ASAP Newsletter, January/February 2011

What we do for the suffering we do for Jesus. based on matthew 25:40

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects PRAISING GOD FOR… power of one witness!

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church leaders of other denominations in Vietnam, along with their members, joined the house-church movement.

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Lao lay-pastor released from jail.

Only One

He who loves Christ the most will do the greatest amount of good.

There is no limit to the usefulness of one who, by putting self aside, makes room for the working of the Holy Spirit upon his heart, and lives a life wholly consecrated to God. Desire of Ages, page 250

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ive years ago, one individual, Long Pheng by name, stepped forward in faith as an ASAP church planter in Stung Treng Province, Cambodia--an area with no Adventist presence at that time. Recently converted and driven by his new-found love for Christ, Long Pheng set out as one messenger among thousands of people who had not yet heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since that time amazing things have happened and the praise belongs to God! Before sharing more about Long Pheng, let us take a moment to meet several other ASAP missionaries.

SAM DOV is currently an ASAP literacy teacher in Stung Treng City Church, Cambodia. Sam teaches the Khmer language and simple math for two hours every day to twelve illiterate villagers comprised of middle-aged adults as well as youth.

His textbook: the Bible. Already, three of the adult students have been baptized and two younger individuals have come to believe in God. One of his newly baptized students was so eager to learn more about his new friend, Jesus, that it only took him three months to learn how to read. Now he not only hears the words of God but he can read them for himself.

DID YOU KNOW?

ASAP will support 143 literacy teachers in 2011. Help us provide for this project—it only takes $40/month to support a teacher.

BARANG DOV is also an ASAP literacy teacher in Phom Tmey Village where today there is no Adventist church. He has ten students, ages 18-20. Praise the Lord, two have come to believe in God as Barang teaches and prays for their daily needs. Dov Barang is a youth himself, a young man in 11th grade who learned how to teach from his father, Sam Dov. BUN MAU teaches literacy classes in Kos Chrem. When the classes first began, seven students took part. Since then all seven have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior! By December 2009, forty-three people were meeting together every Sabbath to worship God in a small house church. That number has now risen to nearly 100! Each Sabbath their praise is heard ascending to God as they gather beneath the trees to worship their Creator and read His Holy Word.

Bun Mau is currently giving Bible studies to nineteen people and anticipates that they will be ready for baptism in the very near future. Bun Mau’s daughter, Kuy Mau, has followed her father’s example and now serves as a literacy teacher of seven students in Reachea Nukol Village. continued on next page…

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

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Thoughts From: JUDY AITKEN ASAP DIRECTOR

Have you praised the Lord lately when considering the state of the world’s economy? Those of you who have not personally felt the effect in business, ministry or family, may be more apt to answer “yes” to that question than those of you who were hit through loss of job or home.

Here at ASAP, we have been praising God daily, even amidst a state of low funds. Why? We believe the promises in God’s Word that testify to His care and providence, such as 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” When praising God, we experience the power of His presence because “God inhabits the praises of His people” (Psalm 22:3).

We also praise the Lord because the situation we are in gave us a good reason to prayerfully analyze every aspect of the operations of ASAP. God is giving us wisdom to make changes in our operations that will reduce costs and allow for more funds to be used in the field. One example is the new format for the ASAP newsletter you hold in your hands. This small change saves ASAP money in printing and distribution.

The shortage of funds has been a blessing for many reasons. It has taught us how to trust more fully and how to persist in prayer. Through uniting in prayer, our ASAP family, both locally and in the field, has experienced a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We thank you and encourage you to continue uniting with us in praise to our Provider.

ONLY ONE / continued from cover What an incredible work God is doing through the lives of His teachers in these literacy schools of Cambodia!

Do you know what is even more incredible? Five years ago, when Long Pheng first set out to church plant in Stung Treng Province, none of these teachers you just met knew Jesus. Sam Dov, Barang Dov, Bun Mau and Kuy Mau were all won to Christ as a direct result of Long Pheng’s ministry. When Long Pheng first started going doorto-door in his village and neighboring villages, his message and friendship were consistently rejected. He persevered in prayer. God gave him the idea of installing loudspeakers on the outside of his home, and so he began “broadcasting” messages of love and hope from Jesus throughout the village. At first this infuriated the villagers, but people started listening.

