VIETNAM PRO-LIFE MINISTRY

At Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus which marks the beginning of a new covenant between God and man. It was indeed the biggest event in Bible history - Jesus gave His life so we may be saved and have LIFE! Life is such a precious gift from God. We do not have absolute autonomy over our own lives but are stewards of the life given to us by God. In Psalm 139:13-16 “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” The lives of all humans, their own and others are to be cherished and guarded.

I was recently reading a report from our Pro-Life ministry in Vietnam and was appalled to read of the number of abortions performed there, estimated at about 1.5 million per year! Vietnam is the 3^rd to 7^th highest ranking county (statistics vary) in the world for the number of abortions and the highest in Asia. About 40% of pregnancies in Vietnam are aborted and abortion is the biggest challenge in Vietnam in the field of reproductive healthcare (according to a World Health Organization report).

Secret abortions are performed on teenagers aged between 13 and 19, said Nguyen Thi Hoai Duc, the director of the Institute for Reproductive and Family Health. In Vietnam, getting pregnant before marriage remains a taboo. A young woman who gets pregnant without being married is likely to face harsh backlash from not only her own family but society too. As a consequence, unmarried women  turn to private clinics to have abortions. On average, one woman dies every week because of unsafe abortions. However, it is not only unmarried women who abort their babies. Statistics show that married women with one or two children (some statistics show one or two daughters), have the highest rate of abortions.

The guilt of killing their unborn children affects many Vietnamese women who believe that the soul of their unborn child cannot rest in peace. So they go to online grave sites on the internet and insert a tombstone, name their baby and ask for forgiveness. Besides this online grave site there are also real grave sites for giving foetuses a proper burial. It has been reported that in grave sites outside the city of Hanoi more than 100,000 foetuses have been buried. This does not reflect the true number of abortions however, as many more are simply discarded in the most convenient place or manner.

Our missionary in Hanoi, Pushpa Waters was heartsick to learn of the growing number of abortions and she prayed to the Lord to show her a way to save these unborn children and together with others the Pro-Life Ministry was born.

From a slow start with varying degrees of success to reach women at risk, the PL-Team (Pro-Life Team) in Hanoi is now growing in number and in the scope of their ministry. Last year (2017) Passion Life from the US came, (thank you AO Malaysia for introducing), and conducted their first ‘Four Questions – Answering the Crisis of Abortion with the Gospel of Life’ (4Qs) Training in Hanoi. They returned in March this year teaching in several more churches, then David (Pushpa’s husband) was invited to teach the 4Qs to the Hanoi Christian Medical Fellowship in April and later David and Hue (his secretary) taught the 4Qs in their church. About 130 believers in Hanoi have gone through this one day abortion awareness training.

After the second visit by Passion Life in March, a pro-life team (PL-Team) made up of local believers was formed, adding momentum to the pro-life movement. They have now finished translating the 4Qs materials, and are challenging the local team to train churches. They have also just completed translating ‘Forgiven and Set Free – A Post-Abortion Bible Study for Women’ by Linda Cochrane (introduced by Jeanne Pernia) and are set to begin their first restorative group in the coming days. This is important, since many of the women who have a heart for pro-life have had abortions themselves, and they need to be set free in order to serve well.

Since March, one doctor in the PL-Team has created a website and written a pro-life booklet specifically aimed at non-Christians and has invitations to teach this to students in the medical universities. This same man has also offered the land he inherited just outside Hanoi as a refuge centre for women in pregnancy crisis. He already has the legal process underway and plans drawn up to build a legal orphanage/women’s refuge centre. This will be the first Christian women’s refuge centre (that we know of) in North Vietnam.

One lady pastor in the PL-Team has been taking care of four women in pregnancy crisis, even though she is poor (a single mum) and her house is very small. Two of the women are staying with her. Several other women have plans to reach out to women in pregnancy crisis as they enter or sit in crowded clinics. Many go there looking for abortion, but the reality is, in their time of need – in their crisis – they simply don’t know anyone who can help them. Many don’t want to abort but feel that they have no choice and are pressured to do so.

