ThE-TASK - college and seminary edition
Welcome to thE-TASK for November 2002!

This month’s eNewsletter focuses on the Northern Thai People Group.

What’s Inside: People Group Info: the Northern Thai of Thailand, Prayer Points, Mission Projects in Thailand, The Persecuted Church, Are college majors useful in the real world?, Ramadan 2002, Where do you go when dorms are closing for the holidays?, Collegiate Missions Conferences, ‘Comic Relief’, God’s Heart for the Nations Bible study.

Unreached People Group (UPG) focus: The Northern Thai of Thailand

Thanks to April Fitzgerald, a student who requested to know more about the Thai people!

Personal story: The English Language School in Northern Thailand celebrated it’s one-year anniversary in September of this year. The school opened with 15 students and now serves 120 Thai students who want to learn English. Through relationships made in English class, the teachers are able to share the Message of Jesus. Michael and Hope Johnson, who started the school, say THANK YOU for giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (LMCO)* and to the Cooperative Program (CP),** both of which helped to start the school.

*LMCO is an annual winter offering through which Southern Baptists support international missions through the International Mission Board. One hundred percent of the money given through LMCO goes directly to the international mission field.

**CP is a fund into which all Southern Baptist churches pool their money to support international and domestic missions, Southern Baptist seminaries and colleges, and state ministry programs. CP is unique to Southern Baptists and allows us to do more ministry and missions by working together than churches or individuals could do on their own.

World View Info: The economy of the Northern Thai people is based on agriculture crops such as rice, maize, vegetables, and fruits. Slash-and-burn farming practices cause deforestation problems throughout the region. Educational and work opportunities attract many Northern Thai to Chiang Mai, the largest city in the region, but poverty and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases from the large prostitution industry make city life extremely difficult.

Buddhism mixed with animism is the prominent religion among the Northern Thai. Spirit altars beside statues of the Buddha are common in many homes. Christians comprise less than one percent of the eight million Northern Thai. Christian radio broadcasts are available in the more prominent dialects spoken in this region, but very few Northern Thai have a Bible in their own language.

Prayer Points:

• Pray that God will send out much-needed laborers for His fields. We are in URGENT need of 2-year-type folks from newly graduated college students to retired folks who could help us teach English and reach out with the gospel to these precious people.
• Pray for the workers’ walk with the Lord.
• Pray that the workers will always “season their words with salt” and that they might be good ambassadors of Christ.
• Pray for the families of the workers and their personal needs.
• Pray for a Thai pastor for the growing church planting ministry.
• Pray for the Northern Thai, 99% of 6 Millions whose names are yet to be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

For more info about praying for the nations, go to www.imb.org/CompassionNet/index.asp.

The Persecuted Church:

Authorities in an Asian country arrested a woman for involvement in an unregistered house church, which they said was a crime. They confronted her with a videotape of one of the congregation’s services, thinking it would cause her to lose courage. Then they began beating her and demanding she confess to criminal activity. She later said she was able to endure the beating and be faithful to Christ because the sounds of worship on the tape gave her strength. Praise God for sustaining your sister in her trial. Glorify his name for causing her persecutors’ plans to backfire.

Missionaries who use their “secular” college degree on the mission field?!

(or: Are college majors useful in the real world?!)

Check out the new feature - www.thetask.org/students

Ramadan 2002

Daily prayer guides online at http://www.imb.org/compassionnet/SpecialFocus.asp - choose “Ramadan” from the drop-down list.

Ramadan occurs one month each year when Muslims all over the world fast and pray to seek Allah’s favor. During this month “nothing must enter the body,” i.e., food, drink (including saliva), smoke (of tobacco), even an injection. Fasting occurs only between the hours of sunrise and sunset. Most people just go without food during the day and go home to a huge feast each night.

Muslims believe that fasting during Ramadan is thirty times better than at any other time, because according to tradition, the gates of heaven are open, the gates of hell are closed, and the devils are in chains.

There are true seekers, people who truly want to know God and become closer to Him. They are the ones who desperately need our prayers. Please pray for God to draw the hearts of Muslims around the world as they fast from Nov. 6 - Dec. 5, 2002.

Where do you go when the dorms close for the holidays?

That’s a tough question for international students at Thanksgiving and Christmas time.

Invite an international student home with you for the holidays. Give them the chance to learn more about American culture and about the love of God by being in your home.

80% of all international students who spend 4 years in the USA pursuing a university degree never enter an American home. You can change the world - and that statistic - this holiday season just by going home.

Collegiate Missions Conferences coming up!

The Summit
Knoxville, TN
Dec. 27 - 29

Join students from all over the Southeast United States, glorifying the Father in praise and worship. This weekend will focus on reaching the 10/40 window with representatives from 6 regions who will be cast their vision for students to get involved in their work. Join us and tell as many of your friends as you can! Register and get more information at www.the-summit.org.

Be Thou My Vision
Auburn, AL
Jan. 3-5

Catch the vision God has for His name to be known among all the nations of the world - and how you can be part of it! Worship God and learn how to help the nations worship Him at Be Thou My Vision collegiate missions conference Jan. 3 - 5, 2003 in Auburn, Alabama. Registration and conference details at www.auburn.edu/student_info/lakeview/cmc.html.

