ACMissioNZ Prayer Supporters’ Update – 21 September 2018

Greetings to our friends, supporters and prayer partners, and welcome to this update. It is my pleasure to again update you on what is going on in the South East Asia area as those involved in Advent Christian ministries there continue their faithful and often selfless ministry in obedience to the Lord’s call to serve Him.

Please pray for these folks and for those to whom they minister, and I invite you to do that both as you read the reports from the Advent Christian ministries below, and then on a regular, ongoing basis, praying that they will have patience and fortitude that only our Heavenly Father can bring.

INDIA

YJM ministry partner Pastor Balu Nayak, at Mahabubabad in Telengana State, is in the news again – literally! He recently advised Mission Manager Immanuel that on 30 August “…by God’s grace and all your support I was awarded the MOTHER TERESA MEMORIAL AWARD” at a function held in Hyderabad, the capital of the State of Andhra Pradesh. He advised that the award was for the “Best Social Services continuously in the Mahubababad District.”

Brother Balu Nayak advised that he was dedicating this award to Immanuel because “Ayya, really you have so many times supported me for doing Social Services here like food for poor programs continually. Ayya I will never forget your financial support in my life long, and I hope you will support me regularly for both social and spiritual activities doing in our area in Telengana State. This award credit goes to you only.”

Brother Balu Nayak has been doing social services for 20 years, since he was 16 years of age, and was inspired in his teens by the ministry and services to the poor that were carried out by Mother Teresa and her helpers in Kolkatta. In 2012 he was also awarded the MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL PEACE AWARD for his social services to the underprivileged in his state.

Yesuway Jeevan Mission is able to send Brother Balu Nayak a modest amount of money each month to assist with his congregation’s ministry and from time to time he receives funds from the ACGC International Missions “BREAD OF LIFE” program which he uses to provide food for the homeless and poor. As advised in the last update, he is also trying to complete a church building which will include accommodation for him and his family.

Please continue to pray for Brother Balu Nayak and his congregation as they share the message of the Gospel and as they do what they can to relieve the suffering of the many, very poor and homeless in their community.

Pastor Ahaj Kumar Pani and his team of nine helpers continue their very busy ministry in Odisha State. He recently told us that he was helping widows in a new area, by giving them sarees. Widows have a very hard time in most parts of India, and as he shares the message of Jesus’ love and helps them practically, he confirms James’ words… “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 NIV

Please pray often for our brother and his team.

 Pastor Paul Nilavan, Correspondent of the Christ Special High School for physical and/or intellectually handicapped children, another of YJM’s ministry partners, sent details and pictures of their annual VBS and handcrafts training sessions held in early September. He wrote…

“We have conducted VBS 5th September 2018 to 7th September 2018.  VBS conducted by M. Usha & Mrs. Rajam.  The team taught new songs, memory verses, Bible stories and games in the morning sessions.  In the afternoon the team conducted handcrafts training and wire basket making. All the students participated in the training program and they learnt new skills.  So we are sending the photo of programs to you.  Thank you for your continuous prayer and financial support to us.”

Thank you for continuing to pray for the sale of the Guindy land. Mission Manager Immanuel and our Advocate (lawyer) Ravi Paul and the senior leaders of the Advent Christian Conference of India are continuing discussions and negotiations with a potential buyer, and we are very close to finalising a sale – much closer than we have been in the more than ten years since we decided to sell the property. The potential buyer is now discussing with the owners, with Immanuel’s assistance, the purchase of four, privately owned properties which are on the road frontage of our property. These properties are essential for the buyer if they are to develop the property as planned.

The buyer is ready to lodge 50% of the agreed sale price in an escrow bank account – an account with some conditions attached – but sadly there is a group within the Advent Christian Conference – the co-owners of the property with the Mission – who for corrupt reasons do not want the sale to proceed and they continue to put obstacles, including legal ones, in the way of completion of the sale.

We are convinced that the sale of this property is in accordance with the Lord’s will and that His will includes the future, financial stability of the Advent Christian Conference of India, and the significant extension of the ministries of Yesuway Jeevan Mission and its ministry partners throughout India, which funds from the sale will provide. Please continue to pray that the Lord will continue to clear the pathway and that the sale will be completed as soon as possible. Pray that God will change the hearts and minds and attitudes of those who are blocking the sale process or that He will remove them from positions of power and influence.

THAILAND

After last Sunday morning’s service Christian Mission’s Facebook page said….

“Hello everyone, greetings from Thailand. Today is another hot day. The temperature is getting up to 34 degrees Celsius. It is not as hot as the weather in summer but we don’t have enough fans. Thank you God for today, with love we are here together and worship God. God bless you.”

On 3 September Maeo and Pastor Boontaa attended a meeting of the leaders of all the churches (picture below right) which are members of the Christ For All People Church Association, which this month was held at the Nong Khon Kaen Church in Mukdahan Province, which is the province adjacent to the Nakhon Phanom province.

