HEART OF ASIAN OUTREACH MALAYSIA / Peter U, Chairman

Two are better than one

We here in Asian Outreach thank you for your partnership with us that has enabled us to Connect, Equip and Empower our workers in the mission fields. Your partnership is so important to us as it is said in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.”  In calling you to himself, God has called you to reach out and be part of the Body of Christ. We learn from the beginning that we need each other and we liken this to our own bodies where every part of our body works to support each other. It is deeply satisfying to be used by God to help someone else.

It has always been our joy to share the work of the Foot Soldiers who are able to do the work they do because you have equipped them through your partnership. We have had some amazing reports from the mission fields and once such report is about Foot Soldier Ps Charles Edwin. Ps Charles had graduated from the Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) School in 2005 and he was sent to the Theni Mission base to serve there. There he met his wife Poornima and were blessed with children. He then decided that a move to the city would provide better education for his children. So, he settled in the city of Coimbatore and started a ministry there.

However, city life was very expensive and his income was not enough for him to support his family. Then in 2019 COVID descended on India and things got worse. One day as he was praying the Lord spoke to him and showed him a mountainous area where he wanted Ps Charles to go and minister to His people there. A little apprehensive but wanting to obey he moved his family to a very poor, small rural mountain village called Kadambur which is where God had showed him.

Once he settled down and started his ministry the persecution started. The Inspector of police who was a strong supporter of the Pro Hindu party threatened him and gave him a stern warning about converting Hindus. Ps Charles remained calm but he was surprised that the local people and even the communist party there supported him. Things were still far from easy and sometimes on Sundays when Ps Charles was preparing for Church service the Hindu party would hold meetings and conference that same time and he was asked to shut down the service.

He persevered though and never gave up and today he has 40 members in his church. He has also started another church in Anthiyur village, 30 kilometers away with 30 members now. However, many of the members are from other small rural villages where public transportation is limited so some of them stay overnight in the church and Ps Charles provides them with simple meals. His income is not much but he has a big heart and he trusts in the Lord to provide their every need. He always feels that people he does not know support him in doing the work of the Lord, so how can he not give that same support where he can.

Though he faces persecution and hardships, he has never regretted the path he is on as he knows that people there need to hear the Gospel and be saved. His reward is seeing how their lives have been changed by the Gospel. He and his wife work hard to improve the lives of the people and he has started an adult education class as 90 percent of the villagers are illiterate. His wife, who has a diploma in tailoring has started a tailoring class and about 50 ladies have enrolled. She is praying for the provision of more sewing machines. She is also thinking of starting a cottage industry making shampoo, cleaning agents and detergents. Ps Charles and his family are such a blessing to their village and people there are coming to the Lord because of the love and care showed by this couple. They believed that He called them to this place and will see His plans to fruition.

God often stretches us beyond what we think is possible. He calls us to tasks that seem greater than our capabilities but God loves to stretch us beyond what we think possible. If God has clearly called us to the task, he will see that we carry it through. He will give us the grace, provision and the tools needed to accomplish the assignment. All he asks is our service and leave the outcome to him.

Pray Points

1. Pray for God’s provision for them to continue the tailoring classes and to start the cottage industry.  

2.  Pray for the safety of pastor, workers, volunteers and the believers.

3.  Pray for the Lord’s anointing and blessings over the life of Ps Charles and his family.

 

 

STEP OUT IN FAITH / Rev John Thoung, AO Coordinator, Myanmar

The world has been affected by the COVID pandemic for the last two and a half years but we here in Myanmar also had to contend with the political situation. The political situation affected us more than the pandemic as there was total chaos and unrest and we felt doubly burdened. Our hearts were filled with fear, insecurity and uncertainty for the future. We have been praying to God that He may lift our burden and give us peace and the courage to go forward sharing the Good News to our people. People are suffering because of loss of jobs and businesses.

One day while I was seeking the Lord for guidance on how to move forward with the ministry, the Lord inspired me to take a risk. I felt like the four men with leprosy as in 2 Kings 7:3 “Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die? If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So, let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.” When they went out from the city, God performed a miracle and their people were blessed through them.

