Update from Andrew Ling in Thailand

Hey Everyone,

Well this last week has held a great deal of frustration for the nine of us that remained in Chang Mai. We were sure that God wanted us to stay and do something with music while we were here. So we spent the first four days trying to get into different venues to play. Everywhere we went, we were turned down. Every door that opened, seemed to close immediately. Finally, on Thursday night, we realized that we had missed the point. We realized that God didn't want us playing at places, He wanted us to take time and simply worship Him.

So, since Thursday night, we have locked ourselves in our building and have devoted our time to worshiping God, reading His word, resting in His presence, and interceding on behalf of each other as well as the nation of Thailand. We are just about half way through the New Testament and we plan on finishing before we have to leave for Chang Rai tomorrow morning. God has greatly blessed this time and we have heard a great deal from Him and, each one of us has received new revelations of who God is. We all feel very blessed and are grateful for all the prayers for us coming from back home.

We have three weeks left in Thailand before returning to the base in Montana for a week to prepare for re-entry back into western society. Our time here is quickly winding down but I pray that God continues to enable us to make the most of it. As excited as I am for the next three weeks, I am very eager to return home to see all of you and share with you what I have learned. It's seems like I have been away for ages and I am so excited to see what God has next.

However, I'm determined to not lose focus - this final stage of our time in Asia is going to be extravagant! Please continue to pray - For the next week we will be working with some hill tribes in Chang Rai. I will write as soon as possible.

Thanks again and I hope to hear from you all soon.

God bless,

Andrew

Send Andrew an email.

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Missionary Introduction - Dov and Lyndee Gelman

Dov and Lyndee Gelman; My Brother’s Keeper International

Dov and Lyndee Gelman have been working with at-risk young people and families in poverty since 1991.

They arrived in Israel in 2004 as new immigrants and began to develop their vision to help improve and change the quality of the lives of children and their families. Since moving to Israel, their passion for helping children in need has extended to Africa, where they are in the process of building an orphanage and school in Uganda.

MBKI was registered as a not-for-profit in the United States in 2005, as an Israeli not-for-profit in 2006, and as a charitable corporation in Uganda in 2008. They are in the process of applying for NGO status in Uganda. Their focus is meeting the humanitarian and educational needs of children and families in poverty.

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Missionary Introduction - Al and Elizabeth Dyck

Al and Elizabeth Dyck and Family:
Christian Associates International

“We left the U.S.A. in May of 1997 to go to Berlin Germany with Christian Associates to help plant a church. Then in 2001 we moved to The Hague where we’ve continued with CA helping facilitate church planting and leadership development across Europe. The kids and I have been in Europe for ten years, and this is the main home our kids know. On Feb. 2nd, 2008 Elizabeth and I were married in Dallas, Texas.

So, why do we do it?

To see Jesus Christ changing lives in the cities of Europe and beyond!”

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Ministry Introduction - Asaph Ensemble

Asaph
Ensemble

Bob and Robin Sturm

The Asaph Dance Ensemble is named after the Biblical character Asaph, King David’s chief musician and the composer of many psalms. As a totally unique Christian Ministry, the company’s desire is to present excellence in music and dance and share the joy of the Gospel. The Asaph Ensemble has performed for thousands of people in some of the most noted halls in Washington D.C., including the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the Warner Theater, Lisner Auditorium, DAR Constitution Hall, and The Center for the Arts. Internationally, they have appeared at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and the Jerusalem Square in Israel.

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Missionary Introduction - Johnny Buckner

NEI International

Director
John Buckner

“New Partnerships mobilizing a New Mission Force to reach the peoples least reached and the most needy with the Gospel of Jesus.”

New Enterprises International (NEI) is an interdenominational Christian mission organization, registered as a non-profit 501c3. NEI Service Centers, located in Asia and the USA, directly serve mission work in Asia and Central America, fulfilling their mandate of “doing their part through in envisioning, mobilizing, training, placing and supporting a “new mission force” for the least reached in the last frontiers.”

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Missionary Introduction - Phil and Jennifer Leber

Mission to Uganda

Since 1998, we have had a “life on life” ministry of teaching and discipleship to young men and women who are the future leaders of Uganda. We work directly for the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, a nine million-member Province of the Anglican Communion, and we work throughout the country’s thirty-one dioceses. Jennifer meets regularly with several university women in Kampala, to share her life and the Scriptures. Phil is discipling leadership teams to carry on the work of teaching about worship renewal.

