September Manila

From Moscow to Manila, we spent almost 24 hour in airplanes or airports getting to our second destination. Manila is a fabulous city – especially so because there seems to be a Starbucks on every other corner. There is actually one place in Manila, near the Greenhills Mall, where you can stand in one spot and see a Starbucks, no matter what way you are facing. This week was filled with formal meetings during the day, and informal meetings in the evenings. My name became know as Wayne “Meet me at Starbucks” Brown. It was the perfect atmosphere to put the meeting participants at ease while we talked about the ministry opportunities within their countries.

The meeting in Manila was a gathering of ministry leaders from throughout the Asia-Pacific region. This included people from Southeast Asia and from the islands scattered between the Asian peninsular and Australia. It was a wonderful mix of people, all focused on taking the good news to every child and young person in their country or collection of island countries. Those many meetings at the local Starbucks were informative events. Many of these ministry leaders, such as those from the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Oceania area, are reaching into areas that include thousands of individual islands. The concept of jumping into your car or truck to go to the next village for ministry simply does not apply here. In many cases, movement from one place to another requires a boat or an airplane. This makes ministry slower and more costly in these areas. It also requires more people to effectively carry the gospel message forward.

People, laborers, harvesters, all are words used to describe the worker who takes the gospel message forward. Oceania needs laborers to partner with our leadership to effectively and aggressively take the gospel message forward. The books are ready, the students are there, and the access is available. But the laborers are few. The Philippines, a nation divided across many islands, a nation that has seen a Christian presence for hundreds of years, is a nation that has grown indifferent to the need to spread the gospel. However, that indifference is being faced down by a dedicated group of local evangelist; evangelist who are taking the gospel message into the schools and communities throughout the country. However, as hard as they work, they cannot work alone. They need partners. They need dedicated believers who will stand beside them to distribute books and to do The GodMan in every school and every community. There is the potential for four million children and youth people to receive the life-changing message presented in The GodMan in the Philippines in 2007. However, without the necessary laborers, only a small fraction will likely be impacted by this presentation of the gospel. Pray for the Lord of the harvest to call up laborers from Oceania and the Philippines to reach the children and youth of these island nations.

Almost every country represented at this meeting in Manila shared needs similar to Oceania and the Philippines. In almost every case, they need laborers to bring in a harvest that is ripe. One very exciting fulfillment of this cry is coming from Singapore and Taiwan. Churches and believers within both of these countries have recently begun to send missionary teams from their own lands into other countries. While they are aggressively taking the gospel message forward to their own people, they are not totally inward focus. They are truly living out an Acts 1:8 existence by being witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Join us in prayer for God's blessings and anointing to be with these dedicated labors has they follow His call to the ends of the earth.

September Bangkok

With the conclusion of the meeting in Manila, my mode had to shift from one of educating and training to one of gathering information and understanding. The next leg of our itinerary took us to Bangkok. Bangkok is an interesting city. It is large and continuing to grow rapidly. No matter which way you look, you are likely to see a large construction crane. And you are just as likely to see an old Buddhist temple, the old and the new coexisting in the same area. What impressed me the most about Bangkok was not the architecture or the layout of the city, but it was the people. These are a people who value service to their fellow man. I have never been anywhere in this world where I felt better cared for, or more sincerely cared for, than in Bangkok. It is a part of who they are.

This spirit of service is not just applicable to a bellhop or waiter. It is also applicable to those doing ministry work within Thailand and her neighboring Southeast Asian countries. Each person we worked with, either a ministry leader or an expert in Christian children’s media, had a sincere heart for reaching the lost in their communities. This heart shone through as they talked about the greatest needs of the children and youth in their country.

I was especially touched by the missionary from Cambodia who joined us. He is a missionary from the Southern Baptist Convention who is there to do a “good works” ministry, but for whom God has opened the doors to do great evangelism through media. His stories of difficulty in Cambodia echoed what I had heard the previous week in Manila from our Book of Hope Cambodia national coordinator. This is a country with very little in the way of infrastructure. It is also a country whose people have very little understanding of the Christian world view. To them, Jesus is just another one of the “pick of the day” gods that they can call on. The concept of one true God and redemption from sin are totally foreign to most Cambodians. This missionary’s approach to the issue is through one-on-one evangelism. We hear the term one-on-one evangelism used frequently in closed countries, because it can be done quietly. However, Cambodia is not a closed country. It is open and there are many opportunities to minister to the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs of her people. The greatest impediment to effective ministry is not the lack of a message – the Word of God is the greatest message. It is not for lack of desire – the people of Cambodia are open to hearing and understanding the truth. No, it is a lack of laborers; laborers from both within Cambodia and from other countries. Cambodia is a difficult place to live and work. After years of killings and oppression, relationships have to be nurtured before the message of love and acceptance from Jesus Christ can be received. Please pray for Cambodia. Pray for the Lord of the harvest to call up laborers from this nation, from this region, and from around the world to come to Cambodia to bring the good news to a people who desperately need to hear it.

