Prayer Points

Praise for recent baptisms
Further funds for building
New deaf worker in East Asia

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Your prayerful following of our movements over the past weeks has been much appreciated and we are most excited about what God has been doing among our deaf folk in many countries. Hours have been spent in queues, airport lounges and sitting squashed on planes for what seemed like an eternity at times but it has been all worth it. This letter will give you a very brief summary of what has occurred since last writing.

Photo of boys constructing temporary house

Temporary construction underway

A mention was made last time about our time in the Philippines. Yes, it was marvellous. I was able to catch up with kids who have been studying in Laguna whom we have not seen for ages and to take part in the board meeting in Davao when the final approval was given for the commencement of the new building. The number of children increased to 75 while I was there, two or three to each bed in some cases and now beds in the kitchen. This new building is urgent. So far enough money has come for the first stage but more funds are necessary for the following steps. A temporary house has been build on the land to accommodate workers and over flow students, the fences have been built and the ground is being prepared. Please pray that this will be completed in time for the next school year and for the Mobile Mission Maintenance team from Australia who are preparing to go and do all the finishing work on the building.

27 Baptismal Candidates

A couple of hours down the road from Davao is the town of Digos. A church was started there a while ago with Romerto, one of our graduates and Korean missionary Kim Min Sim, serving there. Together with some of the candidates from the Davao church we baptised 27 in the sea. It was a great day of praise to God for the things that he is doing in the lives of so many deaf people. A further exciting development too is that Kim Min Sim is going to marry Albert Mercado who is the pastor of the Davao church at this time. Joshua and Jocelyn Asuela are currently on a speaking fund raising tour in the US.

Myanmar

The house is finally ours. We signed the papers a couple of weeks ago giving the current owners until the end of October to vacate. Reconstruction on the fences has already commenced and once the place is empty, repairs and renovations to the house will commence. The Sunday I was in Yangon we had another baptismal service of a young man we have had eyes on as a future leader of the work there. It is a great step of faith to be baptised in Myanmar where the threat of excommunication from the family is very real. Praise God his Buddhist parents gave their permission. Almost unheard of!

The contract for the Myanmar house

We headed way north to the town of Kalay the closest that foreigners can go to Chin state where most of our people come from. Legally speaking foreigners are not allowed to go more than 4 miles out of town but we ignored the technicalities and pushed things to the limit stopping before any road blocks and were able to visit a few outlying villages where the local churches had rounded up deaf people living in their areas. It was heart breaking in many ways. So many deaf people young and old with no signs, no written language, names unknown and no understanding of the gospel in spite of so many churches in the area. Their parents begged us to start teaching their children and asked if we could start tomorrow! If only we could. Please pray with us as we plan what to do and how to help these people.

Middle Kingdom

After a brief stop in Chiangmai again and Sunday service at the deaf church who now have their own building (rented), it was on to the Middle Kingdom. An exciting bus ride followed by a return ride on a sleeper bus with the smell of feet enough to knock you unconscious sandwiched some marvellous days of ministry and visitation. We were able to meet up with our two workers in that land and to commission a local deaf person who is caring for a group of deaf people many miles from where we were visiting. He had made the very long journey to be with us. What a thrill. We had a lovely time too with Ingrid whom some of you met at the conference in Chiangmai last year. We were able to meet with some of the leaders of her group too. Sorry to sound so vague but there has been a clamp down in some areas of the land so just in case … God is moving mightily among the deaf in that country and we are thankful to be a very small part of it.

On the home front Erik graduated from Monash University. When he was in grade two he asked his teacher when school would be finished and she answered “at three o’clock”, to which Erik answered, “no, I mean for life”. Erik is dyslexic and has had a struggle all his school days. We were so proud to see him graduated with high grades from a top notch university. He is talking of doing more studies so may be it is still not yet over for life! Well done Erik!

God Bless,

Neville, Lill and family