Our Ten Favorites, Mission Stories, Vol. 7

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OUR

FAVORITES VOL.7



MISSION STORIES

FROM ASAP MINISTRIES

What’s Inside: LANDSLIDE! FIRE! POWER!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 A GOLDEN DECISION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 THE RISING SUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 GRANDMA SOMKEET’S PRICELESS GIFT. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 FROM THE STREETS TO THE SCHOOL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 FINDING TRUE HAPPINESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 CHAI’S JOURNEY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 RAZAN’S STORY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 LINKS IN THE CHAIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 A MODERN-DAY ABRAHAM EXPERIENCE. . . . . . . . . . . 22 COVER: One of our dedicated teachers, Navann, smiles with her student Sarun Vanny. Thank you, sponsors, for making these schools possible!

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN THE ASAP FAMILY

PRAY Become an online prayer partner and receive monthly prayer points.

GIVE Check out ASAP’s immediate giving opportunities online.

GO Reach the world next door!

Reachtheworldnextdoor.com Want to learn more? Subscribe to ASAP’s weekly podcasts! office@asapministries.org asapministries.org • 269-471-3026

The Worth of Each Soul A friend of mine expressed, “Heaven is going to be such an interesting place because of all the people we will meet and the testimonies we will hear.” Being a “people-person”, I totally agreed. However, we do not need to wait for heaven to hear amazing stories of miracles and transformed lives. This seventh volume of ”Our Ten Favorites: Mission Stories from ASAP Ministries” is packed full of testimonies, most of which I heard first-hand.

These stories show you and me that every day, even in the most difficult parts of the world, God makes His amazing character known. He sends His gentle healing touch. Read “Links in the Chain”, p. 20. See how He extends His powerful hand of deliverance in John’s story, “Landslide!

Fire! Power!”, p. 4. He victoriously unlocks heaven’s storehouse and pours out His blessings.

Pastor Scott Griswold’s testimony, “A Modern-day Abraham Experience,” illustrates that, p. 22.

The ethnic missionaries and students you support are the backbone of this ministry. It’s the people who count! Jesus thinks so too. How do we know that? He would have died for just one.

Ellen White says, “Even though but few accept the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, their work will not be in vain; for one soul is precious, very precious, in the sight of God. Christ would have died for one soul in order that that one might live through the eternal ages,” (Testimonies, Vol. 8, p. 73).

I cannot wait for you to meet Nge Nge, one of the first Adventists of her tribe (p. 6). You’ll fall in love with Razan, a refugee girl from Syria, when you read her story on p. 18. Bill, a teenage volunteer in a leper colony, wants to share with you the key to happiness on p. 14. Each one has a unique story and contributes to the beautiful fabric of this ministry.

Every individual on this earth, the poor, the persecuted, the ones who are yet to be reached, are under our loving Father’s watchful care. The ASAP missionaries sacrificially labor for these souls, those whom the world forgets. We can know Christ labors right alongside them.

May their examples inspire us to do the same.

May we take a few more minutes to listen, give a cheerful smile, offer to help someone out, or say a little prayer to tangibly value each person the Lord puts in our paths today.

Julia O’Carey ASAP Director

Landslide! Fire! Power!

By Julia O’Carey

What would you do if someone accused you falsely?

“Landslide! Landslide! Run for your lives!” A young man in the village yelled, alerting everyone of the obvious. Large pieces of rock and debris came crashing down the tropical mountain, taking away anything in its treacherous path. John Htang*, his wife, and four children quickly and silently packed up their few belongings. There was no time for words! “Jesus, help us! Jesus, protect us!” simply rolled over and over in John’s mind.

The Lord did hear John’s cries. His family and the rest of the villagers made their escape and settled safely at the foot of the mountain to start a new life. While John built a small abode for his family, he cleared additional land and foraged for wood to build a small prayer chapel too. John experienced so many answers to prayer since he became Christian. He wanted a place for people to connect with Jesus and experience His answers too.

“Fire! Fire!” The group of believers on Sabbath morning stopped their singing and rushed outside to see what the trouble was. Flames and smoke swallowed up one of the newly-built homes near John’s house. Everyone jumped into action, but unfortunately they could not save the home. In the midst of the chaos, an angry neighbor boy pointed to John and yelled, “He did it! The Sabbath man did it!” All eyes turned to John. The village chief and another man rushed over to him, grabbed him by the arm and said. “You come with us to the police station.” Villagers followed along in curiosity.

REACH THE UNREACHED

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“We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4: 8-10

John quietly and respectfully looked down at the floor. “Are you a pastor?” snapped the police officer. “Yes,” John humbly replied. “I would never do what I am accused of,” he quietly added. The policeman’s voice softened. Somehow by John’s demeanor he could sense he was telling the truth.

