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The Horn. South Asia Pat and Dianne H Raleigh Springs Baptist Church Memphis, TN It is best to make all contact through the home church. Pat H. Home Church: Raleigh Springs Baptist Church 5322 Banbury Street Memphis, TN 38135 (901)386-9701 (Note - please send your monthly support to: Raleigh Springs Baptist Church PO Box 34788, Bartlett, TN 38184. Be sure and include a note that the support is for Pat H. Also, if the support is designated for any particular matter, be sure that is also written in a note or on the check.) Pastor: Jack Duplechain Email: jvdup1@hotmail.com Web site: raleighspringsbaptistchurch.org	June 23, 2008 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord, Greetings in the worthy name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! He alone is worthy of all our praise, blessing, worship, and honour! May He alone be glorified by our lives! I want to remind you that when you support me, you are supporting a missionary who believes a team of Christians should labor together for the cause of God and truth. In fact, I see those laboring in prayer and financial support for me as part of a team God has put together to see the gospel spread into various parts of S. E. Asia. Also, God has provided some good men in India with whom I labor. I mention some of them from time to time. This is also a team of co-laborers and together, we are able to do much more than if I were working alone. When I first entered the ministry it was not long before I faced a cross-road. I saw that either I could have a ministry equal to my few abilities or I could have a ministry equal to the combined abilities of several. If I wanted the ministry to grow beyond my meager abilities, I learned that I would need to train others, encourage them, and allow them to do the many things necessary for the work of God to expand. I have carried that same truth with me to the mission field. I am not content with that which my abilities alone might accomplish. I want to see my God glorified much more than that! Thus, I have poured myself into the lives of others who now have similar burdens and desires. As a team, we are able to do much more than if I worked alone. Now, I can write in terms of "we" when I write about those things happening in India and South East Asia. I believe this to be the New Testament pattern set forth in the ministry of the apostle Paul in his first, second, and third missionary journeys. A few weeks ago I wrote about an opportunity we had in T..... to preach in two villages which had never heard the gospel. We count that as one of the greatest blessings our God has allowed in our ministry thus far. In fact, we can think of no greater privilege than to have the opportunity to preach the gospel in areas where it has hitherto not been preached. One of the newly organized churches in T...... was instrumental in brother S.... having an opportunity to preach in one of the villages. Through the ministry of that church (15 members strong) brother S.... was invited to preach the gospel on Monday, May 27. When brother S..... and the brethren from the church arrived, they found more than 50 Hindus and Animists sitting and waiting for them. The report from the field is that those 50 or more people sat quietly and "soaked in" the word of God. Our brethren left there rejoicing. Please pray with us that we would not only have the opportunity to preach the gospel but that our God would give His word good success and we would see many more churches raised up in this very difficult field. While we are rejoicing in the opportunities our God has afforded us, yet we are also grieving over the constant resistance we are facing from all sides. Both professing Christians and Communists are causing many hardships for us. Please pray that we might joyfully face whatever our God might allow to come our way while we carry on our responsibility to preach to every creature. The professors of religion and the Communist party have announced their determination to stamp out true and undefiled Christianity in T.... . The leader of the Communist party has publically said that Communism and Christianity cannot co-exist. Leaders among the professing religion have said they will do everything in their power to see that we are run out of T.... . Though these two are not working hand in hand (at least, I do not think they are), yet, their goal is the same -- destroy true Christianity before is has time to take root in T.... . In recent weeks even before I left Tripura, we faced constant resistance and lies being told about us. Despite this, I can assure you of one thing: the brethren have a renewed commitment to see the gospel spread far and wide. Please pray for those who daily face threats against their lives and property for one reason only -- as true Christians they believe the Scriptures alone are the final authority in all they believe and practice. Pray also as the brethren in G...i make plans to minister the gospel in other areas. Once a month B.... and M.. travel to a village named D..... to minister in a church there. They are also involved in training some men who are interested in the gospel ministry. We are also seeking to expand our ministry to more and more villages nearby to G.... . Pray also for N...... . Last year, we sent one man with whom we have been working into Nepal to preach in an area where we had a contact. Now a church has been organized and it is our desire to travel there next year to see that church and to consider what other work might be done there. We have several contacts from Nepal and are examining the possibility of working there some next year. The present church is located within a day's journey of the China border and some of the members of that church have relatives in China. We are excited about this as it may indicate that we will have opportunity to send someone into China in the near future. That, at least, is our desire and we are praying to that end. Contacts have also been made in B.... and M... . We are hoping to send one man to M... next year. Please pray with us over all these things. I do not often write of that which we "hope" to do, because I understand that we are all at the mercy of providence and that all we hope to do must be governed by, "If the Lord wills." Yet, at the same time, I have learned that if nothing is ever attempted -- nothing is ever accomplished. Our work is committed into the hands of our God. He may dispose of us and our work as He sees fit. He will order our steps in His way. Therefore, as we rest in providence and wait upon our God, we are fully persuaded that His will shall be done. In the last prayer letter I informed you that we needed more bibles. We placed the orders for 300 bibles and they have arrived. I want to thank the churches who provided the necessary funds to pay for this ministry expense. Thank you for your faithful support and kindness in praying for us. May our God richly bless you! Pat H May 25, 2008 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings from India! In T... , on May 15, 2008 the gospel was preached in a Hindu village. You will remember in previous prayer letters, I told you that a married woman was recently converted as a result of the evangelistic outreach of one of the Lord's churches. After several weeks of seeing her testimony, her husband asked her to bring some of her Christian friends to their home for prayer. Several of our brothers and sisters came to the village where this couple live to pray and read God's word to them. Afterwards, her husband (an unconverted Hindu) asked if the Christians could hold regular bible studies in his home. At that time, the brethren contacted S... and asked him to join them. When S..... and others arrived they found several people gathered in the home. Like Cornelius of old (Acts 10:33) he had gathered some of his family and friends to hear what God had to say through His servant. On that visit, S.... preached the first gospel message that village had ever heard! Now they have asked that he come back and preach to them on a regular basis. Time has been set for each Sunday evening for S.... and a few others to preach to them. Has God brought the gospel to that place to save His lost sheep? We think so! Please pray that the strong arm of the Lord might be fully revealed in the salvation of many souls (Isaiah 52:10, 53:1). Additionally, through the ministry of another of our churches, a village whose inhabitants are mostly Animists, have invited S.... and some of our brethren to preach the gospel to them. Thus, Lord willing, on Monday, May 26, 2008 several men will travel (mostly by foot) into a very remote area to carry God's message of grace to a people who have never heard before. Pray with me that God might give His servants grace and His message success! On May 16, 2008 S... B... Church was organized in T.... They chose that name because they said that now they have peace to worship God according to His truth. Our Lord allowed S...., B..., and others to help in the organization of this church. It was organized in an area many miles away from the Hindu village mentioned above. There is, in fact, no relationship between the two places except that they are both areas blessed of God with truth! The brethren who were organized into a church have been coming to my meetings from the beginning. Some of them have only recently been converted. Others, converted earlier, but not properly baptized, had sought out a biblical baptism. For awhile, they tried to work within the liberal Baptist church in their village. But, of course, that did not work. New wine can not be put into old wineskins without both being destroyed! (Matthew 9: 17). New wine must be put in new wineskins so that both the new wine and the new wineskin may be preserved. To my knowledge, there has never been a successful reformation in all the history of the Lord's churches. God message is clear -- come out of them and start fresh. I have preached this truth my whole ministry. Whether in America, Mexico, or India, that truth is the same. The gospel of the grace of God can never be put into an easy-believism church, a social gospel church, or a liberal gospel church without causing a split! New churches must be organized upon the foundation of the gospel of the grace of God if that gospel message will be biblically spread into the whole world. Among our churches in T... and A... , this principle is understood. They also understand that God has entrusted them with His gospel and they must be responsible to carry it as far and as wide as God may allow. Pray as their vision of what God can do through His churches slowly increases. Right now the work of God in T... is in the hands of three men ? S...., M... , and B.... All three are co-laboring closely with me and share a common zeal for truth and for the glory of God. Pray for them. Under their tutelage there are several young men who are growing and increasing in wisdom and knowledge by the goodness of our God. It will not be long before some of the churches have pastors. Please continue to pray for more laborers! From left to right - B..., S...., and M.... are pictured here. B... is laboring with me in A..... and in T.... S.... is preaching and teaching among the churches in T.... His boldness and evangelistic zeal is unmatched. M... has been helping us with the school. He is also a doctor and has helped us in our efforts to do good to those who are physically ill in the villages. Before I close this prayer letter, I would like to mention one need. We are in need of more bibles for distribution throughout South Asia. We purchased some last year but only a few of those remain. We need to purchase 300 bibles ? 