Our Ten Favorites, Mission Stories, Vol. 6

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OUR

FAVORITES VOL.6



MISSION STORIES FROM ASAP MINISTRIES

What’s Inside: PRAYER POWER AND PIGS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 BLIND EYES OPENED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 IS SANTA CLAUS THE CHRISTIAN’S GOD?. . . . . . . . . . . . 8 THE MIRACLE ROCK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 END-TIME VISIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 THE BEATITUDES LIVED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 WHAT IF YOU WERE BUDDHIST? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 YANI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 WATER OF LIFE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 TRASH AND TREASURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 COVER: Don and Trudi Starlin, ASAP Advocates, spend most of their weekends reaching refugees around the country. People from unreached countries are moving into our neighborhoods. Learn how to share Christ with other cultures and religions through the DVD-based kit Reach the World Next Door, available at asapministries.org.

REACH SOMEONE IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE TODAY!

VISIT MYLANGUAGEMYLIFE.COM

With just a click, you can have access to Bible studies, sermons, pamphlets, health presentations, the Jesus Film, entire books, and Sabbath school lessons in more than 100 languages!

Do you need something to give to a person who does not speak English well? Do you wish you had something spiritual in Farsi to sit down and listen to with the new Muslim friend you have made? Would you like to find a meaningful birthday gift to give a Vietnamese co-worker? You have the answer at MyLanguageMyLife.com. Just click on the regions of the world to see what languages and resources are available.

Only God I love it when things unfold in life where you and everyone around you knows that undoubtedly God stepped in and it could ONLY be God. That happened this year to our family in the adoption of a special little girl we now call Liana Ann. We had no plans of adopting a child, but God made it crystal clear in multiple ways that He intended for Liana to join our family. Unbeknown to us, a church member was praying specifically for us to grow a heart to take her in. Other miracles happened and we can now stand back and marvel at who God is.

I believe as you read these stories in ASAP’s sixth volume of Our Ten Favorites, you will get that same impression. Only God could have sent angels with special messages in Cambodia.

Only God could have arranged for Mr. Bouaphanh to meet the stranded church leaders in Laos. Only God could have made the oinking pigs and howling dogs disappear. Each story shows the amazing power of Jesus.

As you read, ask yourself, “Does a sense of awe and gratitude well up in my heart? Does it cause me to want to praise Him? Does it spur me on to give with a grateful heart?” If so, I encourage you to pass these stories along. Share them at work. Share them with your loved ones during the holidays. Respond with a love-gift to keep the work going strong.

By doing so, you will be honoring the Omnipotent One, who is longing to do even greater things through you and for you. He longs to reveal himself to the millions of unreached in Asia too.

Julia O’Carey ASAP Director

(Photo) The O’Carey family: Julia, AJ, Kaila and Liana

Prayer Power and Pigs

By Scott Griswold

No matter what challenges surround you, prayer is the answer!

Church Planter Pen Thim covered his mouth and nose with his red-checkered scarf. The smell of pigs still made its way in, stronger than ever, blowing from the west. How many years had the neighbors raised and slaughtered pigs behind the Beng Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cambodia? It had to be close to 15 years. Flood waters yearly brought a wash of pig slop into the entire church yard.

“Why don’t we pray about it Daddy?” one of his seven children asked. Pray? You could pray for the sick, for the demon-possessed, for sinners to convert, but for pigs? Why not? After all, Jesus had dealt with pigs once before in the Bible.

So Pen Thim and his family prayed twice a day for one whole month. On a Monday morning after prayer his daughter piped up, “I don’t smell any pigs, Daddy.” Out they went to visit the neighbor.

Sure enough the pig farm had closed due to loss in profits.

The Beng Church enjoyed some quiet, sweet-smelling days. It would not last forever. This time the family on the east side of the church started raising pigs. The fence was so close, the pigs’ excrement would slide into the church property. Then to the north another neighbor built a restaurant. In the back, next to the church, they kept stray dogs, ready to be slaughtered should their patrons desire dog soup.

The howling was too much. Everyone in Pen Thim’s house could not sleep. Every morning their seven-year-old went to school rubbing his red eyes. Prayer had worked before. They redoubled their efforts. Every day, week after week, the family prayed. Nothing changed. “Don’t give up, Daddy,” they urged.

After five months the restaurant owner sold his land. With him went the dogs and the new owner built a gas station. What a relief! At last the family could sleep in peace. Pig farm number two took a little longer to go away. Some pigs got broken legs, others began to die. It got so bad that most of the owner’s 100 pigs were gone.

Off went the pig farmer to the fortune teller to find out what was happening. “The problem is clear,” said the fortune teller. “Those Christians next to you have gone to a very powerful fortune teller and put a curse on you!”

