ASAP Newsletter, March/April 2006

March/April, 2006

Cover: This little girl in her intricate traditional Hmong clothing represents a people who have suffered greatly through persecution, poverty, and not having a country to call their own. Read this newsletter to find out how ASAP is striving to reach not only this group, but all Southeast Asians for Christ.

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Director’s Update Judy Aitken paints a picture of the evangelistic activity in Southeast Asia.

Winning Ways to Reach Cambodians Pastor Hang Dara lets us in on three successful secrets for bringing people to Christ.

Top Ten Opportunities to Give Evangelistic Tools in 2006 Discover the tools you can help provide to enable ASAP national workers to evangelize.

Winning Ways to Reach Vietnamese Pastor Isah Young gives the fascinating details on how DVDs help spread the Word.

Winning Ways to Reach Laotians; the Least of These Khamsay Phetchareun shares how ASAP workers are church planting amongst the forgotten Lao people in Cambodia.

“ASAP Family” Connections Be inspired as you read what a small church in Oregon is doing through ASAP.

Winning Ways to Reach Buddhists; Seek to Understand Them Bruce Bauer thoughtfully compares and contrasts major differences between Buddhism and Christianity.

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In Loving Memory

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Winning Ways to Reach the Hmong

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People Without a Country Church planters, Pastor Ko and Terri Saelee, experience God working through them to reach the Hmong in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Find out tips on reaching out to Hmong people in your neighborhood.

Moving Forward With God The ASAP staff invites you to celebrate and participate in ASAP’s growth.

Director/Editor Judy Aitken Assistant Editor Julia O’Carey Copy Editors Linda Bauer Shari Pottinger Hayli Davis Design/Layout Son Praises/ Margie Mitchell Adventist Southeast Asia Project's purpose is to support the preaching of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ through church planting and evangelism endeavors for Southeast Asian people throughout the world. As a privately funded, nonprofit organization we work as a supporting ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

As an unaffiliated, independent ministry, we are dependent upon God to move people to support this work.

Please contact us: ASAP PO Box 84 Berrien Springs, MI 49103 Phone: 269-471-3026 Fax: 269-471-3034 Email: office@asapministries.org Web address: http://www.ASAPministries.org We would love to hear from you.

(Tax-deductible contributions may be sent with the enclosed envelope.)

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.

Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown (1 Corinthians 9:24, 25).

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BC NEWSCAST REPORTS THAT ABOUT five billion people around the world listened to the opening ceremonies of the winter Olympics in Torino, Italy on February 10. Though I am not a sports fan myself, I could not escape noticing the air of excitement among friends I talked to here in Berrien Springs as they told me about athletes from around the world who came together with the soul purpose of getting gold for their countries. Most of them hire trainers to instruct them in mastering the best techniques and tools that will give them an edge. In order to succeed they spend many hours every day in perfecting their skills. They consume healthy, nutrient-rich foods which give them energy and strength in order to build their bodies. The athletes also hire professional counselors to help them develop a positive winning attitude.

They combine all these things with their Godgiven abilities to hopefully turn their dreams of a medal into a reality.

In this issue you will discover some of the tools national workers are using as they run the exciting race God has set out for them, to win precious souls for His Kingdom. The tools they use are very different from those of the athletes in Italy, yet equally important in making it possible for them to succeed.

Bibles, literature, Bible lessons and hymnbooks coupled with faith and prayer

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create vibrant tools for success in Southeast Asia. In Pastor Isah Young’s article, Winning Ways to Reach Vietnamese, he explores the powerful impact DVD evangelism is having in Vietnam.

Cambodian church planters find that the tools their district pastor, Hang Dara, used in leading them to Christ are working well for them in leading others to Christ. One of the church planters in Cambodia, Va Touch, shares in Winning Ways to Reach Cambodians the amazing results he and his members are experiencing by using the tool of ‘friendship evangelism.’ These important evangelism tools, blessed by the Holy Spirit, are winning many for God’s Kingdom.

As His people, each of us has a part to play in this race. You may be the sponsors of the national ASAP athletes, providing essential funds to supply them with the tools they need and the chance to participate. You may be the cheering fans, supporting them with your prayers. You may be all that and running your own race for Christ, not in Italy or Southeast Asia, but right in your own neighborhood. Whatever role God purposes for you, I know the Holy Spirit is using you to win many precious people into God’s Kingdom. In partnership together we look forward to receiving our reward, an imperishable crown of eternal life. ASAP 3

Church planter, Prom Saret (on right) prays for healing for March (middle)..

by Hang Dara, pastor of the Phnom Penh District, Cambodia

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F YOU READ THE EXCITING REPORTS IN THE LAST FEW ASAP

newsletters that told of how rapidly the church planting program in Phnom Penh is expanding, you might have asked yourself, How is this happening?

