NEWS FROM CHINA

CHINA. While in the countryside sharing about Jesus, the young overseas Christian worker was interrupted by an 18-year old who enthusiastically helped him finish the story that he was telling. Not only did the 18-year old prove to be a Christian, but he introduced his farmer parents and three younger siblings who were also believers. The 18-year old explained that before his grandfather was martyred more than 50 years ago, he had accepted Jesus as the result of the witness of some American Christians. The grandfather went to the grave telling his son to never forsake Jesus. During all these years, the farming family has never owned a Bible. But they still remember some of the precious stories that were passed down by one who paid dearly for his faith in Christ.

CHINA. He is a leader in a house church network. Although he was the primary church planter in 16 house churches, he saw the network quickly grow to more than 80 churches when he began to work closely with other church planters. Eleven of those churches suffered persecution. Some were even closed. But he continues to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, saying "When we lose one church, we start three."

CHINA. The highly educated young physician was led to Christ while in medical school by an illiterate woman who cleaned her dormitory. When she was invited to a house church, she accepted. At the first meeting, she was so moved by God's Spirit that she wept and wept. She continued her involvement with the house church for several years. As they began dividing into new groups for the sake of reaching more people for Christ, she accepted the leadership of one of the groups. Just as the cleaning lady had stepped out of her comfort zone to share Christ, so too is the doctor determined to step out to reach others for His Kingdom.

CHINA. The American lady had traveled in a smoke-filled bus for six hours to get to her target evangelism location. As she and her traveling companion checked into the hotel, she found herself getting irritated with the slowness of the young Chinese lady at the hotel reception desk. But as God reminded her of the need for patience, she and her friend made a point of reaching out to the receptionist, even inviting her to eat with them. Over a meal that night, they had opportunity to share the gospel with their new friend, as well as with some others who joined them. Even though it was the first time that the hotel worker had heard about Christ, she eagerly accepted Him into her heart.

Eye On China

Numbers are climbing in many societal realms of China's populace.

• Students: China now has 25 million university students, five times that of nine years ago.

• Singles: More than 45 percent of Chinese people aged 15 to 35 are single.

• TV viewers: With televisions in 99.89 percent of its homes, China now has more than 1.2 billion TV viewers.

• Wealthy: China had 108 billionaires last year, up from only 15 the year before, and now has more billionaires than any country but the U.S.

• Displaced: Four million more China residents will soon join the 1.4 million who have already been relocated from the Three Gorges Dam area in recent

Virtual Prayer Walk
(from Preachables, East Asia Newsletter, published by IMB)

News from and about China

Christianity Sparks China ’s New Cultural Revolution ( July 15, 2007 , Orlando Sentinel, by Robert L. Moore)
Christianity in China has come a long way since 1870. That was the year that violent Chinese mobs in the city of Tianjin , enraged by rumors that French missionaries were kidnapping babies, massacred every Christian they could get their hands on. In those days, China 's citizenry saw Christianity as a tentacle of Western imperialism, and as such viewed it as a threat to their country's very existence. But the role of Christianity in China today could hardly be more different from what it was then.

While doing research on Chinese society in Beijing this summer, I met a surprisingly large number of recently converted Chinese Christians. And I wasn't the only one aware of the rising tide of Christian conversions. The evidence is undeniable: Despite the government's official doctrine of atheism, its general disapproval of religion, and its occasionally ruthless suppression of those Christian groups that it views as threatening, millions of Chinese are now choosing to convert.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/views/orl-moore1507jul15,0,745276.story

China Sees Activists as Olympic Threat ( July 23, 2007 , AP)
China 's intelligence services are gearing up for next year's Beijing Olympics, gathering information on foreigners who might mount protests and spoil the nation's moment in the spotlight. Government spy agencies and think tanks are compiling lists of potentially troublesome foreign organizations, looking beyond the human rights groups long critical of Beijing , security experts and a consultant familiar with the effort said. They include evangelical Christians eager to end China 's religious restrictions, activists wanting Beijing to use its oil-buying leverage with Sudan to end the strife in Darfur and environmental campaigners angry about global warming.

The effort is among the broadest intelligence-collection drives Beijing has taken against foreign activist groups, often known as non-governmental organizations, or NGOs. It aims to head off protests and other political acts during an Olympics the communist leadership hopes will boost its popularity at home and China 's image abroad. "Demonstrations of all kinds are a concern, including anti-American demonstrations," said the consultant, who works for Beijing 's Olympic organizers and asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The government, he said, is "trying to find out what kinds of NGOs will come. ... What are their plans?"

While foreign governments often monitor potentially disruptive groups ahead of big events, Beijing this time is ranging farther afield, targeting groups whose activities would be considered legal in most countries. Officials in China 's overseas diplomatic missions are also being tasked to gather information on groups, the consultant said. When The Associated Press reported in May on plans by U.S. and other Christian groups to proselytize at the Olympics, the press officer at China 's U.N. mission contacted the AP seeking more information.

Preachables Volume 86: September 7, 2007
CHINA. When they sat down with a group of deaf acquaintances to eat a meal, the overseas visitors were introduced as followers of God. As a brief discussion in sign language ensued, the visitors were asked if it was their tradition to pray before eating. They acknowledged that it was and asked if they might lead the group in a prayer of thanksgiving. Everyone agreed. When the person praying invoked the name of Jesus, it became clear that one of the deaf men was very confused. Touching the middle finger of each hand to the opposite palm, he duplicated the sign for Jesus to the man seated next to him and asked what it meant. It was a word that he had never before heard or seen. The visitors were excited to be able to tell him in a language that he could understand of the Savior's love.

CHINA. They had only been in China for one year when they had to leave because of their overt witness. It was so hard to understand. The young overseas couple had sensed His leading as they had been preparing to move even closer to the core of the unreached people group, and now it appeared as they would be far away from them. Knowing that it would be a long time before they could return, they cried out to the Lord, questioning how He would allow them to be separated from the very people that He had called them to reach. But as they adjusted to their interim setting, they realized that He had placed them in the very location that they needed to be. Not only were they able to serve in an evangelistic training center targeting the very people group that they had adopted, but they were able to spend long hours in learning the difficult minority language. The wait is now behind them and they are headed back into China, bolstered by the special season of learning that God prepared for them.

CHINA. "Do you mind if I pray for you," she asked the noodle shop owner. "I don't see many customers in your shop. I'm a Christian and God hears my prayers. He never fails to answer." The shop owner readily agreed to allow the American lady to pray for his shop and to also let her tell him and his employees about Christ. Two weeks later he received Christ. When she had asked to pray for him that day, the lady evangelist had no way of knowing that the witness of the shop owner's Christian father-in-law had prepared him for that moment. Likewise, the father-in-law could not have known when he witnessed to the man earlier that God was preparing to send an American woman to draw the net. Since receiving Christ, the shop owner has become very active in telling others about the Savior and hosting house church gatherings. He is following in the footsteps of those who were faithful in witnessing to him.

We Have Moved

Apologies for not posting for the last several months. My wife and I have moved from Little Rock, AR to Arlington, TX. It has taken some time to get settled into our new home. Sandwiched in between unpacking boxes, taking care of a lot of stuff was a music mission trip to Monterrey, Mexico with our church FBC Arlington, and a teaching trip to California. I do promise to be more diligent in posting about missions in the future because there is much good news to be reported. From Asia, to South America, even in the Northeast section of our country, God is doing some great things that need to be celebrated.
Blessings to all who read this blog and send me commments from time to time.

News from IMB

Here are some excerpts from the IMB report at the 2007 SBC. (Just in case some may have forgotten).

Hundreds answer call to missions commitment at Southern Baptist Convention meeting 6/15/2007

By Don Graham SAN ANTONIO (BP)—KGB agents had arrested Shokrat* before, but this time was different. Instead of being taken for interrogation, he was tortured.