He marched over to Pen Thim. “What are you doing to destroy my pigs? Who is your fortune teller?” he demanded to know. Pen Thim did his best to convince him that Christians don’t go to fortune tellers and do seek their neighbor’s best. Before long pig farm number two had become a construction supply store. Finally the church had lasting peace.

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“Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.” Psalm 4:1 NIV

COMMIT TO PRAYING FOR ASAP EVERY DAY! Go to our website and sign up to receive our monthly prayer points.

“Prayer is the mighty engine that is to move the missionary work.”

—A.B. Simpson

However, the need for prayer never ceased. One day a fourteen-year-old girl named Kern showed up at church. She loved the stories and the songs. Kern came again and again. At first no one knew, but before long she shared how angry her parents were at her for going to church. Kern admitted that her mother hit her each time she returned home. “In fact,” she said, “my mom hits me every day.”

Once again Pen Thim’s family and the church united in determined, daily prayer. After six months, the mother stopped abusing Kern; she could go to church in peace.

Kern wanted more than peace. She wanted her parents to become Christians. But how? A terrible drought swept through. The rice withered and dried up. “Mom and Dad,” Kern asked. “Won’t you come to church and pray about it with me?” They decided that since their prayers to their gods hadn’t worked, they would try.

Pen Thim urged them to trust in the God of creation. He led the group singing praises to the One who answers prayer. The next day on Sunday morning, he visited their farm and prayed again. That night at 6:00 p.m. the rain began to pour down! For four days the skies flooded their fields. The rice became green again. Kern’s mother and father began studying the Bible. Together the three of them were baptized in December 2015.

There is power in prayer!

PRAY FOR ASAP MISSIONARIES Dear Lord, Please protect, guide, and empower the ASAP missionaries, who all face great obstacles and challenges. Thank You for the power and privilege of prayer.

Amen.

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Blind Eyes Opened

By Scott Griswold

Church planter Jaw is no stranger to persecution.

When Jaw* was a boy in a Buddhist family, he met Jesus through the witness of a caring Christian.

Jaw eagerly gave his heart to Jesus despite his father’s strong opposition. His father promptly kicked him out of the house.

Fortunately a Seventh-day Adventist pastor took Jaw under his wing and saw him through Christian education. Jaw married and now has three little boys. Together they share the gospel among the Lahu in the jungles of Myanmar.

One village was filled with spirit worshippers. When anything bad happened, the villagers promptly offered animal sacrifices to appease the spirits. Many lived in fear that they would offend one of the spirits and lose a child or their own lives.

Jaw really wanted to enter that village and share Jesus’ power and love. The chief of the village was dead set against it. At the same time, this chief had a real dilemma. He very much wanted the children in his village to get an education. Government schools couldn’t adequately reach and care for the little ones. Jaw was ready and willing to help.

The chief gave Jaw minimal access. Over time some villagers wanted to be baptized. The chief refused. Jaw prayed determinedly for God to change his heart. After about a month one of the chief’s eyes became blind. A week later the other eye couldn’t see either. What had happened?

CONTACT US TODAY! We will email you a warm invitation to ASAP’s next SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIP so you can shine your light in Asia!

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“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 NIV

Some said an operation would help, but how to go about that? The chief couldn’t even speak Burmese, the main language of his country. Jaw seemed to be the only one who might be able to help.

“I will pay you to travel with me the two days to the hospital, to translate, stay with me, and bring me back,” the chief offered Jaw. “No pay is needed. It would be my privilege to be able to help you, our chief,” Jaw said. Jaw could see God’s hand in this opportunity to care. He called ahead and found a Christian friend in the city near the hospital. When they arrived the doctors took time to examine the chief and help him bring his diabetes under control.

“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.”

—John Keith Falconer

First they operated on one eye and then waited a week for the next. All the while, Jaw had the chance to talk to the chief about the healthy lifestyle God had prescribed in the Bible and how it could help a diabetic. Bit by bit the chief gave up smoking and then some of the harmful things he was eating.

Upon their return to the village, Jaw found a wide open door for mission work. The chief gave him free reign to share God. Four were baptized and soon went off for a Christian education like Jaw had once done so they too can become missionaries.

Courage, love, and prayer open many doors. Now Jaw has been sent to a new village where once again he must fight resistance with such gentle but powerful weapons and armor. You and I too must press forward with the task we have each been given, sharing the Good News of our mighty Savior.

(Photos) TOP: Church planter Jaw loves the Word of God and enjoyed the ASAP training session. MIDDLE: Jaw with two of his boys. BOTTOM: Rejoicing over the baptism of one of his students.

PRAY FOR VILLAGE CHIEFS Dear Jesus, Please turn the hearts of village chiefs throughout Asia to accept missionaries and allow the Gospel message to be preached in their villages. Please guide me to people of influence to share You with. Amen.

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Is Santa Claus the Christian’s God?

