PAUL HATTAWAYI N T E RV I E W

CHINAC O U N T RY P R O F I L E

PROJECT PEARLS M U G G L I N G O N E M I L L I O N B I B L E S

ASIALINKM I S S I O N A RY A G E N C Y

EVANGELISTT H E O B E D I E N C E O F S I S T E R C H A N G

ISAIAHGOD’S PROPHET

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A S I A L I N K P R O F I L E 0 5 - 0 6

PA U L H AT TAWAY (Interview) 0 9 -10

I S A I A H 11

R E S O U R C E S 1 2

INTRODUCTIONDear Friends,

Welcome to the third edition of H I S T O RYM A K E R S

magazine.

When we come to the Cross of Calvary we our presentedwith grace and, through faith with broken and contritehearts, we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Weturn away in repentance from our old ways and, by theHoly Spirit, we make our peace with God through thefinished work of Jesus on that Cross.

The Cross is the only true symbol of Christianity. Itencompasses everything God is. There on that Cross,God ‘kissed a guilty world in love.’ It was there thatthe floodgates of His mercy opened wide. It was therethat His wrath was spent and His love was demonstratedin its fullness. But it does not stop there. The Cross isnot only a symbol of our conversion: it is something to be carried through our lives as we walk with Christ. It speaks of a determination, a single-mindedness, aself-denial and, of course, of an immeasurable love.It also speaks of a joy that lies ahead.

Throughout the ages, we hear of great men andwomen of God who have displayed what it means to walk the Way of the Cross. All over the planettoday, tens of thousands of Christians are walking thispath. We see them in China and in North Korea, inVietnam and in Laos – forgetting what the world has tooffer and embracing the Cross. The challenge is therefor us all.

Jesus calls us to follow. In fact, He tells us six times inthe Gospels that in order to find life, we are to lose ourown lives for His sake. It’s a living sacrifice. There havealways been martyrs but that is not what this is about.Rather it is a lifestyle – everything we do, every act ofour bodies ought to be a demonstration that Jesus ismore precious to us than anything else.

For that joy set before Him, Jesus endured the Cross.For us to glorify God, we too, must deny ourselves, takeup our cross and follow in His footsteps. In this issue ofHistoryMakers, we will focus on just some of those whohave been walking in this Way. Hopefully it is a lifestylewe will all consider worth taking.

AS THE TIME APPROACHED FOR HIM TO BE TAKEN UP TO HEAVEN,

JESUS RESOLUTELY SET OUT FOR JERUSALEM. L U K E 9 : 5 1

B R O T H E R D AV I D

In June 1981, a huge barge containing one million

Chinese bibles slipped past Communist border patrols

and anchored off a beach in South China.

Time magazine described it as “A remarkable mission…the

largest operation of its kind in the history of China.” ManyChinese church leaders today say that Project Pearl was apivotal moment in their history. The Church had only juststarted to re-emerge after decades of brutal oppression andthe desperate need of believers everywhere was for Bibles. A quarter of a century later reports are still being received of the tremendous impact those Bibles had on wholecommunities. Chinese Christians consider Project Pearl a key event which contributed greatly to the mighty revivalpresently sweeping the world’s most populous nation.

C O U R A G E O U S V E N T U R E

Project Pearl was led by former U.S. Marine Brother David.Along with 19 crew members, he risked his life to bring theWord of God to the spiritually hungry Chinese believers.

Operating under a cloak of secrecy because of the highly-sensitive nature of the work, Brother David and his teamworked closely with house church leaders inside China andsettled on the bold and risky plan to take one million Biblesinto China by boat – in one go. That’s 232 tonnes of Bibles!

Starting with no money, no resources, not even a boat, Godsupernaturally provided everything needed. The barge sailedfrom the Philippines to Hong Kong and then on to China.The delivery was successfully completed on the evening of18 June, 1981. More than 10,000 Chinese believers gatheredalong a beach near the city of Shantou in southern Chinaand took the one million Bibles away in trucks, cars, donkeycarts, on bicycles and strung across bamboo poles. The armyarrived at the beach several hours after the delivery but thevast majority of Bibles (at least 90%) had already beensuccessfully moved by the Chinese Christians. Later, theofficial registered Three-Self church and others denouncedProject Pearl by claiming all the Bibles had been confiscatedor swept out to sea. It was not true. Within weeks, Project PearlBibles had made their way to hungry believers in 18 differentprovinces and letters of overwhelming gratitude poured infrom Christians who had received their first copy of God’s Word.