Likewise, I decided to walk by faith and trust in the Lord and made arrangements for a Christmas outreach programme. With the help of Asian Outreach Malaysia, we were able to reach many people through the Gospel of Christ. We were aware that it was dangerous for us and a risk we were taking but we prayed and stepped out boldly in faith. Our church grew after the Christmas outreach programme and we had to bring in more chairs for almost every service. The Christmas celebrations was like bringing new Hope and Joy into people’s lives. People here were sick and tired of worrying and fearing for our future. One of the most valuable strengths in life is being hopeful.

We not only did our Christmas programme around our village but in the surrounding villages in the Chin state as well. Our first stop was the village of Toe Myaung in the Bago Division and there were no Christians in this village. They watched the nativity play by our Bible students and they wanted to know more. Many received salvation and repented.

Next we went to the Rakhine state to preach the Good News. Rakhine state is a war-torn zone and a tough region to evangelize. But God has opened the hearts of the Arakan Army (AA) and they allowed Christians to practise their faith freely. I was able to share the Gospel and minister to the Rakhine people and 6 people were baptized. People are hungry for the Word of God and we have sent two fresh graduates from our Bible school for ministry there, bringing the total to four.

In April we held a youth camp for about 76 youths and as we spoke on salvation, many young people gave their lives to Jesus. 7 youths were baptized. During the Water Festival, young people like to enjoy the festival with merry-making, partying and drinking. The youths who attended our camp  testified how they were blessed and were glad they came. We were worried that the military would hassle us but our local authority gave us approval, happy that we were reaching out to the youths.

We really thank God for what he has done through us. We saw miracles and breakthroughs taking place and we saw God’s favour upon everything we planned to do. We spent time in prayer breaking every hindering spirit of the enemy and anointing the grounds on which we held our events. We are still following up with these young people and please pray with us to get more Bibles for distribution. Many people are asking us for Bibles but we do not have enough. When we take a step of faith , in circumstances beyond our control which are risky and laden with fear and we arm ourselves with trust in God, He will move mountains. We give the glory to God.

Matthew 17:20-21 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

 

THE HEART OF ASIAN OUTREACH / Peter U, Chairman

The storms of life

Psalm 57:12

“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.”

 Everyone faces a storm but do not let the storm be in us. Many of us are facing enormous storms in our life right now and at times, we find our circumstances overwhelming. However, it is important we remember that God is bigger, much bigger than our circumstances. The Lord gives us comfort in His word in Joshua 1:9: “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Even though we know this well, it can be especially difficult to hold on to when we are filled with anxiety or fear. Being anxious and fearful can make our problems appear so huge that it causes us to lose sight of the one thing that can pull us through – our faith in Jesus.

 There will be many storms in our life that we cannot control, like this pandemic, but God will give us strength when we are dealing with these storms. We need to acknowledge that there are things outside our control that we cannot change, so instead let us identify, celebrate and embrace what we can learn from the situation. Instead of dwelling on the “what ifs” and the negatives of a given situation, focus on things that God has placed in your heart and how we can fulfil those plans He has for us, even in the midst of the pandemic. When you let go of all that holds you down and creates fear in you, you begin to see the bigness of God and how He can use you, regardless of the circumstances.

In a little village in Andhra Pradesh, Ps Joshua has also been affected by COVID-19. His once thriving church is only half filled now. Many in his congregation contracted COVID and those who did not were too fearful to venture out. Ps Joshua and his whole family are involved in ministry and they decided that the work of the Kingdom had to continue, COVID or no COVID. They had to bring hope to those around them. So, they began visiting the members, praying, sharing the gospel and encouraging them. Many of the members were filled with fear, confusion, anxiety and helplessness as coronavirus cases and deaths surged around them. Ps Joshua visited those sick with the virus, standing outside their homes at a safe distance to pray with them and reminding family members to observe the health guidelines.