Messengers to the 2007 Southern Baptist Convention meeting in San Antonio listened, transfixed, as the former Turkmen pastor described how agents forced a gas mask over his head and waited for him to suffocate. As he struggled for breath, the mask was removed momentarily, then replaced and the cycle repeated.

Shokrat’s skin was pierced by hypodermic needles. He was choked, beaten and shocked with electricity. Threats to torture his family and friends, rape his wife and murder his children were made. He endured this abuse for days, not because he was a spy, but because he had chosen to tell a story of suffering and sacrifice not unlike his own – the story of Jesus.

Shokrat’s powerful testimony came as part of the International Mission Board’s annual report to the convention on June 12, where hundreds of Southern Baptists answered an altar call to greater missions involvement. IMB president Jerry Rankin said Shokrat’s story, and the stories of persecuted Christians everywhere, serve as evidence of a lost world desperate to hear the Gospel.

“Numbers can be overwhelming – 1.6 billion people have not yet heard the name of Jesus. … Yet God’s desire is for all the world to know Him, and He sent us with the responsibility to be His witnesses,” Rankin said. “He’s not waiting on our response. God is moving in providence and power, stirring through political disruption to open doors to countries and people groups where we would have never imagined missionaries being able to serve.”

Rankin cited the thousands who have come to faith in the nations of the former Soviet Union, the IMB’s missions emphasis for 2007-08, since the collapse of the communist superpower. Turkmenistan is among the Soviet republics that gained independence in 1991. Though Shokrat may never be able to return to his home, he continues his work to spread the Gospel there thanks to a partnership with John,* an IMB missionary serving in Central Asia. With the support of Lexington Baptist Church in Lexington, S.C., Shokrat and John have developed a training program to disciple leaders in the Turkmen church. Now, churches there are growing again, even thriving under severe persecution, Shokrat said.

Messengers also heard another story from the former Soviet Union, that of Genady Krechin, a former businessman with ties to the Russian mafia. Genady first heard the story of Jesus from a Russian believer and gave his life to Christ. Now, in partnership with IMB missionaries Brad and Lori Stamey and Crestview Baptist Church in Shelby, N.C., Genady pastors a small house church in Moscow. Thanks to the help of local believers like Genady and Shokrat, Rankin reported that in 2006 Southern Baptist missionaries and their partners baptized more than 475,000 new believers, planted some 23,000 churches and discipled more than 500,000 Christians.

Rankin also praised Southern Baptists for enabling God-called missionaries to go by giving the largest Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in history – $150,178,098. “Because of your faithfulness in giving,” Rankin said, “784 new missionaries were appointed and sent out to the ends of the earth.” Many of those missionaries were responsible for breaking ground on work among 104 “unengaged” people groups last year – peoples among whom no evangelicals were previously working to share the Gospel. “I thank you, not on behalf of the International Mission Board, not on behalf of your missionaries around the world, but I thank you on behalf of the millions of lost people that will hear the story of Jesus for the first time because you gave and God-called missionaries can be sent in increasing numbers,” Rankin said. “We are told in Romans 10:13 that whoever believes in the name of Jesus, whoever responds in faith to the story of Jesus, can be saved. But then we are confronted with the questions, How can they call on Him of whom they have not believed; and how can they believe on Him of whom they have not heard; and how can they hear the story of Jesus except we be sent? “A lost world is waiting. Multitudes are dying. … We’ve been equipped with all we need to reach the lost world. It’s a story, just a simple story. It’s a story of how Jesus touched your life and saved you. … A world is waiting for someone, perhaps you, to say ‘I’ll be the one. I’ll go and join others and tell the story of Jesus.’”

Tom Eliff, senior vice president of spiritual nurture, closed the IMB’s program with a special invitation and altar call to greater missions commitment, telling Southern Baptists they have an opportunity to either lead the way or fall into the shadows. “God has a yoke for you in terms of world missions that perfectly fits you,” Eliff said. Are you willing to consider what else God might have for you? “Some of you know this is going to be one of the most transforming moments of your entire life. Others know that you’re going to go back to your church … and suddenly it’s going to be catapulted into the farthest regions of the world.”

Messengers answering Eliff’s invitation left behind a sea of empty chairs as they stood or kneeled before the convention center’s 75-foot-wide stage. Nearly 100 people signed cards committing themselves to exploring the possibility of serving overseas as a Southern Baptist missionary. Eliff prayed over their calling. “Oh, Father, we sense that we are running out of time. How can we put our heart around the billions of people who desperately need to know You? “God, I pray You hold our feet to fire … I pray You won’t let us rest until we are right in the yoke You have for us. … We rejoice to see those who will come to know You in these next years because of what You, by Your grace and goodness, have done in this moment. And forever we will walk and talk on the streets of glory with those to whom You’ve called us to tell the story.” *Last name withheld for security reasons

NEWS FROM GUAYACIL

Meet José, trancultural missionary from Ecuador (From http://guymuse.blogspot.com/)

When José Chillambo first appeared three years ago for our church planting training, all he could talk about was missions. He is a fairly new believer, but has always had a one-track mind about missions. The tougher the territory, the more excited he gets! Over the years, we have seen him mature and develop spiritually. It has become evident to all of us that the Lord is calling him to serve as a transcultural missionary.

In August of this year, Jose will be sent by the Guayaquil house churches to serve on the IMB Xtreme Team in Peru. He will be our first "homegrown" transcultural missionary to be sent out to the ends of the earth from the Guayaquil house churches. The Xtreme Team is not for just anybody. It is, to say the least, quite eXtreme...

"People who live in the easy-to-reach places have heard the Gospel. The people
in the hard-to-reach places haven’t...How will they be reached? The Xtreme Team is Western South America’s answer.If traditional forces can’t get in, Special
Forces must be trained. If traditional strategies aren’t reaching them, Xtreme
strategies have to. The Xtreme Team leaders will train teams of young men to
reach people in the most isolated and difficult-to-access places. The training
will produce the best trained mission force in the region. They will be
physically, mentally and spiritually ready to reach people who have been
overlooked for centuries.This one is definitely not for everyone. Those who
cannot or will not do tough physical work, or those who are not willing to
suffer for the Lord better look elsewhere. The Xtreme Team members will go where the rest of the world is unable, or at least unwilling to go. They will explore
some of the most extreme, isolated and inaccessible places on earth and take the
gospel to those who live where no one else has reached..."

This is where Jose's heart lies: going where the Gospel has never gone before. It will take $200/month to support Jose. The Guayaquil house churches have already begun to raise his support. It comes in amounts ranging from a few pennies to a few dollars per week. Our goal is to support him financially for two years in this missions venture.

Will you pray for Jose? He will need all the prayer support he can get!

CHINA UPDATE

Left: Chinese tourists spend holidays visiting many of China's scenic wonderlands.

Summertime and Anytime

Summer and travel are often considered to be synonymous. Family vacations, trips to exotic locations, and restful get-away weekends are on the docket for many. There is a lot of travel going on in China as well. How incredibly thankful we are for the hundreds of volunteers who are spending their hard earned vacation time and money to share Christ in China this summer. We praise Him also for the hundreds more who live and travel throughout China year-round so that the gospel can be proclaimed. Here are a few exciting travel stories from workers in China.

Never Been Asked
Headed home from a training conference, an overseas Christian worker used some photos to initiate a conversation with a Chinese man seated next to him on a plane. That led into an opportunity for him to share his Christian testimony. As the plane was landing, he asked the Chinese man if he wanted to believe in Jesus. Oblivious to onlookers, the man began to weep copiously and then said that although he had been told about Jesus before, nobody had ever asked him if he actually wanted to receive Jesus. Now that the question was out there, he had a ready reply. "Yes!"