Through the following three testimonies from church planters in my district, you will discover a few of the effective tools God has given ASAP church planters to reach people with the gospel of Jesus. Consider trying some of these techniques as you share Christ in your own communities and social circles.

The Health Message Prom Saret, one of ASAP’s church planters in my district used to suffer from a liver disease. After visiting the doctor with no re4

sults, she asked me if I could pray for her.

We praise the Lord for shortly after praying and using natural remedies such as charcoal Adventist Southeast Asia Projects

and hot and cold water compresses, God miraculously healed her. She now uses God’s healing ways to reach people for Christ.

March, an elderly lady whose leg had been swollen and infected for over twenty years, first learned of a healing Savior from Prom Saret. March spent a lot of money searching for a cure, but to no avail. When Prom Saret met her, she had lost all hope and wished to die. After praying for her and giving her natural treatments, March witnessed complete

healing in three days! Better than receiving healing for her liver disease is the spiritual healing she received when she accepted Jesus as her Savior. Last month she was baptized into the SDA family of God. Prom Saret shares the blessings of spiritual and physical healing with whomever will listen. As a result of her witness, fifty-three new members have been baptized and now worship God, the great physician.

Friendship Ministry “The Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympa-

thy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them (Continued on next page)

Hang Dara (right) with church planters.

“The Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them ‘Follow me,’” (Ministry of Healing, 143).

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‘Follow me,’” (Ministry of Healing, 143). The description of Jesus’ approach to ministry clearly spells friendship. Church planter Va Touch brought seventy souls to Christ including the fifteen who just entered into the waters of baptism on February 26. What is his secret? “To start with, I go and make friends.

When the people get to know me, I start giving Bible studies to them as soon as I can,” he says. As friendly Va Touch builds relationships with people and touches the lives of

those around him through his kind deeds and gracious acceptance, people naturally desire to hear what he has to say about God. When the going gets tough, Va Touch finds his strength through Scripture. He writes, “My district pastor, Hang Dara, shared Philippians 4:13 which tells me I can do all things through Christ because He gives me strength. This is why I can meet people I do not know and make friends with them, because God goes with me.”

Prayer The way church planter Pok Sotha first discovered the power of God was from receiving a direct answer to his prayer. As a poor taxi driver with very little business, one day he desperately cried out, “God, if you really exist, please send me a little business.

Help me earn at least $5.00 this shift!” God answered his prayer, giving him the specific amount he asked for.

Although Pok Sotha previously learned of God from his brother-in-law and had even taken Bible studies from me, it was not until God showed that He cared for him personally that he responded with all his heart. The words of John 15:16 spoke directly to Pok Sotha’s heart. “I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain: that whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He may give you.” Pok Sotha works hard for the Lord as a church planter, reaching people by praying for them and with them. His prayers of 6

faith have brought sixty people to Christ. His group is one of the poorest in Phnom Penh, but one of the richest in faith. ASAP

About the Author: Hang Dara is pastor and leader of the central Phnom Penh district in Cambodia. He is also the director of ministries and pastoral training for the Cambodia Adventist Mission.

He accepted the Lord in the refugee camps of Thailand in the early 1980s. He and his wife, Bun Sokhom, have led many to God during eight years pastoring in a SDA church in the camps and throughout their nine years of service in Cambodia.

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects

Become a Participant in God’s Race to Win Southeast Asia. Your Financial Gifts can Make this List a Reality.

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From Café Owners to Villagers

by Pastor Isah Young

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S I REFLECT ON THE MAIN ACTIVITY

of the Vietnamese pastors over the past year, I can sum it up in one word, “EVANGELISM!” We discovered that besides the Peace and Happiness radio program, sermons on DVDs prove to be the fastest and most cost effective method of reaching people in Vietnam.

Shortly after we began distributing DVDs of my sermons in March of last year, the Vietnamese pastors in every part of Vietnam were flooded with requests for group Bible studies. Our pastors call this “the latter rain of the Holy Spirit through DVDs.” We have no way of knowing exactly how many people are watching these DVD sermons because individuals reproduce them and share them with their friends who reproduce more and continue the cycle. But we do know that we cannot keep up with the demand.

