———————————————————————- Missions Insider Report by Christian Aid April 23, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 16 Visit our website at http://www.christianaid.org ———————————————————————– John Lindner, Editor ———————————————————————–

1. India: Gospel Transforms Orissa Tribespeople 2. Myanmar Ministry Uses Gospel Fans 3. New Amazonian Tribe Targeted 4. Philippine Tribal Groups Still Unreached 5. Photo of the Week: Orissa Tribespeople

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. India: Gospel Transforms Orissa Tribespeople

A missionary of India who preached the gospel to tribespeople in Orissa State years ago recently returned and saw the transformation that Christ worked in their lives.

The leader of an indigenous mission movement in India went with two other missionaries and preached the gospel among primitive tribespeople of Orissa State in 1981. Later he returned with a mission team and conducted a four-day crusade.

“The bare-breasted tribal women wore only a loin cloth that barely covered their front. The men walked through the marketplace wearing only a loincloth. Their children were stark naked,” the leader said. Animal sacrifice was common and human sacrifice was not unheard of.

In the summer of 1982, the missionary returned again with his wife and two children, then aged 10 and 2. They made a windowless thatched-roofed hut in the village (cost $4) and evangelized the surrounding villages.

“We did not see any visible results,” the leader told Christian Aid, “but our report challenged other missions to come to this area.” The leader’s mission began a concentrated work there and has planted more than 600 churches in the area in the last 22 years.

The leader returned to the area in April and was amazed to see a church in almost every village. “The people came from different villages and touched my feet and thanked me for coming to their villages with the gospel, saying that because I came they are now believers,” he said.

The Orissa believers set up a convention ground and constructed a 12-foot tall illuminated cross at its entrance. Every night 5000 people attended the meetings–half were believers and the rest were villagers who wanted to hear what the gospel was all about. Every day more than 500 people stood up and said the sinner’s prayer, holding their hands on their chest.

“The worship was heaven on earth,” the leader said of the 3000 gathered for worship on Sunday. “There must be no one left in heaven; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and all the angels are here,” he told the crowd.

He said when he and his wife visited the market in 1982, his wife counted only three women out of a thousand with something on their upper body. This time, they could not find three women out of a thousand that were not covered.

“God has prospered His people,” the leader said. The crusade cost about $10,000 to put on, averaging only $6.70 per decision. Local believers covered half the crusade expenses.

To learn more about this vital, evangelistic and church-planting ministry, write and put MI-416 652-IET on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 2. Myanmar Ministry Uses Gospel Fans

A ministry in Myanmar uses folding hand fans to spread the gospel.

Members of a gospel team set out to witness among several villages in a state bordering China. The first village they went to they distributed hand fans with Bible pictures on them. They told how sin entered through Adam and Eve and how Jesus Christ died on the cross to take away their sin. The villagers received the fans and the good news gladly and 24 people accepted Christ as Savior.

Then the missionaries went to another village where three people had confessed Christ during a New Year’s visit. Through their testimony, three others had since trusted in Christ.

The missionaries next went to another village and took some rest. As soon as they arrived the villagers came to see them. The team members gave them fans and started explaining the Bible pictures to the people. The villagers were thrilled, and this time 12 more people accepted Christ and started sharing their testimonies.

The villagers then told the team members how to get to a neighboring village, but on the way the missionaries got lost and had no food to eat. When they finally came across a house, they asked the owner if they could rest there a while and then realized they were in a Chinese village.

The owner was very fearful, thinking they might be from the Myanmar army. Myanmar soldiers had just shot and killed one of the villagers the day before because they thought he was planting opium in his garden.

The team members said they were preachers of the gospel. They told how they had shared the gospel in the previous village, and then preached the gospel to these villagers, also. The people received them, gave them supper, and hosted a gospel meeting that night, where 13 people came to Christ.

The mother of the homeowner then led the missionaries to a friend’s house where five more people accepted Christ with great joy.

The next day the missionaries continued witnessing in the village, holding a small gospel meeting every place several homes were close together. They even visited the family of the man who was shot and consoled them with the good news of Jesus Christ. By the time the missionaries left, the Holy Spirit had helped them lead 30 villagers to Christ.

The missionaries said that an even greater harvest could be reaped if more workers could be supplied. “There is a school in one village and only one teacher. If they had another missionary who could live in this village, very soon the whole village would become Christians,” the mission leader told Christian Aid.

The fact that the army has prohibited local people from planting opium has really made the local people ready to listen to new ways. “Please pray for us to be able to send out more laborers,” they request. To learn more write and put MI-416 715-MGO on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 3. New Amazonian Tribe Targeted

A ministry in Peru is seeking to bring the gospel to a newly discovered tribe.

