April 2008

China - A woman who teaches English at a university in China is excited about opportunities she also has to assist local churches. She says, “We met with our Chinese partners. One couple comes from a fast-growing group. He is the leader of a group that has helped to train Sunday School teachers for churches in my area. They are busy training many young people to be lights on their campuses throughout the country.

“Another couple I met has started a counseling center. They gave a lecture and answered questions about how to deal with troubled students in this culture. The suicide rate for students here is quite high. College education does not provide all the answers they are looking for. We have a wide open door to give answers and support in many meaningful areas. I came away from the meetings refreshed and encouraged with what is happening here.”

Hong Kong - Ben Herr writes for the Hong Kong YES team: “The first thing one notices when arriving in another country is how different things are --the trees, the architecture, the language, the food.

Recently three people from our church, Agape Mennonite, were baptized. The church rented a bus, and after a joint service with the other Mennonite churches in Hong Kong, we drove to a beach.

“Throughout the service, I kept thinking about the differences. It was on a beach and very informal. Then after they were baptized, the three people gave testimonies. That’s when I was struck by how similar the testimonies sounded to some that I've heard back home. It was a great reminder to me that people are people the world over, and that God loves and desires to save all peoples.”


February 2008

THE HIMALAYAS - A new culture brings new routines. Audrey Landis serves on the Himalayas YES team and writes.

The wind, with a cold spark in it, overpowered the warm rays of the sun – leading me to seek out more layers. But the layer still did not warm up my core, so to the fire I went to start the task of making some tea.

1. Get kindling and matches.
   
2. Light the fire (which can be a very cantankerous).
   
3. Exert lots of oxygen to spread out the flame.
   
4. Finally add bigger pieces of wood.
   
5. Place tea pot of water on fire.
   
6. Wait till it reaches boiling.
   
7. Place grounds in the bottom of cup.
   
8. Pour water (and don't burn your hand).
   
9. Wait for the tea to steep.
   
10. Filter into cup.
    
11. Add desired amount of sugar.
    
12. Stir.
    
13. Don't burn your hand on the tin cup when trying to drink the tea while it’s still hot.

All this to say, making a cup of tea is quite the process.

Another example of a process is teaching our adult English class.

1. At some point that day, we come up with a plan for class (recent topic: hospitality) and throughout the day we gather supplies/props.
   
2. Right before class is supposed to start, we set up the church for class.
   
3. Class starts at 7 p.m., but our students don't usually arrive until 7:45 or later.
   
4. Class starts with an introduction to the topic and a skit to demonstrate how to use the English vocabulary that's being taught.
   
5. We break into groups to go over vocab and lines: "Would" (leader says), and student repeats, "Would" – and so on and so forth till you get through the whole line. Then go by 2 or 3 words till you accomplish the entire line: "Would you like to come to my house?" Then try and explain the meaning and get them to answer.
   
6. To conclude we try and get students to do the skit we began class with. With a lot of laughter, class ends.

Hopefully these two examples convey to you how life is a constant process here. But as we learn to be patient and understanding, it also opens our eyes to how being a follower of Christ is a process, too. I can't expect my heart to change right away, but I need to have patience, for the end result is worth waiting for. Whether it is seeing a relationship get better, preparing a cup of tea, or hearing a student say the question perfectly to me.


January 2007

Thailand: Carol Tobin, EMM and Virginia Mennonite Missions worker in Southeast Asia, shares this story:

Our Isaan friends understand the gospel in terms of freedom from shame. Bae, a part-time employee with EMM’s micro-economic development program, says, “People used to look at our family like we were scum. My father was an alcoholic, my mother an emotional wreck. And we kids, we were trouble from the word ‘go.’ But, now people look at my husband and me differently. They admire our family for the fact that our 18-year-old daughter is well-behaved and respectful.”

Grandfather Extra remembers, “The village was ready to turn me out. I had to work hard to prove that I was a benefit to the community, because, with a demon possessed daughter, our family was a threat to the well-being of the whole village. If anything bad happened, I knew that we would be blamed for it. Now, look what happened with Grandfather Wild Ox and Moon Glory! They came looking for us to pray for them. God is using me to spread his good news even in new districts!”

As for Grandmother Mouse, I used to groan when I’d see her shuffling up to us after meetings, with a mournful look in her eyes, a hand extended and a fresh tale of the woes of her poverty. She still lives in the same dilapidated stilt house, and the grandchild she is raising is old enough now to be causing no end of headaches. But, now her eyes are clear and her head is lifted high. Her simple testimony during a Sunday gathering: “I don’t really have much to say; if I said ‘I’m happy,’ would that count as a testimony?”

Carol and Skip Tobin serve with EMM and Virginia Mennonite Missions in Southeast Asia.


November 2007

THAILAND: As she finishes up her year as a mission intern, Michelle Zook shares a glimpse of her ministry among prostitutes:

She writes, “For my last months I lived in Det Udom where I started my journey in Thailand. That way I can begin and end my time here with the long-term EMM team, do some education about the reality of prostitution after my time at Rahab House in Bangkok, and assist the local Isaan church.

“As I was working in Bangkok I realized that my heart is growing for the women caught in prostitution, and so I decided that I want to see what I can find out about prostitution among the Isaan.

“It has been a good processing time for me as I think back to what I experienced in Bangkok. For example, the last two times I went into the bars I got to meet two different women that pulled at my heart. The first woman I noticed as soon as I walked into the bar. She was dancing in her own little corner, away from the other women. She didn’t have a lot of make-up on, and her hair was short and wasn’t styled in a particularly beautiful fashion. It was obvious to me that she was new at this kind of work. My coworkers and I asked to speak to her, and she looked very nervous as she made her way across the room. She was a college graduate who married soon after graduating and had a daughter. Recently her husband left her, and with no family in Bangkok, no job experience, and a small child to care for, she had trouble finding work. She decided to work as a prostitute for a little while until she could find something better. She’d only been working there three days when we met her.

