NEWS FROM ASAP MINISTRIES—ADVOCATES FOR SOUTHEAST ASIANS AND THE PERSECUTED
FOURTH QUARTER 2020
REACH THE
WORLD
ASAP
REFLECTIONS ON 25 YEARS OF MISSIONS
Just Like Jesus
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appy 25th Anniversary ASAP Family! And yes, I say with a heart full of love and gratitude, we truly are family: the family of God. I know that because I see Jesus reflected in each of you.
Of course, I must start with ASAP’s founder, Judy Aitken (who is Mother Judy to us). Just like Jesus, she sacrificed so much for the sake of the gospel and worked right up to her dying day. Just like Jesus, she stayed intimately connected to the Father in prayer, spending countless hours on her knees for each of you. I think of Pr. Isaiah Duong (p. 13), one of my amazing big brothers, who, just like Jesus, remains faithful even though men revile him, persecute him, and say all manner of evil against him because he is following God’s will (Matt. 5:11). As leader of many persecuted brothers and sisters in Vietnam, his example helps them stand for Jesus, too. I think of Mary Ann McNeilus (p. 10), who helped establish ASAP’s medical missionary work in Southeast Asia. Just like Jesus, she understands that the ministry of healing people is the right arm of the gospel. I’ll never forget the smile on the face of Johan, an ASAP missionary, after his acute abdominal pain subsided when Mary Ann completed a treatment. What a witness and miracle of God’s simple yet effective natural healing ways! I think of Elder Dean Coridan, ASAP’s board chairman, and his wife Gail, who regularly sit in homes of down-and-out refugees, listening to their traumatic life stories. Just like Jesus, they hear their aching hearts and meet their deepest need: to be loved and belong. I wish I had a thousand pages to write about how I see Jesus in each one of you. Volunteers, your gift of time reflects Jesus’ love for the lost and spurs me on to put in the extra hours needed. Donors, your 2
selfless, sacrificial giving, like Jesus, seals my trust in Jehovah-jireh (God the Provider). ASAP missionaries, your willingness to continue serving through suffering, just like Jesus, motivates me to stay faithful, too. The ASAP family started small, but I thank our Heavenly Father that over the years, as it grows, we still stay close because of our common purpose: to spread the three angels’ messages to the poor, the persecuted, the unreached and refugees all across the 10/40 Window who have not heard of our loving Brother, Jesus. I can’t wait for our family reunion in heaven where we can all be together. As that day quickly approaches, let’s stay together, keep focused, continue praying, and constantly remain connected to Jesus.
Julia O’Carey Executive Director ASAP Ministries
I’ll Never Look Back BY PR. HANG DARA, AS TOLD TO JULIA O’CAREY
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ife was too hard in Cambodia; between Sokhom and me, we lost a total of 25 close family members in the war. It was 1981. Two months after our wedding day, my new bride and I set out on
a dangerous journey to create a new life together. Destination? Norng Samet Refugee Camp, Thailand. I had heard they offered free medical training there, and becoming a doctor was my lifelong dream. There was no such opportunity amidst the chaos of my war-torn country.
It was through my quest to study nursing that I first met Mother Judy. She was part of the SAWS (Seventh-day Adventist World Service) group who came to recruit young people like me. I’ll never forget her sweet smile and words of encouragement: “You can do it, Dara, I know you can! Jesus will help you.” And I was one of the few who passed the entrance exam! But even more amazing than that was the Jesus who helped me.