“You go back to the village and work it out with the villagers. There must be a deeper reason for this accusation,” he said.

John could not tell him the reason he believed the incident happened. A Buddhist police officer would not understand. You see, since the landslide, the villagers asked to know more about God. The Bible studies on Wednesday and Saturday nights rapidly grew to twenty men, women and children. The Holy Spirit urged John to extend the study sessions to two hours every night of the week. The people kept coming, eager to learn more. John knew this made Satan very angry.

Before facing the villagers, John entered his quiet prayer chapel. He wrestled with the Lord. “God, you have answered so many of my prayers. You saved us from the landslide. You freed my father from jail in the past and brought him to You, remember? That was a miracle God, and I ask You for another miracle of mercy today. Please turn the hearts of the angry villagers to You.” John got up from his knees and instead of walking to the village chief’s home as planned, he turned into the home of the boy who accused him. “May I come in?” he asked in a peaceful, gentle tone.

The parents motioned him in. As they sat and talked, God worked a miracle in the hearts of each family member. They saw Jesus’ love and forgiveness in John. When the village chief called the meeting, this family retracted their accusations. Peace and unity once again came to the village.

The next Sabbath John’s eyes filled with tears of joy when the whole family that accused him stood at his door. “May we join you for worship?” they asked. John and the members warmly smiled and welcomed them in.

ASAP provided funds for a motorcycle for John. He asked if he could purchase a chainsaw instead, to help build a church in his village. We agreed. John and his members are working hard to do what they can in faith to build their church.

You can boost their courage by providing $3,000 needed to complete it. Plus he still needs a motorcycle for $1,000. WOULD YOU HELP?

PRAY FOR COURAGE AND HELP IN TIMES OF NEED. Dear Father, Please send Your Holy Spirit to give us strength through the trials and love and peace for those who speak against us. Amen.

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A Golden Decision

By Julia O’Carey

Have you made some important choices in life that have impacted your destiny?

“Will I get to wear gold neck rings like you?” Nge Nge asked as she gazed at her elegant mother. Her mother looked down lovingly at her little five-year-old and stroked her long black hair. “You are so beautiful, Nge Nge, you don’t need golden rings on your neck. Besides, you are too smart for them.

Some day you may want to go to the city to study. People in the city would laugh and stare at you if you wore gold rings like me. But Father and I want you to make the final choice, okay?” Nge Nge nodded okay and tucked her mother’s answer into the back of her mind. She ran off to play in the sand with her cousin, Sho Sho. That night Nge Nge lay on her mat with her eyes wide open. She listened to the big gecko in the rafters and counted its mysterious calls. She crossed her fingers, hoping she would reach the number seven, so she could have good luck. Nge Nge’s thoughts turned right back to the golden rings. She couldn’t stop thinking about what her mother said. Should she choose to wear them or not? The city did sound exciting! Would she still be Kayan without them? She couldn’t stand it any longer. She hopped out of bed and shook her mother and father awake.

“Mama, Papa, I decided.” Nge Nge blurted out.

“Decided what?” her father asked with sleepy irritation in his voice.

“I decided I don’t want to wear gold rings because I want to go to the big city. But on second thought, I do want the rings because I still want to be Kayan. I’m so confused,” she cried in exasperation.

“Don’t worry, my sweet pea, you will always be a Kayan, even without the gold rings,” her mother soothed. “You go back to sleep now.” That was the end of the discussion. And so Nge Nge grew up without the gold rings, focusing instead on her studies every day.

One bright afternoon, her auntie came bustling into the house. “Nge Nge, Nge Nge, where are you?

I have some good news. Do you want to go study in the city? A man just came and asked if I knew anyone from this village who would like to go to high school. I thought of you and your cousin, Sho Sho.” Nge Nge’s eyes danced and her face beamed. She thought this day would never come. Now her dream of studying in the big city would finally come true. “Yes! Yes! I do want to go!” she responded excitedly.

Nge Nge and five other children from her village clamored into the back of Pr. Saw Timothy’s dusty truck, heading for a new adventure. Nge Nge’s biggest surprise was not the noise of the busy traffic or the crowded market stalls, but it was the fact that the school in the big city was a Christian school, not a Buddhist school. No one had told her that before she left home. There at the Taungoo SDA

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“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Acts 13:47 NIV

Jesus LOVES the Kayan and every unreached tribe in the world. Ask Him, “What will it take for over 4,000 unreached tribes to know You?” Share with ASAP your inspired ideas to help finish the work!

School, no one placed offerings on the Kantan for the gods. There was no shaman to consult the chicken bones for advice. Everything was so different. But the people were friendly and she felt happy and peaceful there.

At the end of the school year, the principal called all six Kayan students into his office one by one.

