Asia/Pacific Updates

Increased Persecution in Indonesia

Acts of violence and intolerance against Christians in Indonesia almost doubled in 2011, with an Islamist campaign to close down churches symbolizing the plight of the religious minority.

The Indonesian Protestant Church Union, locally known as PGI, counted 54 acts of violence and other violations against Christians in 2011, up from 30 in 2010.

The Indonesian government offers Christians and churches little protection from extremist Islamic groups, often taking the side of the persecutors. At least 36 regulations to ban religious practices deemed deviant from Islam were drafted or implemented in the country in 2011.

-- from Charisma News

The Future of North Korea

Many news agencies are only focusing on the reaction to Kim Jong-Il’s death and are omitting the horrific details of what life was like under his regime. Approximately 2-4 million North Koreans starved to death in the 1990’s. The political prison camps of North Korea were expanded under Kim Jong-Il’s reign with at least 200,000 prisoners in these camps. These citizens were imprisoned solely for falling out of favor with the regime, for being Christian or for being related to someone who fell out of favor with the regime. Repatriation of North Korean refugees often results in execution or detention. Numerous documents show that forced abortions and experimentation on prisoners with chemical weapons are common.

These human rights violations are even worse for Christians living in North Korea. In North Korea, any form of worship to anyone other than the “Great Leader” (Kim Il-Sung) and the “Supreme Leader” (Kim Jong-Il) is seen as treason. North Korean Christians are often arrested, tortured or even killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. There are an estimated 400,000 secret believers in North Korea. Of these, an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians are being held in North Korean prison camps where they face even more horrific treatment than other prisoners.

The future of North Korea is very much unknown. This is why it is vital that we pray for this country and for the Christians in it.

-- from Open Doors

 

Reaching Out in India

The PH church in Varanasi, India, has grown rapidly under the leadership of Pastors Michael and Rosaline John. Over the years they have held services in houses, schools and hotels, but this year were able to shift into a permanent facility which includes their residence and classrooms as well. This year eight new families were added to the church, and seventeen new village house churches were planted!

Severe winter cold has brought hardship to poor village families, so this year instead of spending money on a Christmas cake for the church, they used the funds to buy blankets to distribute to the needy. Many of the recipients wept to receive their gift, as they never imagined being able to purchase a new blanket.

Thank God for the faithful witness of this congregation, sharing the love of Christ and reaching out to help those in need.

 

North Korea: What Now?

With the passing of North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, its inhabitants, family members around the world and neighboring countries are living in the fear of uncertainty. And because only God knows what will happen next, we can meet Him in prayer. Please pray that:

• The new leader, Kim Jong-Un, will have a heart of mercy and end the cycle of inhumane dictatorial rule. 
• Those in government who have been "secret Christians" will gain more power and influence.
• Christians who have been imprisoned because of their faith will have opportunities to lead others in prayers. And while they pray the Holy Spirit will be revealed to those who don't know Jesus.
• There will be an increase in opportunities to share about Jesus without fear of retaliation.
• The joy and hope of Jesus will be revealed to those who are sorrowful and feel uncertain of the future.
• North Korean Christians will gain a new boldness and wisdom and will seize opportunities to tell others about the Christmas story of Jesus' birth. 
• On Christmas day especially, the light of Christ will penetrate every home and heart in North Korea.
• Refugees who have fled into China and become Christian will courageously return to North Korea and share the hope of Jesus to a hurting nation.    
• The horrendous situation with starvation will not escalate even further because of the government's desire to demonstrate control.
• The thousands of starving children who are homeless will find shelter, comfort and love in a home with a believer.

Please pray that God will flood North Korea with His grace and peace in a manner that changes this country for His glory, forever.

-- from Open Doors

Ministry to Cambodia Flood Victims

Heavy flooding in October and November took the lives of over 400 people in the villages of Cambodia. Two Cambodia PH churches and many of their members were hard hit by the floods. Thanks to support from the Disaster Relief program of People to People Ministries, missionary Samuel Lamanilao was able to respond to the needs with practical help.

 

 
Renting a boat in order to access the homes of the villagers, Pastor Sammy and his team were able to distribute 650 kilograms of rice and noodles, salt and sardines in Kampong Chanang. The community was very appreciative that the Christians were there to help in their time of need.

 

 

A new church was recently planted in the small village of Toul Pongroo. The church meets under a tree, as there is no structure in the village large enough to accommodate the congregation. When the floods came, it took three weeks for the water to subside. Thanks to financial help from People to People, much needed supplies were delivered to the fifteen families in this village. 

Bangkok Flood Ministry Continues

While waiting for their own house to dry out from flooding, missionaries Albert and Jiep Gonzales continue to minister to the flood victims in their neighborhood. At the church where they are staying, Jiep and three other women prepared and cooked meals to be distributed in the surrounding areas. Young people from the church pitched in to help with packing and distribution. During the next two days, they visited their neighbors offering meals, smiles and tracts about Jesus. 

Albert writes: "We thank God the mission went well. We could plainly see that many were touched by this gesture of love."

Instead of complaining about their own misfortune, Albert and Jiep are showing true missionary spirit, seeing the flood disaster as an opportunity for ministry, and reaching out to their neighbors with the love of Christ.

These faithful missionaries are in need of financial help to repair damage to their home and replace appliances ruined by the flooding. (See photos below.) What better time than Christmas to help missionaries in need? To give online, see the donation box on this page.  

Christians in Nepal Attacked

Two years after an explosion shook one of the biggest Catholic churches in Nepal and killed three people, the underground group that orchestrated the attack claimed responsibility for another bomb blast this week.