I also ask that you pray for Myanmar, also know as Burma. This country has existed under decades of military rule, with fierce oppression to anyone who advocates democracy. It is a predominantly Buddhist nation, but with a growing Christian and Muslim presence. Evangelism is difficult and is strongly discouraged by the military junta. Therefore, our labors in this land must take other creative approaches to presenting the gospel. They must work in areas that meet the social needs of the youth of this country in a way that does not raise undue attention by the government. And they have been very creative in doing so. For obvious reasons, I will not detail those ways here. However, I do ask you to keep our laborers in Myanmar in your prayers. Pray for their safety and protection. Pray that their public work gives them favor with the leaders where they work and with the youth with whom they interact, so that their private work can move forward undeterred.

Our team members from Indonesia were a joy to work with. They really helped to bring to bear the special focus that needs to be in place when ministering in Indonesia. This nation of over 17,000 islands, located south of Thailand and the Philippines and north of Australia, is home to over 120 million children and youth. It is also the most heavily populated Muslim country in the world, with 88% of her 245 million citizens being Islamic adherents. This makes doing ministry in Indonesia very different than anywhere else in the Asia-Pacific region. In fact, as we were doing our planning work, the phrase most frequently spoken by the participants was "Except Indonesia!" As we reviewed the issues and discussed the needs for Asia-Pacific, many of the ministry options would work in every country, except Indonesia. However, in spite of the difference in approach that must be taken in this very large country, the heartfelt needs and social issues that her children and youth encounter were very similar to those in the other countries throughout the region. And the bottom-line answer was the same. They need to know Jesus and the hope that comes by way of salvation through faith. Pray for our laborers in Indonesia. Pray for effectiveness as they reach out to all the inhabited islands. Pray for their safety as they reach into some of the more difficult areas. And pray for strength as they carry out this very difficult work, often times with little in the way of outside support. Finally, pray for laborers from within Indonesia who will go into every island and every village and every neighborhood to take the good news to all the people.

There were other countries represented at this meeting. However, due to the political situations that exist in those lands, they will not be mentioned here. Nevertheless, I ask that you pray for them. God knows who they are. Pray for their safety and for strength to carry on with the work that the Lord has given them. And pray for laborers to come along beside them and support them.

September 2006 Newsletter

Our September 2006 newsletter is now available online. Click here to go immediately to this newsletter. You can also find this and all our previous newsletters on our website at http://www.YourWorldMissionaries.org/. Click on the "Update" tab and look for the links to all our newsletters on the left side of the “Update” page.

New Photos on Flickr

I have added photos to our Flickr account from my trips to Moscow, Manila, and Bangkok. For some reason, they posted in reverse order within each batch. I'm not sure why that happened. Anywhy, you can access the photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/75786630@N00/. Enjoy!

Affect Destiny - A Day in the Life

Ryan Smith, one of the Missionary Associates working with Book of Hope, has created a fantastic 15-minute video that captures a day in the life of an Affect Destiny Team trip. You can find it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3wwNSbm3xw. Although it may take a few minutes to download, it is a great investment of time and will give you a clear understanding of what it means to reach thousands of children and youth in a day with the good news. If you are interested in being a part of a future Affect Destiny Team trip, please contact Affect Destiny Teams at teams@bookofhope.net or (877) 411-WORD.

STEP International

Our dear friend, Ruthie Lilyquist, has formed a ministry called STEP International. Step International is focused on bring God's Word and the love of Christ to children, young people, and families in the 10/40 Window through teaching, personal evangelism, leadership training, and childcare. You can read more about Ruthie and her work at http://www.stepintnl.org. Be sure to check out her blog at http://www.stepintnl.org/blog/.

August 2006 Newsletter

Our August 2006 newsletter is now available online. Click here to go immediately to this newsletter. You can also find this and all our previous newsletters on our website at http://www.YourWorldMissionaries.org/. Click on the "Update" tab and look for the links to all our newsletters on the left side of the “Update” page.

Training Camp

One of the regular activities that Rebecca participates in each week is a visit to the physical therapist. Recently, Rebecca has been working out in a mobile device that helps her to stand. Once she builds up her strength in her legs, she will start learning how to perform walking motions on a treadmill. Many years ago, before Rebecca developed problems in her hips, she used a walking harness to help her walk, mostly uncontrolled, across a room. She could also ride a special adapted bicycle, although she could not steer it. We are believing that God has opened the door to this new therapy for Rebecca in preparation for some dramatic improvements in her mobility. Please believe and pray with us for Rebecca to have all the mobility that is possible.

Together

Here is another look at Dick & Rick's story. It is called TOGETHER and can be found on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D52rJd9GX10.

I Can Only Imagine

There are a few items on the Internet that help in expressing the love a mom or dad can have for their disabled child, along with the joy that such a child can find from simply being there with their mom or dad when something spectacular is done. Sports Illustrated did an article last Summer on Dick & Rick Hoyt and Dick's unending love for his son and his desire to help Rick feel a little less handicapped. A church we visited near Father's Day this year ran the video of their story. It is set to the song I Can Only Imagine. Watch it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjPrL3n63yg.
As God opens the doors for Tammy and I to travel the world and have Rebecca accompany us, we are believing that many families who are struggling with disabilities will understand that God has a plan and a purpose for everyone. All we need is faith that He is there with us and courage to do something with our lives -- regardless of our physical abilities or limitations. That is one message we believe God will allow Rebecca to bring to the nations.