Asia Pacific Region of The Global Church of the Nazarene Around The Region Volume 3/Issue 4 for Saturday, 24 January 2015
January 24th, 2015
Volume 3 / Issue Number 4
What does God's call look like for you?
The Nazarene Mission International focus for the month of January is "Volunteerism." God is calling each of us to make a difference in our families, neighborhoods, communities, and world! In this edition of the Around The Region News, we are featuring some stories of those who have answered the call to go! May the Holy Spirit speak to you as you consider how you might answer the call.
During the last quarter of 2014, we ran a survey, asking our readers what we could do better with our newsletter. Many of you shared, THANK YOU!
We are incorporating many of your thoughts!
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Smaller / less complicated sidebar
Larger Pictures
More personal impact stories.
Team member blogs.
Praise and prayer more prominently featured.
More videos.
We appreciate and value your input. Thank you for partnering with us on the Asia-Pacific Region!
Leadership Moment with Dr. Stan Toler
What's Your Cause?
Martin Luther King Jr. said "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"
That's a good reminder that we weren't put here to park but to travel, to actively make a difference. It's far too easy to just take permanent residence in the comfort zone of the routine. You don't even have to change careers to have a cause. In fact, your cause may be in what you are doing right now, with a dynamic new energy. Your legacy is linked to the urgency of your interests. How do you spot that interest and turn it into a cause? What burns in your heart? Look around you. What ignites your enthusiasm or stirs your emotions? What vacancy of interest or action do you see? What's your perfect fit?What do you see that has your name on it? What needs to be done on the job or in the community that causes you to think, "I COULD DO THAT!"? What do others ask you to do? Sometimes our "cause" is wrapped in a request or invitation. Many life-changing commitments have started with a comment or command that turned into a conviction! What public issue needs your personal touch? Do you see an urgent need that you know you could meet? Social, political, financial, or spiritual, there's a cause that's "up for adoption." King's influence started with an observation or experience that became a burden, that resulted in a cause-that became a legacy. What's your cause?[Stan Toler]
Scot and Jill Riggins (missionaries in the Philippines) are praising God that their infant daughter has been given a clean bill of health by her cardiologist here in Manila. They are planning for additional follow-up when they return to the states.
Please be in prayer, as in the early morning hours of Sunday (Manila time), the family will be headed to the airport to leave on home assignment. They have faced many challenges as a result of passport and VISA issues. They will truly need God to move mountains in the area of immigration if they are to make their scheduled departure on the 25th.
We are believing with them that nothing is impossible with God!
After a very long flight with a few delays as a result of missed flights, the Armstrongs finally arrived to the Seminary in the early morning hours of Friday, January 23rd.
The love for the Armstrongs was quite evident as students met and embraced them, welcoming them back! Clark was already teaching just hours after arrival.
Kudjip, Papua New Guinea: Updated Praise Report! Thank you for continuing to pray for Adam and Stephanie Peterson’s 2 year old daughter, Gracyn. The Peterson’s are missionaries in Papua New Guinea working at Kudjip Nazarene Mission Station. Grayson has been ill with a sickness that has been very challenging to diagnose for three weeks now, but indication is that she is finally beginning to show improvement.
*** 10-Jan-2015
Update received from Stephanie Peterson: In the last 24 hrs, Gracyn seems to be responding to the antibiotics. She has been up today playing for the first time in weeks. Her neck is still very sore, but the doctor feels the swelling in her neck has decreased.
Stephanie Peterson
*** 15-Jan-2015
Update received from the Field: The missionary community is praising God for answered prayer! Gracyn is (according to her mother), “100% OK, back to normal. Thank you for the prayers.”
Kalemyo, Myanmar (Burma):Southeast Asia team member, Bill Kwon, shares an experience of a very special blessing from a very unlikely place.
In the north of Myanmar, about 22 driving hours away from Yangon (Rangoon), the gate city Kalemyo opens the way to the Chin Tribe, truly a birthplace of Burmese Christianity. Because Kalemyo is close to this tribe, it has become a city of mega churches of various denominations. On one particular day, as I travelled the ridge that leads to Kalemyo, God led me to Nine Mile Church (NMC).