The only god I knew was Buddha, but he hadn’t helped me or my family. I discovered personally that Jesus was not only powerful enough to help with my exam, but He was the Savior and Creator of the world. Jesus made my life bearable. He loved me and healed my heart. He gave me hope. I studied hard and became a physician’s assistant, but my real job was as a volunteer lay pastor for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Lord sent me to four different camps during my time as a refugee. I led church 3
planting efforts in Bang Pho Camp (270 church members), Site II Camp (200 church members), Ban Thad Camp (150 church members) and Kao I Dang Camp (250 church members). Nothing gave me more joy and satisfaction than preaching the Word of God to my people. In June 1992, we were suddenly told to board buses headed back to Cambodia. We experienced a mixture of fear, traumatic memories, anticipation, and disappointment that we did not get the chance, after 11 years of waiting, to repatriate to a safe, new country. We went back to Kampong Cham, and I felt blessed to secure a well-paying job as a human rights officer for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). One evening after work, I was heading home when I saw two slender
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American ladies standing on the side of the road. I did a double take. Those ladies look a lot like Mother Judy and Mary Ann McNeilus, but it can’t be! I thought. Maybe I’m just missing them. But a strong impression compelled me to turn around and go back to them. I can’t explain how unexpected and joyful our reunion was! “What are you doing here?” I asked Mother Judy incredulously. “We are here to find you,” she simply said. “How did you know I was here?” I asked, stunned. “We didn’t! We just prayed and God led us to you,” Mother Judy responded with a smile. I immediately invited them home and praised the Lord for their safety. Even locals wouldn’t travel the route from Phnom Penh after 2:00 PM because of the Khmer Rouge and the many dangers along the way. It touched my heart that
THEN
NOW
In 2006, Pr. Hang Dara helped birth the first little ASAP Feed & Read School in Cambodia to help poor slum children learn about Jesus.
ASAP donors support more than 85 schools with over 5,000 at-risk children in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Students are discipled to serve Jesus, and they are witnessing to their unbelieving communities.
they would risk their lives to come find me. “But why?” I wondered. I found out soon enough.
church has been planted nearby.
Mother Judy earnestly looked me in the eyes and said, “Dara, do you remember your promise to God before you left the refugee camp?” “Yes,” I said sheepishly. “But I have a contract with UNTAC. I can’t work for God right now.” “Is your contract with humans more important than your contract with God?” Mother Judy gently prodded. I decided at that moment to return to serving the Lord with all my heart, and I never looked back. I became a field secretary, assisting the Mission President with church planting and searching for believers who had left the church; after that, I worked as a pastor, and now I serve as the Secretary of Cambodia Adventist Mission.
To this day I have never regretted my decision to serve the Lord, and I am eternally grateful to Mother Judy for letting God use her to bring me back to ministry, and to guide and support me both before and after that time. When I hear the name ASAP Ministries, I think of Mother Judy, because she cared not only for me, but also the children in the slums and many others. I praise the Lord that this legacy of love for the least in Cambodia continues today through the many church plants and schools supported by ASAP and its donors.
In 2005, as the district pastor in Phnom Penh West, I carried a heavy burden in my heart for the children living in the slums next to the garbage dump. It broke my heart to see them digging through the garbage instead of attending school. I shared this burden with Mother Judy and Julia and brought them to the slums to see the situation for themselves. I asked if ASAP could start a school where these children could receive a Christian education. ASAP hadn’t done anything like this before, but they liked the idea. We started with a small group of children on the bamboo porch of a church member’s home. Unfortunately, they did not come for long. Soon we found out why: their parents needed them to find garbage to recycle or they wouldn’t have enough food to survive each day. We started feeding them a meal each day, and that solved the problem. Today, many children and their parents have been baptized and a 5
A Life-Changing Invitation BY PR. SCOTT & JULIE GRISWOLD
“W
e want to be missionaries someday,” I told the smiling lady we had just met. “We want to go where there are lots of people who don’t know Jesus,” we told her, “and where the
people are really poor.” We were newly married and eager to serve. My wife Julie added, “And where there are lots and lots of children!”
“Let me tell you about Cambodia.” The stories poured out of Judy Aitken’s heart. We could imagine families tiptoeing through the jungles trying to avoid soldiers and landmines. Judy laid out pictures of refugee camps filled with thousands of hurting people hoping to come to America, afraid to return to their homeland. She spoke of her own privilege of caring for their desperate medical needs and helping volunteers teach them English and introduce them to God. As she spoke, the seed of love for Southeast Asia was planted in our hearts. In just two months we met Judy again, at Julie’s graduation. On the steps of Pioneer Memorial Church, by the statue of John Andrews and his 6
children staring off across the ocean to the mission field, she said, “We need someone in the Thailand refugee camps right now. Will you go?” Her passion, her prayers, and her invitation changed the course of our entire lives. Within three months the refugee camps were no longer just pictures. We walked the dusty roads where Judy had served and hugged the laughing children. We met the leaders of churches that had sprung up in the wake of her labor and the service of others. We preached beside them and together tried to prepare the 300 new members in eight little bamboo churches to return to their country to plant the first Seventh-day Adventist churches around Cambodia.