One woman was told by her pastor to attend the first 4Qs training and after the session she was determined to keep her baby – she was convinced she should abort when the doctor told her that her baby would most likely be born handicapped because she has high blood pressure. Her families were forcing her to abort. She is married with one child already. Praise God she did not abort.

Lan Anh, a university student in David and Pushpa’s church faced a difficult time when she was pregnant. She had to take a year off from studying when she became pregnant. She was abandoned by her boyfriend and disowned by her parents, however with help she was able to stay in her rented room in Hanoi until the baby was born. After the birth of her baby her mother softened and came from the countryside to visit, finally her whole family softened and welcomed her and her little child back into their home. Lan Anh returned with her baby to her family in the province and there met a nice young man. She is now married and has had another baby already!

The PL-Team in Hanoi have three main areas to serve in and to develop:

1. Awareness – starting with the church then mobilizing the church to pro-life action. Giving a clear understanding of the sanctity of human life, the humanity of the unborn child, the moral evil of intentionally killing innocent human beings (born or unborn) and the clear calling to the church to rescue the innocent.                                    

Connecting the church to God’s truth on life and abortion.

2. Women in Crisis – developing people and practical ways to minister to women in pregnancy crisis – through personal presence and care, offering understanding, hope, safety and practical support in their time of crisis. Opening Pregnancy Help Centres and Women’s Refuge Centres. 

Connecting with those in need.

3. Post-Abortion Healing – Offering real healing and freedom from guilt to the many women affected by abortion.

 Connecting women with Christ and the forgiveness he offers.

Pray for every woman facing a pregnancy decision, that they would choose life for their unborn children, and be surrounded by a supportive family and community to make a commitment to family and life. We pray that all will look upon human life as a great gift from God and be accepted and loved, not an unwanted burden to be destroyed. We pray for the Lord’s help for the efforts of those in the pro-life ministry of promoting the dignity and value of all human life, in particular the unborn. As for those women who have already aborted their unborn children, we pray they will seek His forgiveness and find peace and comfort in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 24: 11

“Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.”

Sharpening One Another / Ps Lau Tak Siong

Solomon gave us an important principle of strengthening one another in that we can sharpen one another. This was what he said in Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

There are many pastors, leaders and evangelist who serve the Lord very faithfully in His vineyards in Asia, especially in the remote and unreached areas. Their heart is so passionate for God but many are not fully equipped having not had any proper training which is vital for them. They also need encouragement as many face many challenges in their work. Have you ever wondered who will encourage or sharpen these brothers and sisters? Some of them live in outlying villages with no opportunity to attend any seminars. Many have no internet or not much opportunity to learn or refer online. Right from the beginning Asian Outreach Malaysia realised the importance of training and equipping the pastors and leaders in the poor nations of Asia and praise God, we have been able to conduct many training programs. Over the years I have had the privilege to work alongside with AOM to conduct Advance Leadership training to sharpen the leaders of Asia, mainly in India, Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Myanmar.

It has always been such an encouragement for me too to see their response to the training and I come away from these trainings carrying so many testimonies that have made me want to go the extra mile for them. I don’t only sow into their lives but they are also sowing into mine. Every training has encouraged and strengthened me so much and it is not a hardship for me to leave my family and my comfortable home, the long hours of travelling, the difficulty in food and accommodation I have had to endure to these places to equip and train these pastors and leaders. Indeed I count it a privilege for me to work with these men and women of God and to see them so passionate for God. Recently I had the privilege to meet Ps Joseph again who had attended my seminar four years ago.

   

Ps Joseph who is in his late fifties is one of those always beaming with joy and the hunger for the Word of God. He is still faithfully serving the Lord despite the failure of both his kidneys. Through prayer and faith, Joseph is a walking miracle. The doctors had to discharge him as soon as possible because he continued to preach the Gospel while warded in the hospital. Four nurses turned to Jesus during his stay in the hospital. Many unbelievers in the hospital have heard the Gospel because of this man who is not afraid to share his faith to anyone willing to listen. As a result, the hospital authorities reprimanded him saying, “You are a patient not a preacher while warded”. But he continued the sharing of the Good News that they had to discharge him. Today, he is still faithfully serving the Lord despite of his illness. 

