November/December 2013 Newsletter

“Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory” (Isaiah 43:6-7).  Jesus Brought God Glory

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The Holy Spirit Brings

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God Asks Us to Bring

All for His Glory

John 17:1, 18

God Glory John 16:14

Him Glory 1 Corinthians 10:31, 1 Peter 4:11

n By Julia O'Carey

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36 NASB).

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umble, quiet, yet determined…words I often hear used to describe my mother, Judy Aitken, who dedicated the past thirty-three years to serve the people of Southeast Asia…all for His glory! At the ASAP board of directors meeting on November 1, Judy officially announced her retirement as director of ASAP Ministries (though she will continue working part-time doing the things she loves best). The Lord has worked through her to bring many Southeast Asians to Jesus.

In 1979, Mother Judy (as her large Southeast Asian family affectionately calls her) first answered God’s call through an urgent appeal from SAWS (Seventh-day Adventist World Service, now ADRA) for volunteers to go AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to assist the Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese refugees flooding into the camps on the border of Thailand. With her nursing background and servant heart, she immersed herself into serving the suffering and wounded and lovingly shared God’s healing Word with them. The refugees were open and eager to hear about a miracle-working Savior. One Bible study led to many, which resulted in many converts and the need for establishing churches in the camps. The three-month short-term missionary stint for the Aitken family turned into seven years. After Judy returned to the United States she served the Southeast Asians through AFM (Adventist Frontier Missions) and then ASAP. During those seven rewarding years, Mother Judy and family witnessed God perform many miracles! Often situations looked impossible and people would say, “That can’t be done!” But time after time, God came through for His glory, in providing, in protecting, and converting souls. We praise Him for over 10,000 souls who were baptized during that time and the lives who continue steadfastly in the faith until this day. I think Mother Judy’s greatest joy is keeping in touch with these special friends and seeing how their lives now impact others for kingdom growth.

Judy with her long time traveling companion and friend in ministry, Mary Ann McNeilus.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

Reaching Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar & Beyond

Thoughts From: Julia O'carey

ASAP DIRECTOR

“To God be the glory, great things He hath done; So loved He the world that He gave us His Son” (Fanny Crosby, Hymn 341).

He came as a little baby, grew up giving His Father all the credit for everything He did, and amazingly, became the atonement for sin in order to save us! As the holidays approach, I encourage you to daily celebrate Jesus in your hearts, giving God the glory for what He has done and what He continues to do.

We serve a generous God! He not only saves us but through His Holy Spirit who lives in us, He allows us to participate in His work. My mother, Judy Aitken, has humbly cooperated with God in bringing souls to the foot of the cross for over three decades! Be inspired as you read the feature article, which highlights examples of what GOD has done in and through her. To God be the glory!

Does God sometimes delay answering our prayers so that He undoubtedly gets the glory due His name? It is too easy to chalk up miracles to chance, our efforts, science, etc. For instance, Jesus could have rushed right to Mary and Martha’s home when He received the news Lazarus was ill, but He chose to delay and then performed a greater miracle by raising him to life! Let us remember to continue in faith when we face humanly impossible situations, remembering that God can perform BIG miracles if He so chooses. In the production of the Reach the World Next Door kit, we came to the deadline and saw no way for completion on time, but God came through for His glory. You can read more about this new kit in this issue. May God get the glory in everything you and I do—this holiday season and always!

Terri Saelee is one example of the many lives whom God touched through Mother Judy. They became special friends after they met in 1982 when she came as a young college student to volunteer in the refugee camps of Thailand. Read how much God used Judy to influence Terri's life:

Personal Testimony from Terri Saelee I would not be who I am today, nor be doing the work I am doing (Director of ARIM: Adventist Refugees and Immigrant Ministries for the North American Division), nor have the family that I have, if it were not for Mother Judy. Six months volunteering in the camps turned into four years as I came to love the Southeast Asian refugees I met. I was impressed by the efficiency and graciousness with which Mother Judy not only managed her own household and provided for her guests, but carried on the rigorous, sometimes even dangerous, ministry to the refugees in numerous camps. I was amazed at her faith and trust in God as she pointed them to Him for finding solutions and how she lifted their needs to God in complete trust in His ability to provide, despite apparent impossibilities. Little did I know that working for the salvation of these precious souls would become my life work, my passion. Little did I know how much her caring example would mean to me.