The messages were much different than the prayers coming from the loud speakers of the Buddhist temples in the villages. Eventually, the only complaint he received was that he needed to turn up the volume so that the people at the end of the village would be able to hear them better.

What God began through one man spread to four which has spread to dozens and which continues to grow.

The beauty of God’s work is that this is only a tiny portion of what has happened. If time and space would allow, more testimonies could be shared of the numerous lives that are being reached for Christ as each individual who accepts Jesus as his or

WHAT AN INCREDIBLE WORK GOD IS DOING THROUGH THE LIVES OF HIS TEACHERS!

her personal Savior dedicates his or her life also to the Lord’s service.

Each of these ASAP-sponsored literacy teachers, Long Pheng and the students who accept Jesus, continue working for the Lord in spite of what others may view as hindrances. Bun Mau, for example, travels two hours by moped and ferry to reach the village in which he teaches. One young student of Dov Barang stands strong for Christ in spite of his family violently opposing his decision to become a Christian. With the apostle Paul we can hear them say, “The love of Christ compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14).

What about you? Has Christ’s love so gripped your heart that you willingly move forward in His will to tell others about Him? Do you want to answer YES even if it means moving alone?

Has this response become the natural pattern of your day-to-day life?

In Matthew 5:13 Jesus declares that we “are the salt of the earth.” Let’s stop to think about that for just a moment. It is a well-known fact that only a small amount of salt is necessary to have a flavor-enhancing effect on almost any food. Could Jesus possibly be answering an excuse we too often try to make? “Lord, what can I ever do? It’s only me.” By comparing His followers to salt Jesus is in effect saying, “Even if you are only one, I can do great things through you!” Long Pheng’s testimony is a perfect example of this.

One person, committed wholly to the service of God in his or her life, can be used by God in mighty ways. That one person can be you!

Country Spotlight: VIETNAM “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10, 11).

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he Word of God is prospering in Vietnam, as promised in Isaiah 55:10, 11. During the past three months, Pastor Isah Young has been told of seventy-six pastors and church leaders from various denominations and locations, along with their members, who have joined the SDA House Church Movement. One of these pastors who directly contacted Pastor Young said, “Everything I have been taught is ‘shallow’ compared to the truth I discovered in God’s Word through the Peace & Happiness radio (AWR) broadcast.”

PHOTOS: (Above) Mrs. Nguyen* shares the DVDs and materials she received with her friends and family.

(Below-Notes) Leona Gouge with an APIU student teacher in the SDA Muaklek English Language Center.

NOTES

from the field: MYANMAR

Khan Plaung, an ASAP-supported church planter working in East Shan State, Myanmar, solicits your prayers for safety.

The village he works in is positioned between the fighting forces of the government military and the Wah tribe.

We can praise the Lord for Plaung’s passion in spreading the gospel to an unreached people group. He daily teaches forty-five children and youth to read the Bible. Twelve of the youth are attending church weekly.

A business lady requested sermons, literature and books after listening to a Peace & Happiness broadcast. An ASAP lay pastor sent her a box, but in an effort to avoid officers tracking him down if they happened to search the box, he listed a false return address. Mrs. Nguyen* was thrilled to receive the material. She was so impressed with the message, she followed the address to the location but to no avail. For two years Mrs. Nguyen and her family prayed that someone would guide her to an SDA church. Recently, she met a leader of the house-church movement in that area. She took him to her home and introduced him to a group of house-church members; all believers because of her witness. She introduced him to twenty-three pastors of her former denomination. They were trained by an underground seminary run by a Korean missionary in Vietnam. Lay Pastor Cau* writes, “All of them made the decision to keep the Sabbath and each leader has several groups.” Praise God for how His Word does not return void!

VIETNAM

“Many people from the Vietnamese community filled the Orange County Vietnamese SDA Church during the evangelistic meetings held over Thanksgiving weekend,” reports Pastor Isah Young. Since families traditionally gather together, watch football and eat during the holidays, the church members were surprised and encouraged by the great number of people who attended.

Four families are now studying God’s Word with Pastor Young and others are interested. This is a result of prayer and the Holy Spirit impressing people through Pastor Isah Young’s sermons aired on television throughout the year.

THAILAND

Hospitable, loving, missionary—words that only begin to describe the beloved Leona Gouge. She tragically passed away in an automobile accident on November 21, 2010 in Thailand. www.asapministries.org

Go online to learn more of Leona’s life of service and the ASAP project she was passionate about.

