We finished 2008 on a whirlwind tour of South Asia together with World Missions Executive Director Dr. Doug Beacham.

AUSTRALIA

We traveled to Perth to meet with pastors and leaders of IPHC Australia, and to handle legal matters for obtaining official registration. A highlight was ministry at a Kenyan fellowship group, whose members came to Perth to study and stayed on after graduation to work, many in professional jobs. The worship, prayer and ministry of the Word were all blessed, and one young woman testified that she had given her life to Christ that week. She is the fifth person to come to the Lord through that home meeting!

NEPAL

Pastor Mohan leads our flagship church in Kathmandu, and has started several home meetings in surrounding areas. Even though it was a weekday, most of the church members gathered to listen to our message of encouragement. Rev. Keith Marvel and James Cheung from the Wing Kwong Church in Hong Kong stayed on several days after we left to train prospective church planters. Churches in Nepal struggle to find a place to meet, as Hindu/Buddhist landlords and neighbors are often hostile to Christians. Poverty and political instability present further obstacles to growth.

Next door to the Bible School is the campus of our children’s home, where over 150 orphans and abandoned children have been taken in. There they are fed, clothed and educated in a loving Christian environment. It was a joy to see them singing songs of praise to the Lord! Pictured at right is Naomi, who was found abandoned as an infant at the railroad station. I met another 10-year-old boy who was the only survivor of a family of eight killed by the cyclone last May. The staff of the children’s home work hard to redeem the lives of such children, and to give them hope for the future. These children are sponsored through People to People Ministries. More sponsors are needed.

RUSSELL & SANDRA BOARD

OVERSEAS MINISTRY COORDINATOR FOR ASIA.

They work with the following countries:

Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

BANGLADESH

In Dhaka, we addressed the second graduating class of Bangladesh Theological Institute. We were joined by Conference Missions Director Keith Marvel of the Mid-Atlantic Conference, which has provided funding, curriculum and faculty to enable the school to operate. The graduating class of nine is nearly double that of the first year. These graduates will work as church planters, pastors and ministry leaders for the Bangladesh IPHC.

We also participated in ceremonies celebrating the completion of the first year of Holiness Primary School. Over one hundred children from the local area have enrolled in the school, most from Muslim families.

Over 50 children from remote villages are also boarding at the school. The children are from poor families, so it is a struggle to pay the bills every month. Please help us to pray for funding to keep the school open, and even expand in the future.

MYANMAR

During our two days in Yangon, Dr. Beacham addressed a gathering of pastors and church planters from among our 100+ churches in Myanmar. At the same time, Dr. Vijay Balla and I spoke to over a hundred students enrolled in our Bible College. The students were attentive and eager to learn. In the evening, we all gathered for worship service. The Spirit of the Lord moved powerfully during the vibrant praise and worship energetcially led by the youth.

HAPPY NEW YEAR?

As we enter 2009, the world has been shaken by war, economic crises and terrorist attacks. Yet we remain hopeful, assured that God is in control and His Kingdom is unshakeable. In times of uncertainty, the safest and smartest thing we can do is to make His priorities our priorities, and be about our Father’s business. With your support, we will continue to seize every opportunity to spread the gospel of Christ throughout Asia.

PRAYER REQUESTS

¨      In Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of cyclone victims still struggle to obtain food, clothing and shelter. Our churches need resources to help the suffering. Pray for them, and consider making a donation to the People to People disaster relief project #15.

¨      Pray for the students, teachers and staff of the Holiness Primary School. Pray for funding to keep the school in operation to reach the Muslim children. Donations can be made to project # 75500.

¨      Pray that our church in Nepal may have favor with landlord and neighbors, to worship the Lord in freedom.

¨      Sponsors are needed to support the children in our Yangon Children’s Home. Pray for them, and consider sponsoring a child through People to People.

¨      Pray that 2009 will be a year of awakening and evangelism in Japan!

 

Russell & Sandra Board

Overseas Ministry Coordinator for Asia/Pacific

Missionaries to Japan

NEW EMAIL: IphcJapan@gmail.com

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The new Asia Pacific Updates weblog is now online at: http://russellboard.typepad.com/

Check it frequently for updated news!