200 English KJV and 100 Bengali. The Bengali will be used in our ministry in T..., A... , and in W.... B.. . The cost of the 300 bibles will be about $1,000.00. Please pray with me about this need. D... and I are thankful to our God for all of you and count you as co-laborers together with us in the harvest field of our God. May our God grant us all grace to remain faithful! The Lord bless and keep you all! Pat H May 11, 2008 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the worthy name of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ This prayer letter is the second of several which will update you concerning the work of our God in T..... As you know, D.... and I spent the month of April in T.... in a remote village about three hours from the capitol city of A.... . The name of that village is J... and R.. B.. Church was organized there last year. It is where S.... and his wife T.... are living. In my last prayer letter, I wrote, "There is still much work to be done to establish the churches and their leaders upon good doctrinal ground. Yet, at the same time, there is a growing zeal among the churches to see the gospel go forth into areas where there are no churches of any kind." I wanted to expand upon that statement, "there is a growing zeal among the churches to see the gospel go forth into areas where there are no churches of any kind," by telling you of a few accounts that have taken place among the Lord's churches. About two weeks after we had been in T.... one of the young men who is a member of the R... B... Church went to the market for his family and to pick up a few things for us. While in the market area, he met a young man still associated with the T.... (TBCU). That young man had just returned from N... where he had spent three years in a bible school run by the N... B... . He had been sent there so they could prepare him for the gospel ministry. He is now working as an "evangelist" for TBCU. There is a prevalent thinking among professing Christians in N. E. India that a man can be prepared for the gospel ministry by education. The call of God into the ministry, the equipping of God with gifts and graces, and the preparation of God by serving in the local church are not understood and are completely ignored, especially among those who call themselves Baptists. I am not opposed to formal education. I even encourage it on occasion. However, I am persuaded that it does not equip a man for the gospel ministry. Only God can do that! That which a man needs to carry on the work of God cannot be learned from a book or a professor. God must impart it! While in the market area with the TBCU evangelist some Hindus asked both men what was necessary to become a Christian. The TBCU evangelist told them that the first thing necessary was that they should be baptized and then join a church and learn about Christianity. The young man from our group told the Hindus that the TBCU message was unbiblical and then proceeded to quote the Scriptures concerning repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. When faced with the Scriptures, the TBCU evangelist told the crowd that it was time for him to go home and prepare his food. He left without saying another word. After he left, our brother, who is only about a year old in the Lord, but who has attended all of the teaching sessions for more than a year, continued to preach to the Hindus gathered around him. They raised a question concerning idolatry saying that they considered the Christians to be hypocritical because they accuse the Hindus of idolatry while at the same time allow pictures of "Jesus" and the crucifix. Our brother told them that they were correct but that true Christians who understood their bible would never have such things. He then told them that those Christians who believe the Scriptures do not have pictures of "Jesus" or a crucifix because God forbids all forms of idolatry. They were amazed at his teaching and asked him more questions. He spent most of his time in the market place preaching the gospel to them and then invited them to a weekend conference we were having. When he returned to J... , he shared his testimony of God's open door with us. As he spoke with his broken English, telling me what he had said and what God had done, I was amazed at the truth he understood. God had taught him His word! He was using what he knew to help others. Several weeks back, I wrote you about a Hindu couple who had been converted through the ministry of one of our Lord's churches in K.... . That couple immediately began to reach out to their family and the sister of the wife has been converted. Her husband is now asking for a bible study to be held in their home. It is several hours away from the church so there is talk that, if God begins to move in that area, another church might be raised up. Pray for the spread of the gospel throughout T...., N. E. India, and S. E. Asia. Finally, I want to share one more example of the effects of the gospel in the hearts of God's people in T..... When we first went to T...., we met a man who had been crippled by a farming accident. He was living alone and eaking out a living by occasionally getting a small job for which he was paid daily wages (now about $2.00 per day). His testimony was that he was a Christian but I knew that he did not know much. However, he attended our meetings and God began to teach him and to work in his heart. He began to understand more and more of God's truth and to have a burden for a small group of families who lived up on a hill not too far from him. They were illiterate and unconverted. He could read. He was a Christian. And, he knew a little of God's word. So he began to visit them and began reading the Scriptures to them. Now he has a weekly meeting with four families who gather together to listen to him read from God's word. Who knows what God might do with such a humble beginning? D.... and I are continually humbled and made to rejoice before our God as we see Him reaching down and using one after another of His children in this place. They live in a land where Christians are considered the least of the least. But God is using them to reach His lost sheep. They are often driven from their homes and are under constant scrutiny by the communist government of T...., but they are faithful to their God. The world is not worthy of them! Please pray for your brothers and sisters in this place! D.... and I thank each of you for all your help. Please keep praying for us. We are in much need and only our God can provide what we need to carry on His work! The Lord bless and keep you all, Pat H May 8, 2008 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the worthy name of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! This prayer letter will serve as the first of several which will update you concerning the work of our God in South Asia. Since I last wrote, D.... and I have spent our time in South Asia in a remote village on the edge of a vast jungle about three hours from the capitol city of A... . The name of that village is J... . S.... and his wife Tarabala live there. R.... Ba.. Ch... was organized there last year. It is in J.... that we hope to set up a base of operation in the state of South Asia. J... is remote but it did not take long for word to get out that the "Engrish" had come to the village. For some in this village area we were the first white people they had ever seen. The curiosity common to Indian people moved some to come to where we were staying so that they might "sit" with us. In a previous prayer letter I told you that to "sit" in South Asia means that we gather around, sitting on stools or on the ground, to talk one to another. One Friday night, six Hindu visitors, two men and four women, came to where we were. They walked three miles in the late afternoon to "sit" with us. They are worshippers of the Hindu god Krishna. Their particular sect requires that they wear the color pink. One man had on a pink towel wrapped around his waist and no shirt. Each woman wore a pink wrap around skirt and a pink breast cloth. They were bare footed. One man walked with a bamboo walking stick since his leg had been broken and had not properly healed. We spoke for a few minutes concerning how D...... and I arrived in India and how far America was from where they lived. We also spoke of their village and their farming. They asked whether or not we liked their food and commented that we might be having trouble with our stomachs with the change of diet. We told them how much we loved this place and their food. Finally during one moment of quiet, I asked if it might be alright with them that I ask them some questions concerning their religion and share with them some things concerning Christianity. As you know, I am here on a tourist visa. It is against Indian law for me to preach the gospel publically. But, if I am asked to speak, I am free to do so. Thus, I usually ask permission before seeking to engage a group of Hindus regarding the gospel. Also, in this culture, it is considered politeness. Asking allows me to obey India's law and also allows me the means to function respecting their culture. This may offend some of you, especially those of you who believe, as I do, that we do not need anyone's permission to preach the gospel since we are sent by God to do so. But, it has opened many doors for me to speak to those who would otherwise give me no hearing and it often leaves doors open for me to speak more at later dates. The man, who was the leader of this sect in his area, agreed that we could talk together about these things. That was God's open door for me to speak! He began by saying that it was his opinion that we worshipped the same god and that the only difference was that we were doing it in a different manner. Many Hindus believe that. It is also their way of fending off any potential conflict. I responded by asking him, "If we worship the same god, why does that god allow so many different ways or paths for us to get back to him? Why did he not make only one path for us all to return to him?" That led to a discussion for the need for a final authority since men have many opinions as to how to reach god. Also, since men had sinned (he fully agreed to that truth) they do not know what to do to please the true God, thus only He could be the author of the instructions concerning the way back to Him. For almost an hour, I reasoned with them concerning the necessity of a final authority with God as its source, the creation of man in a perfect state, the fall of man into sin, the sinfulness of man and his inability to reach unto God's high and holy standard, and the need for a substitute to bear God's judgment in our place. I then told them that according to God's word (the Christian?s final authority) Jesus Christ was the only one who could bring us back into a peaceful relationship with God. He is God's way of forgiveness and the only way of returning to God. As we sat and talked, he had many questions. The other man and the four women sat quietly and listened. From time to time I would look around at the people God had sent for me to speak to. They were simple village people but they were souls in need of a Saviour. Our meeting ended with his promise that we would speak again of this. I asked him if I could visit him in his village. He commented that it might be too far for me to walk. I told him that I would gladly walk to his village to see him and to "sit" with him again. He agreed that I could come and said that he had other questions that he wanted me to answer. They walked away into the darkness of the night as I prayed that our God might allow us one more time to "sit" together and that He might yet open their eyes to know the truth concerning Jesus Christ. After they left, S...., who had been interpreting for me the whole time, told me that there were two things that greatly affected this man. The first was that there was the need for one final authority and that it had to be God who gave it. This raised questions in his mind concerning the writings he was following. The other was that all men are sinners and cannot, by their own efforts, reach God. This struck a blow at his religion since it requires him to do good works in order to be accepted in the after life. It is my hope that one day S.... and I can walk to this man's home. Please pray for South Asia. It has a population of Christians which is less than one-half of one percent. More than ninety-nine percent of South Asia's population is Animist (spirit worshippers), Hindu, or Muslim. There is still much work to be done to establish the churches and their leaders upon good doctrinal ground. Yet, at the same time, there is a growing zeal among the churches to see the gospel go forth into areas where there are no churches of any kind. South Asia has thousands of villages where there is no Christian influence of any kind. The work is a hard one, but not an impossible one. There is nothing too hard for our God! The more I labor here the more I see the hand of God! We are simply co-laborers in the kingdom of our God. As we seek first the Kingdom of God -- He is opening doors and providing what we need to accomplish His will in this