When it was Nge Nge’s turn, she held her head up high, confident in making another important choice. “Nge Nge, would you like to come back and study here next year? You are one of our top students. We would like you to return,” he announced. Nge Nge did not hesitate. She said, “YES!” Nge Nge was the only one from her village to return. She secretly promised, “I will remain Kayan.

I will remain Buddhist. But I will go back to study in the big city. This is my destiny.” She studied all four years at the academy. Then she chose to enroll in an Adventist University in Myanmar far from her home.

There Nge Nge found the love of her life. “I fell in love with Jesus. He is true Love. I am happy to call myself a Christian. I like that Christians are all brothers and sisters, and they love one another. I want a pure heart like Jesus. This is why I love to keep His commandments.”

Nge Nge prayed, “Jesus, please give me a chance to serve you when I am finished with school.”

Before she even graduated, she interviewed with ASAP to become a missionary and accepted the position. “God gave me the desires of my heart. I can’t believe how quickly He answered my prayer. I was willing to serve Him anywhere. But I am especially happy that I can share Jesus with my people.” Nge Nge is planting a church and a preschool through medical missionary work in the village where her grandparents grew up. Nge Nge, her cousin, and her friend are the first three Kayan Seventh-day Adventists in Myanmar. There are 146,000 Kayan in the country and many more in Thailand. Please keep Nge Nge in your prayers.

MAKE CHOICES TO IMPACT ETERNITY. Dear Jesus, Help me to fall so in love with You that every choice I make will positively impact Your kingdom. Please reach all the tribes of the world so You can come back soon. Use Nge Nge and all the other missionaries. Use me, too! Amen.

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The Rising Sun

By Kaila O’Carey (from Sun Chenda’s Interview)

Has your strength been renewed as you trusted the impossible to Christ?

I tried to get the taunting out of my head but the hurtful words kept ringing in my ears. “You’ll never amount to anything! You’re stupid!” my father shouted. I did not understand why he was hurling insults at me like little steel darts. He had just become a Christian not too long ago. Shouldn’t he be different now? I couldn’t take it anymore. I just had to get out of here! So, I packed my bags and quietly left that night. Where should I go? All I knew was I had to get out of Song Klaeng village!

There had to be somewhere bigger and better in Cambodia for me.

I wanted to earn some money and be as far away from my parents as I could, so I started walking.

And then I had a great idea. I thought of my uncle who lives in the city of Poipet on the border of Cambodia and Thailand, very far from my village and my father. After walking what seemed like forever, I found a kind couple who willingly took me to Poipet because they themselves were headed there.

When we arrived in the city I walked until I finally found the apartment where my uncle lived. What relief and joy flooded over me when I saw him open the door. He was so surprised to see me.

He worked in a casino so he found me a job as an online dealer.

When I first walked into the doors of the casino, the smoke and loud music hit me like a cement truck. I almost left, but I thought of the money they had promised me. It was more than I had ever had in my life. So I stayed. For the first month everything went really well, but I had a nagging

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“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13.

guilt that all I was doing was wrong and that what I had done in the past was not good either.

Memories of skipping school and disrespecting my parents flooded my mind. Hanging out with my friends was so much more fun than housework.

I continued to stay on at the casino but everything started going wrong. I woke up every evening with a pounding headache. The world seemed to spin around me and the light hurt my head even more. I didn’t know what to do but I knew I had to go to work. So I went, but the headaches didn’t go away. They lasted for three months. I felt like I was in a living hell.

One day I got a call from my father. His voice was so pleasant and peaceful. He said, “Chenda, we miss you. Please come home.” My heart melted and I said, “I will come home, Daddy.”

The next morning I packed my bags and headed home. After I got back I asked my parents to forgive me for not honoring them, skipping school, and running away. They forgave me at once and I felt a peace that I hadn’t felt in a long time. My father said with a smile, “I found a job that would be good for you.” I perked up with interest and asked, ”What is it?” He answered, “You could be a teacher to the kids in the village!” When I heard that, fear gripped my heart. I thought, “No way!

I’m only seventeen. I can’t teach!” My mind said, “Go and do it!” but my whole body said “DON’T!” I ended up asking God what He thought about it and He said that I should go teach the kids at the new school. I said “YES” after I heard from God. The first day of school I was so scared I almost ran all the way home again, but I stood strong and taught the whole day. When I went home that afternoon, I cried into my mother’s arms. She held up my face and looked into my eyes and said, “I have faith that you can do this.” After that, my strength was renewed and I kept teaching. It’s been six months since I started.

I went to the ASAP training for literacy teachers in February and learned a lot. I found that I am not the only one who has trials and difficulties in life and I’m grateful for the encouragement that this training brought to my heart. I no longer listen to the devil’s lies that I will never amount to anything. I trust in God that I can do all things through Him.

It’s not easy to stand for Christ in a Buddhist country!