Around 10 people, including small children, gather to pray and worship as part of NMC. They meet in the house of Rinpuii, who is one of the members of the church. While they do not yet have a church building, it is a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ. They are loving the Word of the Lord, sharing life-breathing testimonies, and finding ways to share the love of Christ to their neighbors.
Nine Mile Church outside of Kalemyo
Nine Mile Church was started through the prayers of Rinpuii, who had been a faithful member of Trinity Nazarene Church (TNC) that is located in a small community within Kalemyo. She asked her pastor if she could start a worship service in her house, as she regularly traveled 9 miles from her home to TNC. The pastor agreed and even invited other willing church members to join Rinpuii. NMC has now been worshipping together for 2 years. It is a wonderful model of a church giving birth to another church.
Rinpuii sharing the Word to her small church.
The members of NMC have not heard the term “compassionate ministry” but they understand and are doing what Jesus did. They are visiting neighbors, sharing food and providing medicine to those in need through the financial gifts of the members. They do not care if they’ll be praised or get anything in return out of the good things they are doing. What is important for them is that the neighborhood feels the heart of the church and experiences the tangible love of Christ. The members of NMC are themselves, experiencing peace and joy through the service that they are giving.
It has not always been easy; trials have come. Not long after the church was started, Rinpuii unexpectedly lost her daughter. As can be imagined, this was a huge blow to Rinpuii, who at her older age, felt that she had lost all hope.
But God has been faithful. One day in the field where she was farming, Rinpuii saw a sparrow flying and singing beautifully. She felt the grace of God flowing in her heart.
“If God takes care, feeding and guiding this little sparrow, how much more has He poured out love and care to my daughter and me,” shared Rinpuii. After saying this out loud, Rinpuii was relieved from the sadness brought on by the loss of her daughter. She made the decision that to honor her daughter, she would serve the church even more faithfully.
Rinpuii shared her testimony from her well-worn daily devotional notebook, “This insufficient, this shameful and sinful woman like me…” As she poured out her heart, she could not even finish her sentence, but then she continued, “Christ has saved…”
I asked Rinpuii how we could specifically pray for her. She had two requests: that NMC would be the salt and light in the village that, like Sodom and Gomorrah, is in such need of Christ; that we pray for her son, who is now studying to be a pastor at a seminary in Korea, that he would be equipped to be able to return and make Christlike disciples within the country of Myanmar.
Please join me in praying for Nine Mile Church, as it has deeply touched my heart. This church truly models what it means to be a “Christlike” church. It has taught me what the mission of the church is truly like.[Submitted. Dr. Bill Kwon, team member in Southeast Asia.]
Click on the Image to see a short 1 minute video on
Medical Ministry in Papua New Guinea!
Deep in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, 6 full-time doctors have together, served more than 88 years with Nazarene Health Ministries. Unfortunately, time is a respecter of no person and three of these medical missionaries will be retiring within the next few years. Who will pick up their batons and continue the ministry? Is God calling you or perhaps someone you know, to become a medical missionary? Through the gifts, skills, and talents of medicine, innumerable lives are being healed, not just physically, but spiritually as they are introduced to the Great Physician. Please share this call for medical missionaries with your families, friends, and churches!
More than 20 hours drive north of Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, is a gateway city called Kalemyo. Team member Bill Kwon was on his way to visit this city, traversing a ridge, when God led him to a small village for a very unexpected blessing. "They have not heard the term "compassionate ministry" but they understand and are doing what Jesus did," shared Bill. "My heart has been deeply touched." Are you needing an inspirational story about the heart of a volunteer to reach her community for Christ?
