Asia

"For almost a decade, Eagle TV was the only independent journalistic voice in Mongolia," according to Michael Ireland of the ASSIST News Service. The Christian programmes broadcast via cable have led to over 10,000 people expressing interest in the Christian message. At the end of October 2005, the Eagle Broadcasting Company started broadcasting on terrestrial Channel 8 in Ulaanbataar, Mongolia's capital. Far more people can now receive the programmes. The Christian station sees itself as the nation's only independent news source, and naturally as a medium for many Christian programmes. "It's an exciting moment for us all," says Tom Terry, Managing Director of the Eagle Broadcasting Company, "now that 1 million people in the capital have access to our programmes." "Eagle Television is the only local TV station in Asia which can openly broadcast the Gospel," according to the report.

Source: Assist News; Tom Terry, Eagle Broadcasting Company, tel. (+976) 99118722, e-mail tom[at]eagle-tv.mn; web www.thomasterry.com

Missions agency Reach The Unreached (RTU) repeated last year's outreach in Karachi with evangelist Bernd Goldbach. The following is an excerpt from their report:

Pakistan, a nation double the size of Germany, is, with 160 million inhabitants, the second-largest Islamic nation in the world. An evangelistic outreach was held in Karachi in September 2005. On the last evening, over 10,000 people attended the event. During the five evenings, around 8,000 people responded to the call to invite Jesus Christ into their life as saviour. God confirmed his Word through many signs and wonders: hundreds were healed or delivered from demonic bondage. After receiving prayer for healing, one Muslim told us that he had been healed of a heart problem which had been causing him unbearable pain, and publicly displayed his doctor's certificate confirming his condition.

Carried in, walked out
Two men reported that one of them had been lame. His friends had carried him to the evening meeting. During prayer for healing, God touched the man, who could immediately stand up and walk for the first time in many years. One man came up to the stage with his crutches on his shoulders, and told how he had been healed of his paralysis in a moment.

Source: Bernd Goldbach, RTU Mission, Norderstr. 34, D-26826 Weener, Germany.

China is one of the nations in which God most often gives his followers the privilege of experiencing suffering and persecution  - but also absolutely breathtaking miracles and demonstrations of His presence. Although Western Christianity has spent a lot of energy to prove that you can have the one without the other, it is generally the combination of cross and resurrection, suffering and God's triumph which have the longest-lasting effect on a nation. Asia Harvest's Paul and Joy Hattaway report about another of these experiences:

As another wave of persecution swept through China in the 1950's, pastor Li was arrested in the southern province Guangdong. He was convicted of "counter-revolutionary activities" and sentenced to work in an iron ore mine in farthest north-eastern China. Li's wife and five children, including a new-born baby, had no other means of support; they decided to join pastor Li on his 2,000-mile journey to Heilongjiang, where they would perhaps be able to visit him occasionally, and would be close by should he be miraculously released. They sold everything they owned and bought tickets for the week-long rail journey. When they arrived, they used old boards and a tarpaulin to build a rickety hut on the road to the labour camp. Pastor Li worked as a slave for 14 hours every day, with miserable food, in temperatures well below freezing. He died after three months. When the family heard the news, they were desperate and deeply depressed. His wife saw no future, and wanted to die. She neglected the children terribly. Finally, she told the children that she would have to look for a job. The eldest daughter said "No, mother, you cannot go to work. The baby needs you. He cries for you the whole day long. I will go to work." The 12-year-old girl went to the Director of the labour camp, and told him "My father was sent to this God-forsaken place because of his love for Jesus Christ. That was his only crime. He was a good man, who loved people and helped them. Now he is dead, and we have no food, no money and no place to live. We can't even return to the south. I would like to know whether there is some work I could do in the camp." The Director remembered pastor Li, and recognised the girl as his daughter. He gave in to the tiny glimmer of compassion in his heart, and said "I have a job for you, but it is boring, and pays badly." She took the job immediately.

The Director took her to the place where 3,000 prisoners worked in the iron ore mine. He asked her "Do you see that red button? Your job is to stand next to the button all day, and if someone tells you to press it, you must do so immediately. That is the alarm button, which sets off a siren deep underground. When they hear the siren, the miners get out as fast as they can. You must never press the button by accident, but only when one of us tell you to." So little Sister Li stood next to the button day for day, week for week. She and her family were overjoyed when she was paid for the first time, although it was only a few dollars. One afternoon, she suddenly heard a voice saying "Press the button!" She turned around, trying to find out who had spoken, but there was nobody there. She heard the same voice again a few moments later, saying "Quickly! Press the button, now!" There was still nobody to be seen, and she started to think she was losing her mind. She should only press the button in an emergency, and everything looked normal. Seconds later, she heard the voice again, saying "Sister Li, press the button, now!" with great urgency. Only then did she realise that it was her Lord speaking to her. She did not understand why she should press the button, but she knew she had to obey. The siren sounded, and 3,000 men came up to the surface as fast as they could, confused and curious to find out what had happened. The Director came running out of his office, demanding to know why she had pressed the button. Only a few moments after the last prisoner had left the mine, the area was shaken by a large earthquake. The whole mine collapsed, and nobody has been able to return to it to this day. An eerie silence spread when the earthquake was over, everyone looking at the fragile figure who had pressed the red button. Finally, the Director managed to ask "Comrade Li, how... how did you know that you had to press the red button?" Li answered as loud as she could, saying "The Lord Jesus Christ told me to press the red button. He told me three times before I did it. Jesus Christ is the only way you can come to know the true and living God. He loves you, and has just demonstrated his love by saving your lives. You must turn from your sins and give your lives to him!" All 3,000 prisoners and the director knelt and prayed that Jesus would forgive them and come to live in their hearts.

