Greetings to our friends, supporters and prayer partners, and once again my sincere appreciation for your support and encouragement in so many ways, especially for your prayers. Please continue to thank the Lord for and pray regularly for pastors, Bible women and lay people in Advent Christian organisations in India, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines who serve the Lord faithfully according to His ways and precepts.
INDIA
Thank you for continuing to pray for the Mission’s bank account situation as I have been explaining it over recent months. Immanuel was able to obtain the “proof of address” document that I mentioned in my last update and after what can only be described as tortuous discussions with several bank officials we now have details of the documentation that the bank requires. Although we have banked with the bank for more than 50 years we are starting from scratch again! Mrs. Trena Efird, Administrative Assistant at the World Outreach Department at Charlotte in the United States, is presently working on putting together a complicated set of documents, many of which must be notarised and have multiple signatures from personnel in various parts of their country, that then have to come to New Zealand for my signatures on some and then go back to India for Immanuel’s signatures and then to the bank! Please continue to pray that we will get it all right and that the bank will be satisfied and re-open the account so that we can all get on with more positive things and funds can flow to India easily again.
Please also continue to pray for the sale of the Guindy land – Immanuel is again seeing some interest from prospective purchasers. The sale would bring the possibility of much needed financial stability for the Advent Christian Conference of India and its ministries and allow YJM/AAM to greatly extend our ministries.
On behalf of Pastor Paul Sundar Raj’s team at the Advent Christian Conference of India’s Bihar outreach, Pastor Denny Moses sent a report about their annual Fasting and Prayer Camp which was held during October. He wrote…
“Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ – we all are doing well in God’s Vineyard. We hope you all are too. It’s our privilege to work for Christ among uncivilized people. We thank all the prayer partners and supporters for the Bihar ministry and we praise God for the people he has given as a backbone to Bihar ministry. In Bihar God’s works are wonderful day by day we see the growth of the ministry in Bihar. This all happened only because of Prayer.
Last Oct 7, 8 and 9 we conducted the Annual Fasting Prayer Camp. In that meeting around 500 believers gathered for equip their spirituality and pray for the perishing souls. It was a blessed opportunity to all those who attended meeting”
He also wrote…
“Bro. Deepak (speaking, in picture at left below) was brutally beaten by people from the RSS [a Hindu Anti-Christian organization named Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] to betray Jesus but he didn’t do that. The people beat him until he became unconscious” … and “On the last day 23 people took baptism for the glory of the Lord.” (see picture at right below)
He asked for prayer as follows…
• Pray for church construction work which going on Parbatta, Baliya and Rajakpur churches.
• Pray for the School building plan and construction work.
• Pray for all Missionaries and Pastors and all the ministry work which is ahead of us that God may give us sound mind and health to extend His Kingdom for His glory in Bihar.
• December 5 to 23 Christmas carol program is going to be held. Pray for these meetings.
YJM’s ministry partner in the State of Odisha – Pastor Pani – continues to expand his ministry. Odisha is another State in which there is serious, even fanatical, opposition to Christian ministry, where the authorities and police often turn a blind eye to atrocities as they are committed. Pastor Pani and many like him fearlessly continue to share the Gospel with their communities. He recently wrote…
“We have started a new mission field in rural area village where more than 70 new believers are coming to sit in the prayer fellowship. This ministry field has been newly running since 1 year and we want to develop more ministries in this village. Please pray for this village ministry and for the spiritual growth of every new believers coming to join with this fellowship. This mission fields believers are sitting under a tree praising and worshiping the Lord.”
MALAYSIA – Kluang Advent Christian Group’s ministry
Since the last update Sister Ruth has written as follows…
“Recently, my husband Wilfred and I attended the Marriage Course’s Team Training.
It was a full-day course, held on a Saturday from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm. The attached picture was taken during the course.”
Ruth and Wilfred continue to be very active in fellowship and combined services and activities with other churches in the community.
On 22 October Brother Wilfred and Sister Ruth had the joy of celebrating their elder daughter Joanna’s marriage to Kenneth.
The marriage was celebrated in Malacca, Malaysia, where the young couple will live, and was attended by four hundred and fifty people from various parts of Malaysia and from overseas. After the wedding ceremony the guests enjoyed a 10 course hotel dinner together.
Please pray for Joanna and Kenneth as they begin their life together and as they serve the Lord in Malacca.
Please continue to pray for Ruth and Wilfred and Jerusha and the members of their group for the Holy Spirit to continue to work in their lives and in the lives of those to whom they minister so faithfully.
MYANMAR
Please praise the Lord that the Holy Spirit is working thorough the members of the Advent Christian Conference of Myanmar. Pastor Kenneth, the leader of Gospel for Myanmar, recently wrote…
“We do really praise God and thankful to every one who are praying for us and donating for the mission work here in Myanmar. The Mission work here in Myanmar also going well.
In Pastor Hla Thaung’s Church we have two new women converts from Buddhist background in the past weeks. The new water well in those village also useful and helpful for doing mission work among the Burmese people. It is the fruits of your prayer and hard work for the Lord.”
Pastor Hla Thaung’s church is in the village of Okshitgone, about two hours’ bus ride from Yangon city, where they recently dedicated a new bore-well funded with a gift from New Zealand.