By Oh Jantakarn (as told to Julia O’Carey)

Have you ever asked yourself the question “Why am I still doing this if it does not work”?

Well, I asked that question about my religion. I come from a Thai family that is devoutly Buddhist and we would often go to the temple. I remember that as a child, I would write my prayers down and ring the bell. We would float the candles and offer our prayers. We would pray to every Buddha image in the temple for good luck. We dutifully made merit by giving offerings to the monks.

As I got older, I observed that all this activity did not seem to help our family. My parents had many financial and health problems. We had no peace or joy in our home. We were living under a constant dark shadow. Also, I had to take medications every week for my asthma but it did not seem to help. Even through all this I tried to hide my sadness, but it came out and others noticed.

One day at the dairy farm where I worked, a customer paused and looked intently at my face with a worried expression. “What’s wrong?” I could tell he really was interested and wanted to know, so I shared a string of problems and burdens I had. The customer asked, “May I pray for you?” I awkwardly mumbled, “Sure”. He prayed right there on the spot. This really surprised me. In my heart I wondered, “What God is he praying to? Is there a chance that his God can help me?”

My asthma was growing worse. It was Christmas Eve and suddenly a thought crossed my mind.

Maybe Santa Claus was the god that customer prayed to. Santa Claus was Christian, wasn’t he? So, I prayed, “Santa Claus, if you are real and you heal me of my asthma, I will become Christian.” The next morning I was looking on the internet and I found a remedy for my asthma. It worked. “Santa had answered my prayer!” I thought.

Help ASAP translate the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy books into Asian Languages.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Right now we are asking God for funds to translate Patriarchs and Prophets into Thai so seekers like Miss Oh can find Jesus and understand His Word clearly.

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“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV

I became really curious to know more about the Christian God, but I didn’t have any Christians living around me. As a result I didn’t know what Christians did. So what to do? I Googled Christian.

That’s how I found out about Jesus. He was the Christians’ God, not Santa Claus! I searched for images of Jesus and how Christians are supposed to act and pray. I found a picture of the Ten Commandments and printed them out and tried to follow them. I wanted to go to church but I didn’t know where to find one. I was really searching and eager to learn as much as I could. The Christian customer came back just in time! He introduced himself as Pr. Ruangwit and he invited me to go to his church.

When I went to church I shared my testimony of how I found God through Google. The Christians there were so friendly. I grew to know and love Jesus, the One who healed me. My life had dramatically changed. It wasn’t all easy, but I became a much happier person, dependent on God. After my baptism, Satan really tried to discourage me. My boss said that if I was to take Saturdays off, they would cut my salary in half, even though I worked another day to make up for it. That first month they cut my salary in half. It was hard, but I knew God would take care of me. My boss was so surprised I was willing to take the cut. He still tried to pressure me into working by saying, “You have to work!” I politely refused. His face got serious and he stood up from his desk and asked, “Are you going to defy my orders?” I solemnly said, “Yes.” In my heart I thought, “The only One I will ever obey is the Lord.”

I decided to leave my job. I didn’t know where to go, but I knew that God would make a way for me. He had healed me from asthma, He had brought joy to my heart, and He gave my life hope and purpose. Surely He could get me a job. I spent a lot of time serving the Lord while I was unemployed. Then the Lord decided to give me a good job of working in the dental clinic with Seventh-day Adventists in Bangkok. God is so amazing! I want to serve Him the rest of my life.

PRAY FOR SEEKERS Dear Father, Thank You for revealing yourself to seekers. Please use my life to help people understand who You truly are. Amen.

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The Miracle Rock

By Tom Evans and Julia O’Carey

Have you had a bad situation turn into a true blessing?

“It won’t budge!” Pastor Bounprany said with exasperation.

“Rock it back and forth,” Saisavanh replied. The two Laotian mission leaders tried over and over, but the truck was stuck like a soggy log. They stepped out of the truck into the cool, shallow river. They pushed with all their might.

“It’s stuck on a half-buried rock,” Pastor Bounprany announced.

“Let’s dig it out then!” Saisavanh was a problem solver. They dug with their hands, but quickly discovered they needed a shovel. So two worn-out men headed for the nearest village.

“Can we speak to the village chief?” He wasn’t there, but the villagers led them to Mr. Bouaphanh, the second in command. He was happy to help. Villagers quickly dug up the rock and the truck was free at last.

“It won’t start!” Pastor Bounprany groaned. The engine was waterlogged. Night sounds from the jungle reminded them it was now too late and too dangerous to travel anyway.

“You can stay with me tonight,” Mr. Bouaphanh offered. The two missionaries smiled in relief. Maybe God had a plan.

That night the mission leaders enjoyed a meal with Mr. Bouaphanh.

“Where are you headed?” he wanted to know.

