ACMissioNZ SSE Asia Update | July 2015

Greetings friends, supporters and prayer partners,

Since my last update our brothers and sisters in South East Asia who serve the Lord under the Advent Christian banner have continued their ministries and the Lord has brought blessing into the lives of many to whom they have ministered. We have received many reports from Myanmar recently so a great deal of this update will bring you up to date with the ministries of the members of the Advent Christian Conference of Myanmar. Other reports from Myanmar will be on the website soon.

MYANMAR

At right is a picture of 5 days old (at the time of writing) Kei No Emanuel – a new daughter born on 27 June into the family of Pastor Joseph and his wife Esther – a new sister for their three daughters; Nissi, Rohi and Rapha. The name given to this new blessing from the Lord means “God was with my Mother”.

Please pray for this family and their ministries for our Lord, remembering that Pastor Joseph this year has the responsibilities of the Presidency of the Advent Christian Conference of Myanmar, as well as the leadership of his organisation The Word Mission, and the care of a total of 70 orphans/underprivileged children.

Pastor Joseph recently sent us the following prayer requests for the Myanmar AC Conference…
“Please pray for
1. Our children who need our prayer support. Some are so poor spiritually and mentally. They need God’s love. [The four member organisations of the Conference currently care for a total of 262 children] 2. Pray that God will use us (four leaders) for his glory and his kingdom.
3. Pray that our church planters will get new strength, new vision and new purpose for the Lord.
4. Pray for our harvest, many have gone away from God. Many difficult things that we are facing. But God is in control.
5. Pray for each group has to win 1000 souls for the Lord in this 2015 year.”

Pastor Kenneth recently wrote of one of his organisation’s outreaches in the Irrawaddy Delta area…
“Gospel for Myanmar has a special prayer request…
1. To be able to build two houses for the Church worship at Phyangone Village and Okshitgone Village. To these two places God established His Church and the Church really need a house for worship services. Therefore, we need your prayer. Phyangone Village is the place where Nargis Storm hit in 2008.
2. To be able to send one worker to Phyangone Church. The Church in Phyangone Village is started since
the past summer. God added 36 new believers. A small bamboo house is built for the Church worship as you see in the picture. But we cannot send a worker for this village. We need your prayers.

3. To be able to rent a house for our Bible School.
Our house rent is now k.500,000 and it will expire at the end of July. If we cannot continue to rent our Bible School will be stopped. Therefore, to be able to continue please do pray for our house rent for our Bible School. [500,000 kyats is approximately NZ$635] 4. Our Church is writing a tract for our evangelism. To be able to print-out please
do pray for this tract.
Thank you very much for your love, your prayer and your financial support. May the Lord continue to bless you richly for His own glory.”

Pastor David, who leads the Fellowship Bible Church in Myanmar, which cares for 96 children, wrote recently…
“Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ.

This is our prayer request for children home. This time heavy rain and lot of mosquito. Some of children become sick.
Please remember in your prayer for our children home. God protect children and healthy in their life.
Thanks, David”

The picture at right is from last year but the result of this year’s rain will be much the same. It is very likely that the heavy rain will similarly affect all of the children cared for by members of the AC Conference of Myanmar – please pray for them all.

Pastor Timothy recently wrote as follows…
“I am sending Advent Christian Church of Myanmar’s prayer requests to you. Please pray for us as we try….
1. To preach the gospel to 50,000 non-Christians from 2015 to 2020
2. To train new believers in our faith.
3. To empower leaders
4. To support our missionaries and our Church planters.
5. To support orphans and old widows and poor students.
6. To support students and Bible students.
We also are praying for a new Hakha [See below] water project. Now they facing big problem for water. They are getting water only one hour per 24 hours now. Me and church leaders and community leaders are trying to get drinking water far from 2 miles to New Hakha. The cost of plastic pipe is US$2700. It can supply 50 families enough water and good drinking water.
I started 2 years short course of Bible study with 6 students – one day per week.
God brought 4 new orphans to our home last month. [Two of the four pictured at right – Timothy’s organisation now cares for a total of 56 orphans]
We thank you for your love and support.
Timothy”

New Hakha mentioned above is a village in the hilly area of the Hakha District of the Chin State. It is the birthplace of Pastor Timothy’s wife Hoi Van. The Advent Christian Church of Myanmar has a small home based church in the village, led by Pastor Mang Hit. (Pictured below with his family and Pastor Timothy and Hoi Van).
Please pray for Pastor Mang Hit’s ministry and pray that the Lord will provide the resources to enable the project for the supply of water to the village to be completed.
Please pray for all four member organisations of the Myanmar AC Conference and for the leaders and members and for their ministries.
Please pray regularly for the political situation in the country – there continues to be unrest between the main, Buddhist faith of the country and members of other faiths, including Christians.
The move toward true democracy seems to have slowed somewhat – please pray that the 2015 General Election, scheduled to take place in late October/early November will be free and fair and will bring fair representation for the people.

 THAILAND

In early April we reported that a special presentation had been made to Miss Bee Nittaya Suree (on right in picture) at the morning service at Christian Mission Naratchakwai on Sunday morning 29 March to acknowledge and congratulate her on her recent completion of a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Nakhon Phanom. She had majored in the teaching of English and is now qualified to seek a position in a State High School. Her tremendous efforts in sharing the leadership of the Mission and its ministries and activities while studying during her five-year university course were also recognised.

