About twenty years ago, Tian* and three other men committed a crime punishable by death. His friends were captured, put through a speedy trial, and immediately executed. Tian eluded capture for two years. His parents paid a bribe that spared him from execution, but he was put into a maximum-security prison from which no inmate had ever escaped or been paroled.

Tian was a miserable person. “I was angry. My heart was full of hatred. I would easily lose my temper and become violent.” He lifted weights and daily looked for opportunities to escape. Tian spent 15 years in this nightmarish place. He left prison in his early 40s.

However, something life-altering happened to Tian while he was in prison. Tian’s cellmate had a sister, a Christian, who came to visit him. She gave her brother a Bible, pleading with him to read it and know Christ. The cellmate never read a single page. Tian, however, began to read it daily. He shared, “The Bible was not like any book I had ever read.” As he read, the Holy Spirit worked in his heart and he believed. Up until this time Tian had relied solely on his own wits and cunning. Believing himself to be wiser and smarter than most people, he was very proud. As he talked about the day he gave his life to Christ, he said, “When I read Proverbs, I came face to face with the wisdom of God and realized that I was nothing. My wisdom was foolishness. I was a fool.” Alone with a Bible and the Holy Spirit, he repented of his sins and gave his life to Christ.

From that day forward Tian was a different person. He said that for the first time in his life he had peace and joy in his heart. He said, “I was alone in prison. There was no one to teach the Bible to me. But I read it every day. I committed to God that I would obey everything that it said.” Because in the Old Testament God commanded the Israelites not to eat pork, Tian stopped eating pork as a reflection of his desire to obey God. He did not understand that in the New Testament Jesus had declared all foods clean. This was a huge sacrifice because, in his country, pork is the main meat. In prison, this probably meant that he only ate vegetables for the rest of his time there. He decided he would stop fighting; even if he were killed, he would not fight back; he would just rely on God to protect him. God was faithful to him. The other men saw that he was different than before and began to leave him alone. Tian read the Bible almost every day for ten of the fifteen years he was in prison. At some point after accepting Christ, Tian began to pray for his parole. He prayed, “Heavenly Father, I trust you no matter what. If you want me to stay in prison then I trust you. But I know that you have all power. Please release me from this place.” God intervened on Tian’s behalf. Tian became the first and only person to be paroled from this prison.

Check back soon to read part two and find out how the mafia is involved in Tian’s story.

*name changed

The workers alternately smiled and cringed as they told this story. They, too, knew Johanna, a gregarious American teacher in their East Asian city. Mostly, however, their hearts were grieved for the many millions like their taxi driver who had never before heard the name of Jesus.

East Asia is a vast mission field where hundreds of cities continue to have little or no Christian witness. Christian workers have made a tremendous impact in the places where they serve, yet the number of Asians who have not yet had their chance to be presented with the Gospel message is enormous.

Various models of ministry are necessary to complete the task. The traditional approach of sending full-time workers needs to be supplemented by creative strategies and engagement by short-term partners.

God can use you and your church to impact an unreached, unengaged people group or city among East Asian peoples worldwide. An East Asian Peoples Summit, sponsored by Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, in conjunction with the IMB’s East Asian Peoples Affinity Group, will be held November 4-6 for the purpose of introducing you to the needs and helping you connect to opportunities among East Asian Peoples in all parts of the globe. To register, please go online to www.easia.imb.org/summit prior to the conference.

One group of college students went to Taipei, Taiwan, last year during their Christmas break. During their ten days in Taiwan, the American students presented a Christmas program at least nineteen times at universities, elementary schools, and a church. They gave out 2400 candy canes as part of the gospel presentation. A field worker in Taiwan said, “We know the CIT (Christmas in Taiwan) team told the Christmas story to at least 2200 people — pretty good for 10 days!”

Christmas trips to Asia are annually promoted by the IMB among Southern Baptist college students, yet this is just one of the many ways that church partners can impact East Asian people for Christ through short-term missions.

One East Asian worker said a family of five came to his city for one week, and during that time they saw 17 new believers and three baptisms. Another team came to his city and distributed approximately 1000 gifts that had evangelistic intent. “Both of these teams remarked on how easily they could share the gospel in this city,” remarked the Christian worker.

