1. Another Vietnamese Church Destroyed; Believers Defend Parsonage 2. Record Heat Wave Claims a Thousand Lives in India 3. Myanmar: Buddhist Stronghold Infiltrated with Gospel 4. India: Kashmir Protestant School Attacked (Update) 5. India Ministry Requests 25,000 Prayer Warriors 6. Pakistani Missionary Sees Great Harvest 7. Photo of the Week: Beaming Afghans

———————————————————————- Missions Insider Report by Christian Aid July 2, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 26 Visit our website at http://www.christianaid.org ———————————————————————– John Lindner, Editor Sarah Carter, Assistant Editor ———————————————————————–

Note: Missions Insider refrains from mentioning names that could make the subjects targets of anti-Christian activity. Names are sometimes mentioned of ministries conducting work commended by authorities or located in areas of greater religious freedom. ———————————————————————– 1. Another Vietnamese Church Destroyed; Believers Defend Parsonage

Vietnam authorities have again destroyed a local church building, but courageous believers, placing their lives on the line, prevented the destruction of their pastor’s house.

In a report received just yesterday, Christian Aid learned that local authorities of Phuoc Hau village in the Ninh Phuoc district of Ninh Thbuan province came and removed the roof of the Phuoc Dong Evangelical Church in mid-June. They returned with a bulldozer on June 22 and destroyed the remaining walls and structure of the 200-member church meeting hall.

They came back again the next day to destroy the parsonage of the pastor, Luong Vinh Quoc. The believers, who belong to the Cham tribe, resisted the police and formed a human ring around the parsonage saying, “If you want to destroy this house you will have to kill us first.”

There has been no word on what has happened since. However, on May 25 the police confiscated a motorcycle and a sewing machine from Pastor Huong’s house in Eakar village of Dac Lac province in the Central Highlands as a fine for his having Bibles and Christian literature in his house.

On May 26 police in Dong Nai province near Ho Chi Minh City sentenced pastor Than Van Trung of Long Khanh village to four months in prison because they found Bibles in his church meeting place.

Vietnam authorities are blinded by the god of this world and do not understand the blessing the gospel can bring to their land. Pray that they may have their eyes opened. Meanwhile, letters of protest and apologetics may be sent to Vietnam authorities at the Embassy of Vietnam, 1233 20th St. NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036 – Tel 202 861-0737, 202 861 2293; Fax 202 861-0917; Email:

Questions to Missions Insider may be addressed to with MI-426 740-VTC on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 2. Record Heat Wave Claims a Thousand Lives in India

Whereas North Americans look forward to summer time for vacation and recreation, summer in India is a scourge to be endured, with temperatures in some areas soaring to 125º Fahrenheit (50º Celsius).

Record-breaking highs throughout India have caused water tanks and wells to dry up. One missionary working in Andhra Pradesh state told Christian Aid all lakes in his area had dried up and most wells had run dry, though the well by his church continued to provide water. As a result, people from all over came to get water, and he was able to tell them about the “living water.”

The same missionary said animals died and he saw birds literally fall from the sky out of thirst. Few people could come out of their houses to work in the oppressive heat, and hundreds died.

Another missionary in Andhra Pradesh said that even with temperatures reaching 118º F, he was able to hold gospel meetings throughout his area. Hundreds of people responded despite the fact that even during nighttime, “it was like sitting in an oven!”

The number of heat-related human deaths in India has topped 1000, according to India’s news media. The majority of deaths come from poor people who can’t afford fans and have no convenient access to water. Only the very wealthy have air conditioning. The best most people can do is hope for relief from the monsoon rains.

Most deaths occur among the elderly and the very young. Native missionaries, especially those with infants and tiny children, also suffer. Fans can be obtained for as little as $15, but that is as much as half a worker’s monthly income. So Christian Aid sends funds to help them purchase electric fans, which also help keep away disease-bearing mosquitoes.

Fans can be provided through contributions at http://www.christianaid.org using code 600FAN. To learn more write and put MI-426 600-MEF on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 3. Myanmar: Buddhist Stronghold Infiltrated with Gospel

A native missionary from Myanmar (Burma) was surprised and overjoyed to discover small groups of Christians in an area of the country that is particularly hostile to Christianity.

These people, including some former Buddhist monks, had been saved through the radio ministry of a mission in Burma. The area in which they live is so closed to the gospel that, the mission leader says, “it can never be evangelized by a resident missionary or even an itinerant missionary openly. This is why I believe the Lord has been using the radios.” The leader gives a regular message over the radio that reaches thousands in predominantly Buddhist Burma.

When the missionary found the tiny bands of new believers, they were thrilled to finally meet someone who could disciple and teach them. They had been meeting secretly with no guidance from a mature Christian. They begged the missionary to come as often as he could to their town.

The ministry has plans to nurture the growth of these isolated people by sending workers to provide fellowship and teaching, medical care for lepers and the poor, food and children’s evangelism. The mission leader will take a trip himself to meet those who have been saved through his radio messages. He also hopes to distribute more radios at strategic places where a contact will be responsible to tune in to his gospel program morning and night. The ministry will begin taking promising believers from the area to another safer location for leadership training and then sending them back to their own people. “In this way,” says the mission leader, “the local authorities will never know what is going on.”