place. D.... and I thank each of you for all your help. Please keep praying for us. We are in much need of the blessings of our God! The Lord bless and keep you all, Pat H April 6, 2008 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings from South Asia! Lord willing, D... and I will travel to T.... early this week and will be out of touch with the modern world for a short time. Some of our brethren have been working diligently to provide us with a suitable place to live while we are among them. The village where we labored last year has rejected the gospel therefore we had to move (Matthew 10:14). Our God has provided another place and we are excited about our upcoming visit. Other brethren from several of the small, but growing, churches are also making plans for our coming. We expect that several of them will meet us at the airport so that they might be able to escort us along the two and a half to three hour trip to our village destination. In February, T.... held state wide elections and the Communist Party won a significant victory. They now control the state with a majority in all areas of government. As we all consider the task of taking the gospel into the whole world, let us think of all the different political situations that presently exist. Doing this will help us to consider Paul's exhortation in I Timothy 2: 1 - 2 in a more serious way. I Timothy 2: 1- 2 -- "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." In the end, neither governments nor political groups can keep our God from accomplishing His will in the salvation of His elect. It is that truth that keeps us moving forward and faithful to the message of the gospel of the grace of God. One of the things I am regularly teaching is the need for the churches to understand their place in the kingdom of God regarding the spread of the gospel among the many people groups where they live. A husband and wife have recently embraced Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour and who, after their public baptism, were added to one of the churches in K... D.... in T..... This couple's religious background was Hinduism. After his baptism our brother and his wife were received into the membership of one of the Lord's churches in K... district. The joy on his face speaks volumes and needs no further comment. The salvation of this couple was directly related to the ministry of one of the local churches. It had nothing to do with my meetings or with the ministry of brother S.... who is working closely with me in T..... This is what I am looking for in our work South Asia. For a missionary, there is no greater testimony of God working than to see the continuing work of God in His churches in the spread of the gospel within the area in which the church ministers. This was Paul's testimony regarding the local church at Thessalonica. I Thessalonians 1: 6 - 8 -- "And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing." Pray for the churches so that they will reach into the communities in which they minister and beyond. Those who live in the communities among the churches are animist, Hindu, or Muslim. I firmly believe that our God will use His churches to reach those for whom Christ has died. Let us pray that we might see God glorified in His churches by the salvation of many souls. On the other hand, in Assam there is a young Hindu man who has been attending one of the churches for some time and has requested baptism. However, he does not want his family to know about it. My counsel has been that he should not be baptized since he is not showing biblical evidence of true salvation (Matthew 10:32 - 39). He is not able to give a credible testimony before the church or before his family. It is better to wait. If he truly belongs to the Lord, our God will not lose him. The brethren at Faith Baptist Church, one of our churches in Guwahati, are growing in the grace of our God. They were organized at the end of 2006. My ministry among them in the last few weeks is yielding fruit for which I am thankful to our God. As we all know, we can do nothing without our God (John 15:4 - 5) and any fruit borne in the lives of those to whom we minister is owed solely to our God (Philippians 1:11 and James 1:17) who is merciful toward His children. Finally, thank you all for your kindness toward D... and me. We know we have received great mercies from our God through His servants while at the same time we sense deep within ourselves that we do not deserve even the least of His mercies. We are often overwhelmed with the sense of His presence with us. This only serves to humble us even more as we know and understand that "... in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing..." (Romans 7: 18). Please keep praying for us. We are the least of His servants and need the most of His grace. The Lord bless and keep you all, Pat H South Asia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the worthy name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He has declared that He is Truth (John 14: 6). To know Him is to know truth. Without the knowledge of the Son of God there can be no knowledge of truth. Facts may be gained easily - even religious facts. But, truth comes through the knowledge of the true God. The work in India is progressing well. I returned here knowing that there was a need to set some things in order in A... before traveling to T..... Some error was present in the churches in Guwahati and it needed attention. Today, I can report that much of it has been corrected and that, through regular bible studies and direct preaching, God is using His word to change the minds and hearts of the brethren. I desire to continue the bible studies, as God gives strength, until we leave for T.... sometime around the first of April. Pray for brother S... and his wife T.... . I have written before that she is ill on a regular basis. Yet, still she supports her husband in his work and remains uncomplaining in all they face. The brethren in T.... are seeking to provide us with a temporary home. With that, they are also working to provide us a source of drinking water and an outdoor toilet and bath house. Their heart is to do all they can for the missionary God has sent them. They sent word by B... that they are seeking to follow I Corinthians 9:7 ? 11 in providing us a temporary home and some food from their gardens and fields. We are rejoicing as we see our God teaching them their responsibility to support the work of God and not to rely upon American dollars for that. Though, at this time, we are still helping a little, yet I see the day coming when they will take up the full responsibility for the work of God in T.... and beyond. Still, I believe we should consider building something more permanent as a base of operation in T...., but for now it looks like we have a place to stay and from which we can labor. As you think of us, pray for those who are in need of Jesus Christ. The work of spreading the gospel is a great one. No where, in my opinion, is the need greater than in South Asia. May our God touch many hearts and send many of His servants to this part of the world. I will close this prayer letter with this thought from a missionary that was martyred a few years ago. That missionary wrote the following before going home to be with the Lord: The missionary heart: Cares more than some think is wise Risks more that some think is safe Dreams more than some think is practical Expects more than some think is possible For those who are contemplating the work of missions, consider this as you make your final decisions. Prayer Requests: The school in T.... now has 22 students and is progressing well. We are sending out monthly booklets to about 500 people in South Asia through our printing ministry. The mailing list is growing each month. We need literature translated into H..., B.., A.., K..., and other languages. We have an invitation to preach in D.... . We have an invitation to visit N.... where one of the men with whom we work has just organized a church. These people also have contact with some in Ti..... . The men who are being raised up are in need of much prayer as they seek to take their place in the churches as leaders. J.. and J.... S.... are traveling home and have much work to do there before they plan to return some time in May. The Lord bless you and keep you all, Pat H March 8, 2008 South Asia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Please join D.... and me in praising our God for His goodness and faithfulness toward us. He has allowed us to return to India! Even up to the day we left, I was still not feeling well. Yet, I was determined to get back to South Asia. I knew that for about a week our God was slowly allowing D.... and me to get better. I assumed that He was doing so, so we could get back to our work in South Asia. We arrived safely this afternoon in the city of G... in the state of A.... . We will stay here for a couple of weeks while things calm down in T.... after the recent elections. In the mean time, I have been asked to spend my time teaching and training men. I will be working with B... and Michael in that effort. We also need to set up some technical things to make communication with the States better as well as work on streamlining some things relating to the literature ministry. After that, Lord willing, we will travel to T.... and take up the work there. D.... and I are tired after the long trip over here. We will probably go to bed early tonight. I have been asked to preach twice tomorrow morning. I do not feel ready yet , but feel certain that I will be by the time services start tomorrow. It looks like things will begin with a bang. I some ways that is exactly the way I like it. Please pray for us. Lord willing, I will write more later. We are in need of our God's help if the work here is to move forward. No man can move the work of God forward. Only our God can do that! So, we call upon Him and wait to see what He will do. May He be glorified to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing which we cannot contain! The Lord bless you all! Pat H January 23, 2008 South Asia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the worthy name of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. During the last six weeks D.... and I have traveled to churches to testify of the work of God in India and South Asia. We have traveled to churches in Texas,Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, and Florida. We still have two weekends to be in churches in Texas before we go back to our field of labor. In the mean time, I have also kept in touch with the brethren in South Asia. The conference held by B... and S.... went well. But, the work continues to be met with much resistance from those who profess to be Christian but who love religious tradition more than the truth of God's word. At this time, the strongest resistance to the spread of the gospel is coming from those who are nominal Christians. Please pray for the work of God to prosper and move forward. In my last prayer letter I wrote of the emphasis I have upon teaching and training men and churches in the truth of God. It has been the focus of my ministry. By God's grace I trust it will remain so. The following is an excerpt from a letter I received from one of the men with whom I am working. He wrote: "It is our humble request to the people of God there, may you continue to uphold us in your sincere prayer for us and for our people for the grace of God for their salvation, for the chosen one may be set free from the bondages of the darkness. As we read in Romans, that they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, (Romans 1:21 said) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to B...ds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (24) Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: And (Mark 7:13) Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Hosea said-(Hosea 4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Sir, I am so thankful to you and to God because God has granted His grace to understand His Holy words now we are beginning to understand the true meaning of the word of God. Please pray that God may grant more His grace to be more equipped in His words, wisdom, and knowledge for the glory of God." He also wrote that B..., who is laboring in South Asia in my absence "... has requested brethrens to uphold him in prayer and the believers there in T..., because the enemies are too strong and