God is using this evangelistic tool to reach Vietnamese from every walk of life. Some café owners play these DVD sermons to their customers in the city and they keep coming back to our Vietnamese pastors asking for more sermons.

University students are playing them to groups of students in their dorm rooms.

Whole villages who listen to the Peace and Happiness radio broadcasts are crowding into the homes of villagers owning a DVD player and listening to these sermons on Sabbath for their church service.

Right now, at least thirty government controlled CMA (Christian Missionary Alliance) churches secretly use my DVD sermons each week to teach their members. We know of thousands accepting the Adventist truth from Catholic popu(Continued on page 22)

DVD Evangelism is currently one of the fastest, most cost effective methods of reaching people in Vietnam from all walks of life. You can supply a DVD player and set of 25 DVD sermons to a village for $50!

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Adventist Southeast Asia Projects

“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son.” I John 5:11 KJV

Pastor Isah Young baptizes a new member into the family of God. This precious believer may not have heard about Christ if it wasn’t for YOU and your help in providing evangelistic materials to Vietnam.

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The Least of These

by Khamsay Phetchareun, professor of religious studies at Mission College, Thailand

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C

OULD YOU TEACH US AND OUR

children about your God?” implored Lao village leaders during my visit to the Nimith 4 area of Cambodia last year. What an opportunity when people actually ask about God! In response to this request, Adventist Southeast Asia Projects (ASAP) stepped out in faith and sent a young Adventist teacher from Laos and a national missionary to begin an exciting journey; a promising Lao evangelistic project.

It was almost 200 years ago when Lao people, mostly from the Phuan tribe, were forced to flee into Cambodia when they were defeated and pursued by the then Thai army during the War of Liberation. Now the descendants of the defeated Lao army have multiplied into tens of thousands of people. There are altogether nine villages of ethnic Lao people in this area with approximately 300-350 large households in each village on the Cambodian/Thailand border.

These people suffered immensely under the hands of Pol Pot. Most of their land was taken by the Pol Pot army. Their children were drafted into Pol Pot’s army and 10

many died. After Cambodia returned to democracy things have improved, but the Lao people in this area remain forgotten or ignored.

The quality of life for these Lao people has not changed much.

There are no decent schools, hospitals, or other infrastructures set in place for them.

A small team was launched by ASAP to share God’s love and care for three neighboring villages. Four months ago, ASAP sent Vichien Sisen-keo, an agriculture college graduate from Laos, to teach the Lao language, English and Bible. A qualified Adventist young man, Boh Leang Savny (see above picture), recently joined him to also teach. We praise the Lord the government has given permission to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cambodia to operate schools. In addiAdventist Southeast Asia Projects

tion to giving the gift of education, they plan to share the good news of Jesus with these villagers. Soonthorn (Ben), a Thai theology graduate from Mission College, will go in June to serve as the pastor/ church planter for these villages which are only fifteen miles apart. Now, thanks to the democracy and religious freedom in Cambodia, preaching the gospel message is allowed.

For generations these people have been cut off from the message of the

gospel. With this Spirit-led team in place, one can only imagine the score of Lao people in this area that will fill the SDA church and school, worshiping and praising God. These men will bring hope to these Lao people. This project offers a fresh start to a people who have lost everything, but now will find something more precious than anything earthly previously owned. They will find their eternal Savior, their heavenly Father who has not rejected nor forsaken them.

“ASAP Family” Connections

by Julia O’Carey, ASAP Development Director

Your Dollars Go Far When Church Planting in Southeast Asia!

Church planter/pastor stipend: $50-$120 Rent for small house: $100 Medical: $10 Travel expense: $20 Evangelism supplies: $20-$30 Building Churches/Schools: $550-$20,000 Building a Well: $150

AS YOU READ ABOVE, GOD’S WORK HAS been established in these Lao villages situated on the border of Cambodia and spiritual seeds have been planted. Just recently, God sent the rain these seeds require for growth. As an answer to prayer, the Gold Beach Seventh-day Adventist Church in Oregon (see picture above) offered to sponsor the above project. It was a match made in heaven.