He never gave up even when he faced troubles and persecution. He was taken to the police station and accused of forcing people to convert, and his wife was falsely accused of running a brothel business with the girls coming to the church. He and his wife were taken to the police station and interrogated. The police did not treat them kindly but all the accusations proved to be false and the police had to let them go. Roman 8:36: “As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” He had started building a church when the COVID pandemic started, but due to the lockdown all work had stopped. He decided that it was now time to start the building again, doing most of the work by themselves. Many asked him why he bothered as people were still not coming to church, but he had faith and believed that his faith in God is what gives him hope in the midst of this pandemic.

He told his members he believed that one day they would return to regular services in church and he wanted to be ready for that day. Seeing his faith many members returned to attending service, but he was careful to urge them to follow all health guidelines and social distancing. In order to keep the numbers in church to a safe level, he started a second service in another location 5 km away for the time being. He and his family are the bearers of hope in the midst of pain and suffering.

Ps Munirathnam has been in the mission fields for the last 18 years in a place called Nagalapuram.  He has already planted two churches in this district, reaching out to the least of the least. The people here are daily labourers in the rice fields and sugar cane plantations. People here are very poor.                Ps Munirathnam has faced many financial, political and religious challenges over the years, but he has never given up working tirelessly for the glory of God. During the pandemic he continued his work for the Kingdom. Though things have been cancelled because of the coronavirus, love is not one of them. He keeps his heart open to all those in need, reaching out and helping the poor and the destitute. Churches were closed for almost a year due to COVID-19 and all activities came to a standstill, even agricultural activities ceased. People began to lose hope and started thinking thoughts like, “We are going to die, why must we work?”

Faced with this situation, Ps Munirathnam organized a 40- day fast and prayer for protection from COVID-19. He did not expect many people to turn up, but the church remained open 24 hours, and he stayed in the church the whole time, fasting and praying. Word spread in the village and slowly the Hindus started coming in groups asking him to pray for them; he did and shared the gospel with them. Many came to the church with fear but left free from the fear of death. It was a breakthrough to see the Hindu people enter the church, setting aside all religious barriers. What the devil meant for evil, God turned it around for good. COVID-19 has given Ps Munirathnam the opportunity to serve the people and share the love of Jesus with them.

He shared a testimony about a couple who had been trying for seven years to have a child. The husband blamed the wife and became a drunkard, but last year the wife came to Ps Munirathnam and he prayed for her and shared the gospel with her. She began to feel hopeful and started to fast and pray. After three months she conceived and gave birth to a baby boy recently. Her husband was overjoyed and stopped drinking. Both of them have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

This pandemic presents us with an opportunity to witness how the Spirit works no matter what may be falling apart around us. Our faith invites us to respond to this pandemic in creative and unique ways, born out of love, compassion and self-giving. Let us choose to expand our compassion and be bearers of hope in the midst of pain and suffering. Only this way will we change this story of pain and suffering into one of compassion, love and victory in Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58: “But thanks be to God, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.”

 

 

MINDANAO MINISTRY / Ps Angel Majadas 

We welcome into our AO family, Ps Angel Majadas in Mindanao, Philippines. Ps Angel is under the covering of Revival Christian Church Global Outreach and is the brother-in-law of Ps Josephine from our Cebu ministry. He is passionate in serving the Lord and we are blessed to partner with him in Reaching, Touching and Transforming lives in Mindanao. Here is his testimony:

In 1995, I started in ministry under the Foursquare denomination until 2010 but I was new in ministry and faced many setbacks and challenges. I thank God for my sister-in-law, Ps Josephine, who constantly encouraged us and prayed for us. In 2005 God led me to volunteer in a campus ministry, teaching the word of God in a High School to almost 1000 student a week. It was a great challenge to me but God showed me ways to minister to these students and to touch and transform their lives. My reward was to see many of them come to Christ.