THEN
NOW
In 1979, Judy Aitken and family left the comforts of America to labor for souls in the refugee camps of Thailand. During their seven years of service, over 10,000 refugees were baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
ASAP continues its ministry to refugees through four main initiatives: the Reach the World Next Door training program; the Judy Aitken Memorial Refugee Scholarship Fund (see back cover); assistance for over 90 refugee groups in North America; and support of schools and projects for the Chin, Karen, Syrian, Pakistani, Afghani, and other refugee groups from the 10/40 Window.
Then, as the refugees returned to their country, we followed, moving to Phnom Penh. We learned their language and began to share God’s story with our precious Buddhist neighbors. It was the poorest of the poor who responded with the most enthusiasm. A tiny congregation we called the Water Lily Church grew in a nearby slum.
field had truly moved right here. We felt God’s call to prepare a training kit to help church members reach out to immigrants, refugees, and international students. How could we find the finances to be able to spend the time working on it? Once again, it was Judy’s faith and vision that opened the door. “We don’t have the funds either,” she said, shaking her head. “But God does!” she added with that persistent smile of hers. That is how we came to work with ASAP Ministries for four years, and continue to do so now through the Reach the World Next Door program in Houston.
Every year, Judy Aitken would fly in to visit her “children,” the hundreds who called her “Mother Judy.” She would travel all over Cambodia with Dr. Mary Ann McNeilus and others, praying for God to lead her to one more missing church member who needed encouragement and connection. She regularly had divine appointments; she was always looking for someone who had enough leadership potential to start another house church. Then she would return to America to share the many stories of healing, freedom from spirits, and changed lives that inspired people to get involved, often giving funds to further extend God’s love. Judy always stopped to encourage us too, excited to see our growing family with Joelle, then Nathan and Rotha.
When Judy Aitken finally went to rest, hundreds came to her funeral and thousands more watched online. The tears fell, but our hearts were filled with joy. One life transformed by God impacted another, who in turn touched another. We are so thankful to be part of that ripple effect.
Time flew. We returned to the States, then moved to Thailand for ten years to work with Global Mission. Mother Judy kept going back and forth across the sea, still stopping to check in on us, and to meet our youngest son, Josiah. When our daughter was ready for college, we knew it was time to once again return to America, but to do what? How could we leave the mission field? We visited Houston, Texas, and realized the mission 7
Stepping Forward in Faith BY PR. MARTIN KIM
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or 25 years, prayer has sustained and advanced God’s work through ASAP Ministries. During Pr. Martin Kim’s tenure as ASAP’s communications director, he introduced the noontime united
prayer sessions that our staff continue to this day. Later, he and his wife, Liana, served as ASAP missionaries to a leper colony in a closed country. Today, they continue to partner with ASAP through the 24/7 United Prayer initiative.* The following story is adapted from an article that first appeared in the May/June 2006 issue of the ASAP newsletter. At the time, the Kims were pastoring the Seattle Central New Life Church, where the story took place. On the first and third Sabbath of each month, the Seattle Central New Life church group, which consists mostly of youth and young adults, collects an offering for the church budget to support the local church activities. Last December, we decided to begin giving all the loose offering collected on the third Sabbath to ASAP Ministries. After our second collection in January, I listened to a message by a missionary, who said (in paraphrase), “We will never have enough money to finish the work. How much will be enough? A million? Ten million? A hundred million? We need to go forward in faith and do the work that God has called us to do and believe that our God of infinite resources will provide.” I was inspired and prayed, “Lord, I want to step forward in faith. I want to see you do the kinds of things this missionary is talking about. What do you want us to do?” I thought about our special offer-
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ing for ASAP. I considered challenging our church to pray for a $500 offering, but then thought that did not require much faith at all. Then I thought about a $700 dollar offering, but quickly realized that amount didn’t require much faith either. It struck me, though, that it would definitely require a LOT of faith to ask for a $1,000 offering. Our last offering collected in January had gone to provide rice for the people of Vietnam, so our group decided to provide Bibles for the Vietnamese in February. I put this challenge to our members, asking them to pray for an offering of $1,000 so we could provide two hundred Bibles to the people of Vietnam. Every Sabbath and through weekly email announcements we asked our members to pray for this special gift. I reminded them that when we pray, God moves and does that which only He can do. I encouraged them to pray for this offering more than I encouraged them to give. “God will do mighty things here if we would move forward in faith,” I told them. We prayed the whole month, and God blessed us with an offering of $4,382. It was amazing! One week before the offering was collected, a visitor attended and heard that we were praying for a $1,000 offering. He left a check for $1,500. On the Sabbath that the offering was collected, another visitor from California attended. He gave a check for $500. And the rest of our members also gave generously.