WHAT CAN YOU DO? You or your group can encourage a missionary’s heart by sending them to an ASAP training. Did you know it costs only $200 to train one?

PRAY FOR COURAGE TO DO THE RIGHT THING. Dear Lord, Please help me to believe that You can help me tackle the difficulties I’m facing. Help more missionaries like Chenda to receive training. Amen.

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Grandma Somkeet’s Priceless Gift

By Julia O’Carey

What is the best gift you could ever get? What is the best gift you could ever give?

I met Grandma Somkeet at an ASAP church plant in Thailand where she told me this story about a priceless gift.

One day a lady named Miss Oh stopped by Grandma Somkeet’s house and gave her a tract. But Somkeet could not read or write. Miss Oh smiled. “I will read it to you,” she said. Somkeet loved her smile. She loved her kindness. She loved the stories she heard about Jesus.

Grandma Somkeet could hardly walk because she’d had a stroke. Imagine her joy when Miss Oh came back to visit her again the next week and the next. She loved learning about Jesus’ love for the sick and His power to heal. Could Jesus help her?

The next time Miss Oh came, she brought a special gift. It was wrapped beautifully, but the Bible inside was even more beautiful! Even though Somkeet could hardly read a word in it, she held it close to her chest and carried it everywhere she went.

One day her precious Bible disappeared. She asked the nine other family members if they had seen it. Her husband’s friend overheard and laughingly said, “I think your husband burned it last night when he was drunk.” Grandma Somkeet cried. She missed her precious gift.

Miss Oh decided it was time to bring Somkeet to church. But how could she get up the flights of steep stairs? ASAP Church Planter, Pastor Ruangwit, picked Grandma up and carried her!

At church she soaked up the beautiful words of the Bible among new friends. During prayer time, the little group circled her and prayed for healing. And what was Somkeet praying for? Another Bible.

When I heard her story, a little voice in my head spoke, “Give her your Bible, Julia!” I promptly asked, “Grandma Somkeet, would you like my Bible?” A bright smile flashed over her face and she nodded her head. I handed her my little pocket Bible and she held it close to her heart.

As I left church, I kept thinking of Grandma Somkeet. How could we help her hear God’s Word? I told my missionary friend, Mike Kier, about her and he said, “Wow! I felt impressed to put a megavoice in my car this morning thinking someone might need it.” A megavoice is a solar-powered audio player

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“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end.” Psalm 119: 105, 112 AMP

with the Bible and Steps to Christ recorded in Thai on it. “Would you like to give it to Grandma Somkeet?” he asked. Of course I would! You should have seen the look of joy and surprise on her face when she first heard those beautiful words from that little black box. God knew what she needed and He made it possible for her to have the best gift ever, His Words of Life.

One year later, I had the chance to return to Thailand and visit that same church plant. I couldn’t wait to find out what had happened to Grandma Somkeet. Would she still be listening to God’s Word? Would she still be attending church? I found out that YES, all year long, hour after hour, she listened carefully to God’s Words.

Those powerful words radically changed her life!

She never missed a Sabbath at church.

Now Grandma Somkeet had the best surprise ever for me. She was prepared to publicly give her heart to Jesus in baptism and join the Seventh-day Adventist church! I can’t describe the amazing joy that welled up in me when I witnessed that special day. I saw such a contrast in her countenance. She glowed with peace and joy even though her circumstances had not changed. She still lives in poverty and struggles to survive, but God’s Word had made such a tangible, visible difference in her life. Now she can even walk up the church stairs unassisted!

The Bible changed her life. Make sure others in Asia have one too!

DONATE $12 TODAY.

COMMIT TO READING GOD’S WORD AND SHARING IT EVERY DAY. Dear Lord, Please give me opportunities to share your Word with others. Maybe it will be just a verse to encourage someone, but fill me and use me today. Amen.

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From the Streets to the School

By Brenda Kiš

Have you experienced the joy of seeing a life changed?

The elderly lady hobbled from the Buddhist temple towards the Christian school, a path she’d never taken before. She had only heard about this place where poor children could learn without having to scrounge for any kind of tuition payments.

As she neared the Vietnamese SDA School, she began to formulate her request. Principal Khanh listened as she spoke. “I am a poor woman, but one day when I went out the doors of the Buddhist temple where I have been given a place to live, I found an abandoned baby in the street. I couldn’t just leave her there, so I brought her home with me and have raised her until now she is eleven years old. I want her to learn to read and write. I heard about your school. Can you take one more?”

“Yes, we’ll take her,” responded Khanh with a reassuring smile. And so little Be began a new life in the Adventist school. Every day someone went to pick her up at the Buddhist temple and every afternoon they took her back. One day, Be didn’t show up to school.

