Picture Story by Global Mission - 2nd Quarter 2009

DEAR FRIENDS

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Gary Krause Gary is Adventist Mission’s director

reaching

12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904

In Christ,

PICTURESTORY

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®

he young Global Mission pioneer working in Cambodia told me that when he and his wife arrived in their assigned territory, people verbally abused them and threatened to shoot them. “My wife got very scared,” he said, “and wanted to quit and come back home. But I encouraged her that as believers working for God, He would be with us.”

The pioneer couple’s first goal was to try to make friends. He told me that because the dominant religion in his country teaches many things similar to Christianity—morality, respect, love for one another—he could build on common ground. “From there we explain to the people that this is good, but doesn’t offer us salvation except through works,” he said. “We explain that Jesus can give us salvation and free us from sin.”

When I had the privilege of meeting this pioneer, 30 people were worshiping every Sabbath, and 13 had been baptized. One of the new believers was a woman whose husband—a rich man and a general in the army—had treated her badly and wanted to divorce her. She was so upset that she turned to drinking and gambling.

During the depths of her depression, the pioneer saw her and decided to talk to her about hope in Jesus. “I was attracted by what he said,” she recalls He told her that Jesus could help her and provide answers. She asked him many questions about “this person called Jesus” and salvation. He then prayed for her, her husband, and their family. “He asked me to trust in God, and to pray that my husband would return home” she says. “I went to see my husband and talk to him. Normally he wouldn’t listen; but this time he did. And he came home.”

At first he opposed her attending the pioneer’s meetings, but he soon relented. And through her influence, he came to believe in Jesus and, in her words, “we had a good family again.”

“Jesus worked a miracle in my life,” she said. “He helps me when I’m in trouble, and gives me hope. He takes away the worries I used to have before I gave my life to Him.” Thank you for your continuing support of Global Mission. Thank you for helping to work miracles in people’s lives around the world.

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uddhist monks, such as this man, are a frequent sight in Myanmar as they say their morning prayers in local temples. Myanmar, also known as Burma, is home to nearly 50 million people, mostly Buddhist. Scenes like this are just part of normal life here. Because Christians are so few in Myanmar they are often misunderstood and considered a western aberration.

It is also difficult to reach people in Myanmar due to its immense diversity. There are 12 main ethnic groups throughout the country, but the government recognizes nearly 135 different tribes. Through the work of Global Mission pioneers the Adventist Church is finding new ways to reach tribes and villages that have never before heard the gospel.

Please pray for the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts and mind of the Burmese people.

Languages: Burmese, other minority ethnic languages Religion: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4%, Muslim 4%, other 3%

wo women filet fish on the long, sandy shore of the Indian Ocean in Beira, Mozambique. This city in Central Mozambique was once a vacation destination for tourists seeking its warm waters. Today, after years of civil unrest, grand hotels stand empty, skeletons of their former existence.

Thanks in part to the work of Global Mission, the Adventist Church continued to grow through the years of adversity; but church growth in Mozambique hasn’t come without its challenges. The majority of Mozambicans are illiterate, and most Adventists in Mozambique havent’ had access to education. This makes it difficult for people to share their faith, as people can’t even read the Bible for themselves. Global Mission training can help prepare people to share their faith in new ways.

Thank you for your continued support of Global Mission, which equips pioneers to take the gospel to those longing for hope and a Savior.

Major Languages: Portuguese, Emakhuwa, Xichangana

he Adventist Church in Mongolia is predominantly young people, such as this group. They often get together in each other’s apartments to sing and worship together.

Nearly 70 years of atheistic communist rule kept Mongolia completely shut off to all religion. When the country opened up in 1991, many of the older generations reconnected with their Buddhist roots.

Young people, however, were more open to Christianity. Today most of Mongolia’s 1,200 church members are less than 30 years old.

As the Adventist Church in Mongolia is young yet, the work of volunteers is critical to church growth. Thanks in part to the efforts of the 21 Global Mission pioneers currently active in Mongolia the Adventist Church is growing. Thank you for your ongoing support of Global Mission’s worldwide mission work.

Major Languages: Khalkha Mongol, Turkic, Russian Religion: Tibetan Buddhist 50%, Shamanist 6%, Muslim 4%, Christian 2%, other 38%

Population: 49.8 million*

Religion: Catholic 24%, Christian 18%, Muslim 18%, other or none 40%

Adventist Membership: 25,786*

Population: 20.4 million*

Adventist Membership: 1,202*

Adventist to population ratio: 1,931*

Adventist Membership: 228,463*

Adventist to population ratio: 1:2,170*

Churches: 194*

Adventist to population ratio: 1:89*

Churches: 4*

Companies: 111*

Churches: 989*

Companies: 6*

Throughout the world there are thousands of people and places that are still untouched by the Adventist message.

Your support of fund number 5200 will help provide the resources needed to take the gospel to people and places where an Adventist or even a Christian has never gone before.

Companies: 1,611*

Worldwide there is one Seventh-day Adventist for every 423 people; but it’s far different in Asia. In Taiwan, there is one Adventist for every 4,247 people. Most Adventists are from minority ethnic groups in the mountains. In Laos there’s not one ordained Seventh-day Adventist pastor for the country’s six million people. And in Japan, the church is struggling to survive with few baptisms and an aging church population. Your support of fund number 5240 will help the Church grow in this region.

* Source: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Office of Archives and Statistics 145th Annual Statistical Report—2007

The Adventist Church has grown in many parts of Africa. Yet major challenges still remain. Religious, social, and ethnic persecution makes church growth difficult in some areas.

Your support of Fund number 5220 will help ensure that the Adventist Church keeps growing and takes Jesus’ love to all of Africa. * Source: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Office of Archives and Statistics 145th Annual Statistical Report—2007

Population: 2.6 million*

* Source: General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Office of Archives and Statistics 145th Annual Statistical Report—2007