Ps Prahbu also attended the Advance Leadership training over the last several years and is currently working among the Dalit community (or frequently called the “untouchables”). He has been facing many obstacles and challenges but he continues to serve God faithfully. He has reached, transformed and saved so many souls among the Dalits through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. They may be poor in material things but certainty filled with the joy of the Lord. 

These are just two of the many examples of leaders that have gone through our Advance Leadership training in partnership with Asian Outreach Malaysia. There are many more I have encountered over the years. I have received so many emails requesting me to come again to undertake training with them.  We that live in the towns and city are blessed to have excess to all the latest online resources but not for these poor foot soldiers and evangelist in the remote and small villages of Asia. When properly equipped and trained they can make such a huge impact on the believers and pre-believers enabling them to win so many more souls for God. Being equipped helps them to step out boldly to share and to overcome objections to the faith.

For those of us who use tools for gardening or knives for preparing food, we do realize that after sometime the axe or knife gets dull and need sharpening. What more, the brothers and sisters who serve faithfully in tough places. Your prayers and sacrificial giving have encouraged and strengthened the pastors in India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar. There are still many more that are yearning for training. In challenging times like these, they need to be fully equipped with God’s Word and how to use it when faced with these difficult challenges in their work and ministry. My prayer is that you will join us to sharpen the lives of these pastors/leaders and evangelist through the Word of God so they will be effective in their witnessing and sharing of the Gospel.

Romans 10:14 “But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?”

FROM THE HEART OF ERIC FUNG / Executive Director, Asian Outreach Malaysia

 

Heading North of Chiang Mai, about a two and a half hour drive away and just 3 kilometres from the Burmese border is the village of Arunothai, a picturesque village surrounded by mist with majestic mountains as its backdrop. This area once belonged to Burma (now known as Myanmar) before it was annexed by Thailand. While most residents are of Yunnan Chinese origin and Burmese Chinese origin, there are also ethnic tribes like the Shan, Lisu, Karen and the Palaung in the surrounding hills. This far flung border settlement was originally founded by the Kuomintang who fled here after the communist took over China. There are also many illegal Burmese refugees living here too. There has been a progressive transformation of this once refugee village into a small town and the population has doubled over a decade.

Recently when I was in Chiang Mai, I was invited to visit a school and a children’s home in Arunothai, the En Hui Chinese School and the House of Grace. Equipped with only the little knowledge I had of its history and the village, I decided to visit the place. Ps Lee who oversees the School and children’s home offered to take Deborah and myself to visit Arunothai.

On the way to Arunothai, we were in awe of its stunning views and the cool, lovely weather. Just before entering the town there is a beautiful lake and we were told that the lake get fills up with water once every 8 eight years only for about 4 months and we were blessed to witness the water-filled lake. As it was lunch hour and as we neared Arunothai, I was told that the town was famous for its egg noodles and fried dumplings, and without hesitation Ps Lee headed straight to the stall that sells the best for our lunch.

Ps Lee’s ancestors hail from Yunnan and had settled in Burma along the Chinese border. His father quickly prospered in the drug business and became the richest and most powerful person in their village. As a teenager Ps Lee helped his father in the drug business. Although being so rich and having everything he wanted he felt no happiness but felt a feeling of emptiness. A friend introduced him to Christianity and he felt God calling him to enter Bible school. After completing Bible school he was excited to serve God but unfortunately he was lured back into the world of power and money.

He started a business and was doing very well but God had not forgotten him and was calling him back. A few years later Ps Lee had a stroke and he felt he was being punished for forsaking God and being disobedient.  He began to pray earnestly and while praying, God gave him a vision of Arunothai and told him to go there. He obeyed and left for Arunothai to work in the En Hui School.