T H E M E A N I N G O F T R U S T

Project Pearl, and indeed Brother David’s life from the time ofhis conversion, was focused on seeking first the kingdom ofGod. He knew what it meant to follow the Way of the Cross,where faith came before comfort and the cares of life andwhere nothing less was expected from Jesus but to give all forthe kingdom of God. Pearl could have failed if the Lord allowedand that would have meant certain imprisonment, tortureand possibly even death. Yet Brother David was willing to givehis life in order to obey the commands of Christ.

Let’s thank God for faithful servants like Brother David whogive their all for the kingdom of God. The story of Project Pearlhas just been published, the author Paul Hattaway comments:“The paradox is that Brother David is also an ordinary man,

with weaknesses like the rest of us. Yet if the King of kings

has been pleased to use him, He can use you and me too.”

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AND HE SAID TO THEM, GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH

AND PUBLISH OPENLY THE GOOD NEWS (THE GOSPEL) TO EVERY

CREATURE OF THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE M A R K 1 6 : 1 5

Project Pearl by Paul Hattaway, published byMonarch Books, is available in good Christian

bookshops or from Asialink.

INSPIREMISSIONARY

CHINAP E R S E C U T I O N I N D E X : 1 0 T H

China is the third largest state in the world with close to

500 different languages. China now has a population

of around 1.3 billion, including 100 million from ethnic

minority people groups. The Han are the main people

group with over 780 million Mandarin speakers and 600

different dialects. It is estimated that by 2010, half of

China’s population will live in urban areas as people

move in search of better work.

C H U R C H / M I S S I O N A C T I V I T Y

The Marxist aim has always been the elimination of all

religious groups and so tight restrictions are in place on all

Christian and Muslim activity. After half a century of strict

Communist rule, millions of people have forsaken all

outward religious beliefs. While over half of China's

believers belong to unregistered and house churches, they

suffer from acute shortages of Bibles, teaching materials

and trained leaders. Persecution is intense, especially

among recognised church leaders. There is also a need for

the movement to spread more from rural areas to effect

change among urban intellectuals as also for the Chinese

church to begin to seriously impact the rest of the world

through Chinese missionaries. This is already taking place.

Migration from rural to urban areas is a dramatic current

social reality through which the government anticipates

half of China’s 1.3 billion population to be living in the

megacities by 2015. Many young believers have been a part

of this migration as they head to cities in search of work.

Chinese believers are also making a serious impact on world

mission through their own ‘Back to Jerusalem’ vision.

M A I N U N R E A C H E D G R O U P S

There are over 250 people groups without any known believers

and about another 100 groups which are less than 1% Christian.

There are 25 million Muslims scattered among smaller tribes,

60 million communist party members who are, by definition,

atheists. It is illegal to hold Sunday School or youth groups

in many official and controlled Three Self Patriotic

Movement churches or to teach them Christian doctrine.

Reaching the 800 official Chinese cities is another important

challenge as has been mentioned. The phenomenal church

growth to date has largely been restricted to the coastal areas

of the East and Southeast where the Gospel was first introduced.

W H AT W E D O

1 Bibles: The simple goal here is to help equip China’s

Christians with God’s Word. 2 Sunday School Curriculum:

Training over 10,000 Sunday School teachers. China has over

500 million children under 15 years of age and it is illegal in

many places to tell them about Jesus. 3 Leadership training:

The majority of China’s one million pastors and church

workers will never have the opportunity to attend a Bible

School. 4 Supporting evangelists: Many Chinese workers

have experienced serious persecution for their faith.

W H AT Y O U C A N D O go to www.asialink.org.uk/china to see how you can help.

