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Issue 08
The youth ministry of AsiaLink
Youth Missions Magazine ‰ Encountering
the world of Islam ‰ The Suffering Church ‰ Frontline Maldives ‰ 10 ways to avoid becoming a missionary
Historymakers trip, Aug 2010 For three weeks, the HM Youth Department once again led a team into one of the world’s most unreached regions – south-east Asia. Our assignment: to take as much Christian literature as we could carry to Christians who meet and worship in secret. The team loaded large rucksacks full of Christian materials. The bags were simply enormous, way too heavy to carry for any distance. Somehow, they had to get them across the border, through customs and on to those who so desperately needed them. This was a dark place and we could sense it––Communism, Buddhism and spirit worship are rife here but we knew people were praying and that was great!
CHINA
VIETNAM
BURMA
LAOS THAILAND
We eventually arrived in one piece in a town where we were to meet our contact, a church leader from one of the many unofficial churches now springing up in this country. For two hours the team sat, mouths wide open, as they listened to him report on what life as a believer in his nation was really like. Persecution, hardships, arrest, imprisonment, preaching, teaching, church planting, tough journeys. He told us of some Christians who had been made to stand for two days in a hot truck, just because they believed in God. It was like something out of the book of Acts. After ten days it felt like the trip was over. It wasn’t. We were barely at the half way point. Destination: the border of Thailand and Burma. Another assignment: to teach the Bible to 90 Burmese children. For decades now, thousands of Burmese tribal people have been fleeing their country. Many have been killed and others have suffered terribly – again, these were people who know Jesus but find themselves in a country that hate Him. All day we taught the children Bible stories and crafts and played games with them. These little ones were in love with their Saviour, and all they wanted to do was praise Him! All of a sudden the daily team devotionals were making sense. In John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life book, we’d been reading of how the greatest goal of our lives is to make others glad in God. The penny dropped for us––we had seen it with our own eyes. People – glad in God! This was what life was all about! If you add together the number of people groups in Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, you would have over 600––and that’s not including China! Many of these ethnic groups have no churches and few, if any, Christians among them. Needless to say the harvest is plentiful in this region of Asia.
tyres Vietnam has a population of 85million. It’s estimated that most families own at least one moped!
ice-cubes a giant fish a mirror
crops
your family
all your mates
chickens (& a goose)
N.Korean teenager Recently at a major international Christian event, one of the main sessions had the theme “God is on the Move – a tribute to the persecuted Asian church”. A North Korean teenager was invited to share her testimony. As a little girl, whom we’ll call ‘Joy’, she saw her pregnant mother die of leukemia. Joy lived as a refugee in China for 11 years when her father was arrested, beaten and sent to prison for three years for preaching the gospel. A few years after his release, he returned to share the gospel with his people in North Korea. He was arrested again. This happened two years ago, and Joy hasn’t heard from him again. She is convinced that he was executed as a criminal – all for the sake of the gospel.
The Suffering Church TARGET AUDIENCE: Worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To inform and inspire. In over 60 nations, millions of Christians are being persecuted for their faith today. The Bible tells us to remember our Christian family who suffer as if we are suffering with them.
WATCH ON: HistoryMakers website, Vimeo and Youtube. AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD?: Yes, contact us for more details.
N.Korea is the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. The mere mention of Jesus’ name can bring imprisonment. Being caught with a Bible will mean certain death or a life-sentence in a prison camp.
A loving Christian Chinese family took her in. At the time she was not a Christian, but one day she had a dream that Jesus was telling her that in spite of everything that had happened to her, God loved her very much. It was a turning point in her life. She decided to serve God just like her father had – unconditionally! Now she is in her last year of high school trying hard to enter university to study Political Science and Diplomacy. Her aim is to go back to North Korea some day. She wants to give voice to the many thousands of voiceless Koreans suffering all kinds of injustices and persecutions. She said, “I have given my entire life to God. I want to spend my life serving Him for as long as I live. I want to continue the work my dad never finished. I will be His ambassador.” With tears streaming down her face, she begged for Christians all over the world to pray for persecuted Christians in Korea. Amazing! In a day and age where most young people have no clue about what to do and where to go with their lives, it was so refreshing to hear someone with a life ahead of her, mapping the way, charting unknown waters, determined to fulfill her earthly AND eternal destiny doing something bigger than most of us dare to imagine. (Used with permission of TWR International).