Dear Readers, As I contemplated what to write to you for this posting, my mind churned through a blur of faces and diagnoses from the last week, and I realized that I have not yet given you an adequate scope of the broad range of illnesses and injuries I encounter every day. What follows are a hodgepodge of medical diagnoses I discovered and treated just within the last week, some of which will include a short story and/or picture. My hope is, as ever, that you will feel like a part of what we are doing here, experiencing the losses and victories alongside us - and that this will further motivate you to partner with us in prayer for the work at hand - ministering the Lord's Gospel of Love and Healing. All our Love, Ted & Rachel
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Diagnoses I see multiple times every week:
- Viral Respiratory and GI infections - Pneumonia - Dehydration with Gastroenteritis - Reflux and Gastritis - Musculoskeletal pains - Arthritis - Osteo and Rheumatoid - Congestive Heart Failure with Cor Pulmonale - Hypertension - Diabetes - Symptoms due to Hepatitis B - Chop Chops - sutured - Fractures - casted - Abscesses - cut/drained - Hemorrhoids - Malaria - Chronic Osteomyelitis - Infertility and pelvic pain in women due to chronic Pelvic Inflammatory Disease - caused by untreated STD's - Malnutrition of every form
...Here's a recent pic of the malnutrition baby I blogged about in "Too Little, Too Often"...now chubby, and look at that all that hair! (Yes, the baby was chewing on the paper...)
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Pulmonary Tuberculosis (x3 cases) - I did a thoracentesis on the first guy's left lung which put out 1.5 Liters of amber fluid (classic TB). The second guy, named "Shark" (we had a good laugh about this), was another classic case of weight loss, night fever/sweats, and persistent cough - but he was terrified of the diagnosis and was refusing my referral to start TB meds because his sputum AFB had recently been tested negative. I sent him for a chest film, and after I showed him his lung disease on the X-ray viewer, Shark agreed to start the meds. The 3rd case was a young gal, a more vague presentation, but who's sister has recently been on TB meds. I sent her home with antibiotics and she will get her sputum tested for TB before I see her again.
Uterine Fibroid- a sweet lady with months of DUB (Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding) and resultant severe Anemia (Hemoglobin 3.5) - transfused, and referred for Hysterectomy.
Mastoiditis - at least 3 weeks of untreated ear infection in a cute 2 year old, frank pus weeping from the ear, and a very large and swollen mastoid - out of which a substantial amount of pus flowed following my incision. Congenital Hypothyroidism (my 2nd case) - Margelyn Topo is a cute little girl, who appears about 3, but will be 5 years old in June. Unlike Stephanie (my first case), Margelyn is early enough in her development, I am hoping the supplemental Synthroid will save her from intellectual disability.
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Coming to his bed on my morning Ward rounds, I laughed aloud as I read his name "Job War". I tried to share the irony of his name with those around me but the humor passed quickly as my attempted explanation in Pidgin went over their heads. I learned Job (now about 8 months) had been adopted in his infancy, and as is common with these adopted babies, given inadequate formula to the point of malnutrition. Job had been admitted to the Pediatric Ward for management of an acute Gastroenteritis (lots of diarrhea) and to begin reversing his malnutrition. An interesting twist to his story was that the birth mother was somehow still in the picture, and the adoptive mother had consented to her breast feeding him so long as she tested negative for HIV. Checking in with him every morning on the Ward, I was happy to see Job was gaining strength. His birth mother had tested negative for HIV, but her milk supply was dried up, so Job was still using supplemental formula. Meanwhile, I started the birth mother on meds to augment her milk production. One morning during the end of rounds, I heard some commotion behind me, and turning around, I noted five nurses clustered around Job's bed attempting CPR. I was confused - not 20 minutes earlier, I'd found his exam reassuring, and had helped the birth mother with some breast feeding techniques. Weaving my way into the throng, I found Job unresponsive without respirations or a heartbeat. As I initiated chest compressions, I noted a watery mix of gastric contents filling the back of his throat - which as I turned him to the side flowed out over my wrist, hot and slimy. While calling for suctioning, and squeezing further juices from his lungs with each compression, I noted an overturned coke bottle on the bed (commonly used to hold "ORS" - Oral Rehydration Solution). It was later confirmed that one of the two mothers had given Job a very large drink of water, with a resulting aspiration of vomit. We got his throat clear, but I could hear his lungs were still full of fluid. After he failed to regain a heart beat with further CPR and epinephrine, I gave my defeated "Sorry" to his adoptive mother, who sat alone beside the bed. Once the various resuscitative tubes were removed, she held him there on the floor beside the bed, weeping. Going back to finishing rounds was not easy. I was angry and frustrated to see another young life lost - more so because this was preventable. Since coming to PNG, I've been appalled to see caregivers turning up full coke bottles of various fluids over the open mouths of their sick infants, who then invariably cough and splutter the contents. I wanted to turn my anger toward Job's mothers, but I had no way of knowing which one was responsible, and my heart broke as I watched the adoptive mother quake with her cries. The Spirit spoke, I listened, and I went over to pray with her. After praying, I told her I didn't want to forget Job or her grief, and further, I wanted my own family and friends to understand this heartbreak - so she let me take their picture.
