MAKE THE BIBLE REAL AND UNDERSTANDABLE
THE PRICELESS GIFT CATALOG
Serving the Unreached, the Poor, and the Persecuted Through Ethnic Disciple Makers
God’s Special Trio BY TOM EVANS, ASAP BOARD CHAIR
From reading the Bible through this year, I identified a theme of individuals God intensely cares for. I call them God’s special trio: the foreigners, fatherless, and widows. Our heavenly Father clearly articulates His passion for them in Deuteronomy 10:18, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.” Verse after verse in Deuteronomy, Psalms, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and more, gives specific instruction concerning how we are to treat His special trio. His people are to treat them well and provide for them. In fact, God’s blessing on His people is directly connected to how they treat the least of these. Our family has been blessed beyond measure in taking in two orphan boys from Latvia. One thing I love about ASAP Ministries is their special focus on foreigners (refugees), the fatherless (at-risk children) and widows (often the poorest of the poor in the 10/40 window). This catalog shows a small glimpse into the abundance of opportunities available for helping these special people. What burden has God placed on your heart? What action will you take? Without question, these groups are ones that Jesus highlights in Matthew 25:40, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Our actions of compassion toward those represented in this gift catalog will truly make an impact for eternity!
WORLD
ASAP TRAIN
TELL
PRAY
SUBSCRIBE
by videos and activities to reach refugees and international students near you.
for a finished work in our hearts and among the unreached people groups.
people about the Good News in 150 languages with MyLanguageMyLife.com evangelistic cards.
to ASAP Podcast Videos for more mission motivation.
CONNECT
with ASAP Ministries to learn more! Add us to your social media accounts and make it easy to pass on fresh, inspiring news and podcasts to your friends and family.
ASAP Ministries, Inc. is fueled by mission-minded individuals like you, whom God impresses. Be assured that 100% of your donation goes directly to the project(s) you specify. However, in the blessed event that the project you chose is fully funded, ASAP reserves the right to use your gift for a similar project or where most needed. ASAP is a §501(c)(3) non-profit organization so your donations are tax-deductible in the USA. ASI MEMBER ASAP has been a member of ASI (Adventist-layman’s Services and Industries) since 1996 and is grateful to be an ASI grant recipient. *Some names have been changed and photos blurred for the safety of God’s workers. EXECUTIVE EDITOR/DIRECTOR Julia O'Carey ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Scott Griswold COPY EDITORS Wayne Labins, Brenda Kiš DESIGN/LAYOUT Sarah Lee | www.sarahlee.design
ON THE COVER:
A believer in Siem Reap, Cambodia, soaks up the Word of God on Sabbath morning. PHOTO CREDIT Cover by Cheryl Hosford, p.2 by Julie Griswold
GC2017
ASAP, PO Box 84, Berrien Springs, MI 49103 • 1-866-365-3541 • office@asapministries.org • www.asapministries.org
REACH THE
EVANGELISM “THEY ARE TO DO GOOD, TO BE RICH IN GOOD WORKS, TO BE GENEROUS AND READY TO SHARE…SO THAT THEY MAY TAKE HOLD OF THAT WHICH IS TRULY LIFE.” 1 TIMOTHY 6:18-19, ESV
“I try to save gas money by using my bicycle instead of the motorbike when I witness to villagers close by. I see how when I sacrifice for God, God blesses me. I see the miracles of God.” CHURCH PLANTER SOTHY
www.asapministries.org
Go Online to ASAP’s Gift Catalog and “Speed Up Progress in the Mission Field”. Donate $100 for a bicycle or gasoline!
FEED THE SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY THROUGH DVDS $1/Four DVDs
The most common prayer request from missionaries in closed countries is: MORE DVDs! These simple evangelistic tools have a powerful impact! Come alongside courageous missionaries who could get fined or put in prison, but who are willing to risk everything to distribute these DVDs.
SHARE “MY LANGUAGE MY LIFE” CARDS $0.05/Card, Call us for a discount on large quantities.
By carrying these cards with you, you will always have some Good News to share with people of any language you meet. The website on this card is a portal to solidly biblical videos, radio programs, pamphlets, and Bible studies in more than 150 languages.
SUPPORT EVANGELISM MEETINGS IN LAOS $550/Program (Any amount helps!)
The Lao population includes vast numbers of Buddhists and Animists who need to learn of Jesus. Missionaries face strong resistance to the Gospel, and public evangelism is still prohibited in this region. Through a compassionate health evangelistic program, the community’s health needs can be met, relationships established, and the channels of communication opened to share the Gospel.