This small, but visionary church had been searching for an opportunity to assist in a new church planting project in an unreached area of the world. The members believe that in reaching out to (Continued on page 23)

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Seek to Understand Them

by Bruce Bauer

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HENEVER WE PRESENT A BIBLE STUDY OR TALK ABOUT HOW SALVA-

tion is made pOSsible through Jesus Christ, we must be certain that those who listen to us are hearing the same message that we are giving. This is especially true when communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ to Buddhists. Let me share with you four areas where there are huge gaps between Christian understanding and Buddhist beliefs and values.

Nature of Sin: Karmic Consequences or Rebellion against a Holy God? The Buddhist concept of right and wrong is based on their sila, or moral precepts that command the refraining from (1) the taking of all forms of life, not just human, (2) stealing, (3) immoral sexual behavior, (4) lying, and (5) drinking of intoxicants.

Many Buddhists practice these five basic laws only occasionally, and when they break

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them, there is no sense of offense against a god. Buddhists believe that humans are neither sinful by nature nor are they seen as in rebellion against God. I was teaching a Bible class to a group of Japanese college students. We had been studying for several weeks and for that particular night I was teaching about sin. Towards the end of the presentation I made the statement, “We are all sinners, right?� and

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects

received a lot of blank looks.

Feeling that perhaps they had not understood my question I asked it in Japanese, “Watakushi takushi wa minna sumibito desu ne?”

But instead of getting the agreement that I expected they all shook their heads, “No.” Later that night I started to explore what the Japanese understand the word sumi or “sin” to mean in their language. What I found out was fascinating.

The typical Buddhist Japanese thinks of a sinner as someone who has committed some terrible offense such as murder, and who has been caught and is now being led off in handcuffs to prison. That was my students’ view of sin, so when I said, “We are all sinners,” they were totally confused. As soon as I understood the cultural definition of sin, I then went on to pour the Christian and biblical meaning of sin into their Japanese word. What we ended up with was a subgroup of people who understood sumi, but not in the traditional Japanese sense. They had added biblical content to the word and now viewed the word in a broader sense with Christian meanings attached.

Taking the time to understand the basic building blocks of a culture and their religious beliefs opens up discussion. These discussions and studies, through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, leads them to understand biblical values and principals.

Basis for Spiritual Life: Reincarnation or Regeneration?

In Buddhism karma (you reap what you sow) is the iron law from which there is no escape. Bad karma could be equated with ASAP

sin. A common Buddhist saying is, “Do good, get good.

Do evil, get evil.” The Buddha, when asked how humans can save themselves answered, “even though you give alms, observe the five commandments governing everyone, the eight commandments governing the fervent Buddhist, and the 227 commandments governing the conduct of the highest Buddhist officials, even if you join your hands in prayer a billion times, and meditate five times a day, you will not be saved. Even if you do these things every day, you will only receive merit equal to one eighth of a split hair.” This shows the difficulty of overcoming karma, and therefore the need for endless cycles of reincarnation, the rebirth of a soul in another body. The self-reliance and self-deliverance of Buddhists is a very long road indeed before nirvana is found.

In contrast, Christians believe in the instantaneous new birth (regeneration) that is available through Christ, and the total forgiveness for accumulated sins of the past. By accepting Christ’s atonement through faith, a person receives present peace and hope for the future. For spiritual growth Buddhists must depend only on themselves; for Christians that dependence is only on Christ.

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Destiny and Finality: Nirvana or Eternal Life?

Buddhists believe in an afterlife, in fact many afterlives, through the process of reincarnations. The goal is nirvana which is a much harder, complex concept to grasp and define. Briefly it is the extermination of undesirable qualities. It is not nothingness or extinction, nor is it paradise. It is not a place, but is more a state or experience. It is the end of craving which causes all suffering. This is the final goal of Buddhists—a kind of extinction-cum-nothingness consciousness.

Nor is there any resurrection from this state. Buddhists do not believe that one day someone will come and awaken the departed person’s spirit from their urns to decide who should go to heaven or hell. So, while the Buddhist’s final goal and destiny is nirvana, the Christian’s destiny and goal is everlasting life with the added anticipation of the resurrection. In Buddhism, no one is responsible or accountable to an external higher being.

In Christianity we are accountable to God, before whom we shall all stand.

Buddhists do believe that there are heavens and hells—not beyond this world, but in this very world itself. But these are only temporary places where those who have done good deeds experience more pleasures for a longer time and the evildoers experience more physical and mental suffering. But these pleasures or sufferings are only temporary states in the long process leading to the final nirvana.