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Lymphoma- a pretty 9 year old girl with large matted lymph nodes around her groin - referred for Biopsy.
Tertiary Syphilis - a young man with the build of Hercules who plays for a local Rugby league - and being a single sports star has had his share of adventures with the ladies. Sadly, his promiscuity has lead to neurosyphilis, and will now suffer from lifelong weakness and numbness (among other symptoms). Lots of antibiotics. Gout - a rotund lady with chronic gout, already on high doses of medication, but with great pains due to a sizable deposit of Tophi in one ulcerated ankle. After sedating her, I spent 10 minutes scraping large chunks of Tophi out from the ulcer. She has since returned and reports feeling much better.
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The moment Albert walked into my clinic room, I knew his condition was serious. He gave me an easy smile and firm handshake, but I couldn't take my gaze off his fluorescent yellow eyes. With the help of some labs, an Ultrasound, and my friend Dr Mark Crouch, we supplied Albert with the terminal diagnosis ofPancreatic Cancer, and asked if he knew Jesus as Lord and Savior. As with many PNG patients not following Christ, Albert gave a story of exposure to the gospel as a child, but confessed to an adult life far from God. What followed was a wonderful accounting of the gospel by Mark, and when we closed in prayer, Albert gave his heart to The Lord.
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Breast Abscess- hot, swollen, tender, and a feeling of fluctuance under the skin --> sedated, needle aspirated some pus, then cut a 1cm incision through which drained a lot more pus, placed a drain, started antibiotics, and I'll be seeing her to remove the drain at a later date.
Breast Cancer - hard mass with overlying redness to the skin, nipple slightly inverted - referred for Biopsy. Asphyxiation - called to the ER one afternoon for an adorable 3 year old boy who was unresponsive. The mother reported a few days of vomiting and diarrhea, and then he choked on vomit 10 minutes earlier while sitting at the Rot Bung (roadside market). I found the boy without a heartbeat, respirations, or pupillary reaction to light. "Sorry."
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Peter had paid for an elective excision of a lump on his temple, present since birth, but which appeared to be a lipoma (benign fatty deposit). After sedating him, I was a little shocked to pull HAIR from what appeared to be a capsule under the skin - ultimately a sizable hairball popped out, and I sewed his scalp back together.0
The diagnosis:DERMOID CYST- a benign teratoma which can include hair, teeth, eyes, nails, bone, etc (...and I am SO GLAD an eyeball didn't pop out! :-) Haha
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Neonatal Sepsis/Meningitis- in the last week, I have managed four such cases on the Peds Ward. One died, two are recovering well, and one not-yet-named little gal has been fighting for her life (but I believe looking better!). I suggested the name "Rachel" to her mother.
Ovarian Cyst - should I congratulate you on your pregnancy? Nope, that's just a REALLY big tumor! - Referral for surgical excision. Swollen Penis - Maybe my 5th case since coming here, a teenage boy hesitantly tells me he payed a man in his village to receive an injection into his penis. The salesman's pitch is that it makes your penis bigger, and sex more pleasurable. Well, I'm not so sure about all that, but whatever the substance is (maybe cooking oil?) causes a "reaction formation" in the area of the fluid collection, which becomes hard and painful. Dr Jim very kindly stopped in to see this young man, and after sharing the gospel, offered to circumcise him at a later date.