trying to destroy the work of God there. Persecutions did not stop rather it is increasing day by day seems. By this, we understand how much we need the hands of God upon His people and us, those who are striving for the truth. Sometimes their lives seem to be only in the hands of God, none that we can really trust upon beside our faithful Lord Jesus Christ. It recalls us the earlier apostles how they struggle for the truth and martyred. We are seems to be in that stage where people are beginning to deny the true word of God rather they delights in following the false doctrines. We have much challenges a head of us, looking forward towards our goals to achieve in Jesus Christ who has entrusted us His great commission to carry on. Let us continue to uphold in prayer one another in Lord Jesus Christ." I trust this excerpt encourages you as well as challenges you to keep the work of God in South Asia in your constant prayers. D.... and I have been ill and fatigued from our travels. However, our God has sustained us day by day. We are also in need of much prayer as we make all the necessary preparations to leave in mid-February. Upon our return we plan to labor in remote areas. That means you may not receive regular prayer letters from me after mid-February. PLEASE PRAY FOR US! Pray for the necessary funds for transportation to and from India as well as within India. Pray that I might have more grace to teach and train men in the gospel ministry. Pray that we might have wisdom to carry on the academic and medical aspects of our ministry. Pray that we might have wisdom to carry on and expand the printing ministry. Pray that we might have wisdom as we face those religious men who, by lies and deception, are seeking to destroy the work of God. They can cause much confusion, heart-ache, and many hindrances. Pray that we might have much grace to stand firm in the face of real dangers which exist in the areas where we labor. Pray for your brothers and sisters in N. E. India and South Asia who, in the face of seemingly insurmountable circumstances, continue on day by day in order to see the gospel spread into areas where Christ has not been preached. Pray for B..., John, Michael, and S.... my companions in the gospel ministry. Pray for those who live in the States and who co-laborer together with D.... and me as helpers together in the work of our God in South Asia. The Lord bless you and keep you all! Pat H October 25, 2007 South Asia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the worthy name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is the One who has instructed His churches to teach those who are converted under their ministries "to observe all things" He has commanded. (Matthew 28: 20) D... and I were in T... October 12th - 24th. I took this trip for three reasons. First, there we had a continuing problem with one of the leaders of one church which needed attention. It was resolved and the action taken was biblical. Also, we had planned a Bible Conference which all 17 churches agreed to attend. They asked me to teach on the subject of The Biblical Family. More than 100 people gathered to hear God's word preached from Friday evening to Sunday evening. The response was a true blessing. I am fully persuaded that the spirituality of the Lord's church is equal to the spirituality of her members. Strong families will lead to strong churches! I watched as God used His word to change marital relationships within days. Often after a message husbands and wives would get together to pray and commit themselves to follow the Scriptures which had just been taught. I was amazed as I watched what took place. In all preaching, there are those who rebel. We had a few of those. But, our God was working in the majority of those who attended and I am persuaded that fruit will be seen in many families. One man gave a testimony in his church. He told them that he had privately confessed to his wife that he had not been a good Christian husband. He confessed his sin to his wife and sought her forgiveness. On Monday as we were having lunch with that church, I noticed that both of them were smiling! If you knew their situation, you would be jumping up and down with joy right now. Brethren, God did a remarkable thing in that marriage. I also went to T... to sort out some issues concerning the school and the clinic. In America we have the benefit of schools that teach our children in their own language. We have access to medical help that exceeds any other nation in the world. We have a government that is controlled by law and a military that respects its populace. These things are not true in T... . T... is a communist state. It is controlled by the Bengali people who establish government schools that teach in the Bengali language. The indigenous peoples of T... speak Kokborok. After learning in Bengali, many cannot get a decent job unless they also speak English. There are high priced Roman Catholic schools that teach English but the poor T...i cannot attend. Others do not want to send their children to them because of rampant drugs and immorality. In addition, in the last few years, in the regions where the T... live, the Army has closed down most of the schools to occupy them for their quarters. This situation leaves the T... people without much hope of any education for their children. Thus, I went to T... with a heavy, but prayerful heart, seeking the Lord's will concerning what to do about a school for those with whom He is allowing me to minister. On Sunday night (October 21st) 43 men gathered with me in the church building at P... to listen to me explain why it might not be possible to continue the school. We sat together in a circle on the floor (their custom) and spoke one to another on this matter. I asked them to keep praying with me for a week or two and to ask the Lord to help us to come to some greater understanding of His will. I reminded them that though it seemed that we might not be able to continue, yet, it was possible that our God was leading in some other way. We all prayed together and went to bed after midnight. Before I left for T..., I wrote and said, "... does the lack of financial support always mean a closed door? Not according to Scripture ... (the missionary) should spend some time ... to better know the mind of God ... Is the Lord saying that he has someone else to do the work? ... A missionary must always be willing to examine himself and his ministry..." I am reminding you of this so that you know the context in which I was praying. By Monday afternoon, I discovered that there were men from various churches praying together and discussing the school. Word came to me that they wanted to speak to me about their ideas. As I gathered with groups from one church and another, my heart rejoiced to hear them say that they were considering whether or not God might have their churches do something to keep the school. None of them have the means by themselves to carry on such a ministry. They are young. They are immature. They are poor. But they thought if several or perhaps all the churches joined efforts, they might be able to do something. My heart rejoiced! I have been teaching that independent Baptist churches must learn to trust their Lord in all things and not look to Unions, Conventions, Para-church ministries, or American missionaries to do things for them. I taught them that I was there to help but not to do what God intended them to do with His help. I taught that since God established their churches, He intended to use them and that if He was for them, no one could be against them. I spent time teaching them that to accomplish things in the kingdom of God their religious traditions must be put away and they needed to think in fresh and biblical ways. I shared experiences I had with the churches God allowed me to pastor and warned them not to determine their vision of ministry by the balance they carried in their church accounts. I thought my teaching and encouragement was taking root but that it might take a long time for them to understand what it was to walk by faith and not by sight. But, as He often does, my God gloriously surprised me with how He was working in the hearts of the churches. One church said they thought they might be able to support one teacher -- another said the same. Two others agreed together to help support another teacher. Several of the poorer churches said they would support one or two poor students. Other men committed to return to their churches to share with them what God was doing and ask them to consider this situation. They will vote as a church body as to whether or not God would have them be involved in this school. They all know that it is the only English language school in all of T... which will be run by independent Baptists. They also know that it is truly the only hope they have for any education for their children. Many other areas of concern were worked out and they asked if I would be able to be a counselor for them to help them to do something they never before in their lives thought they could do. I told them that I would stand by them. I also told them that there are some in the States who would be with them and that though at this time, there might not be much we could do financially yet we would stand by them praying for them. During this trip, I also spoke to Dr. R... . Before I arrived, he was already thinking that he needed to do his medical work through his local church and that his local church needed to carry the same burden as he did for the medical needs of the people. I agreed with him. We discussed it with his church and then I assured them that some of the churches in the States might be willing to help with the purchase of medicines or a few pieces of equipment. Again, I rejoiced, as I saw my God giving light where once there was no light. We will not build a building for a clinic at this time. We simply do not have the money for that. Instead, R... and his wife will start on a much smaller scale. They will see patients in the church building or a residence or some other structure. We will use what the Lord provides to help with some medicine and some equipment and do what we can with whatever our God provides. Brethren, I saw a growth in understanding during those thirteen days that was remarkable. It seemed that all of a sudden a light came on as they began to understand what I had been teaching for over a year. I am still rejoicing before my God for His goodness to His people. Please continue to pray for us. There is still much that needs to be set in order. There is still much teaching that needs to be done. But, our God has shown Himself mighty in behalf of His own in T.... I hope to return to T... before I leave for the States. Please pray that our labors there will bear much more fruit. In addition to these things, it seems our God may be laying His hand upon several men. There are three T... men with whom I now labor on a regular basis. But, coming up behind them very quickly is a small group of men who show by their life, their questions, the care of their churches, and their burden for souls, that God has put something in their hearts they cannot resist. I am persuaded that within a short time we will see them raised up to care for the churches and to carry the gospel forth into T... and the surrounding areas. To help the churches grow we asked them to choose a few men from their membership who desire to teach and preach and who show by their life that they care for the church. The churches responded. Those men participate in a weekly teaching session. Each week the men meet and are taught by brother S... . They are being taught systematically through our doctrinal statement. They then return to their churches and teach what they have learned. From this, we are seeing good results. Please pray for S... , the men, and the churches. One final thing: We now have three men committed to translation work. Next month they will begin translating material from English into Kokborok. As soon as we have the first translation we will print it and distribute it among the churches in T.... Thank you all for all your prayers. We are in constant need of them. Please continue to pray for God?s work in T.... Pray about helping a little with a few things regarding the school and pray specifically about helping with the purchase of some medicine and some medical equipment for Dr. R... . I have taught them to use whatever God gives them and wait upon the