Sadly, Bee was unable to find a teaching position in Nakhon Phanom city or surrounding areas, and has had to move, with her Mother, to live in Bangkok in an attempt to find a job of some kind to support them both. Bee has been able to find employment as an office worker (very disappointing for someone who studied for 5 years to qualify as a teacher!) but is thanking the Lord that she has found employment very quickly. She wrote “I am so happy with this work, my God sends answer to me.” Please join Bee in thanking the Lord for answers to her and our prayers and also pray that her faith may remain strong and that she will find a suitable church to attend for fellowship and spiritual support.

Please praise the Lord that Miss Chokita D Pimsri, known as Ploy, (on left in picture) who has been part of the group of four young ladies who have been involved in leadership of the ministries at CMN for some considerable time, has offered to accept leadership of the team following Bee’s departure. Ploy is a senior at High School, in the 12th grade. Please pray for Ploy as she accepts this extra responsibility, asking that the Lord may give her wisdom and patience and leadership skills.

Please pray regularly for all of the leadership team at Christian Mission, pictured right just before Bee left to travel to Bangkok. Another young lady – Job – (pictured on right – pronounced like the Biblical character!) is also assisting the leadership team but was absent the day the picture was taken – please include her in your prayers also.
From left – Dtee (Maeo’s brother and part-time driver /handyman); Pastor Boontaa; Bee; Maeo; Ploy, Lita and Parn.

INDIA

One of the conditions in the YJM Partnership Agreement is the requirement to provide regular reports to the Mission office at Guindy giving an indication of the activities of the partners and seeking their prayer requests and matters for praise. Below are some recent examples of these reports – we invite you to pray and praise with us for these matters also.

ADDRES CENTRE/ STEPPING STONE INNOVATION
A rehabilitation center for adults affected by HIV/AIDS and/or alcohol and drug dependency. Also provide job skill training and placements for young people in the radio and television industries. Led by Pastor Paul Nilivan.
1. Please pray for our staff – Usha, Padmanaban, Pastor Paul Nilivan and their families.
2. Please pray for our HIV/AIDS individual and their families.
3. We conducted a session on content development with Yercaud FM radio – 10 radio workers participated.
4 Two alcoholics admitted in de-addiction centre (for 3 months) at Mahabalipuram.
5 Received small amount from “House of Rock” church – Melbourne for communication training program.
6 We provide nutritional support like rice, dhal, oil, nutrition powder etc. for HIV/AIDS individuals and their families.
7. We are sending Nandhini for News Presenter training program at Sathyam TV.

CHRIST SPECIAL HIGH SCHOOL
A residential High School for the physically and intellectually challenged at Sangkarapuram, Tamil Nadu. Approximately 100 physically/intellectually challenged children cared for. Led by Pastor Paul Nilivan.
1. Please pray for our staff, teachers, Correspondent, Headmaster, Managing Trustee, Financial Trustee and their families.
2. Please pray for our students’ health and their families.
3. 7 students from 10th standard wrote exams, 6 persons passed. Our school first mark is 442 others got above 300. The failed one is going to write special exam by the end of the month of June.
4. We received money from “House of Rock” church for school needs.
5. We provide children’s needs like soap, oil, toothpaste, powder etc. for all students.
6. New disabled students are going to join in our school.
7. We are planning for a Deaf and Dumb School in our premises.

Because of a recent gift from a donor in New Zealand the school has been able to replace a number of very old, worn out classroom tables and benches –the new ones are pictured. Pastor Paul and his team expressed their appreciation for this gift and for the items they were able to purchase with it.

GOOD SAMARITAN TRUST
Ministers to children from several very poor fishing villages on the coast – daily homework center, Sunday School, medical assistance. Led by Pastor John Matthew.
1. Please pray for our children’s’ school opening & 10th and 12th standard children’s admission.
2. Our 30th Medical Camp went on well.
3. All our 10th and 12th Board exam children got through with good marks. The parents appreciated and praised God.
4. Many new children came for the first time to VBS & it was great blessing.
5. Partnership money was spent for our VBS programme.
6. Please pray for our 20th June medical camp at Kundrathur, Chennai 61.
7. Please pray for the follow-up work for new VBS children.

The Indian government is presently requiring all organisations which hold a registration certificate allowing them to receive funds through the banking system from foreign countries to go through a lengthy and complicated renewal process.
Mission Manager Immanuel has worked with an “expert” in dealing with such matters, who has been of great help in the past in such matters and they have completed our application for renewal and a covering letter of support which sets out details of our ministries and how the funds we receive from overseas are used.
It has been complicated for us by the fact that our bank account and FCRA (Foreign Currency Registration Act) registration have historically been in the name “American Advent Mission” but our organisation is registered with the government as “Women’s Home and Foreign Missions of the Advent Christian Denomination”!
Our application has been forwarded to the relevant government department in New Delhi, where a bureaucrat will ultimately make the decision whether or not our FCRA is renewed.
This registration is vitally important for the ongoing ministries of the Mission.
Please pray that our application will be successful.

MALAYSIA

Please continue to pray for the little group of Advent Christians in Kluang who meet for worship each Sunday in Ruth and Wilfred’s home and meet for prayer meetings with the sharing of God’s Word twice a month. Pray especially for Sister Ruth and Brother Wilfred and their family and for the one-on-one ministry which they are so constant with, in assisting those in their community who have practical and spiritual needs of many kinds. Sister Ruth recently reported that they meet once every two months with the Kluang Pastors’ Fellowship and with the combined churches chain prayer called “Light-Up Kluang.” Pray too for their outreach ministry as they continue to reach out to and disciple those around them.

Once again, my sincere thanks for your partnership in the Lord’s ministries in South East Asia. I thank you for your prayers and encouragement and financial support for our brothers and sisters in the LORD in the past and I ask for your continued prayers for them and for their ministries.

God bless you as you serve Him in Missions in this way.