Her teacher told Khanh, “Be called me and said that her grandma got sick and went to the hospital in Vietnam. She took Be with her. Be asked us to pray for Grandma’s healing so she could come back to school.” The principal, teachers, and students began praying for her, day after day, and eventually God healed Grandma. The students and teachers celebrated when Be finally returned to school!

Now it’s your turn to pray for Be, that she will keep turning to Jesus. She loves to study the Bible and often volunteers to pray in class. Her environment is still Buddhist and she feels pressure on every

YOUR PRAYERS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT ARE VITAL TO HELPLESS CHILDREN IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. 12

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 18:10 ESV

Now it’s your turn to pray for Be, that she will keep turning to Jesus. side. Thank you for caring about this abandoned baby, rescued by a Buddhist so that God could bring her to Himself.

Ngan, another student at the Vietnamese SDA School (VSS), dreams of becoming a doctor someday.

That’s pretty amazing considering her environment and her past. Ngan’s father died when she was very small.

Hunger dogs Ngan’s steps as she makes her way to school each day. Her and her four siblings, who also attend VSS, depend on the simple but nourishing meals they get there for breakfast and lunch: rice, vegetables, and a piece of fruit.

A good meal isn’t the only attraction for these Buddhist siblings. The teachers teach the usual subjects as well as lessons from the Bible, spiritual food meant to give them a future and a hope in a hopeless situation.

You can shape the thoughts and dreams of kids slated for destruction by the enemy.

Ngan has an aunt who works as a prostitute.

As the girls in the family watch her in this profitable employment, they could be strongly tempted to follow her example. “We do our best to prevent this,” says Khanh. “There are lots of little girls in this risky situation.”

Ngan’s impoverished mother also has temptations. Having five mouths to feed, plus Grandma to take care of, makes life seem unbearable at times. She sells fruit along the road in the mornings and then usually gambles her earnings away in the afternoons. Because she is weighed down with debt, she might be tempted to sell Ngan or her sisters at $1,000 per child, maybe $2,000 if her daughter is especially beautiful.

Minds molded in Christian schools will affect not only their futures but the future of a whole nation. Thank you for thinking big about His little ones!

Visit ASAP’s Education section of the online Priceless Gift Catalog or select a student in the Sponsorship section.

PRAY FOR GOD TO PROTECT AT-RISK CHILDREN. Dear Lord, PLEASE send an angel to each at-risk child to protect them, heal them, and use them as Your disciples. Amen.

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Finding True Happiness

By Julia O’Carey

What do people think real happiness is and how does one get it?

Several young volunteers at a leper colony wrestled over this question in their English class. Bill, a seventeen-year-old, shares in his own words, what he learned about the source of happiness after serving the least of these for several months.

Most people probably would say money makes them happy. But I think real happiness comes from helping others.

Now I am in a leper colony, and I don’t feel bad about staying here. But in the beginning, it was quite hard getting used to being here.

Before I came here, I lived in the city. I was so outgoing. I liked to go out and hang out with friends.

Video games were so interesting to me. I thought it was so good that I could do whatever I wanted to and I thought I was happy. But sometimes I felt some sadness inside. What was it? I can’t explain it with words. But I could feel it clearly. I was not satisfied. I wanted more! Maybe this is the reason why I was a big troublemaker in school. For example, I got too close to a girl, used my cell phone when I shouldn’t, used bad words, and so on. But I am a good guy. I just couldn’t control myself sometimes. I wanted to do what I really wanted to do. If I was not allowed to do something, I would get upset. That made me feel bad in the end.

After I came here to the leper colony, I discovered after time that I am not so restless and discontent anymore. I do not lose my temper so easily.

YOU CAN BE LIKE JESUS

Every dollar you give helps meet the practical and abundant needs of this ministry to lepers.

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“A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” Matthew 8:2, 3 NIV

I had never seen lepers before. This was my first time getting close to them. I knew that there are many people in the world who are in a very poor condition. And now I get to see them. They are right in front of my eyes. I even live with them. In the beginning I didn’t even want to help them. It made me feel disgusted to see bloody wounds, ugly feet, no fingers. I have never seen anything like that before. It really took time to get used to it.

But later, after time, I discovered something good in this experience. I feel happier than ever before.

A pastor here said that real happiness is helping others, and I feel that this is so right. By helping the lepers here, I now like their smiles. When they smile at me it is the best thing ever. Although they feel useless, they can teach us many things. When we feel like complaining, just think about the lepers.

When we are experiencing… life, think about them. When we are feeling desperate, think about them.

Helping others will make everyone happy.

Extend a merciful hand to a leper today!

FIND TRUE HAPPINESS BY SERVING OTHERS. Dear Lord, Thank You for coming to this earth as our example, to serve and not be served. Give me that same servant’s heart that You have. Amen.

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Chai’s Journey Condensed from the book Fleeing the Spirits by Helen Tarosenko Sprengel

Has God led you on a journey to know Him and serve Him with all your heart?