(Photos) TOP: The actual miracle rock they dug out with Pr. Bouaphanh. MIDDLE: Thirty newlybaptized converts as a result.

BOTTOM: Mr. Bouaphanh being baptized into the SDA church.

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“I am taking Mr. Saisavanh to a nearby village to meet a young lady. She is active in ministry and maybe they would be a good match.” Saisavanh looked down at his rice bowl and blushed slightly. Mr. Bouaphanh wanted to know what kind of ministry they were doing. The leaders glanced briefly at each other. Should they disclose their religion? In communist Laos, discussing religion is a sensitive matter. How much should they say?

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV

DID YOU KNOW?

There are 4,054

UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUPS in the World?

Visit joshuaproject.net to learn more and ask God what YOU can do to change that.

Pastor Bounprany took a deep breath and responded confidently, “We are Seventh-day Adventist Christians. Have you heard of them?”

A smile slowly spread across Mr. Bouaphanh’s face. He jumped up and dug to the bottom of a drawer. He pulled out an old paper.

Pastor Bounprany took it and exclaimed, “It’s a certificate from the Seventh-day Adventist church saying you completed all the Bible studies from Voice of Prophecy!”

Bouaphanh nodded his head seriously, “In 1998, I completed all the studies by mail. I did not know any Seventh-day Adventists. For the last twelve years I have been pastor for the Church of Christ here in my village.”

Conversation did not stop after supper. It continued all night long. The Holy Spirit worked through Pr. Bounprany to remind Mr. Bouaphanh of the truth of the Sabbath and the nearness of Jesus’ return. This was just the beginning.

Mr. Bouaphanh began visiting the capital city often to learn more. An ASAP-sponsored church planter went to the village to give him Bible studies in his home. Finally, Mr. Bouaphanh made his decision to be baptized as a Seventhday Adventist.

When Mr. Bouaphanh went back to his Kamu village, he led his members to begin worshipping on God’s holy day, the Sabbath.

Saisavanh returned to teach some more. Soon fifteen community leaders and members were baptized. Another three hundred individuals continue to be very interested.

But what about that truck? It revved to life the next morning as if it had never had a bath in the river! The mechanics back home could not find anything wrong. Did the same angel that placed the miracle rock also keep the engine from starting? Someday in heaven Bouaphanh will want to know!

Meanwhile you can pray that the gospel will continue to move forward in this restrictedaccess area where the community leaders do not allow Bibles in the homes. Pray for the Kamu to walk in God’s truth. And Saisavanh? As of yet, he is still single. You can ask the Lord for a great partner for his ministry too.

MEET THE AUTHOR Tom Evans is an active supporter of ASAP Ministries, serving as our board chairman.

He is the Associate Director for the North American Division Evangelism Institute at Andrews University.

PRAY FOR THE NATIONS Jesus, You know that thousands of whole people-groups like the Kamu do not know You. Please work it out for them to hear and accept You. Amen.

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End-Time Visions

By Scott Griswold

Hints are coming from the countryside of Cambodia that God’s lastday promise is starting to be fulfilled. He said, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).

Sina stood quietly in the doorway, her eyes begging to come in with her older sister and brother.

She was only four. ASAP Literacy Teacher Sarem Peo smiled. “You can stay at school. Listen carefully.

In another year you can really study.”

Sina came every day she could, but she was often sick. Her teacher visited her at her bamboo-andthatch home. It was crowded with siblings and cousins. Sina’s mother lay on the mat, unable to walk after she was injected with bad medicine for a skin disease. Sina’s head burned with fever and her body shook with chills. There was no money to take her to the hospital.

Teacher Sarem knelt beside mother and daughter. She slipped some money into the mother’s hand for the doctor and offered to pray. Then she quietly left, back to her busy responsibilities at school.

The next day Sina skipped into class. What had happened? “I saw an angel!” she bubbled over. “She was wearing a white, shiny robe. At noontime, she came right through the door and over to me.

She told me not to worry, but all of us would get well. Now I’m all better and Mommy can walk too!”

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“As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!” Haggai 2:5 NASB

“Jesus loves the little ones like me, me, me. Older folks like you, Jesus loves them too!” Little Sina sensed God’s love and care and Makara, the principal of the Takong SDA School, found this song to be oh so true, when a report came to him of a vision in his area.

Mr. Em is the grandfather of thirteen-year-old Tina who is in sixth grade. She’s been very worried about him since he was so sick that no doctor could help him. Every day Principal Makara led his students to pray for Grandpa Em at 5:00 p.m. before the students went home. “Please come and pray at my house too,” pleaded Tina.

Makara went to Tina’s home, sat by the elderly man and urged him to give his life to God. “Jesus can heal you!” The man’s wife sat in the background, frowning. She was a committed Buddhist.