New Friend, New Brother
Riding a bus into an unreached area where they had never been, the two Christian workers were befriended by a curious passenger. The man asked about their plans for the day and when the workers replied that they were canvassing the area to better understand it, he invited them to his home. That night the two Christians shared the gospel with five people in the man's home and two of them accepted Christ into their hearts.
Testing the SoilChristian workers had been targeting the ethnic-minority area for several years. Prayer walkers had been sent in, followed by literature distribution teams. Then an agriculture team came to visit. As they were driving down the road praying for guidance, they sensed God telling them to stop the jeep right where they were. They looked out into a nearby field and saw four men working. Approaching the men, they asked for permission to test their soil. In the process, they found the soil to be too acidic and were able to help the farmers correct the problem. That led to relationships with several fathers and sons who farmed together. Four men in their 60's soon accepted Christ. One year later, 18 persons in their previously unreached village were Christians.

Pedal to the Metal

Chinese people are pedaling electric bicycles to beat the price of gas and avoid traffic jams. More than 16 million of the electric cycles were purchased last year and sales may reach 30 million this year. The vehicles can run for 48 kilometers before having to be recharged and emit no noise, odors, or pollutants

News from China

PREACHABLES (FROM HEART FOR CHINA)

CHINA. The Christian worker thought that he was visiting a small clinic in the slums of his city to connect with some village evangelists who were in town. But God had something else in mind. At the clinic he found a mother sobbing over her deathly ill newborn baby. As Christians prayed over the four-day old baby, six men who worked in construction with the baby's father sat nearby not saying a word. The Christian worker picked up the tiny form and was able to detect a pulse and shallow breaths. He carried the baby outside of the dimly lit clinic to better see what was going on. As the light touched the baby's eyes, the baby boy gasped and started crying. Peasant onlookers thought that the infant had truly been revived from the dead. Accompanied by the parents and their friends, the Christian worker took the baby directly to a teaching hospital with neonatal facilities. There they encountered a Christian physician who was willing to treat the baby, despite the inability of the parents to pay up front. When the baby was out of danger later that afternoon, the entire group went out to eat. Over the meal, the Christian doctor, the village evangelists, and the overseas worker led the baby's parents and the six friends to Christ. It truly was a day of miracles, and a day that caused the Christian worker to renew his commitment to making Christ known in China.

CHINA. A small group of house church leaders felt exhausted when they returned from a training conference. Since it was the first time that three of them had ever flown, it had been quite an adventure. As they piled into a van and began their journey into their city, they bowed their heads while one of them voiced a fervent prayer of thanksgiving. Then they turned their attention to the driver. Although he had heard the gospel many times, he had not yet received Christ. One of the men removed his hat as a sign of reverence as he began to share about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Then another one invited the driver to pull to the side of the road if he was ready to receive Jesus. The driver stopped the van immediately, bowed his head, and accepted Christ. As "hallelujahs", "amens", and other sounds of praise filled the van, the men realized that the fatigue that they had felt at the beginning of the ride was now overshadowed by renewed determination to reach the multitudes of lost people in their city.

CHINA. A Christian was sharing Jesus with a 16-year old seeker in a public shopping arcade when a security guard walked over and snatched the gospel tract from his hand. Feeling as if he had been caught redhanded, he turned to the guard and said, "Yes, I have already talked with this young man. He showed interest. I am not forcing him to do anything. If he should decide to believe, it's his own decision." As the guard flipped through the pages of the tract, the evangelist prayed silently. But when he saw that the guard was on the last page, he simply could not be silent. "Sir, do you know Jesus?", he asked. To his surprise, the guard responded that he did. Then the guard handed the tract to the 16-year old and said, "Here. Read it."

News from the Big Country

The following is a report from a colleague who travels into the big country from time to time.

It was an interesting trip to a different province from where I am usually
found. About a month ago, some friends contacted me with the request
that I return to visit them soon for they had some exciting and important
information to share. I agreed to stop by on my next trip to that
part of the country and then shared with them my schedule for when that might
be. I confess that these brothers and sisters are ones that I always look
forward to visiting with and learning of how the Father is blessing the work in
their area of the country.

Arriving in my friend's city last week,
I found that my friend had brought together several leaders
from another province that represented an amazing House Church network of
friends. These friends, from a nearby province, had traveled many hours by
train to meet with me and discuss the possibilities of our assisting them in
efforts to both grow in the Lord as well as grow by reaching the rest of
their province for Christ! This new network represented some 16
associations with over 80,000 members and around 550
churches. Their dream was to learn how to assist their lay-led bodies
to be more solid in their faith while also boldly moving forward in reaching
their people. As we talked, I was touched of the Lord's spirit when I
learned that this body has only 26 years of history and that they have only 20
full-time paid workers in the midst of their over 550 churches.
Having said this, their goal is to multiply both churches and multiply lay
leadership for the new churches they wish to develop. Wow, what faith
these people have in the Holy Spirit as their teacher and the Bible alone as
their "instruction book!" Surely, God will continue to bless such
faithfulness.

Please pray for us all as we seek God's leadership in learning how partnership is best accomplished for His Kingdom! Blessings as you serve.

Good News from Vermont

Some of you may be following the ministry of Terry Dorsett in Vermont. Although there are setbacks from time to time, this email proves the efficacy of prayer. Rejoice with Terry in answers to prayer, and join him in prayer for the needs listed

Dear Prayer Partners,

I am pleased to report that the Faith Community Church went before the zoning board this evening to have the building zoned for a church. It was approved in SIX MINUTES, with no stipulations!!!!!! Thanks for praying, it worked!

That was a big hurdle and now God has taken care of it.

We meet with the Fire and Safety people next week, pray that that meeting goes well too.

So far we are still on target to close on June 29 as planned and begin work the following week on renovations.

We still need to raise some $$ for the renovations, that detailed info is below.

Keep praying, it is working!!

Terry Dorsett, in VT

Faith Community Church, Barre VT

Cost Estimate for Renovation:
Physical Work:
Electrical work: 2000
Fire alarm system: 5000
Carpet: 16500
Painting: 1230
Sheetrock/lumber 12000
Platform lumber 1000
Sign: 2500
Miscellaneous 5000
Contingency 9046
Total Materials Cost: 54276

Items to be purchased:
Refrigerator 1000
Video projector 1000
Two Computers 2000
Sound system 5000
Case of Bibles 275
Youth room furnishings 3000
Office furniture 3500
Vestibule area furniture 5000
Total Cost for Items: 20775

Total Renovation Cost: 75051

Cash On Hand: 17552

Outstanding Pledge: 20000

Amount to be raised: 37499

Links

I am trying to make a link here.
Let's see how it works

How Churches are Started in Ecuador

Guy Muse shares how churches are started in Guayaquil:

This is a typical story of how house churches get started in Guayaquil..

Mónica was hired to clean the house of a believer, Martha. Mónica
began to open up with Martha about the problems she was having at home with the man she was living with. Martha would cry and pray with Mónica. She openly shared Christ telling her He could heal her life and home if she would just trust him. Mónica thought it too good to be true what Martha shared.

One day Mónica decided to invite Martha to come to her house to share the Gospel with her family. Martha took along Marlene, a gifted evangelist from the house church she attends. Marlene and Martha arrived at Monica's and gathered the family together to dialogue about spiritual matters. Monica felt strongly that she should give her heart to Christ. She was certain that she would be the only one to do so. Much to her surprise, Medardo, her daughter Aneida, and her live-in boyfriend David ALL gave their hearts to the Lord! From the very beginning, Medardo and David were changed dramatically by the power of Jesus working in their lives. Monica and Aneida were overcome with joy in the Lord.That was September 2006.

Marlene, Martha and others began 45-minute weekly bus trips to disciple their new converts. Both couples decided early on that it would be best to get legally married. Recently they were all baptized.(see video here) In Mónica and Medardo's home they proudly display their framed new believer diplomas--Baptism, Discipleship I, Discipleship II, and Christian Marriage Certificate. In all I counted TEN framed certificates on their walls! Several others have since been won to the Lord. These new beleivers are being discipled by Medardo and Mónica. Both just completed our 7-week COSECHA to help them with their own church planting. They will now proudly add their new "Church Planter" certificate to their wall collection!