A crude bomb went off Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 22) in front of a leading Christian charitable organization’s office in this capital city, sowing fresh fear and insecurity among Christians ahead of a critical constitutional deadline. On the same day in the northeastern district of Sindhupalchowk, local residents of the predominantly Buddhist village of Danchhe assaulted two brothers for leading worship services at their home, leaving one unconscious.

Police said they were investigating the explosion in front of the office of the United Mission to Nepal (UMN). While the crude bomb claimed no casualties or damage to the UMN office, it shocked area Christians. The UMN, a Christian international non-governmental organization founded in 1954 by Christian groups from almost 60 countries, has built hospitals, schools, hydropower plants and industrial development and training institutions in Nepal.

Full story in The Christian Post

Bangkok Flood Relief Report

Here is the latest update from missionary Albert Gonzales in Bangkok, Thailand:

For months now, floodwaters from the north, northeast and central Thailand have wreaked havoc on the lives and livelihoods of so many Thais in 25 provinces. The force of the water has clearly shown its wrath and power, inundating not just industrial estates and businesses but the homes of millions of people including ours, and of some members of our churches in Don Muang, Bangkok and nearby provinces. The damage continues to climb in terms of financial losses. The loss of life has now tipped over 500, and human misery continues to climb as many are suffering under intolerable conditions. 

We thank God for His provision to keep us safe and alive, encouraged, and spiritually strong. We are all amazed and blessed for what the Lord is doing in our midst; people have been transformed, revived, family reconciled, and prayers answered. The Lord gave us the privilege to do mission outreach through evacuating flood victims, delivering food supplies and drinking water, and transporting them from one place to another with our small motorboat. God is good! This flood crisis turns into spiritual uplifting and opportunity to share the love of Christ to others.

Thanks to WMM-IPHC leaders, People to People Ministry staff, and supporters for keeping us in operation. Your donations have had a great impact among the ACA flood victims to have food on their tables and buy needed supplies to stay alive and well. Your continued prayers and unwavering support are highly appreciated. Any additional financial help to this effect including the property loss will lessen the suffering of your brethren affected by the flood. 

 

A Renewed Call to Missions

Evangelicals have traditionally preached the gospel in terms of eternal salvation and hope after death. But today, many are turning to Christ because of what salvation also means in the here and now.

Believers in many nations look to Christianity as the foundation upon which to build their societies. When many intellectuals from newer nations look to the West, they most desire its prosperity and freedoms. They long for their countries to become modern democracies with advanced economies. They have looked at the 20th-century experiment called Marxism, perhaps the most secular of ideologies, and found it utterly wanting for either the prosperity or the freedoms they seek.

These intellectuals have reached the same conclusions as those of the late American legal scholar Harold Berman and the sociologist Rodney Stark: The moral values, legal principles, and psychological basis of the best modern Western civilizations came from their Christian history. Thus, many, like Chinese cultural Christians, see the gospel alone as able to provide adequate moral foundations for rejuvenating their nations.

How might Americans respond to the call to missions? Allow me to suggest two steps.

First, the American church must recover a renewed confidence in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul expressed his conviction clearly in Romans 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes." Francis Schaeffer, commenting on this passage, said that "salvation has something to say not only to the individual man but also to the culture …. It is going to have the answers that men need … because it is the power of God unto salvation in every single area; it has answers for both eternity and now."

Second, a renewed confidence must not lead Americans to forget past mistakes. As many have noted, when Americans go overseas, they need to go with a spirit of humility and servanthood. This means being willing to partner with believers from other cultures. 

In a globalized world, the days of parochial thinking and action in missions are over. The task is far too big for any one group to manage on its own. The way forward has to be one of genuine Christian partnership between Western and non-Western churches, and between the rich and the poor, whether materially or spiritually.

The key question is, how can the vast resources of Western Christianity on the one hand, and the vitality and dynamism of non-Western Christianity on the other, become a powerful synergistic whole for world evangelization? As we ponder the possibility that the 21st century may indeed be, in the words of Pope John Paul II, the "great century" for the advance of the gospel, this may well be the most important and urgent issue on the global missions agenda today.

 -- from Christianity Today

'Jesus Christ' Banned from Text Messages in Pakistan

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority is taking some major criticism after sending a letter to mobile phone companies saying they should block text messages containing certain words and phrases, and among those phrases are “Jesus Christ” and “got Jesus.”

According to the letter, Pakistanis have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but these freedoms are “subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam,” among other things.

The letter and the two lists containing the banned words and phrases were posted on the Bytes For All (BFA) website. BFA, a human rights organization in Pakistan made up of information and communication technology professionals and users, is outraged over the ban.

The PTA sent each company two lists, which combined contain over 1,600 words in both English and Urdu that the government considers to be impermissible. Most of the words on the list are vulgar and sexual in nature, but some have drawn attention from critics for either being odd – such as “athletes foot,” “deposit,” “fart,” and “K Mart” – or for appearing to be discriminatory against Christians.

BFA expressed its concerns about the “moral policing” in Pakistan, and how it will affect the nation's citizens, in an article posted to the organization's website Friday.

“We also condemn this fact that while indulging themselves in this hideous task of moral policing, PTA managed to hurt the religious feelings of many Pakistani Christians by adding 'Jesus Christ' in banned word list. If such thing happened in any other country, there would be an outrage already and if it was directed (mistakenly or intentionally) towards Muslims, the amount of an outrage would be uncontrollable,” the article says.

-- from Christian Post