Greetings to our friends, supporters and prayer partners, and welcome to this fifth update for 2019. Once again, my thanks for your support and encouragement in so many ways. Thank you especially for praying – God continues to answer your prayers in wonderful ways, and we see the Advent Christian ministries in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, India and the Philippines continuing to touch lives for the Lord Jesus Christ.
INDIA | Yesuway Jeevan Mission
Thank you for your prayers for the water supply in Chennai, and in particular for the supply at the YJM compound at Guindy. Mission Manager Immanuel advises that the city has had some sporadic rainfall in the last few weeks – but not enough to refill the city’s reservoirs, and the Tamil Nadu government continues to bring water into the city by train from elsewhere in the State – from Jolarpettai, 360 km north-west of Chennai. They are bringing four 50 wagon trains per day each bringing 2.5 million litres of water, which is then decanted into tankers and distributed to the residents of the city and surrounding areas. Even this quantity does not go far for the population of about 9 million!
Please praise the Lord though, that He has answered our prayers regarding the supply for the mission compound at Guindy. The recent sporadic rain has raised the groundwater level in Guindy to a level which is allowing the deep bore-well to function to an extent that it is producing enough water for all those who live on the compound. Immanuel has purchased a purification system which produces pure water from the bore water for drinking and cooking, so all is well there at the moment! He tells me that there is a four-week wait for orders of water from the metropolitan water board to fill the extra tanks that were installed some months ago. God has wonderfully provided for His people at Guindy! Thank you for praying.
Please continue to pray for enough rain to ease the situation for Chennai as a whole and indeed for the country as a whole. The Indian government estimates that 600 million of the country’s population of 1.3 billion people currently face acute water shortage.
While it is dry in Tamil Nadu, it is raining in Odisha State. YJM ministry partner Pastor Ahaj Kumar Pani wrote recently …
“Jesus said, Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.
Luke: 6:38
Mother Teresa wrote, “Give, but give until it hurts.”
“…How many people have to cry
The song of pain and grief across the land
And how many children have to die
Before we stand to lend a healing hand …” ~Michael JacksonIt’s the monsoon season, rain, rainfall and rainy everywhere here and the children are roaming here and there without sandals. We provided new sandals for homeless children and we have to provide for the remaining children – those who have not yet got. Please pray for that… Children’s Mission needs mosquito nets, sleep mats, sandals, blankets, and food to eat.”
We were also able to send Pastor Pani some funds for feeding the homeless and poor, from ACGC’s Bread of Life program. He wrote…
“We love, we care, we serve the homeless, orphaned, semi-orphaned, poor, needy and abandoned and down-trodden people and children in our state by providing food and clothes and other necessities. We are proclaiming the good news of Salvation to the unreached people while doing some charity work. Pastor Ahaj is preaching here the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the homeless people before we shared the food.
They all heard the Gospel [for the] first time from us. God is great, and the Lord is doing great work through our ministry. All glory to Jesus Christ who is helping us to do this wonderful helping ministry.
Many people here do not receive daily food to eat and water to drink. Their lives are difficult and painful, living without hope and future. Only godly and God-fearing people can feel their pain.
We thank God for giving us such a wonderful heart to feel their tragedy and agony. Thank you so much making this to happen through your prayers and help. Let the name of God be glorified today and forevermore. Amen”
Pastor B. Balu Nayak, in Telengana State also recently received some funds from the Bread of Life program which he distributed, as he usually does, at the town’s railway station, and he subsequently wrote to Mission Manager Immanuel…
“Praise the Lord.
Greetings to you all in the most precious Name of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.
I hope that you all are well there at Chennai.
Ayya I have been doing Feeding the Poor very well. Many of poor, beggars, hopeless and orphans so happy for this Feed the Poor activity here in Mahabubabad District of Telangana State.
Everyone here appreciates this program continuing in our area.
Thank you very much to you and your A.C.G.C for your regular support for this Feed the Poor activity here in our Mahabubabad District.”