This past Sunday, Barbara Rivers and I were invited to visit the new church that meets in their home. We sang song after song as everyone wanted to make sure their favorite was sung. Medardo shared his testimony and a short devotional thought on faith. It was evident that he had worked hard on it all week knowing his "teachers" would be present.

Prayers were voiced, the offering was collected, and words of encouragement were shared by several. Medardo and Monica shared that just this past week their other daughter, Maria, had also accepted the Lord!!! They are overcome with joy that their whole family--including grandpa--has joined the family of God!

After a lunch of chicken and rice, everyone gathered around Monica's sister, Rosa, to share Christ with her. She listened intently to all the testimonies of how Christ had changed everyone's life. Words cannot describe how precious it was to hear testimony after testimony of how Christ has totally transformed their lives, brought them happiness, freed them from the shackles of sin, and given them a purpose for living. Medardo even shared he had lost 20 lbs. since becoming a Christian. He called it "sin weight" that was taken away when he gave his heart to Jesus!

Monica's sister Rosa has SEEN the change in her family's lives, and knows it is for real. Yet she was not yet ready to give her heart to the Lord. She will though, it is just a matter of time!

After worshipping, sharing, eating, picture taking, and visiting together for nearly three hours everybody went home happy.

This is how house churches get started in Guayaquil. For all my years of studying and preparation, reading books, attending conferences, strategizing, fussing and fuming, church planting boils down to...

1) Someone going to share the Good News of the powerful life-ransforming life that is found in Christ.

2) Making disciples of those who respond by walking alongside them in their initial steps of life in Christ.

3) Baptizing as soon as possible those who believe.4) Teaching them to observe all
Jesus commanded.Should church planting really be any more complicated than that?
If we will do our part, Jesus promises to do his part and BUILD HIS CHURCH

Read more about Guy's work in Guayaquill at http://guymuse.blogspot.com/

News from China

CHINA. Two simple questions helped jump-start an evangelistic outreach to a minority group in a major China city. An overseas Christian worker first asked a house church leader if she knew any Mongol Christians. When she replied that she didn't, he said, "Why not?" It was as if he could see the light go on in her eyes. They talked a while longer about the need to reach the minority group. The next day, the lady told the Christian worker that she was ashamed that she had never thought about the spiritual needs of the minority group and ashamed that it had taken a "foreigner" to remind her of the needs of a group in her own city. She turned that shame into victory, though, by making contacts that will facilitate a wide outreach among the Mongol people living in her city.

CHINA. He woke up feeling sick. His head ached and he had a stuffy nose. "It's going to be a long day," he thought. On the way to catch his 6:30 a.m. flight, he realized that he had not brought his medicine. "It's going to be a very long day," he sighed. Resisting the urge to ask the taxi driver to turn around, he reminded himself that he had promises to keep. But he inwardly harbored a sliver of hope that maybe his flight would be cancelled. It was not. Nor did his contact fail to meet him at his destination. He reluctantly climbed onto a bus to head out with his trainee to tell people about Jesus. The first person that they shared with rejected Jesus outright. But the next one gladly received the Gospel and accepted Jesus as Savior. At the next stop, another person accepted Christ. At noontime, they led the parents of two new believers to the Lord. All of the sudden, the evangelist realized that his headache was gone. He felt great, albeit humbled. Reflecting on the day, he said, "I learned that the Lord loves these people more than I do."

CHINA. When the Chinese realtor rented an apartment last fall to a Christian couple from overseas, she told them that she did not believe in any religion or deities. She believed only in herself. But over the course of several months, as she visited their apartment to assist with housing issues, she developed a relationship with the couple and some of their Christian friends. The self-sufficient realtor came to grips with what was lacking in her life and accepted Jesus as her Savior early this year. In the meantime, she had introduced five of her colleagues to the Christian couple. Together they began to hear the Good News and four of them accepted Christ during a Bible study held at the rented apartment on Easter night.

Vermont Mission Report--Terry Dorsett

Dear Vermont Prayer Partners,

The following is good news about the work in Vermont from my friend and colleague Terry Dorsett. At the end there are several projects that you may feel led to adopt. Remember to pray for the work there, and help financially as you are able.

This past week I spent a great deal of time meeting one on one with people
who were having various spiritual difficulties in their lives. I do not consider
myself a very good counselor, but the Holy Spirit is a great Counselor and He
brought great hope and peace to the lives of His children as we talked and
prayed together.

Yesterday I spoke at Faith Community Church in
Barre (which meets in the basement of a local motel). I speak there two Sundays
a month and then speak in other GMBA churches on the other two Sundays each
month. Yesterday we have a huge crowd (59), which included 10 teenagers. It
seems that our outreach to teens has just exploded in the last few months. Pray
for many of them to be saved.

I preached on How to Find Joy from 1
John 1 and one of the points was the need to confess our sins and forsake them.
If we continue to carry a sin load on our backs, we’ll never find joy. I gave
the group a sample prayer to pray and encouraged them to talk to someone before
they left. Right after the service a mother and her 9 year old son asked me to
pray with them, so we slipped into the storage room (it was the only private
place around) and prayed among the boxes of kitchen supplies that the motel
keeps stored there. While I was praying with them a young man who is completely
unchurched but has been coming the last few weeks was desperately trying to find
me so he could talk to me too. But since I was in the storage room, he couldn’t
find me, so he grabbed one of the ladies whom he had met and asked if she could
tell him how to be born again. So they turned the hallway in front of the two
bathrooms into an altar and she led him to the Lord right there. It was the
first person she had ever led to the Lord, so it was a cause for rejoicing. When
I finally emerged from the storage room after having prayed with the mother and
son, I saw a couple sitting over to one side of the room and their body language
said, “we need to talk to you” so I went over to ask if I could help and they
said, “we have got to get an appointment to come talk to you, we need to get
some things right and join this church” so they are coming by the office today.
Then another person came up and asked if I could make an appointment for them
too. Wow, it was quite the morning.

Be praying as the Lord works
through these many issues in many people’s lives. Pray especially for Gabe (the
young boy) who really needs a touch for the Lord and pray for Nick (the young
man) to be discipled in his new faith. Pray for Karen, who got to lead Nick to
the Lord, that that spirit of evangelism will permeate her
life!!

Yesterday just underscored the need for Faith to move into a
real building. But praise God that even when you don’t have a building yet, you
can turn storage rooms into counseling areas and hallways into altars. God’s
Spirit cannot be stopped! Pray for Faith as they have their hearing with the
zoning board on June 7. Pray for them to get approval to convert the warehouse
into a church. It is the last major hurdle. They are schedule to close on June
29, but the seller wants us to move it up to June 21 if we can get the permit.
So pray towards that end.

There are still a lot of needs; you can
see the list below. Pray to the Father that each will be met.

Faith
Community Church Current Financial Needs:
1. Renovation costs - $20,000
(actually it is twice that but the mission has raised half themselves) 2.
Refrigerator - $1000
3. Two microwaves - $3004. Video projector for power
point - $1000 (all their songs & sermon notes are projected on the wall but
they currently use a borrowed projector) 5. Computer for power point - $1000
(they currently use a borrowed computer) 6. Computer for office - $10007. Sound
system - $5000 (they currently borrow a system that another church needs back)
8. 1 case of new hardback Holman Christian Standard Bibles, preferably black -
$2759. Furniture for youth room - $3000 (couches, lamps, tables) 10. New drums -
$950 (they had a borrowed set that the owner wanted back) 11. Office furniture -
$350012. Furniture for the "Family Room" (vestibule/fellowship area) -
$5000

All gifts are tax deductible and should be made out
to:
Faith Community Church
P O Box 278
Barre VT 05641
Donors are
encouraged to pick an item from the list above and specify what their gift will
be used for. However, if any single item is over subscribed, the church reserves
the right to use that overage to meet a different need on this list until all
the needs have been met.