The door slowly pushed open by unseen hands. A huge splash of fresh blood hurled across the room, ending at the fireplace of the witch doctor’s house. Chai, the youngest son, stood trembling in the corner, terrified along with the rest of the family. A well-known omen among the people of this culture says that scattered fresh blood meant someone in that household would die preceded by a severe illness. The spirits were angry!

Life was not easy in this remote Laotian village. No medical care existed, except for Chai’s father, the witch doctor, who brought problems to the spirits in night ceremonies. The government had just been taken over by the Communists and young men were being conscripted to serve in the army.

People feared for the safety of their children.

Pastor Virachai, a relative, frequently came from Thailand to their village to study the Bible with the people. Soon the whole village began believing in God and Chai’s father, one of the last to believe, prepared a farewell meal for the spirits. It was the next morning after that event that the spirits threw the blood as a warning. After the new believers prayed all the following night, the elder of the church helped Chai’s father and mother burn the spirit house. Though the spirits were angry, they could not touch Chai and his family. Jesus’ blood protected them now.

In order to keep their sons out of the Communist army, Chai’s parents decided to move south about three kilometers from the Thai border. There they established a church and a school, but then the Communists came with a big truck and took all the furnishings out of their buildings. The people turned to God in their distress and He sent a frightening dream to the Communist general. Three days later, the furniture was returned with an apology!

Next the Communists brought young people into the church for a dance and prepared to sleep there that night. But suddenly the young people ran out in terror and reported that a big shining man with long white hair had come into the church and silently looked at them. They never touched the church again!

Soon the Communists began training all the young men to be soldiers or spies. Chai and some other friends hid in the jungle by day to escape joining the Communists. But as the rainy season began, hiding in the jungle for three months became a severe hardship and soon they began planning a river crossing into Thailand.

Life was harsh at this camp and the family decided they must escape.

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Cutting their way through bamboo forests, walking in streambeds to avoid stepping on land mines, they finally crossed the mountain and arrived at the Mekong River. Rain soaked

“Those who accept the one principle of making the service of God supreme, will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet.” Ministry of Healing, p. 481

them for two days as they hid in the tall grass.

Constructing three rafts they set off on the swollen river. A whirlpool caught Chai’s raft and launched him and his brother down towards the Laotian camp! They flattened themselves and prayed for the angel of the Lord to protect them. After five hours, they landed in Thailand and became refugees. But they were safe!

Chai longed to see his family but border patrols had increased and he knew he must be patient and wait on the Lord. Eventually, twelve family members successfully escaped into Thailand.

Soon the refugees were moved again to an overcrowded camp. There a church elder led Chai to a family who wanted him to marry their daughter. With a quick prayer by the elder, the ceremony was completed!

Life was harsh at this camp and the family decided they must escape. One night when the rain poured down and guards moved inside to sleep, the family took their bags and quietly climbed over the barbed wire fence and waded across the moat to meet up with a cousin who took them to a village in his truck. When the neighbors realized they were refugees, they reported them to the police and once more they had to flee to another area.

In their new Hmong township, they were warmly welcomed, but Chai was restless. He longed to be trained in theology so he could serve his people in Laos. From Chiang Mai Adventist Academy to Mission College to Philippine Union College, Chai and his family followed God’s leading. Eventually he became president of the Thailand Adventist Mission. Today Pastor Chai is editing the new translation of the Hmong Bible for ASAP and serving his beloved people.

Your gifts for translation projects are invaluable.

MAKE SERVICE TO JESUS SUPREME IN YOUR LIFE. Dear Lord, Please strengthen me through every trial and help me to always put service to You first in my priorities. Amen.

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Razan’s Story

By Alexis Hurd-Shires

Do you know what it’s like to encounter loss and trauma?

Jesus understands!

Last week eight-year-old Razan had a hairstyle that could all be swept up into a neat ponytail at the back of her head. Today she sports jagged bangs that slice across her forehead a good two inches above her eyebrows. When you ask her what happened, she shrugs, then quietly admits she chopped them off herself. This new hairstyle isn’t the result of a decision made because she wanted a new look; it was an act of desperation.

Razan has spent much of her life alone, hidden in the house away from the outside world. Although she has seven siblings, most of them are much older than she. When the war began and ISIS came to their city, girls as young as nine years old were being sold as brides to the soldiers. Razan’s parents, fearing for the safety of their daughters, sent them to Lebanon to live with relatives. When Razan turned seven, her mother brought her and her baby brother to Lebanon as well so that she could have a better childhood. Her father is still working in Syria, trying to provide for his family from afar.