INFORM

T H E O B E D I E N C E O F S I S T E R C H A N G

The reason I wrote to you was to see if you would stand

the test and be obedient in everything.” 2 Corinthians 2:9

When God spoke to Sister

Chang, a housechurch

leader from Henan, He

told her to do something

that made no earthly

sense at all. He told her to

go and preach the gospel

on the steps outside the local police station. Such an

action may lead to arrest even in Western nations and

in Communist China it is a sure way to invite severe

punishment. But the more Sister Chang prayed about it,

the more clearly the inner voice of God continued to tell

her to do it. Finally, she saw no option but to obey God.

B O L D P R O C L A M AT I O N

Standing on the top step outside the police station, she

boldly preached the Gospel to astonished onlookers. Within

a few minutes several officers dragged her inside and

placed her under arrest. To the human eye her obedience

looked foolish but God can see things that we can’t.

Sister Chang was sentenced without a trial and sent to

the local women’s prison, where she was placed alongside

thousands of spiritually lost souls. She boldly and lovingly

proclaimed the Gospel to her fellow prisoners. The light of

the gospel spread like wildfire. Within just three months, 800

women believed in Jesus! The entire atmosphere of the

prison changed and new sounds of praise and worship were

heard echoing down the prison hallways and in the courtyard.

The prison director was greatly impressed at the change in

the atmosphere and was able to trace it to the preaching

of Sister Chang. He brought her into his office and said,

“You have made my job easy! There is no more fighting

between the prisoners and the women have become gentle

and obedient. We need more people like you working here.

From today, we have decided to let you go free. We want to

give you a full-time job here in the prison, and we will pay

you 3,000 Yuan per month” (about £200, a fortune in rural

Henan). He continued, “We will also give you a car and your

own driver, and will find you comfortable housing.”

A L L I WA N T T O D O I S P R E A C H !

Sister Chang briefly considered the offer, and then replied,

“Twenty years ago I became a disciple of Jesus Christ and

He has been wonderful to me. I don’t believe your offer

of a car, driver and salary is in line with what Jesus wants

to do with my life – and I belong to him. All I want to do

is preach the Good News.”

Despite her rejection of his offer, the director released her from

prison that day and she continued her ministry for the Lord.

It always pays to do what the Lord tells us to do. Don’t

argue, don’t fight it, and don’t try to work out all the

details with your mind. Just do it. That is one mark of a

true disciple of Jesus Christ.

EVANGELIST

JESUS SAID, PEACE BE WITH YOU!

AS THE FATHER HAS SENT ME,

I AM SENDING YOU. J O H N 2 0 : 2 1

Illustration taken from ‘Conventional Wisdom’ by A. Auderset Used with the kind permission of Monarch Books. 4

INSPIRE

ASIALINK

A S I A L I N K

HistoryMakers is part of a wider ministry called AsiaLink, an

evangelical mission agency connecting churches across the world

with ministry among the unreached peoples of Asia.

The organisation began in 1999 with its focus very much

on providing Bibles for China. Since then, the work has grown

substantially to now include ministries in 12 countries across the

continent. What ties it altogether? Our passion is the challenge

of those who have little or no opportunity to hear the Gospel.

W H AT D O W E D O ?

We visit churches. We are convinced that the task of the local Church

and of each believer is to assume responsibility for Christian mission

and will do all we can to awaken and encourage missionary

vision. We firmly believe that God wants churches to work alongside

Him to fulfill the Great Commission. Ministering in hundreds of

church meetings, mission conferences and Bible studies every year

in the UK, Ireland, Europe and the USA, is a critical feature of

AsiaLink’s work is the investment we make in these congregations.

Our task is also to raise awareness of the persecuted church in

Asia and practically support those suffering, we provide information

and resources to friends and partners and stimulate intelligent

prayer for the unreached and those ministering to them. The role

of HistoryMakers is to do all this with today’s youth, to instill this

same passion and vision for missions among the next generation

of world-changers.

What else do we do? We work in some of Asia’s least-accessible

and least-reached areas. We resource and train Asian workers for

ministry, encouraging them in their efforts to challenge unreached

groups with the Good News. We still get Bibles into the hands of

MONGOLIA> Literacy classes in needy

areas where church-planting is a priority.