Source of Salvation: Self or God? Buddhists believe that each person must make the effort to train and purify themselves towards attaining their own personal nirvana by following the guidance given by the Bud14

dha. Reaching nirvana depends on each person’s own efforts, causing the Buddhist to feel that both the present life and future life depend completely on what they alone do. Buddhists do not rely on an external god, savior or even the Buddha. One must overcome one’s own accumulated karma by onesself. The Christian completely relies on God, believing that one must repent of sins and trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

Adventist national workers in Southeast Asia understand these concepts because most of them come from a Buddhist background.

This is one reason ASAP dedicates time to training national church planters and pastors to share the gospel in their predominantly Buddhist countries. Remember to pray that Christian witnesses will be Spirit-led in their efforts to communicate Jesus Christ to Buddhists. John 16:13 promises, “But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” NIV. ASAP

About the Author: Bruce Bauer is currently chairman of the board for Adventist Southeast Asia Projects, as well as chairman of the missions department of Andrews University Theological Seminary.

He and his wife Linda live and work in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

They previously served as missionaries in Guam Micronesia, Japan and Cambodia.

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects

We extend our deepest sympathy to our ASAP family who have lost loved ones. Please remember them in your prayers.

We feel grateful to…

—Ben and Irene Stiles for the gift given in loving memory of Irene’s aunt, Dorothy Killion.

—Ken and Sharon Straw for the gift given in loving memory of Boyd and Elizabeth Olson, Judy Aitken’s parents.

—Corliss Rink for the gift given in loving memory of her mission minded mother, Sarah Melcher.

—Ralph and Joann Davis for the gift given in loving memory of Dr. Reinhold Tilstra, who was a former missionary to Vietnam.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

Correction: In the Jan/Feb issue within the Facts section of page 4 it stated, “Less than 500” for SDA members in Vietnam. It should have stated “less than 5,000” based on reliable sources from Vietnam. According to the SDA Yearbook, the membership is 7,722.

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People Without a Country

by Terri Saelee

Who Are the Hmong?

The Hmong people are a mountain tribe. They call themselves a people without a country. It is difficult to trace their history since they had not had a written language until about a hundred years ago when French missionaries designed one for them using the English alphabet.

Some think the Hmong may have originated in Mongolia. It is known, however, that through the centuries, due to political unrest, they filtered down into China, Laos, Burma, northern Vietnam and northern Thailand. Due to their support of the U.S. troops during the Vietnam War, thousands of Hmong from Laos were forced to leave their beloved mountain homes and came as refugees to the States.

It took years of working with Hmong people for the realization to dawn on me how very different life must be without a written history. There are no Hmong libraries and no Hmong schools. I began to notice that when Hmong people sent letters to distant relatives the envelope contained, not paper, but a cassette tape.

While other Southeast Asian refugee 16

groups started printing newspapers in their languages to keep one another informed, the Hmong bought time on a radio station.

How Can We Reach Them?

Even though a written language has now been developed for these people without a country, what government is going to develop a Hmong school system to teach it? The only printed materials available to reach out to the Hmong people are a poorly translated Bible, a few song books and a few charts my husband has put together on biblical topics.

Very few books are printed and readily available. Therefore, it is not surprising that it is difficult to find a Hmong person who can read Hmong, even at a conversational level. Clearly, to effectively reach out to Hmong people and share with them the truth that they DO have a country they belong to called heaven, we must urgently find methods other than the printed page. ASAP and our family feel strongly convicted that radio, tapes and media provide the best avenues to reaching them.

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects

Reaching the Hmong in Wisconsin and Minnesota In November of 2004, the Wisconsin and Minnesota Conferences, in cooperation with ASAP, started exploring their vision of reaching out to the more than 100,000 Hmong people already living in the two states, with several thousand more Hmong refugees scheduled to arrive soon. Shortly after, the WI Conference sponsored the only two Hmong pastors in the United States to come spend time with two Hmong families in Madison that had expressed an interest in knowing more about Adventist doctrines.

Neng Lee, pastor of the Fresno, Visalia and Lompoc Hmong congregations, and Pastor Ko Saelee, then church planting among the Hmong in Sacramento, spent three days of intensive Bible study with the two Hmong families. Their interest was so great they studied together until three o’clock in the morning both nights.

After a few hours of sleep, they got up and continued studying with these two families who were already keeping Sabbath on their own. Monday morning both families announced their decision to become Seventh-day Adventists.

(Continued on next page)

Mrs. Yang feeds Blia after praying she would keep her food down.

