The Hand of God on the Move

This last fiscal year (April ‘03 - April ‘04) has definitely been a season of trials and triumphs for Asian Center for Missions and its trained missionaries. Sicknesses, lack, loss of provisions as well as cultural persecution have been set as hurdles against them. But despite all these, God’s mighty hand moved, and His glory, power and majesty have been made manifest.

We are witnesses to how God has been moving powerfully in the lives of His workers. Thailand, particularly in the areas of Lampang, Maesot, Bangkok, Sangklaburi and Chiang Mai have been experiencing the Hand of God moving, as more and more people, mostly prison inmates, refugees and students have committed their lives to Jesus Christ. These students continue to stand firm in the Word of God, despite persecution from unbelievers and fellow family members.

Maria Cayanan*, shares some of her students’ testimonies after they took that step of faith and went the extra mile of taking a water baptism: ‘After considering water baptism in her prayer, Love decided to be water baptized. She just wanted to follow Jesus…Word in Matthew 28:18-19. Two days after her baptism, her grandmother came and talked to her. Her grandmother told her that now that she is a Christian, she can’t come and visit her family anymore and [that] she does not belong to the family anymore… [despite this] Love explained to her [grandmother] that she wants to follow Jesus rather than men. Now, even in school, she experiences persecution from her friends and classmates, but she stands firm in the Word of God.’

August was marked in Chiang Mai by an evangelistic crusade led by Pastor Paris Espana, and Pastor Lito Yutuc in Doi Wa Wi Village. 400 out of a 450 estimated village population attended. Karen, Chinese, Lahu and Akha people comprised the congregation that attended. God manifested His presence through miracles of healing after His word was preached. This was followed by another evangelistic crusade in Arunotai, a Chinese village in Chiang Mai Province. More than 400 people attended this event and almost two-thirds of the people stood up to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior after the Word of God was spoken to them.
Last January, Elpis school in Maesot, Thailand became a member of a new organization for the school of illegal migrant children. This organization provides help for schools similar to Elpis through seminars, workshops and medical-dental missions. This group has already provided eye checkup for the children and plan to launch a first aid training seminar. Environmental and personal hygiene seminars are also planned to follow.

The Lord has also been using the children of Elpis school to reach out to their parents. This happened last Christmas. The children did a Christmas tableau, and during the altar call, many parents received the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Cambodia, Ernie and Amera Gardose started the first Sunday worship service in Steung Men Chey village, in the scavengers’ area, where twenty adults and twenty-six teenagers attended. They also started reaching out to the factory workers from the different provinces. An evangelistic crusade in Phnom Pisath, which was attended by more than 300 people, was the catalyst that started the Sunday afternoon Bible study in the area.

Pastor Danny Bayasen was able to appoint leaders for the church in Burkina Faso (Africa). After three years of discipleship, training and prayer, October 26, 2003 marked the day of consecration for the different ministry heads. They have also setup a Christian Youth Resource Center to train, evangelize and eventually send out young people, especially those from University.

Their literacy classes have also been used mightily by the Lord to reach out to young people and children. Due to lack of funding for classrooms, chairs and tables, many children had to be turned down.

Two underground Bible schools were discovered in China. Many of its teachers and students were arrested. Pastor Jimmy Cruz* also informed us that some of their Chinese co-workers were arrested. Timothy, Ariel and Rebecca, all of them leaders, were also arrested. Despite this occurrence, Pastor Jimmy* and his co-workers in the faith are continuing on. Out of the 35 public school students they teach, 13 students have already accepted Jesus as their Savior.

Pastor Ernie and Jonalyn Canja have witnessed the Hand of the Lord move in and through their ministry in Kampong Thom, Cambodia. God has been blessing them with finances as they continue to minister through their feeding program and care for their AIDS patients. Three of them died last December, to the loss and sorrow of Pastor Ernie and his team. “It was not easy seeing these people die, but the joy of witnessing these people giving their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ before their death was worth rejoicing.” said Pastor Ernie.

The Bible school they handle has been blessed by constant enrollees, the latest being 11 freshmen, who happened to be the parents who persecuted their 3rd and 4th year students. Three of them were former Khmer Rouge rebels, and one was even Russian trained.

In light of this, the Canjas are thankful for the new house that they rent which serves as a dormitory for their students. They have also been able to build their main church building. The material cost amounted to 800 USD, but the total expenses reached 2000 USD. They are still raising funds to cover the expenses. They were also able to arrange to buy 15 hectares of land, which is in a very favorable spot, located near their house and the main road. It is also planted with fruit bearing trees. Since they lack the finances to buy the land, the owner agreed to let them pay until June 2004.
Tom Nacion* has been placed by the Lord in a government school in China. He will be teaching government scholars and scientists. In this position, he has the vantage point of reaching out to his students and co-faculty and administrators and lead them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

A major break through was when Gerry Ponte* and his wife, Cherry* were able to start a ministry in war ravaged Kabul, in the country of Afghanistan, a country previously impenetrable to those in the mission field. They are helping out orphanages and are reaching out to the many young people and adults through relief work outreaches in partnership with an international NGO.

These are just some of the many things God has been doing through ACM trained missionaries. And as surely as the sun rises, so will the Son be lifted up even higher as we enter this new year. God has called out to his people to help in the harvest, and truly, the harvest is ripening aplenty. Perhaps we may not be able to go out into the mission field, but our prayers, support and care all contribute into seeing that the great harvest of souls this coming year be even more powerful, glorifying and magnifying to the Name of Jesus, The Christ, Coming King and Lamb of God.