Sturge-Weber Syndrome- this baby's "Port-wine Stain" faintly seen over the right eye is a possible indictor.
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Scanning the old man's abdomen, I found massiveLiver Cancer- a terminal diagnosis. Right there in the ultrasound room, I began to explain the disease, but his wasman stopped me. The young lady said she was not a relative of the man and did not want to be the mediator of this bad news - as it turns out, he did not speak Pidgin, but only his local dialect, so he had not understood my diagnosis. Three days later, the man returned, and a file of 6 family members followed him into my tiny clinic room.
I spoke slowly, meeting each gaze, as I explained the man's terminal diagnosis, and I would pause to allow a family member to translate to the patient. I found it odd that the old man didn't appear to grasp the severity of his cancer (or perhaps he didn't care or believe it), while I saw tears appear in some of the younger eyes. As I concluded, I said that only God knows how much time he has left, and used this as a segue for sharing the Gospel. Many of the younger relatives nodded along in agreement, and I learned that most if them shared my Faith. At the end, I reiterated that while no medicine or surgery could fix his cancer, God DOES have the power, and suggested we lay hands on the old man to ask for God's healing. Instead of my bumbling Tok Pidgin, I asked one of the young ladies to pray, which she did with wonderful clarity and conviction, and I enjoyed a great many hugs and tearful smiles as they left.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis - quite common here, and I saw two cases this week. Molar Pregnancy - passing grape like clots from vagina, snowstorm appearance on abdominal ultrasound - referred to OB/GYN for evaluation Intussusception - two and a half year old boy with intermittent excruciating abdominal pains for 6 months, but normal exam and ultrasound on presentation, and no history consistent with constipation or infection. Lipoma - ancient lady from the Jimi with a growth on her scalp "just wants it removed" - so I did.
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Covering call one night, I was asked to come see a teenage girl with a one week history of headache, copious diarrhea, and two days of altered mental status. Dellia was from the Jimi (a very remote valley in our catchment area), who had been admitted to a small clinic near the Jimi with a diagnosis ofTyphoid, but then inadequately treated. The beautiful 13 year girl old I found in the ER was breathing heavily, responsive only to pain, and still having diarrhea - I was very concerned for sepsis and acidemia, and I admitted her to my area of the Peds Ward with IV fluids and IV antibiotics. In the US, she would have been in the ICU, on a ventilator, getting blood gas measurements every two hours to monitor her electrolyte imbalances, and if her sepsis was bad enough, maybe ECMO (cardiopulmonary bypass). Without any of these interventions, I told her worried mother that Dellia was coming to us very late in the disease, and may not survive the night. Six hours later, I resigned my CPR efforts and left the Ward to the rising cacophony of grief - heading home to wash my face and get ready for another day.
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This is Jekeriah - he came back to me this week for review in clinic after a long admission for spinal injury (or possibly spinal TB). He's very slowly regaining the use of his legs - Praise God!
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If you have come this far, thank you.
These stories, these individuals fighting for their lives,
are important. Please continue to pray for them, for us, for this work. ~All to God's glory~
The handiwork of Nate Baranowski, who recently visited family on Station. (Find his portfolio HERE)
Her little smile lit up the room - simple, shy, and with a joyful freedom that I rarely see among my PNG patients. The tip of her slightly large tongue rested casually between her lips, as though she always had a funny thought in mind. Her parents sat quietly, reading my face for some understanding of their daughter's illness. Apart from her protruding tongue, she appeared to be a perfectly happy four year old. I opened her medical book, noting her name - Stephanie David. As usual when I welcome patients into my little clinic room, I introduced myself, shaking the parents' hands, "Welcam - mi hamamas long lookim yu", then Stephanie's, who buried her shy grin into her mother's blouse. Also a routine with kids, I then let Stephanie pick a Sesame Street sticker to put on her hand. (Many thanks to our dear friends and family for the ample sticker supply via Care Packages!)