When I was in Davao the central part of Mindanao, I was also a volunteer to teach non-formal education to adults from 65 years and below. I ministered to them through these classes in a form of adult literacy, teaching the word of God and bringing them back to the Lord. Again, my reward was to see many give their lives to Jesus. I felt so encouraged and blessed every time one of them accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

In 2010, I left the ministry as I was getting married and my wife, Jocelyn (who is Ps Josephine’s sister) and I have 2 children. We settled at San Pablo Zamboanga del Sur and to support my family I decided to work as a tricycle driver but I always felt a tug in my heart for ministry. One day I was a taking a passenger, Gloria, and this lady told me she suffered from pain on her right hand because of an injury and I prayed for her right there in my trishaw. I kept in touch with her, sharing the Word and not long after she accepted Jesus. She longed to know and understand the Word more deeply and she encouraged me to conduct Bible study in her house and now we also hold our Sunday services in her house as well. She has shared with her friends and neighbours and now praise God we have 3 families attending our home Bible Study every Sunday afternoon.

Almost 10 years I have been praying and asking God’s direction and plans for my life because I felt something lacking in my heart if I didn’t serve the Lord. Before I started this ministry, I asked the Lord’s intervention and then He answered by bringing Gloria, who was my passenger to help me start my ministry. Gloria was such a blessing to our church and she opened her home to us for our Bible studies, church services and meetings.

The ministry in Barangay Senior San Pablo started last May 2021 with a number of 7 people attending. We also have house-to-house Bible Study with an attendance of 12 people. Now, we are connected and affiliated to Ps. Josephine’s church and she has been sent by the Lord to support us in prayer and encourage us to continue in ministry in spite of the hardships we face. We pray the Lord will continue to use us to win souls and make disciples for our Lord Jesus in this place.

We had one family in our church whom I observed always cried before the Lord during our service. They cried out to the Lord to use them because all they wanted was to know Him and serve Him. I was so deeply touched by how much they loved the Lord and wanted to serve Him. I saw so many people hunger and thirst for God and my wife and I are dedicating our lives to serving him and bringing His Word to the lost. This family starting sharing the Gospel to their relatives and neighbours and they invited us to visit one of their neighbours who was sick. Praise the Lord the woman was healed and she invited us to start another Bible group in her house. She wanted everyone to know what the Lord has done in her life.

If God's willing, we will continue in prayer that He will provide for us to build a church that is our vision for this place. We see lives touched and changed and 4 members of our Bible group have given testimony of healing from sickness. Most of the people here are poor and needy and life is a struggle, made worse by the pandemic. Barangay Senior is part of the San Pablo Zamboanga del sur district and has about 900 people. Thank God, we now have 20 members including children, that's why we are praying for God's provision in order to sustain the ministry.

My wife and 2 children are also involved in my ministry and we work together as a team. The longing of my heart is to reach out to the unsaved, the poor and needy. People here are very poor and during the pandemic many had no food. Thank you Asian Outreach for helping me feed the poor people here. When I gave them the groceries and food some wept for this unexpected help. It was really a miracle for them. As I distributed the groceries to them, I also shared God’s Word to them and I believe seeds were planted. It is not only food that people need but the hope that you have given them by bringing God’s love and showing them, He definitely cares.

I thank you Asian Outreach for your partnership and am honoured to be part of the AOM family.

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?  And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’

 

 

Ministry name: Revival Christian Church Global Outreach. (RCCGO)

Asian Outreach is pleased to announce our support for a new ministry in Badian, Cebu, Philippines. Badian is 98 km (61 mi) southwest of Cebu City and it is a hilly topography. We will be supporting Ps Josephine Manilla who pastors the Revival Christian Church Global Outreach Church (RCCGO) in Baranggay (village) Calangcang, about 20 mins from the main town of Badian. Ps Josephine never dreamed she would become a pastor and do the Lord’s work. Here is her story:

I grew up in a poor family and life for us was very difficult. I felt my life was meaningless as I grew and I had no goals because I thought I was too poor to envision a better life. This would be my lot in life- a life of poverty and despair. As I grew up, I had no hope or direction in my life and I felt useless. I started going down a sinful path, having wrong relationships and doing things that I knew were wrong. I also shut Jesus out of my life.

