ACMissioNZ SSE Asia Update | October 2015

Greetings friends, supporters and prayer partners,

 THAILAND

Maeo, Pastor Boontaa, Ploy and the rest of the leadership team of young ladies at Christian Mission Naratchakwai continue to show Christian care and compassion as they reach out each month to the folk in their village and to other villages in their area with their Soup of Love and with their gifts of food packages to elderly or shut-in folk.

In mid October they visited their own village – Naratchakwai – and four others with their pot of nutritious soup. Ploy commented as follows…

“Soup of Love this month, we went to many villages. There are 5 villages that we had gone to: Naratchakwai, Naratchakwai Noi, Nasomdee, Phon Ngam and Kam Phok villages. Everyone liked to eat the soup.

Thanks God that you give the good project to us, we are happy to give your kindness to the others. And most importantly, thank you to people who submit the budget for the Soup of Love to us every month, if we don’t get it from you, this project can be difficult for us too. We are happy to serve God in every day. God bless you all!”

They took food parcels to two needy folk in their village. Maeo’s brother Dtee (in pictures above) drives the Mission vehicle – please thank the Lord for his willingness to do this. Thank the Lord also that the ladies are willing to spend considerable time preparing and cooking the soup.

Much of the ministry at CMN is to children and young people – please pray for the girls as they prepare Sunday School lessons for the children, praying that the lessons taught will draw the young ones to Jesus Christ. Pray too that the English lessons that are also given will encourage and assist the children with their education and later their job prospects.

Please thank the Lord and pray for the six girls, led by Ploy who give two days (Friday evening to Sunday evening) each week to plan, prepare and supervise the activities for the children and for the Sunday morning service. Their assistance is absolutely vital for the ministry.

INDIA

Please give thanks and praise to the Lord for the very generous gift which the members of a church in the United States – Sunshine Advent Christian Church at Deer Island, Maine – sent to Yesuway Jeevan Mission, Chennai. This was to assist one of their ministry partners – Pastor Kirubakaran – to purchase most of the items which government authorities had mandated that his New Life Hostel at Thuthikulam, near the Kolli Hills, must have if it was to be allowed to continue to remain open to care for the 20 orphan or underprivileged boys who live there and are well cared for, get a good education and most importantly are in an environment which constantly points them to the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.

The funds were raised by church members at a recent Vacation Bible School, organised by their VBS Director, Sarah Heanssler, which featured the hostel, and by the members of its weekly Bible Study and prayer group. The gift enabled the following items to be purchased – YJM staff members travelled to Thuthikulam to assist Pastor Kirubakaran to purchase and transport the goods – literally a truckload – to the hostel:

School bags for all the boys
Belts for all the boys
2 volley balls
2 cricket bats
2 balls
4 bicycles
2 electric cookers – 1 cook top, 1 rice cooker
Many cooking and storage utensils
A large storage cupboard
A clothes iron
Pillows and sleeping mats for all the boys
2 folding beds for staff members
Blankets for all the boys
Desk for the office
Floor mops
2 carrom boards (a very popular game played by young and old in India)

Please also give thanks and praise to the Lord for the generous gifts sent by a number of Advent Christian churches and individuals in the United States to assist another of Yesuway Jeevan Mission’s ministry partners – Shelter Trust – in Chennai. This hostel, led by Director Rev. Solomon Raj, presently cares for 48 orphan children and young people, all of whom have AIDS or are HIV Positive. The hostel gives first class care and education, the best available medical treatment and a Christian home to these young folk. Rev Solomon’s stated aim is to bring LOVE, LIFE and LAUGHTER into their lives.

Shelter Trust has a unique way of saying thank you to those who assist them –
Please continue to pray for these two of Yesuway Jeevan Mission’s ministry partners which give wonderful care to some of the many, many thousands, perhaps millions, of disadvantaged children and young people in India

MYANMAR

Pastor Timothy has recently reported about his last trip to the area in the Chin State and the Sagaing Division which were so badly affected by the recent flooding. He wrote…

“Greetings to you in our Lord Jesus’ name. We pray for you, your people and also for ACGC.
Because of your prayer and help we all are going well today. All students also are studying well.

While we were in Hakha my team made and helped for two water tanks. We finished only small one.

For the bigger one cost is big amount and not yet finish. I am sending you pictures. God blessed us new keyboard. I also send you pictures.”

Please thank the Lord for the Advent Christian Church of Myanmar’s willingness to assist their brothers and sisters in the Lord in Hakha who were so badly affected by the floods.

Pastor Joseph has recently reported about ministries he and his team have been undertaking in and around the Yangon area in which they are situated – their neighbours and community. He also reported that he has recently added a further 35 orphan or disadvantaged children to the group he and his team care for. He wrote…

“We do outreach in Yangon Division of east Dangon township and Hlegu Township in village.
1. We have preached to 150 people in within this week.
2. There are 47 people accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour.
3. We baptized 43 people. Three people are Burmese from Hlegu township of village and 40 people are from our children of unreached people groups, those who are staying at our mission school. We baptized them in our place where we are living. They are Zutu, Letu, Yins, Asochin and Burmese people. Pray that they are in safety. By these people we can win more people for the Lord. More people will baptized soon by me. Pray that God will strengthen me and will protect from many evil work and unclean spirit. Thank for standing with us.
4. This year we have 35 new children from unreached people groups Rakhine state, Maygone Division and Shan state. (total 79 children)”

Please thank and praise the Lord for these new members of His great, worldwide family, and pray that Pastor Joseph and his team will nurture and grow their faith and that, as Pastor Joseph said, they will in turn reach out and share their faith with others.

Pastor David, whose organisation has the Myanmar Bible College with about 35 students attending has asked us to make known a need they have for assistance with teaching their students English. This would suit a person, or a couple or a small team who have qualifications in teaching English as a second language or who have experience in teaching.

Generally speaking, their first and second year students would be learning at high school level and third and fourth year students at college level, but it is possible that a few first and second year students would be learning English “from the beginning”. A visit of approximately two weeks would be ideal, teaching for about four hours in the mornings each weekday and Pastor David says that August and September would be the most suitable time for such a visit. Classes would be in the mornings leaving plenty of time for rest and sightseeing in and around Yangon.

Because of government regulations, it is not possible to stay in the homes of private citizens so accommodation would be in a “simple hotel” but visitors could be involved in other activities of the College, as well as fellowship with David’s church organisation and outreach to other villages. Travel, accommodation and meals would need to be self-funded by those visiting, but some meals could be shared with the students at the school.

This would be an ideal way to assist and encourage the Advent Christian Conference’s ministry in Myanmar – if you feel that the Lord may be calling you to assist with this need, I have further details which I would be pleased to discuss with you – please contact me at: ernie.schache@acmissionz.org.nz

General elections are to be held in Myanmar on Sunday 8th November. Please pray for these elections, asking the Lord that they be free and fair and will bring fair representation and true democracy for the people. One of our contacts has commented as follows…

“Not only our people but the whole world needs democracy. Now is army democracy in Myanmar. Aung San Suu Kyi party National League for Democracy is campaigning (see picture).

We think this party will win and form new Government.

I hope you are praying for us and the country.”

MALAYSIA

Please continue to pray for the small group of faithful Advent Christian believers who gather weekly for worship in the home of Sister Ruth Devairakkam and Brother Wilfred in Kluang and who gather in members’ homes for Bible study and communion during the week.

Thank the Lord for their one-on-one ministry of assistance in many practical ways and for their spiritual ministry, including very specific prayer, to their neighbours, friends and other contacts.

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.