“We told her about Rahab House, and she seemed interested, even smiling at times as we told her about other possibilities for her life. During the week I waited to see if she would show up at our center, but she never did. The next week we went back to the same bar, but she was nowhere to be seen. We asked some of the other women about her, and they said that she had saved enough money to buy a train ticket back to her home area. I still wonder what will become of her, and if she would ever come to know the real Savior of her life.

“As we were asking about the first woman, another woman came and started talking to me. I discovered that she had been working there only two days. She also didn’t want to do this kind of work, but didn’t see other options. I quickly called the Thai staff in on the conversation as this woman also seemed interested in Rahab. I waited that week hoping that she would take the scary step to trust someone she didn’t know and come work with us. But she never came by.

“I know that this year in Thailand has changed my attitude towards women working in prostitution, but I’m not sure what that means for my future. Please pray that God will lead me into the next step that he has for me.”


October 2007

China - A YES participant who teaches English in China writes, “One day my teammate and I met with another foreign teacher and 15 of our students who come for a Bible study. Many of them had a hard time accepting some of the teachings of the Word. They thought the Bible teaches only good things like loving one another, but they had a hard time accepting some of the other concepts. For example, to love God and obey Him over doing what pleases your family is a very difficult idea to understand. We've spent a lot of time discussing what or who should be the highest authority in our lives.

Many of the students have grown up with the idea of relativism; but no matter how hard one tries, the theory of ‘no absolutes’ just doesn’t line up with the Word of God. Many of our students respond with statements like, 'Well, I don't know what to do. I want to go to heaven when I die, but that won't happen if the Bible is true. So I can't accept or believe it.’
“It hurts me to hear this from dear friends because I know that truth is truth and certainly doesn't depend on our belief in it. The temptation for those of us who are believers is to argue and to try to convince the students of God’s truth. But we can never truly convince anyone – that's God's work. All we can do is pray, speak, and share as he leads us.”

Another EMM worker who teaches English in a different Chinese city shared this story:

“This week a friend said he had to talk to me. Someone was asking him to take an English test for him so that he could get a raise. My friend had already said he'd do it; now he was feeling guilty. The test was the next day.

“What should I say? This kind of thing happens all the time. People say that’s just the way things are done in China.

“During the college entrance exam two weeks ago, someone in another city hired an answer man who sat in a van outside with satellite connections to help supply the correct answers. They were caught.

“The challenge for me and all of us is to live by Jesus' standards and demonstrate the standards of God’s kingdom wherever He reigns. It’s no wonder that so many people come to me asking to be my friend or come to visit because they feel ‘peace’ in my house. God's way is always the best way even though lots of Satan's tricks come wrapped in bright colored promises with easy-to-follow instructions. In the end, I want to be counted with those who followed Jesus, not the easy way out. What about you?”

Asia - A YES participant writes about a recent experience she had in North Asia. “I’ve just returned from helping out at a week-long English camp, where I was a counselor for seven girls as well as an English teacher for the beginner level. Our trip to the camp took eighteen hours by train and two hours by bus. The campers had English class every morning for an hour and a half. During the afternoons they could join in group games like baseball or football, make a craft, or just have time to play. During the week all the campers had a chance to ride horses and go rafting. Every morning and evening we would gather together for “Rally time,” where we would sing songs and watch movies. In some ways this camp is quite similar to the camps we have in North America, in some ways it is very different.

The hope is some of the campers will leave having learned more than just English. Some of the songs they learned were just fun songs, and some of them had a deeper meaning. We as staff had to be very careful with what we said regarding our beliefs, but we were free to honestly answer any questions that we were asked. Every morning during the English classes we would give the campers a few questions to ask the staff so the campers could practice their English. So for example if a camper would ask me what my favorite book is and why, I could say without hesitation, “The Bible, because it is the Word of God.” I had one camper tell me after I answered her, “Almost everyone here says it’s their favorite book!”

But more than our words, the love we were able to show the children made an impact. Many were in tears when it was time to leave. It was awesome to see how we were able to demonstrate the love of God to children who had never heard of him.

Another YES team member describes the same camp. “Clear blue skies and endless grassland describe North Asia. It was refreshing to spend time in the great outdoors. Yurts dotted the countryside surrounded by herds of cattle flocks of sheep and goats. Herdsmen strolled along among their animals. At night I gazed at the endless number of stars and the full golden moon. This was exciting since I hadn’t seen either stars or moon for the four months that I had been in the big city where I teach English.


September 2007

China - A YES participant from China writes,

“When university students discuss controversial topics with my teammate and me, we have observed they are not sure why they believe what they do. Most of them have simply been told whether or not to believe something. They believe that what they’ve been told is the way it must be. This also affects their perspective on believing what the Bible says. They can have a hard time comprehending what it says, especially if it doesn't sound like the things they've been told all their lives. For example, this week at a Bible study, we got onto the topic of loving God or money. Many Chinese believe that to be successful in life, is to be rich. So to learn that the Bible says you can't love both God and money goes completely against what they've been taught. The Bible tells us to believe like children. But it also tells us that we need to be wise, like a serpent. It's a balance that's not easy to find, no matter what culture you've grown up in. But we find we often have very thought-provoking discussions.”


June 2007

DELHI, INDIA – The long-awaited vision of the Fellowship of Christian Assemblies for an anchor church and mission training center of their own came to pass March 3 with the dedication of a new three-story training center on the northeast edge of Delhi. Fellowship of Christian Assemblies is a group of 65 churches and 15,000 members that support Indian church planters and cross-cultural witnesses in northern India, and it is a mission partner of EMM. Since the beginning of the partnership with EMM five years ago, FCA has hosted numerous short-term EMM teams to assist in their schools and churches. One long-term EMM family is based in Delhi and assists with leadership development and other FCA ministries.


May 2007

THAILAND – Michelle Zook writes about her experience of befriending prostitutes through a ministry called Rahab House.