In 1997, I went to Hongkong to work as a domestic helper. Like every young girl I had dreams of working hard and earning enough money to travel and see the world. Within 3 months of my arrival in Hong Kong someone shared the Gospel with me and though I have been a Catholic, I had never experienced God in my life. But one day, God brought me to the place where He encountered me through His messenger. This time Jesus felt so real to me and I felt a deep stirring in my heart. I felt that I needed to be born again and I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and since then I felt a calling from the Lord to serve Him. The day that I accepted Him as my Lord and Saviour, my life changed. I found new purpose in my life and I felt so loved. I began to seek God earnestly for His plans for me and I had a strong desire to submit to His will and to obey Him in every way.

I decided to obey without knowing how difficult and hard it is as a follower of Jesus. In my 19 years working in Hong Kong, I was equipped by my leader and Pastor to do the ministry as a worship and cell leader. My Pastor saw my desire to serve God and he encouraged me to go to Bible school. When I finished Bible school, my Pastor assigned me to start leading the second service and it grew by God's grace. Before this happened, when I was a new believer, the Lord enabled me to start Saturday cell group which grew and became a regular event till this day. I praise God for my employer who allowed me to go to Bible School  and the freedom to serve the Lord during my off days and free time. To God be the glory!

God was training, equipping and preparing me in Hong Kong to return to the Philippines and on my return I started a children's ministry then followed with an adult bible study and after two years I started regular service as a pioneering house church. As I faithfully served the Lord, great challenges and trials came to me. My husband committed adultery and had a son from another woman. It was difficult for me to accept but by God’s grace I forgave him and I took him back as my husband. At the age of 43 I conceived and the pregnancy was a normal one but I delivered a still born baby. The loss of our baby really devastated my husband and me. We had looked forward to being a family and having children. Before we could heal from this grief more challenges followed. After 6 months of losing my baby, my husband also passed away with a chronic disease.

My situation at that time was a big question mark and I asked God why this was happening to me. I questioned God time and again but I still served Him faithfully. He was my strength during those dark days and when I felt I could not go on, His grace was sufficient for me and I continued doing the ministry that God entrusted me. When the COVID-19 pandemic started and we had a lockdown I engaged myself to equip leaders to help me in ministry. Now we have more bible study groups and I pray that God will sustain them.

My Faith has been tested through trials, problems when my husband committed adultery and the loss of my only son and my husband but God's amazing grace sustained me to continue serving Him knowing that He's all I need.

Every Sunday, we feed the people who attend our service and we conduct equipping classes for ministry. In the weekly bible study, we serve snacks and have good fellowship with our participants too. Every quarter, we have a big gathering and invite speakers to empower the people for one and a half day lessons and it involves feeding all delegates and speakers. These evangelistic meetings encourage the growth of my ministry and people here are eager to hear the Word.

Three years ago, my former employer in Hongkong came with a Malaysian Pastor and this Pastor had a gift of healing and deliverance. We witnessed a miracle when a lady well known in our community for being possessed was delivered and she testified that she saw Jesus. From then on, I too received the gift to heal the sick and deliver the oppressed in the name of Jesus.

The house capacity is only for 30 people but we are praying that God will provide for us a church as our membership grows. I thank Asian Outreach Malaysia for giving me an opportunity to be a part of the AO family and for supporting my ministry. To God be the Glory.

Romans 10:14-15 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?  And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

God is faithful to His promises!

 

  

 

HEART OF ASIAN OUTREACH / Peter U, Chairman

Half of the year 2021 has gone by and COVID-19 is still determining our lives. We have seen our world broken and fall into despair. Endless days of bad news, testing and trying us. But, as we open the Word to Psalm 51:12 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” We ask God to let our passion for life be restored, tasting joy in every breakthrough He brings us and we ask Him to strengthen us so we may stay strong when it feels like we are sinking under. We seek comfort, faith and hope. As believers of Jesus Christ, we must be that HOPE for the nations and reveal the joy of the Lord to those who do not know Him.