• BHUTAN> Supporting local evangelists

and bible translation work.

s nagaland> Equipping evangelists to minister

across Himalayan regions.

• tibet> Literature, teaching, outreach

and radio broadcasting.

nepal •> Helping nationals

in pioneer work.

• CHINA> Providing bibles, audio media

and Sunday School materialsfor the rapidly growing housechurch network. Alsosupporting persecutedevangelists.

• MALDIVES> Bible translation work.

Tract production andministry to Maldivians living overseas.

• INDIA> AsiaLink partners

are working in 20villages around Krishna.Children’s ministriesincluding providingshelter for orphans.

KASHMIR • > Correspondence

courses and follow-upministries. Supportingevangelists. Major relief work

• VIETNAM> Helping children born with

cleft palate and harelip.Supporting and training localevangelists and pastors.Bible printing.

• BORNEO> Training local pastors,

evangelists and missionaries to reach ethnic minorities.

• LAOS> Providing bibles, teaching

materials and literature.

burma • > Training and

equipping localbelievers to reachthe unreachedtribes.

• n.korea> Helping to provide food for

the most needy. Assistingwith medical needs. Prayernetworking, supportingrefugees in China andworking in a variety of waysto bring the Good News tothe people.

s

6

struggling believers, not only in China but now too in North Korea,

Vietnam and Laos. We go and help train effective church leaders

in the Himalayas and in Burma. In other places, we respond

with relief and rehabilitation in crisis-hit areas like Kashmir

or North Korea. We try and creatively make a difference in

Tibet or even the Maldive Islands. In Mongolia we help with

something as simple as teaching nomadic children to read and

write. How great is that!

H O W W E D O I T

We network with likeminded agencies and we are blessed to

partner with Asian church leaders who are responsible for

small groups, and in some cases, thousands of believers.

Why partner? We work with local Asian Christians who already

understand the context and the challenge. They are passionate

about sharing Christ with their own people and with nearby

unreached people groups. They understand the culture. They

already speak the language and move more freely across frontiers.

They exist at the same economic level as the people around them.

They and their families work in extremely difficult circumstances,

often risking persecution, imprisonment and even death. We consider

our partners some of the humblest and greatest people on earth.

W H Y W E D O I T

Partnering with nationals is an effective and efficient way to do

missions in today’s world. It maintains a continuing Christian

presence in areas of the world where the church is often only a tiny

minority, newly born, or under threat by a militant religion or

political force. The presence and training of Godly national leadership

is vital to the long-term survival and growth of the Church.

For more information on AsiaLink’s ministry, visit our website:

www.asialink.org.uk

INFORM

Paul Hattaway is Director of Asia Harvest, an inter-denominational

Christian ministry working in various countries throughout Asia.

His goal? He works alongside Asian church leaders, helping and

equipping them to focus on reaching the lost. He wants to see

effective churches planted among unreached people groups.

Paul has also authored many books including: The Heavenly

Man, Back to Jerusalem, Peoples of the Buddhist World, Project

Pearl and Operation China.

HistoryMakers met with Paul in January 2008.

HM: When did you first realize the importance of Missions?

PH: I became a Christian when I was 19 in Australia. Three monthslater I went back to New Zealand to witness to my family. The onlychurch within walking distance of my parents’ house was a smallBaptist church where for two weekends the speakers happened to behousechurch pastors from China who had spent 15-20 years in prison.I didn’t know anything about Christianity at that time. I didn’t knowif everybody in China was a Christian or if nobody was. I had

absolutely no clue.

The first pastor wasHarry Lee. He began

to unbutton his shirtduring the message, to reveal wounds and scars where they hadtortured him in prison. A Chinese pastor named George Chen spokethe following week. He had been in prison for fifteen years, where,for most of his time, he had to shovel human waste up to his chestin the cesspool. He said that this was the best time because it wasthe only place the guards weren’t watching because of the smell.He could sing and pray and he kept his sanity all those years byvolunteering to shovel the human waste. So, as a new teenagebeliever sitting on the front row, my eyes were huge as I was tryingto take in this form of Christianity. It totally changed me. That is

when I got a burden for missions and just weeks later I was in Hong Kong smuggling Bibles into China on a six week trip that hasextended to 20 years!