“On Thursday night I had my first opportunity to go into the bars. As soon as our team entered, a woman latched on to me, and I offered to buy her a coke. She accepted it with much thanks, and I sensed that she was relieved to leave the dancing to others. We sat and chatted for about 30 minutes. She is number eight of nine children in her family. She has two small children that she is trying to provide for. We are nearly the same age. I was surprised at how normal and friendly she seemed – almost like we’d been old college friends. I also found that it was easy to block out the ugly stuff – the skimpy clothing she was wearing, the other women dancing on the bar, and the Madame hovering near. I had such a mix of emotions and a new compassion for these women who find themselves trapped in this lifestyle.”

HIMALAYAS – Amos Stoltzfus tells a story of his recent trip.

“We met with two of the church planters we had helped train in previous years. They took us to a jewelry shop where we met the owner, Dambar. For five years his 22-year-old daughter, Ritu, had been sick with a low blood count. He had spent much money trying to find help for her, but nothing helped. Then he heard Christians who pray for people. So just two weeks before we visited, he had invited both pastors to his house. The family carried the young woman to the upstairs room where they met. She was too weak to walk on her own. They began praying for her, and before they finished praying, the Lord touched her and she was healed. She was able to walk out of the room on her own. While we were there, Ritu and her father came to the church service for the first time.

CENTRAL ASIA – Sherelle Charles writes for the six member YES team recently returned from Central Asia.

“We are having fun teaching English here. I have a class of nine beginner adults from 18 to around 40 years old. They know very little English, so I rely heavily on a local teacher’s assistant who will be taking over the class when I leave. One day as we reviewed parts of the body I decided to teach them the song many of us sang as children, ‘Head and shoulders, knees and toes.’ I asked them to stand up and then sang the song slowly, showing them the motions. I noticed that one of the men turned around to do the motions and I thought this was strange. Then someone asked my assistant a question and everyone started laughing. Only then did I learn that the man who turned around thought I was teaching them to pray the Muslim prayer ritual in English, and he need to face toward Mecca. We all really laughed at this, and hopefully the students also learned ‘eyes and ears and mouth and nose, head and shoulders, knees and toes.’ But this also made me realize that the students don’t know that we’re Christians, and we need to pray for appropriate opportunities to share our faith outside the classroom.”


April 2007

HOCHIMINH CITY, VIETNAM – Vietnamese Mennonite Pastor Ho* is a small wiry man whose cheerful smile belies a lifetime of struggles. For 14 years he was a guerilla soldier, then he was a policeman for 12 before he decided to seek the “Lord of Heaven” he had heard about. He left his life of force and violence, which had included the persecution of Christians. Not surprisingly, Ho faced harsh opposition from his former comrades in arms. He understands prison, painful physical abuse, and extreme social pressure.

But now life has other challenges. Ho shepherds three small Mennonite house churches north of Hochiminh City, one which meets in the small front room of his frame-and-bamboo house, located back a winding sandy path off the main road. To minister in the other two congregations, he bikes over 20 miles with his wife bouncing along on the back. One group meets on Saturday, the other, Sunday afternoon.

Ho and his wife support themselves growing fruit and black pepper on their small plot of land. Because of his long service in the cause of the revolution and the struggle against the previous government and American military forces, Ho is entitled to a monthly pension from the government and a more substantial block or brick house. But as he chose to follow the Lord and become a pastor, he forfeited these benefits.

“We’ve decided that there is much more value in worshiping the Lord and caring for his people than just being comfortable,” Ho said with a cheerful smile. The sign above the altar of every Christian meeting place in Vietnam expresses Ho’s foremost mission now: Ton Vinh Duc Chua Troi! --Praise the Lord of Heaven!

*Name changed for security reasons.

PUDONG, INDONESIA - As the Indonesia Youth Evangelism Service team concludes its service, Jeremy Byler, team leader, reflects on how they are feeling more and more at home and are enjoying what they call “Indonesian Style.” For example, when the car they were riding in caught on fire Jeremy said, “Our Indonesian friends just took it in stride. The wire that was burnt just needed to be replaced. Indonesian Style, relax… care about people and the relationships that you have and take the other things as they come. We are really enjoying this relational way of working with the people and helping them to rebuild after the earthquake that has devastated this area. There is still lingering fear of another quake in many of the people's hearts. Recently we had another small quake and things like that reawaken people’s fears. Pray that they will come to know the peace of Jesus.”

INDONESIA - As the Indonesia Youth Evangelism Service team concludes its service in Pudong, Jeremy Byler, team leader, reflects on how they are feeling more and more at home and are enjoying what they call “Indonesian Style.” For example, when the car they were riding in caught on fire, Jeremy said, “Our Indonesian friends just took it in stride. The wire that was burnt just needed to be replaced. Indonesian Style, relax…. Care about people and the relationships that you have… and take the other things as they come. We are really this relational way of working with the people and helping them to rebuild after the earthquake that has devastated this area. There is still lingering fear of another quake in many of the people's hearts. Recently we had another small quake and things like that reawaken people’s fears. Pray that they will come to know the peace of Jesus.”


March 2007

INDONESIA – After two months of language study, the Indonesia YES team is jumping into their main work of painting the houses which have been constructed for people following an earthquake last year. In addition to the painting work, the team is also teaching conversational English to the local Mennonite Disaster Service staff.
Team member Sabrina Martin explains, “Once a week we have English class with the MDS Staff and than later in the week they have Indonesian class with us. This week we started out with a few games to see how much English they know. Just for fun and to learn each other’s names we played a game called "swat." The object of the game is to say someone else's name when your name is said – before the person in the middle swats you with a rolled up newspaper. The staff had so much fun with it. I have not laughed so hard in a long time. Our class will be filled with lots of laughter as we learn together.”