Despite her parents’ best attempts to protect her, the traumatic life of fear and what she witnessed in the war have scarred Razan. The list of things she fears is long: sunlight, her shadow, playing, running, wind. To come to school and interact with other kids adds a whole list of new fears for a child who has never spent time with other children. Everything is new and different and unfortunately, these experiences incite a feeling of panic in her. When Razan feels like the walls are closing in and she can’t breathe, she sometimes faints, begins shaking uncontrollably, dissolves into tears, or as during this weekend, cuts off her hair.

For a child like Razan, a stable, calm, and predictable environment is vital for the healing process. She may still faint or feel like she can’t breathe at times, but things are changing for Razan. Day by day she’s learning to play with others, to look people in the eye, to stand up for herself, and to simply be a child. Sometimes success can be seen not in the number of words she can memorize, but in a full day without a panic attack, when she can still smile and show off her crazy hair with confidence.

ASAP is partnering with MENA (Middle East North Africa Union) to intervene in the lives of young refugees living with trauma. You can join us in providing education, mentoring, health programs, and hope for refugees. The main goal for every project is to ultimately share Jesus!

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Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV

JESUS UNDERSTANDS

JESUS UNDERSTANDS!

Suggested Donations:

This special book speaks to the heart of the abused child and connects them to Jesus, the One who understands all their difficulties and pain. If you want a copy for a child you know, contact us.

$15 hard cover or $7.50 soft cover You can also donate $7 to provide a book to an at-risk child overseas in their language.

BE AN ADVOCATE FOR SOMEONE IN NEED. DON’T JUST STAND BY! Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Jesus to go through so much suffering and pain so that He would understand what each of your vulnerable ones feel. Thank You for how He connects us to You. Amen.

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Links in the Chain

By Brenda Kiš

What chain of events could you begin as you give yourself to God and His service?

As Pav Vicheat made her way to Sum Than’s house in the darkness of the hot tropical evening, she thought about this woman in her thirties, a trash collector, who had once suffered from a goiter, and how it was that they had first met.

Pav, ASAP medical missionary and pastor’s wife in Cambodia, was making a routine visit to a church member’s home. While there, a meek, unassuming lady (Sum Than) approached her and asked in barely a whisper, “You are a health teacher, yes? What can I do to get rid of this lump on my throat?”

Pav looked at her with sympathy in her eyes. “Are you willing to make some changes in your diet?” she asked Sum seriously. “Yes, I’ll do anything!” Sum responded. Pav went into an in-depth, one-onone lesson, patiently instructing her on what to eat and what not to eat. Sum listened intently and nodded in agreement about how she needed to add more vegetables and fruit to her diet and drink more water. Pav also advised her to see a doctor at the hospital as soon as she could. Though Sum had very little money, she gathered up what she had and visited the doctor. As Sum followed Pav’s lifestyle advice, her health improved and the goiter decreased in size. In the meantime, she began to study the Bible with Pav and the pastor and was eventually baptized.

You can be a vessel to carry living water to a thirsty soul in Asia.

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“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” Acts 5:42 NASB

After two months of prayer, Ruth was healed!

Now Sum became a missionary, too. “My life changed so much….I just wanted to serve Him. I pray to God every day and trust in Him. I believe that He healed me and I want to follow His ways,” she testified soon after in church. And then she related her experience of needing a thousand dollars to pay for her children’s tuition. How could a little lady who worked as a trash collector ever find that much money? She had just started believing in God but she knew He was her only hope. “If You are really a true God, please open a way for me to pay my children’s school fees.” She prayed all that night. The next morning Pav came to visit her. She, too, prayed for God’s intervention.

Right after that, a niece came to visit Sum unannounced and said she felt impressed to bring money for the children’s school fees! This miracle convinced Sum that God is real and that He cares for not only her health, but for all her needs. Since then, Sum has brought her husband and brother-in-law to Christ. She can’t stop sharing about her miracle-working God. And now, Pav was on her way to Sum’s home for a Bible study with ten other people. One of these was a young lady in her twenties who had severe problems of aggression and mental instability. She had to be locked up in a cage because she would run away from home and beat up on people. She was fed raw meat like an animal because that’s the only thing she would eat.

Sum bravely took responsibility for this woman and cared for her in her own home. “We want her to have healing like you did, Sum!” the mother pleaded. When she arrived, Sum gave her a new name–Ruth–and the small group began to pray earnestly for her deliverance. After two months of prayer, Ruth was healed! Now Ruth and her mother, former Sunday keepers, attend the SDA church and are preparing for baptism.

Visit ASAP’s Sponsorship Section at asapministries.org and select a worker to team up with.

FOLLOW GOD’S PROMPTINGS TO REACH OUT TO SOMEONE TODAY. Dear Lord, I want to be used by You to influence someone’s life today. Please do what only You can do and thank You that I can have a little part in Your service. Amen.

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A Modern-day Abraham Experience

By Scott Griswold

Is God asking you to step out in faith and do something big for Him? God called us to move from the ASAP office to the foreign missionary field of Houston, Texas!