AsiaLink are helping to reach the people of N.Korea. Find out more at www.historymakers.info
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Crossword 2 1 3
Across
Down
3 Jesus appeared to destroy the works of this person. (1 John 3:8)
1 The Old Testament prophet who is often called a reluctant or even “obstinate” missionary. (2 Kings 14:25)
4 God’s covenant with this man included the promise that through him "all peoples on earth will be blessed". (Gen 12:3) 6 What Solomon built to be a worship centre for all peoples and not just for those born as Hebrews. (1 Kings 6)
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4
7 The number of different language groups who heard the gospel on the Day of Pentecost from Peter. (Acts 2)
2 The place where God gave His people a covenant, saying that they would be “a kingdom of priests.” Peter says that phrase indicated they would declare God's praises to the world. (Exodus 19) 5 The kind of people for whom we need to look if we follow the pattern of Paul’s missionary strategy. (open-minded)
8 What Paul’s missionary strategy reminds us we need to do with the gospel message. (Make relevant)
Cartoon 6
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“Let no one_____ in men...”
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Places
TURKEY 2 A. HANOI, VIETNAM 3 A. THIMPHU, BHUTAN A.SEOUL, S.KOREA 1 A.B. ORTAKÖY, 4 ERBIL, IRAQ B. VIENTIANE, LAOS B. PYONGYANG, N.KOREA B. SANAA, YEMEN C. DELHI, INDIA D. YANGON, BURMA
C. COLOMBO, SRI LANKA C. BANGKOK, THAILAND D. MAHARASHTRA, INDIA D. BEIJING, CHINA
C. JAKARTA, INDONESIA D. KATHMANDU, NEPAL
PLACES 1.B 2.D 3.A 4.B CROSSWORD ACROSS: 3 DEVIL, 6 ABRAHAM, 6 TEMPLE, 7 SIXTEEN, 8 CONTEXTUALIZE. DOWN: 1 JONAH, 2 SINAI 5 RECEPTIVE. CARTOON ‘GLORY’.
Cartoon taken from ‘Conventional Wisdom’ by A. Auderset. Used with the kind permission of Monarch Books. Crossword by Howard Culbertson. For more original content like this, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert
(1 Cor 3:21)
Article by Howard Culbertson. For more original content like this, visit: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert
80% of Christian workers are serving in the Christian world, 18% in the evangelized non-Christian world and only 2% in the unreached world.
To be a woman of Afghanistan is to know the true meaning of oppression. Women in Afghanistan are treated as 2nd class citizens, according to the 2010 UN Development Fund for Women Report. Even in today’s society, women in Afghanistan are never considered as social equals to men. Here are some of the more extreme examples: Women of Afghanistan are not allowed to walk on a street alone without a male companion; women must ride on separate city transport, so as not to be in the presence of men to whom they are not married; women are not allowed to see a male physician without being accompanied by a male relative, and women must wear a burqa when in public in order to cover their hair, their body and their face. Can you imagine living your life completely covered? Can you imagine being able to see only that which is clear to you through the mesh covering over your eyes?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Ignore Jesus' request in John 4:35 that we take a long hard look at the fields. Seeing the needs of people can be depressing and very unsettling. It could lead to genuine missionary concern. Focus your energies on socially legitimate targets. Go after a bigger salary. Focus on getting a job promotion, a bigger home, a more luxurious car, or future financial security. Along the way, run up some big credit card debts. Get married to somebody who thinks the “Great Commission� is what your employer gives you after you make a big sale. After marriage, embrace the socially accepted norms of settling down, establishing a respectable career path and raising a picture-perfect family. Stay away from missionaries. Their testimonies can be disturbing. The situations they describe will distract you from embracing whole-heartedly the materialistic lifestyle of your home country. If you happen to think about missions, restrict your attention to countries where it's impossible to openly do missionary work. Think only about North Korea, Saudi Arabia, China and other closed countries. Forget the vast areas of our globe open to missionaries. Think how bad a missionary you would be based on your own past failures. It is unreasonable to expect you will ever be any better. Don't dare even think about Moses, David, Jonah, Peter or Mark, all of whom overcame failures. Always imagine missionaries as talented, super-spiritual people who stand on lofty pedestals. Maintaining this image of missionaries will heighten your own sense of inadequacy. Convincing yourself that God does not use ordinary people as missionaries will smother any guilt you may feel about refusing to even listen for a call from God. Agree with the people who tell you that you are indispensable where you are. Listen when they tell you that your local church or home country can't do without you. Worry incessantly about money. If you still feel you must go, go out right away without any preparation or training. You'll soon be home again and no one can ever blame you for not trying!