YJM sends funds regularly to Pastor Paul Nilivan, the Director of Christ Special High School, a residential school for physically and intellectually handicapped children at Sangkarapuram, and Pastor Paul recently wrote…
“Dear Immanuel Sir,
We are updating our Christ School photos and 3 days VBS & training program photos. Thank you for your provided funds – with that money we purchased new bicycle for students. Thank you for your prayer and financial support from American Advent Mission. Please pray for water scarcity in our school.
Thanking you,Paul Nilavan
Chennai.”
Rev. Jeevakiruban, pastor of the Advent Christian Conference of India’s church at Vengaivasal recently had the joy of baptising 10 members of the congregation, and YJM was pleased to provide a new Bible for each of those baptised.
Vengaivasal is one of the older churches of the conference and has 250 families in membership – about 800 members.
Please thank the Lord for the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these ten new members of the great, worldwide Christian family, and pray that they will grow in grace and in the knowledge of their Saviour Jesus Christ.
THAILAND |Christian Mission Naratchakwai
Christian Mission’s Facebook note about their morning service on Sunday 4 August said …
“Thanks God for today. Today is a good day and we are happy to worship here.
God bless you. Amen 🙏❤”
It was a service with a difference though as Brother Boontaa ‘s family were all unwell and could not attend. Please pray for Boontaa, Phon and their daughter Bow – the very hot summer weather and associated electricity cuts have proved very difficult for them. They have all been very unwell and need our prayers, please.
One of their congregation members, Brother Sattawat, a retired professor of English from the Nakhon Phanom University, stepped in and taught from the Scriptures.
It was also their Sunday to share Communion, and Maeo’s brother Dtee assisted by serving the elements, as they again remembered the sacrifice of their Saviour.
The Sunday before, July 29, in the afternoon after the morning service they had distributed the SOUP OF LOVE – this time to their own village.
Their Facebook comment read …
“We gave Soup of Love at Ban Naratchakwai. We got chance to visit many seniors. Thank you God for today.”
Please continue to pray for Maeo and Brother Boontaa and for the seven girls/young ladies who make up the Leadership Team and for Ploy who leads the team.
Thank the Lord for the time and effort they put into planning and supervising every aspect of the ministry, including the English lessons.
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 | Advent Christian Conference of Myanmar
Pastor Kenneth, leader of the Gospel for Myanmar group has asked us to pray for the students of their organisation’s Bible school – Salem Theological School. This academic year there are 8 new students (pictured), who will study for three years before graduating, at which time a further intake of new students will replace them.
As part of their practical training, an evangelism trip to a place called Sin Phyu Chun has been planned for October – for 25th to 30th October at this stage. The eight students and three teachers will travel a night’s journey to the north-west of Yangon to Sin Phyu Chun, which is in the Magwe Division, and will be ministering with a graduate of the school who has been working in the area as a missionary since 2009 and will be sharing the Gospel with his contacts.
The students have calculated that the total cost of the trip will be 535,000 MMK (Myanmar Kyats) and have collected a total of 67,000 MMK at this time by making an offering at every devotion time they have. As full-time students, they are of course not earning, and they have asked that we pray with them that the Lord will provide the funds that are still needed for the trip. The exchange rate of MMK to NZ$1 at present is 978, so the amount still to be raised is NZ$478. Will you please pray with them that the Lord will provide this amount – if you would like to assist this group with this practical training, our treasurer would be very pleased to hear from you?
Pastor Kenneth was also able to advise that the pastor of one of their outreach churches – Pastor Hla Thaung who we have prayed for in the past, who ministers in a village called Okshitgone – had the joy of baptising two new converts from Buddhism on Sunday 4 July.
Please thank the Lord for the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these two new members of the great, worldwide Christian family, and pray that they will grow in grace and in the knowledge of their Saviour Jesus Christ.
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 in South East Asia who are so committed to sharing the message of LIFE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST with their people. Your support means a great deal 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.