Interseed for Asia

BY MARTIN KIM God delights to answer the prayers of His children and bestows great blessings upon them when they ask in order to give and bless others. In the first two verses of Psalms 67 is a beautiful prayer you can pray as you “interseed” (planting seeds through prayer) for Asia. “God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause Your face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations” (Psalms 67:1-2).

Meet Ko Khaing* POSITION Church Planter LOCATION Shan State, Myanmar PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for God to empower Ko Khaing so he can labor successfully and shine brightly for God.

LESSONS IN TRUST When I first accepted the truth about Jesus ten years ago, I did not tell my parents because I knew they would disown me. When they found out, they were very angry and did not talk to me for a long time. I still tried to be good to them and help them financially when I could.

Praise the Lord! Now we are on a talking basis and I have visited them twice. I learned from this experience that the only one I can rely on completely is God. He is my father.

When I face a lot of problems with my work as a church planter, I remember to pray and God helps me. I also sing my problems away.

EDUCATION Church planting is dangerous work in my area. Robbers, soldiers and wild animals are all real dangers that I could come across as I walk from village to village and to the nearest town which is one day’s walk away. Sickness, demon possession, drug addiction are other dangers I face.

Claiming Psalm 91 brings me much peace and helps me deal with dangerous situations. Since the parents in my village sometimes have to be gone a week at a time for work in the rice or opium fields, I have taught my forty students this Psalm.

They sing it to each other at night to take away their fears.

How Can I Help?

Pray that God would protect Ko Khaing and the children in his village and strengthen him in planting a vibrant church.

Consider supporting Ko Khaing for $90 per month and sending him for ASAP training for $100.

In the book Christ’s Object Lessons (pp. 142-143), we are told: “Our prayers are not to be a selfish asking, merely for our own benefit. We are to ask that we may give. The principle of Christ’s life must be the principle of our lives…Our mission to the world is not to serve or please ourselves; we are to glorify God by co-operating with Him to save sinners. We are to ask blessings from God that we may communicate to others. The capacity for receiving is preserved only by imparting” (Christ’s Object Lessons, page 142). What a precious promise! Would you like to claim this promise today along with Luke 6:38, “Give and it will be given to you.”

MISSION

CHALLENGE We challenge you to tear this section out and share it with at least 10 others within 10 days after receiving it.

CONSIDER SHARING IT

• at work • in your small group • up front for Mission Spotlight If you took this challenge, let us know how it went: office@asapministries.org

Always Saying a Prayer On July 11, 2010, Pastor Cheng Moua* was arrested by police officials while conducting a funeral rite for a Hmong believer in a village in Laos.

Miraculously, he was released four days later. We thank all prayer partners for intervening on behalf of this faithful ASAP lay pastor.

Can you imagine what it was like for Pastor Cheng Moua in that prison cell? When he arrived, he had to surrender all personal belongings except his clothing. He was put in a six-by-nine concrete cell with fifteen other inmates. Having been incarcerated two other times for the duration of five years, he entered the cell not knowing how long, if ever, he would be released. His new “home” consisted of low ceilings and no windows, with only a small hole the size of a soda can to let light in. He sat quietly in his designated spot in the dark, sweltering cell that reeked of the smell of human excrement and dirty, hot bodies.

Each day he received a handful of soupy rice. Each night he slept on the rough floor, knowing that if he rolled over and disturbed one of the inmates on either side he would receive a harsh beating.

Each moment he had the freedom of praying quietly in his heart to his Savior, thanking Him for the privilege of suffering for Him. Nothing stops this missionary from sharing true freedom in Jesus Christ with others. He is now back in his village and continues to pastor a growing church of eighty members and nurture other newly-forming groups. Please consider giving an offering of praise today, to express your gratefulness for the freedom you have to worship God and to thank Him for delivering one of His faithful workers in Laos.