Here is a great project for your Vacation Bible School. We are collecting empty ink cartridges and used cell phones as a fund raiser to help pay for the renovations of a warehouse into a church and also the association office. Have your VBS collect those items. At the end of your VBS, email me (don’t mail the box to us) and I will send you a prepaid label and you can ship the box postage free directly to the company that is paying us to do the recycling.

Also, a second project, have your Vacation Bible School collect change to help us renovate three classrooms for children in this same building. What a great thought, that the children of your church and help the children of a mission church in Vermont have a nice Sunday School room. Checks for that project can be mailed to Faith Community Church, P O Box 278, Barre VT 05641.

Thanks for thinking of these two great VBS projects.

News from the the Middle East

The following is a report on a recent M trip by colleagues to the Holy Land. How exciting to see God at work even in short-term mission experiences. If you would like more information on this ministry, please contact me.

Assalaamu alaikum.

My friend D and I made it home yesterday. H stayed on a couple of days and should be on his way home now. Pray that all goes well for him.

The trip was all that we expected and then some. We painted. We walked and prayed. We visited some of the historical holy sites. We had some divine appointments and we were healthy. Thank you for going with us through your prayers.

Let me tell some stories to give you a feel for our time in the land.

The Mosque of Omar

We had met the two young Palestinian Muslim men the night before as we delivered food to a poor Muslim family in Bethlehem. “Khalid” is 21 and is studying to be an accountant. “Hakim” is 26 and is blind. When Hakim was 13 he found a live Israeli land mine in his back yard. He lost his right arm and his sight.

We had asked them to take us on a tour of Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. The young men did a good job of telling us the story of the birth of Jesus. As we left, I asked them if they could then take us to visit the Mosque of Omar.

This mosque was built across Manger Square from the Church of the Nativity and is a symbol of peaceful coexistence between Palestinian Christians and Muslims. The land the mosque is built on was donated by the Greek Orthodox Church.

We removed our shoes and eased in. We were met by a man who worked at the mosque. He wasn’t the Imam, but he worked for him. He took us inside and showed us around. Then it happened.

As we stood before the mihrab we began to talk about what the Qur’an says about Jesus. Hakim translated our conversation. It was an incredible exchange. The man we were sharing with had the typical responses I hear from most Muslims, but he was very cordial and listened to our replies and comments. The conversation lasted for maybe half an hour or so. Good seeds were planted, both in the hearts of the man who works at the mosque and in the hearts of Khalid and Hakim. This was one of our divine appointments.

Overflowing with Joy

Daher is a strong man. He wore blue coveralls and spoke broken English. He greeted us with warmth that I will soon not forget.

Daher is a Palestinian Christian. He is fighting for his land, land that has been in his family since 1924. In 1991, the Israeli government declared his 100 acres, along with surrounding acreage as Israeli state property. The plan was to build settlements for Israeli immigrants to establish “facts on the ground” in the West Bank. Daher’s property is now surrounded by 5 Israeli settlements.

Daher has legal papers supporting rightful ownership; papers from Ottoman, British, Jordanian and Israeli governments. He and his family have been fighting the Israeli government for 16 years. This is a David and Goliath type story.

We went to spend the night on the land and to work the next day. Daher built a fire in his wood stove and we sat around it to get warm. He smiled at us and began to sing:

“Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah
Praise ye the Lord…”

He was overflowing with joy. It was a beautiful time.

The next morning he woke us at 7:00 and led us to a cave where the goats had slept. It was time to milk the goats. So we did. He then fed us breakfast and led us to our work assignment. We were to pull weeds. There were weeds around the olive trees and weeds around the grapevines. So we pulled weeds. It was hard. The weeds had thorns and we had no gloves. We hated it. We loved it.

I truly felt like I was fighting for justice. Nothing more than a few hours of hard work and a few holes in my skin. Justice.

Naher has no bitterness. He fights for his land through love. He is one of the truest examples of Romans 12:21 that I have ever met.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

I am honored to have met him and to have fought with him for the land.

For more information about Naher and his family’s fight for their land see: www.tentofnations.org

But How do we trust Jesus?

Khalid and Hakim invited us to lunch. Khalid’s mother was there and she had prepared a feast of rice and baked chicken. The serving platter had to have been three feet in diameter and it was heaped at least a foot in the air. A true feast. We ate and then ate some more.

After the meal, over tea and coffee, the discussion turned to religion. We started in the Qur’an and shared the Truth about Jesus. We talked of how Jesus was born of a virgin and was the Word of God and the Spirit of God. We talked of His sinless life. We talked of His miracle working and that He had power over death as evidenced by His raising people from the dead. We talked about His crucifixion and resurrection.

We then talked about why Jesus had to die. We talked about God’s requirement for a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. We talked about the Muslim belief that every person will stand before God and give an account of their life. Their sins will be put on one side of a scale and their good deeds on another. If the scale leans toward the good deeds, they might be allowed to enter Paradise. If not, well…

We shared how God’s word says that if we are guilty of one sin, then we are guilty of all sin. (James 2:10) They understood and realized that we all had a problem.

We then shared how God loved His creation so much that He made a way to be reconciled with Him. What we can’t do, God did. We said that we must stop trusting in our works and trust in the completed work of Jesus.

Hakim translated for Khalid’s mother, “But how do we trust Jesus?”

What a moment. We shared what it meant to trust Jesus and then gave them two copies of the New Testament in Arabic, one for Khalid and his mother and one for Hakim. They were so appreciative. Hakim said he would have someone read it to him since he is blind.

This was another of our divine appointments. It was an honor to sit in the home of Palestinian Muslims and share the love and truth of Jesus. Pray with us that Khalid, his mother and family and Hakim and his family will soon be walking in the Kingdom of God. They are already walking toward it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

This was a great trip. Thanks for going with us through you prayers.

Please pray for the Palestinian people. I fear that we here in the American church are often guilty of forgetting about the Palestinians. Regardless of our eschatological stance on the nation of Israel, Jesus still died for the Palestinian people just as much as any other people and we must never lose sight of that. Pray for the Palestinian Muslims to know the Truth of Jesus. Pray for the Palestinian Christians, who make up roughly 4% of the Palestinian population in the occupied territories. They feel abandoned by their brothers and sisters in the West.

I’m home for about 3 weeks and will then head to East Asia as well as other spots in the Middle East. I will be visiting with some of our long-term workers and possibly meeting with a group to discuss writing a book on Muslims who are having dreams and visions of Jesus. By the way, we met a man last week who had a dream of Jesus. I’ll tell you his story soon.

Until ALL Have Heard,

News from Panama

The following post comes from very dear friends in Panama, who are working with Chinese in that area.

CHERYL'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

• I'm still processing all of the sights, sounds & impressions of a very unusual week. Let me share just a few.



• I was humbled at the personal sacrifice of money, time away from family, and the hardships of traveling the back roads/paths of the Guaymi reserve that our Guaymi coworkers make in order to minister to the people in those remote areas. God is honoring those sacrifices & people are responding to the gospel. About fifty people responded to the gospel this week, alone, after three nights of movies: La Esperanza, the Jesus film, and the Jesus film for children. Pray for these new believers as the Guaymi coworkers continue to follow up & organize Bible studies with these new believers.



• I felt overwhelmed with the physical needs of the people. Its hard to express the humbleness of their homes, the wornness of their clothing, the premature aging & multitude of health issues caused by a lifetime of hard physical labor under the sun and to me, the fruitlessness of trying to eek out a living in their situation.



• I couldn't help but smile at the children enjoying the same kinds of simple pleasures that all children enjoy, like climbing trees, playing in the local stream, playing baseball with a rock & stick, bouncing up & down on a fallen log and expressing delight over an empty cardboard box to play with.



• I felt the satisfaction of having helped a child with a broken arm get to a hospital hours away, or of the groups' helping a very sick newborn get to a hospital and be diagnosed with a serious heart condition or having helped alleviate intestinal parasites, infections, and many types of aches & pains, even if only temporarily.