to join us in giving towards this special offering. One member gave $2,000. The total given by members of the Korean group was $2,740. This is nothing less than “the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Mark 12:11). We prayed that our April offering would exceed $7,000. We praise the Lord that $8,470 came in to support lay pastors in Vietnam! As we have continued to witness God’s faithfulness and goodness, and as we think about the vast needs in Southeast Asia, we decided it was time to “launch out into the deep” (Luke 5:4). Now, we are praying for $15,000 to support the Cambodian and Vietnamese radio ministries and to provide radios. As we continue with this special monthly offering, it is my desire that our members experience God. We need to experience Him personally in our own lives and together as a church body. We need to go beyond just hearing about Him. I want our members to know that the God who parted the Red Sea, the God who multiplied the loaves and fishes, the God who is active in the foreign mission fields today, desires to be active in our lives and in our churches today. *Visit revivalandreformation.org/resources/all/join-us-for-24/7united-prayer to learn more about the 24/7 United Prayer Initiative and get involved.
Well, what do you do after you witness the power of prayer and see God move in a mighty way? To pray for the same amount would show no faith. We decided to round up the last amount we received and pray that God would bless us with a $4,500 offering in March. This was certainly a test of faith! We prayed we would be able to support the construction of eight churches in Cambodia ($550 for a church). God blessed us with an offering of $6,684! Once again, we witnessed His power and grace! Many of our members who gave generously in February gave twice as much. On top of that, it so happened that on this same Sabbath, the leaders of New Life attended the Korean-speaking Sabbath School program where one of us shared about our special monthly mission offering. At the end of her presentation, she made an appeal inviting people
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The Beginning of ASAP’s Medical Missionary Work BY DR. MARY ANN MCNEILUS, AS TOLD TO LAURA HOKANSON*
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he vision for ASAP Ministries’ medical missionary work began taking shape in 1993 when my friend, Judy Aitken, and I made our first trip to Cambodia. Our purpose was to find workers for
the newly reestablished Cambodian Adventist Mission.
Following the turmoil inflicted by dictator Pol Pot, throngs of Cambodians fled to large refugee camps scattered along the Thai-Cambodian border. Here, Judy helped many refugees learn about God and study English. Eventually, under U.N. protection, large numbers of refugees were repatriated. They returned only to find their homes and personal property destroyed or confiscated. Roads were nearly impassable. Schools and public buildings laid in ruins. Dead or missing family members and friends only added to the disparaging circumstances. 10
Amid these scenes of heartbreaking devastation, Judy and I witnessed God’s guidance in providential ways. We traveled on landmine-infested roads, around blown out bridges and through pockets of Khmer Rouge resistance forces in search of returning church members. We experienced many joyful, tear-dimmed reunions! Working hard to rebuild their lives, these church members were now employed by the U.N. peace-keeping teams at comfortable salaries. Many of them chose to give up these U.N. positions to serve the mission for a much lower income.
THEN
NOW
ASAP supported the translation of Dr. Mary Ann McNeilus’ book God’s Healing Way into the Khmer language for use as a manual at the ASAP worker trainings conducted by Dr. McNeilus.
ASAP continues its emphasis on medical missionary work, training all our missionaries to employ “the right arm of the gospel.” ASAP donors helped establish the Ahlin Medical Missionary Training School in Myanmar, where ASAP field supervisor Dr. Htwe Lay teaches missionaries to use God’s simple, effective methods of healing.
Their dedication as pastors and mission workers continues to the present.
medication for acid stomach and nausea. Despite taking the medication, his symptoms grew worse. By the time he arrived at the training session he was in intense pain. Upon examination, I found him in a terrible state, rolling with pain from his rib cage downward. His abdomen was bloated with diminished bowel sounds. He could neither eat nor sleep. He became the object of our training session. I had one group of students make a large charcoal compress which we applied to his abdomen. Another group prepared a hot water bath for his feet. Another group kept cold compresses on his head throughout the treatment. As he rested in this position, one of the training session leaders, Pastor Martin Kim, anointed him, and we all prayed. After the treatment, Johan fell asleep. By evening he was feeling better and able to drink coconut water. We repeated the treatment several times over the next few days. During this time, we talked to him about diet and ways he could keep his digestive tract healthy. By the end of the training he had made a miraculous recovery.
