Greetings to our friends, supporters and prayer partners, and welcome to this sixth 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
As the water reticulation system in Chennai is still dry, the residents, particularly the ladies, of the city are still spending a great deal of time and energy collecting water from tanker trucks throughout the city. Although there has been significant rain in some parts of Tamil Nadu State and surrounding states, which are now in a much better situation than previously, Chennai city has had very little rain and its reservoirs are still virtually empty. Two hundred railway tanker wagons are still bringing ten million litres of water each day to the city which is distributed throughout the city by trucks.
Please thank the Lord that the little rain that Chennai has had has raised the water table at Guindy and the bore-well on the Mission’s compound continues to meet the needs of the staff who live there.
Please continue to pray for enough rain to improve the situation for Chennai 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. They expect the monsoon rains sometime from mid-October to mid-November.
YJM’s ministry partner, Pastor B. Balu Nayak, in Telengana State, asks us to praise the Lord with him, as he was recently blessed to be able to baptise two new converts into the God’s great, worldwide family. He asks that we pray that these brothers will grow in grace and the knowledge of their Saviour and asks that we pray also for all those to whom he ministers.
These brothers were also each given a Bible in the State’s Telegu language, which were from a quantity which YJM was able to supply to Pastor Balu Nayak’s ministry last year.
Pastor Balu Nayak has recently had the opportunity to distribute a number of TREASURES – solar-powered audio Bibles which come in up to 7,000 languages and dialects – enabling illiterate or oral-learning people to hear God speak to them in their own languages. Please pray that those who received them will be blessed as they listen to them and that they will share their blessings with their families and friends and neighbours.
Pastor T. Daniel at the Fellowship of Blessed Hope’s church at Periyakulam in the south-west of Tamil Nadu State has sent pictures of two of his outreach ministries.
Brother T. Daniel’s church is concentrating on reaching out with the Gospel to villages around their town, and they have already begun services in one nearby village called Chemman Kuzhi.
He is also concentrating on nurturing and teaching the young people in his church and in the villages that they visit.
Please pray that the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts and lives of those who are contacted, to bring some, perhaps many, to faith in Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
Please continue to pray for the sale of the Guindy land. Mission Manager Immanuel and our Advocate (lawyer) Brother Ravi Paul and senior leaders of the Advent Christian Conference of India (ACCI) are presently having discussions and negotiations with a party which seems to be a very keen, potential buyer, and we believe that we are getting very close to at last finalising a sale. There will be important meetings in the next two or three weeks which will hopefully finalise details and arrangements for a sale – please pray especially for these meetings.
Please 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 in the ACCI who are opposing the sale process and will convince them that there are very significant, long term benefits for their organisation if the sale proceeds, or that He will remove them from positions of power and influence. Pray too please that the “old” court cases, which were brought against the ACCI and were unsuccessful but need to be formally withdrawn, will be withdrawn by those who initiated them – the ACCI is currently negotiating for this to happen.
THAILAND |Christian Mission Naratchakwai
There was a good crowd at the morning service on Sunday 15 September. The Facebook post for the day said “Thank you
God for the smiles and blessings in our lives. Today we are here to worship you again. There are 2 new children today”
It’s always good to see newcomers at their services, and in the picture below right Job, (pronounced “Jope”) one of the leadership team, welcomes them and gives them the opportunity to introduce themselves.
It was good to see Maeo’s brother Dtee there too, with his new dentures (Picture below left) – thanks to gifts sent from New Zealand, and to see the joy on the faces of the girls in one of the Sunday School classes.
As in many Asian countries, in Nakhon Phanom the very hot (40 degrees+ !!) summer weather brings fairly regular power cuts as many, many people turn on fans and air-conditioners all at once, and during this summer this has proved a major problem for Pastor Boontaa, his wife Phon and their physically handicapped daughter Bow. Bow finds it very difficult to sleep at night when the fans go off, and her parents often stay up all night fanning her by hand. To enable everyone to get some sleep in such circumstances, ACMissioNZ was able to contribute some funds, to add to donations from others in and around Nakhon Phanom, to purchase a small diesel generator to provide power for their house. Being a very capable handyman, Pastor Boontaa built a neat little shelter to house it, well away from the house so the noise is not a problem! Problem solved! 😊
After the morning service on 15 September, the Christian Mission team visited Ban (=Village) Kham Pok, Ploy’s and Parn’s home village, with their August SOUP OF LOVE, which had been delayed by bad weather. They wrote on Facebook…
“Soup of Love for August. There was heavy rain in August. Thank you God, for September, that the weather is getting better. So, today we have got a chance to give Soup of Love in Ban Kham Pok and give senior food. Thank you God for the good weather 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. Ask the Lord to help the girls balance their service for Him with their studies at High School and University.
Pray too that the Lord will lead a person or a couple to hear His call to serve Him as missionaries at Christian Mission.
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
Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters of the Advent Christian Conference of Myanmar and indeed for all the folk in that country, as the effects of the recent flooding caused by recent monsoon rains still cause considerable concern and hardship for many. The pictures below, received in mid-August, indicate the severity of the flooding which occurred. Many people lost their homes and belongings.
ACMissioNZ was able to quickly send some funds to the Myanmar Conference because of a substantial gift from a very generous donor, and Pastor Joseph, the Conference President shared the funds with the other three leaders of the Conference and he wrote to express their appreciation for the prompt assistance received.
Pastor Timothy wrote soon after…
“Thank you so much for your support for workers
and suffering people from water flood. We distributed rice and oil to suffering people.
I sent to you some pictures how we distributed.
Please pass my greetings to all donors.
God bless you.”
Pastor Kenneth also wrote…
“We, the four leaders, have met today at our home and shared the gift which you sent to us as your advice. We do appreciate all the donors and praise the Lord for his wonderful help in our needs. We are continually praying for you and all the donors. May the Lord continue to bless you all.”
Pastor Kenneth asks us to pray especially for two of his Salem Theological School students who are going to graduate in January 2020.
This is Hto Mon Leah. She is from Sakhan Kyi village, Tayet Township, Magwe Division. She belongs to the Biblical Church of Christ. After graduation, she is going to serve the Lord at her own village.
This is Naomi, from Okshitgone village, in the Yangon Division. She is one of Pastor Hla Thaung’s church members. After graduation she will work with Pastor Hla Thaung as a Sunday School teacher at her own church.
Please pray that the Lord will confirm His will for these two young ladies and will provide financial support for them and will make them real blessings to many in His ministry.
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.