In reviewing her parents concerns, I was immediately taken aback when they said she is in fact eight and a half year old! They said she had been a normal baby, but then they noticed she just stopped growing in her third year. Their second child, two years younger, brought to attention that Stephanie was also failing to mentally develop as she should. By the age of three, the younger daughter had surpassed Stephanie in vocabulary and social play, and within another year, surpassed her in stature. They described Stephanie as being developmentally stuck somewhere between three and four years old - sweet, simple minded, and always happy.
A closer exam of Stephanie revealed her head and tongue slightly large, the long bones of her limbs short, a waddling gait, and indeed developmentally stuck at around 3 years of age. My suspicions were confirmed when her TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) came back quite high - suggesting Stephanie suffers from Congenital Hypothyroidism.
I spent some time discussing the diagnoses with her very sweet parents, who were grateful for an answer. I explained that Congenital Hypothyroidism is not an uncommon diagnosis, occurring in 1 of 4000 live births, causing both growth retardation and developmental delay. If not diagnosed and treated early, as in Stephanie's case, the resultant intellectual disability is permanent, while growth can rebound when synthetic thyroid hormone is started. During the conversation, her parents repeatedly focused on her possibility for growth (but oddly, not her intellect), and I spent some time talking about how we would increase her hormone dose every two weeks to an appropriate level, then monitor her progress a few times annually. I didn't promise anything, but we stood Stephanie up in one corner of my room, and put a sticker on the wall, marking her height at the start of treatment.
While holding Stephanie on my lap, her head cuddled on my shoulder, I concluded the visit by reminding her parents that prayer is a powerful tool given to those with Faith, and we then prayed together for Stephanie. We gave thanks to God for having provided us a diagnosis, and asked for His divine intervention with the new medicine, that Stephanie would grow both in stature, and in the ability to know our Lord, Jesus Christ, as her own friend and Savior.
I have seen Stephanie back in clinic a couple of times to get her Synthroid dose at the right level, and I can't wait to celebrate with her parents at the next visit, placing another sticker on the wall, (I'm believing) somewhere above the first. Jesus said: "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)
...and He later said... "I tell you the Truth, if you have Faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20) Many of the diagnoses I make here in PNG are not promising - in fact, most of them assure ongoing hardship. As anyone of you reading this Blog can relate, life can be difficult in many ways. Something I say all the time here is "Yu no can worri. Worri bilong Jesus. Time yu givim Em worri bilong yu, Em i bai givim yu bigpela bel isi", which reflects two verses:
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the Peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 6:3-34
"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you.
Do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself."
Wherever you are in life, I encourage you, my readers, to give your worries to Jesus. He died for you, to carry your burdens of sin, failure, and heartache. You were never meant to walk in this World on your own, but by Faith, in His Love, to !Rejoice! in His Peace at every moment, regardless of what trial threatens to burden you. Alive in His Grace, Ted
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A few Picture Updates:
Prayer Night at our Place!
Uncle Bill helping me transplant the first veggies
Happy New Year! I believe God has GREAT things in store for us! For me, today feels like the last day of the Holidays – the Christmas tree is down, the nativity figures have been put away, and tomorrow I’ll be going back to normal work hours at the hospital (we’ve had the clinic closed for a few days over the last two weeks). In addition, today Rachel and I started our annual 21 day Fast, a wonderful time of dedicating the New Year to God and prayerfully seeking His direction for this year – in both our personal walk and among the Kudjip Nazarene Body, in our missionary work here, and for the road beyond this year in PNG. (If you have followed our Blog from the beginning, you will remember an outline on this 3 week prayer and fasting in a January 2014 Post.) Being the first Sunday of the month, we gathered today with all the area’s missionaries for the “English Lotu Service”. We had a lovely potluck lunch, and then it was time for Lotu. Every month, the service is hosted by a different missionary family, and as the Lord provided an opportunity, Rachel and I had volunteered to host today. We began the service by taking up the offering – during which time I joined Andy, Jim, and Bill playing “Holy Holy Holy” as a trumpet quartet. I haven’t played much since high school, but playing the low part isn’t so hard, and all together I thought we sounded quite nice.