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Pastors Ko Saelee and Neng Lee stand in the center with Hmong SDA members in Madison Wisconsin.

The next Sabbath they received a warm welcome at the Madison Community SDA Church. After the pastors returned to California, Pastor Swamidass, the local pastor, continued Bible studies with the families in English.

We praise the Lord, fourteen of them were baptized two months later; the first Hmong people, as far as we know, to be baptized in the Wisconsin Conference of Seventhday Adventists.

Immediately the two families started reaching out. They discovered a family that had just arrived as refugees from Thailand a few months earlier. The

mother, Blia Xiong, had been diagnosed with ulcers while in the refugee camp and had been experiencing health problems and losing weight. Going to doctors had not changed anything.

One day when the Yang family visited, they found Blia vomiting. She could not seem to keep anything down. One of our newly baptized members thought to herself, “I have God now. I should be able to give her some food and she should be able to keep it down.” She prayed and gave Blia some rice. To her amazement she was able to

After the prayer, he said, “You need to be baptized.”

“We’ve been waiting for you to come so we can,” came her quick reply.

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keep it down, so she gave her some more rice and she kept that down. Blia’s health improved. They often went straight to her home after work and spent the whole evening with her. She began attending church regularly with them.

Last October our family arrived in Wisconsin in response to a call from the Wisconsin and Minnesota Conferences to reach out to the Hmong people in both states. Immediately after we arrived, Blia invited us and the two families that had become so dear to her to a special birthday meal to celebrate her two sons’ birthdays. She asked Pastor Ko to pray for her two sons. After the prayer, he said, “You need to be baptized.” “We’ve been waiting for you to come so we can,” came her quick reply.

On January 7, 2006, Blia and her oldest son and daughter were baptized—first fruits of the labors of the families baptized the previous January. But that is not the end of the story. She invited her brother and his wife from Wausau to attend her baptism. The little group of new Adventists shared testimonies and urged them to also become Christians. They have not quite made the decision, but they are open.

During a recent Bible study at Blia’s home, her brother called and

said he had been plagued with nightmares and had trouble sleeping. Blia prayed for God to help him be able to sleep. Since that time, he has been able to sleep peacefully. Please pray with us that he and his wife will continue to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

About the Author: Terri Saelee’s ministry for the Hmong people began in the early 1980s when she taught English and Bible in the Hmong refugee camp in Thailand. After returning to the States, God opened doors for her to continue ministering to the Hmong and Southeast Asians in California. Her husband, Pastor Ko Saelee, is one of the two Hmong Adventist pastors in the United States. Please pray for this powerful team as they pioneer the work of reaching the Hmong for Christ in Wisconsin and Minnesota. ASAP has stepped out in faith by committing to partner with the WI and MN Conferences in financially supporting them. Your prayers and contributions will empower them to plant churches, begin a radio ministry and develop other auditory evangelistic materials for the Hmong.

Pastor Ko, his wife Terri and their children, Jeffrey, Janessa and Kayla.

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Winning Ways to Reach the Hmong 9 Make friends and speak openly about your faith in God. 9 Feel free to ask them about their background and religious beliefs.

They may be seeking to know God.

9 Do not ridicule their faith in dreams or their fear of the spirits for these are core values. Instead, share the power of God, especially in your own experience.

9 Do not expect them to attend church with you until they have officially left spirit worship.

9 Never pass up an opportunity to invite them to eat with you, whether you have much or little. They will always de cline at first as that is the only ap propriate thing to do in their culture. Be persistent. This is one of the best ways to show them you care.

9 If they are fluent in English you can share books, tapes and Bible studies in English. Often, the older children can serve as translators.

9 If they are not fluent in English, pray that audio resources in the Hmong language will be quickly developed. To receive Hmong Bibles or materials you may contact the Saelee’s at: pajkaublee@juno.com or (916)529-3239.

9 Pray earnestly for any Hmong that you meet; God loves to answer those prayers!

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Adventist Southeast Asia Projects

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raise the Lord! ASAP is growing! As God transforms hearts in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, an increased number of national workers have come on

board. In the last ten years, providential doors for new ministries flew open left and right and ASAP responded. Due to this increase in God’s work, there was a need to increase ASAP staff to help manage the workload. Additional staff created the need for a larger workspace since ASAP had operated out of a small home’s half-basement for the past ten years.