HM: Out of all the Christians you have met and worked with in

Asia, which group have inspired you the most?

PH: The Chinese housechurches. They’re not perfect. God is stillforming their character but there is a tremendous zeal and love ofGod which I’ve seen in other parts of the world too. Nevertheless, it is particularly concentrated in China. The passion the ChineseChristians have for Jesus is not because they are in some wayintrinsically more Godly than the rest of us. Rather, the passion andwholehearted commitment of the Chinese believers has come aboutas God hasorchestratedevents in Chinathat havebrought about a tremendous revival and hunger for Him.Communism brought persecution and difficulties to the Church inChina, and today many church leaders fear that if things becomeeasier and persecution decreases then the Chinese Church may loseits fervour for the Lord. I haven’t heard any Chinese believers pray foran end to persecution. In fact, some pray just the opposite – that

persecution will continue to keep them on fire for God.

HM: What was your first encounter with Brother Yun like?

PH: I met Yun for the first time in the late 1980s. I didn’t know whohe was as we met on a mountain in Southern China. A Westernmissionary introduced us to a number of Chinese believers. I justremember something about a Brother ‘somebody’ who had fasted for74 days in prison without food and water. It was all a blur to me and Ididn’t meet him again until the late nineties when we seemed to strikeup a good relationship with each other right from the beginning.

‘shovel human waste up tohis chest in the cesspool’

‘I haven’t heard any believers pray for an end to persecution’

PAUL HATTAWAYEXCLUSIVEINTERVIEW

We understand each other on a heart level. I felt like the Lord told meI should write his testimony in a book – but I only told my wife. God told Yun I should write it so that is how that connection began. I ended up writing his story and thankfully it has inspired a lot ofpeople around the world.

HM: In order for you to write your new series of books on the

history of the Chinese church ‘Fire and Blood’ you have

conducted hundreds of hours of interviews and read over 1500

books. The first book in the series, entitled ‘China’s Book of

Martyrs, was recently released. What impact would you like the

book to have on believers?

PH: I’d like allreaders to beinspired by the

testimonies. In China's Book of Martyrs, I’ve tried not to make it gory but insteadto focus on them as individuals and give family background and asmany stories as I could find that were personal about them. Not just

heads being chopped off and blood spurting out and so on thoughthere is some of that as well. People will read it and be inspired andbecome more dedicated to Christ as those martyrs were.

Apart from that, I wanted to have an historical record of what’shappened in China. There was never one specific book just dealing

with Chinese Christian Martyrs before. They were the first twomotivations. The third and main one was to get the same book done in Chinese for the Chinese Church – they don’t know about their own martyrs as the information has been hidden from themthrough Communism. It’s especially powerful for them to hear of the Westerners who laid their lives down for the sake of the gospel.

HM: Why do Christians in the west generally not display the same

kind of passion and vision that the Chinese Christians do?

PH: Well I’m a western Christian, so I speak for myself. To be honest, I don’t believe we display that kind of passion because we don’t have to. It is as simple as that. Being a Christian in the West does notcarry the same threat of persecution. We might be discriminatedagainst if we’re a genuine believer in our workplace or at school butwe’re not physically persecuted. If we can have a more comfortablelife we tend to take it because it’s nice to the flesh. Usually, whensomeone is forced out on the edge through their circumstances andsurroundings, it pushes and drives them to be more zealous for Godand for the kingdom. Before the arrival of Communism and thesubsequent persecution, the Church in China was much like the Churchin other parts of the world now. The pressure Christians were forced tolive under resulted in a sifting. Many believers abandoned their faith,but many more became serious, wholehearted disciples of Christ.Revival has resulted. So it’s not a cultural or ethnic thing, it’s more

about the circumstances.

HM: How can we develop the same kind of passion?