But the tremendous impact of Mother Judy's example was not limited merely to that initial call, nor our memorable time in Thailand. She continued to mentor me after I returned to America, inviting me to visit refugees here with her, and even inviting me to travel with her to Thailand and Laos to be her translator…with the added benefit of being able to pay a surprise visit to a young theology student there who had become quite special to me…and is now my husband.

It seemed that Mother Judy had a direct line with Heaven, and knew when I needed help, even when I told no one but God. I remember one winter while I was working in Sacramento, I was invited to attend the Asian Workers’ Meeting in Southern California in January. I did not have a dress coat, nor money to buy one, even at a thrift store, so I just breathed a prayer that if God saw that I really should have one, He would somehow provide and I ceased to worry. A few days later, a huge box was delivered to the little school we were starting for refugees. It was full of lovely dress clothes just my size, including a beautiful black and gray dress coat. Tears came to my eyes. How could she have known? I had told no one but God, not even my best friends on the team. I knew God had worked through Mother Judy to answer my prayer.

I hope Mother Judy will write a book someday, which would share many more ways God came through for her. I know she looks forward to heaven, where she will join the large throng who will be praising God for having the chance to know His love and accept Him fully. If Mom Judy has touched your life through her ministry, consider giving a special thank offering to further the work of ASAP Ministries.

Advocates Spiritually Assisting the Persecuted God’s Glory through a Beam of Light!

n Pastor

Can*

My daughter’s father-in-law and I traveled about 60 miles to Hien’s village to deliver the gift. I entered the house and saw an emaciated body hooked up to an IV. It was shocking to see Hein so close to death. I prayed for God to heal her if it was His will, but deep inside I did not think it would happen as she looked so skinny. I praise God for the opportunity to gather her friends and relatives, many of them non-believers, to come into the house as we prayed for her.

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want to share a miracle story about a young Adventist woman named Thi Hien* from Vietnam. Hien was a hair dresser and had been exposed to hair chemicals that may have caused her cancer. After three years of medical treatment, the doctors decided she was incurable and needed to be taken home to die. Her family requested the church to help so the members rallied together to purchase a casket for her funeral.

Thirty minutes into the prayer I felt a beam of bright light shining down on her and myself. Though my eyes were closed, I sensed the Lord’s touch through that beam of brilliant light—a special force! I knew God was working something special for His glory. Two days later, Hien’s family called me and excitedly shared that she was able to sit up, though her head was extremely heavy. She ate some rice porridge too. Then she was able to get up out of bed. Today, Hein is completely healed and has opened a little shop selling snacks. I praise God for His glorious power!

Notes from our ASAP Family Volunteers, Staff, National Missionaries, ASAP Ambassadors, Prayer Partners, Donors, Board Members and Gift Recipients

Hope all is well with the ASAP family and joy and peace be with you. We see such troubles in the governments around the world and know beyond a shadow of a doubt it is only by God’s intervening that humanity is still alive on this earth! It is so good to see great efforts like yours to reach others. Thank you for the dedication and love for God that compels you all. n Patt and Russ from PA

Before

Hello dear friends at ASAP! My daughter and I visited the ASAP Vietnamese Feed-and-Read School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in August of this year. The principal and teachers all work so very hard to bring God’s love to these very poor children. We were blessed to be able to help them do some much-needed updates to the school, including painting the walls that were chipped and grimy after years of use and installing a new sink and shelves in the kitchen to help with food preparation and sanitation. The teachers were so pleased to see how fresh and welcoming their classrooms looked. One of the classrooms is also used for the church service each After Sabbath. The school cooks were very happy with the new kitchen. We experienced the joy of giving and received back much love and many more blessings than we gave! n Susan and Lien Turley from FL

Always Say A Prayer Prayers for Buddhists

n

Mai Htwe

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wo years ago I started work in a village where there were no church members. I prayed, “Lord, show me how to reach these Buddhist people.” Through my medical missionary work (caring for them when they are sick, praying for them, and helping the poor) their hearts opened up to want to learn about the Bible.