To find out more about how to pray for Afghanistan, visit our friends at: www.prayercast.com/afghanistan
Today, only 12 to 15% of women in Afghanistan can read or write. In addition, 60-80% of women face forced marriages. There are numerous reports, however, indicating that girls are given in marriage at even younger ages and to men sometimes 15-20 years their senior. Can you imagine being forced to marry whomever your family decides is best for you? Can you imagine being at the mercy of someone else for the rest of your life, knowing that he and society view you more as piece of property than an actual human being? Think about it. In Afghanistan, a woman dies every 29 minutes during child birth, which is the 2nd highest rate of death during delivery in the world. We would like to encourage you to take a moment to educate yourself on the plight of the Afghan woman, as well as to pray for her. Please pray that she will come to know Jesus Christ so that her hope and freedom can be in Him.
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The USA has 5million Muslims and Canada has 983,000 and yet in both countries Islam has a higher annual growth rate than Christianity.
Iraq is a hot-bed of Muslim activity and yet God is building his church through persecution. Pray for the scattered pastors in the north of Iraq.
A Muslim is someone who follows the teaching of Islam. They worship one God, whom they call Allah, and believe that Mohammed is their prophet.
Statistics vary widely concerning Muslims in Europe. Russia has over 16million Muslims, France has 5million and Kosovo is 90% Muslim.
(Mohammed was a man who lived during the 7th century) Muslims believe that Allah will judge each person by how many good things and how many bad things they have done. There are five things that they must do to be good Muslims, but even this doesn’t guarantee a ticket to heaven. 1. Recite the creed: “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.” 2. Pray five times a day at certain times. 3. Give to the poor. 4. Fast during the month of Ramadan. 5. Make the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muslims are normal people, just like you and me. It’s very easy to criticize people who aren’t like us but the Bible commands us that we are to love all people.
asia africa middle-east europe americas indonesia pakistan india bangladesh egypt
800 400 250 38 6 207 160 145 132 70
million million million million million million million million million million
*Operation World
The majority of N.Africa is Muslim. Strongholds include Algeria, Somalia, Sudan, Mali, Egypt, Morroco, Libya and Northern Nigeria.
Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state and the birthplace and stronghold of Islam. It’s also home to ‘Mecca’, regarded as the holiest meeting site in Islam.
Pakistan is home to some of the most least-reached people groups on the planet. Ethnic groups like the Chitrali, Jat and Awan are totally un-evangelized.
There are 48,000 mosques but not a single church building. Afghanistan has 70 unreached people groups including the Pashtun, Hazaras and Uzbeks.
There are 25 muslim people groups in India alone with a population of over 100,000 who have no known gospel witness.
Although there are 21million Muslims in China we can thank God for the mission vision of the Chinese Church that endeavours to reach these peoples.
Afghanistan has one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the world. The average person lives to be 44.
Jakarta, Indonesia has the second largest urban population in the world after Tokyo. There are around 22million people in this mega-city.
This is one of the least-evangelized nations on earth. Islam is the national religion and the open practice of Christianity is banned.
Sunni Islam is the official religion. Evangelizing Muslims is illegal. There are over 100 radical Islamist groups promoting the stricter Shari’a law.
There are 187million Muslims in Indonesia compared to 37million Christians. The Church has grown rapidly in the past 50 years.
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This is the flattest country in the world. The highest point is 2.9 metres!
POPULATION: 313,000 CAPITAL CITY: Malé RELIGION: Muslim 99%;
Islam means ‘submission to Allah’ and Muslims believe that it’s the original religion since creation. Everyone who submits to Allah is called a Muslim and Allah appointed thousands of prophets throughout the centuries to warn and guide mankind, ending with the last prophet Muhammad in AD 610.