• My own inadequacies in Spanish were painfully obvious at times but God was very gracious & surrounded me with patient, helpful coworkers who were happy to help me learn what I needed to know!



• In Panama, there is no place too remote to find Chinese. In the nearest town to our medical clinic, I shared Chinese/Spanish evangelistic tracts with the owners of the local grocery, who are Chinese.



• Never having been a big camping enthusiast, I did learn that using an outdoor "squatty potty", bathing in the stream and sleeping in tents can be fun, or at least funny, part of the time.



• The local Guaymi ladies can make some awesome food in their very humble kitchens over an open fire.



• Benedryl does not effectively silence noisy roosters.
  
  Thanks for praying me through this week. I had no problems with sickness, our vehicles & traveling details worked well, our medical team was able to treat around 400-500 people and there was great attendance & response to the movies at night. God is at work & you have been part of it!

John Mark and Cheryl

Joyful news from Ecuador

House church double wedding

Saturday night I married two couples from one of the newly planted house churches. Both have only recently come to know the Lord through the ministry of one of our national team members, Marlene Lorenti.


Pedro and Patricia (not their real names) have lived together for over 20 years without ever marrying. Their daughter, "Maria," has been living with her boyfriend, "Mario," for three years now following in the steps of her mother. Mario and Maria have their own daughter who is two-years old.

When all four came to know the Lord a few months ago, they themselves said "we need to make things right with God, and with each other." So mother and daughter, along with the guys set up an appointment with me through Marlene, the church planter who had led them to Christ. I listened to their testimonies and heard first hand how Christ has totally transformed their lives. They were concerned about having a good testimony in their community and asked if I would marry them. Both couples want to serve the Lord, and since the church meets in their home, they figured it was time to make things "right."

Saturday night around forty invited guests met on the terrace of one of the homes. Marlene and others had decorated and set up tables and chairs for everyone. All the way through the ceremony, the two-year old daughter threw a tantrum (see above photo) trying to get her mother to hold her. Finally, someone came and took the little girl outside, but that was even worse as she began screaming and crying all the louder!

We eventually managed to get through the ceremony-- even though neither couple was able to get their rings on due to having bought sizes too small. After the bridal kiss, we all sat down together for the wedding banquet which had been prepared by Marlene and members from her house church. Of course, before we were able to eat, I was requested to accompany them in our car to go get the food which was being kept warm at Marlene's house. We had the standard chicken and rice, along with potato salad (here pineapple, peas, carrots, onion, and corn are standard ingredients for potato salad--quite tasty!)


After eating, Pedro comes up to me and asks if I would sing #68 on page 44 (out of our green song books we use.) I told him I would be glad to, but what was the song? He said he couldn't remember, but surely I must know--missionaries know everything! :) I told him I didn't have any idea what #68 was! He told me it was his favorite and to sing it anyway. Just as I was about to get up and sing "something", it was picture taking time and he was rushed off by his new bride, WHEW!


Both Pedro and his new wife Patricia are currently in our Wednesday night COSECHA church planting training course. They are thrilled to be working together now as a team in their section of the city as house church planters/leaders. Marlene will most likely turn the work over to them now, so that she can go plant a new church elsewhere.


Would you just pause a few seconds and whisper a prayer for Pedro, Patricia, Mario, and Maria that the Lord would use them greatly in reaching the thousands of people within a stone's throw of their house church? Thanks!














(Top photo is shot from their balcony, bottom photo
is part of the church that meets in their house.)
















P.S. For the few readers familiar with our green "cancionero" #68 on page 44 is "Sin yo quererte, tu me quisiste". It was the first thing I looked up once home. Great song!

(This information received from guymuse.blogspot.com/ and copied with permission)

East Asia Update

Stories From China Workers

Making an Impression
"Recently a young lady who began teaching this last term listened to one of our key Chinese workers sharing about Christ. The teacher, Cher, said she wanted to receive Him, and our friend told her she could pray the prayer of acceptance. Cher was very nervous about praying, saying, "It’s very important to make a good impression when you meet someone for the first time." I love this simple story of a new and vibrant faith. Our friend says Cher prayed her own prayer without prompting, and it was one of the most sincere and deep prayers she has ever heard."


An Extra Serving
"Last Sunday I attended a house church and participated in communion service. An old believer aged about 70 sat next to me. When the bread was passed, he took an extra piece and carefully wrapped it in clean paper. When the juice was passed, he took an extra cup and poured the juice into a small bottle that he had brought. After placing the extra servings into his pocket, he participated in the communion service. I was so curious to know who would receive the extra serving. He probably wanted to give them to his sick wife or a handicapped person in his home. His loving action touched my heart."


Quotes from the Front Lines


Easter Reports of Praise
"This Easter morning, I had a chance to preach a 'Resurrection' message to more than 80 people, 20 of whom were non-believers. At the end, an invitation was given and 17 people received Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord!"Our teammates hosted an outreach on Easter Sunday at a hotel. Around 150 people heard praise music, testimonies, and a gospel message. Sixty eight people indicated a decision to trust the Lord!" "On Easter we had over 30 folks, mostly doctors, in our Bible Study group. After showing a musical DVD Passion Play from a U.S. church, we had three make a decision for Jesus. How great to see the Lord work!" "Easter Sunday was the first time some of the believers had met each other, and (one) woman was surprised at who she saw. Introducing herself to a man seated just inside the doorway, she asked, 'Do you remember me? When I was little, my parents often took me to your home to see your father, their favorite fortune-teller. Now YOU believe Jesus?! So amazing!'" "During the special Easter outing (one house church) had last Sunday, they baptized more than 10 new believers in a lake. My family was invited to join them, but we could not attend as we needed to visit a new church we helped start. During the journey, we shared the Creation to Christ story and three new believers joined the Family!"


Praying for God's Workers
"I'm not particularly good at what I do. I don't have any great skills or abilities that make me an effective missionary. But at night I hear God's heartbeat for children that He longs to embrace. At sunrise, I pray for hurting, hopeless crowds of people who are trapped by fear. At daylight, I'm compelled by His Spirit to be a living message of the mercy and freedom He is offering. Please pray for missionaries. We are not heroes. We are weak people, speaking and sharing from the simple conviction that God is faithfully drawing nations to Himself. Powerfully. Beautifully. Today."



Eye On China

Extremes
China's population, still the largest in the world, grew by almost 7 million people last year. One out of every five people in the world live in China.The world's tallest man, 7'9" Bao Xishun from China, just got married to 5'6" Xia Shujian after advertising worldwide for a suitable bride.Hong Kong now has the highest life expectancy in the world for both men and women! Men are expected to reach age 79.5 years of age and women to live to 85.6 years of age!






Special Upcoming Opportunities



Engaging China will connect American teachers with Chinese students and teachers in life-changing summer opportunities.
Contact https://my.newsletter4fun.com/index.cfm/fa/ct.go/LID/15742/m/2931/sID/6802JA445A4E6450A0A060441.cfm for details.

A China Vision Trip for pastors and key church leaders will be held in late fall. Contact https://my.newsletter4fun.com/index.cfm/fa/ct.go/LID/15743/m/2931/sID/6802JA445A4E6450A0A060441.cfm for details.

A Church as China Partner Workshop designed to equip American churches to reach China for Christ will be held in mid-November at Harp's Crossing Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Georgia. For more information, write to: https://my.newsletter4fun.com/index.cfm/fa/ct.go/LID/15744/m/2931/sID/6802JA445A4E6450A0A060441.cfm

Teams of university students will serve in locations all throughout China this Christmas in China. For more information, write to: https://my.newsletter4fun.com/index.cfm/fa/ct.go/LID/15745/m/2931/sID/6802JA445A4E6450A0A060441.cfm

Volunteers are needed year-round for literature distribution, backpacking, ESL teaching, Olympic opportunities, training, childcare, and other vital ministries. Contact https://my.newsletter4fun.com/index.cfm/fa/ct.go/LID/15746/m/2931/sID/6802JA445A4E6450A0A060441.cfm for more opportunities.