During that first trip, we saw the widespread lack of adequate food and basic sanitation. Lack of clean water and proper waste disposal contributed to disease, resulting in much suffering. Knowing that true medical missionary work is the gospel in practice, Judy and I realized the necessity to train the new workers as gospel medical missionaries, using simple natural remedies. This training would give them the skills to meet people’s most pressing needs in practical ways. The Cambodian workers quickly applied the basic health principles and treatments for disease that they were taught. Through their ministry, many people came to know and love Christ as the Great Healer of body, mind, and soul. Since then we have observed over and over again how the Lord seemed to step out of His way to work supernaturally during medical missionary training sessions. We would pray and the Lord would work. The following quotation became a hallmark of the work as we saw it repeated before our eyes: “Natural means, used in accordance with God’s will, bring about supernatural results” (2SM 346.4). One such example occurred on February 2, 2009, at a training session for medical missionaries from Myanmar serving in Cambodia. The week before the training session, a young missionary worker, Johan, had gone to the hospital complaining of abdominal pain. Finding no conclusive cause of the pain, the doctor sent him away with
In the twenty-plus years that I have worked with ASAP, I have observed many healings such as this. When the faith of the ASAP lay pastors’ was strong, God worked mightily. Healing miracles happened when all the credit was given to God. “And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (James 5:15). *Portions of this article are adapted from the preface to God’s Healing Way, a medical missionary manual written by Dr. McNeilus.
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25 Years 0f Impact BY DR. BRUCE L. BAUER, PAST ASAP BOARD CHAIR
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SAP Ministries is turning 25, and over those years, it has influenced lives and countries for Christ. I have had the privilege to be part of ASAP as a board member in the early days, as a recipient
of monies while the president of the Cambodia Mission from 1997 to 2001, and then as the board chair for many years after returning from Southeast Asia. I would like to share some of the things that stand out in what I have observed over the years.
E Dr. Bauer (fifth from right) with the ASAP board of directors in October 2012.
Judy Aitken, and now Julia O’Carey, have had a heart for the poor, for those drinking mud-puddle water, for the hungry, and especially for those living in ignorance of the Good News. Compassion for people is in short supply in our world, but ASAP has consistently demonstrated godly compassion for others. While working in Cambodia, ASAP made a huge difference in what that new, struggling mission could do from year to year. Tithe income from the Cambodian members was less than $20,000 a year, so the $100,000 a year ASAP contributed allowed the mission to hire full-time pastors, provide wells for villages, build simple churches of bamboo and thatch, employ Bible workers to teach and nurture village believers, and purchase Bibles, songbooks, and Bible lessons.
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The country where ASAP has probably made the biggest impact for Christ is Vietnam. In the 1990s, Adventist World Radio began broadcasting into Vietnam, and almost at once there was an incredible response. With the Seventh-day Adventist Church hampered by government restrictions and unable to follow up with the new interests, Pastor Isaiah Duong, with support from ASAP, established an underground house-church movement that continues to this day. Tens of thousands have been won to Christ and nurtured. I have had the privilege to attend several training programs for the housechurch leaders and pastors and have witnessed their commitment to the Adventist Church and their dedication to winning Vietnamese people to Jesus Christ. Without ASAP funding, this underground movement would have never come into being and would not have impacted the country for Christ. ASAP has accomplished much because of the dedicated donors who have trusted ASAP to use their donated monies in the way they have indicated. Every donor-designated gift goes to the project as requested. For the past 25 years, God has used ASAP to impact people and countries. Congratulations for work well done, and blessings as ASAP continues to be used by God to bless others.