The school and church was started 50 years ago by Ps Yang and another English pastor. When Ps Yang passed away, Ps Lee took over and continued the work in the school. The school caters to the poor children many of whom are Burmese Chinese refugees. The children would attend the Thai national school where they were taught in Thai (It is compulsory for all children to attend school) and then come to En Hui after school, where they were taught Bible Knowledge, Mandarin, English, Maths and computer. The school has 845 students with 28 classes from Kindergarten to Form 3, with a total of 35 teachers who are church members and 2 Malaysian missionaries.

The centre has given hope to many of these children to have a better future. With the effort and love put in by Ps Lee, the teachers and all the volunteers, the children are thriving. However, many of the parents cannot afford to pay the fees (a fairly small amount) but Ps Lee still takes them in and walks by faith that God will provide the finances needed to support the school.

Ps Lee knew that there were many orphaned and abandoned tribal children who were refugees or had been sold off by their parents to drug dealers just to satisfy their drug habits. Some of these children were abandoned when their parents were jailed for criminal offences or drug smuggling. A few were from a single parent struggling to survive. His heart was filled with compassion to see these children who were innocent and starving for love and a place to call home, with people to care for them and love them.

God called him to take these children and care for them and so the House of Grace was built. The House of Grace currently has 66 children from various ethnic groups. The population of Arunothai is about 40,000 people but only about 5% are Christian. This is the reason Ps Lee continues his work in Arunothai despite the many challenges he faces. He hardly gets any financial support as the people there are poor themselves. He depends on the Lord and walks by faith that God will bring willing financial partners to Reach, Touch and Transform lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The school is blessed to have two Malaysian volunteers, Sister Mavis and Su Han who have left their homes in Malaysia to help Ps Lee with the school and the home. Mavis’s ambition was to be a school teacher as she loved working with children. It seemed her dreams were fulfilled when she went she went to work in Shanghai and Nanjing and then ended up in Singapore. She was happy and loved her job but always felt something was missing. Mavis was a Buddhist and did not know the Lord. One day she fell ill and needed an operation so she returned to Malaysia to be hospitalized.

Mavis grandmother at that time also fell ill and they both were in the same hospital room where her grandmother’s friend who was a Christian came to visit them and shared the Gospel with them. Mavis heart was stirred and four years later she accepted Jesus and so did her grandmother. As she was seeking God to know His plans for her  she received an invitation from Ps Su Han to follow her on a mission trip to Arunothai. Working in the En Hui School and the House of Grace brought new meaning to her life and she felt God’s call to serve Him in Arunothai.

Su Han had completed Bible College and went to work in a church in Cameron Highlands for three years but her heart was in missions and reaching the unsaved. After leading a mission trip to Arunothai, she felt God calling her to help the children there. The two missionaries work in the school helping Ps Lee to teach the children and Mavis helps out with the accounts as well as helping in the home. They have been such a blessing to the school and the Home. Mavis and Su Han are not paid any salary but walk totally by faith. They have a bed to sleep in and food to eat (They eat simple meals with the children) and whatever funds they can raise from their family and friends they use to help with the fees of those children who cannot afford to pay.

I was deeply touched to see Mavis and Su Han’s commitment to God’s calling and plans for the school and the Home. They are two young women with a bright future ahead of them but they gave it all up to come to this little town far away from modern amenities and city life to serve God here and because of the love they have for the children. They also serve in church, teaching in the Sunday school and also find the time to visit the homes of the children, sharing the Gospel with their parents. I am reminded of this bible verse: Isaiah 58:10-11 “and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

After my trip I felt God impressing on my heart to reach out to His children in Arunothai. Being a father and grandfather myself, children have always had a very special place in my heart and I have said this often enough that even if I can make a difference in one child’s life it would be worth everything to me. Children are our future and every child regardless of race, colour or circumstance deserves a chance for a better life and to have their dreams and hopes fulfilled. As Jesus said in Matthew 19:14 "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Every child is a gift from God and we must treasure these little ones.