PH: You won't get

a fire and

passion for God's

kingdom by

sitting around waiting for it. If you start preaching the gospel

around your own country, proclaiming the truth, you too will soon

experience real persecution. Passion for Christ comes to those

who have taken up the cross and followed Him. The Bible promisesthat those who live a Godly life for Christ Jesus will be persecuted. It doesn’t say in one particular country or time. So if we’re notpersecuted we have to ask are we really living a Godly life in Christ

Jesus? Are we really preaching the Gospel? I believe that in England ifyou really started preaching the Gospel, you would get persecutedpretty quickly. That’s the difference. Conversely in China, the believersdon't necessarily have to experience persecution – it’s a choice. If theywant to, they could just relax, go to a government church and have nopersecution. They would probably still go to heaven.

The Chinesehousechurch Christiansare persecuted by choice.They choose to bepersecuted because they wake up every morning and decide to carry

the cross and take the hard road and not sit back, relax and take iteasy. There are millions in China who have no persecution but thereare millions more who choose to preach the gospel zealously andobey the Great Commission and they are hunted like animals. You too, regardless of where you live, also face a daily choice ofwhether you will live as God commands, or whether you will take it easy and accept the status quo.

HM: In view of the Great Commission, what must the western

church do to make a bigger impact on the mission field? Should

we send more missionaries, what kind of numbers would it need

in order to bring completion?

PH: Basically it’s not about numbers. It’s about each individual followerof Christ doing what God has told them to do. The Bible says that all

believers are to go into the whole world and preach the gospel to

every creature. That doesn’t just mean a certain ethnic group has togo or Christians have to go from a certain country. It means that allbelievers have to obey and follow him. Wherever that is, whether it’sScotland, London or Siberia. It depends where God sends you. If you gowhere He is not sending you – you won’t be very effective.

The bigger problem is that believers need to follow Christ and hear Hisvoice. In Isaiah 30:21 it says ‘Whether you turn to the right or to theleft, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way;

walk in it” That is the key. It is not about us asking ‘do we need to send500,000 missionaries in the next 20 years’. It is about you followingJesus with all your heart and are you doing what He told you to do? If you focus too much on the big picture then you lose sight of thesmall picture. I get asked all the time, should I go here or should I gothere, would I be more effective if I went to China? I can’t answer,because I’m not God. Every Christian has to find out from God what He wants them to do. Some people getfrustrated because it issometimes easier to askanother person than to seek the Lord for His will and direction.Each Christian has to go where God is telling them to go. You see it with the Apostle Paul in Acts. He didn’t just make his own schedule; the Holy Spirit directed him. Conversely, it doesn’t mean we just sit in our home waiting for some great spiritual revelation to drop on you. I knew an Australian Christian who always made hints that he wantedto be involved in missions, but he never went anywhere. One day hewent in his bedroom, locked the door and prayed and said ‘God if youwant me to be a missionary overseas then turn the light on and then I will know it’s a sign’. Nothing happened and he was much happierbecause he didn’t have to go anywhere!

Does your life belong to you or does it belong to God? Is He theboss or are you the boss? Unfortunately most Christians, if the truth betold, are the boss of their own lives. We have our own desires, plans andmoney-making schemes – and God is a secondary part of that. Lots ofpeople pray ‘these are my plans, please bless them’ instead of ‘show

me your will and I’m willing to go anywhere and do anything’. If wepray that prayer then God knows if we really mean it or not. If He seesyou do, then look out, you’ll be going somewhere soon and usuallyamazing things happen. Go, and God will show you where to go andwhat to do. It’s an imperative command. Not a request or an idea – it’s a command. So every person, including everyone who reads thisarticle, will be judged on whether we obeyed the command or not.

To find out more about Asia Harvest and the Chinese church,

go to www.asiaharvest.org For more information on short-term

opportunities to serve in Asia, e-mail historymakers@asialink.org.uk

‘...be inspired and becomemore dedicated to Christ’

‘they wake up every morning and decide to carry the cross’

8

“This is the way; walk in it”

INSPIRE

THEN I HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LORD SAYING,

“WHOM SHALL I SEND? AND WHO WILL GO FOR US?”