I also taught the children each day and they were open to hearing about Jesus. Now there are twenty people coming to church and ten of them are baptized!

I believe God answered my prayer when he drew a fourteen-year-old Buddhist girl, Tu Tu, to church. I had a dream of many children coming to church and she was one of them. Though she was Buddhist, she had visited a Christian church five years before and knew about God. She was not like other typical children, but very interested in studying the Word of God. Her Buddhist mother scolded her each week for attending church and would beat her in an effort to stop her from coming. Tu Tu stood firm and continued coming to church. Her parents saw how obedient she was in every other area of her life and slowly softened toward her. Now she can attend church freely and she is a baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Tu Tu is praying that her parents will someday get baptized, too!

Intercede for Asia

Something Important to Pray About!

by Martin kim

ASAP PRAYER COORDINATOR

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he 20th chapter of Andrew Murray’s book, With Christ in the School of Prayer, focuses on John 14:13, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” If we want to pray well and we want to see incredible answers to prayers, we must make the glory of the Father the aim of our prayers. Andrew Murray writes, “Surely nothing more is needed than a glimpse of how worthy of glory the Father is. Our faith should learn to bow before Him in adoring worship, ascribing to Him alone the Kingdom, the power, and the glory, yielding ourselves to life in His light. Surely we will be stirred to say, ‘To Him alone be glory.’ And we will look to our Lord Jesus with new intensity of desire for a life that refuses to recognize anything but the glory of God. When there isn’t enough prayer to be answered, the Father is not glorified…

For the sake of God’s glory, let us learn to pray well” (pp. 148-149).

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f you have been touched by how God works through the simple, sincere ASAP national missionaries and you would like this work to continue until Jesus comes, we ask you to pray about including ASAP in your planned giving. You can consider including ASAP Ministries in your will or arranging a charitable trust. Until December 31, 2013, IRA owners 70½ and older can make direct contributions of up to $100,000 of their account’s assets to one or more qualified nonprofit groups. In almost all cases, the assets bypass the account owner and go directly from the IRA to the charity (please check with your tax advisor). There are many planned giving options for you to consider and as a free service, we can put you in touch with a trained planned giving officer. Call us at ASAP before the end of the year!

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects The Value of Trainings—Funds Needed for 2014: $45,000

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e see how important it is to train the national missionaries and members. Most do not have advanced degrees, but they highly value and appreciate learning how to be disciples for Christ. Once a year, ASAP conducts a training session for all ASAP national missionaries, and in addition ASAP, supports local district training sessions, as funds are available. Pech Sopheng, pastor of the Battambang City Church, tells about a recent training and evangelism effort.

n Judy

Aitken

need to fill, how to conduct surveys, community service project ideas, how to prepare a plan and how to invite people to join. We praise God and give Him glory for the success of the evangelism event! There were 159 adults and 15 children that attended. God brought together a team of thirty who happily volunteered, serving God together. We praise God for the special fruit of seven people who were baptized at the conclusion. We thank God for His support through ASAP Ministries.”

“We conducted six training sessions to prepare the way for a small-scale evangelistic event that was held August 23-25, 2013, and for public evangelism efforts in 2014. We invited church planters in the district to join the ASAP-supported trainings because, though Battambang has already been targeted, we want to see fruit throughout the whole district and country of Cambodia.