(This information received from Heart for China, website and email addresses given upon request.)

Preachables

CHINA. A believer who is a member of an ethnic minority group traveled far late last year to find someone to tell him how to share the gospel. He found someone more than willing, not only to tell him, but to show him by doing. Since then, the newly discipled believer has been instrumental in leading more than 40 members of his minority group to Christ and has started several Bible study groups. Recently he also received official permission to travel into some normally restricted areas where his minority people live. He fully intends to take the Good News with him and share it in with people who have never heard.

CHINA. She was only ten-years old when she was kidnapped from her Lisu minority village 70 years ago and taken to another minority community. There she grew up and eventually married. She learned to speak the dialect of the local people, adopted their culture, and even grew to accept their religious traditions. Early this year, a group of Lisu believers visited the village where the aging woman lives. When she heard the Lisu dialect, she recognized it immediately as her mother tongue. Memories flooded her heart and mind as she told them her amazing story of exile. In return, they told her a story that was even more amazing, the story of God's love manifested through Christ. As she knelt in prayer to accept Jesus into her heart, she knew that she had truly been found.

CHINA. A group of six Christians who were facilitating an English camp at a local school were called to the principal's office. There they were joined by six nonbelievers who were also helping with the camp and had also been summoned. The Christians knew that the principal was a believer, but felt a bit awkward when he asked them to sing some songs together. They did so anyway, even as they wondered what was going on. Then all of the sudden, he blurted out to the Christians, "Tell them." No longer puzzled about his intent, the believers began to share their testimonies and respond to the probing earnest questions of the nonbelievers. The sharing lasted for hours, and even though there were no salvation decisions right then, doors had been opened wide through the determination of that one principal.
(Courtesy of IMB heart4china)

Church Planting in Ecuador

The following is an excerpt from Guy Muse's website. More information on the work in Ecuador can be found at http://guymuse.blogspot.com/

Starting House Churches in G..., Ecuador
(July 2000-January 2006) following Luke 10:1-9 patternWe call our church planting, "La Iglesia en Tu Casa" (The Church in Your House). LIETC began in July 2000. Our team at that time was composed of seven Southern Baptist missionaries (IMB-SBC) - all assigned to church planting. The team now consists of two IMB units, one SIM couple from New Zealand, and two national brothers who fully participate in all plans, teaching, decision making, etc. Our team is led by one of the national brothers.None of the missionaries actually plant churches; rather, we are catalysts for church planting. The reason for this is that, if we set out to plant a church, we individually might plant 1 - 2 new churches a year. But as church planting catalysts, the only limitation of church starts is the number of people who respond to the Lord's call to go out and plant New Testament churches.

Lay leaders, whom we call "servant-leaders," lead all the house churches. At nearly any given moment, we are training between 20 to 30 men and women who are likewise in various stages of training and starting new house churches. Most of them tend to come out of established traditional evangelical churches and thus carry a lot of baggage with them in their seeking to begin new works...We feel there are four requirements for anyone who wants to start a house church:

1) Willingness to win-disciple-train at least eight others each year.
2) Willingness to be trained in the basics of evangelism, discipleship,
teaching, etc.
3) Willingness and commitment to visit, evangelize, and minister to the
local community where the church is being planted.
4) Willingness to lead in the house church meetings (especially in the
beginning as they are being started with non-believers.)

While there have been well above 250 new churches started since July 2000 , less than half are currently meeting and functioning as churches...While this "short shelf-life" of more than half the churches started is a source of great concern, we are nevertheless encouraged in that those won through the ministry of the new house churches tend to have had genuine salvation experiences...

GOD WORKING IN EAST ASIA

The Time is Now
The Chinese man had just heard a clear presentation of the gospel and it was obvious that he was under conviction. Not ready to yield to Holy Spirit, he said, "I need more time to study." The believer who was sharing with him replied, "No, you don't need more time. You have heard the entire gospel. You need to decide whether to follow Him." The Chinese man replied, "Yes, I need to do this now." He bowed his head and accepted Christ.

Something She Loves More
Possessing the energy and enthusiasm of someone half her age, she entertained 230 university students in her home last year. Her formula was simple: fun, food, fellowship, and her testimony at the end. That is when she would tell her lost students, "I love to teach English, but I love to teach the Bible even more." Then she would invite them to study God's Word with her. The results were amazing. Out of one class of 30 students, 10 of them accepted her study invitation, and 5 of those became believers.

Signs of Salvation
The young couple was surprised to meet a university student who was wearing a cross around his neck, and were delighted to learn that he was a believer. He explained that his grandmother had been a believer, but that he had just accepted Christ into His heart two weeks earlier. Both the couple and the new believer realized that, in His perfect timing, God had orchestrated their meeting so that they could reach their city for Christ. As the couple had prayed fervently for believers willing to be trained, God has prepared the young man for just such an opportunity.

Talk About Celebration!
Chinese New Year Reports from Two Frontline Workers...
"The final day of the New Year celebration is something too BIG to even try and describe, but I will try. The sky is filled with fireworks continuously, like a hundred 4th of July displays all around. Rockets, strips of 2000 firecrackers, "big bang things" and various displays are being set off on the sidewalks, in the alley ways and sometimes even in the middle of the street. It feels like a huge party. Imagine a city of 3 million teeming with people all intent on blowing up their share of fireworks. It is now 10:30 p.m. and the "war zone" sounds and beautiful skies will continue until 12 midnight when a black silence will fill the air."
Today is the end of the Spring Festival, a time when the Chinese New Year is celebrated. Today is considered the "Lantern Festival" and it denotes the official end of Spring Festival and the beginning of spring. People have been setting off major, industrial-strength fireworks all day long to celebrate...the kind that explode into big flower shapes in the sky. I'm serious...those are the kind that have been set off right outside my window! It's quite a show! Have you ever heard of Black Cat firecrackers in the U.S.? String 1,500 to 2,000 of them together and then set them off all at once! That's what it's been like here today. The Chinese truly know how to celebrate!"
Please pray that many Chinese people will celebrate new life in Christ today.

Other Recent Quotes from Front Line Workers...
"God loves the Chinese and Mongolian people so much that He reaches completely outside their sphere to bring people to reach them."
"God was here long before we arrived. He'll be here long after we leave."

From Our Heart to Yours
Thank you for praying for our recent East Asia gathering. We had a joyous time sharing together in worship, prayer, training, and fellowship. As we heard many inspiring reports of God's working in East Asia, we were challenged to do even more for Him.
In small groups, we worked toward sharpening our skills and understandings. Around the meal tables, we reconnected with old friends and made new ones as well. God's hand was evident in every aspect of our meeting. Whether rejoicing over new believers and churches, honoring retiring colleagues, or thanking Him for new babies born to our families, we were constantly reminded of His goodness.
Please pray for all of our workers who have now returned to their locations of service. Many are serving in places that are physically cold and spiritually dark. Ask God to empower them to share His love with the precious peoples that they are seeking to reach.

(From East Asia Update, published by IMB)

Updates from China

From IMB-East Asia website

Planting seeds, reaping the harvest
The timing was uncanny. The two believers were sitting in a traditional tea house as the guests of two Buddhist monks whom they had befriended for the sake of the gospel. One of the believers had witnessed to the monks several times. As the server began to pour tea, one of the monks introduced the foreign guests as "people who study the Bible." The waitress looked directly at them and said, "I want to become a Christian." The believers began immediately to pray silently for the waitress. After the visit was over and the monks had left, they remained behind to share the plan of salvation with her. She accepted Christ that night.

The power of prayer
As a student in China, the radiant Christian used every chance she had to share Christ with her language teacher. If the assignment was to begin a sentence with "I", for instance, she would say, "I love to read my Bible every day." One sentence led to another, and most of the class time was spent talking about Jesus. During her vacation, the student prayed daily for her lost Chinese teacher. When she returned to class, she was thrilled to hear the teacher say, "I had a dream last night. God told me that He was God and that I need to believe."

