Pakistan – The official report in Pakistan stated that the flood affected 8 million people and 1.5 million houses were destroyed in 2011.  Torrential rains fell in the districts where the poorest of the poor live. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.

More than 50% of the population in Sindh Province lives in mud houses; 35 % live in one-room houses.  The average family size is 9 persons.  Some 3,800 poor people who lived in 8 districts and towns were blessed through the eye clinics, medical camps and distribution of food.  The people most affected in Sindh and who received relief goods were the Hindus (65 %), Christians (20%) and Muslims (15%).  Six “untouchable” Hindus expressed their desire to accept Jesus as their Lord and their Savior. Unfortunately, there’s still much need for food, clean water, medicine, warm blankets, mosquito nets, kitchenware and tents.  Please contact Bring Good News if you wish to help address their plight.

Prayer concerns
India – Pray for the Christian pastors, workers and the church body for protection against persecution from extremists.  Pray for continued blessings in establishing God’s kingdom in the northern and southern India. Our two partners in India want to construct additional churches in their respective areas. The construction cost is in the range of  $5000 to $10,000 per church, depending on size of the congregation.

Pakistan – Pray that additional resources can be sent to meet the needs in Pakistan.  Pray that the victims of the flooding in Sindh will realize that the Lord is a loving God who cares for them. Pray too for the Christians, the church leaders and their families, that they can overcome the difficulties they face daily. Furthermore, pray especially for their protection from persecution and discrimination.

Gil sent this update from Northern India Sunday evening:

Esron,one of Deepak’s (our lead missions partner in the Punjab) close associates, and I just returned from visiting two churches. I preached at the first one (can’t remember the churches name) and was told it was well received.  I also baptized 22 in a mild current flowing river.  The preacher asked me to pray for him and his ministry.  The church has been planted during the past 2 years and is growing.  They have about 125 members now.

Tomorrow is a holiday for the pastors so there won’t be medical clinics. Hopefully it will be a break for me too.

Gil sent a flash drive with photos and videos of the Southern India leg of the trip home with his co-worker for Christ, Candice, who was only able to join Gil on the first part of the trip. We’ll be getting some of that footage up over the next few days as I have a chance to edit it.

In another phone call, Gil passed on that due to some unexpected visa difficulties, he will not be able to get into Pakistan on this journey and will be returning to the United States later this week.

A woman who attended a Bring Good News medical clinic reads Christian literature distributed at the clinic.

Gil and Candice had the privilege of attending the wedding of two members of one of the churches last week in Southern India.

Outdoor worship at one of the churches in Southern India.

He also reports that yesterday, they had 4 baptisms at one meeting, and another 2 ladies were baptized at this morning’s services.

We’ll have more for you as news becomes available. Thank you, as always, for your prayers for our team and our missions partners across the world.

–Ian

Gil and the team should be arriving in India about now for the first week of the South Asia trip.  Please pray for the success of their journey, that God prepare the hearts of the people whose lives they and our in-country partners are about to touch.  Pray for God to remove obstacles from their paths, intercede on their behalf with local authorities, and provide protection for all the workers.  Pray that God encourages the believers in this section of Southern India by this visit and that he equips and strengthens the leadership of the local churches there.

We will try to update you as the trip goes on, but please bear in mind that because of time differences and logistics, the info that comes back to us here in New York is a little sporadic.  Thank you all for your support and for lifting Gil up in prayer.

–Ian

We want to keep you abreast of the medical mission trips we will be undertaking, starting on September 22 through October 24, 2011.  Our itinerary will consist of 10 days in southern India (in Andhra Pradesh and in Tamil Nadu) among the Yanadi people; 10 days in northern India in Haryana, Punjab and Hamachal Pradesh (among the Sikh and Hindi-speaking people) and finally to Pakistan in Lahore, Kasur and Sindh region.

On our India/Pakistan trip last year, we conducted 64 medical clinics and served over 14,900 patients in India and Pakistan.  We also provided relief supplies to about 1,800 families in Pakistan’s Sindh State, which was hard hit by a typhoon and subsequent flooding last year, among the worst occurrences of flooding in Pakistani history.

The people we interact with in southern India are predominantly tribal people who eke out a living by gathering firewood, wild fruits and herbs, or work as tenant laborers, or herd sheep and/or goats.  Needless to say, they are very poor and mostly uneducated.  In northern India, our mission partner concentrates their evangelistic efforts among the Sikhs (a religious system that attempts a peaceful harmony between the Hindu and Islamic adherents); scavengers in garbage dumps, people who live in shanty village, tenant laborers and the poor people in rural areas.