PUT BIBLES IN THE HANDS OF SEEKERS
$12 Average Cost for One Bible
Would you like to bring the powerful, life-transforming Word of God to the poor with Buddhist, animist, and Muslim backgrounds? Many people have never had the chance to own a Bible. When you give a Bible, you give Jesus to a seeker! NOTE: We are in the process of editing the New Testament Hmong Bible translation. Thank you for your gifts for that project in the past. 6
nN JOIN US ON AN
ASAP MISSION TRIP ADVENTURE!
Come on an ASAP short-term mission trip, an enriching spiritually-strengthening experience! Nothing beats the joy of sharing Jesus with the unreached! Pack your bags and get ready for some fun cultural adventures. Go online to asapministries.org for details and to apply.
TRAIN A MEDICAL MISSIONARY FOR PRACTICAL MINISTRY $200/Worker per Training
Medical missionaries learn how to take blood pressure, treat diseases using indigenous plants, give hydrotherapy treatments, connect people to Jesus through Bible studies, and much more when they come to an ASAP training. God willing, ASAP plans to double the workers trained this next year. With your help we can! 7
EDUCATION “IN THE HIGHEST SENSE THE WORK OF EDUCATION AND THE WORK OF REDEMPTION ARE ONE.” EDUCATION, P. 30
“My teacher taught me that when we pray, our Heavenly Father sometimes says “YES”, sometimes “NO”, and sometimes “WAIT”. I am thirteen years old and I love school. One day my parents left to work in Thailand. I had to take care of my younger siblings, but then later my parents insisted that I go work too. I was sad to leave school. For two weeks I prayed until God worked a miracle and brought me back home, along with my mother and siblings. My teacher Sok Kagna, said she was praying for me too. I was so happy Jesus said, YES!” RIM DARA 8
GIVE SYRIAN REFUGEES A CHANCE TO LEARN
$25 Will Provide a Child with Classroom Supplies $15,500 Will Provide the Additional Classroom and Teacher Needed
Let’s seize a great opportunity to reach Syrian refugee children in Lebanon. These children have experienced loss and trauma and need extra tutoring help as a result. ASAP wants to build on the existing successful program by providing an additional classroom for fourteen more children. Think of the healing that can happen and the impact for Christ this can make!
GIVE SOME CUDDLY COMFORT $30 Each (1,000 Needed)
Do animals talk? Yes! And some even share the story of Jesus. Now vulnerable and victimized children will hear about the security found in Jesus through the comfort of a stuffed tiger or elephant toy that has a Wildlife Storyteller placed in its pocket. This MegaVoice player contains songs, Bible stories, memory verses, “I Believe” statements, and more, all to reinforce the curriculum being taught in our schools to keep kids safe from abuse and trafficking.
"Andrew from MI wants to share Tiger Lily with an Asian child!"
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SAVE AN AT-RISK CHILD! SEND HER TO ASAP’S NEW VOCATIONAL TRAINING SCHOOL $70/Month or $840/Year
ASAP can’t wait to fill up the newly built vocational training school in Cambodia. We know this school will not only teach practical skills like sewing and small engine repair, but it will teach young people how to be disciple multipliers! NOTE: If you would like to help train at the Takong Vocational School as a short-term volunteer, contact us!
BOLSTER FAITH WITH MY BIBLE FIRST LESSONS $1/Booklet (21,000 Needed)
My Bible First lessons beautifully present Bible stories in a clear, chronological way with colorful pictures and thoughtful questions. Even children who have difficulty reading, exclaim with excitement, “I can read this!” Provide children the Word of God in their heart language. Even many adults in Asia learn about Jesus through My Bible First lessons.
