Looking Out Looking Up
Mongolia
When Mongolia started opening up in the early 90s, there were only a handful of Christians and no churches in this 2.6 million population country.
The opening of this nation has also brought about the opening of people's minds. In less than two decades, the Christian community has grown exponentially. There are now approximately 50,000 Christians and about 400 churches across the vast expanse of this land.
Over 80 percent of church leaders have gone through training organised by Asian Outreach Great Commission Institute (AO GCI).
Hand in hand with the training of church planters, pastors and ministry workers natiowide, AO has selected Bayankhongor Province as a focused ministry area and seeks to see a holistic transformation of the whole province - not only spiritually, but also socially and economically. Lives are being touched and changed. Churches are being planted and communities transformed.
Church and mission are growing together. The Genghis Khan heritage serves as a fitting backdrop to the evangelistic zeal of the Mongolian Christians. A few years ago, AO GCI ministry workers started to make trips into Russia, driving over 400km to visit towns and villages in Siberia.
At the same time, they continue to reach out to their fellow Mongolians on the other side of the Chinese border. Mongolia is no longer just a receiving country; it is now a country sending to her neighbours. - Report from Asian Report, March/April 2009.
Pray for the Mongolian Church to remain strong in faith and fervent in service. Pray God will preserve the Church against the attacks of the Enemy in the form of dubious teachings, materialism and self-serving leaders. Pray each and every child of God be firmly rooted in His Word.
Sudan
Workers with Operation Mercy (Operation Mobilisation's partner aid agency) are bringing hope to Sudan's orphans and street children. Together with other NGOs, they are developing vocational training workshops that teach urgently needed skills such as carpentry.
During school holidays, some boys return home to stay with relatives but others are still too disturbed to leave the Operation Mercy centres or simply have no where else to go. Four boys have entered university but sponsors are needed to fund their further education. - Report from OM Prayer Diary, April-June 2009.
Pray: God will supply all the material needs to run this centre; for healing and restoration of the children's emotional, intellectual and physical health; for their salvation; and for the trainers to be filled with much love and wisdom as they interact with the children.
Europe
Once, European Christians told the world about Jesus. Today's "Christian" Europe has less evangelical believers than any other continent. Millions have rejected God. Millions more are searching for anything to fill their emptiness. Europe is spiritually bankrupt.
But there is hope! God is doing amazing things across the continent, reports Operation Moblisation (OM) whose teams across the continent are encountering a turning away from materialism and a renewed interest in faith. Sports programmes in the East attract crowds of young people and provide an excellent opportunity to explain the Gospel. Meanwhile, congregations in the West are asking OM teams to help them share Christ in their communities.
Together with the European Church, OM teams are transforming lives and communities in more than 30 nations: from Portugal to Norway to Albania to Russia.
OM Europe is...
- Caring for the unwanted through yycommunity work; empowering the next generation through youth and children programmes;
- Loving the 'neighbours';
- Challenging the secular through yyrelevant programmes - such as dramas and publications and English classes - and strengthening the local church;
- Re-awakening their Christian yyheritage through church planting and raising a new generation of godly leaders.
Pray: for a strong, united relationship between OM and the European churches; for God to open doors for OM in areas that appear "impossible" to reach; for a powerful move of Holy Spirit throughout Europe; for more Christians in other parts of the world to be willing to answer the call to go to Europe. Once Europe sent their missionaries to us; now is the time for us to go to them. |