Over the next week, Grandpa Em’s mind began to fade. Sometimes he claimed to see things that no one else could see. Makara returned to pray for him. He knew God could heal. Tina kept praying at school and at home. It was hard to concentrate on her studies. She loved her Grandpa. She knew God loved him too. When would God answer her prayers?

Three months later, while Principal Makara was at his home just behind the school, he saw Grandpa Em walking in. He jumped up to greet him. “It’s so good to see you. What a surprise!”

Grandpa Em grinned broadly. “When you came to pray for me, my mind connected with God. Somewhere in my delirium, Jesus appeared to me. He said, ‘I have come to heal you. I will give you a new life and you will not die.’” Makara could hardly believe his ears. Grandpa Em kept praising God. “I’ve never heard of this happening to anyone, but it happened to me. I’ve seen Jesus!”

Now Tina sits by her grandfather every Sabbath at church. He drives her there on his motorbike. The Spirit of God is moving on the old and the young. Are you open to the Holy Spirit speaking to you?

WHY SPONSOR AN ASAP STUDENT? Because that STUDENT …

AND her parents …

AND her grandparents …

WILL meet JESUS for the first time!

asapministries.org/give Visit the sponsorship section of our online gift catalog and meet students needing immediate sponsorship.

PRAY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT Dear Father, Please pour the gift of the Holy Spirit out on us in a greater measure. Thank You for promising to do so in these last days. Amen.

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The Beatitudes Lived

By Jeanette Yeboah-Amoako

After attending an ASAP training, Xou became a strong disciple.

He felt equipped to share his faith with others.

Would you like to send a missionary to a training for only $200?

Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 by preaching eight blessings He will give to those who follow Him. Today a young man is embodying this message from the mountaintops of Vietnam.

“BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.” Xou Vang* knows what it means to be poor. In his mountain village in Vietnam there is only enough food to eat for half of the year. As was the custom, he got married when he was 13 and his wife was 12. It is difficult to provide for their four children. He is poor, but also poor in spirit. As a true follower of Jesus, he humbly depends on God and his needs are met.

“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN, FOR THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED.” One day Xou’s motorcycle crashed. He suddenly felt a bullet rip through his face. The gun he had carried to protect himself from wild mountain animals had discharged and left him barely clinging to life. The day after receiving emergency treatment, he fell asleep and dreamed that the devil was chasing him. He ran and ran until he saw a sign that read, “The Lord God.” Then a man appeared, placed a hand on Xou’s head and told him that he would live. Immediately, he woke up. He knew it must be God and that God did not want him to die. Unsightly scars on his face and a gaping hole in his mouth remain, but God has comforted him.

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“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace. Who bring glad tidings of good things!’” Romans 10:14-15 NKJV

“BLESSED ARE THE MEEK, FOR THEY SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.” Shortly after his near-death experience, Xou was given a DVD about the Sabbath. As a Sunday church member, he was surprised but convicted by what he learned. He reached out to two ASAPsponsored church planters by phone for more information. They turned down his requests, fearful that he was an undercover police officer. Xou gently yet persistently petitioned them until finally, his meekness won them over. Soon they were leading him in Bible studies.

“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS, FOR THEY SHALL BE FILLED.” Within moments of meeting Xou, the two church planters knew that they had nothing to fear. The big grin of excitement that accompanied his partially-disfigured face and frail body showed them that he was genuinely eager to learn Bible truths. As they spent hour after hour going over the Sabbath, signs of the end times, healthy living and other topics, his hunger and thirst for Biblical understanding were filled to overflowing.

“BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL, FOR THEY SHALL OBTAIN MERCY.” Xou decided to be baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A number of his family members soon joined him. He currently leads a house-church of 23 people in his village. Many of his neighbors are unkind and accuse him of belonging to a cult. He mercifully persists in being kind to them and prays for God to give them hearts that are willing to learn and understand the full gospel truth.

“BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART, FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD.” Xou’s pure heart belongs completely to God. He now regularly shares sermon DVDs and gives Bible studies. He has a strong passion in his heart to prepare others to meet God and he himself will surely see God when He comes.

“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS, FOR THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF GOD.” Three police officers showed up at Xou’s house one day and interrogated him. “Why do you worship on Saturday instead of Sunday?” they demanded. He responded by telling them that he was following what the Bible taught. “Remember,” he reminded them, “it is legal to own a Bible in Vietnam.” He explained that he was not breaking man’s law or God’s law. His peaceful words calmed their spirits and soon they took a few sermon DVDs to watch for themselves!

“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ SAKE, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.” Xou witnesses despite the persecution from his neighbors. He prays each day for God’s blessing as he shares the gospel on top of the mountain. He also prays that God will provide the funds for him to have an operation to close up the large bullet hole in the roof of his mouth. His desire is for his muffled voice to be strong and clear to preach and teach more effectively. Please join Xou in these prayers. Live the Beatitudes with him.