DET UDOM, THAILAND – After several months of language learning and orientation in Det Udom, Thailand, mission intern Michelle Zook moved into Bangkok where she is working at Rahab House, a ministry to Bar Girls on Bangkok’s famous Pat Pong Street, known for its night market and prostitution. Michelle says, “I have been impressed with how the program is run, and it seems like there are new girls coming through the ministry on a regular basis. I've only been here a short time, and already I've heard tragic stories, along with stories of hope and forgiveness. I am living in a house with 11 Thai women and several children. Making friends with the language ability of a three-year-old is challenging, but I am being stretched and will soon be joining the bar visitation team. It’s a group that goes into the bars and builds relationships with the dancers in order to offer them alternatives to the life they’re trapped in. I know that I will see many things that will break my heart. Please pray for grace and wisdom.”

INDONESIA – Another mission intern reports on the severe flooding in the region where he has been working with street children. He says, “It rained for about three days straight and the area was completely flooded up to the roofs of the houses. Yesterday a few of us went and handed out some basic food stuffs to those who are camped in a nearby graveyard or who are scattered to houses of friends and family. I truly cannot imagine the horror. The water started to rise around 10 p.m. and by early morning whole houses were covered. Because of this unusually quick rising of the water, and because it was at night, people had little chance to take anything with them from their houses. We have also gathered clothes, food, and other necessities to hand out in the next few days. Please pray that the Lord would lead us to the right people who are in the greatest need, and that people could receive God’s love through us, his children. The Lord is always ready to glorify himself in tough situations. And pray that the Lord would also raise up other workers who have a heart to work among the street children.”


February 2007

PHILIPPINES – Last December, Luke Schrock-Hurst, a former long-term worker in the Philippines, took one of several ministry trips back to continue his resourcing and connecting work there.

While in Davao City in Mindanao, Luke was moved to hear the story of a 30-year old follower of Jesus from Muslim background. The young man is translating the scriptures into the Sama language, his mother tongue, which is spoken on Tawi Tawi, the southern-most island that juts south from Mindanao towards Malaysia and Indonesia.
Sama is also the language of the gypsies of the Philippines, the poorest of the poor that live along the coastlines and remote islands of the Philippines, moving from place to place in their small outrigger boats.

Luke says, “Our hearts were deeply touched in hearing how this brother came to faith in Jesus, and how he has a passion to find ways to worship and share Jesus in his own culture and language.”

As a result of these connections, the Mennonite Youth Fellowship of the Philippines invited the Sama translator to share his testimony and vision at the Mennonite Youth Camp held between Christmas and New Year’s day. Luke says, “Who knows? Maybe he will inspire some Filipino Mennonites to give their lives to making a difference among the gypsy people and others who speak the Sama language.”


CENTRAL ASIA – Our lives have settled into a pretty solid routine in these past few weeks. I enjoy feeling like I am a normal working, living, studying, eating, sleeping citizen of this nation. According to several sources, I also (and probably the other girls on the team, too) look very much like an Uzbek girl, with my rumal (head scarf), long skirt, gold earrings, long black coat and black high-heeled boots. (Practically all the women here wear some kind of nice boots – many with heels.)

This week has not been terribly eventful for our team. I had the chance to celebrate my birthday here in Central Asia on Wednesday. It was a very enjoyable day for me. The team blessed me by preparing a wonderful pizza lunch which we ate together, and that evening I was able to have the girls on the team as well as our friend F. over to my host family's house for a party/sleepover. We had a fun evening dancing to Uzbek music (or maybe should say "trying to learn how to dance" as I'm afraid the Uzbek girls put us to shame quite badly), and also playing games like pretzel and spoons and whisper down the lane (with the message changing from English to Uzbek and back a few times along the way).

So that was pretty much our week...with all the normal English classes and Uzbek lessons thrown in, and trying to remember to eat lunch, and traveling back and forth to our host families. Our lives are very much "everydayish" here...and perhaps it is at times hard to see what God is doing through us, and how he is working – at least on a week to week basis. However, we know that he is working, that he sees the big picture and is working through us to touch people's lives, in the right time and way, even in our weaknesses and shortcomings.

J.B. serves on the Central Asia YES team. Names are omitted for security reasons.


January 2007

INDIA – Glenn Kauffman, representative to Asia, reported on a recent visit he made to Delhi, India. He says, “We are involved with a Dalit (untouchable) cluster of churches.  As we were meeting with three of their leaders we were talking about the Good Samaritan parable.  I asked, ‘If Dalits were in this story which character would they be?’  My thinking was that they are the Good Samaritan. But the Dalits said, 'No, you who come to help us are the Good Samaritan. The Dalit is the victim in the ditch.'  

Glenn says, “I believe that God wants to use us to minister breakthrough into that Dalit mentality, but how do we do that and still walk with love and compassion in the many ways they have been suppressed? – suppressed is the literal meaning of the word Dalit.”

CHINA – A young couple who have been studying Mandarin share this experience. “We have been helping out with an English corner which is really an English-medium Bible study for 30 new believers. After English class one evening we got to participate in their baptism celebration. This is truly a harvest time.

“Last weekend, a lady came over to our house. She grew up in the same orphanage where our housemate did. Our housemate has a real burden for her and is trying to lead her to the Lord. We women had been praying together for a chance to share with her. My husband didn’t know all this, but when the lady dropped by, he had a burden to share with her, but didn’t know how to start. As he sat there praying silently, suddenly she looked at him and asked, ‘Do you speak to God every morning?’ That really opened a door, and in the next hour as they talked together, she committed her life to the Lord. As you can see, we are getting in over our heads quickly and need lots of wisdom along with language!”

INDONESIA – Sabrina Martin shares this report for a four-member YES team that is serving in Indonesia. “It was shocking to visit Pudong where we will be working and to see firsthand the damage of the earthquake. Almost every house had some type of damage or was leveled after the May quake. But the people seemed to be in high spirits and very willing to receive us. The MDS base is right next to our house. Another exciting and overwhelming experience was that we had the chance to help with the finishing touches on the house that we will be living in. (Currently we’re staying with host families.) It is completely constructed of bamboo, which is very accessible in Indonesia. The walls are pieces of bamboo woven together to make a very strong structure. As of now there are three rooms. One is for the women, one for men, and the other for a common living area.”