Recently, the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma entered a formal state partnership with East Asia, with plans to send hundreds of short-term and long-term workers in the coming years.

Opportunities to serve in East Asia and other global locations that have East Asian people abound for individuals, families, churches and state conventions. November 4-6, you are invited to attend the East Asian Peoples Summit, at Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, to learn more about how you can connect to these opportunities. You will be able to talk to IMB field personnel, talk to IMB Richmond staff, attend workshops, participate in intercessory prayer for East Asian peoples who have yet to hear the name of Jesus, and find your place of service amidst God’s redeeming work among East Asians.

Please register online for the Summit at www.easia.imb.org/summit. Registration closes on Saturday, October 31st.

Wuzhong City, China

Wuzhong city is located in the middle of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region which is south of Inner Mongolia, north of Shaanxi Province and east of Gansu Province. Wuzhong has a population of 389,000 people, less than one percent (.87%) of whom is Christian.

Wuzhong has a temperate, semi-arid climate and four distinct seasons. Not only is it an important national grain production base, but its farms are rich in rice, fruits and vegetables. Wuzhong is also known for its tasty mutton dishes.

During the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties periods, it was a transportation hub for northwest China and ranked at one time as the second most important city in western China, just behind Xi’an. As early as the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC), government officials initiated water projects to help field irrigation. Today, its major industries include energy production, equipment manufacturing, wind power, building materials production, and agricultural processing.

Wuzhong’s people are strongly impacted by two major non-Christian religions, Islam and Buddhism. It is the hometown of many Chinese Muslims, an industrial base for Muslim products, and a cultural center for the Hui minority. The Tongxin Great Mosque, dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD) is also located in the vicinity.

Buddhism exerts an influence through the traditional 108* Lama Buddhist “stupas” (pagodas) built along the bank of the Qingtong Gorge nearby. Dating back to the 11th and 12th Centuries, the tallest of the solid brick pagodas is more than 11 feet tall and all of the rest are just over 8 feet tall. Together they comprise the third most significant pagoda forest in China. (*Buddhism teaches that there are 108 annoyances and those who worship at the stupas will be able to drive the 108 troubles away.)

Prayer points:

• Pray that Hui Muslims who live in the city of Wuzhong will hear the Truth and be set free.
• Pray that Buddhists in Wuzhong will see the futility of worshipping at the 108 stupas, and will turn from what they have been taught to the One and Only God who invites them into a personal relationship.
• Pray for Christian workers to respond to God’s call to share the Gospel with the people of Wuzhong, and that the hearts of Wuzhong’s people will be ready to receive the Good News. Ask for a great harvest of souls.

Northwest Baptist Church has an average Sunday morning attendance of approximately 850 people, more than ample resources for the task. First, they enlisted a prayer team. A couple who had just taken early retirement were appointed as the lay leaders for the project. The church sent a vision team to the place they call “New City” to scope out the possibilities for service. Later the church sent prayer walking teams, other short-term teams and even several two-year personnel supported by the church. They have conducted sports and cultural exchange camps, seeking ways to engage the local people on a one-on-one basis. They seek to permeate the city with the gospel through whatever means possible. A key part of their strategy is to engage, encourage and equip local believers to reach their own city.

Green says, “This is the most challenging but rewarding project I have been engaged in in twenty years of ministry.” The lay directors agree. “It is like we have a front row seat watching what God is doing.”

“New City” is just one of a staggering number of cities in East Asia which are not yet engaged by either Christian workers or churches. The lost people in these cities have no opportunity to hear of Jesus unless individuals and churches like Northwest Baptist take on the task of fulfilling the Great Commission in very direct ways.

November 4-6, 2009, the IMB East Asian Peoples Affinity Group will be hosting a new Summit at Summer Grove Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. Southern Baptist church members and church staff are cordially invited to participate in three exciting days of “Showcasing East Asia” to learn new ways to connect to God’s work among East Asian peoples worldwide. Register online prior to the event at www.easia.imb.org/summit.