PRAY FOR THE PERSECUTED Dear Father, Remember my persecuted brothers and sisters in dangerous, oppressive places. Help me to feel blessed when I follow their example and stand for Christ under hardships. Amen.

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What if You Were Buddhist?

By Scott Griswold

Suppose you are a Buddhist lady in Cambodia.

Every day you carry food and incense to place before a shrine that is dedicated to the spirits who lived on your property before you built your house. Whenever you can, you go to the temple to make merit, for you believe that “Doing good ensures a good future”.

You are Chhe Seng, mother of five grown children. One day you go to the capital city, Phnom Penh, to help your son and daughter find a job. You search for several weeks. When you get home, your neighbor says “Chhe Seng, your husband now goes to church!”

“What!?” you say, “That’s crazy, we have always been Buddhists and we always will be!”

You quickly confront your husband, “Stop messing with the foreigners’ religion! We are Cambodians.

Why would you do this to me?”

Your husband calmly smiles, “When I was a boy I heard the story of Jesus. I couldn’t forget it. I decided now to follow Christ.”

You storm out shouting, “I will never be a Christian. I’m not going to let our ancestors starve.”

Over the next few months your husband invites you to church. He takes the two children that are still at home. You always have an excuse not to go—and an argument too. Home is always in an uproar with some conflict. Your son in another province wants to become a Christian, but you tell him, “If you love your mother you won’t do that.” You push so hard that he gives up.

One day your husband brings home a new Bible. “This one is for you, Chhe Seng.”

Wow! It’s beautiful, with red-tipped pages. You don’t know if you should be mad or happy with your husband for giving you a gift. The truth is you can’t read or write, but nobody, even in your family knows it. You take the Bible and pretend to read it.

For eight years you were sick. Chest pains come and go, but fatigue remains. Your daughter does her best to help you. She seems so different now that she’s been going to church. Sometimes in the night you let her tell you the Bible stories she’s learned.

One day you realize you don’t have any money left to buy rice for the family. It’s never been like this before. It’s because of all the money you’ve spent on medicine. “Maybe I can get the rice on credit from the seller. Surely he’ll lend it to me.” To your surprise he refuses you.

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“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

As you walk away you hear someone calling. The seller is bringing a big bag of rice to you. Why did he change his mind? Your daughter smiles, “Mom, whenever you are sad, I pray to God to help you.

I did that just now and the man changed his mind.”

You are thinking often now about this God. But it will take more to bring you to His side. When your youngest boy begins to cry and cry and act like he has a demon, you know you desperately need a God big enough and caring enough to help you. The church members surround you and your son. They pray earnestly, they stay a long time. Finally your precious son stops crying. He never has problems like that again.

Finally you begin to believe in God and go to church with your family. The enemy is not through with you, however. When you first walk into the church, your chest pains come pounding back. The church leader and wife come close, “Chhe Seng, don’t be afraid. The enemy doesn’t want you here, but God is stronger.” Soon everything is peaceful.

Your home becomes peaceful too. The conflict decreases. “Husband,” you say, “We don’t need these shrines and idols anymore. Let’s take them out. I know who the true God is. I want to study the Bible and be baptized.”

In time you learn to read and write. You learn about God’s whole plan to help people be happy and healthy. You begin helping others get well, using water treatments and other natural remedies.

You pray for the sick and see miracles. You can’t believe how God is using you when you used to be so against Him! The final surprise comes when the Cambodia Adventist Mission asks you to be an ASAP medical missionary. You, Chhe Seng, who could not read or write. You who said you would never be a Christian. Now it is your privilege to share Jesus’ love far and wide.

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This story is a summary from the podcast: Suppose You Were a Buddhist Lady

asapministries.org You can enjoy many more ASAP video stories on our website, or subscribe to our channels on VIMEO or YOU TUBE.

PRAY FOR THE SICK Dear Jesus, I believe that God can do great things through me, just as You are using simple medical missionaries like Chhe Seng. I will determine to speak up and pray with great faith for those around me. Amen.

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Yani

By Julia O’Carey

Have you ever had something you considered precious suddenly disappear?

Maybe it was your cat that went outside one evening and never came back or a special toy that you left in a shopping cart? A young boy named Yani lost many things he held dear to his heart, but he found a special treasure in the process.

When Yani was a little boy, just learning to crawl around on the bamboo-slat floor in his village home in Myanmar, his daddy went away to fight in the army—and he never came back. Can you imagine how he felt with no daddy to hug and kiss him goodnight? He was so sad!

Yani just turned five years old when his mother was trying to give birth to his new sister. He overheard the midwife saying, “It doesn’t look good!” Yani came close to his mother as she lay on the mat under the mosquito net and whispered in her ear, “I’ll take care of my sister, I promise.” He was talking about one of his sisters who is deaf. When his mom heard that, she smiled weakly and closed her eyes. Yani’s mother breathed her last breaths and died. Yani felt a deep dark hole in his heart get bigger and bigger. He thought it could never be filled.

