destroyed. Most of the victims of these attacks were Dalits. Many saw this as an ethnic cleansing of Christianity.

In September 2008, Graham Stewart Stains, an Australian born missionary and his two sons were sleeping in their Station Wagon when extremist doused their car with petrol and set it on fire. Stains and his sons tried to get out of the burning vehicle but were prevented from doing so by the angry mob who stood there and watched them burn to death. Some villagers nearby tried to rescue them but were set upon by the attackers. A few days later his wife Gladys offered a clear and public statement forgiving the killers. She said “I have no hatred against the killers but have forgiven them, forgiven them like Jesus did. The path of the cross is painful, and it can only be walked with love. In forgiveness there is no bitterness and when there is no bitterness, there is hope. The consolation comes from Jesus Christ.” She even appealed for clemency for the killers and got their death sentence commuted to life imprisonment. The power of forgiveness OF God in this woman is amazing. Unfortunately there were reports of many Christians who were burn to death including children. Now entry of foreign missionaries is banned.

Pastor Paul Silvanus who has a vision for church planting started the Apostolic Faith Mission where he trains and sends back local pastors to their native villages. His ministry works mostly among the Dalits and he partners with Asian Outreach Malaysia to support these Foot Soldiers.

One such pastor is Nandalal Deep in the district of Khandamal, a place often hit by violence from Hindu fanatics. The Christian community here live in constant fear of persecution and jobs are also denied to them.  Pastor Nandalal, a tribal Pana himself, had to have tight security when the first group of believers in his church were baptized.  A group of believers stood around guarding and watching for any signs of trouble while Pastor Nandalal was conducting the water baptism in the river nearby.  Danger lurks for the Christian at every corner.

Pastor Phillip Kumar, another Pastor from the Apostolic Faith Mission, who ministers in Konsdol village, organized a baptism for 30 people who gave their hearts to Jesus but the Hindu people challenged these people’s conversion (he was not aware of the anti-conversion law) and took them to the authorities. After the threats and humiliation, many backed out and only 8 were finally baptized. Now all baptisms must have prior permission from the authorities.

Unfortunately Pastor Phillip lost his wife and unborn child due to lack of medical services available. Due to this shock he himself fell ill and went into a coma. He was transferred to Chennai where doctors gave up hope for any recovery. One morning Pastor Silvanus received a call from Philip Kumar himself excitedly telling him how the Lord miraculously healed him and woke him up from his coma. Phillip is back in the field again with a new zeal and fervour. The Lord has also blessed him with another helpmate and he is remarried.

In spite of persecution and the risk to their own lives these pastors continue to minister, bringing God’s love and hope to those who have suffered so much and are committed to praying and forgiving those who persecute them and have committed such depraved acts on the Christians. They and their families are in constant danger and they always have to be careful and watchful. They pray that these people will find true peace and forgiveness in the One they oppose so violently. Many of the Christians see this as an opportunity to share in Christ’s sufferings and they know that the Lord is still in control.

Touching the Untouchables of India

By Pastor Paul Silvanus

Dalit Ministry in Chennai

(A partner ministry of AOM)

Who are the Dalits?

IMAGINE not being allowed to go to school or college until you get a decent education. Imagine being sick but not being allowed to get treatment from a hospital or clinic. Imagine not being allowed to live where you want or work in a job you like. Imagine (especially if you are a woman or child) being trafficked into prostitution, bonded labour and begging in the streets. Imagine having no rights so that anyone can abuse you, attack you, humiliate you --- and nobody would care.

And most astonishingly of all, imagine Indian churches shunning you as well, treating you like pariah. Unless, of course, if the church is a Dalit one.

For the Dalits of India, this dehumanization is a reality and not make believe. They are the considered the scum of Indian society, a result of the caste system and being at the bottom of the social ladder, the Dalits (also known as the Untouchables) faces such discrimination and degradation every day. The term “Dalit” means “those who have been broken down by those above them” Dalits are the major victims of trafficking in India. Culturally subjugated and politically marginalized, millions of Dalits are exploited and treated inhumanely.

There are 167 million Dalits in India, constituting over 16 percent of the total population.

Every hour, two Dalits are assaulted. Every day, three Dalit women are raped, and two killed. Dalits are street sweepers, cobblers, agricultural workers, grave diggers and those who dispose of human waste.

Some three-quarters of the Dalit workforce are in the agricultural sector. And are bonded labourers.  These jobs rarely provide enough income and many Dalits are impoverished, uneducated and illiterate.

Ministry to the Dalits

Our ministry was started in 1997 to train Dalits to become pastors and church planters. To date, we have trained 107 pastors who went on to plant 100 churches in 10 States in India.

Day Care Centre’s for Dalit Children

The Lord moved us to minister to the Dalits via day care centers. We felt education is a key tool to help these oppressed people, just as the early missionaries did as well. So we have started two day care centers by faith, one in a village and another in a city slum. There are 75 children at the village day care center and 45 at the center in the city slum.

Children between the ages of 4 and 16 come to the centers after school. Specialized coaching is given by trained teachers (Each center has four trained teachers and a cook).They are encouraged to continue their studies as many are forced to leave school to become child

labourers.

We feed the children one meal a day. We hope that with sufficient funds, we will be able to give them two meals daily and two sets of uniforms. Every day a scripture from proverbs is taught, with the children having to memorize the Word of God.

There are monthly parents’ meetings to monitor the children’s progress and to encourage the parents to send the children to the center regularly.

Local church pastors and their wives work as social workers. The pastors visit slums and villages to seek out Dalit children.

Reaching the Dalit Community

Our goal is not to preach Christ directly through the day care centers. We do not invite any Dalits to come to our church via the centers. Christian workers have been accused of converting the Dalits by providing them money and goods. We do not want to give room for such suspicions. We only teach scriptures from proverbs to the children as life lessons. Parents sometimes observe what we do. And praise God that even without invitation, parents have started coming to church and accepting Christ by seeing the character changes in their children’s lives. The local churches are full of testimonies from parents.

Upcoming projects

Our two day care centers have been running successfully .So we are planning to start another one in a place called Theni, which borders Kerala state, where we managed to find some 100 girls who were not attending school.

Since we have established 100 churches in 10 states, it is our desire to see a day care center for each of these churches.

Needs

• RM80 per month to feed one Dalit child.

• Three motorbikes (one each for our three centers) for pastors/social workers to reach the Dalits. (RM3000/bike).

• Three 15-seat Tata vans to shuttle the children from the villages and slums to the centers (RM33,000 per van).

Luke 4: 18-19 (“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind; to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”)