*name changed

The Shui People

The Shui (pronounced shway) is an unreached people group (UPG) of Guizhou province, China. They live in villages of about 200 people or 45 families on average. The Shui people are a friendly people and love to entertain visitors. They are isolated from all realms of society and are self-sufficient in every area of life. The population of the Shui is small compared to many other minority groups in China, running somewhere around 444,250. Less than one percent of the Shui people are Christians.

Shui people are primarily farmers. They do terrace-farming and use mainly water buffalo for plowing. The men do the plowing and trading in town and the women both plant and harvest the fields, often with babies on their backs.

The religions of the Shui are very typical of isolated groups in China. These include polytheism, animism, ancestor worship, and some syncretistic Catholic beliefs. Ancestor worship is the main religion. Many of the Shui people do not classify ancestor worship as a religion but more as a way of life and a part of their culture. Animism is a big part of their culture and the Shui believe that everything in nature has its own spirit. Catholicism was added in the 1800s when Catholic missionaries worked among the Shui. At that time they established 30 churches with 5,000 Shui believers. However, none of the fruit of those efforts remains today. All these religions have mixed and merged to form their contemporary religious belief system.

Prayer points:

• Pray that the Shui will have their eyes opened to the One True God and that they will follow Him with all of their hearts, minds, souls and strength.
• The Shui villages are located in some very hard to reach places. Pray that the gospel will be spread from village to village, reaching further and further into the rural areas.
• Pray that the few believers among the Shui will boldly proclaim the Gospel among their people, and that the hearts of many will be changed as they follow after Christ.
]]> http://easia.imb.org/prayer-blog/october-day-of-prayer/feed/ http://easia.imb.org/field-blog/a-fisher-of-men-goes-to-big-fish-village/ http://easia.imb.org/field-blog/a-fisher-of-men-goes-to-big-fish-village/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:25:45 +0000 Emily http://easia.imb.org/?p=700 When Jay Lincoln* was called to go out as a fisher of men**, he probably had no idea that he would end up casting his net in a place called Big Fish Village. I asked Jay to share his story of a divine appointment God arranged for him the day he arrived among a new unreached people group in East Asia. Here is his story:

“It had been a long trip to get to this unreached people group. I had flown on two planes, ridden in a taxi, and ridden a bus for seven hours before finally taking a small, dilapidated mini-bus for several hours to reach the village I wanted to find. While on the mini-bus I sat next to a young man. I made small talk with him and then turned the conversation toward spiritual matters. I asked him if I might share a true story about the one true God. He said he would like to hear the story. So, I shared the C2C (Creation to Christ) story with him. I gave him a clear invitation to receive Christ, but he declined.”

“Afterwards I asked him where he was going. He said that he was going to Big Fish Village. I was ecstatic to hear his answer because that is exactly where I was headed! When I told him that I too was going to Big Fish village, he invited me to come to his home and have lunch with him. Of course I accepted. When we arrived at his home, he told me that I was the first foreigner to enter his village and that it was an honor for them to host me. Since that was the case, I asked if he would be willing to invite a lot of people over to greet me. Soon, the small room we would dine in was filled with villagers.”

“When the meal began I shared with everyone that it was my custom to pray to the one true God to bless the food and thank Him for it. After I prayed I asked those in the room if they had ever heard of the one true God. They said that they had not. So I sought permission to share the C2C story with them. I shared the story and gave the invitation. I was blessed to see not only the young man I had ridden with in the mini-bus stand, but his brother and older cousin also stood to indicate that they wanted to receive Christ! All three prayed that day to receive Christ. Later, the three of us went outside and I taught them about prayer, baptism, and the importance of following Jesus. What an incredible experience to see the Lord’s hand of grace in these three young men’s lives.”

*name changed
** Mark 1:17

]]> http://easia.imb.org/field-blog/a-fisher-of-men-goes-to-big-fish-village/feed/ http://easia.imb.org/student-blog/bluegrass-in-taiwan/ http://easia.imb.org/student-blog/bluegrass-in-taiwan/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:33:17 +0000 Wendy http://easia.imb.org/?p=698 They are not your typical volunteer team. All of them are taking a semester off of studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary to share Christ in Taiwan, and they are doing so by playing Blue Grass music to gain access to the hearts of lost people.