We can look positively upon the lockdown rules to stay home as meant to be a time of rest not only for God’s creatures but for the land. (Already air pollution is down in many parts of the world). A time for God’s distracted and self-absorbed creatures to remember that we are first and foremost recipients—and not the creators—of all that is good in our lives: the land, rain and sun, family, friends, work, and most of all God’s grace and provision. It need not be a time of despair but a time of seeking God and asking him “What is my purpose Lord in this season of lockdown?”

We praise God that we have been able to partner with a new ministry in Cebu and will be working with Ps Josephine (Her ministry and testimony is featured in this magazine). We are also pleased to be working with Ps Kikon in Siliguri again and partnering with him in his new ministry, Equip Church Ministry. (His ministry in featured in this magazine too) We look forward to expanding the Kingdom of God in these areas and ushering more souls into the Kingdom. 

In Chennai and in the other districts of India the Foot Soldiers are sharing the joy of the Lord and going about their work quietly bring hope and God’s love to those who are forgotten by society – the elderly, sick and the very poor. They are the nameless sea of faces that are struggling to survive. While India has struggled with hunger and poverty for decades, the pandemic has certainly taken the situation to a deepening state of affairs. For Ps Paul and his team, they know it is not possible to change the world for everyone ... but if they can change the world of one person by giving them hope and showing Christ love, then let them be the instrument.

Rani Rajamani is a widow with one school going son and a teenage daughter and Ps Paul has changed their world. Her husband had passed away and she used to sell fresh flowers on the street to earn a living but the pandemic took away her livelihood. The three of them were starving and had gone a few days without food, eating only morsels they could find. Her heart broke to see her 2 children and she would often go without so they could eat. Walking on the streets begging and looking around for food she was tired and desperate and then a hand reached out to her. The man looked upon her with love and compassion in his eyes and she knew she had found Hope at last. That night her family could have their meal together, though it was probably just dhal and rice, they relished every mouth they took. Now every month she is given food supplies and she is so grateful to Ps Paul and his team. She wanted to know what made these people want to help her and why they were so kind and they shared the Gospel with her. Her whole world was changed when she heard the word and experienced the Love of Jesus. She and her children accepted the Lord and were baptised.

Ranni Amma, a 70-year-old widow, lives in a slum alone having being deserted by her family. She used to work as a domestic worker, but now because of her age no one is hiring her for work. Due to lack of food her health has deteriorated and she has no one to turn to. Hope came to her when a co-worker saw her distress and reached out to her and now, she too has been adopted into their grocery scheme and is given monthly groceries for her survival. An act of love and kindness has changed her world – her life matters and someone cares.

Gandhi Amma is another poor lady living in the slums. Deserted by her children and with an ailing husband she had to work to support both of them. Then COVID-19 happened and the shops where she used to work as a cleaner were forced to close down. Robbed of their livelihood and any hope they had for survival she was desperate until the team heard about her plight and are now helping her with monthly groceries. She and her husband have since accepted the Lord and she is a soul winner, testifying to all who will hear about the love of Jesus.

Everybody in the slums is in the same boat just like you, fighting for survival. It’s a survival of the fittest and the elderly and sick are often forgotten. Some of the children who have been able to move out of the slums have distanced themselves from their parents and their former lives in the slums. Many are third and fourth generation in the slum and some fight and claw their way out of this vicious cycle of poverty others just accept it as their destiny and cannot find their way out. Kids growing up there only see the occupations around them, so they don’t know of other alternatives and even if they do learn about a different alternative – they don’t know how to get there.

Hope comes in many forms to the poor people. Hope brings them love and the knowledge that their life matters to someone. They come to see the tangible love of God through those who reach out to them to help them and yet expect nothing in return for themselves. Jesus instructed his followers to change the world in his name by embracing two very important commands: the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. We are to love God and love our neighbours as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39), and we are to go and make disciples of others who will do the same (Matthew 28:19-20). Giving them hope and loving them in the process leads them to Jesus and transforms their lives forever. He is God of the slums too.

