As I pore through six month reports from our South Asian missionaries, A.W. Tozer’s wisdom comes to mind:
“God does not love populations, He loves people. He loves not masses, but men.”
Reading through stories of persecution, miracles, prayers and answers to prayer, six-month goals, and current ministry emphases is a reminder of how unique each of our missionaries and their ministries are. Here are a few examples of their diverse ministries, all of which seek to share the Gospel, disciple believers, and demonstrate the love of Christ:
“I serve the street children and slum children who are vulnerable to being trafficked between Bangladesh and India using different trains and buses. I mainly serve the victims of trafficking by keeping them safe from the smugglers’ traps. I bring them to a shelter where my friends and I care for them and teach them about the Christian faith, working to heal their wounds so they can live normal lives.” ~ Stephen* in Bangladesh
“I do ministry among the young people most of the time…I conducted evangelistic outreach programs where I took all our young believers to preach among people who did not know about this Good News. I have conducted 12 youth fellowships and three evangelistic outreach programs. In these meetings I got an opportunity to preach to more and more people and share the Good News to many people. Also, many new youths joined our fellowship in the past six months….
My ministry is going on well. I have started a free tutoring service to children who go to public schools. There were only 5-6 children in the beginning, and now there are 27 children coming to the classes…
Eight house fellowships have been started in the last six months. Since we were not a very large number, we decided to plant house fellowships. As soon as the number grows, I’m planning to plant a church where all the believers can worship together. ”
~ Adam* in Nepal
“During the last six months I have been able to organize 12 awareness programs for women. What we do is create awareness among women for secular and Biblical education, because women in Pakistan need to understand their importance and they need to recognize their role and responsibility as women of God. By God’s grace, through our programs, women were educated in their rights and also in Biblical education. We were able to form two new women’s groups which are like cell churches. What they do is meet together twice a month, and we pray and encourage women about their importance in society and in the Bible…
…For a long time, I have been praying to go into an area where people considered women as important as the sole of their feet. This area is a village where people are backward and old-minded. I had a contact in this area, another woman who was willing to help me do an awareness program in that area. But she was so scared of the men there, especially the ones who are old and have some authority over the local people. I had been continuously asking her to help me, but she did not agree. About four months ago, she came to me and told me that she wanted the women in her town to speak for their rights. This happened after her husband beat her and she was fed up. This is sad, but for me it was a miracle because I was continuously looking and desiring for an opportunity there. God is good.”
~ Faith* in Pakistan
“I am serving as the leader of the team [in Bangladesh], sharing His Gospel and bringing new souls for the Lord. I am meeting sometimes with missionaries, sometimes with the non-believers, sometimes the local leaders, and sometimes the Government officials. The main goal is to share and rejoice in His name on high, as He commanded us in Matthew 28:18-20. I am doing this among a lot of communities as His servant. I am leading worship in many places, where I share about faith, spiritual warfare, the Holy Spirit, the Living Lord and Eternal Peace, and that Jesus is the Almighty and King of Kings. Discipleship and church planting has continued in many areas also.” ~ Daniel* in Bangladesh
Your support is crucial to our ability to come alongside these South Asian believers as they reach their own people with the Gospel in the most effective ways possible.
In Christ,
Kate Therese, Director of Mobilization
*Names changed for security
Update on Pastor James: Thank you for your prayers and support of our Asia Director, Pastor James! After a month in the hospital, including over a week in the ICU, he was sent home at the beginning of May. He is now being cared for at home by a nurse and his family. His nurse has professed faith in Christ since she began caring for him!
Patients with Guillain-Barre Syndrome typically take 6-12 months to fully recover, but doctors estimate that Pastor James will be healthy enough to perform normal daily activities in 2-3 weeks. Without your prayers and financial support, it would’ve been impossible for him to receive proper care. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus, bringing love and healing to your brother in Christ!