Join us in prayer to ask God to provide the necessary finances for the two missionaries to apply for their official visa at the cost of RM8,000 for both and to ask God to provide the necessary finance to run the children’s home. Let us trust God to speak to individuals to give generously to a worthy cause. If God moves you to support this ministry please send your contribution designate for ‘Thailand Projects’ and it will go to support the House of Grace, the En Hui School and the two Malaysian missionaries. 

Proverbs 22:9 "He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor."

Thanksgiving

Join me in giving thanks to God for sustaining and providing for me for the last 31 years, as I serve Him through Asian Outreach Ministry.

Prayer Points

1. We pray that all the needs of the school, Home and the visa fees for the two Malaysian missionaries to be met.

2. Pray for God’s favour and anointing upon Ps Lee, Ps Su Han and Mavis as they reach, touch and transform lives through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

3. Pray for more open doors and willing hearts among the people of Arunothai to be receptive to the Gospel.

REACHING AND RAISING A NEW GENERATION OF MISSIONARIES

Sharene Wan / AOM Missionary

As part of Asian Outreach efforts to engage young people, Missions Mega wave was held recently in Kampar. Thanks to the partnership with UTAR (University Tunku Rahman) Christian Fellowship and 11 churches, we had over 240 participants.

It was also a fun learning event as the students were able to experience some cultural activities, taste the food and see the exhibits from various country booths. The booths were manned by missionaries or people with a burden for that country. The students were able to ask questions and interact with them. Through this we hope to broaden their understanding and exposure to other countries and their culture. 

The messages were delivered by speakers from different mission field/countries serving in different platforms and with expertise of their own. Through sharing their experiences and call to missions, the students were able to better understand the mission field. They learned about Unreached People Groups, Tent making and Business As Mission (BAM) and how their profession, skills and gifts can open doors for them especially into Restricted Access Nations.

The students were challenged to catch the wave of what God is doing in the nations today. They were also exposed to the possibilities in missions that could come from the China One Belt One Road policy.

As a follow-up to this Missions Mega wave, we invited the students to join us on a mission trip to the Orang Asli outreached. There were six students that responded and went for the trip in October. The outreach was in partnership with Pastor Eduan, the Orang Asli pastor that was with us during the Missions Mega wave. The Orang Asli village that we visited was in Kampung Choh, in Ulu Kinta about 50 minutes from Ipoh. It has an existing church of five families.

For the first time the students learn to survive without telephones or internet and slept in sleeping bags on hard ground. It was not very sanitary, flies were common but the surroundings were idyllic and quiet, with a river nearby, surrounded by forests and open compound. At night, it is pitch dark and there is no electricity. It was an eye-opener for the students who would otherwise not experience the kind of life the orang Asli live. 

The team led the prayer service, Sunday service, the children’s camp and visited the families. The students did all the planning and running of the children’s camp. All the students learn to pray for the families during the visitations and gave testimonies during the services. On their own initiative, the students helped by giving tuition to three kids of a widow who are preparing for their tests the following  Monday and another youth sitting for the SPM exam soon. They were willing to lead the Sunday praise and worship, all in Malay, even though they had never done this before, except for one. They practised until late Saturday night. They could feel how God anointed them as they led the worship in unity. They saw how many of the Orang Asli children were lacking in resources and how far behind they are in the schooling, and some felt burdened to come back to help them.

 

                            
                                                       
   

This is just a start in engaging young people in missions. We pray that a new generation of Malaysian missionaries will arise from these young ones - to have the passion, potential and many years ahead of them to do greater things for the Kingdom of God!

WE ARE CREATED FOR A PURPOSE

Ps Lazarus / Bhutan Ministry

Bhutan’s remote and beautiful landscape possess a stunning and tranquil beauty that is rare elsewhere. Its remote corners showcase the most charming and dazzling scenery and its villages and towns are serene places untouched by the modern world yet. These unspoiled landscapes with is vast untouched forests shrouded in mist, through its untamed rivers meandering across the mountains and the valleys, pristine and unperturbed, embodies Bhutan to be a picture of serenity.

