Church Planting Updates

Just got an update from "D", one of the church planters that we trained in South Asia.

From his and another partner's work, 8 new believers were baptized in February, 22 more in another place in March. In other places he is working, 50 more new believers are are taking baptism this month, possibly as this blog goes out. Praise the Lord!! "D" is also helping the churches he has planted become self supporting by making washing detergents, planting crops and starting chicken and fish farms to sell for food. He is also busy training other church planting groups in the same methods as we taught. One group in another district of his state has planted 65 new churches in the last 6 months. By this, the Glory of God will cover South Asia as the waters cover the seas, starting with this place!

This is the kind of growth we hope to see among God's people in Thailand. The above work took many years of toiling, and did not happen overnight, and we cannot take credit for it, but all credit and glory go to God. We were simply fortunate enough that God used us to be His vessels for the training these brothers received.

As we go to Thailand, we are hopeful and are believing on faith that God will use us in a similar way. Please continue to pray for South Asia and God's Kingdom to continue to grow there. Also, pray for the way to be prepared for us to join and assist what God is doing in the "Land of Smiles".

The Nations Have Come to Us!

Since coming to training in the Atlanta area, I have been blessed to meet many peoples from different countries- in fact, in the last five months I have probably met more internationals from more countries than I have met in my whole life. Below are the countries they are from represented also by their national flags.

Uzbekistan- A couple of us have shared the Gospel with Slava (his easier to pronounce name) who is Jewish and the maintenance worker at our apartments. Another couple who lives in our complex is also from here. We have spent some time with them, and their daughter has literally been playing with the kids of one of the team families and ours.

Uruguay- Met some kids playing a soccer-type game in the park the other day from here.

Thailand- The young guy at the Thai Food restaurant is from here. He will be back in Bangkok this summer and we are looking forward to seeing him there when we get there later this year.

Somalia- We shared the Gospel with a man named Abdi. He is a refugee and has not seen his son in 8 years. Separated by division among Muslims over 9/11. He told us when he saw the planes crash into the towers, he said to everyone around, "This is of the devil." He has been persecuted and separated from wife and child since, and has recently come to America.

Pakistan- Brief encounter with a man from here.

Nepal- Attended a worship that was full of people from Nepal.

Myanmar (Burma)- Many refugees have been sent to this area, and I have been working with a local missionary who is living in their apartment complex and developing relationships with them for Kingdom purposes. Have not been able to share the Gospel much with them due to language difficulties. However, most of them are learning English and doing very well at it. They have been ousted from their native land by the government/mafia to make way for drug trafficking in and out of neighboring countries.

Mexico- Pretty big area for Mexican Nationals all over the U.S., but a lot of Mexican businesses and churches all over this area.

Kosovo- Was blessed to hear the testimony of a Muslim background Believer from Kosovo at church one Sunday. Powerful stuff.

Iraq- Had a conversation with Akram- a young man whose entire family are refugees because of their Christianity. I asked him why his family had to come to America, and he said- "It is very dangerous to be Christian in Iraq." Maybe he'll be a future evangelist for his people one day! Many Kurdish people have come here also.

Iran- Met one family from Iran. They run a local business in the area.

India- Met many Indian nationals here. One Christian family, a local pastor and had a talk with one of the volunteers at the local Hindu temple just around the corner- one of the largest Hindu temples outside of India.

Honduras- Some of the kids that come to Kidz Club at our building are from here.

Ethiopia- Briefly met some folks from here.

Dominican Republic- My son and I went on an adventure looking for a cheap haircut. We found a local Dominican barber shop. Tough conversation, but great haircuts!

Colombia- Couple of kids in our complex from here also.

China- One of the ladies at the checkout counter in the local international farmers market grocery store is from here.

Burundi- The neighbors of one of the families we have been sharing Christ with are from Burundi. They are Christian which is one of the reasons they are here.

Brazil- One of the local leaders being raised up in Sao Palo was able to come and visit us in Atlanta. He has a great testimony and is a great speaker. He was given a tour of the local Hindu temple, and as some of the monks were feeding the statues, he was sad because they were wasting his favorite meal- rice and beans- on dead statues.

Bhutan- Most of the refugees from Bhutan are ethnically Nepali. Generations ago, they migrated from Nepal to Bhutan. The monarchy there had sent them out, so they tried to return to their native land of Nepal. However, the Nepali government did not recognize them as Nepali, and the Indian government did not want refugees, so Nepal kept them in refugee camps until a nation would take them. Most are Hindu, some Buddhist, and some Christian. We have adopted one family through World Relief Organization who helps them and other refugees get placed and integrate into American Society. God has opened some doors for us to share Christ with some of them, and with the local church leadership, hopefully they can be discipled into small churches that will reach out to their refugee community and grow the Kingdom here in this area.

Afghanistan- Many Afghani refugees have come to America in the past 10 years since 9/11.

There are many other nationalities that have settled here that we have not met yet, and since our time is running down here, we may not get to meet. We see signs in Korean, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Laotian- especially signs on local churches. Amazing that we are plopped right down in the middle of the nations here outside of Atlanta.

