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 ministries 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 various 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
Pastor Ahaj Kumar Pani and his team of nine helpers continue their very busy ministry in Odisha State. They find all kinds of ways to help the underprivileged folk in their area – and there are plenty of such folk there and indeed in any area of India – and as they deliver their help they are able to tell the folk that they are doing this because they are Christians, and because they are emulating their Saviour Jesus Christ’s care and compassion for the needy.
Immanuel was recently able to send them some funds raised through ACGC’s Bread of Life program in the United States and using some “unusual” publicity material they were able to find a large number of folk to whom they gave a hearty meal.
Please pray often for our brother Ahaj Kumar Pani and his team of nine helpers.
Pastor Kirubakaran (The Baby Saver), one of Yesuway Jeevan Mission’s ministry partners, his wife Vasantha and son David and others who assist them, continue to minister to 20 orphan or underprivileged boys who live in their New Life Hostel at Thuthikulam, at the foot of the Kolli Hills.
The boys are well cared for, they get a good education at schools or colleges in the area and most importantly are living in an environment which constantly points them to the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
He advises that they need to get recognition from the Indian government for the hostel and are working on this at the moment. He asks for our prayers for this project.
As well as looking after the hostel and the children, Pastor Kirubakaran and his team minister in three different places – Solakadu, Semmedu and Thuthikulam, and they have 132 believers in total in these three areas.
They also conduct a regular monthly Bible Class for believers in the Kolli Hills, up in the mountains, where they minister in 14 different places. They have recently rescued 3 new-born babies who were about to be killed as sacrifices.
Once a week they visit surrounding villages and preach the Good News of the Gospel. In recent times they have baptised 9 persons who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour – 6 men and three women.
Please pray for Pastor Kirubakaran and his ministries; for his wife and team members and for the young lives for which they are caring so well. His final words in his report were “There are huge financial requirements for the hostel and church ministries – we need your kind prayers and support please.”
Pastor Balu Nayak, another of Yesuway Jeevan Mission’s ministry partners, who ministers in Mahabubabad in Telangana State has sent some recent pictures of some aspects of his ministry. The picture at left below is of a Discipleship class which he is holding for members of his congregation and some members from other churches in the district. The picture at the right is a group of pastors from the district who gather regularly for fellowship, prayer and teaching.
You can see from both pictures that there has been good progress with the completion of their church building, but there is still some way to go. Please pray that the Lord will provide for completion of their building.
Please pray for Pastor Balu Nayak and his family and his church congregation as they minister spiritually and practically to those in their area, and in their branch church at Baluthanda
I have been asking you to pray for the sale of the Guindy land for months and months, even years – thank you for continuing to pray. Please continue to pray as we slowly – very slowly at times – take one step at a time towards the completion of the sale. There is still one court case – brought by a senior member of the Advent Christian Conference of India – that is holding up what will be a very major and critical step in concluding the sale, and the wheels of the justice system in India most often turn very slowly.
The proceeds of the sale will bring the possibility of 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.
Please continue to pray that the Lord will continue to clear the pathway and that the sale will be completed as soon as possible. Our present hope is that documents will be signed this side of Christmas with settlement and possession occurring by about the end of March 2019.
THAILAND
On Sunday 28 October there were four young newcomers (pictured below left) at the morning service. As is the custom at Christian Mission Naratchakwai they were asked to introduce themselves to the congregation and were warmly welcomed.
Parn posted on Facebook… “Hello everyone, today we come to rest with God. Stand still and listen to His voice through our hearts. God bless you all.”
Job (pictured at left in the picture below right) and Guitar (at right), two members of the leadership team of seven young ladies, led the worship time before Pastor Boontaa shared from the Scriptures.
The October Soup of Love expedition went to two villages very close to Ban Naratchakwai – Ban Naratchakwai Noi (Little Naratchakwai) and Ban Naratchakwai Krang (Middle Naratchakwai) and the team handed out plates or bowls of nutritious soup to the elderly, the needy and some of the children. All recipients of the soup were handed a Christian tract in the Thai language to read.
Two of those visited also received food parcels
Please pray especially at this time for the girls of the leadership team at Christian Mission – Ploy, Parn, Lita, Job, Guitar, GungGing and Kaopun – as they work through a time of physical upheaval at the compound. Maeo has sold her large house property next door to the Mission compound and she and her son and his family will be relocating to live in what has for many years been the dormitory/office/English teaching block in front of the church building, when it is renovated. A replacement area for the girls and the Mission office/activities area is under construction but is not yet completed and all that has been in the building which will become Maeo’s home is presently stored in the church. Please pray for patience and wisdom for all concerned as the transition is made and new areas and new routines are established. There will be a lot of physical work additional to the normal ministry routines as they sort things and get them stored and get re-settled.
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 Joseph’s THE WORD MISSION cannot fully support all their church planters and he has provided the following information about another of them and asks for believing prayer that the Lord will provide for their physical needs and that He will bless their ministries and bring fruit for their labours.
Thien Maung and his wife Man Soe have been ministering in the Rakhine State, which is to the north-east of Yangon for 5 years as church planters. They have four children – Beem (13 years old), Lone (12 years old) Marry (9 years old and Khai (3 years old).
They are ministering to people of the Le Tu, Zutu, Rakhine and Burmese tribes.
Their “bridge” into the community is a school where they teach secular subjects and they also have a Sunday School. They are able to do some medical work for those in need.
Pastor Timothy recently sent the following message…
“Please pray for Myanmar, for real democracy. Myanmar people’s daily life is very bad under two heads of government – the army and NLD. {National League for Democracy – the ruling party in government}.
I will visit to Hakha in the Chin State tomorrow for our farm land. The State government took many lands without law in Hakha and farmer group and land owners complain to them. I send my land pictures how government destroying without informing me. Please pray for me and ACCM.”
{ACCM is Advent Christian Church of Myanmar – the church group which Timothy leads. They have 12 other church planters/workers ministering in the Chin State, Yangon Division, Sagain Division, Magway Division and the Delta area.}
Praise the Lord that his visit to Hakha was fruitful, as he has just reported…
“Yes, my old land was blue house. The Gov needs it for university area. I requested them new land and they gave me new big land, but I need to do and to start everything new.”
He also proudly sent details of a young girl, the daughter of one of the families in their local ACC church. Her father is blind and Timothy’s wife Hoi Vann and other church members have been specially supporting the family. Rebecca is nine years old and is a top student in grade 3 at the No 19 Primary School in the district in which they live. Timothy’s organisation is caring for 58 orphan or underprivileged children in his home and in other places in Myanmar, but they also reach out with Christian compassion and care to the members of their church and those who live nearby /who have special needs.
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 as they see fruit for their labour.