Lord to provide more. If they are faithful in little, our God will provide them more. The Lord bless you all! Pat H September 30, 2007 South Asia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the name of the only wise God -- He makes no mistake and does all things well! We visited T... this week. The Lord blessed our efforts. It was necessary to set some things in order there before we could continue upon our present course of ministry. We can now return with a heart free from this particular burden and move forward in our work there. On a previous visit to T..., I was carrying a bucket of water to take a bath and one of the brothers asked me to let him take it for me. I told him that I was able to do it. He then told me something that taught me a huge lesson. He said, "We cannot give you a love gift for coming to teach us. We can never repay you for your labors here. But, we can cook for you. We can wash your clothes for you. We can heat your bath water and carry it for you. Let us do what we can." He was right. That response caused me to once again reflect upon the question, "What is it to serve the Lord?" Is it only teaching and preaching ? pastoring and missionary work? Are only the male Christians with the ability to teach, evangelize, preach, and go to the mission field, serving the Lord? Are only the female Christians with the ability to teach other women or who teach children, serving? While I was pastor at Community Baptist Church in Elmendorf, Texas I taught the congregation that those serving in the nursery were an essential part of our overall ministry. They were providing a service that allowed visitors and regular members to hear the gospel preached without being interrupted by a crying baby. As a result, those who served the Lord in the nursery would receive the same reward as the preacher, if not a greater reward. At least that is my understanding of what our Lord taught in Matthew 10: 41- 42, Matthew 25: 34-40, and Hebrews 6:10 and 13:16. I am afraid we often view serving in a way that is not biblical. Today, in South Asia, women are vying for the gospel pulpit in many Convention or Union Baptist churches. In fact, in most Baptist churches in South Asia, there is one Sunday per month that is designated for women to take the services and lead the congregations. Many of them do so because they have been taught by their religious leaders that it is proper to do so. Often when they learn of I Corinthians 14:34 and I Timothy 2:12, they immediately stop. Many ideas of serving the Lord are fostered by those who have a clergy/laity mentality. But, true Baptists believe in the priesthood of all believers and in individual soul accountability before the Lord. Thus, we teach all Christians that their service to our God is based upon what He has said in His word. Their reward is based upon their obedience to what the Scriptures teach and not their religious traditions. When I first went into the ministry, I told that first congregation and every congregation subsequent to it that my wife's first responsibility was to be a wife to her husband and her second responsibility is to be a mother to the children God gave us. Recently, D... and I were talking to a pastor's wife. She was talking about her desire for ministry and telling us several things she desired to do. She then asked us our counsel. I told her that her first responsibility was to her husband and their home. He is in the ministry and therefore in a battle and it was her duty to make sure that their home was a place that was clean, peaceful, and comfortable for him. I then counseled her that she was responsible to care for the children God had given them. She was to see to their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs in her husband's absence. They were to be taught manners and to respect their father. They were to be taught respect for God's word and God's house. Finally, I told her that if after her first duties, she had a few minutes left, she might think, with her husband's counsel, of something else that she might be able to do. I then suggested she read Proverbs 31 and see that the woman whose price is far above rubies was a woman whose life was filled with domestic responsibilities. She was amazed that I did not mention playing the piano, singing specials, teaching women's groups, or any social activity. I believe that the churches in South Asia will never be more spiritual than the homes represented in the membership of those churches. As a missionary, I need to focus on the whole problem in South Asia. The whole problem in South Asia is that there is not a well-rounded Christianity that has its foundation solidly laid upon the Word of God. There is so much need for evangelism here that most everything else relating to Christianity is relegated to another day. In the end, South Asia is left the way she has always been - with a weak form of Christianity - an easy believism gospel - and churches that do whatever they think is right in their own eyes. We want to change that but we know that we cannot change men. Only our God can do that! Pray for us as we seek to preach and teach the whole counsel of God. Pray also that the Lord will empower His word to accomplish His will among His people. Prayer Requests: Travel: Please continue to pray for the necessary funds for all the travel expenses. Lord willing, we will travel to T... again on October 12. We also have invitations to travel to a number of areas in A... Printing Ministry: As you know, we are sending literature into South Asia and Africa. We now have permission to print and distribute a number of books and booklets. We will need to purchase a new printer and a few other things in the near future. Pray for the necessary funds to expand this ministry. English Schools: Lord willing, we will begin to build a building to house a school in T... once we return in the middle of October. Pray for the necessary funds for this project. Medical Clinic: Pray for Dr. R and his wife C. We hope to open a health center some time in October. Laborers: Pray for the men whose hearts seem to be set upon the gospel ministry and with whom we labor and share a common burden to see Christ exalted in all of South Asia. Pray for more laborers (both from the U S and from South Asia) whose hearts are fixed upon Jesus Christ and who are willing to lose their lives for Him and His gospel. Pray for our friend and co-laborer John S and his wife J as they seek, by the help of our God, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in South Asia. Open Doors: Pray for open doors in all of South Asia - in the nations of South Asia. Protection: We have been informed of a number of threats against us. The brethren here do what they can to watch out for us and we are taking special steps to be more careful. In the end, our God is our Shield, and He controls all things that come into our life. Pray with us for our continued protection. The Lord bless you all for your kindness toward us. We thank our God for you all! Pat H September 15, 2007 South Asia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the worthy name of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Previously I mentioned to you that I would take the next two letters to more fully inform you of the school and clinic (now called health center for legal reasons). On Wednesday, you received my prayer letter regarding the need for schools and specifically a school building in T... . Today I want to highlight the need for medical care in the area where we labor. I am hoping you will take the time both to read this letter and to pray for these burdens. After this prayer letter is sent, I will once again return to reporting the things our God is doing in relation to the organizing of His churches. That work continues to move forward with progress being made in A.. and T... . I will be reporting on those things as soon as I am able. But for now let us consider the medical needs of the poor among whom we labor. I have known of the poor physical condition of the village peoples since coming to South Asia in 1990. I have heard stories and seen first hand what dysentery, pneumonia, jaundice, and other preventable illnesses can do. I have seen the effects of infections left to progress and the disabling effects of broken bones not properly set. Since coming to A..., even D and I have suffered from a variety of tropical sicknesses which are common here and which have had a weakening effect upon our bodies. Once we came to labor more permanently we have seen even more. I have been in gospel meetings where, after the meeting, the sick line up and ask for prayer for whatever illness they have because they have no means to go to a doctor and they hope our God can help them. I believe our God can break in and change the rules that govern His universe and intervene in a miraculous way to heal. I have seen Him do so with my own eyes. But, on the whole, He usually uses the means of a doctor or medicines to accomplish that end. It is with that in mind that I think we are finally in the position to do something to help with the medical needs of the poor in at least one place where we labor. While most of the world speaks about complicated diseases like heart diseases, cancers, and diabetes, the remote village people are suffering from various simple and easily preventable illnesses such as diarrhea, dysentery, malnutrition, tropical fevers, and pneumonia. These, along with TB, malaria, and typhoid are common among the people with whom we labor. For many years these diseases, especially malaria and dysentery, have been the main cause of death in remote villages. This is particularly true in the villages where the indigenous Tripuri people live. The area where we work is very far from good medical care. It is, as one man put it, "a very interior place." The people are poor and for the most part cannot afford the taxi fare into the city to seek help from a doctor who, in the end, they cannot pay. So, they simply suffer with whatever afflicts them. In the various medical camps we have held, we have come across people who have been sick for so long that the damage caused by the sickness cannot be repaired. All that can be done for them is to seek to heal the sickness and instruct them on how to live with their present situation. Our hope and desire is that we might establish a medical health center in one of the more prominent villages where we labor so that we might be able to help as many as possible with their medical needs. For those of you who may be questioning the validity of such a ministry please consider how often our Lord healed the sick during His earthly ministry. Even in the healing of the ten lepers only one showed any evidence of true conversion. Yet, still He healed men of their diseases. We are fully aware that to heal the body, while the soul remains perishing is of little value, but, it does demonstrate Christian compassion to a people who know nothing of the true and living God. We understand the primary need of every sinner is the healing of the soul through the mercies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, we must do what we can to help them while we wait upon our God to do what only He can do to save them. The Jehovah Rapha Health Center In previous prayer letters I have introduced Dr. Ra to you as the man with whom we are working in this area of medical care. Some of you know that he has a job where he works for two weeks and then is off for two weeks. Since his baptism and addition to the Lord's church, he has spent his two weeks off holding mini-medical camps in various areas. The money for these came from his personal salary with a little from a few of the newly organized churches in the area. Dr. Ra is married and he and his wife now have a small baby boy who is less than a year old. He presently lives in A..., the capitol city of T... . He and his wife are burdened for the health and spiritual needs of the indigenous T... people who live in the interior villages. They are both willing to make the sacrifice to move from the comfort and safety of the city to the village in order to help the people who live there. Brethren, do not underestimate what that kind of sacrifice will mean for them. If he remains employed, he makes a very nice salary. He holds a good position and is well respected in the medical community and he and his wife live in comfortable quarters in the city. He does not need to make such sacrifices. But, he and