AND I SAID, “HERE AM I. SEND ME!” I S A I A H 6 : 8

ISAIAH

I S A I A H FA C T F I L E

The prophet Isaiah was active during the reign of five different Old

Testament kings yet he did not set out to be a prophet. By the time

King Uzziah died around 740 BC, Isaiah was most probably

already working as a scribe in the Royal palace in Jerusalem. It was

a respectable career but God had other plans for him. Isaiah’s

account of God’s call on his life leaves little doubt as to what

motivated the prophet during his 60+ years of ministry.

T H E V I S I O N

His vision of God in Chapter 6 of the book was life-changing

and unforgettable. In awe of the holiness of God, he cried out

“I am ruined!” Realising his sin in the presence of the Lord

Almighty, he felt utterly unclean. God responded with His mercy

and grace as fire from the altar touched Isaiah’s lips and his

guilt was removed, his sin atoned for.

It was at this point that Isaiah heard the Lord ask the definitive

question facing every Christian today – “Whom shall I send? And

who will go for us?" His famous response was “Here am I. Send me!”

This encounter with God permanently affected Isaiah’s persona.

He began to reflect the God he represented in holiness, humility

and passion. He was bold and spoke with purpose and perspective.

His messages were sometimes comforting, sometimes confronting.

When God called Isaiah, He did not promise him great success.

He simply gave him a task to do and Isaiah chose to respond

obediently. God even warned him that the people would not listen!

What’s your career-plan looking like? You may have set out to be

successful in business, sports or the arts. You may be planning to

be the best husband, wife, mother or father that you can be.

Yet it could just be that God has an infinitely bigger plan for you.

Just as he called Isaiah to be a prophet, the Lord’s calling is for you

to be a disciple, His disciple and to follow His footsteps.

N O E A S Y J O U R N E Y

Some will tolerate your faith as they initially did with Isaiah

but after a while anyone living out a no-compromise lifestyle will

face choppy waters, testing times, faith-stretching, lonely, arduous

periods. It’s not an attractive job description! It probably even cost

Isaiah his life. Many missionaries endure the same difficulties that

Isaiah faced. The Gospel is preached to millions of people yet there

is no apparent response, no fruits for the labour. In some cases

missionaries have had to wait decades for even the slightest sign

of change from the people they have been sent to reach.

Isaiah’s life is an example to us all. His patience, endurance and

self-control under trial are a challenge. And of course, Isaiah (the

book) is an ongoing witness that has blessed literally millions

of people, challenging, encouraging and inspiring by his life of

faithfulness and the words the Lord gave him to say. The task of

reaching the unreached around the world will get done. That’s

God’s promise! You may preach the Gospel, witness to your friends

and family, hand out tracts and even travel the world over telling

others about Jesus. You might never see a single response. But

don't give up. It is not your talents, looks, intelligence or strength.

It is your willingness to do all that He has asked, your obedience to

His commands. The rest is up to Him. In doing that, you will ‘eat

the best of the land’ (Isaiah 1:19) Sacrifice? What sacrifice? It’s

a life of privilege!

DEVELOP

RESOURCES

C H I N A B I B L E S

One of the biggestproblems that ChineseChristians face is ashortage of bibles.

The believers in many rural areas aredrastically short of God’s Word, so weare please to announce that ourpartners are now able to place a fullcopy of the Bible for £1 ($2).

For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, a Bible can be produced and delivered toa Christian family in China, making ahuge impact both in their lives and in thelives of those they reach.

If you would like to help provide bibles, great!

You can give by Credit or Debit Card online.Go to www.asialink.org.uk/china Alternatively,you could raise money in an inventive andfun way, like a sponsored carwash-athon orbike-ride! Just think, £100 ($200) would

provide 100 Chinese bibles!

S O U T H E A S T A S I A B I B L E F U N D

In association with our partner, AsiaHarvest, we are launching the Southeast

Asia Bible Fund to co-ordinate ministriessuch as providing Bibles for tribal Christiansin Vietnam. The goal of the Fund is to printthe Scriptures in a number of differentlanguages as the need arises.