In Loving Memory and Honor IN MEMORY OF: ALBENJAMIN PARKS by Magna Parks • ALICE PENNER, MY WIFE by Bernard Penner • CHET ASHTON AND MR. AND MRS. ALLEN, MY HUSBAND AND PARENTS by Anita Ashton • DOROTHY ELLER by Byron Eller • EDITH CHEESEMAN by Verna M. Longwell • ELDON JENICKE AND JEANE PERKINS, MY FATHER AND MY AUNT by Sandy Monette • ELISHA G. WINDHAM by Eva A. Windham • GRAHAM MAXWELL by Jane Barker Banta • HILDA J. URSCHEL by Peter and Luisa Urschel and Victor Urschel • HOWARD WHEELER, MY BROTHER

by Grace Morris • IDA LOU KIMMEL by Judy Aitken • JEWEBENE STERN by Frank and Clare Putnam • MARINA FERNANDEZ by Juan Fernandez • MARTHA AND STEVEN TAHAPARY by Terrance and Grace Campbell • PATRICIA J. NELSON by Steve and Lori Nelson • PAUL AND ANNA BOWERS by Judith Beeson • PETRA MARTIN, MY MOM, WHO ALWAYS LOVED AND ENJOYED GARDENING by Sara Martin • ROBERT JAMES HART by Judy Oxley • ROY LOEWEN

by Christian and Betty Christianson • SAM, A BOY WE TRIED TO ADOPT FROM VIETNAM IN THE SPRING OF 1966 by Marva Smith • WENDELL HORNING by Helen W. Lee • WILLIAM AND EULALIA HAFDELL by Erling and Jeanette Snorrason • WYN STEVENS by John Stevens Sr.

IN HONOR OF: ADVENTIST CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP—TRIANGLE AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA by Hansford Hendargo • ANDREA WHITE’S 9TH BIRTHDAY AND NOAH BARTELL’S 4TH BIRTHDAY by Carolyn Hartman • DORIS FERRIS by Lounette Hinkle • JESUS CHRIST, OUR BLESSED LORD AND SAVIOR by Marta C. Francisco • KYOUNG AND SANG SOO KIM by Martin and Liana Kim • MARANATHA SDA CHURCH PRAYER GROUP by Geneva M. Oliver • RON MOTE, DON MOTE, AND JUDY MOTE EVENSON, OUR THREE CHILDREN by Arden Mote • RUTH TAYLOR by Matthew T. Peterson • SAM AND GLADYS ROBINSON by Nanette Haley

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P.S. We Love Hearing from You

 Judy, God bless ASAP! I read the magazine and share the stories and prayer requests at our two churches.

I enjoyed meeting Martin Kim. LLOYD FROM TN  My siblings and I want to supply three children with clothing. We hope this will help the children and your mission. JASON (AGE 9) FROM WA Visit www.asapministries.org/pray/testimonies to read Beverly’s testimony to ASAP about how her depression was lifted.

GIVE TO IMPACT ASAP’S GREATEST NEED Your gift for an ASAP church planter, lay-pastor, medical missionary, youth evangelist or literacy teacher is an opportunity for you to change lives for eternity. Sponsor a national missionary today!

VISIT ASAP’S ONLINE PRICELESS GIFT CATALOG: www.asapministries.org/resources-catalog

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects is fueled by mission-minded, faith-filled individuals whom God impresses. Be assured that 100% of your gift will go directly to the projects you specify.

However, in the blessed event that the project you chose is fully funded, ASAP will use your gift for a similar project or where most needed to help spread the gospel and ease the suffering in Southeast Asia. Because ASAP is a §501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your donations are tax-deductible.

ASI MEMBER ASAP has been a member of ASI (Adventistlayman’s Services and Industries) since 1996 and is grateful to be an ASI grant recipient.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR/DIRECTOR Judy Aitken EDITOR/ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Julia O’Carey COPY EDITOR Linda Bauer DESIGN/LAYOUT Sarah Lee / www.ambientlightstudios.com ASAP BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair: Bruce Bauer, Judy Aitken, Max and Linnea Torkelsen, Mary Ann McNeilus, Byron and Carol Reynolds, Trudi Starlin, Kenneth Straw, Steve Chang, and Denzil McNeilus.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version® copyright ©1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects P.O. Box 84, Berrien Springs, MI 49103

TOLL FREE PHONE FAX EMAIL WEB

1-866-365-3541 269-471-3026 269-471-3034 office@asapministries.org www.asapministries.org

*Where needed names have been changed and photos blurred, to protect the safety of God’s workers.

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ASAP serves people from the countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar.

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BERRIEN SPRINGS, MI PERMIT NO. 42