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SPONSORSHIP “WE MAKE A LIVING BY WHAT WE GET, BUT WE MAKE A LIFE BY WHAT WE GIVE.” WINSTON CHURCHILL
Visit the sponsorship section at asapministries.org for more workers and students available to sponsor. Commitments are for one year at a time. If you wish to give a one-time gift for a missionary, simply give to the ethnic missionary or school funds. Reach the unreached, the persecuted, and the poor. Be a disciple multiplier 24/7, by sponsoring AND reaching internationals near you! 11
SEND OUT AN ETHNIC CHURCH PLANTER Cambodia & Thailand $160/Month Myanmar $120/Month Laos $100/Month Vietnam $95/Month
Meet James Kai* James is a man who is constantly giving. He has given away the last money in his pocket, his next meal, and even his shoes to strangers who needed them more! James does more than preach; he shares the love of God through his actions every day. POSITION: Church Planter LOCATION: Laos
PUT A REFUGEE CHILD IN SCHOOL $160/Month
Do refugee children deserve to go to school? Of course they do, but many do not get that chance. ASAP would like to send five Pakistani refugee children who are stuck in Bangkok to an SDA school this year. Will you be one of their “angels” to make it possible? Meet Siftiya Mehran “Hi, my name is Siftiya and I am a refugee. My father used to be an accountant and my mother was a teacher when we were forced to flee our home. I am seven years old and have lived nearly half my life as a refugee. My dream now is to become a doctor when I grow up." AGE: 7 GENDER: Female
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SPONSOR AN AT-RISK CHILD $20/Month, $60/Quarter, $240/Year
Meet Luom Van Le “Hi, my name is Luom Van Le. I have four sisters and a brother. We are raised by my mother only because my father passed away. I like to listen to Bible stories at school. My favorite is about Adam and Eve.” AGE: 12 GENDER: Male SCHOOL: Vietnamese Feed and Read School
IMPACT MANY LIVES THROUGH A LITERACY TEACHER $40/Month, $120/Quarter, $480/Year
Meet Bun Leng Mr. Leng loves studying the Bible with his students and is preparing several for baptism. Some of his students are laughed at and persecuted for believing in God, but instead of giving in, he has watched his students use the opportunity to witness for God. POSITION: Literacy Teacher LOCATION: Cambodia
SPONSOR A MEDICAL MISSIONARY $30/Month (Part-time in Cambodia), $120/Month (Full-time in Myanmar)
Meet Tep Paokolyan Mrs. Paokolyan is a single mother of two children. She has spent much of her time in Cambodia planting churches. Now she has a passion for the medical missionary work and knows that God can heal bodies as well as souls. Through the use of natural remedies, Mrs. Paokolyan is able to share the love of God with those who are hurting. POSITION: Medical Missionary LOCATION: Cambodia
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HUMANITARIAN “THE LORD WATCHES OVER THE FOREIGNER AND SUSTAINS THE FATHERLESS AND THE WIDOW.” EDUCATION, P. 30
FEED A WIDOW IN CRISIS
$40/Month to Provide Rice for a Widow and her Children
When SDA church members encounter loss of a job, violent conflict, sickness, or natural disasters such as droughts and floods, ASAP missionaries step in and help take care of their most basic needs. Because ASAP missionaries survive on a small stipend, they share the little they have but ask you to join them in showing God’s mercy during a crisis. 14
SUPPLY ONE CHILD WITH CLOTHING
$15/Uniform and Shoes for a Destitute Child
For many people who have difficulties putting food on the table, clothing for their children is a luxury they cannot afford. Some students even wear their school uniforms to church because that’s often their only decent outfit. Your gift will clothe one child and give him or her a chance to go to school.
SHOW COMPASSION WITH CRITTERS $10/Chicken, $200/Goat, $800/Cow (Popular, Much Needed Gifts!)
Ethnic minorities in remote Vietnam struggle to make a living. Providing a poor family with a chicken, goat, or cow can be just the gift needed to make ends meet. These faithful believers consider your gift a blessing, a testimony that God truly does open the windows of heaven.
FREE ASAP HONOR GIFT CARDS!