A Heaven-Sent Partnership BY PR. ISAIAH DUONG
D
uring the late 1970s and early 1980s, waves of Vietnamese refugees arrived in Thailand by boat or on foot. Many were traumatized by what they had suffered under the stern rule of the com-
munist government in Vietnam and the harrowing experiences of their escape. Hundreds of thousands arrived in camps in Thailand and other countries lonely, hopeless, and fearful of the future
God used Sister Judy Aitken and her husband to bring hope and love to thousands of these refugees. They worked tirelessly in different camps, comforting the refugees, providing for their material needs, and sharing the gospel message. Thousands, even tens of thousands, of Vietnamese refugees were touched by this couple. Time and time again, when I talked to these refugees, they told me, “The Aitkens were so good, so sacrificial, and so supportive to us. They were the hand of God to bring hope to us.� Fast forward to 1987, when I first came to Southern California after graduating from the seminary. My assignment was to plant a Vietnamese church in Orange County, and this was when I first met Sister Judy. She introduced me to some of the refugees she had helped so I could follow up with them. Then, in 1991, when we raised funds to buy the church building for the Loma Linda Vietnamese congregation, again Sister Judy was there to help, introducing me to friends with an interest in the project. After two months of intense work, we raised enough money to buy a small church building.
One year later, we started Peace and Happiness Ministry, the first Vietnamese Christian television broadcast in Southern California, which through Galaxy 19 satellite also reached other Vietnamese communities across North America. My wife and I had to refinance our house to fund the broadcast, and we converted our garage and other rooms into a recording studio and space for producing the broadcast. Sister Judy heard about this and flew from Michigan to Southern California to see it. She also brought some of her friends to see the project and asked for their support to continue the broadcast. Then, in 1995, when the Southeast Union Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church heard about our television ministry, the president came to California to visit the studio and the Vietnamese congregations in Loma Linda and Orange County. Afterward, the Union asked for permission to use the audio from 13
the broadcast for a daily two-hour radio program on Adventist World Radio (AWR). Within three weeks, the broadcast generated a large response from listeners in Vietnam. Thousands requested Bible studies and baptism. I spoke at a Vietnamese camp meeting about the Lord’s blessing on this project. “I praise the Lord for the results,” I said, “but this is too much for me to handle, to raise funds to buy Bibles, to write literature, and to produce the programs at the same time. I need help.” Sister Judy was in the audience that day, and after my presentation, she came to talk to me. “I want to help you, Pastor Isaiah! What can I do?” she offered. “Could you raise funds to buy Bibles?” I asked her. This was the beginning of a partnership with ASAP that continues to this day. As the radio broadcast grew, the need arose to shepherd the precious souls who were accepting the gospel message. Unfortunately, the communist government in Vietnam employed many tactics to control or limit the spread of the gospel. (Even today, this continues through its requirement that churches register with the government and seek approval for their activities.) Thousands of radio listeners were seeking a church to join, but the Adventist Church had not yet received official recognition from the Vietnamese government, so many of them were considering joining the Catholic Church or other Protestant denominations. We needed to set up a new system to nurture them. After long and intense discus-
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sions, the Union gave permission to set up the house church system in Vietnam. This created a need to support the training and work of the local lay leaders, and ASAP stepped forward to provide financial support and encouragement for the house church movement. We have faced strong opposition and merciless attacks from all directions through the years. Sometimes, I felt so discouraged, lonely, and stressed out that I wanted to give up, but God used Sister Judy and ASAP’s staff to encourage, motivate, and support me to continue the journey. Even in the moments when all other sources of communication and help were cut off, ASAP’s support remained constant. It would be impossible to list all the ways in which ASAP has blessed the house church network and the evangelistic efforts of Peace and Happiness Ministry on behalf of the Vietnamese. God knows and records everything, though. “And if anyone gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42). “Therefore, my dear brothers (and sisters), stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Happy twenty-fifth anniversary ASAP! May God continue to bless and use you for His glory until the day Jesus comes again.
THEN In 1996, ASAP raised $2,000 for Bibles for persecuted new believers in Vietnam who joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church through Pr. Isaiah Duong’s Peace and Happiness radio program.
NOW ASAP donors advance God’s Work in Dangerous Oppressive Places (GWIDOP) through holistic church planting and media projects with an annual budget totaling more than $282,000. Dozens of faithful Team GWIDOP members give $100 or more per month to support their persecuted brothers and sisters in the 10/40 Window.
