South East Asia Missions MARCH 1995 Newsletter

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NEWSLETTER MARCH 1995 - I claim responsibility for all typing errors that may follow...

(My comments will be enclosed between < >, where needed.)

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SOUTHEAST ASIAN MISSIONS, INC.

PO Box 9

Keaau

Hawaii 96749

Founder: Late Dr. L. Thomas Rayner

Phone: (808) 965-9984 FAX: (808) 965-7339 MARCH 1995

ALL GIFTS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.
PLEASE MAKE ALL CHECKS PAYABLE TO "SOUTHEAST ASIAN MISSIONS".
"Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake.

"Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Matthew 5:11-12

Dear friends, almost every week at our SEAM international office we receive letters from overseas telling of some form of adversity, hardship, or persecution that our Christian workers are experiencing. As we draw nearer to the time of Christ's return, we should expect to hear more and more stories of Christians being persecuted for Christ's sake. The Bible says that this is what we can expect: "And ye shall be hated of all men for My Name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Matthew 10:12 Several years ago, I heard a statement from someone who was going through great difficulties. It impressed me so much that I stopped to write it down:

ADVERSITY IS GOD'S OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATE HIS POWER IN OUR LIVES.

How true this is! Many times God allows us to go through difficult situations just so that He can show us what a mighty God He is!! In James chapter 1, we are told to "count it all joy" when we have trials, becasue the trying of our faith develops patience. (James 1:2-3) And in 1st Peter we are told that "after you have suffered a while" the Lord will make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (I Peter 5:10)

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KASHMIR:

One of the areas where our workers are being persecuted is Kashmir. SEAM supports an orphanage, as well as pastors and evangelists, in Srinagar, Kashmir. The orphans and workers are constantly being intimidated and questioned about their activities. The orphanage has been set on fire and we repaired it, bombed and we repaired it; the fence has been torn down many times and we repaired it each time. We seldom get letters from Kashmir, because all mail is opened and read by government workers. The only way we can get funds to the workers and children is to wire the money directly to an account. We can't send any mail with any references to Christ or to missions on it or in it -- it will be opened and read -- and this would get our people in trouble, because it is against the law to be a Christian in Kashmir. (Most of the people are Muslims, not Hindu like the rest of India.)

For the past five years a war has been raging in and around Srinagar. Muslim separatists are waging a guerrilla war to make Kashmir a separate country from India. Unfortunately, the Christians are caught in the middle of all of this. They are risking their lives each time they tell anyone about Jesus.

Srinagar has a population of 800,000. In the city proper, a dusk to dawn curfew keeps the people somewhat under control. Sometimes as early as 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, the soldiers come and cordon off a particular area. Then around six o'clock or earlier, they round up all the men from the houses and line them up in the street. The men are segregated into three groups: old men, middle-aged, and young. Then the men are made to march in front of vehicles in which "spotters" or informers are kept. The spotters will point out the men they suspect of any illegal activity (including illegal political activity and religious activity). The accused men are then taken to a place where they are "interrogated".

In the late 1980's when I was in Kashmir with Brother D--xxxx XXX, we had to run for our lives during the middle of the day as shots rang out around us in the crowded streets. In 1990 when Pastor Ritchie and I tried to visit Kashmir, we were turned away. In 1993, we were also told we could not go into this war-torn state.

Please pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in Kashmir. Pray for their safety, and pray that the Gospel will still go forth among the people. Despite the persecution and suffering they endure each day (curfews, food shortages, fuel shortages, threats, beatings, bombs) our workers are still spreading the Gospel.

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NEPAL:

Another area where our workers are undergoing adversity is Nepal. There has been a recent change in the government of Nepal. One news magazine calls the new government "quasi-communism".

Quoting fromt the magazine article:
"Marxists have come to power in Nepal, a kingdom where Hinduism is so deeply rooted that, once a year, the state airline sacrifices a herd of buffalo on the runway of Kathmandu airport to ward off crashes. But it is doubtful that Lenin or Marx would recognize this Himalayan hybrid of communism."

"....The reason that Nepal turned to communism just when the doctrine had fallen to disrepute nearly everywhere else is that the country is miserably poor....50 per cent of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of 32 families..."

Tim McGirk, February, 1995

quoted from World Press Review

SEAM has many dedicated workers in Nepal. For years, we have supported pastors and evangelists, Bible women, as well as an orphanage and its directors. In 1990 several of our workers, including Pastor one, Dorcas (a Bible woman), and seven others, were jailed, beaten, and tortured for refusing to renounce their faith in Christ and bow down to a Hindu idol. The Lord spared their lives, and they were all eventually released from jail - - but Pastor one still suffers from the terrible beatings and blows to the head he received in jail (he gets bad headaches), and Dorcas and several other women still suffer from the effects fo the beatings. Still, they go on preaching the Word of God.

