Praying for transformation

Let’s face it, everyone likes to hear good news, but as we all know life is filled with ups and downs. I usually report about the really exciting things God is doing in Hokkien ministry around Asia, but this blog is a prayer plea for transformation. We’re you to join us in prayer for families and communities across Asia. And in this situation I am narrowly focusing on one issue:  GAMBLING.

I think it’s true that for most of us when we hear the word “gambling”, we probably think of images of casino type activity, and that is definitely true for some places in Asia. However, casinos are not always easy to access and might require travel money, passports, etc. But another very serious forum of gambling is even more dangerous for many residents across Asia —- neighborhood gambling. This is not a new problem, but on any given day, if police are not present, tables are set up across neighborhood parks and “gambling” is very common.  As you can imagine, drinking and disorderly conduct often raises their ugly heads in such circumstances.  Oh, there are other things going on in the parks as well . . . children playing, other adults enjoying their activities; however, if caution is not taken, the park loses out to the gamblers and their components and families are pushed aside.

Well, many” people might say . . . so what? — I mean, a little game here and there. What’s the harm? Well, it’s not that simple. This is serious stuff! In our church neighborhood last week an older man lost 1,000,000 NT dollars gambling in the local park by our church.  The truth is that the problem is very common across Asia.

Our neighborhood is in crisis with dysfunctional families, drug abuse, young neighborhood hoodlums, alcoholism and gambling — to just name a few.  In our world today there are so many addictions, and the hurt that comes from those addictions ravages families and robs children of their future.

The problem is critical. We ask you to join us to pray for miracles —- FOR

1) a transformed community of healthy families who know the TRUTH of Jesus Christ

2) local government leaders and police to have wisdom in these neighborhoods

3) wisdom for church leaders to know how to address family needs and assist them

4) God to speak into the hearts of people who are enslaved by gambling and be set free

What’s In A SMILE?

A SMILE can be defined as a pleased, kind, or amused facial expression, typically with the corners of the mouth turned up and the front teeth exposed. Now that really isn’t anything special for most of us. Smiles are everywhere. However, there’s a smile AND then there’s a smile. There’s a smile from a child that gets what they desire.  There’s a smile from a mother who is proud of her children.  Oh, you know, there are all kinds of smiles.

HOWEVER, recently I saw a smile that I will never forget. A family came to morning worship and sat down beside me. One of the men in the church greeted them and and expressed excitement that this man’s wife had just made a decision to follow the rest of the family and accept Christ. The response of the man seated was priceless. The smile on his face reflected pleasure beyond anything that I can describe. For a long time the church has prayed for this family (father, mother and college aged son), and especially for this wife. No pressure. PRAYER. She has two married sisters who have already become Christians. She is the only sibling that had not yet followed Christ. Seems a no-brainer right? Just a simple decision.

Well, FAMILY is important in Asia, and the parents in this situation have expressed a lot of concern. They are afraid. They don’t know who will continue the family’s religious traditions and care for their spirits in the afterlife. FEAR is expressed in many ways, and these parents have been clinging to their daughter to take away their fears. However, this kind of situation is also an OPPORTUNITY to share God’s message of love, peace, salvation and grace with these parents as well.

Recently, this wife’s sister was visiting and came to church with her. The sister walked forward with her as she made her decision. Oh, this was not a sudden step — she had thought about this and asked many questions for a long time.

Many prayers . . . and much love . . . she had counted the cost. AND that SMILE . . . Oh there were many smiles when she made her decision that morning. Please pray for this family — now complete in Christ. Also pray for the elderly parents on both sides to come to know what this smile is all about. Thanks for your prayers for the Hokkien Harvest ministry. There are many challenges, but God is doing unforgettable things among these people. Training, discipleship, evangelism, counseling . . . much team work is going on to encourage believers as they take God’s message of love and grace to a hurting world. Thanks for being part of the TEAM.

What does a mission team look like?

About a generation ago, if someone spoke about going on a mission trip, most people probably thought of churches from the West sending teams to serve in various places around the world. Maybe some people still have such thoughts. However, MISSIONS today is a very different image. Countless churches and Christian mission agencies NOT located in the WESTERN world are passionate about taking the Gospel to unreached people around the world.