Our coworkers in Pakistan focus on the many poor sectors in Lahore City (we now have 5 churches) and the gypsies (processional beggars). In Kasur region, many families work making bricks (for $3 a day), others are farmers or tend sheep and goats. We will be going back to Sindh State to continue the work begun after last year’s floods.  Many areas are desert and people live at a subsistence level, generally impoverished. Moreover, we were informed that the deadly dengue fever is spreading right now in Pakistan.

The situation is dire; people are suffering and fearful.  Regardless of their religious belief, the poor turn to those who offer relief and assistance – whatever is available to them such as medical treatment, medicine, food, mosquito nets, hand-held water pumps, materials and household supplies.  When we do missions trips, one of the most important gifts of grace we bring is hope and a perception of God’s love for those in physical and spiritual need.  Would you prayerfully consider how you might extend the love of Christ to these indigent people?

If you would like to send a monetary gift, please send it to Bring Good News c/o South Nassau Christian Church, 3147 Eastern Parkway, Baldwin, NY 11510.  Your gift will help lift their spirits, provide hope, and instill the joy that comes from God.  Thank you so much and may God’s blessings be with you.

Grace and peace to you.

–Gil Lozada

For the first time, Bible training for Christian lay leaders in Lijiang, Yunnan Province was conducted. Up to 97 attendees from 12 registered churches participated the 8 days sessions.  The students included Lisu, Tibetan, and Naxi people groups. The students were visibly eager to learn God’s word. They also learned new songs which they sang and danced at the closing program. The RAB (Religious Affairs Bureau) of China had approved this religious activity. Some RAB officials attended the closing program and enjoyed the special meal prepared for the occasion. The leaders extended the invitation for us to come next year to do more training for their people. Praise God.

Myanmar                                                                

In our 10-day medical mission our teams in Shan State and Kachin State served 2,447 patients at 12 clinics.  Through our partnership with International Disaster Emergency Services, $7,100 worth of medicine, Bibles and gifts to poor villages were shared with 7 tribal peoples in the two states in Myanmar.  There were at least 25 people who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Tribal leaders at two villages requested Bibles and evangelists who can help them understand God’s word.  Moreover, a door was opened to our first planted Palaung Christian Church to purchase a 2-acre property where a church building, 4 family homes, vegetable garden and a cemetery for Christians can be put together providing peace and security to the believers.  They are praying that a church or someone’s heart may be touched by God’s Spirit to give a gift of $1,600 which will enable them to worship and live without fear in this Buddhist-dominated country.

Thailand    

Three young people from Louisiana, on fire for the Lord, joined our medical team in Thailand and Myanmar. It’s refreshing to note that they not only performed superbly at the 8 medical clinics (that served 610 patients) but in addition prayed for their patients, evangelized, taught children and preached to those willing to listen. The medical team also distributed Bibles and teaching materials to church leaders (including to a monk in charge of a Buddhist monastery) who hosted the clinics. A village church and a Children Center will also benefit from two water tanks Bring Good News provided that will assure safe drinking water.

Myanmar tribal people accepted Jesus Christ as Lord.

Missionary prays for monastery’s head monk in Thailand.

Philippines

Two medical teams worked separately in two regions in the Island of Mindoro in the Philippines last April.  A total of 3,100 poor people at 11 medical camps were examined/treated and received free medicine and Bibles. Moreover, relief goods for victims of devastating typhoons late last year were delivered to 664 families. The people were jubilant and grateful for prayers answered and for the unexpected medical service they received (medical, dental, optical and laboratory, including sugar testing and blood typing). IDES, US, and IDES, Canada, were our generous partners in his medical projects. Praise the Lord for their ministries.

Tibet

Our plan to visit Lhasa, Tibet and to other specific sites related to our efforts to glorify God was put on hold.  The key worker who was to lead our team in Tibet had to excuse himself the day we were to fly to Lhasa. His wife had an emergency surgery, to save her life, due to an ectopic pregnancy. We provided $1,200 towards the cost of the operation. She is now recovering nicely. We have two evangelists working among Tibetan people in China. Seven Tibetan lay leaders participated in the Bible training held in the Lijiang area. God willing, next year we plan to visit certain places in Tibet to honor the Lord Jesus. The China/Tibet mission was encouraging to the people we visited and for us as well. Please pray for us to discern the Spirit’s guidance and direction and for his power to soften peoples’ hearts to respond to God’s call.