In Gratitude IN HONOR OF BERNARD MUN, by Ben Mun | BRUCE MOYER, by Shirley Moyer | GOD, by Marvia Thomas | JESUS CHRIST, ALWAYS JESUS (JOHN 5:23), by Roseline Rowe and Wyman Kingsley | MY PARENTS, by LaRenne Lacey | RUTH AND SAMUEL SULTAN IN THAILAND, by Cornelius & Kathrin Stam | SINGLE MOTHERS, by Mia Richards IN MEMORY OF ALBERT AND WANDA HAMRA, by Stephen Hamra BARBARA LARONDELLE, by Madeline Johnston BETTY JEAN FORD, by Cynthia Hollie | BRYANT YEE, by Cynthia Yee | CRISANTA ROMULO, by Rosemarie Abesamis | DENISE O’CONNOR, by Mia Richards FRANKLIN N. CRIDER, MD, by Susan Becraft JACK DANFORTH, by Todd & Julia Danforth | JIM NASH, who was active in mission trips for Andrews Academy students, by Rosie Nash | LAVON HEINRICH, by David Heinrich | LEK SEM, by Darren Pen | M. JEANETTE EIGHME, by Vicki Wiley | OREN HESS, by Catherine Hess | PATTIE BISHOP, by Doug & Beth Barrow | ROBERT LEE EAKINS, by Scott Eakins THE LOVE OF MY LIFE, by Rudy Desmond
IN THANKFULNESS FOR ASAP TEAM AND REACH THE WORLD NEXT DOOR, by Lucio Barros | BIRTHDAY, by Claude Morgan | CHARLOTTE AND JAKE PARK, by Monica Park | CHARLOTTE AND MONICA PARK, by Jake Park | GOD’S BLESSINGS AND 44 YEARS OF MARRIAGE, by Donald & Ellen Amador | GOD AND HIS ABUNDANT MERCIES, FAITHFULNESS, GOODNESS, GRACE, LOVE, PROVISION, AND SACRIFICE FOR US, by Carlos Migualeto Martinez, Cynthia Chienchiali Lu Suzuki, Frederick Boyd, German Neal, Samuel Brathwaite, Shari Jones, Stephanie Melendez, Tom Harrison, and Thu & Randy Clark | JESUS CHRIST, HIS CARE AND ABUNDANT PROVISION, AND HIS GIFT OF SALVATION, by Amy Bergman, Colleen Gonzales, Dessislava Gueorguieva, Elizabeth Duff, Eric Manro, Hope Sekulic, James Drew, Jane Sato, Laura Fuller, and Todd & Colleen Johnson | JOANN GAMNIS, by Walter Johnson | JUDY AITKEN, by Pr. Stephen Po | MY MOTHER, by LaRenne Lacey | NADINE, by David Tice | PR. SCOTT AND JULIE GRISWOLD, by Renee & Keith Hankins | RACHEL AND WILLIAM CHEN, by Judy Kitavi | T’MIA, by Mia Richards | THE BUSA FAMILY, by Dottie Heers | THE ZUNIGA FAMILY, by Jorge Zuniga
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ASAP Ministries is fueled by mission-minded, faith-filled individuals whom God impresses. Be assured that 100% of your gift goes 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 where ASAP operates. Because ASAP is a §501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your donations are tax-deductible in the USA. ASI MEMBER ASAP Ministries has been a member of ASI (Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries) since 1996 and is grateful to be an ASI grant recipient.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR/COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR John Press ASSOCIATE EDITOR/DIRECTOR Julia O’Carey COPY EDITOR Sandra Stebenne GRAPHIC DESIGNER Robert Mason BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair: Dean Coridan, Christopher Carmen, Steve Chang, Shirley Freed, Darryl Hosford, Chan and Esther Hwang, Curtis Letniak, Denzil McNeilus, Mary Ann McNeilus, Amy Montevilla, Julia O’Carey, Byron and Carol Reynolds, Trudi Starlin
PHONE 269-471-3026 FAX 269-471-3034 EMAIL office@asapministries.org WEB www.asapministries.org
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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.
P.O. BOX 84, BERRIEN SPRINGS, MI
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Kalamazoo, MI Permit No.185
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ASAP founder Judy Aitken dedicated her life to serving refugees. Often using her own resources, she tirelessly supported educational opportunities to prepare young refugees for ministry. Your gifts to the Judy Aitken Memorial Refugee Scholarship Fund continue this legacy. On Giving Tuesday, you helped raise $37,000 toward our $50,000 goal for this special fund. Thank you for giving to equip refugee students to reach their people for Christ!
THE JUDY AITKEN MEMORIAL REFUGEE SCHOLARSHIP FUND