December Newletter Web

DEAR FRIENDS, IT’S AMAZING THE TIMES WE ARE LIVING IN! IN SPITE OF THE ALL THE OPPOSITION AND DIFFICULTIES, WE ARE SEEING GOD AT WORK.

Our last team of nine men flew into Burma with 29 duffel bags full of supplies.Thankfully the overweight charges were minimal, and all the materials passed safely through customs. One day, four of us were able to go with our contact down to the delta. The trip was a grueling six and a half hours in the back of a truck one way and then an hour and a half on a beautiful boat ride.

WE WERE ABLE TO VISIT TWO CHRISTIAN SQAW KAREN VILLAGES. IN THE SECOND VILLAGE, we were able to hand out clothes for the 250 families living there, and God did a miracle. We had just two duffel bags of clothes, but as we kept reaching into the bags, more and more clothes were there to pull out. We were giving out handfuls – enough for everyone. God multiplied the clothes right in front of our eyes. It reminded me of the feeding of the 5,000. God is awesome! I’m trusting that He will do this more often, especially in the multiplication of Bibles. Our next stop was Vietnam where we have been ministering for over 17 years, carrying Bibles and other materials to help the persecuted church. I called our contact in the morning and told him that we would be arriving that night. We were blessed to walk right through customs, and the contact met us at the airport and took us to his house to unload the Bibles. He was very excited to see the large load of 1,000 Hmong Bibles and 60 Chinese Pastor Study Bibles, telling us how he

had just met with Hmong pastors throughout the country who were requesting more Bibles. He had told them they would need to pray since he didn’t know when the next shipment would come in. He had just returned late the night before, and then we showed up with a large load of Bibles! It was amazing how God orchestrated this whole trip in order to help meet the needs of the Hmong Christians in Vietnam. Before we left, he requested another 5,000 to 10,000 more immediately. Our next stop was Laos where three of us delivered another large load of Bibles and, again, were blessed to walk right through customs. We were able to help meet the needs of

Christians there. People in these countries are hungry for the truth of God’s Word and are continually requesting Bibles.

I APPLIED FOR A VISA TO GO TO CHINA BUT WAS REFUSED BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT. After talking to a friend, he explained that when we were stopped in customs during the Olympics, we caused China to lose face before the whole world. He explained that the Chinese government had worked hard to show the world that everything is great in China and that there is religious freedom. So when we stood our ground at the airport, not backing down, it caused a national embarrassment to the Chinese government. He reported that government officials from Beijing, Kunming and Yunnan province were discussing how to address this problem. The experience of being delayed in customs because of Bibles that are unwanted in China was an inconvenience to us as foreigners, but is miniscule suffering compared to what local believers often pay for the Word of God there. We thank God, however, that He used the situation to share the truth with the world about religious persecution in China. The other two team members made several trips into China and, for the most part, were successful. Our contact reports that there is great need for more Bibles to help the Chinese Church. We need people to help us carry them in.

OVER THE PAST YEAR WE’VE HAD MANY PEOPLE ASK US WHY WE ARE CARRYING BIBLES INTO CHINA since there are reports that China prints more Bibles than any other country in the world. While it is true that China prints more Bibles than any other country, the majority of these Bibles are not in Chinese and they are not for the Chinese people in mainland China. The majority of these Bibles are simply printed in China for other countries and then exported. Please do not believe reports that Chinese Christians don’t need Bibles. Voice of the Martyrs reports that there is currently a 20-year wait for a Bible in China. When I was refused a visa for China, I began asking the Lord what is next. My heart has become increasing concerned on reaching the Islamic world with the Gospel. So I will be focusing on working to get God’s Word into Islamic nations.

Our work with the communist world will continue as board members and other team leaders will take teams with more Bibles to those in need. Please pray for us as we reach out to the Islamic world. We know the opposition is even greater in these areas, but God is not willing that any perish but that all come to repentance. My life is not my own – I was bought by the blood of Jesus on the cross. The following quotes are some praise reports that we are receiving from the field to encourage you that God is hearing your prayers and that your support is being used to touch lives all over the world.

“HALLELUJAH. I AM REALLY EXCITED THAT I AM ABLE TO MAKE GOALS TO REACH HIS GRACE AND TRUTH to more than 50 unreached villages within 2008 and to share with more than 300 people who never had [the] privilege to hear the Good News. I begin my journey to far flung places, sometimes walking hours, but my ultimate desire is to win more souls into His Kingdom. John 15:16. I am so much in tension because His coming is imminent and many are yet to hear the Gospel. In this part there are I think the highest number of people groups who are yet to hear the Gospel even once. Your fervent prayers will enable us to do these works, not my will but His be done and this work is for His glory alone. In [December] I will travel to [a] central area only for His work so please uphold me on this also.” “Join us in giving thanks for the 40-foot container that is now on its way to Cuba with its precious cargo of 23,000 Spanish Bibles. These Bibles were printed in China and shipped by boat and rail to Toronto, Canada, where we loaded them into the container at the Canadian Bible Society on Monday, Nov. 10, 2008. There [are also] 1,000 English Bibles, New Testaments, Scripture booklets and about 50 flannel graphs in the container.”

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“Last night I received a lot of Hand wind Tape players, Hmong Bibles and Cassette Tape copy Machines. Thank you very much. My house is almost empty by now, but thank the Lord that now it fill up with a few stuff again.” “The Burmese Bibles were gone very fast, I remember I received couple of Thousand of Burmese Bible on end of March. And it was gone, I mean distributed out, within 2 weeks. Chinese Bibles also all gone now. I just keep a few Shan Bibles in my house.”

THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFUL PRAYERS AND SUPPORT. Your partnership with this ministry is making an eternal impact for Jesus Christ. That’s good to know as we see all around us the importance of putting our treasures in heaven and not on this earth.

God Bless You! Have a wonderful Christ Centered Christmas and a Blessed New Year! Patrick and Staff