Please pray for this organisation, its president Pastor Jalat and its member churches and their leaders and their ministries. God is bringing growth in each of the churches and is making a difference in people’s lives!

Maeo and Pastor Boontaa took the opportunity to distribute Christian Mission’s monthly food parcels to two needy members of the Nong Khon Kaen church. (picture above left)

MALAYSIA

Kluang Advent Christian Group

Please continue to pray for Sister Ruth, Brother Wilfred and their small group of faithful, Advent Christian believers who gather weekly on Sundays for worship in Ruth and Wilfred’s home in Kluang and in members’ homes for Bible study and communion during the week. Christian ministry is not easy or without danger in Malaysia, but Ruth and Wilfred faithfully continue their one-on-one ministries of friendship, practical assistance and counsel to friends, neighbours and other contacts.

MYANMAR

Pastor David, who is President of the Advent Christian Conference of Myanmar for 2018, is also leader of the Fellowship Bible Church of Myanmar, which has a busy ministry in and around Yangon; with church planters in several other parts of the country, and his Myanmar Bible College which is also based in Yangon. He recently wrote with the following information and pictures.

“Greetings in the name of Jesus from Yangon, Myanmar. Thanks for your email and happy to share about our ministry.

In our Bible College we have 35 students for this year. All of students are come from different background, different areas of Myanmar. Some are come from Shan State, some are from Kachin state, some are from Sagain division, Naga area and Chin state. Many tribal people in our Bible College.

When they finish 4-year course they go back to their village and want to become missionaries, some are want to become Evangelists and some are want to become church planters around in Myanmar.

Most of students are could not pay their tuition fee. They are willing to serve different kind of ministry when they finish their school. Please consider and pray for all of students their need. One Bible student need for sponsor $40 monthly. Please pray for Bible student God open the door to meet the need soon.”

Pastor Joseph, leader of The Word Mission, sent the following information as his report for August.

Church planter

My name is Lone Aung from Chin Pum tribes.

I got my B.Th at The Word College.

I have served the Lord as church planter under The Word Mission since 2014. We have 45 members in my church.

Since 2014, my church planting has reached out to many tribes – those who believed in demons as their gods. Some people have accepted Jesus as their own personal Lord and Savior. The first time the leader of the village did not allow me to stay there, because I am a Christian. Many years I pray to the Lord to open the way to share Jesus to this people. Step by step we are reaching this people for the Lord. They are stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears.  It is very difficult to reach this people, but God is moving in us.

Orphans

I am Peter. My name was changed when I came to TWM. My old name was VaBieSan.

My mother died after I was born. I was growing in orphan home in Mizoram, India. After my father get new marriage, my uncle sends me to TWM, because my father’s wife does not allow me to stay with them. I am enjoying in TWM. If I do not come to TWM, I have not have eternal life.

I got opportunity to stay here (TWM Home) keeping well, studying well and growing well. By God’s grace I got first prize in my picture of School in 2017.

Outreach activity

This month of August, we did outreach to two places in Shan State. People who have had no news of Christ, who have not heard the gospel are found every village and everywhere.  Shan state is fully Buddhist land, fully animistic and and worship evil spirits. People from Shan State are so strong believing in Buddhism as well as evil spirits. We do outreach in three villages in Shan State. We shared the gospel to 80 people and 12 had accepted Jesus as their personal Savior at villages in Shan State.”

PHILIPPINES

In our last update, we reported that Pastor Roy Rocha and his family, who minister as Advent Christian Movement in Manila, had had their house flooded twice within about 10 days with knee deep water from typhoons which struck Manila. The pictures at right will remind you of the difficulties and heart-break this flooding causes, especially because Roy’s wife Llerma cannot walk without the aid of crutches. This has happened to them each year for many years during the typhoon season – June until December each year.  We indicated that they were looking to find a new home but of course finance was the major hurdle for them.

They found a suitable home, just three or four hundred metres from where Roy currently lives (and therefore still quite close to the church) but well above the flood line, which has never flooded even in the worst floods that have been experienced there. It has been sitting empty for a while and some of the church members have temporarily sheltered in it when flooded out from their homes, and it was available for purchase through a government resettlement scheme.

By God’s grace, and because of generous gifts from the Takanini Community Church Property Trust and the Conditional Immortality Association of NZ, sufficient funds to purchase the house have been sent to Roy and the purchase is in progress.

Please give thanks and praise to the Lord for these gifts and for this wonderful solution to this problem!

Please continue to pray for Roy’s health – in the middle of us communicating about the house purchase he was hospitalised and diagnosed with angina, high blood sugar levels and pneumonia!!

Once again, my sincere thanks for your partnership in the Lord’s ministries in South East Asia. Thank you for your prayers for and encouragement to and financial support for our brothers and sisters in the LORD who are so committed to sharing the message of LIFE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST with their people. Your support is very meaningful to them.

Please pray that they will all know the leading, guiding and blessing of the Holy Spirit on all their ministries and that they will have great joy in their service for the LORD.