Jennifer has a passion to teach the Word and to impart the love and compassion of Christ to the displaced, orphaned and street children of Uganda. The devastation of the war in Northern Uganda and AIDS has left over two million orphans, and a significant number of those children have nowhere to live and have taken to the streets. Jennifer is involved in three ministries to serve these children. She is working to bring relief to the “Night Commuters” of Northern Uganda by raising public awareness of the plight of thousands of desperate children in Kitgum. She received a donation of 5000 blankets for the Night Commuters and is beginning several projects, including a secondary school in Pader, counseling home for formerly abducted girls, and a leadership project for middle school students in Gulu. In past years, Jennifer helped build an orphanage in Mukono which was started by former Archbishop Livingstone Nkoyoyo. Fifty-four orphans from 5 to 16 years old currently live in the orphanage. In Kampala, she worked with Cornerstone Ministries to provide a home for young street girls; most of whom are Muslim and many had desperately turned to prostitution. She currently works with Rhema Ministries to help get young girls out of prostitution, and into school and a loving home environment.

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Missionary Update - P. D.

P.D - Artist/Evangelist

The following is a letter we received just recently from P. It will motivate you to pray for her!

Hello dear Clear River Folks!

Just asking for prayer for protection as I move around South Africa. When I hike to use the internet with my laptop on my back, it is rather dicey at times.

Yesterday after sending emails, I walked back to the house where I am staying (by myself) and there was a group of street boys, very rough, of varying ages. The oldest (probably adult age), had a big stick. One boy was demanding the food I was carrying in my plastic bag. They are just the kind of kids I work with in the prisons and I recognized trouble right away. I wanted badly to give some food to them because I could see how hungry they were, but because it was a gang and I was on foot, it was not safe. God is good because there happened to be a dog in the road, a couple of people down the road a bit further, and a postman who cycled past me on his bicycle. If they had not been there, I am fairly sure I would have been jumped.

It is a dangerous area and the security at the house where I am staying is not the best. I have to make sure if I am on one side of the house, to completely close up the windows on the other side because a small boy can break through the bars (as happened to me some years ago). I can’t leave a door open - have to lock, even if I step outside for a minute to go in the yard. I cannot leave windows open at night at all (it’s quite hot here actually!) and there is no fan. So, prayers for wisdom and protection are much appreciated. Your gift means I can rent a car for a couple of weeks when I get back to Capetown (Muizenberg) from Worcester - thank you so much! It means a lot because nobody on this trip can afford to reimburse me much, if at all. Not only can I then get around, I will be a bit safer. I drive thru a dangerous township area to stay at this house, which is why I also have to keep watch at any stoplights or funny business on the road. I always take God’s protection very seriously!

I’ve gotten some good communication in Dubai and am curious to see what is going to unfold there and the Singapore prison situation has filled my entire schedule of days - oh man! I covet your prayers for this whole trip, that things will unfold as God desires and that I am attentive to the direction of the Holy Spirit.

The upcoming Arts Discipleship Training School in Worcester (which starts on April 13th) has a number of nations represented and they’ve already asked me to do the base meeting the first week on the evening of, Thursday, April 17th. Last year when I had this arts expression worship time, local gangs showed up - a little group of gang girls who had some special times with the art. Please pray God puts this whole thing together, as a lot of art supplies have to be acquired.

I get to go to a prison twice, which may include the maximum security one in Worcester as well as a detention home for boys where I visited last year. I’ve been asked to teach for two weeks this time, instead of one, and every minute will be packed. I’ll be teaching alongside a wonderful Brazilian dancer, Paulo, and he will teach on the character of the artist. He was present last year and was such a huge blessing, especially with the boys in the detention place. In between, I’m working on curriculum for the advanced counseling course where I will teach at the YWAM base in Perth - a first time for me. It’s very exciting and my schedule is getting very full there as well - I’ll be doing extra workshops for others interested so it will go broader than just the school’s students and YWAM staff, I think.

God is highlighting the prisoner in so many ways - on the one day I went to Capetown last week with my artist friend Liz (the youngest 70 year old you’d ever meet!) to the galleries and museum, much was about the poor, disadvantaged, refugee and even an artist who was a recovering heroin addict who did a photo project of inmates in maximum security and those who had been released, trying to start their lives again. If ever I needed affirmation of my calling, God was giving it to me through these art shows. My friend Liz could not believe it - and I was so blessed.