Comic Relief: Aussies! You Gotta Love ’Em

QANTAS is the only major airline that has never had an accident. Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints by QANTAS pilots and the corrective action recorded by mechanics.

Problem: Something loose in cockpit. Problem: Suspected crack in windscreen

Solution: Something tightened in cockpit. Solution: Suspect you're right.

Problem: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. Problem: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.

Solution: Evidence removed. Solution: That’s what they’re there for!

God’s Heart for the Nations Bible Study:

What Really is the “Harvest”?

By Ashley Kelley and Felicity Slemp

When we think of the worldwide “harvest of souls,” most people think of numbers of people choosing to follow Christ. In fact, people being born into the Kingdom of God is called “reaping,” by Jesus in John 4:36-37. Reaping is definitely part of the harvest, but only one part. The other parts are sowing, planting, and watering (see John 4:36 - 37 and I Cor. 3:4-7).

Reaping occurs after the other three stages and it wouldn’t happen at all without the other stages. Sometimes student missionaries incorrectly believe they have not done anything eternal if they did not lead someone to Christ - the reaping part - while they were on mission. Below is an encouraging true story that happened last month that describes how all parts of the harvest are critical to God’s plan.

Deisy’s Decision

By Ashley Kelley, Journeyman to Botswana, Southern Africa

I want to tell you the same story from 3 perspectives and show you the power of our Father.

Perspective One:

At a small agricultural college in Tifton, Georgia, some Christian students noticed a large Mexican student population growing on their campus. God is bringing the “nations” to our doorstep, they thought. The students began to pray for the salvation of their Mexican classmates.

A few of these Christians were elected into an elite campus group, the Ambassadors. The Christians in the small group of ten started praying for the non-Christians, dreaming of the impact they could have on the campus if this well-watched group turned to Jesus. They specifically prayed for Deisy, a cheerful and loving Mexican girl, imagining the impact it would make if this popular girl came to know Jesus as her personal Savior.

Perspective Two:

Deisy was destined to go back to Mexico after graduating from a U.S. high school to join her family in poor migrant work. She thought she could do more with her life, though. Deisy wanted to go to college. Her parents disagreed, saying it wasn’t possible for her to go to college - none of her 11 brothers and sisters had, nor anyone else in her family. But, Deisy was determined.

One day when her family was out of town, Deisy drove the family station wagon to a small agricultural college in South Georgia, applied for a scholarship (which she got) and registered for college against her parents’ wishes. Deisy was an outgoing and fun girl with a magnetic personality, so she very quickly became popular among not only the Mexican students, but the whole student body. Deisy was also accepted into the Ambassador leadership program.

This past Saturday night, Deisy was going clubbing after shopping at the mall. On her way out of the mall, Deisy saw a Subway sandwich shop and thought, “A quick sandwich before going out late . . .”

Perspective Three:

Ashley Kelley was supposed to go to Virginia last week. Instead, she stayed in Tifton, GA to have surprise surgery. On Saturday, Ashley and her mom killed time at the mall. Although dinner was ready at home, they thought a sandwich would taste better. So, they walked into Subway.

There was only one other girl in line that night. Ashley smiled and the girl smiled and said “hello.” Hearing her accent, Ashley, who has a love and interest for people of other countries, asked the girl, “Where are you from?” Deisy, she discovered, was from Mexico and had just moved to Tifton that semester. Ashley asked, “Have you found a church yet?” Of course the Deisy had not, so Ashley invited her to come to church the next day.

Deisy went to church with Ashley and in Sunday School Deisy saw Laura, one of her fellow Ambassadors. Unbeknownst to Ashley, Laura had been praying all semester for Deisy’s salvation. After lunch together that afternoon, Ashley told Deisy about Jesus and being a child of God. Deisy became a Christian that afternoon!! That evening, Deisy brought Francisco, another Mexican friend, to church where she announced that she had become a Christian and desired to be baptized to testify to the world!!

On Tuesday night, Ashley, Deisy and Francisco studied the Bible in Deisy’s room. Deisy’s dorm neighbor, Jennifer, interrupted their study to invite Deisy to a hall Bible study. Ashley talked to Jennifer after the Bible study and found out that Jennifer had been praying for Deisy by name to get saved. Ashley discovered that many others on the campus were also praying for Deisy specifically, imagining the possibility of a huge Mexican revival if this one vivacious and easy-going girl came to know the Lord.

Ashley’s thoughts:

Do you think it is a coincidence I went to Subway? Isn’t it ironic that God didn’t use the people that knew Deisy and saw her everyday to actually lead her to the Lord, but He used a complete stranger? How amazing is it that through me God answered the prayers of people I didn’t even know! How amazing is it that they didn't give up praying and that neither did God?!

Keep praying for the souls of people!! Who knows HOW God will save them or WHO He will use or WHEN He will do it. Be encouraged by this story and please, please... PRAY!!!! The part you play in a person's salvation is very important!

And, please continue to lift up Deisy, for whom I am sure God has great plans in reaching many of his beloved Mexican children!!