James 2:18

“But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.”

 

Prayer Points

1. Pray for the safety of Ps Paul and his team from COVID 19 as they go around the slums.

2. God of Justice, open our eyes to see you in the face of those in poverty and open our ears to hear

    you in the cries of those in need.

3. Remind us Lord that what we do to the least ones, we do to you.

 

 

Vietnam happenings / Ps D, Vietnam Leper Ministry

Like everywhere else, the leper centers also were affected by Covid-19, and since 2019 we have not been able to visit the centers regularly. We only managed to visit the Thai Nguyen and Phu Ly centers. There were a few deaths during this year’s lockdown period. The lepers died because of various complications as well as old age. Five patients from Thai Nguyen passed away; three of them were believers and had been baptized. Two from the Phu Ly center were also believers. Praise the Lord for saving these precious souls.

We were not able to do our usual summer programs with the children of the lepers; however, we organized bible studies, various games and outdoor activities like swimming for them. The children are always happy to participate and we show them that we care for them no matter who their parents are. Praise God that seven children accepted the Lord during the summer events.

In spite of the hardship families of lepers’ face, six students have overcome all odds and are now studying in the university. We praise the Lord for blessing them with this opportunity. Four of them are in Hanoi and two in Thai Nguyen.

Lepers are ostracized still but God loves them and sees their struggles. One testimony that I would like to share with you reminds us how we never know when and how God will answer our prayer but, regardless, we need to continue to trust and leave our prayer requests in God’s hands. Hien (our co-worker) and I prayed for a student and his grandfather (a leper) for the infilling of the Holy Spirit about four years ago. His grandfather was baptized in the Holy Spirit but nothing was heard from the student again. Recently, he contacted me to ask for a Bible as he is now at a university in Thai Nguyen. When asked, he mentioned that his teacher who is a foreigner has continued to share the Word with him and he is now a believer who attends church regularly. Thank God for His faithfulness. We sowed the seed and another Kingdom connection watered it and helped it grow.

During the summer, we also managed to share some gifts with the lepers at both centers. Thank you for your support because they were really in need of support as they have felt lonely and isolated. They were so happy to see us. Though they are mainly segregated from the outside world for most of the time, they did have some family and friends visit them. However, due to Covid- 19, many people stopped visiting them out of fear and also because there was an increase in the number of Covid cases. Interestingly, we’re noticing that people have started using the term 'leper' to describe how they feel as they navigate life during this pandemic - keeping distance from people, being unable to leave their home or do the things they usually enjoy. People are discovering that this new way of life of having to self-isolate can be very lonely at times.

This year (2021), restrictions due to Covid-19 were once again reimposed during the lunar new year season. As a result, we could not celebrate with the lepers. We managed, however, to make last-minute visits to them before the lockdowns took effect. The staff at the centers were quite reluctant to receive visitors but we succeeded in persuading them to allow us in for just a short while to drop off the new year gifts and wish the lepers all the best for the new year. We would like to share with you the testimony of this wonderful woman of God:

Aunty Nguyen Thi Nhi, 87 years old, had a heart problem and was admitted to the hospital for treatment. The doctors said her heart was very weak and the family were informed that she did not have long to live. A heart operation was not an option as she was too old and weak. Her granddaughter, who is a student at the Hanoi University and goes to a church in Hanoi, prayed for Aunty Nhi. While she was praying, the Holy Spirit caused her to pray in tongues for an hour and she cried for a long time. She didn’t know why she felt that way but continued to pray. After that, Aunty Nhi was sent home to die. I visited Aunty Nhi with her granddaughter. Her granddaughter stayed home to help and continued to pray for her daily. God worked a miracle. Aunty Nhi became stronger and stronger and now she enjoys good health and can walk around the village! Praise God!

At a time when the world seems to be filled with fear and uncertainty, let's make sure that we treat people affected by leprosy with dignity and understand the struggles they face. I think our own isolation has given us an insight as to how they must feel.

Psalm 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. “