We said “Yes!” to start a missionary training center that is a partnership between ASAP Ministries and the Texas Conference. We will train students while reaching out to immigrants, refugees, and international students.

We tried very hard to purchase a property in January. I knew that if I couldn’t find something before we left for our six-week mission trip to Southeast Asia, we would not have a place when the moving date arrived. We found two lovely spots, but both doors slammed in our faces.

Throughout our journeys in Asia we struggled to leave our future in God’s hands. It was going to be very hard to leave our two college-age children behind and I really wished I had a place for my wife and younger son to land when we returned to the U.S. God stretched our faith, smiling at what He had in store. A week before we moved, I got a call from Jim, a man I had never met. On his first Sabbath back to church in decades, he met Elder Dan Serns, Director of Evangelism for the Texas Conference. They happened to talk about our Reach the World Next Door training center.

Since Jim was looking for property, he offered to keep his eyes open for us, too. Soon he called back, “I found a camp! You’d better look online. You’re going to like it.”

The property was gorgeous and the price was not outlandish. How could it have seven houses (five are cabins), two workshops, and 26 acres with a pond and woods? There was even a worship spot among the trees. We wanted to jump on a plane and get it before someone else did. We couldn’t. There were goodbyes to say and we had to pack!

Would God keep it for us until we could get there? By Monday we felt led to make an offer siteunseen. We offered $75,000 less than the asking price. Would someone else offer more?

The owner did not give us a response. He wanted to meet us first. We arrived in Texas Thursday night and awoke early Friday morning, earnestly praying and eager to see the property. It was way more beautiful than the pictures portrayed. Jack, the owner, led us on a four-hour tour, not because it was that big, but because he kept stopping to share stories of what God had done

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The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.” Genesis 12:1, 4a NIV

there or to ask us more about our ministry. He had been helping the homeless learn vocational and relational skills while introducing them to a closer relationship with God. Before we left, Jack said that our offer was too low and that he could come down only around $20,000.

We affirmed that we were at our limit, too. “Then there’s room for God to do something,” he replied.

We struggled that afternoon. We felt compelled to trust everything to God’s hands over the Sabbath. On Sabbath we were at a huge convention. A lady shook my hand and said, “We need to talk about ministry to refugees!” We ate lunch with her family and I realized that I had met them once before while speaking at their church.

They asked many questions about our program and specifically about the property. We briefly mentioned that we were praying and trusting the Lord about the situation over the weekend.

They whispered to each other and said, “We want to help!” We weren’t sure what that meant but invited them to visit.

On Sunday morning we led them around the property, unaware that five others had come the day before to view it. The couple earnestly prayed with us then said, “Let us tell you our story. We have been working in another country off-and-on for the last three years. As we did taxes it looked like we were going to have to pay more than we already had. Then it looked like we would receive $700 back. We stopped and prayed, ‘Lord, whatever we get will belong to you.’ To our amazement we received a check from the IRS for $34,000. We want to give that to you for this property.”

Julie and I stood there absolutely amazed. That was the exact amount I had felt we should counter with. I had even seen that number on my odometer on Friday evening. They immediately wrote out a check. We prayed, hugged, and cried, then ran to the owner.

Pray for the Griswolds.

Write to them at scott@ reachtheworldnextdoor.com.

Jack was visibly moved. “We asked God to show His hand and He has!” We shook hands on the deal and the next morning signed papers.

That’s when he told us he had received offers higher than ours. “Because I’ve seen that God is in this,” he said, “I wouldn’t sell it to them even if they offered me twice my asking price.”

To top off this amazing miracle he and his wife invited us to move onto the property before the closing date. We moved in on my birthday, April 25, less than a week after arriving in Texas.

We could never have dreamed that God would move so quickly and beautifully! We look forward to more of His miracles as we reach out to Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and others.

Support financially online at asapministries.org.

Join them as missionaries in training for nine months by applying at: reachtheworldnextdoor.com.

DON’T WAIT FOR THE WATERS TO PART. Dear Lord, Give me the faith to move forward with what You are calling me to do, trusting Your powerful promises. Amen.

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PHOTO CREDITS Cover and p. 2-12, 17, 20 Julia O'Carey, Josiah Griswold p. 13, AJ O'Carey, p. 15, Cynthia Carballo p. 19, Alexis Hurd-Shires p. 19, Tim de la Torre p. 21, Scott Griswold p. 22, 23.

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.

P

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

for the safety of God’s workers.

*Where needed names have been changed and photos blurred

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EXECUTIVE EDITOR/DIRECTOR Julia O’Carey COPY EDITORS Wayne Labins, Brenda Kisˇ DESIGN/LAYOUT Robert Mason 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

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. Because ASAP is a §501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your donations are tax-deductible in the USA.

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