Sharing the same Father
CHINA. The American Christian understood all too well how her Chinese friend had suffered. Even though they were from different cultures, both had seen the marriage of their parents severed by divorce. Sitting by a pond one day, she told her Chinese friend about God's love. As the friend began to cry over the thought of a Heavenly Father who loved her, the American joined her in shedding tears over the sovereignty of God who would allow her to share out of her own pain of the past. Then she heard her Chinese friend say, "I believe in God. I just want to know more." The Christian was all too glad to share much more about His saving grace. Now the two ladies share the same Father.

'Why is this the first time I’ve heard this story?’
Soon after the Christian worker arrived in China, he found himself talking about God to a Chinese man who seemed to have countless questions. Then he gave his testimony, and the next thing he knew, he was using a tract to lead the man through the plan of salvation. The Chinese man accepted Christ and then he expressed disbelief that bordered on anger. "I'm thirty-something years old. Why is this the first time I've heard this story?" It was a great question -- one that cut to the heart of the Christian worker who has since led a team in distributing tens of thousands of pieces of evangelistic material in the China megacity where he serves.

Manicurist learns about Jesus' hands
Miss K, a Chinese manicurist, spent long days working on the hands of customers. So, when over a period of several visits a Christian friend explained to her how God had created her right down to her fingers and toes, Kelly was intrigued. Then when she heard how the hands of Jesus were pierced by nails so that He could purchase her salvation on a cross, she understood His love and asked Him to enter her heart. She will never see hands in quite the same light as before, nor will her life ever again be the same.

Family receives Christ
The Chinese believers were surprised when they shared the gospel with a hospitalized boy and his family, and the entire family immediately responded that they wanted to receive Christ. The evangelists asked the family why they were willing to accept Christ so readily. The family members replied that they had found a packet containing a JESUS film and some gospel tracts in front of their home several months earlier. They had long since viewed the film and read the tracts. They just hadn't been sure how to proceed from there. So when the offer was made, they were more than willing for someone to lead them in a prayer of salvation

Good news about CPM

The following is taken from an M's blog. Name will be supplied upon request.

Why not CPM?

CPM: Babies Teaching Babies? is one of my first posts written over a year ago on the "M Blog". It also stands as probably my most read and commented post.Recently, a year after writing the post, I received yet another comment from "Uncle" an IMB missionary serving in East Asia. What was particularly interesting to me is that "Uncle" is personally involved in what has been classified as a "Church Planting Movement". CPM is what all of us M's out there are praying for and longing to see happen in our midst."Uncle's" comments about CPM brings the subject back to center stage and revisits some of the issues that have made CPM a highly debated subject in many quarters. I definitely think it is worthy of our attention (especially for M's and church planters) and so I am reprinting his comments with the hope of rekindling what I believe is one of the most relevant church planting subjects out there."Uncle" asks, "Why not CPM?"

Hello, I must say that I just found your blog on CPM (is this thread really a
year old?) …read it from top to bottom and found it interesting. I am an IMB M
in EA with a city focus and we have been classified as a CPM by the current
standards.I must tell you that CPM is difficult to define outside of the
definition of “churches rapidly reproducing churches”. There are lots of
“handles” or “tools” that are taught at the Farm or Ranch …what ever they are
calling it now that are solid principles that can help you reach your goal of a
CPM.Maybe unlike some of you I believe that these handles/tools which are what I
would call “canned” do indeed provide building blocks by which you can indeed
plant churches. I am not negating the role of the HS in this for without the
stirring of the hearts of the lost by the HS we would not see salvation occur,
therefore no church planting and ultimately no CPM. For those of you who would
look at things like T4T, MAWL and others as a “model” and therefore dislike it I
am sorry that you feel that way. I also know that as you will as I did when you
attempt to use the material will look at it and wonder how will this simple
thing work. But, I can tell you that your being on your knees, your trust in God
and the HS as he does his thing will do wonders with your effort and this small
tool.

Granted I know that it does not work for everyone that way and we are
experiencing mixed results here in different areas of our work as a team, but I
think that Clyde Meador, Executive Vice President with the IMB has a very good
take on the subject in his article “Left side of the graph”. I know that in our
area of work the HS used many years of folks on the “left side” to get us to a
point that we got to see huge numbers of people saved. Granted it is never going
to be easy and the groups and churches that are started are difficult to manage
and growth is messy, but it is worth the effort. The CPM model that we are
utilizing that includes T4T is showing huge results out to past the 5th
generation of churches.My word to you is don’t take away what the HS can do with
your effort, a small little tool and a willing heart. There is a lot that goes
into the effort part that I don’t have room for here, but would be more then
willing to go into some of it later if folks are interested? Peace and grace my
brothers and sisters.

Press on,Uncle

Encouraging reports from East Asia

Testimonies of Faith

You Shall Be My Witnesses
We had taught Nick when he was a freshman but had not been able to keep closely in touch. Several of his classmates had become Christians, but we did not have much contact with Nick. Right before Christmas his senior year, his classmate Paul led him to the Lord. Nick is from a village of our people group near another town. The next weekend, Christmas weekend, very excited, he decided to go there to contact and teach some songs to a few believers there. Last summer he helped in leading his father to believe, and his zeal for the Lord has remained strong. This year Nick is teaching in junior high in another town not too far away and has already led three of his students to the Lord and started a small group with them. He has visited with them in their home villages and witnessed to their families! We are thankful for Nick's life and witness and pray for his continued dedication and also security because he could lose his job and even be jailed for spreading the Gospel!

From College to Village
Li's father, mother and little brother had just accepted the Lord through a team we had connected with them in their hometown. We wanted to follow up on them and went with Li to visit there. After we arrived, Li's grandfather, grandmother, and 14-year-old sister also came to eat lunch. After eating lunch together, M asked them if they also had an interest in Jesus. When M shared the Gospel with them and answered the questions they had, they all believed and accepted Jesus! M asked Li to share in the local language everything he had shared in the local language in order to make sure they really understood and also let her develop her skills in sharing the Gospel in her local dialect. Later the family was baptized and now worships and studies the Bible together as a small church. In addition, the grandparents have been sharing and have starte a new group at their own house!

Living the Book of Acts
Things continue to go well in the places we are working. It is in many ways like living out some of the book of Acts. Our work is a great example of how the Good News spreads among people who have never heard. It is through those natural relationships. The first to hear and believe start taking the message to family members. They then begin to tell friends and that usually includes other villages because their friendships like all people in the world are many and widespread. Recently we went to visit our friends and a coal supplier from another town and good friend of (our friend) Mr. Wang was there to meet us and talk about the Good News. It was clear to us that Wang had already been sharing with this friend of his and after about 30 minutes of going through the story this man, he followed Mr. Wang�s example and asked Him for salvation. While the conversation was going on, another family member was around, occasionally listening while seemingly keeping himself occupied. We ask him if he was also interested and to our delight the one just saved, shared the Good News with this other man and he too accepted. The new brother had already done something that most believers never take time to do; lead another person to the throne of grace.

Looking for a New Friend
As I stood in my garage trying to kick start my dryer last week a petite young woman I'd never met before pulled up on her scooter. Her first words to me were, "I want to study Bible." I shared my testimony, sent her home to invite her friends, and stood there speechless. Not ten minutes before she arrived I'd asked God for a new friend, someone who does not yet know him but is willing to gather friends to hear about Jesus. Last night this young woman and one of her friends lingered as everyone left after our first class. They had heard the first part of God's unfolding love story, testimonies of God's care and power and been given the opportunity to pray and ask God for help in any situation they were facing at the moment. On the verge of tears my new friend spoke, "I try to be strong, but I am not. I need God. I want to tell him, but I don't know how." We stood holding hands in a small circle as these two women sobbed their hearts out to God. Before they left that night, they gave themselves to Him.