East Asia Update

Encouraging Responses
"The young shop owner sat out in front of her little store selling bottled water and Chinese dolls to the local village people walking by. She did not seem to be any different from all of the other local people until she was asked, "Are you a Christian?" With that question, her eyes lit up and she began to tell us of how not only she, but also her family and several other families in the village were also Christians. She explained that they had believed in Jesus several years earlier and that there are currently more than 50 believers in her small town. This is the kind of response we are beginning to hear as we scratch beneath the surface of the local areas where we serve." . . . by a frontline worker

Being at Home
"As we near the end of our first term overseas and begin preparations for going back to the States, we realize that we are not the same people (as before). We still look the same and enjoy the same American pleasures, but there is much more in who we now are. . . Our new friends live, not in American town houses and condominiums, but in Chinese shopping centers and antiquated mud houses. We eat beef burgers on Friday night and cold rice noodles on Saturday. We have grown accustomed to celebrating American independence on the 4th and the Dragon Boat Festival on the 5th. These and other newly adopted practices make us not new culture people, but bi-culture people." . . . by a frontline worker

Joy in the Midst of Despair
Shortly after the death of his wife in the Sichuan earthquake earlier this year, a Chinese man was introduced to Christ. After asking Jesus into his heart, he said, "For the first time in my life, I have joy." Another earthquake survivor received Christ into her heart after a volunteer worker who couldn't even speak the woman's language took time to fashion a Styrofoam cup into a cross. Since the woman had heard of Jesus previously, that simple act elicited her questions that, once answered by someone who could speak Chinese, led to her salvation. . . . based on frontline reports

Children of East Asia workers share some of their prayer requests below. Go to: http://easia.imb.org/ to read some additional requests.

Pray for all the people in the earthquakes. My family feels the tremors even though we are miles away. Thank you for praying for us. (10-year old)

Please pray for our people group. Many don't know Jesus. Not many people know about them or where they live. Even some Chinese people don't know. Also, please pray more people will come and help the people of our group. (9-year old)

Our dog is lost. Pray that he is safe. Pray that our Chinese friends will know Christ. Pray that my family (in the U.S.) will not be sad about my mom and brothers coming back to China. (7-year old)

One definition for "Summit" is "the topmost level attainable". That's what you can expect at the "Showcasing East Asia Summit". Mark your calendar with capital letters! FBC, Collierville, Tennessee is where you will want to be on April 15 to 17 to meet workers from East Asia, learn about the current situation, and explore how you can be involved from either side of the ocean. It will be followed by a Student Summit lasting from Friday night, April 17 through Saturday, April 18. http://easia.imb.org/summit/

Lottie Moon Resources

Christian workers in East Asia and throughout the world depend on the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO). Go to: http://easia.imb.org to read some thank you notes from workers in East Asia.

Promote the LMCO in new and fresh ways this Christmas by ordering East Asia resources that will bring focus to Lottie's long-time home of China. Go to: http://easia.imb.org

Revving Up; Not Winding Down

Holiday times are not for winding down in East Asia; rather "tis the season" to embrace extra special opportunities to tell the lost about Christ. Please take some time this week to lift up those who are serving in China, Mongolia, and Taiwan, asking God to give them strength and enabling to entertain seekers and new believers in their homes, facilitate special outreach projects, host volunteer teams, distribute seasonal evangelistic materials, and impact East Asia friends, neighbors, and strangers for eternity. Pray that in the midst of all of the busyness, they will stay centered in Christ and joyous in their family life.

Numbers of Note


• 53,000 — Chinese babies sickened by tainted milk this fall.

• 470,000 — Tibetan herders to be settled in permanent houses.

• 09/27/08 — First time a Chinese astronaut walked in space.

East Asia Update

Volume 100: November 11, 2008

CHINA. The landscape seemed to have changed since the Christian worker had visited the earthquake survivors a few weeks earlier. On that visit shortly after the quake, he had shown a desperate mother how to make a rehydrating liquid for her sickly child and had led a man to Christ. On this follow-up visit to deliver a Bible to the new believer, he sensed that he was headed in the right direction, but was a bit disoriented. He urged his reluctant and uncomfortably opinionated driver along, while silently praying that they would find the way. When a lone motorcycle headed toward them, the driver stopped to ask for directions. The motorcyclist looked through the van window and said, "He is going to my house." Amazingly, it was a member of the very family that the Christian worker was trying to find.

CHINA. He was one of the first members of his deaf community to receive Christ, and he was faithful in sharing the Gospel with other deaf people. But when his job was phased out and he left town, his spiritual mentors had no idea how to reach him. Then the deaf believer suddenly reappeared at a weekend training session. Using sign language, he told the group that although he had been gone from them, he had been constantly with Christ. He had carried in his heart a dozen or so Bible stories that he had memorized soon after receiving Christ. "I remembered all of them!" he signed. "I knew about the Rock foundation on which my life was built. I knew about the Good Shepherd who looked after me when I was alone. I knew about Jesus being the only Way, Truth and Life. I knew how to talk to my God and petition Him for help." He is now busily expanding his collection of Bible stories. He has a lot more to learn, and a lot more to share.

CHINA. The American teenager was only 13-years old, but she knew that she had a story to tell. So when a great natural disaster befell the people that her family had come to serve, she was intent on going with her parents to minister in the area. One day she and a Christian lady had an opportunity to share the Good News with a non-Christian Chinese mother and her teenage daughter. The mother had heard previously about Jesus' death on the cross, but hadn't heard about His resurrection. Once they heard the complete story of His love and received some responses to their questions, both mother and daughter indicated their willingness to accept Christ. But the mom insisted that her daughter was too young to make such a drastic decision. "Well, I'm only 13-years old and I believe," said the bearer of the Good News. "When God gives you understanding, it doesn't matter how old you are." The point was taken and both mother and daughter prayed to receive Christ that day.