Rachel followed the offeratory by leading a few worship songs on guitar, which I was pleased to hear everyone enjoying loudly, and which I thought set the stage perfectly for my message. Now, I’ve spoken only a few times in front of larger groups, but something about speaking in front of seasoned missionaries, pastors, and doctors had gotten me a little nervous. My topic was “Body-building”, a closer look at how we can strengthen our membership in the Body of Christ, and a subject with which Rachel and I had grown intimately familiar while leading a Young Adult ministry in Richmond, Virginia. As such, the moment I began to speak, God settled my heart, and I thought the message turned out OK.
(If you would like to read my message notes,CLICK HERE.)
To conclude the message, I invited everyone to join Rachel and me in our 21 day Fast, turning our focus on Christ for this New Year. Additionally, I encouraged them to join us reading through a Romans daily devotional, and to meet weekly at our house to share how the Lord is leading. My hope is that in our corporate study of the Word, daily prayerful fasting, and regular meeting as a Body, we will each receive new Direction and Wisdom from our Lord, and be strengthened as a Body for the work He has set before us here in the Highlands of PNG.
If you too would like to join Rachel and me for 3 weeks of fixing our focus on Christ, please find theRomans Devotional HERE, and we would LOVE to hear how God is challenging you.
All our Love, Ted & Rach
Colossians 3:12-17
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all these virtues put on Love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly
as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom,
Kudjip Nazarene Hospital, Papua New Guinea: The global emphasis for missions in January is “Volunteerism.” Volunteering is just one way to offer your life in service to others. This month we are honoring a very special lady who offered her life to God for Kingdom service in her home country of Papua New Guinea.
Cathy Mia was born on April 12, 1956, in Waramis, a remote village deep in the western Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). From an early age, Cathy attended a Church of the Nazarene under the ministry of pioneer missionary William Bromley. She did not attend school because at that time, there were no schools in that area of the Highlands.
Nazarene Mission Station, Jimi Valley, near where pioneer Missionary William Bromley gave his life in service and is buried. (photo credit Jeff Meyers)
In 1973, Dr. Irwin invited Cathy to Kudjip Mission station, where she assisted in the care of the Irwins’ son, Walter. While on the mission station, missionaries Ruth Irwin and Mona White, worked with Cathy, teaching her how to read and write.
One day Dr. Irwin asked Cathy if she was interested in nursing. He invited her to the hospital and introduced her to one of the nurses. As time progressed, Cathy began to sense a call to nursing. Knowing this, the Irwins paid Cathy’s school fee and she began the nurses training program.
Cathy continued to study English with Ruth Irwin while pursuing her nurses training. In 1975, through God’s strength and provision, Cathy completed her training and followed her calling as a nurse, serving with Nazarene Health Ministries. Even more special, this was also the year that Cathy was baptized.
Entrance to the Nazarene Hospital, Kudjip, Papua New Guinea.
“Several years ago we did a staff appreciation,” explained Dr. Scott Dooley, Nazarene Hospital Administrator. “We gave a bronze medal for those serving 10 years, a silver for those serving 15 years, and gold for those serving 20 years or more. Of course, these weren’t real gold, just a way to honor our staff and say thank you for their service. The day after the celebration, Cathy came to my office in tears. She said, ‘I never expected a gold reward this side of heaven.’ In the same way, her retirement party the end of 2014 was a real testimony to a life of faithful service. She shared about the impact of those early missionaries when she was young, asking her to join the Community Health Worker Program, when she didn’t even know how to read. But they believed in her and helped her believe in what God wanted to do in and through her.”
Cathy has honored that initial investment with a lifetime of service with Nazarene Health Ministries. While she may be retiring from nursing, she assures us that this is just a transition, as she plans on continuing to minister to her family and local church in the Banz Jiwaka Province.
The Papua New Guinea Team and Asia-Pacific Region honor Cathy Mia. Well done, good and faithful servant![Submitted by: White Kintak & Scott Dooley]
Home to over 40% of the world's population, 30% of the global land mass, and more than 7,105 languages, the Asia-Pacific Region is the definition of "diverse."
