February 2010 South Asia News:Pioneering Initiatives

Nepal is filled with so many opportunities to serve and bless its people.  We currently have 41 international team members ministering in a variety of situations, and consequently desperately need support staff: personnel officers, recruiters, administrators and leaders to guide our short-termers.

The short termers who join us for one and two years are such an important part of our ministry. Some get involved in prison ministry; working in children’s homes; teaching English and Korean to Nepali migrant workers; literature distribution; schools’ programmes; making friendships and trekking to the remote villages of Nepal to share about Jesus. 13 new short-termers have joined us this month; we hope they will integrate into life in Nepal and as team members.

Everyone joining Asia Challenge Teams knows that change is a part of ACT life: roughly every six months moving from one location to another. Although six months goes quickly and feels short for many, as ACTers reflect, they begin to see just how much God can do in and through them in that time.  Our current teams are preparing to leave for their new locations; this is what one ACTer shared about her last six months:

“When I left home, I was hoping to serve in another country than the one where I actually began. I was really upset at having to come here: I didn’t have a heart for this country; I really didn’t want to be here; these people weren’t the people I wanted to be ministering to; I felt discouraged and inadequate for the work.

So, I prayed and God completely changed my heart. I’m in love with this country now and don’t want to move on. I’ve come to love the people and the different ministries. Over the last six months God has done so much that I never thought I could or would ever do before:  

-           Making friends just by standing near someone. In my small home town this just doesn’t happen; 

-           Giving my opinion in a small group setting without worrying about what people were thinking of me or judging me by what I say;

-           Having the best time of my life without my family and friends, or being homesick;

-           Dancing to kids’ songs in front of a group; 

-           Sharing my testimony in front of people;

-           Facilitating or teaching an English class;

-           Finding my way to places in the city by myself;

-           Enjoying telling kids stories from my imagination instead of a book;

-           Leading: children’s programs, devotions, prayer meetings, dramas in front of a church.

God has done this in the first country where I didn’t want to be, and He will do it for me in the next as well! I will miss this first country, but now I am actually excited about moving on.”

Change is also coming for Asia Challenge Teams as a programme: we will transition from being part of the South Asia Area to the East Asia Pacific Area. As a result, this will be the last South Asia area news featuring Asia Challenge Teams.

OM’s role in the Church is to mobilise people to share the knowledge of Jesus and His love with every generation in every nation. OM pioneers and leads initiatives to redeem lives, rebuild communities and restore hope in over 110 countries.