At these training session, we taught the members how to prepare for evangelism, what roles and duties members would

In Loving Memory & Honor In Memory of: Cynthia Francis by Andrew Francis • Dr. Homer H. Berry by Robert and Debra Mastera • E. Jenicke & J. Kravig by Sandy Monette • Elaine DeVries by Carol Squier • Esther Falk by Grace Alice Mentzel • George & Frances Renton

by Suzanne Renton • Gerald Gross by Pico Rivera Bilingual Church • Hazel Colburn Alkire by Judy Aitken, David and Shirley Ellis, James and Betty Lemos, Stan Smith & Carol Squier, Rea Joyce White, Pioneer Memorial SDA Church • Jerry Aitken by Delmar and Cheree Aitken, Carol Squier • Jerry Aitken's mission work in Southeast Asia by Mark and Lydie Regazzi • Jerry and Wanda Skinner Gross, parents of Julie Griswold by Dr. Ray Mayor • Jerry Gross by Scott and Julie Griswold, Judy Aitken, Karla and Ron Emmerling, Jack and Bethene Griswold, Patricia Gross • John Weakley, my loving father by Michael and Alice Weakley • Joyce Augsburger by John and Helma Schlaman • Louis Schutter by Delmar and Cheree Aitken • Melda Clapper by Donald and Nancy Clapper • Paul Reichard

by Forest Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church • Paul W. Essig by Karen Bowen • Pearson and Pearl Van Meter, my parents by Betty Hunsaker • Regina Peña by Alfredo V. Peña • Ron Squier Jr., with love from Mom by Carol Squier • Thelma Lyles by Paul and Ruth Watson • Winifred Mundt, my mom by Keith and Kathleen Mundt

In Honor & thankfulness of:

JESUS CHRIST by Aily Kraulins • Adolph Grams by David Grams • Harry E. Olson by Harry and Janet Olson • Heide Donavan, her birthday by Kim Goodge • Judy Aitken by Taingseng Bin • Our 58th Anniversary, Praise to God!

by Albert and Joan Inglish • Pastor Saw Htoo by Evelyn Nash • Robert Mastera, my husband by Debra Mastera • Sheila Thwin, my sister by Keith and Kathleen Mundt • Zorik, Tammy, and Jaucy Torossian by Justin M. Torossian • William Neves, 100th Birthday by Dale and Rosie Ferguson • Julia O'Carey by Betty Benitez • My Grand-Kids by Bonnie Rhoby • Pastor Anthony and Esther Yeboah-Amoako, my parents by Jeanette Yeboah-Amoako

Reaching the World from Here Launching Reach the World Next Door Kit!

n Scott

Griswold

I

am excited to announce that our cross-cultural training kit, Reach the World Next Door, is completed and is available for you! A year ago, our friends at ASAP Ministries took a step of faith and hired me on a contract basis to research and write this program. It feels so good to be finished! More importantly, it means we can now more easily partner with you to reach those God has sent from around the world!

North America is changing. Two new legal immigrants enter the USA every minute—more than a million a year! One in five Canadians are foreign born. Now many of our neighbors speak different languages and worship different gods.

Have they had a chance to know Jesus? Seventy percent of the many Buddhists, Hindus, and other Eastern religion believers in North America do not know even one Christian personally. That is terrible!

You can change that.

You can be a missionary right in your own town by sharing the gospel with an immigrant who then returns to his unreached people group.

You can impact future leaders of the world by befriending international students at your local university.

You can end up meeting Jesus by caring for the stranger in your midst.

I encourage you to order the Reach the World Next Door kit from ASAP Ministries right away and get started with your family or a small group in your church. There is a suggested donation of $49 for the kit, which includes a DVD and three booklets. You can also order it from www.adventsource.com.

You can order Praying for the World Next Door separately.

This is a powerful tool to help you and your church become aware of the types of people in North America needing your prayers (suggested donation of $7 each).

So what is the training like? We call it a kit, instead of seminar, because there are many pieces that come together to help equip you for cross-cultural ministry.

Each module has a small group lesson that matches the presentation I make in the DVD so you can discuss and apply important concepts to your own unique situation.

Each module has specific assignments that you accomplish weekly, gaining solid expertise in caring for internationals as you go beyond talking—to action. There is also a prayer booklet called Praying for the World Next Door and a personal Bible study guide called Lessons from My Favorite Missionary.