Appeal

As the Lord touches your heart and mind to help Jesus Christ become known globally especially among the unreached peoples, please consider partnering with Bring Good News whose primary goal is to bring glory to God through planting churches, assisting our mission partners to expand their outreach to the unsaved and to bring short term missionaries to be witnesses of God’s love to the unsaved.

Please send your gifts or checks, payable to Bring Good News c/o South Nassau Christian Church, 3147 Eastern Parkway, Baldwin, NY 11561, an IRS-recognized 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Thank you so much for your concern for the lost and your love for God and his Son, Jesus Christ.

Relief goods distribution to 664 families, victims of devastating typhoons in Mindoro, Philippines.

Tibetan and Chinese leaders in Shangri-La, Tibet.

Our trip to China on December 21-30, 2009 was fraught with difficulties, excitement and deep satisfaction.

Difficult moments involved:

A) Flying from Shanghai and landing at Kunming Airport, about 200 miles away from Lijiang Airport, my destination. This caused me to miss the friends who were to pick me up at the airport to travel on-land for 6 hours to the small city of Weixi. But God is good.  He brought into my path Erik, a young American missionary studying Chinese, who aided me during this dilemma that I was able to connect with my friends who were to pick me up.

B) As our team was descending the mountain dirt road (after our meeting with the Tibetan leaders) we were met and questioned by the area governor, the chief of police and their entourage as to the nature of our business in the area.

C) At the Christmas celebration service (attended by more than 700 Lisu Christians) we were “invited” by a high ranking officer of the RAB, (Religious Affair Bureau), for a chat at their office in Weixi City again questioning our purpose.

D) The return trip offered new difficulties in Kunming due to the language barrier, causing a delay in boarding the transit plane to Shanghai then onward to New York. Through all these disturbing incidents, God answered our prayers. Praise the Lord.

It’s not uncommon when on mission trips to encounter unexpected exciting situations, as we did in China:

First, for our meeting with Tibetan Christian leaders who live on top of the mountains, we drove about two hours to the point where 4-wheel vehicles cannot be driven further.  From there we had to climb on foot for more than two hours to reach the site.

Second, the main roads on the mountains are wide enough for two cars; however, there are few protective barriers to prevent cars from slipping into the deep ravines, if the driver should make a mistake navigating.  To be fair, the edge of the road is painted white (about 8 inches wide) to alert drivers to the danger.

Third, when we were descending the mountain on foot, we had to stop briefly until a land slide had subsided. On the main road to Shangallila City, we went through several areas where land slides seem to have just occurred and boulders and chunks of rocks were strewn on the road.

Fourth, while in the city streets of Weixi, as a precaution, I was advised not to speak aloud in English.

Fifth, before attending the Christmas celebration service, our team was escorted to the house of one of the elders and waited there a couple of hours until the RAB officers would have left. However, when we reached the worship ‘auditorium’ we actually sat in a waiting room with the RAB officers.  Miscommunication?

It was a deeply gratifying trip because we were able to accomplish our objectives in coming to China:

One, we learned a great deal about the growing Lisu Christian communities in the south western portion of China where Russell Morse and his family began their missionary work more than 80 years ago. It is still flourishing.

Two, there are evangelists actively training people to become church leaders and evangelists.

Three, we observed 40 Tibetan youth being trained in Todi village and our three trainer/evangelist partners from Myanmar who accompanied me, were able to conduct a 2-weeks training session for 134 Lisu Christians, after I left.

Four, in our meeting with the Tibetan leaders, we got to know a young Tibetan pastor/evangelist who ministers in the local villages and also travels to Tibet to witness and preach there, including to some Buddhist monks. Because of his faithfulness and passion to continue to bring the gospel to his people in Tibet, and at the prompting of the Spirit we took a leap of faith to partner with him.

Five, we brought gifts provided by IDES, to help two villages satisfy some physical needs. This act of loving kindness brought additional joy to their celebration of Jesus’ birth.

We praise God for this mission trip and give him all the glory for all that that have been accomplished and for blessings yet to come.  We are deeply grateful for your partnership, prayers and financial support.  Please continue to pray for this ministry.

If you wish to be a partner with us in the task of worldwide evangelism, you can send your donation payable to Bring Good News, c/o South Nassau Christian Church, 3147 Eastern Parkway, Baldwin, NY 11510.  Thank you so much.

Your coworker in his harvest field,

Gil Lozada

Ps. 115:1