To carry out the plan, the ministry needs a number of radios. Please pray that the mission’s strategy will continue to draw people to Christ in dangerous Buddhist areas of Burma. For information on how you can help, write and put MI-426 715-WFC on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 4. India: Kashmir Protestant School Attacked (Update)

A school attacked in Kashmir in late May, said to be a Catholic School, was in fact a Protestant school, according to recent reports received by Christian Aid.

In early June various media reported the attack that occurred on May 22 near the main entrance of Saint Lukas Convent School in Nai Basti, 50 km. from Srinagar. The explosion killed one of the female teachers and seriously wounded another. The report called the victims “nuns.”

But Christian Aid has learned that the school was indeed a private school run by the son of one of the converts of an evangelical ministry assisted by Christian Aid. The leader, who now directs his ministry from a location in Uttar Pradesh state, for years worked out of Udhampur in Kashmir, and was, in fact, in Kashmir when the attack occurred.

“It was a private school run by one of our boys named Luke who was the son of one of our believers near Doda,” he told Christian Aid last week. “The father was converted through the ministry of WEC missionaries, and when they left, the family fellowshipped with us. He had four sons, whom he named Mathi, Marcus, Luka and Youhanna [Matthew, Mark, Luke and John].

“Luka got a teaching job in an Anglican mission school in Srinagar and then left there to start his own school in Ananthanag, about 60 km. from Srinagar. He named it St. Luke’s Convent School.”

He went on to explain: “Christian schools have always had a high standard of education in our country. It has become a fashion now in India that even Hindu schools use the name ‘convent’ and ‘mission’ in their schools, and also all sorts of ‘saints,’ to show that it is a good school.

“The school was coming up fairly well when this incident happened. The teachers who were wounded and killed were not Catholic sisters; they were single, Protestant girls.

“It was a big shock and loss for all of them and all Christians, but now the school continues functioning as before.”

And now you know “the rest of the story.”

The leader who provided that information has an extensive church-planting ministry all across the Himalaya Range from Kashmir in the West to Myanmar in the East and celebrates 50 years of personal ministry this year. Persons wishing to know more information about that ministry may write to and put MI-426 660-HEM on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 5. India Ministry Requests 25,000 Prayer Warriors

The leader of a ministry to tribal groups in North India praises God for new opportunities that have opened up, but he wants to saturate any plans in prayer before moving forward.

His ministry does outreach in remote tribal villages and focuses not just on saving souls but on discipling them as well. Revival meetings and “jungle camps” introduce tribal people and dalits (untouchables) to the gospel. Portable Bible schools and church plantings nurture their growth. In the past year, 433 new believers were added to the body of Christ through this ministry, and the total number of churches increased from 90 to 103.

Also in 2002, over 5000 people from the Santhal, Munda and Ho tribes heard the gospel through various outreaches. Missionaries are grateful that there was little opposition this year compared to other years.

Nevertheless, ministry co-workers feel a sense of urgency. They are pleased with the receptiveness they have seen among tribal groups but know it cannot last long. They want to continue to convert believers into soul-winners, pastors into disciple-trainers, and churches into training centers, hoping to eventually train 100,000 believers for the ministry.

They know that these dreams cannot be realized without the power of prayer. That is why this leader has set a goal of getting 25,000 people to commit to pray for the ministry for one hour a day.

Please join many others in lifting up this outreach, especially remembering the need for resources and outreach tools for evangelism. To learn more about how you can help, write and put MI-426 640-OFU on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 6. Pakistani Missionary Sees Great Harvest

A ministry in fiercely Muslim Pakistan is miraculously growing by leaps and bounds, reports its leader.

In January alone, this leader trained 40 new believers for church planting. Since then he has trained an additional 25 pastors and raised ten teams of 50 men and women each for evangelism, literature distribution and church planting.

Christians are discipled by this ministry in 2000 house churches across Pakistan with a total of 100,000 members. This growing church needs buildings for worship. The leader is hoping to raise the funds for this and a Radio Bible Seminary he plans to start. Already Pakistani Christians may be trained at one of this ministry’s 25 Bible schools. As of now, 500 students attend these schools.

This creates more need, however. The leader reports a lack of teaching aid books for teachers, as well as other supplies, such as cassette players and overhead projectors.

Despite needs, however, this ministry is taking root and producing fruit in one of the areas of the world most antagonistic to Christianity. The leader requests the prayer support of his brothers and sisters around the world as he continues to train native missionaries and evangelize lost souls.

To find out more about this ministry, write and put MI-426 470-PGA on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 7. Photo of the Week: Beaming Afghans

http://www.christianaid.org/pow/pow-4-26.asp

Afghan refugees beam with joy as they receive blankets and food assistance from a Pakistani Christian ministry assisted by Christian Aid. Some also beam with joy after coming to know Christ as their Savior, but most of them try to keep such faith a secret, since some have been attacked and even killed for believing in Christ. To learn how you can help, write and put MI-426 470-CGA on the subject line.

———————————————————————– Mission Statement:

Missions Insider is a free weekly email report from Christian Aid Mission, your link to the world of indigenous missions. We seek to establish a witness for our Lord in every tribe and nation (Matthew 24:14) by supporting highly effective native missionary ministries based in poorer countries overseas, or where believers are persecuted. Christian Aid has contact with more than 6000 indigenous ministries that have a total of 300,000 missionaries on the field or ready to go when support is available.

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