The nicest thing happened this week - I’ve been so concerned for my parents. Two fellow Christians here joined me in prayer that Mary, the lovely Kenyan my Dad and Mom really like, would be able to return and help them again 3 mornings a week for a couple of hours. She started this week, hallelujah! They haven’t had anybody because it’s been so hard to get someone and this will give my Mom a much-needed break. However, my Dad’s blood pressure just will not go down - they’ve been changing his medication but nothing seems to be helping - so that is another prayer request.

Okay, enough for now and thank you again so much for all your participation and support. You are walking with me here in the most wonderful way!

P.

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Missionary Update - Rob and April E

Campus Crusade for Christ - Closed Country

The following is the most recent report we have from Rob and
April.

An Easter Party?

In years past, we’ve seen much success using Christmas parties to share the gospel with students. This year we asked, why not try the same strategy at Easter time?

Easter (or “Resurrection Holiday” in the language here) is an almost unknown celebration to East Asian students. We have only met a handful who ever heard of it and none who knew what it celebrates. So inviting students to come to a party that will teach them about Easter really piqued their interest.

That’s how 23 students, plus 3 students from our campus fellowship and the 6 of us from our team ended up in a small room on campus playing games, singing Easter songs, and talking about the meaning of the holiday.

For us, the most exciting part was that the party was primarily led by our East Asian student friends. Even the gospel presentation was done by one of the guys who first trusted Christ last year! It was a great learning experience for our disciples and a rare evangelistic opportunity for all of us. Praise God for the great turn-out, for protecting us from being discovered by authorities during the party, and for blessing our student leaders as they begin to preach his name in spite of their fears!

Please pray for us as we follow-up on these 23 students who first heard the gospel of Jesus Christ last night; pray that the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection would be the doorway to their own new life in Christ. Specifically, you can pray for Minnie, Lily, and Tom- 3 students from the party who April and Rob will continue to meet.

A Hot Topic on Campus

For several years now, we have watched as East Asian campus culture has grow more and more open to dating and romance. Publicly holding hands was a scandal 10 years ago- today it is everywhere. However, with the increasing openness, there has not been a growing understanding of what role love and relationships should play in our lives. Students are taking their direction from the movies and TV shows they see. Even our believing students do not know what a biblical marriage should be like.

In the coming months, we would like to address this issue- one that is a popular topic of conversation all over campus. Our hope is that by talking about every person’s desire for true love (and our ultimate inability to find that love in each other), we can natural transition into sharing about our longing for God and his satisfying love for us.

Please pray for us as we plan a ‘coffee house of love’- an evangelistic event just outside of campus involving music, special speakers, and discussion, all on the topic of love and relationships. Pray that we would be able to secure a good location, that our time together would be protected from the authorities, and that the Christian students on campus would be very involved in the planning and carrying out of this event.

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Missionary Update - Andrew Ling

Youth With A Mission - Thailand

Here’s a snippet from one of Andrew’s emails:

"...As for our ministry, we have split up into two groups. The first group consists of about 10 people and they are staffing the coffee house where we are staying. Their job is to run the coffee bar, keep the place clean, and teach English to students and kids that come to learn in the afternoon through late evenings. This is an amazing opportunity to build one-on-one relationships with these people that will hopefully lead to sharing the gospel. The second group of 7 will be working with a place called The Center, just down the street from the coffee house. Our job will be to help teach English at a more in depth level. We've been doing prayer walks through the city, building relationships with students at the University, finding ways to bless the other team, or anything else that God lays on our hearts. So far, we are having an amazing time and already we can see God's hand at work.

We still have some prayer requests!

First, pray against homesickness, culture shock and depression that can result from the above. I know that I have already dealt with homesickness a little bit. I know it's silly but I miss all of you.

Second, please continue to pray for protection. Since we've been here, we've had one student get lost and one get hit by a motorbike! (That was Andrew!) The enemy is obviously trying to bring discouragement. Also, please pray for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Many of us are starting to experience spiritual dryness and we need the Holy Spirit now more than ever. Please continue to pray for divine appointments. We are desperate to reach these people and we are even more desperate to see the glory of God revealed. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. They have made all the difference in my life and I am certain that they will continue to do the same.

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