Several years ago we decided that in addition to those SEAM workers we were already supporting, we would "join forces" with the YWAM base in Kathmandu and help some of their workers, too. And in 1994, D--xxxx and L--xxxx XXXXX and their daughter Ratha moved to Kathmandu to help build and run another orphanage.

At first, it looked like the XXXXXs would be granted a five-year visa to stay in Nepal, and that all necessary permits would be approved for running the new orphanage. Then, when the government changed hands, all was changed, and they have to start all over with permits and visas. At Christmas, the XXXXXs had to make a trip into India in order to get short-term visas stay in Nepal. Please pray that their long-term visas will soon be granted, and that all the paperwork will be approved for the new orphanage.

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>page 4 has two photos: a picture of what a Hindu idol in Nepal looks like, >quite ugly>, and a picture of Pastor YTxxx, and Pastor "one interesting person". < I refuse to comment on THEIR looks... You'll just have to write to SEAM and request your own copy of the newsletter and see for yourselves what they look like... >

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D--xxxx XXXXX writes from Nepal:

"Everyone in Pastor YTxxx's group is in good health and working very hard. The workers are out preaching and evangelizing.

"As to the individual needs, [the are as follows]:
1. Pastor and evangelist "one bad dog" travels to outlying areas and has a need for transportation expenses.

2. Pastor YTxxx's church has grown by 50 new believers [this is an "underground" church in the sense that the government does not approve and is keeping an eye on the believers. The time may come when they may again be jailed & tortured for their belief in Jesus Christ. Let us pray this does not happen. Each believer knows the risk he or she is taking.] YTxxx needs a larger place to house his church.

3. Pastor YTxxx has started four new "daughter" churches in the outlying areas. He also has a need for travel expenses."

"As to the individual needs, [the are as follows]:
	1. Pastor and evangelist "one bad dog" travels to outlying areas and has a need for transportation expenses.
	2. Pastor YTxxx's church has grown by 50 new believers [this is an "underground" church in the sense that the government does not approve and is keeping an eye on the believers. The time may come when they may again be jailed & tortured for their belief in Jesus Christ. Let us pray this does not happen. Each believer knows the risk he or she is taking.] YTxxx needs a larger place to house his church.
	3. Pastor YTxxx has started four new "daughter" churches in the outlying areas. He also has a need for travel expenses."

Dear friends, perhaps the Lord is speaking to you about helping our workers in Nepal. Both Pastor XDyyy and Pastor YTxxx need funding for their travel expenses. Pastor YTxxx also needs help for the four "daughter" churches he has started. A gift of $50 a month would be enough to fund these new endeavors.

We also have several unsponsored YWAM (Youth with a Mission) workers that SEAM helps in Nepal. Each of these workers needs pledged support for $30 a month.

D--xxxx and L--xxxx XXXXX need $540 to renew their visas so that they can stay in Nepal. They also need you love gifts so that they can buy a bed and a few other basic necesitites (after all of these months, they are still sleeping on the floor).

REMEMBER: 100% of your gift goes as designated. If you send $30 a month to help a worker, the ENTIRE $30 goes to that worker. SEAM has very little overhead, and our overhead is paid for by gifts designated for that purpose.

In Christ,

Dr. M

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THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS. May the Lord continue to bless the work that Dr. Rayner began. Your prayers for the work are certainly desired. If you are able to support this work, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Matt at SEAM.

I am not officially associated with SEAM. I support their work by prayer and gifts. Do not send any gifts or requests for information to me. The opinions expressed are my own. The contents of the newsletter, as designated, were produced by SEAM.

Note: Personal names have been changed in this document In Christ's Love,
John
Snohomish, Washington USA

email: john@virtual-cafe.com *************END OF MESSAGE********************

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		"Marxists have come to power in Nepal, a kingdom where Hinduism is so deeply rooted that, once a year, the state airline sacrifices a herd of buffalo on the runway of Kathmandu airport to ward off crashes. But it is doubtful that Lenin or Marx would recognize this Himalayan hybrid of communism."
		"....The reason that Nepal turned to communism just when the doctrine had fallen to disrepute nearly everywhere else is that the country is miserably poor....50 per cent of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of 32 families..."
	Tim McGirk, February, 1995
	quoted from World Press Review