One night his big sister whispered, “Yani, you need to pack up quickly. We will go to the refugee camp in Thailand. You can learn how to read and write there. Yani could only pack one bag that he could carry. He helped his deaf sister pack too. He looked around his bamboo hut one last time with wide eyes. He didn’t say a word. He knew what he would miss most was his friends and the animals in the village. There was no way he could pack them in his little bag.

At the camp, Yani stayed in an orphanage with many other boys and girls. At the Seventh-day Adventist School, he learned about his loving Heavenly Father for the first time. In Burma, Yani and his family only knew about the Buddha. Even though he couldn’t see God, he talked to Jesus every night and felt safe with Him. One day, his sister said, “Yani, you have a great opportunity to go to America.”“America?” Yani asked with a puzzled look on his face. “Why would I want to go there when all my family is here?”

His sister insisted, “You will learn more there. You have to go.” He boarded the big 747 airplane headed to America. He felt scared but he prayed, “Dear Father, please keep me safe.” He landed in the middle of winter wearing his flip-flops and a short-sleeve shirt. The only place this family could afford was a small apartment in the middle of an inner city. It was so different from his country village or the camps. He missed his sisters.

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“Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.” Exodus 23:9 NIV

The first Sabbath, Yani walked all around the city to find a church but he didn’t find one.

The next Sabbath, he miraculously found a Seventh-day Adventist church just for refugees like him who spoke his language, Karen. It was about two miles away. He walked there faithfully each week.

One Sabbath morning, Yani came in with a big bloody gash in his arm. An American lady, who helps with the refugee church and community, saw it and said, “We have to take this boy to the hospital now!” The doctors stitched him up. They asked Yani questions and found out he was not safe. He was invited to live with that American family.

Yani lost many things, but he gained the best treasure of all, his Heavenly Father, and now has an American mother and father, along with four new sisters and brothers, two grandmas, a grandpa, and aunts and uncles.

Life still can be hard for Yani. Sometimes kids are mean to him at school because he looks different or because they are jealous of his great soccer skills. Just the same he’s happy because God has healed up the hole in his heart and filled it with love for others. He never forgot the promise he made to his mother. He sends gifts and cards back to his deaf sister. He is praying that someday she can join him.

Will you pray for his sisters too? Have you met any refugees or immigrants at your school or church? Have you been watching for those moving into your community? The Bible has special instructions on how to treat them. It says, “The foreigner living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:34). Pray to know what you can do to help.

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

(Galatians 5:14, NIV) He asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered with the Good Samaritan Story.

ARE YOU LOVING THE SAMARITAN NEIGHBORS (THE REFUGEES) IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? ASAP can teach you and your church how to do that. Order your “Reach the World Next Door” training kit today!

PRAY FOR REFUGEES Dear Jesus, Please help me to love the refugees in action not just in word. Show me and my church how we can reach out to newly arrivals when their hearts are so open. Amen.

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Water of Life

By Julia O’Carey

Would you like to visit the Hmong in Mok Jong? You would have to be very adventurous to climb up a mountain to meet these simple, beautiful people.

Mok Jong is a little Hmong village nestled deep in the jungles of Laos where 269 men, women, and children struggle each day to survive. If you visited this village, you would have seen the women and girls waking at dawn to fetch water from a borehole far away. After scooping one bowl at a time, they would strain under the weight of two buckets balanced on the two ends of a bamboo stick. Each day was a struggle in Mok Jong.

One day the ASAP-sponsored church planter in the area had a brilliant idea. “Maybe our church leaders could find a way to provide clean water for my village!” Church planter Vang Duong* invited the leaders to visit Mok Jong. Together they trekked all over the nearby hills until they found a good water source 1.2 miles up the mountain. Gravity would help feed the water into a big tank. From there it would flow to five outlets in the village. The village would be transformed. Toilets could be built too!

It was a great idea, but where would they get the funds? All-in-all they would need $44,799.38.

This was too much money for the village and the mission. But it was not too much for God! They prayed to the Water of Life and He opened up the windows of heaven.

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Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10 ESV

The first outpouring came from the Lao Adventist Field’s savings—$6,056.25. The next outpouring of generosity was from the villagers themselves. The men sweated and toiled to build the tank and channel the pipes. They dug their own latrine pits and hauled gravel from the creek bed. They found bamboo and wood in the forest for building the walls and roofs of their outhouses. All this work saved $9,750.

A third outpouring came before ASAP could even get the request out. God impressed one donor to give $10,000 for wells for Laos. The final downpour came as the word went out and the trickle from many sources became a stream carrying the remaining amount of $18,993.13.