With Jeff Gayhart plucking a double bass, Paul Martin alternating between a banjo and harmonica, Matt Shirley playing his mandolin, Cameron Beckerdite fiddling on his violin, and Sarah Morrison strumming her guitar, the group can produce some impressive sounds. And if the music doesn’t pull you in, their smiles most certainly will.

They have a repertoire of about 45 songs, including about 12 pieces that they particularly love to sing and play. But although they enjoy the music making, they see it primarily as a means, not the end. Clear that their Taiwan venture is all about evangelism, they willingly tackled a crash Chinese language course during their first two weeks. During that same timeframe they were juggling online seminary classes with ministry opportunities that took them to sing to more than 800 people at six different gatherings, including churches, a public park, and a fast food restaurant.

During an impromptu mid-morning concert at a junior high where they led a five-day English camp, they worked their way through popular repertoire as the young students listened intently. It is doubtful that any of the Taiwan students had ever before heard “I Saw the Light” or “I’ll Fly Away”, but they seemed to know inherently when to clap along. Exuberant about the entire camp experience, one of the young participants said, “I have seldom before heard about Jesus. Maybe I will believe in Him.”

The journey of the band, known in Louisville as the “Long Run Players”, to Taiwan actually began with a journey to Newfoundland, Canada the previous summer. They had formed into a Blue Grass Band at the urging of Dr. J.D. Payne, a SBTS church planting professor who thought that the music might prove popular there. And it did! On the nine-day mission trip, the band played to draw crowds so that others of their 20-member team could witness to them.

When they returned to their studies in Louisville, Kentucky, they continued to play together, added Sarah to their original group of four men, and begun to think about another mission trip. Dr. George Martin, SBTS professor of missions and father of Paul, encouraged them to look at Hands On Semester Student opportunities sponsored by the IMB. That led in turn to a five-month commitment to Banchyau, Taiwan, serving with 30-year veteran IMB evangelist Linda Hinderer.

Early into their term, they sit down to talk about how they hope to impact lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “I have been on a lot of missionary trips, but always where evangelism can’t be done openly. I am delighted by the opportunity to just talk openly, pray for people, and teach the Bible in a public setting,” said Paul.

Already they have experienced the sobering reality of Taiwan’s spiritual darkness. Cameron reflected that soon after Typhoon Morakot inflicted heavy casualties on the island in early August, he was shocked to see throngs of people bowing before idols and seeking to have their fortunes told at a pagan temple.

But Jeff, the team leader, has a hope. “We talked as a group about why God has sent us here to do Bluegrass. In church history, we talk a lot about ‘awakenings’. Wouldn’t it be great if 50 or 60 years from now, people talked about the Blue Grass Awakening? It probably won’t be in history books, but if God uses us even in one section of Banchyau, it would be awesome.”

Soon after Christmas, the group will head back to Kentucky where they will wind up their seminary studies, their graduations staggered over the next few years. The group will likely disband as they head to different fields of service for fulltime ministry. But hopefully they will have left behind a heritage of new believers who will continue to love and serve the Lord in Taiwan.

]]> http://easia.imb.org/student-blog/bluegrass-in-taiwan/feed/ http://easia.imb.org/multimedia/beyond-the-or/ http://easia.imb.org/multimedia/beyond-the-or/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:02:44 +0000 guest blogger http://easia.imb.org/?p=660
For Arkansas surgeon “Buck” Rusher, a short overseas trip started a journey that enabled him to fulfill a life dream of using his skills in surgery for Christ — in Mongolia.
View the multimedia feature on www.commissionstories.com
]]> http://easia.imb.org/multimedia/beyond-the-or/feed/ http://easia.imb.org/multimedia/video/finding-the-unengaged-part-4/ http://easia.imb.org/multimedia/video/finding-the-unengaged-part-4/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 06:57:18 +0000 anna http://easia.imb.org/?p=581

Part 4 from Anna Scarlet on Vimeo.

Our driver took advantage of mudslide delays by taking a nap whenever we were stuck in traffic. Here we are waiting for a pile up to clear behind us before turning around and continuing on to the next village.

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