Prayer Calendar by Global Mission - 1st Quarter 2010

PAID

Prayer Journal Inside

Silver Spring, MD 20904

o p e n i n g

12501 Old Columbia Pike

Gary Krause Adventist Mission Director

PRAYERCALENDAR

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

In Christ,

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I

t doesn’t seem like ten years since I first visited Mongolia. But I’ll never forget witnessing the size of the Adventist Church increase by a third, as 12 people were baptized (bringing the total to 49 members.) It was also the first time anyone older than 25 had been baptized.

The church was young. In 1991 Brad and Cathie Jolly, two young Adventist Frontier Missions missionaries, had restarted work in Mongolia. Two years later they witnessed the first fruits of their ministry, with the first baptism in Mongolia.

I visited with Global Mission pioneers and worshiped with new Adventist believers in home churches in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Many of these groups were run by teenagers—in fact, most Adventist church members were in their teens. I met one teenage girl who had invited 22 school friends to attend a home group in a small farming town northwest of the capital. They attended two nights a week–one night for Bible study, the other for recreation. Several of them had already been baptized.

It’s hard to believe that we now have more than 1,000 baptized members in Mongolia—and the church is still growing rapidly. It’s a testimony to the strength of the church when we use the different spiritual gifts God has given us for His mission.

The church in Mongolia has grown because missionaries, supported by your tithes and mission offerings, are working to build up the church. It has grown because of supporting ministries. It has grown because churches in Australia and several other countries have sent evangelistic teams to work there. But most of all, it has grown because Global Mission pioneers, supported by your donations, continue to work. It has grown because of your prayers.

Thank you for your continuing support of Global Mission in Mongolia and around the world, reaching the unreached with hope.

Chattanooga, TN Permit No. 1114

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To contribute to Global Mission work in European countries, such as Bulgaria, please support Fund # 5200

To contribute to Global Mission work in Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, please support Fund # 5240

eorgi,” Olga said as he finished screwing a panel back on her refrigerator.

“Will you come to my church next Saturday?”

Georgi Kertikov, an appliance repairman at the time, thought about telling her no, but then reconsidered. Olga was a good customer, and he didn’t want to offend her, so he agreed to go.

When Georgi arrived at church, the Sabbath School class was discussing the beasts of Revelation. Georgi thought to himself, any church that talks about fighting, blood, and dragons must be pretty good. So he continued attending and was baptized two years later.

Georgi later was called to be a Global Mission pioneer in Chirpan, a city in southern Bulgaria that has a sizeable Romani (Gypsy) population. A small group had been started there, but members had drifted away after several months without a leader.

Georgi had learned that Romani are highly communal people with strong family ties. So visiting members—and teaching them how to visit others— is a high priority. He plans picnics, work bees, sporting events, and even computer classes to draw people together, cement friendships, and introduce them to Jesus.

Currently Georgi is preparing 30 people for baptism and making many more friends in the community to whom he can introduce Jesus.

J A N U A R Y

Bulgaria Europe today has the fewest Adventists per capita of any continent. The region’s challenges include post-modern and secular countries such as Sweden and the United Kingdom and former Soviet bloc countries, such as Hungary and Serbia, where years of religious oppression left many with no religion at all. Nearly half of all Europeans are secular and practice no religion. Please keep this region of the world in your prayers.

P R A Y E R J O U R N A L

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saac Bairagee dreamed of a church in his hometown of Chittagong, Bangladesh’s largest business center and main seaport. For 15 years Isaac, now the church planting director in Bangladesh, prayed for his dream to become a reality. There never seemed to be enough funding to start a congregation.

A private donor provided funding for a small piece of land in Chittagong sometime ago, but no church was ever built and no congregation started. It is a blessing that piece of land was purchased when it was, as the property now is worth $200,000, 167 times what the average Bangladeshi pastor makes in a year.

Then two years ago Global Mission approved special funding to build a church building and to send pioneers to work in this city of 3 million people.

This past November Isaac attended the dedication of the first Adventist church in Chittagong, thanks in part to your support of Global Mission.

“We have eight city evangelists actively working in various parts of this city,” says Isaac, “slowly penetrating the darkness and bringing the good news of Jesus to these people.”

To contribute to Global Mission work in South American countries, such as Chile, please support Fund # 6700

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F E B R U A R Y

Bangladesh Worldwide there is one Seventh-day Adventist for every 423 people; but it’s far different in Asia. Less than one percent of Bangladesh’s population of 150 million is Christian. In Taiwan, there is one Adventist for every 4,247 people. In Laos there’s not one ordained Seventhday Adventist pastor for the country’s six million people.

Please keep the work in Asia in your prayers.

P R A Y E R J O U R N A L

aria Villaroel lives in one of the most remote places on the planet, Easter Island. This small volcanic island, a territory of Chile, lies more than 2,000 miles from mainland South America and nearly 1,300 miles from its closest neighbor, Pitcairin Island.

Maria moved to Easter Island from Chile with her family in 1975. Just months before leaving her homeland, she became an Adventist. When she arrived on Easter Island, she found no other Adventist among the 3,000 people who live there. So Maria started her own little home church. She’d sing songs and tell Bible stories to her children each Sabbath.

For years she prayed that one day she would find a way to expand her church. Then 10 years ago Gabriel and Luz Montoya, a Chilean Adventist couple, visited the island on holiday. Maria Eugenia begged them to find someone who could come to Easter Island and hold Bible studies. Instead of sending someone else, Luz decided to return for a month and help Maria start a small group. By the end of the month they had found 30 people who wanted to study the Bible with them. A year later an Adventist pastor visited the island and baptized all of them. After years of praying Maria got her church.

Maria’s son is now studying theology in Chile. He wants to return Easter Island after completing his studies to pastor his mother’s church, as they don’t yet have a permanent pastor.

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M A R C H

Easter Island Around the world there are many places with no Adventists, no one to tell the people the story of Jesus. Countless other places have only one or two Adventists. It is often hard for them to maintain their own faith, let alone share their faith with others.

Please remember Maria and others like her in your prayers. Pray that they will find creative ways to tell their world about the loving Savior.

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