Pastor Joseph, leader of The Word Mission, also wrote…
“This is greeting from Joseph. By God’s grace we have baptized 12 people on Sunday.
Please pray that God will bless them and keep them safe in His mighty hand.
Thank so much your love and help and Christmas gift.
With a lot of love and prayerfully.
Joseph”
Those whom were baptised were twelve of the seventy-nine children who Joseph and his family and organisation care for.
Please praise the Lord and rejoice with Pastors Kenneth and Joseph and the members of their organisation for these fruits of their labour and for these fourteen new members of God’s great, worldwide family. Pray that they may grow in their faith and the knowledge of their Saviour.
I have often commented that there always seems to be situations, man-made or natural, occurring in Myanmar which make life hard and difficult for our people – floods, droughts, earthquakes and more. Pastor Timothy, leader of the Advent Christian Church of Myanmar’ advised recently that he had what for him and his large family, was a serious situation. He wrote…
“Unfortunately, our water tank was collapse (broken) yesterday early morning. I think the workers made it during the rain and the foundation was not good. The water tank is big and high. Our family member is 32 persons (with orphans). So we have big problem. We need new tank and well immediately. Please pray for my family.”
Although we understand they have a municipal water connection, having a tank to hold a large volume is essential to meet the needs of his large family. A replacement tank, which is the priority, will cost about NZ$865 and a bore well to give greater supply of cleaner water will cost about NZ$810 – please pray that the Lord will provide for these needs.
Pastor Kenneth has also asked for prayer for one of the orphan children he and his wife care for in their home – his name is Josiah Lal Tan Pui. On 25 November he wrote…
‘This is our sincere and humble prayer request for Josiah Lal Tan Pui, one of our children. He is sick since last week and we see the doctor for three times and the doctor said “His Kidney is weak”. All his body are swell and his face as you see in the picture. Now he is taking medicines, last night we check his blood (UCG Test) and urine and the doctor will tell us the result this evening. Therefore, I sincerely would like to request your prayer especially for Josiah Lal Tan Pui.”
He has subsequently written…
“Concerning Josiah, his doctor said ” his kidney is very dirty”. He gave medicines for one month and after a month we will see again. We really need for your prayer. Now another boy Zachariah is sick again. Yesterday night we see a doctor and the doctor said ” he has high blood pressure”. He is now 14 years old. Therefore, we really need more of your prayer.”
Please pray that it may be the Lord’s will that these two boys may be quickly and completely healed.
THAILAND – Christian Mission Naratchakwai
Thank you for your prayers for Maeo and the team of young ladies who plan, prepare for and run the Sunday services and other ministries at CMN. They recently sent a new picture of the leadership team, taken at the gate of the compound. Unfortunately Brother Boontaa (inset) was not present when the picture was taken.
Please continue to pray regularly for the whole leadership team at CMN at this time – from left to right; Ploy, Parn, Dtee (at rear – CMN’s driver), Lita, Kaew, Maeo (at rear) Guitar (in front) and Job (at rear). They will all have extra tasks and responsibilities as they plan and prepare for and host the visit of the Project Barnabas Team – from 28 December to 11 January.
We would appreciate your regular prayers please for all members of the team – 7 from New Zealand and 1 from the United States. The 7 Kiwis – Rebekah Alexander, Jesse Fuemana, Bonnie Schache, Mitchell Schache, Garry Schache, Dennis Wilkinson and I, leave Auckland on December 28 to fly to Bangkok and after a night (or part of one!) in Bangkok fly to Nakhon Phanom on December 29. We will be joined in Bangkok on the 28th by Patrick Forbes from Seattle, USA. We will leave Nakhon Phanom on January 11 to return to Bangkok and the Kiwi team members will leave the same day to fly to Auckland, and will arrive at Auckland International Airport at 3.55pm on January 12. Patrick Forbes will be travelling on to the Philippines to do some work on the water supply at the Agape Foundation’s orphanage at Mati, on Mindanao Island. I will be travelling to another Asian destination for a few days before returning to Auckland on January 18.
Please pray for safe travel for us all and for wonderful fellowship with God’s family at Christian Mission Ban Naratchakwai – for ministry opportunities as we visit schools and a very poor village; for opportunities to do some light maintenance tasks on the compound, and for our young people to be blessed and to be a blessing to the young people at CMN as they interact with them and encourage them with their conversational English and with their walk with the Lord.
On 6 December, the CMN team once again showed their Christian care and compassion for the elderly and needy in their village by delivering their Soup of Love and food packages, handing out, as they always do, suitable Christian tracts.
As you celebrate Christmas will you please take moment to pray for the leaders and members of the Advent Christian ministries we support in India, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and the Philippines – pray that as they have extra and perhaps special opportunities during the Christmas season to present the message of God’s love for their people and the plan of salvation which began with the birth of Jesus Christ, that they will know the leading, guiding and blessing of the Holy Spirit on their ministries.
My prayer is that you will enjoy a very special time of blessing as you celebrate the First Advent of our Saviour Jesus Christ with family and friends and that you will know the wonderful peace and power that comes with the presence of God as we wait through the New Year for Christ’s Second Coming.
May God bless you richly as you serve Him in Missions by your prayers and support.
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