Buddhist 0.4%; Christian 0.17%
GEOGRAPHY: 1,200 coral islands (only 202 inhabited)
Maldives Male, with 100,000 people crammed onto the island, is easily the most populated of this string of beautiful turquoise beads scattered across the Indian ocean. Step inland however and soon the cluttered maze of back streets takes over. Rising high like gleaming signposts from the many mosques on this tiny island, the golden crescents dominate the landscape. Above all else, it’s the sheer quantity of young people that strikes the visitor to these islands. The girls, all but the very youngest, emerge in their dark trousers, overalls and of course the black head scarf. Growing numbers wear the full burqa and the niqab to cover the face, even in the stifling heat. Out for a midnight swim at Male’s artificial beach, the girls plunge under the inky waters fully clothed with their burqas and veils intact. There are no churches anywhere and not a believer to be found in Malé. Not one. I took an ancient and smoky ferry to one of the many outlying atolls. We bobbed around in the Indian ocean for a couple of hours before being offloaded onto the immaculate white sands. About 3000 Maldivians lived on this particular island; I was the only white among them. I was also the only “Christian” among them. Not because they knew about my beliefs but because to the Maldivian, and indeed most Muslims, to be white is to be Christian. Their perception of Christianity is somewhat warped. The local Muezzin sang out the call to prayer from a megaphone hoisted high above the trees. Five times a day the intrusion slices through this paradise and shatters the idyll, the dreary call a reminder to us all, locals and foreigners, snorklers and surfers, that the Gospel still has a long way to go. I passed island after island, many inhabited but never visited by outsiders and hugely difficult to reach. There were no churches here either.
The good news is that God knows all about the Maldives. The explosion of mission vision among the churches of the developing world is key to how He will unlock places like the Maldives. It is easy to see why Asians reaching Asians is so critical to opening doors for the Gospel in some of this continent’s darker corners. Pray for the ongoing Bible translation, radio broadcasts and Christian workers on the islands.
So far as missions goes, the Maldive Islands represent one of today’s tougher outposts. After Saudi Arabia, this is the only nation that claims a 100percent Muslim population. While ideal to look at, the truth is that light and life are currently very difficult to spot. There are Maldivians walking with the Lord though there may now be as few as just three in number in the whole world. Three – that’s all.
What are ‘Burqas’? A Burqa is an outer garment worn by Muslim women to cover their bodies in public places. In the more traditional Muslim countries, women are required to cover their faces as it is viewed in Islamic religion as the most desireable part of the woman.
Kashmir It was Friday and the devotees streamed in for worship. Mian paused to remove his shoes and then to purify himself ever so carefully. Turning to Mecca, he scrupulously washed his hands, ensuring the water reached down between each finger and then up to the wrists. Then, scooping the water into his mouth, he rinsed it, not once, not twice but three times before spitting it back out into a bowl. Next, the water was inhaled up into his nose, sniffing it from the right hand, blowing it out with the left. Then the arms and the elbows. Three times, starting with the right arm, the water was cupped again in the hand and this time allowed to drizzle back down to the elbow before a thorough wipe ensured no dry spot remained. And now for the whole head. The swoosh of water drawn up from a bowl and spread painstakingly, moving from the front, the face and beard, to the back and then the front again. Then the ears, insides first and then meticulously cleaning with the thumb around the outside before concentrating on the feet, moving methodically between each toe and finally right up to the ankles. What are ‘Muezzin’? A Muezzin is a man who calls Muslim men for prayer. The call to prayer, known as ‘Adhan’ sounds like a song coming from the minaret, the tower attached to the mosque. Many Muslims use loudspeakers so that people can hear them. In western countries this isn’t allowed because of laws that forbid loud noise or music.
visit mosque five times a day
wash face, ears, mouth 3 times
And then he began. Arms folded across the chest, reciting from the Koran. Next the hands were raised before he fell to his knees, face tucked in low to the floor. Reciting. Repeating. Recounting. Mian was just one of thousands fervently bowing in unison. Muslim masses at worship.
Inhale up into nose 3 times wash wrists and hands 3 times
wash ankles and feet 3 times
ready for ritual prauer
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JARGON BUSTER
What is ‘Persecution’? This is when Christians are subjected to hostility and ill-treatment because of their faith in Christ. It can vary in intensity, from name-calling to violent opposition, imprisonment or even death. Can we stop it? Well, the truth is that the number one reason for persecution today is conversion! If we want to stop persecution then we have to stop people coming to Christ – and that’s not going to happen!