December 2006

SOUTHEAST ASIA – As we celebrate the coming of Jesus, the Word of God, this Christmas season, English teacher, Orpha Gehman is grateful for the unique way God’s word is going out in her country of service (which cannot be named for security reasons). It’s not a way she would have chosen. Orpha shares this unusual experience: “My foreign friends and I were on our way home from lunch when suddenly a motorbike with two people swooped past and snatched one of my two bags. The thieves probably thought it contained a computer or a wallet, but it contained things far more valuable than that - two Bibles, a Hymnal, a praise song book, and my Foundations Bible Study booklet. I certainly wonder where all these spiritual riches will end up. I pray that the thieves will have their eyes opened to the truth. It will be a most astonishing find for them! I’m surprised these purse snatchers operate in broad daylight and even with other people around, but this time the thieves got quite a dose of spiritual wealth in their hands, and I hope they make good use of it.” 

CHINA – A young couple who are studying Mandarin in China gave this description of life in their city. “In the mornings I take an hour long walk to the park with baby on my back.  I try to pray as I walk, but the park is teeming with people young and old.  As I walked into the park gate I saw old people sitting around a lady on stools. A lady was making some sort of patch with hot tar on it. An old lady had one on her neck. Later I found out that it is a home remedy for arthritis. Next I saw a whole group of middle-aged women dancing some kind of traditional Chinese dance.  Right across from them some people had a boom box playing western dance music, and an instructor was teaching the tango. As I walked, I saw a whole group of old men out sunning their birds. The birds—nightingales-- were all singing beautifully. And then all around there are people playing Ping-Pong, doing tai chi, running, doing push-ups, walking dogs, and walking babies. This is certainly a wonderful environment in which to be learning Chinese language and culture.” 

CHINA – Another EMM worker who teaches English in a Chinese university wrote, “Two days in a row, the China Daily had pictures and write-ups about the Amish schoolhouse shootings. When I told the story to my students, the room got very quiet. They could hardly believe the families would forgive the murderer. This week my students were to write a short essay on happiness, or what makes us happy. One student said that she had a roommate problem last year and was really angry so she went to her friend to get help. Her friend told her if she forgives – like the Amish -- she will feel much better, and if she doesn't forgive, she will only make herself miserable. She said she chose to forgive and has experienced happiness from that. The message of forgiveness continues to impact the world.”

PHNOM PEHN, CAMBODIA – Last month, 15 house church leaders from Vietnam attended several weeks of classes in Anabaptist history and pastoral ministry hosted by the young Phnom Penh Mennonite Church. Don Sensenig, a former EMM worker in Vietnam, was one of several Americans who assisted with the training. He shares these personal reflections.

“I found myself overcome by emotion as we worshipped together in song. The Vietnamese and Cambodian peoples are historic enemies, competing over the rich Mekong delta, where their empires and cultures have collided for centuries. And a generation ago, my country, America, dropped countless tons of bombs on both countries. Yet here we were singing praise to God together across these barriers. It was an occasion for joy, a step toward healing. We are brothers and sisters serving the same Lord, who brings us together into one family.”

In that worship service the group commissioned Luy Ngo, a Vietnamese professor-turned-evangelist, to plant a church among the Vietnamese minority in Cambodia. Luy had fled to Cambodia as a refugee two years ago, and felt this was now God’s call on his life. In this church planting work he will be supported by the North American Vietnamese Mennonite Fellowship, a group of Vietnamese Mennonite churches in Canada and the US, with assistance from EMM.

After the commissioning service a group of five Americans and Vietnamese drove to the outskirts of Phnom Penh, where brother Luy has already begun reaching out to the Vietnamese community. They’d come to sign an agreement to rent a store-front house as a base for ministry and church planting.

Don said that while some in the group negotiated with the landlord, Brother Hai, a house church leader from southern Vietnam, was out in the alley getting acquainted. As he met people he told them God loved them. He encouraged them to come to the church that would soon be starting in their community. Hai has volunteered to assist with the new church plant, and hopes to spend months alternating between his home in Vietnam and this church plant in Cambodia.

Don said, “Following Hai’s initiatives, we visited one family’s business and ate the roasted bananas and sugar cane juice they were selling. We saw that this friendly brother Hai is a gifted street evangelist -- passionate and opinionated.

“Then we met a tall, older man Thi, who runs a small school for Vietnamese children nearby. He invited us to visit his home which is part of a large community of about 10,000 Vietnamese who’ve built wood houses on stilts out over the water of the Tonle Sap River, a branch of the Mekong.

“We walked to the river’s edge, then out over the river on a narrow walkway made of crosspieces of wood and bamboo, and twine or rope “handrails” strung between upright poles. Occasionally the walkway dipped underwater, so we negotiated our way carefully winding between open-walled multi-level houses to enter this community on the river.
“An older couple graciously hosted our group, serving soft drinks and tea. They are Christians, and agreed to work with Luy and Hai in outreach to this community. As a rainstorm threatened, we stood and held hands around the circle, praying for one another, and for the new ministry, then carefully wended our way back to dry land.”


November 2006

CHINA – An EMM worker who teaches English in China is recruiting short-term volunteers to come to her city to build bridges of communication, trust, and friendship. In particular she is hoping a Christmas team will form to hold English Christmas parties in her city in this December. Her church has also asked for a team of teachers to come in the summer of 2007 to teach English and music to middle school teachers and pastors. She says, “As you can see, God is opening many doors in my community. If He is nudging you to come through one of these doors, please get in contact with EMM for help with coordination.”

THAILAND – Bethany Tobin, an EMM missionary child who grew up in Thailand, spent her summer after college back in Thailand assisting the church’s team with its HIV/AIDS ministry.