I was blessed to be born in this beautiful land in a small village bordering India. We were poor but happy in our lives as the whole village was poor so there was nothing to compare to being rich. We lived simple carefree lives never yearning for the things we did not have because we did not know about them. My name is Lazarus Delpaly and I am a Bhutanese from a Hindu background. I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior in 1985 and I took water baptism in 1988.

When I was 9 years old, I fell ill and began having epileptic fits about 5 - 6 times a day and my hands got numb and could not function properly. I could not lift my hands or use them in any way. My parents spent all they could afford to find a doctor who could help me but there was no change and the epileptic fits kept occurring. I would fall on the ground my body shaking violently bruising myself quite badly at times if I happen to fall on the hard floor. My parents tried all kinds of medication and sacrificed many animals for ritual acts hoping for a miracle. Nothing happened and they lost hope and were resigned to the fact that I was going to die. My friends, neighbors and relatives also began to believe that there was no hope for me and I would surely die. In Bhutanese culture, life and death were just something one accepted as part of life, but my parents were distraught. I heard my father and mother crying out with tears and asking if there is any God who could hear their cry to heal and save their child.

One morning a stranger came to our home and he saw my parents distraught and in tears and he asked them why they were crying. My mother broke down and told the man about my condition imploring him to find someone to heal their son. The man said to my parents: “I don’t have any medicine, and I am not a magician but surely there is one way, that is, if you believe in Jesus Christ your child will be saved.”

My parents willingly believed that man and told him to take me to Jesus but if I died it would be his responsibility. So I was taken to a little church situated at the border of Bhutan and India and I was kept in the church and the pastor and his sister prayed for me. I saw how they wept for me and cried out to their God to heal me. I was amazed how these people whom I did not know would possibly care if I lived or died. Ps Jogendra Basumatari and Thresh Rai continued praying for me over the next few days almost continuously and I received healing completely. I was consumed by the power of God and even after I was healed I did not want to return to my village but begged Ps Jogendra to let me stay on and learn about Jesus and how I could serve Him. My parents were still Hindus and I couldn’t go back to my parents because they would not accept that I had become a Christian and that I would forsake the Hindu Gods for Jesus Christ.

I stayed on with Ps Jogendra and his sister and I would follow Ps Jogendra for evangelistic meetings from village to village and share my testimony. When I was old enough I would lead these evangelistic meetings on my own and would share the Gospel and my testimony and many souls were saved.

I gave my life into the service of God and am committed to reaching out to the remotest villages in Bhutan. Being a missionary in the remote Bhutan villages is a difficult and arduous call as it means miles of walking up difficult mountain paths or along dangerous ridges, so many mission workers would prefer to do ministry in the towns and cities. But my vision is to preach the Gospel to the poor people in the remote villages of Bhutan where many have yet to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is discouraging sometimes after that long tiring walk up to reach a village and then spend another hour sharing the Gospel only to be met with hostility and indifference. Occasionally when I start speaking and the minute they know it’s about Christianity some will get up and leave hurriedly or hurl verbal abuse at me as they walk out. Then I have to watch out for the authorities who have spies everywhere and will not hesitate to throw me in prison if I am caught preaching outside my home (It is a crime to evangelize in public). All that, is not in vain, however, even if just one person listens and is saved by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Bhutan is shrouded in spiritual darkness and we need to let the light of Christ in. Join me to pray for the people of Bhutan, for me, my family and ministry. I thank Asian Outreach for their partnership to help us reach, touch and transform lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Together we will win Bhutan for Christ.

 Prayer Points

1.      Pray for the needs of the seven evangelist working with me that the Lord will provide for the needs of their family and ministry.

2.      Pray for the safety and protection of all Christians in Bhutan especially the Pastors and evangelist.

3.      As a pastor with the monthly support, I find it very difficult to support my children in their education. I have two sons, the younger one in school and the elder one in college, 1st year. Pray for provision for my son’s college fees.