The new website, reachtheworldnextdoor.com, contains great examples of stories of other people who are involved in cross-cultural mission work in North America. There is a whole multi-language resource portal where you can get Bible studies and pamphlets, and connect to radio programs and videos in various languages. You will find all this on our website.

This project is a partnership between ASAP Ministries and the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists®.

Thank you to those whose donations helped make this possible over the last year. Please join us in praying that this tool will be widely used across this continent.

Your Gifts at Work Praising God for these Top 10 Blessings 1. Souls Won for His Kingdom All Throughout Southeast Asia 2. Continued Support of Church Planters, Medical Missionaries, Literacy Teachers, Lay Pastors and Youth Evangelists 3. Successful Trainings for ASAP National Missionaries 4. A Safe and Blessed Mission Trip to Myanmar 5. Hope Restored to Villages in Cambodia!

6. DVDs Courageously Distributed and Watched in Vietnam 7. Bibles Purchased and Read by Thousands of New Believers 8. Students Hearing Bible Stories and Giving Their Hearts to Jesus 9. Mopeds Purchased for ASAP Missionaries 10. A Spirit-filled Growing ASAP Family of Workers and Supporters

The Lord worked through each of you this past year! These pictures are a sampling of the souls won and the projects funded, all for His glory!

This holiday season let us take time to worship Him with thankfulness as we recall what He has done in the past. #509

MAKE THE BIBLE REAL AND UNDERSTANDABLE

www.asapministries.org

View our Ten Dynamic Giving Opportunities List for big project ideas!

Give Jesus, a Priceless Gift, to Southeast Asians This Holiday!

The Priceless Gift Catalog

Your friends and relatives can open a special holiday gift from you this year that will give Jesus to the persecuted and lost. Call and request a Priceless Gift Catalog today or visit our online gift catalog at www.asapministries.org. If you contact us before December 16, we can send you gift cards for them to open on Christmas Day!

Meet Chaad ONLY GOD COULD CHANGE HIS HEART My oldest son got mixed up with the wrong crowd and started doing drugs with his friends. I tried to stop him and teach him the right way, but he got angry and would not listen to me and I had no control over him. I prayed for him day and night and the Holy Spirit completely changed him. Now he has stopped hanging out with those friends and he obeys my wife and me. He even joins in family worship and prayer at home.

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT I have a friend named Kikham who was an animist and conducted spiritualistic ceremonies. He used to ask me questions whenever he would see me praying before a meal or before I traveled. I told him that I was praying to God in heaven who created all of us and takes care of us too! One day Kikham was in a car accident and he prayed to God. His car was destroyed but he was fine. From then on, he and his family have believed in God and he has completely turned away from his former animist beliefs. position Lay Pastor location Laos Passion His 7 children and church planting special praise For the well that ASAP helped put in his village. Five families use it and it is such a blessing!

ASAP Ministries 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 suffering in the countries ASAP operates. Because ASAP is a §501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your donations are tax-deductible.

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

WHY HE ENJOYS DOING GOD’S WORK It is wonderful to be able to share the hope of salvation with others. Spiritual wealth is so much more important than material wealth.

My family does not have much, but we are content with what we have because we know that we are doing the will of God. We enjoy sharing this happiness with others in the village.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR/DIRECTOR Julia O’Carey EDITOR/ASSociate DIRECTOR Scott Griswold COPY EDITOR Linda Bauer, Wayne Labins DESIGN/LAYOUT Sarah Lee www.ambientlightstudios.com BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair: Bruce Bauer, Judy Aitken, Peter Van Bemmelen, Christopher Carmen, Steve Chang, Chan Sun and Esther Hwang, Denzil McNeilus, Mary Ann McNeilus, Byron and Carol Reynolds, Tom Evans, and Trudi Starlin.

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TOLL FREE 1-866-365-3541 PHONE 269-471-3026 FAX 269-471-3034 EMAIL office@asapministries.org WEB www.asapministries.org 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.

ASAP serves people from the countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Beyond! *At times, photos are blurred and names changed to protect the safety of God's workers.

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