What a joy it was for me to be able to tell the ASAP church planter and village leaders how God answered their prayers! God really loves the villagers in Mok Jong!

So what would you see if you trekked to Mok Jong now? You would see happy children splashing cool, fresh water on their dirty little bodies. You would see young mothers watering their new, fresh, organic gardens. You would see fathers washing their clothes. You would see a little outhouse behind each of the 48 homes in the village. All of this happened because of an abundance of fresh clean water.

Truly the best news is that the God who created water is now better known. There are 17 Seventhday Adventist households, totaling 75 believers. It is a growing group. The clean water—and even the toilets—preached the Gospel. In the past, most of the unbelievers would go to the shaman or the Sunday pastor to ask for prayer if their loved ones were sick. But now, they come to the Seventh-day Adventist church and ask for prayer. The village chief’s heart was so touched by the kindness of the Seventh-day Adventists, that he readily agreed for his oldest son to study the Bible with church planter Vang Duong. He is just about to be baptized (in that lovely water).

The villagers consider the water project a miracle. The people are happier and have more time to enjoy their families. Life is no longer such a burden. We thank Jesus, the Giver of living water, for radically transforming the Mok Jong village.

ARE YOU A PRACTICAL MISSIONARY?

Visit the Humanitarian section of ASAP’s Priceless Gift Catalog to discover well projects and other tangible ways to help!

These make great projects to do with your non-church-going, but loving friends and co-workers!

PRAY FOR THE POOR Dear Jesus, Thank You for Your love that springs out of me and over to others after I drink from Your Word. Please fill me with more of You today! Amen.

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Trash and Treasures

By Elias and Yumara Acevedo

Did you know that even if you are little, you can make a big difference for Jesus!

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www.asapministries.org

Hear the video testimony direct from the Acevedo family under Take Action.

Sometimes everything in our culture seems like it’s about “me, me, me!” We wanted to teach our three children about the joys of outreach and giving for mission work instead of self-indulgence.

But how? We looked around for an opportunity. Every week the sanitation workers came by to pick up the trash. Maybe there was something we could do for them.

In Alabama, the sanitation workers dump the trash bins by hand. They have to get out of the truck.

Our children wrote up some pretty notes with Bible texts written on them. They taped them to the trash bins where they could be easily seen.

Next we decided to give the workers some juice with a little health nugget or Bible tract. They liked that! It sparked a sweet friendship between the workers and our children. Now my children had their own ministry! Their special job was to care for the workers and tell them more about Jesus and His love for them.

The workers’ hearts were so touched by the children’s friendliness that they started giving them donations. A dollar here, a dollar there, week after week they kept giving money. We decided to collect it all together for something special.

We called the children together. “What do you want to do with the money that was donated?”

We had just finished watching one of the ASAP Ministries’ videos about the children of Cambodia who live near the trash dump. We found out that there is a Feed & Read School right near there.

Immediately the children said, “We want to give it to the children of the dump!”

Of course we then had to get a copy of the DVD for the workers to see where their donations were going. They were so touched to see that children who also collect trash were being helped.

This project blessed everyone involved! In being faithful in that which is least, we saw how the Lord used this little experience to impact others. The children got very excited when the donations started coming in because they could pass them along to others.

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“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.’” Matthew 25:40 NIV

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PRAY TO BE A WITNESS Dear Lord, Thank You for using us who are insignificant in the world’s eyes to do great things through You and for You. May You use me for Your glory to reach someone today. Amen.

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PHOTO CREDITS (Cover) Sarah Lee; Chris Guo, p.3; A.J. O’Carey, p. 2, 11, 12,13; Cheryl Hosford, p. 5; Julia O’Carey, p.8; Tim De La Torre, p.17; Wayne Labins, p.23

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair: Tom Evans, Judy Aitken, Christopher Carmen, Steve Chang, Deane Coridan, Chan and Esther Hwang, Julia O’Carey, Denzil McNeilus, Mary Ann McNeilus, Byron and Carol Reynolds, Saengthong Saengthip, Trudi Starlin

EXECUTIVE EDITOR/DIRECTOR Julia O’Carey EDITOR/ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Scott Griswold COPY EDITOR Wayne Labins, Kaila O’Carey DESIGN/LAYOUT Sarah Lee www.sarahlee.design

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ASAP serves people from the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and beyond!

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*Where needed names have been changed and photos blurred

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ASI MEMBER ASAP Ministries has been a member of ASI (Adventist-layman’s Services and Industries) since 1996 and is grateful to be an ASI grant recipient.

ASAP Ministries is fueled by mission-minded, faith-filled individuals whom God impresses. Be assured that 100% of your gift goes directly to the projects you specify. However, in the blessed event that the project you chose is fully funded, ASAP will use your gift for a similar project or where most needed to help spread the gospel and ease suffering where ASAP operates.

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