60% of the more than 200 million Christians facing persecution are children.
“Renounce your Jesus” The teens could tell that the shouts and chanting were getting closer. An older teen looked nervously at his friend. “The Muslims are coming. We’d better hide the kids”, he said. Others, following his lead, helped the smaller children find places in the buildings nearby. Then, they hid themselves. It was January and a crowd of mostly Christian children had gathered for a Bible camp at a University in Ambon, Indonesia. When the camp was over, cars came to take the joyful children back home, but there were not enough cars to hold them all. Some Christian men had gone to try and rent additional transportation to take the rest home but they had not returned yet. What the waiting kids didn’t know was that the men were attacked by a Muslim mob on the way to the village. Before long the mob reached the University. They found many of the teens and forced them out from their hiding places. Roy Pontoh was made to stand before the mob. ”Renounce your Jesus, or we will kill you,” they threatened. Though trembling he answered, Hatred towards Christians in Muslim “I’m a soldier of Christ”. countries is often incited by prominent At this, one of the Muslim people within society like the Imams who are the leaders of the local mosques. attackers swung a sword at his stomach. The sword Pray for the Imams and other Muslims who preach in the mosques. hit the Bible that Roy was Pray that they will come to know the holding, knocking it from his true God through Jesus Christ. Pray hand. The next swing of the also for the work that AsiaLink are sword sliced open Roy’s involved with in Kashmir, Maldives, Iraq and Afghanistan – all majority stomach. His last word Muslim nations. was “Jesus.”
the DO’S and DON’TS of reaching out to muslims
DO show you’re a follower of Christ by your loving words and right lifestyle. your Muslim friends understand your DON’T assume meaning of Christian.
DO take time to build a relationship. DON’T be surprised if you’re rejected at first. DO approach your encounters as a learner. Ask questions DON’T treat them like an academic project. DO correct their misunderstanding of your beliefs. DON’T quarrel. DO talk about Jesus. Use His title in Arabic ‘Isa Al Masih’ DON’T insult the prophet Muhammed. DO practice modesty. Even among Westernized Muslims. Muslims think the same as you. DON’T assume Even if they dress the same.
An 18 year old Muslim girl found a copy of John’s Gospel and she read it and came to Christ. She was lying on her bed and said that she had this sudden realization, like a knife to her heart, utter conviction that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. She said it was like a light coming right out of the pages of her Bible and she was saved right there lying on her bed. She lay there for a while and 14 minutes later she got up and went out of her bedroom into her living room where her father was sitting reading. Her father was an imam and an important businessman. Everyone knew him. She said, “Dad I have something to tell you. I am a follower of Jesus Christ.” He beat her so hard. Her eyes were popping out. Her face beaten black and blue. Her teeth smashed to bits. She was beaten so badly she almost died. It took 14 minutes for persecution to come to this new believer. 14 minutes.
8 of the 10 most persecuted countries in the world are Muslim! The list includes: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Maldives, Afghanistan, Yemen, Mauritania and Uzbekistan. Some face physical violence and death; others contend with unjust imprisonment or denial of religious liberties such as to share one's faith. However, most Muslims do not persecute Christians. Of all the Muslims in the world, it is usually the extremists that target Christians.
East Asia For young people 18-25 who want a hands-on cross-cultural experience.
TRIPS 2011
Activities include; university classes, performing (music or other), prayer walks, outreach, praying over a closed country, meeting closed country workers first hand and hearing what God is doing. * Trip length: 18 days * Dates: July 12-29 2011 * Cost: Approx. £1,100 ($1,700) (This includes international flights, accommodation and food).
South-East Asia We’ll be visiting South East Asia to get the Good News into a country high on the list of the world’s most persecuted nations. As if that’s not challenging enough, we'll also get to minister to people caught up in one of the world's modern day genocides. The HM SE-ASIA TRIP – Not to be missed! * Trip length: 18 days * Dates: July TBC * Cost: Approx. £1,300 ($2,000) (This includes international flights, accommodation and food). Register* your interest by email: historymakers @asialink.org.uk or by phoning our head office: 01772 681618. *(18-24yr olds)
historymakers@asialink.org.uk HistoryMakers is a ministry of AsiaLink Registered Charity No. 327165