Bethany wrote, “Things at the hospital have been going well. On Monday. I visited a lady who has recently begun anti-retro viral drugs to treat her infection. As is common in the first couple of months on the medicine, she had itchy flaky rashes all over her body. By itself it would have been bad enough, but with the heat it must have been torment. But because the medicine is readily available and free in Thailand there has been a major turn around for those with HIV. About five years ago one could not expect to live beyond a couple years at best. Now people with HIV can expect to live at least ten years in relatively good health. I’ve heard incredible stories from people who survived fungal brain infections and regained all the weight they had lost. Four years ago the AIDS ministry was one where you sat with people who were dying.  Now we minister to people who are recovering, but struggling with how to live long-term with this condition.
Please pray with me that Thai men and women believers will be transformed to model godliness in family relationships and will be a salt and light in Thai society.”


October 2006

CENTRAL ASIA – Shortly before EMM workers in Central Asia* returned to the U.S. for a summer furlough, they shared this encouraging experience: “At our daughter’s birthday party, one of our believing neighbors came and brought another neighbor. The neighbor woman had heard the gospel many times and had been reading the Bible, but was not a believer. We had a special birthday prayer for our daughter – and then told the neighbor it could be her birthday too – her spiritual birthday.

“We were surprised when she freely acknowledged that she believes in Jesus, in his forgiveness of sins, his death and resurrection. We offered to take her to a local pastor for a special prayer of commitment, but he wasn’t home so we told her this birthday could take place right here in our living room. Her friend led her in a prayer to receive Jesus and commit her life to him. We all prayed together thanking God that today had also become her birthday – that she’d been born of the Spirit.

“Then she surprised us by explaining that she’d actually decided she wanted to follow Jesus about six months ago. She had seen The Jesus Film and read the Bible, but one day when we were taking her to the dentist and personally explained the gospel, it started to make sense. I was shocked. My language ability isn’t all that strong. But God showed me that the gospel is never more real than when we share it with people ourselves, explaining the difference it’s made in our lives.”
*Country not named for security reasons

INDIA – Before the five-member India YES team completed their work in north India, Gaby Pabellon reported, “Recently, I’ve been encouraged by some of the testimonies that have come out of our church cell meetings. In one cell, there was a believer whose family was having problems with persecution, due to the fact that they were Christian. For 15 days the people in the village had been throwing rocks at their house and giving them threats. The believers were at the point of moving out of the area. When they shared this at the cell meeting we were able to pray for them and ask God to place his hand over them and the situation. We claimed victory in Jesus’ name and asked the Lord to bring a release of his peace down. A few days later, we learned that since that time of prayer there had been no more threats or rocks being thrown at their house. I praise the Lord. He is a prayer-answering God.”

INDONESIA – Last summer an EMM mission intern helped with earthquake relief in the Indonesian island of Central Java. He writes, “We worked with the Mennonite church through their newly-formed MDS Indonesia. I have never seen devastation like that. On the street where we were staying, every house was either destroyed or so damaged that it has to be destroyed in order to build again. Imagine schools, homes, almost everything, flat with the ground.

“We worked with shovels and wheelbarrows cleaning out the bricks, mortar, and wood from the collapsed houses and then set up tents for people to live in until a new house could be built. It was hard work, but an amazing chance to experience the joy of working together with young people from different parts of the island of Java – and to be a source of hope and encouragement to the people there. As one of the leaders wisely said, ‘Our work may seem miniscule in the midst of such widespread devastation, but just our presence there brings hope to the people, that it is possible to dig out, rebuild, and carry on with life.’ I am thankful to have had the opportunity to be a small part of bringing the hope of Jesus to that place!”


September 20006

CHINA - Several months ago EMM workers in Shanghai, China, helped to sponsor a concert by Steven Curtis Chapman. It made history as the first public concert by a Christian musician in China. The workers write, “There were 1,900 people (expatriates and Chinese citizens) in a packed concert hall. The response was enthusiastic. Chapman led us in a time of worship with ‘Open the Eyes of My Heart,’ and ‘Come, Now Is the Time to Worship.’ Hundreds of orphans and handicapped children were in the seats surrounding the stage where Chapman sang. Chapman told them that God has a special place in his heart for them and listens to their prayers. Truly God is answering our prayers that Shanghai will be transformed from a city of sin to a city of the Spirit.”


August 2006

THAILAND - Cheryl Derksen recently returned from Thailand to a new job as administrative assistant to Richard Showalter, president of EMM. During her last days in Thailand Cheryl wrote,

“Joy is one of my close friends here in Thailand. If you would have been with us this past Sunday, you would have seen me standing beside her as tears streamed down her face. I was helpless to do anything but cry with her. Unlike many other times however, these were tears of joy. We were standing and witnessing the baptism of her husband, Dtoy! Although Joy has been a believer for many years, Dtoy has been resistant to the gospel. There have been many people praying for his salvation for years, and this past week, his eyes were opened to the truth, and he made the decision to be a follower of Jesus! He has much to learn yet, but even as a young believer, he is finding ways to be involved in the life of the church! Along with Dtoy, there were three others who were also baptized.   

Cheryl added, “As I write this update, there is a beautiful rain falling outside. It is the hot season, and rain is very rare during these months. We are very thankful for the rain, as it helps to cool the temperatures, and bring refreshment to the earth. It also reminds me that God can do unexpected things in peoples’ lives.  Dtoy’s decision to follow Jesus was unexpected, yet a wonderful reminder of the power of the Holy Spirit. I’m reminded again that we do best to keep our eyes open for the unusual ways God wants to work, and make ourselves available as His vessels.  Where might He want to use us in sending an ‘unexpected rain?’” 

Lucille Zimmerman is currently the only long-term worker on the EMM Thailand team. Shortly before she returned for the summer Lucille told of how she helped celebrate the Thai New Year during the hottest month of the year – by joining a traditional nationwide water fight. “On our way to visit church leaders, we loaded up the truck with a big tub of water and lots of dippers, soaking people all along the way.”