his wife desire to do so because of their love for the Lord Jesus Christ and their love for sinners. Please pray for them. During the time that I was in the States, he held four different medical camps. On one occasion there was an outbreak of malaria in the area resulting in the death of three people. But, in the providence of God, Dr. Ra's two weeks off fell during that same time as this outbreak. He and his wife, who is a nurse, and one of the teachers in our small school who has nursing training, spent countless hours treating hundreds of patients. According to several testimonies, a number of lives were saved during that time. Whenever Dr. Ra is in the village, word gets out that he is there, and people travel from long distances in hopes of seeing him. They even come from a nearby town an hour away where, if they desired, they could get help from the Communist health system. But, their own testimony is that Dr. Ra's care is much better than that of the government. Brethren, we are persuaded that if he were free to work full time he would be swamped with patients from remote areas who have little or no access to medical help. Dr. Ra is able to purchase medicine at his doctor's rate but the amount he is able to legally purchase is small because he does not have the proper license to purchase medicines. We have been praying for a pharmacist or another doctor who has the right license to get more medicines and I think our God has already provided for that. During our stay in the States, B... came into contact with a man who is a doctor in G... but who is originally from T.... B... began holding Bible studies with him thinking he was a professing Christian, but, as it turned out, he was not. God began to convict this doctor of his sin and now he confesses that he is a Christian and evidences it by his zeal to follow God's word. He will finish his schooling in G.. this month and then do a six month internship as a Pathologist in A... . This man has the proper license and is willing to help us in the purchase of medicines. Last year a vacant building was offered for us to use as a health center. That offer is now no longer valid. So, we desire to build a two room building to house what we will call Jehovah Rapha Health Center. That building and a small home for Dr. Ra and his wife will need to be constructed. The buildings will look similar to the pictures below. These are the same pictures I showed you concerning the construction of a school building. They simply show you what we are willing to do to get started. This is a three room bamboo building with a dirt floor. A building like this, with a few windows, can serve as a home until we are able to build something more substantial. This construction with the tin on the bottom is a bit more permanent than simple bamboo which will rot or be eaten by termites in 2 or 3 years. This kind of construction might last up to ten years with proper repairs made at appropriate times. This exposed tin roof is too hot in the summer so a bamboo ceiling will be installed to help keep the building a little cooler. Please pray for the needed funds to establish the health center as effectively as possible. Besides the cost of the buildings, we will incur some cost for medical equipment. I have a list of equipment that ranges from a thermometer to a van which can be used in visits to remote villages and to take emergency cases to the hospital in Agartala two hours away. But, as we speak of these things among ourselves and as we have given ourselves to prayer concerning them, we feel we must be committed to start with whatever amount our God provides for us and do all we can with that. Our heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask and we are wholly at His mercy to move upon the hearts of His children to help us. Please pray that we might be able to equip the health center with as many good tools as possible. Dr. Ra's contract with his present employer is over at the end of September. He does not want to sign a new contract and commit himself to yet another year of working with them. He wants to be free to work full time in the villages. To do that, he is willing to make many sacrifices but we will need to provide him and a few helpers a salary until the health center can become self-supporting. Please pray with me about this need, too. I know that in the last two weeks you have been faced with requests to pray for many financial needs in the work here. I also know that you are sometimes inundated with these kinds of requests. My hope is that you might simply pray for us asking our God to burden the heart of His children to give so that we might be able to show more of the compassion of Jesus Christ in this dark corner of the world. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. May the Lord grant us all great grace and great mercy as we seek to serve Him in each of our specific places! We greatly appreciate you all! Pat H September 12, 2007 South Asia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the worthy name of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This prayer letter is larger than most primarily because it has so many photos associated with it. As you know, we are able to function upon our field of labor as God's people at home carry a burden for the work here and commit to sacrificially give for the cause of God in missions. It is my desire, to set forth before you some of the needs we are facing and at the same time my hope is that this prayer letter will not add too much to the already heavy burdens many of you are carrying. In the next few letters, I will take time to more clearly set before you the needs we have relating to the schools and to the medical clinic. This letter relates to the private English school. I have been mentioning the need for a school building to be built before the end of this year in T... so I thought I would take this prayer letter to give you something of a history of our involvement in schools here and to share with you that which we are planning at this stage. For now, we will call the school a private English school. We are doing this for three reasons: 1) it is private and not public, 2) the classes are taught in English and not in Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, or some tribal language, 3) though many of the things of Christianity will be taught to the children, yet we will not publicly put anything in the school name that refers to Christianity. We are seeking to help to establish these schools in various villages where the poor or neglected are located. The population of these villages is primarily Hindu. Remember that the population of true and biblical Christianity in this country is probably between .50 to 1 percent. Even though the people are poor, we will be charging a small tuition. I am persuaded that all men should be responsible in some measure to pay their own way. Christian charity does not seek to cause the poor to be more dependent but it seeks to do what it can to raise them up and out of their poverty. It seeks to make the poor responsible, in some measure, for their own life. In the Old Testament, the poor were cared for by allowing them to glean the fields. If they wanted to eat, they had to work. We will take that same approach. If they want a better education for their children, they can help (at least in some small measure) provide for that education. In addition, we will seek to include the newly formed churches in helping with this work. Eventually, it is our hope that the churches can carry on in this work. We, in no way, want to establish schools that will require many thousands of US dollars, a large staff to oversee, or the construction of huge buildings that will cost many thousands of US dollars. What I am hoping for is that in a few years, the churches and concerned Christians in this country will take this burden upon themselves and carry on. However, we are not at that point yet, so even though we will charge a minimal tuition and we will seek to enlist the help of as many Christians as we can, we know this will not cover our costs. For now, we need some outside help. Some History: When JSyt and I came here in 2005 we were immediately faced with the fact that thousands of children had no access to any form of education. Most of these lived in the villages. They were either too far from any school or were too poor to cover the cost of school uniforms, supplies, and transportation to get to school. In addition, most of them by the time they were 9 or 10 years old were already helping their parents earn a little more money for the care of the family. It is in villages like this that we hope to start private English schools to help those who cannot get any form of education. So, we determined to do what we could to help in some measure. JSyt and I personally covered the cost to start in K... B..., an interior village near to G... B... . In this village, there was a vacated bamboo building which had previously been used by an agency for education. But, it had not been in use for more than two years. We started with that and now there are two schools, one in K... and one in G... . This is a bamboo building with a dirt floor and a tin roof where J and I started the first school. These are pictures of the interior of the school building. The Lord has only recently opened a door of opportunity for us in T... . As a result, we want to develop the commitment of the Christians in every area of their lives. We want to start in a simple way and help them care for "little things" (Luke 19: 17) and "few things" (Matthew 25: 21) while we wait upon our God to entrust to them bigger things. Thus, it is our desire to start with bamboo buildings like the ones above.(see update letter above - 9-15-07) This kind of construction will last about 3 years and if we are careful, perhaps a little longer and will not cost as much as concrete construction. It is in a small village in T... that we have the need to build a building that will hold 100 or more students. Parents are literally standing in line and waiting for us to allow their children into school this coming February 2008. We have already started cutting wood for this project and we have started clearing and leveling the land. We must start construction on the building by the middle of October to finish in time for the next school year. As a result, I need to hear from you as soon as possible so that I might know how to proceed. I believe we can start with dirt floors and bamboo walls and slowly, over a period of 2 or 3 years, put cement floors in and cement walls. Bamboo construction will last about 3 years between the rain and the termites destroy it. This will be a small, but good beginning. Please give prayerful consideration to all that I have presented to you in this letter. If you have any questions you may feel free to contact Jack Duplechain or me at the email addresses below. We, both, greatly appreciate your prayers on behalf of this ministry as well as your faithful financial support. I am constantly reminding those with whom we labor here that we have a number of co-laborers in the States which make what we are doing here possible. D and I pray for you often. The brethren here pray for you, too. Prayer Requests relating to the Schools: Pray for the needed funds to build some bamboo buildings and to provide a small salary for the teachers until the schools become self-sufficient. Pray for the needed teachers. They need to speak English, have a Christian testimony, and be willing to make the sacrifice of living in a village situation. Pray for the needed leadership for the school. We need principals who have integrity and compassion. Pray for those involved to undertake this project with a long term commitment of heart. The Lord bless you all for your kindness toward us. We greatly appreciate you all! The Lord bless you, Pat H September 9, 2007 South Asia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Now that we are back, the work before us is mounting up. We are faced with the decision of where to work and for how long. There are simply too many places and too many people in need. Please pray for us that we might have the wisdom to do only what is the perfect will of our God. As you are prying for this, pray that our Lord may increase the burden of His churches so that men may surrender to His will to go into the whole world. The need for laborers in South Asia is immense. (Matthew 9: 37 - 38) John is leaving