Several months ago the Yanachaquino tribe was spotted by the Yanesha tribe in the jungles of Peru. Segadores, a ministry directed by Peruvian Peter Hocking, has discipled workers among the Yanesha tribe and seeks to work with them to reach the Yanachaquino. The first step is to learn more about the nomadic, “Stone Age” tribe.

“Please pray that the Lord will enable us to contact and learn about the Yanachaquino, and that He will provide the necessary resources and equipment to carry out this investigative project,” he said. The investigative team plans to leave in June for the jungle.

Segadores trains workers, plants churches and conducts literacy training among mountain and jungle tribes. To learn more about this effective ministry write and put MI-416 245-SEG on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 4. Philippine Tribal Groups Still Unreached

Because of its Roman Catholic preponderance, the Philippines is often called the only Christian country in Asia. Even though evangelicals have grown rapidly in the country since World War II, today numbering 12.6 million or 16.7% of the country, the majority of residents still do not know the saving power of Christ.

While the gospel has been well received by many in the major language groups such as Cebuano and Tagolog, there are many small, tribal groups that have barely been introduced to the gospel. The AD-2000 Movement listed 40 Unreached People Groups in the Philippines. Philippine missionaries are seeking to reach all of them; many live in the southwestern part of Mindanao Island.

South Cotabato has a tribal population that includes the T’boli (Tagabili), Ubo and B’laan. The T’bolis live around Lake Sebu, a lake in the mountains surrounded by rolling hills. They are famous for their colorful costumes with intricate beadwork, ornamental combs, earrings, belts, and bracelets. They also make the renowned “tinalak” cloth from dyed abaca. They love riding horses and often stage horse fights.

The Ubus, who live a few hours hike from Lake Sebu, have much in common with the T’boli. They have a fine tradition of weaving cloth and baskets, but are better known for the ornate brass swords they craft.

The B’laan still dwell on the slopes of Mt. Apo, the highest peak in the Philippines and, for them, the residence of God. Most follow traditional animist religion, and have vowed to fight commercial drilling for fuel sources on their sacred mountain. The B’laan claim to be brothers and sisters to the Maguindanao, an Islamic people group who live in Maguindanao Province (around Cotabato City).

The Kankana-eys belong to the tribal group collectively known as lgorots. They can make marginal lands productive because they are open to innovations, especially in farming and gardening. They are one of the best vegetable growers in the country. Traditional practices like butchering of many animals, bunong (praying done by their high priest), dancing the tayaw (native dance) and bakliw (singing) still exist. For the Kankana-eys, a wedding celebration would not be complete if there was no tayaw and offering of tapuy (rice wine).

Wearing of expensive wedding gowns is not a popular practice among them, but butchering of animals is compulsory. It is a dishonor on the part of both parties if animals are not killed for the wedding feast. The Kankana-ey women are known in the province of Benguet as the best weavers of shirts and blankets. They are hardworking, independent and business-minded. Their women can work in their farms without the husband’s help. As of May 2000, there were 140,439 people living in a province whose land area is about 800 sq. mi. (2,000 sq kms.).

To support ministries working among these ethnic groups and to learn more, contact and put MI-416 801-WMN on the subject line.

———————————————————————– 5. Photo of the Week: Orissa Tribespeople

http://www.christianaid.org/pow/pow-4-16.asp

A Orissa tribal man with the name of his god tattooed on his chest claps hands during a tribal dance ten years ago. An Orissa tribal mother with her baby is on the right. Both photos show traditional tribal dress when the gospel reached them. Now a thriving church movement is among them. See today’s lead story. For more information write and put MI-416 652-IET 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.

———————————————————————– Permission to Republish

The content of Missions Insider is Copyright 2003. You have permission to share this newsletter with any evangelical Christian whom you think would be interested in reading it. Permission is granted to reproduce articles in whole or in part on websites, e-mail networks or print media as long as the stories are faithfully replicated and credit is given to Missions Insider at http://www.christianaid.org. Please send notices of publication to . Thank you.

—————————— Contact Us —————————– Check us out on the web at: http://www.christianaid.org. Christian Aid can be reached by phone at 434-977-5650, or by writing Christian Aid at P.O. Box 9037, Charlottesville, VA 22906. In Canada, visit http://www.christianaid.ca or write to .

———————————————————————– To subscribe to Missions Insider Report, or to view archives, visit http://www.christianaid.org/insider.asp.

Christian Aid’s Privacy Statement: http://www.christianaid.org/privacy.asp

os.yahoo.com/rlgmediaau”>http://au.photos.yahoo.com/rlgmediaau http://community.webshots.com/user/ramon_williams ——————————————————————- Telling others, what others are doing for the Lord.

— Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).