“One home we visited was that of Grandfather Chom. I was touched to see Pastor Joi pour water on Grandfather Chom’s hands and speak blessing over him. In the past Grandfather Chom’s church was part of the Life Enrichment Church which has grown out of EMM work in the region, but disagreements and a power struggle caused this group to split from the church. But now Grandfather Chom has come back asking for reconciliation. This watery visit was special and truly a blessing.”

INDIA - A YES team that recently returned from India reported on a 20-day excursion they made into the Northeast Indian countryside.

“Our time was filled with different ministry opportunities, which included teaching at two schools, relating to local believers, and sharing the gospel in local villages. At any given time in the schools you could see us jumping, dancing, clapping and spinning all in the name of bringing joy and new action songs to the children. ‘Celebrate Jesus’ and ‘Father Abraham’ became instant favorites. Often we would walk in the classroom and the children would be saying, ‘Celebrate Jesus, madam. Celebrate Jesus.’”

“We also had the chance to minister almost every evening during our stay. This was challenging at times because of the need to constantly have a sermon ready. One evening we went to a rural village and had the chance to share the gospel to a crowd of about 50 people. Around ten people gave their hearts to the Lord. We are excited to hear about what God is doing in them and through them as we receive updates from the pastor in the area. We are daily being challenged to lay our western thought patterns aside and trust in our never changing Father.”


May 2006

CAMBODIA - Julia Mickley recently returned from serving on a YES team in Cambodia. On outreach, she wrote, “Last week one of the dorm students preached about the body of Christ. He said that in this culture if you are sick, you take immediate action. You take medicine. You have someone scrape you with a coin. You go to a doctor. You don't just wait. You do what you can to bring healing. As a body of Christ, we need to act in the same way. If someone leaves the church, we have a broken body. We need to support, encourage, and heal each other as one body looking to God.
“Now I have two home churches, one in America and one in Cambodia – but we’re both part of the same body. It’s beautiful to join with people of other cultures and languages to worship the same God. Our church here is small, about 40 people, almost all less then 30 years of age. We meet in the bottom of the men's dorm, in a room with high ceilings and plastic chairs. When you enter, you are greeted with upbeat keyboard music. Everyone you make eye contact with puts their hands together to greet you. It is hot. We sing songs. There is a testimony time, and a sermon. I can’t understand much – but it’s the same Spirit, the same body!”

CHINA – An English teacher recently commented, “Visitors keep coming with various needs, questions, and interesting situations. One guest recently asked me, ‘What is the meaning of life?’ I wanted to give him The Purpose Driven Life in Chinese, but since I didn’t have it, I loaned him my English copy of the book. His wife translates it for him as they read it using the 40-day method. They told me they’re getting so many new ideas, they want to read it again. The idea of being a pilgrim here and having a future in eternity was a new thought to them. I don't realize how much I take for granted. After having heard these things all my life I forget that others have never heard this point of view. I’m constantly having opportunities to point people to the One who holds the future, but it’s difficult to change people's thinking after they’ve been indoctrinated with false ideas all their lives.”

THAILAND – Danny Jordan (who recently returned from teaching English as part of the Thailand YES team) wrote, “I never thought of myself as an English teacher, but God has given me strength. I don’t enjoy it at all, but when we get the opportunity to share our faith, it is worth it. One day Eddy, the son of one of the other teachers, ate lunch with us. He already spoke pretty good English, but he wanted to practice more. Then he asked if he could come along to watch us teach our class. My teammate Adam started off by teaching a song from Psalm 121. I was sitting beside Eddy, and he was asking me questions about the song. Soon we were having a discussion about Buddhism and Christianity. It was great! I was able to learn more about what he and a lot of Thai people believe. Finally I asked him if I could share with him what I believe. He was willing to listen, and it was great – definitely one of those things that makes English teaching worthwhile.”


March 2006

INDONESIA - A worker serving as a mission intern says, “I have begun partnering with an organization which ministers to street children in various places in Jakarta. Several evenings each week we go to a small community and meet with the neighborhood children in the front room of one of the houses. We do basic educational tutoring without specific religious content. The community is Islamic so evangelistic teaching would not be appropriate. So we just love and serve the children. After the first night, I asked the Lord if it would be better for me to go somewhere where I could be training children in the ways of our Father. And I felt that God said so clearly that it still burns in my heart, ‘If you come here, they have a chance to know me, but if you don’t, how will they hear?’ The situation makes us dependent on fervent intercession. Of course we can never do anything without the Spirit of God at work, but here I am more aware of that.” 

CHINA - Over the Christmas holidays, a team of eight young adults from Pennsylvania traveled to China to assist an EMM worker in hosting Christmas parties for students in the city where she teaches English.

One team member, Fannie, commented, "What a wonderful way to spend Christmas! The highlight of my two weeks in China was meeting classes that involved junior high and high school age children. They nearly broke my heart, because they didn't even know what the Bible was. I was reminded of Romans 10: ‘How will they believe if they do not hear? How will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach unless they are sent?’”

Another member, Jon, said, “It was such a joy to share the story of Christmas with the students. Another highlight for me was spending time and building relationships with some of the EMM worker’s Chinese friends. Many seeds have been planted.”

Yet another, Janelle, said, "Many impressions of our trip will be etched in my memory for a long time – the intent looks on college students' faces as they heard the true meaning of Christmas, the hospitality and kindness of the Chinese people, and the experience of singing and worshipping with people who live halfway around the world.”

The EMM worker was pleased that the team members met and encouraged one of her former students. The student is from a poor village that is largely Christian. His mother is a believer, but the young man himself has not yet fully decided to follow Jesus. After his schooling, the village wants the young man to return and teach them from the Bible because most of them are illiterate. The EMM worker said, “Pray that the bilingual Bible he received from the team will not return void, but will bear much fruit in his life and in the lives of all those he returns to teach.”