on September 12th. In the mean time, we will be spending our time teaching and training the men who are gathering around us in G.... Through John's ministry among several men in A... contacts have been made in areas all over A... . There are now contacts in W... B... , the B... border area touching A... , the B... border area touching A.. and in various other areas in A... . The same kind of situation exists in A... as in T.... Ignorance of God's word abounds. Professing Christians are doing what is right in their own eyes. Their leaders are not equipped in God's word. And, Para-church organizations have established their "churches" as ministries under their ministry. All these errors and the resulting sin that flows from them cause me much burden and grief. But, line upon line and precept upon precept, we will set forth God's word as the remedy. As we go into different areas with the biblical gospel message of repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ, God is saving souls. Our message of biblical baptism is facing others with the truth that their baptisms are not biblical. Then the messages concerning the local church reveals that their churches are not true and biblical churches. All this, under the good hand of God, has resulted in some coming to the knowledge of the truth of Scriptures and seeking to make the necessary changes. Pray for the more than twenty different ethnic groups in A.... We are praying that we might be able to reach into each one. There are some who have only the tiniest numbers of professing Christians. We hope doors might be given us to reach into unreached peoples as well as those with whom we already have some input. May our God be glorified in ALL the nations! Prayer Requests: Travel: Please continue to pray for the necessary funds for all the travel expenses. We spent over $3,000.00 to get here and will spend more as we travel to T... and other parts of South Asia. Printing Ministry: As you know, we are sending literature into South Asia and now in Africa. I read some of the letters that were sent during my last absence and was tremendously blessed with the impact good and biblical literature is having here. Private English schools in T...: We need to build a building to house the school in T... before the end of this year. Pray for the provision of this need. Medical Clinic: Pray for Dr. Ra and his wife Christina. He has held four medical camps in my absence. We hope to open a medical clinic some time in October. Laborers: Pray for the men whose hearts seem to be set upon the gospel ministry and with whom we labor and share a common burden to see Christ exalted in all of South Asia. Pray for more laborers whose heart is fixed upon Jesus Christ and who are willing to lose their lives for Him and His gospel. Pray for our friend and co-laborer J. Syt and his wife J. as they seek, by the help of our God, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in South Asia. Pray for our friend J. D as he labors to spread the gospel in South Asia. Pray also for his wife Komuni and her sister Mary. Please pray for our friends Andres and Rhonda Galaviz who labor in Mexico as missionaries. Rhonda told us that her mother's kidneys are failing and she will die soon. Please pray for Rhonda that our God might uphold her and give her needed grace. Open Doors: Pray for open doors in all of South Asia. Pray for open doors in nations of South Asia. The Lord bless you all for your kindness toward us. We greatly appreciate you all! Pat H April 22, 2007 South Asia I greet you in the name of the One who has said that He will build His church (Matthew 16:18). For a missionary, this is a great promise. It is one filled with hope and anticipation. The one who loved us before the foundation of the world, purchased us at Calvary, quickened us by His Spirit with His word, and called us into the gospel ministry, has also told us that we will be successful in our efforts to establish churches! In addition, our Lord and Saviour told His churches that He would be with them even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28: 20). What comfort and strength can be drawn from such promises as these! Last week I wrote you and said, "Word has come to me that other churches have been organized under much persecution while others are requesting that they come and help them. As of this report I do not have the exact number confirmed so I will wait until next time to give you that update." This week, I can report some specifics concerning the continuing work of our God in T.... Friday (April 20) Anil, B..., and S.... came to G... to bring me a report concerning all that our God had done with them (Acts 14: 27) since I left T.... They have been very busy with each day starting early in the morning and finishing late at night. The results have revealed the blessings of our God. Below is a list of nine churches that have been organized in the last three weeks. Each church has a similar testimony. Each church was organized with professing believers in Jesus Christ who testified of their repentance toward God and their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 1: 15 and Acts 20: 21). Some have been Christians for some time but only now have understood the doctrine of believer's baptism. Others are new converts. If you read my last two reports you know the history of what our God has been doing there. Please pray for each of these churches. Thus far there are only two ordained pastors. However, God seems to be raising up a few men whose burden is to preach and teach His word. These were already involved in working in their different localities. They have attended my previous teaching sessions and our God seems to be burning His truth into their hearts. Please pray for Khairokjak (grace shown or grace revealed) Baptist Church, P . Originally, this group was called P Baptist Church when it was in the Baptist Union. This church was the first church to be organized. The new church chose the name Khairokjak (grace shown/revealed) Baptist Church, P based upon Acts 11: 23. This church was originally organized on March 26, 2007 with four members. However, before the end of that week more came forth and testified of God's work in their hearts. Presently she has 48 members. Brother Anil is her pastor. Pray also for Rhema Baptist Church, Jiten. Originally this group was called Jiten Baptist Church when it was in the Baptist Union. This was the second Baptist church that was organized while I remained in T.... This church chose her new name - Rhema Baptist Church, Jiten - from Matthew 4: 4. Rhema Baptist Church was initially organized on March 29, 2007 with 14 members. Presently she has 19 members with many others visiting. Brother S.... is her pastor. Pray for Twikwthang (Living Water) Baptist Church, Sumanta. Originally this group was called Sumanta Baptist Church when they were in the Baptist Union. This church was formed by a small group who came out of the Union organized church. They took their new name, Twikwthang (Living Water) Baptist Church, Sumanta from John 7: 38. Initially she was organized on April 6, 2007 with 4 members. But over the course of the last two weeks others were added. Presently she has 26 members with others visiting. This church has no pastor but three men are helping to lead them. Their names are Sachin, Sudhir and Nire. Please pray for Holong Kwthang (Living Stones) Baptist Church, Sipai Hour. The members of this church were originally part of a group called Sipai Hour Baptist Church when they were in the Baptist Union. This church was organized by a small group who came out from the Union organized church. Holong Kwthang (Living Stones) Baptist Church, Sipai Hour took her name from I Peter 2: 5. The church was initially organized on April 10, 2007 with 5 members. She has no pastor but two men are helping to lead. Their names are Tarun and Molen. Pray for Tulashikhak Baptist Church. This was the original name of the Union church in this location (village) and when the new church was organized she kept this name. This Church was recently organized with 4 members. A few more are expected to join very soon. Confusion over the issue of biblical baptism and its association with true salvation was part of the issue facing this group. Many in the Union organized church would not accept the Scriptures on these doctrines. The few who followed the truth of Scriptures were biblically baptized and formed the new church on April 14, 2007. They have no pastor but two men are helping to lead them. Their names are Achinta and Shyam. I know Achinta and he is a very good man. I have good hopes for him if our God continues His work in his life. Please pray for Chandranath Baptist Church. This was the original name of the Baptist Union church in this location and when the new church was organized she kept this name. Chandranath Baptist Church was organized with 13 members on 15th April, 2007. Many others are visiting. They have no pastor but three men are helping to lead them. Their names are Dilip, Hiron, and Suranjoy. Pray also for Bottali Baptist Church. This was the original name of the Baptist Union church in this place and when the new church was organized she kept this name. Again, the issues of biblical repentance, faith, salvation, baptism, as well as other issues were defining doctrines in this place. Many decided to remain in the Union while others came to know about true salvation and biblical baptism. After a full day of teaching, preaching, and obedience to our Lord's command to be baptized, this church was organized late in the evening of April 15, 2007 with 7 members. They have no pastor but have three men who are helping to lead. Their names are Biswajit, Paritosh, and Sukhen. Pray for Phiokjak (Liberty) Baptist Church, Mudilanga. Originally this group was called Mudilanga Baptist Church when it was in the Baptist Union. This group was originally made up of members from two specific villages - Mudibari and Langapura. The Langapura party refused to follow the Scriptures when the new church was being organized. The Mudibari people followed Christ and His word and formed the church. They called her Phiokjak (Liberty) Baptist Church, Mudilanga from II Corinthians 3: 17. The church was organized on 16th April, 2007 with 18 members. She has no pastor but has three men who are helping to lead. Their names are Tarun, Bikash, and Alento. Please pray for Twimuk (Springs of Water) Baptist Church, Twisaranchak. Originally, this group was called Twisaranchak Baptist Church when it was in the Union. The members of this church came out of the Union organized church over the issue of the independency of Baptist churches, biblical salvation, and biblical baptism. The newly organized church started with 4 biblically baptized members and took their new name, Twimuk (Springs of Water) Baptist Church, Twisaranchak from Isaiah 41: 18. She was organized on 17th April, 2007. Others have been added since and still others are visiting. She has no pastor but now has three men who are helping her. Their names are Sachin, Shanti, and Laxman. As of April 21, 2007 there have been a total of 144 professing believers who have been biblically baptized and organized into nine independent Baptist churches. Many more are attending. Those who are attending are doing so because they desire to more fully understand the biblical doctrines of repentance, faith, salvation, and the necessity of testifying of the work of God in salvation with a biblically authorized baptism. I sought to be very careful when I was in T... to make sure that people were not baptized out of some sense or desire to please or obey an American or some sense or feeling of being forced to do something their conscience was not allowing. That is common in South Asia. In my absence, Anil, B..., and S.... have tried to carry on the same soberness and carefulness in examining those who are presenting themselves for baptism. In fact, some have been turned away because their testimony was not biblical. People have been shocked that we were not simply ready to receive anyone who came forward for baptism. When some were turned away, it brought a sobering effect upon the meetings. People began to understand to a greater degree that we are interested in following the Scriptural pattern and not the same old Baptist Union pattern. Anil and S.... have returned to T... and B... will remain in G..., A... so that he and I can take care of the printing and mail outs for April