NTC Brisbane is embarking on a challenging and exciting journey to bring educational resources to those who might otherwise never have access.
Their new pilot program "CALD" will soon be available in Fiji with more countries planned for the future.
Check out this innovative solution to meeting the educational needs of pastors and leaders on the Asia-Pacific Region.
Nazarene Theological College, Brisbane, Australia:Nazarene Theological College, Brisbane (NTC), is embarking on a challenging and very exciting journey to bring educational resources to individuals spread across the diverse Asia-Pacific Region!
The “CALD” (Cultural and Linguistic Diverse) program is directed towards non-Western cultures outside of Australia and New Zealand. Students from these areas often struggle with an inability to access quality resources, and costs which are far too high for their context.
The CALD program is being developed with a genuine respect for, and equitable accommodation of, cultural and linguistic diversity. It offers qualifying students the opportunity to study for an accredited bachelor degree in their home country at a reduced financial cost, with the classes and assessment requirements reflecting their specific cultural setting.
We believe that this will enable students from across the Asia-Pacific Region to gain an Australian accredited degree that will better prepare them for ministry and service in their own context, and presents the possibility of further study at masters and doctoral levels.
The CALD program is offered entirely online and is being piloted in the nation of Fiji at this time. It is hoped that in the future, it will be available for additional countries around the Region.
Rev. Roland Hearn, Director of the CALD Program.
NTC has just appointed Rev. Roland Hearn as the new CALD Director. He will be working to further develop the program in the weeks and months ahead.
Would you like more information about NTC Brisbane and/or the CALD Program? If so, complete the short form below.
Eugenio Duarte, General Superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene
Some people declare their preparedness to break ties of commitment by issuing or requesting a letter of release. However, no matter how cordial, sincere, and proper it sounds, a request for release can be refused.
In much the same way, the Bible shows how one can be bound to sin. It alerts us that the evil one is never willing to release his captives, but it also tells us that our enemy has no power to grant the freedom we need. Some people try to gain this freedom by following the law of the Lord and relying on its power. The Word says that the power of this law is good enough to give instruction, clarification, and guidance to the true and only source of power that releases us from sin.
However, the freedom we desire requires far greater power than simply what we find in the knowledge of right and wrong and even in the knowledge of where to find the power that releases us from sin. We cannot attain this “releasing power” on our own, but God helps us see our need and makes it possible for us to be free and live in the abundance of His “mercy, peace, and love” (Jude 2).
The Apostle Paul describes the letter of release that breaks the ties of sin:
“For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were through the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that wherein we were held; so that we serve in newness of the spirit, and not in oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:5–6, ASV).
As the new year begins and new events feel relevant and pressing, consider your commitment to herald the gift of God’s freedom to all. You may be entering 2015 with justified suspicion about life’s upcoming surprises. A story was recently shared in the media. As part of a so-called “Uplift Someone” campaign “to make the world a better place,” traffic police pulled drivers over not to issue them a ticket or a warning and not to arrest them, but to give them gifts.
Do you feel “pulled over” at the beginning of the new year, not knowing what to expect? Journeying in our sinful world can be arduous. Be encouraged to press on, released, free from the law, dead to sin, renewed in the Spirit, helpful to fellow journeyers, and leading the way as an agent of God to proclaim the gift of His freedom.[Eugénio R. Duarte, Board of General Superintendents]
This newsletter is a ministry of your Asia-Pacific Regional Communications Office. Please submit questions or comments to: Regional Communications Coordinator
Connie Aebischer - Editor - Around the Region News
World Mission Communications Asia-Pacific
Ortigas Avenue Extension
Taytay, Rizal, Philippines
Around the Region is released each week on Saturday. If you have news to share, please forward to our office by Friday at noon (PHT).
In the north of Myanmar, about 22 driving hours away from Yangon (Rangoon), the gate city Kalemyo opens the way to the Chin Tribe, truly a birthplace of Burmese Christianity. Because Kalemyo is close to this tribe, it has become a city of mega churches of various denominations. On one particular day, as I travelled the ridge that leads to Kalemyo, God led me to Nine Mile Church (NMC).
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