The Communist nations of Laos andVietnam contain more than 250 different

tribes, dozens of which had full Bibles or

New Testaments translated into their

languages prior to the arrival of

Communism in 1975. Since then, these

believers have been deprived of Scriptures in

their languages because their governments

oppose the spread of Christianity. The

need for the Word of God in a variety

of languages also remains critical.

To date, we have seen 85,882 Bibles and

New Testaments printed and distributed in

21 different Southeast Asian languages.

Please pray for this strategic opportunity and

consider if you, your church or group are able

to participate by praying or giving financially.

Again, each Bible will cost £1 ($2).

STUDY AT CAPERNWRAY “Our Mission is to proclaim the

transforming presence of Jesus Christ

through Biblical teaching and practical

training, equipping men and women for

service in His Church worldwide”

Capernwray Missionary Fellowship is an international Christian missionaryorganisation involved in evangelism and Bible teaching.

The work has developed to include Bible Schools and Conference Centres in Europe, Canada, USA, Costa Rica, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australiaand New Zealand.

T H E A I M :

• To come to know the indwelling, risen LordJesus Christ more deeply and personally

• In your study of the Scriptures, tounderstand the written Word and itsrevelation of Christ

• To understand God's will for your life

• To develop your God-given abilities sothat you may become a more effectivemember of the Body of Christ, His Church

• To discover and prove in everydayexperience the reality and relevance ofthe Christian life as Christ Himself isallowed to work in and through your life

• To gain a working knowledge of the Wordof God to be equipped for full-time serviceregardless of your occupation

www.capernwray.org.uk

BIBLES

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DISCIPLE

PERSECUTED CHURCHO U T C RY – mobilisingyoung people to speak upfor the persecuted Church

Launched in January 2008,Outcry is Christian Solidarity Worldwide(CSW)’s new youth and student programmefor 14-25 year olds. It is a passionate movementof young people who speak up for Christiansacross the world who are persecutedbecause of their faith, making a differencethrough prayer and by campaigning forreligious liberty and human rights.

Outcry uses CSW’s accurate and reliable

information to produce up-to-date and

exciting resources for youth and student

workers. Each pack is produced termly and

contains an A5 leader’s guide (which

includes 2 complete session plans with Bible

studies, case studies, discussion questions

and activities), a CD-ROM with additional

resources and activities and giveaways for

the members of your group to remind them

of the sessions and to encourage them to

find even more ways of protesting injustices.

Regular email updates willalso ensure that you remaininformed of the current statusof each case.

For more information, to find out how youcan get involved as a young person or tosign up to receive CSW’s free Outcry youthleader resources, please visit:

outcry-uk.org

HistoryMakers is a ministry of AsiaLink.

Registered Charity No. 327165

A S I A L I N K Y O U T H O F F I C E R

237 WELLINGTON ROAD NORTH

STOCKPORT, ENGLAND, SK4 2RQ

TEL: 0161 442 3349

E-MAIL : h istorymakers@asia l ink .org .uk

TO RECEIVE MONTHLY E-MAIL UPDATES & FREE ISSUES OF HISTORYMAKERS MAGAZINE – FILL IN THE DETAILS BELOW & DETACH

THIS FORM THEN POST IT BACK TO US: ASIALINK, MILL FARM, FLEETWOOD ROAD, WESHAM, PRESTON, ENGLAND, PR4 3HD

Yes, I would like to receive HISTORYMAKERS Magazine: (please use CAPITALS)

NAME:

ADDRESS:

POST/ ZIP CODE:

COUNTRY:

AGE:

E-MAIL:

We’re offering you the exciting opportunity to inspire your youth group through

the HistoryMakers presentation. Using dynamic media including exciting videos

as well as teaching from the Bible about missions, evangelism and living passionately

for Christ – we want to challenge your youth and student groups to move out of

their comfort zone!

Yes, I would like HistoryMakers to come to my church or group.

Are you:

A church leader

A youth worker

A member of a church youth group

At College/University

None of the above

If you would like more than one copy of HMKS Magazine to use in your

youth or study group, please indicate how many copies you would like:

5 10 20 30 40 50

CHURCH / ORGANIZATION:

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WILLIAM CAREY

JIM ELLIOT