Source: Asia Harvest Newsletter #80

The 30-mile coast between Thaimuang and Takuapa was devastated by the tsunami at the end of December 2004. Khao Lak, which everyone heard of in the weeks following the catastrophe, is in this region. Hundreds of volunteers assisted the locals and the Thai army with reconstruction. Many of these volunteers who invested their time and money were Christians, and their living witness caused many to think about Jesus; over 20 new churches have started in this area since the flood, mostly small house churches led by nationals who take good care of the people's needs. "Christians have never been so involved in any region in Thailand," commented one pastor. Of course, many people come to the churches because of their physical needs, but they are also brooding about the basic questions of life. There is hardly anyone who did not lose family, friends and neighbours to the tsunami. In one of the churches, a 27-year-old woman who lost her husband and both children how the book of Romans comforted her, enabling her to sleep again. In that church, 19 people have been baptised in the past month.

Source: DMG, Germany

In the space of only a few years, thousands of house churches have been planted in seven districts of the Indian State Himachal Pradesh, a core Hindu area in northern India on the slopes of the Himalayas. Hundreds of Christians work as full-time missionaries in Randeep Mathews' church planting movement. Only a few years ago, news like this would have been unthinkable.

One death leads many to life
Saritha was the only one who followed Jesus in one remote village in Himachal Pradesh. She had to fight a lot of resistance and had many opponents, but remained true to her faith, believing and regularly praying that other villagers would find Jesus. She suddenly fell ill and was taken to hospital, but none of the drugs had any effect. Discharged from hospital, she returned home and testified with her last breath that she would go to heaven. Moved, her parents became Christians. Over the following weeks, many others in the village also decided to follow Jesus; the village is now home to around 80 believers. One disciple's death led many to life, and God answered Saritha's prayer, even in her death.

A medium follows Jesus
Pummy is a 30-year-old single Sikh who worked as a medium, prophesying to others in the names of idols. Then she started to hear about miracles happening in Christian meetings in the area. Interested, she wanted to find out whether the rumours were true. After witnessing what was happening, she decided to follow Jesus herself. Her story has led over thirty others to Christ. As a child, she was adopted by a rich non-Christian family. Because she has become a Christian, her family has excluded her from their will, but Pummy will not deny Christ for any price.

Source: Agape Voice

Jithu took a knife, ready to stab himself. "Even death," he thought, "would be better than being arrested and thrown in jail." Suddenly, words his uncle had said years ago flashed through his mind: "If you're in trouble, Jesus is the only person who can help!" Jithu's uncle was the only Christian in a strict Hindu upper-caste family. At 7 years old, Jithu was encouraged to join a Hindutva group. (Hindutva is a right-wing fundamentalist Hindu philosophy, which teaches that India is for the Hindus, and should only be ruled by them.) For ten years, Jithu was an enthusiastic Hindutva disciple and, like his fellow disciples, he was not afraid to use violence. He once set off a bomb, injuring many people, and had to hide. In his fear, he remembered his uncle's words, and shouted "Jesus, if you are the true God, then help me!" Nothing happened, so he lifted the knife again, ready to stab himself. But he could not. Something held his hand back; he could not move. Then he let the knife fall.
The following morning, he woke up feeling happy, and knew that Jesus had helped him, and would continue to help. He met a Christian policeman, who advised him to confess everything to the police. Jithu did so, and appeared in court, but God kept him from being sent to jail. That day, he decided to follow Jesus. His family was horrified; he was allowed to continue living at home, but they refused to feed him. He started teaching children, and prayed for an opportunity to give his life to God completely. His uncle told him about Operation Mobilisation, which Jithu has since joined. He is now telling people all over the world about Jesus.
Source: Jithu and Debbie Meroff in OM Nachrichten (OM News)

Surgeon Dr. Victor Choudhrie of Madhya Pradesh, India, reports that at the moment, it is mainly miracles which cause people to open their hearts for Jesus and, when they have heard more about him, commit their lives to him. "God is working predominantly through women and uneducated people," says Choudhrie. In July 2005 alone, Choudhrie knows of 352 people who have been baptised, 77 new churches planted and 1,506 people who have been trained as church planters. The following is a selection of his recent reports:

Healed of epilepsy
Nirmala Bai had been fighting mental illness and epilepsy for three years. Her marriage had become traumatic, and none of the medical treatments had any effect. Finally, someone suggested that an evangelist pray for her. She was completely healed, and is now part of a growing church, along with her husband.

Jesus can do what snake-charmers cannot
The heavy rain in the monsoon period drives many snakes out of their territories and into the villages. That leads to many snake bites, and only lucky people can be treated in time. Mohit was in the forest with his herd when he was bitten by a snake. He managed to make it back to his village and tell people what had happened, then lost consciousness. Neither the snake-charmers nor the village healer could do anything to help him. One of his neighbours asked a follower of Christ to pray for Mohit; 25 minutes later, he regained consciousness. Many people became open for the gospel through this miracle.

The deadly Bible
In Chattisgargh State, a deadly snake wrapped itself around a 15-year-old's hand during a church planting seminar. He managed to brush it off, but it fell on someone else. That person also managed to shake it off, and it finally landed on an open Bible. It died on the spot. The witnesses who did not yet know Jesus were astonished, and many have started following Jesus.

Source: Dr. Victor Choudhrie