How much do you know of your hometown? You may be living nearby an international refugee area. Most likely, there are organizations around you like World Relief Organization, and Friends of Refugees who work hard to place people that have been abandoned by the only country they know. All they want to do is adapt and integrate into the local society. Sadly, many will never make any American friends, because we are not aware or are too wrapped up in our busy lives to welcome those people who have been rejected. Think about it though- a refugee is someone who has been persecuted and removed from their homeland because of their ethnicity, religious beliefs, language, political views or simply their government wants them off the land. Refugees usually do not get any respect by their host country. Can you think of any refugees you might know? I can think of one-

There were many children born around the time Jesus was born and were persecuted by Herod. All boys under the age of two years were put to death because of the fear that Jesus would overthrow Herod's kingdom and restore it to the Jews. His family fled to Egypt, and that is where he grew up until Herod's death. Jesus and his family were refugees.

Update From Atlanta and Mission Training

One month left until our time in Atlanta is finished. We have been studying hard and preparing as a team for Bangkok later this year. Even with the experience I have gained in South Asia, I have picked up even more tools and knowledge for application in Thailand.

In addition to class time and reading 2 books per week, I have had a lot of fun going into the local refugee community outside of Atlanta in Clarkston, GA. This is the most diverse international place I have seen or even heard of in all of America. There are refugees from many places that are placed right here. People from Sudan, Ethiopia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar and many others are relocated right here through World Relief- a refugee relief organization that helps people acclimate into the U.S. These refugees are different from immigrants- immigrants have come to this country of their own free will. Refugees have been removed from their country because of their ethnicity, their religious beliefs or simply because they occupy land that the government wants to use. They spend time in refugee camps, sometimes 15-20 YEARS before going to a country that will accept them. We have met some young people 18-25 that were born in the refugee camps and have no concept of their own home country. Many of the children were born in the camps. Can you imagine? Not being able to call anyplace home, and then being placed in America where you do not know the language, you have no money and are totally dependent upon others to survive. The Bhutanese are ethnically Nepali people who migrated generations ago into Bhutan, but since they are not really Bhutanese, the government sent them out of the country. They tried to settle in India, but were sent away. They tried to settle in their native country of Nepal, but were not recognized as Nepali, so were put into refugee camps that are not too far removed from prison accommodations. This is a holding place where they live and apply to live in other countries, but are forced to remain (they cannot go outside the walls of the camp) and survive in these refugee camps until they are accepted by another country. Most likely, that country is a European country or the USA- either way, they move into a culture completely opposite of their own.

Through World Relief, my family and I have adopted a Bhutanese family, and spend one day per week in their home being friends to them by just hanging out with them. Others on our team have also adopted refugee families, and have been spending time with them, even picking them up to go to the hospital for doctor visits. One visit we were able to meet the entire family that has been slowly relocated here from Nepal, and were served dinner. When we left, one of the men of the family said- "you are part of our family." Sadly, we will leave them soon, but hopefully the impact of our love and friendship toward them will be felt for some time. Another sad fact about many other refugee families is that they never have any significant relationships with any American families. We are privileged to have the opportunity to spend time with these families and show the love of Christ, even being able to share our faith with them.

In one of the apartment complexes, the majority of people that live there are refugee families from many different countries. I met a missionary that is living and working among them, and have been spending a lot time with him visiting families that he has developed relationships. We have had many opportunities to share the Gospel, and have found several houses of peace within the complex. We were talking with a Nepali man who spoke very good English (he learned while in the refugee camp for 20 years). The conversation never lagged, he initiated dialog during our conversation, which eventually turned to spiritual topics. He is Hindu, but does not believe many of the Hindu traditional beliefs, like reincarnation- he believes we live once and then die, but from there go to the good place or bad place. We asked him who decides where we go, and how. He said the more good we do, we go to the good place (heaven) but if we do bad, then we go to hell (This is a very common belief among people from South Asia). We then shared the Gospel, to which he is open to hearing more because he said that it was good teaching. Another day, we sat outside and shared the Gospel with a group of Nepali women and an older Nepali man who helped us explain it, since he was a Christian. We were sitting with another family we had built a relationship with, and asking questions about Hindu beliefs. The wife then handed us a Jehovah Witness tract they had received, written in the Nepali language. Fortunately, they did not understand what it was, but unfortunately, understood it as Christian. The opportunity presented itself for us to share the REAL Gospel, and with a Nepali Bible, we explained salvation through Christ in the Book of Romans, with the Romans Road passages (verses 3:10-12, 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-10, and 10:13). We stopped at each passage and explained, and had them read and re-read them and tell us what they thought. They have not accepted yet, but they have a better understanding of Jesus, that will hopefully lead to their becoming a follower of Christ.

It has been a great time here in Atlanta, not only gaining a lot of knowledge, but to be able to apply many of the principles right away and plug into the local community. Keep praying for these refugee families that we have all encountered- that the Holy Spirit will work in their lives & the knowledge that they have been given to change their lives. And pray about befriending a refugee family in your city. There are many. Make a difference in their lives.