THAILAND - Danny Jordan reports for the Thai YES team. “There’s an exciting development at a high-school where we’ve been teaching English. On our last scheduled day of teaching, the teacher in charge of the English department asked if we would spend about 20 minutes in each of our four classes explaining to the students the ‘history of God’, or in other words, what we believe and why! This is an incredible opportunity, and one we certainly didn’t expect. We are generally pretty careful not to mix religion in with English, but this is very exciting for us and for the church here.”


February 2006

CENTRAL ASIA – EMM workers report that they were able to share New Testaments with some of their Muslim neighbors as Christmas gifts. In both instances, the extended families expressed great interest in reading about Jesus, whom they highly respect as a prophet. During one visit they read several Bible stories together while the extended family sat in rapt attention. One member of the family took such an interest in the stories, she asked if she could read the Bible every day as she commuted to work on the train. Another said he’ll read it quickly and then give it to his father.


January 2006

DET UDOM, THAILAND – From the church where John and Janelle Hertzler had served until John’s untimely death last year, Lucille Zimmerman writes, “These past couple of months it has been so encouraging to see the church pull together. The Det Udom house church has doubled in size, to the extent that Mae Banjong had to rearrange the furniture in her house to accommodate all the people. Not only do I see this fervor in the Det Udom group, but in the joint worship services as well. Pastor Joi told me that he expected a lower than normal turnout because it was rice planting season, but to his surprise, the meeting was full.

“God is also purifying his church in Thailand and strengthening it through the many challenges it faces. Mae Kian and her husband were active Christians in the church, but fell away and went back to witchcraft and idol worship. The local church leaders confronted them about their double life, but to no avail. Then many of the church leaders went to visit the family, and asked them to face their sin and repent or they could no longer be a part of the church. Mae Kian and her husband repented with tears, and were lovingly restored into the church. It was great to see them at this past church meeting.”


December 2005

CHINA - Recently an English teacher connected on-line with a young woman who had been his student five years ago. She had recently gone to Wales to continue her studies. As they chatted on-line she sent him a picture of herself and in the background he noticed a picture of Jesus. He was surprised. He’d shared with her about Christ on many occasions and the last time they’d spoken she mentioned that a woman who sat next to her on the train witnessed to her. Now in Wales she’s met a pastor's wife who is teaching her the Bible each week. Some plant, some water, but God gives the increase!


September 2005

THAILAND – Lucille Zimmerman reports on the first joint monthly meeting of the Life Enrichment Churches since John Hertzler’s death in July. She says, “The meeting was very good, and I could sense the Spirit of God moving. Mr. Som Pon, the driver that caused the fatal accident, came to the meeting along with a friend. We were glad to see that he is honoring his commitment to attend. The father of one of the HIV/AIDS patients come to visit the service, and he was so moved by the Spirit of God that he became a Christian, and was baptized after the service. He said that he knows now that there is no other god higher than God, and although he doesn’t understand everything, this is what he wants. His son Watawud, who is an AIDS patient, had become a Christian through the ministry of the church’s AIDS visitation team that John had been part of."


August 2005

CENTRAL ASIA – An EMM worker shares the story of a young man he calls Oibek. “Eighteen months ago I was led to the home of a poor family on the edge of the village. As we entered the courtyard – which looked more like a junkyard – Oibek’s mother told me about her dire condition. Her husband and four sons, the oldest being 20-year-old Oibek, would roam the streets, drink, steal, and were absolutely unproductive. She hoped that through our chicken project, Oibek could raise chickens to help feed the family.

"Oibek began raising 70 chickens in March 2004 and built a friendship with the chicken project staff. When a project worker shared the gospel with Oibek, he broke into tears and said how desperate he was for a change. He wanted God’s blessing in his life.

"Oibek decided to put all his chicken-raising profits into raising more chickens, and by the fall of 2004, he was raising 140 birds. He also constructed a makeshift greenhouse from some fast-growing birch trees on the property, and he bought tomato seeds and plastic to make a roof for the greenhouse. In March 2005 he planted 2,400 tomato plants and used the chicken manure as fertilizer. By the end of May, he began shipping tomatoes to a large city and has earned over $3,000 from this tomato harvest.

"Recently he told me, ‘Everything that we do, God is blessing!’ Now when I see Oibek’s home, I can hardly believe it is the same place I walked into 18 months ago.”


July 2005

CHINA – A worker who has been teaching English in China, recently took time off to study Chinese. She reports, “The simplest Chinese character, 'le,' has brought me to tears. If I find yet another meaning for, 'guang,' I think I will pull out my hair. Chinese four-character idioms give me a headache. How do you tackle 150 new words a week with ten to twenty being idioms? I don't know except for God's grace. He has blessed me with a clear memory and people around me to encourage me.

"I was glad to receive an invitation to join the church choir – forcing me to meet my goal of learning one new song each week. All my tears and effort paid off when I found myself able to join a Chinese discussion about real life issues that Christian young adults face here. It is a joy when I can read the scripture aloud in Chinese for the first time. It is worth the hours of class and study when I can understand a middle-aged Christian tell her story of coming to faith, or my host mother talk about her marriage and struggles with a non-Christian husband. Now I wonder why I didn't study more Chinese earlier.

"My Chinese host parents really do feel like Chinese parents sometimes. I am gaining weight pretty quickly with their insistence that I eat more, and last week there was the discussion of my marriage. I'm sure they wish they could make some introductions. This morning I found a book on my desk open to the page about marriage. Is this a hint? Chinese parents will be Chinese parents!”

CENTRAL ASIA – An EMM worker writes: “An older man in our community recently came to Christ. All of his children, their spouses, his grandchildren, and wife have believed over the past few years, and now he has finally come, too! Two weeks ago he fell badly, breaking his hip and ankle, and is now bedridden. He said during the night evil spirits would come and torment him, poking him all over his body with their fingers, causing him intense pain. He told his wife he wanted to die. Then his son came and invited him again to receive Christ. He repented, and all the tormenting from evil spirits has stopped."