This week is an example of this new face on missions.  A team from Southeast Asia has served in Kaohsiung and Taipei, Taiwan. With a huge heart they have shared their lives with us.  A number of people have come to Christ, and many asked for prayer for struggles in their lives. One friend whom many have prayed for, came to Christ this week.  One by one . . . face to face . . . life impacting life . . . the Gospel continues to spread unhindered!

What did this new image of missions look like?  Well, no need to teach the language or update about culture —- they already have that.  We had no need to tell them about how our people struggle with idol worship and fear of evil spirits —- they knew all about that. From the beauty shop, to a medical clinic to casual encounters along the way — all were opportunities to share FAITH and the HOPE that Jesus offers.

Broken lives, dysfunctional families and hurting people are thirsty for hope and healing. Through prayer, songs and Hokkien singer, Joanne Ng’s testimonies, many people had an opportunity to hear about God’s transforming power.  Joanne’s mother was a SHAMAN (a medium). She cut herself, drawing blood, in order to write out inscriptions for people who came to her to be blessed. Her father too was very passionate about his religious activities as there were 16 different idols in their home that they worshiped. They were fervent about it, but had no peace. Joanne became  a Christian when she was a teenager, and over a span of years she too saw both parents and many others in her family come to Christ. Was there opposition?  You better believe it. But Joanne has never given up on praying for family members.

FAITH, HOPE and LOVE —- it’s true.  Living out this kind of life can have a miraculous effect on us as well as others.  Thank you for praying for ministry this week in Taiwan.  As this team returns to Southeast Asia, remember them in prayer as well as they reach out to those in their own country who also do not know Jesus.

The history of the HOKKIEN ‘DIASPORA’

Webster’s Dictionary defines diaspora as:  the movement, migration, or scattering of a people away from an established or ancestral homeland.  How did these Hokkien people migrate from Mainland China to East Asia, Southeast Asia and beyond?

People on the move

Research shows that the Chinese explorer Zheng He (1371-1433) helped establish Chinese communities in Indonesia and Malaysia probably to impose imperial Chinese control. Beginning in the late-1700s, large numbers of Chinese began emigrating to Southeast Asia. Most were illiterate, landless peasants oppressed in their homelands and looking for opportunities abroad. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

After 1683, many migrated to Formosa (today Taiwan), an island not far away.  So many other people also left Fujian for Southeast Asia during the late 18th century and early 19th century that the Manchu court in China issued an imperial edict in about 1718 recalling all Chinese to the mainland. In about 1728 they declared that anyone who didn’t return and was captured would be executed.  So there were a lot of challenges along the way.

Most of the Chinese who settled in Southeast Asia left China in the middle of the 19th century after a number of ports were opened in China with the signing of the Treaty of Nanking in 1842 after the first Opium War. The ports made it easy to leave and since the British were running things there were fewer obstacles preventing them from leaving. It was also convenient to head for British controlled destinations.

A large number of Chinese left from Xiamen (Amoy) and Fuzhou (Foochow) in the Hokkien (or in Mandarin, Fujian) province. Many were encouraged by colonial governments so they could provide cheap coolie labor in ports around the world, including those in colonial Southeast Asia. Many Chinese also fled the coastal province of Hokkien after famines and floods in 1910 and later during World War II and the early days of Communist rule. Today many of the legal and illegal immigrants from China continue to come from the Hokkien province.

Chinese Advance in Southeast Asia

Of the Chinese who went abroad, some returned, some died under harsh working conditions but many stayed on where able to prosper and thrive under European colonial rule. In the British-controlled Malay states the Chinese managed the lucrative opium farms and controlled opium distribution. In Indonesia, the Chinese collected taxes and worked as labor contractors for the Dutch.

Over time, the Chinese became moneylenders, and controlled internal trade in the Southeast Asia countries where they lived. They also played various roles in the trade between Southeast Asian countries. Some accumulated great wealth and this encouraged other Chinese in China to follow in their footsteps.

Overseas Chinese worked as shop owners, traders, middlemen; became involved in wide variety of businesses; and founded family businesses and international firms. By the late 19th century they controlled much of the commerce in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia and ran companies that did business through the Asian-Pacific region.

This is a simple history of the migration of the Hokkien Diaspora people.  Join us in prayer that  the Gospel will spread through their homes much like the scattering of their people long ago. God is at work, and we love to share the stories of his transforming power.