After much prayer and seeking of the Lord’s will, the ASAP board voted to purchase a house to use as a home base in Berrien Springs, Michigan. The 1800s house purchased, perfectly meets the needs of the ASAP staff. Please whisper a prayer of gratitude with the ASAP staff for God’s provision.

If you feel impressed to make a tax deductible donation to ASAP, specifically designated towards lowering the mortgage payments for the ASAP office, that would be greatly appreciated. Since 100% of your support for specific projects goes to that project, we appeal for your support in this practical home base project. In order to pay off the $135,000 mortgage in three years, $45,000 is needed each year. Your assistance in this area indirectly, yet powerfully impacts the lives of the Southeast Asians who seek to know God. Together, we can claim 2 Corinthians 9:8, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” The board and staff at ASAP are grateful for the tremendous support our ASAP family has given in every aspect of this ministry. ASAP The ASAP team in front of the newly purchased office (from left to right, Shari Pottinger, Office Manager, Julia O’Carey, Development Director, Judy Aitken, Executive Director, Karen Wade, Treasurer, and Joan Hodet, part-time Assistant.)

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Vietnam Continued from page 8

lation centers throughout Vietnam. In one church of eight thousand members, the Catholic priests play the New Beginnings DVD for each of the four services.

I recently heard that a leader of another Christian denomination with a large congregation asked Pastor Minh Phong,* one of the SDA district leaders, if he could distribute these DVDs to all the members of his parish. Another leader from the same denomination in a different region sincerely asked Pastor Danh Van Nguyen,* “Would you have enough DVD sermons for the several million Christian members in my region? I want to share this truth with my people. They have been led astray a long time.” Pastor Nguyen replied, “The Lord will provide. He will lead us one step at a time.”

When Pastor Nguyen briefly visited this lay leader’s house/medical office, he witnessed five people come in at different times, asking for some medicine. At first he thought nothing of it since this man was a doctor. He was surprised, however, when he realized that instead of giving his “patients” medicine to heal their physical bodies, the lay leader handed them a set of ten DVD sermons, a Bible, a book called, “The Truth about the Sabbath” and a thirty-five lesson Bible study set – the best medicine to heal their hearts and souls.

Please pray for me as I work on 22

producing more sermons on DVD as fast as possible. Currently, I am working on a Daniel/Revelation series. If ASAP had $100,000 specifically designated for this DVD Peace and Happiness project, DVDs could be duplicated and distributed to every province in Vietnam. All of our staff thank the Lord for providing $20,000 for this project so far this year.

Pray that the Vietnamese pastors will be able to share more Bibles, literature, radios, and other evangelistic tools with the spiritually sick people they encounter.

Words cannot express enough gratitude to all of you who so generously give to this mission. It is our deepest prayer that the Lord will bless you and keep you until His soon return. ASAP *Names changed for safety reasons.

Adventist Southeast Asia Projects

“ASAP Family” Connections Continued from page 11

others their faith in the Lord will grow.

They have not only committed to financially supporting the church planters and praying for them, but are motivated to meet the immediate needs of their Lao sisters and brothers. The believers also see the big picture and are planning to meet the long term needs of a church building when needed and possibly a school.

The most urgent matter first attended to was to provide clean water for the villagers. Khamsay Phetchareun affirms the Gold Beach Church in saying, “The water bore will be a good witness to the villagers. When I was there they all asked me to help drill water for their villages. I couldn’t promise them, but I told them to pray to God for help.

Drilling water at our school will also benefit local people nearby. I remember Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman at a water hole. Through her, many lives were saved. This water may serve as a meeting point for people who will not fetch just water, but also spiritual drink as well.”

Please join ASAP and the Gold Beach Church in praying that this Lao evangelism project and other ASAP church planting projects will bear much fruit for God. The success of this project will fuel the vision of reaching more than 100,000 Lao people living in Cambodia’s Northern provinces. In the future as God leads, Khamsay Phetchareun and others with ASAP plan to train Lao people in these other northern provinces to plant churches in their respective villages. Would your family or church group be interested in nurturing and sponsoring a “sister church” in Southeast Asia?

ASAP has many opportunities where church planters and their new groups need financial and spiritual support. The cost of sponsoring a church in Southeast Asia varies depending on the country, individual needs and location of the project.

If you or your church group are looking for a project to sponsor, please contact ASAP and we will find a project or national pastor that matches your passion for ministry.

“For generations these people have been cut off from the message of the gospel.”

ASAP

ASAP

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