When you give your donation, call us or include the name and address of the special one you want us to send a card to. Or order cards to personalize and send out yourself. 15
“When I was young, my life was super hard working for my aunt, washing clothes, selling banana cakes and fruit in the market. Sometimes I would sneak into school because I wanted so much to learn. One day I discovered a Seventh-day Adventist church where they taught English and tutoring for free. I attended when I could. My faith in Jesus grew and grew. I thank God for helping me through many trials and difficulties. He helped me get through school and used me to lead my family to Christ.� SOPHEASITH YOUNG
PROVIDE A WELL AND BRING CLEAN WATER TO A VILLAGE $250-$550/Well
Imagine an entire world without any access to clean water for even the basic necessities of life. For many, this is their reality. The lack of a safe water supply results in numerous waterborne diseases and deaths in these regions. Many infants never live to see their first birthday. Help dig a well that will bring life-saving changes for a village lacking this basic necessity. 16
SURPRISE A REFUGEE CHILD FOR CHRISTMAS $7 Plus a Shoebox of Gifts
Have fun filling a shoebox for a refugee girl or boy. Select a special toy like a doll, stuffed animal or soccer ball with a pump, then fill in with stickers, a small kids’ Bible or book, hygiene necessities and school supplies. Pray that the child who receives your gift will know Jesus better. Send your box and $7 to ASAP Ministries by December 12 so they can be delivered by Christmas. Address: 105 S. Cass Street, Berrien Springs, MI 49103 17
THE PERSECUTED
“WHEN CHRIST CALLS A MAN, HE BIDS HIM COME AND DIE.” DIETRICH BONHOEFFER, THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP
“My greatest joy is seeing people come to accept Jesus. However, in one ethnic area recently, the new believers received beatings from the police. They were told to leave their homes. They were threatened with burning down their houses if they did not give up their belief in God. Whether or not we face further persecution, our mission is to go forward to share the message of Christ.” DISTRICT LEADER HIEN THANH DUONG* 18
OPEN A CENTER OF INFLUENCE FOR REFUGEES $8,000/Year
Refugees suffer deep emotional scars from fleeing persecution and violence in their homeland. While on their refugee journey, many suffer culture shock, further persecution, hunger, and loneliness. Along with feeling unwelcomed, they normally face cultural and language barriers, a harsh reality of being displaced. Refugees need acceptance, care, and support as they merge into their new environment. Through a center of influence in Indianapolis, refugee church planters, Sam and Eh Paw Ngala, can restore hope to these individuals.
REPAIR A HOUSE-CHURCH IN A CLOSED COUNTRY $500 Will help tremendously!
ASAP workers report that the “black mafia�, a gang whom the police hire, often vandalize house-churches in some countries that prohibit public evangelism. Your help to repair these churches will boost the morale of persecuted believers.
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AID THE FAMILY OF A PERSECUTED WORKER $50 Will go far!
Imagine the financial hardships when a worker gets detained, fined, or imprisoned. The spouse and children often have no way of supporting themselves and suffer, too. Your prayers and gifts for these families help alleviate heavy burdens. 20
RELOCATE A PERSECUTED FAMILY
$350/Home, Additional funds needed for travel costs and necessities
Help relocate a family who has been driven out of their village by relatives and the community because of their newfound faith. You can help keep them safe and provide a roof over their heads.
HELP TRAIN AND SEND A NEW TEAM TO AN UNREACHED LEPER COLONY $15,271 to Reach a New Colony $130/Month to Support One Missionary
Leprosy not only eats away at the body of these valued individuals but it destroys their quality of life and relationships. Lepers suffer grave discrimination that cause them to be segregated from society and become social outcasts. They cry out for compassion and tangible assistance. You can help missionaries reach them with not only love, but God’s beautiful truth that they are of much value to Him.
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MOUNTAIN-SIZED GIFTS I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, YOU CAN SAY TO THIS MOUNTAIN, ‘MAY YOU BE LIFTED UP AND THROWN INTO THE SEA,’ AND IT WILL HAPPEN. BUT YOU MUST REALLY BELIEVE IT WILL HAPPEN AND HAVE NO DOUBT IN YOUR HEART. MARK 11:23, NLT “During one quarter last year, ASAP did not have enough funds to send the stipends for the missionaries. The office team fasted and prayed, trusting God to work a miracle. God provided double what we asked for through one large anonymous gift. This experience strengthened my faith and reminded me that with God, all things are possible!” SCOTT GRISWOLD, ASAP ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR 22
HELP LAUNCH THE NEW REACH THE WORLD NEXT DOOR TRAINING SCHOOL $103,000 Needed, any sized gift will help!
ASAP plans to launch a 10-month training school to teach young people how to become wholistic, cross-cultural disciple makers. Imagine refugees and others learning how to plant churches using Christ’s practical approach. This amount will cover trainer salaries, operational costs, evangelism supplies, and scholarships for worthy students. You can help launch this needed school through your prayers and donations.
MAKE LIVING WATER ACADEMY A DREAM COME TRUE $148,000 Needed, any sized gift will help!
God amazingly provided the first step, land for a missionary training center and academy in the country of Laos. Help prepare the land and raise up classrooms and dormitories so the dream of the first Seventh-day Adventist academy in Laos can become a reality.
KEEP SAMRONG SCHOOL GOING
$27,000/Year, any sized gift will help!
ASAP has been told that the funding source has dried up for the Samrong School in Cambodia. If ASAP does not take on this school, it will close. Step out in faith with us to keep this school open so the 110 at-risk children can continue growing in Jesus. 23
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This catalog gives you a sampling of ASAP projects. Go online to learn more about additional projects that may match your passion.
VISIT: www.asapministries.org