and perhaps May. After that, he will return to T... to help in a variety of areas. Please keep praying! Our God is working and we desire that He be glorified in all things. He has established His churches! Now He will use them in His kingdom. Pray for them. May the Lord bless you and keep you all, Pat H. March 18, 2007 South Asia Greetings in the worthy name of our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! My wife, D, and I left G... for T... on February 21 and returned on March 13. Except for a quick trip to Agartala to make some phone calls and pick up some supplies, we spent our time in the villages about two hours from the city. It was our first extended stay in a village situation in South Asia. The Lord helped us! The Lord blessed us! Each Sunday I was requested to preach in at least two village churches located in various places in the Kowhai District of T.... Each time we visited a new village I told my wife that I thought we had arrived at the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1: 8). But, the next trip took us deeper into the interior. What a blessing it was to find brethren who are committed to leaving their traditions and who are seeking to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in establishing independent and autonomous Baptist Churches in the remote areas of the world. The longer I remained in T..., the more I realized that, with few exceptions, the men with whom I was working are in need of much teaching and training. The longer I taught, the more they admitted they have so little knowledge of the word of God. Since 1978 they have been part of a Baptist Union whose ecclesiastical government is more akin to Roman Catholicism or Protestantism than it is to the biblical pattern that is observed by true Baptists. This ecclesiastical system permeates the whole of North East South Asia. These brethren know no other system of church government. Most of them are not well educated -- not in their own language and especially not in English. They do not have an accurately translated bible. Their New Testament was translated from the RSV and Today's English Version. They have very little Christian literature in their language -- nothing that would come close to what we believe to be true of salvation and the Lord's church. They do not have a bible school whose foundation is established upon "Thus saith the Lord." They do not have leaders who teach or train them from the word of God. In short, they are exposed to the lowest form of Christian experience and the highest form of ecclesiastical oversight. From the sole of the foot to the top of the head the whole system is unbiblical! As a result, among those who are church members very few are true Christians. Thus, a decision was made on this last trip to re-organize most of the churches. Following the biblical pattern, only those whose professions of faith and whose baptism is biblical will be allowed to join the churches. To re-organize these churches will take time and patience. But work has already begun on this necessary step to putting all things in order. Yet, in the midst of this ecclesiastical hodgepodge, there are a number of men whose hearts have been set on fire of God and, as a result, have strong desires to follow after the truth once it has been set before them. It is this handful of men that our God is using to stir up the state of T.... Nineteen churches have come out of the Union because of their teaching and preaching. In addition, as a result of their evangelistic zeal, a number of Hindu villages are sending word that they want someone to come and preach the gospel to them. Their zeal is unmatched. Yet there is a great need for a better understanding of the gospel and of the doctrine of the local church. Please pray as I seek to labor among them in the midst of the quickening our God has put in their hearts. Before I went to T... on February 21, I gave instructions that those who would be involved in the teaching and training sessions should take some responsibility for some of the expenses. They not only need to learn what it means to be independent and autonomous, but they also need to learn what it means to be indigenous. Thus, throughout the three weeks I labored among them, the brethren would bring us things as a token of their thankfulness and as part of their responsibility to help. One day it would be some rice or some vegetables - some beans, some potatoes, or a head of cabbage. Another day it would be a chicken or a fish or two. Then it might be a bunch of bananas or an apple or two. They did what they could! God blessed! T... is mostly illiterate. The government statistics show that about 65% of the state is literate but many are counted in that number who have simply been taught to write their names. As a result of illiteracy and other things, poverty is rampant. Among the men I was teaching, many were day laborers who earned their daily bread by working in the fields. If they do not work; they do not eat. So, their churches sent them with the promise that they would help support them while they were learning from God's word. Some of the churches were able to help them with $12 and others were able to give as much as $25 for the month of March. The men came with whatever help the churches could give. Some walked and others rode bicycles - but they came! About twenty-two men were present at our meetings. Unfortunately, of that number, only about five or six had enough understanding to comprehend some of what was taught. The others are so poorly equipped educationally that they had a difficult time understanding most things. They are coming along slowly but it will take time. So, we will start with those five or six and build from there. As I taught, we discovered that the Kokborok translation of the New Testament only agreed with the King James Version about 20% of the time. Most of the verses used in my teaching had to be re-translated as I taught. Now we know there is a need for a re-translation of their New Testament Bible as well as a good translation of the Old Testament. We hope to start on that as soon as possible. As I said before, there is little Christian literature in their language. Thus, it is my opinion that we also need to begin to teach English. When I return to the States, I will be doing some research on how best to teach English. I will be looking for a simple and easy to use program. If you know of such a program, let me know. Thus far we have spent $1070.00 for the School. For now, our monthly expenses are about $200 to keep the school open and running. We presently have thirteen students. But every day the news that an English School has been opened is reaching into other parts of T.... If we were able to do so, next year we could open our school with 100 students or more. To do so would take about $1500 per month ($15.00 per student per month). I cannot make that level of commitment based upon my present level of personal support. Perhaps some of you would begin to pray with me over this matter. Perhaps our God might put it upon the hearts of His children to help in the education of these dear people. Before December we will need to build a new school building. The donated building which we are using this year is tied up in some political situation and I want to be free of it as soon as possible. I did not know of that situation when the school began. But now I know and I have determined that we cannot continue to use the present building. We will finish this year in the donated building but will construct our own school building by the end of November or beginning of December so as to be ready for the new school year in 2008. A plot of land has been donated to us for that project. As we consider this need, we have two choices. We can either build a bamboo and tin structure for a cost of around $3,500.00 or we can build a permanent structure from bricks and cement. That will cost us between $8000 and $9000. For now, I think we will opt for the bamboo and tin structure. But keep praying with me so that I might more clearly know the mind of my God in this matter. Another issue facing us regarding the school is the education of the poor and the orphaned. Some of the students have parents who can pay a tuition fee, but many cannot. Right now there are a number of children in villages around the school that cannot attend because there are no finances in the family for that purpose. Their families exist day by day getting just enough to eat something. As I visit among them while in T..., my heart is broken over their deplorable condition. They are the product of geneRaons of ignorance and poverty. Please remember that in South Asia there are no government programs like our American welfare programs. The churches do what they can to be benevolent to the poor in their area. I would like your prayers regarding the wisdom on how to help with this need. (James 1: 5). I cannot simply say, "Be warmed and be filled" (James 2: 15 - 17). I must act upon the faith God has given me. $15.00 per child per month would educate them. We are still working on the details of the clinic. Dr. Ra and his wife are not only facing the difficult decision to leave a well paying job and move from the city to the village, but they also have some questions relating to biblical doctrine. Please continue to pray for them. D and I will be spending some time with them so that we might be able to answer their questions. I will let you know how things progress. Dr. Ra and his wife are very humble and teachable people. I believe they are true Christians but they simply do not know many things. Patience is needed. They both seem willing to learn and willing to sacrifice for what they understand of the gospel and Christ. Indeed, their zeal with so little knowledge stirs my heart. He is a good doctor and she is a good nurse. Please pray for them. For now, we hope to open the clinic by the end of March or the first week in April. Initially, we will need between $5000 and $6000 to buy medical equipment and a supply of medicines. We presently have $1,500.00 donated toward this project. Please pray with us over the remaining balance. Lord willing, D and I will return to T... on March 22 and stay until April 5. Before that, we hope to get a little rest. Upon returning to G... I will begin prepaRaons for our annual Bible Conference in A... which will be held April 10 -- 14. This year we will translate the meetings into A...ese. D and I are indebted to you for your faithful kindness toward us. Your financial help - your prayers - your burden for us and the work in South Asia provoke us to greater works for our God. Thank you! May the Lord richly bless you all and cause His face to shine upon you! Pat H. P S -- If the Lord burdens you heart to do so, please pray for Grace Baptist Church of Coleman, TX and Berean Baptist Fellowship Church of Greenwood, MI. Both of these churches are dear to my heart and neither of them have a pastor. In the last two Prayer Letters I have said a lot about a number of projects that have been upon my heart for some time now. In doing so, I do not in any way want to give the impression that these projects have taken center stage in my ministry. For me there is nothing more important than preaching the gospel, teaching and training men for the gospel ministry, and helping to organize a few of the Lord's churches. Along the way, if I can help in other areas, then I will do all I can. But these projects are completely dependent upon the Lord's people helping. If the Lord burdens the hearts of some of His children to help, then we will see these things established. If not, the gospel will still be preached, men will still be taught, and churches will still be organized. In the end, I am waiting upon the Lord. May His will be done. Feburary 20, 2007 South Asia Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the name of our compassionate Christ - The One who loves His people and bears their names in the palms of His hands! (Isaiah 49: 15 - 16) This prayer letter will be a little different from those I usually send you. In this prayer letter, I want to share with you a different aspect of the work in T.... For some time now I have been persuaded that the example of our Lord Jesus' ministry through His first church in the Gospels should be the pattern for His churches in our day. After establishing His church in the early part of His ministry (Matthew 4), the Lord Jesus Christ sent His servants - first the twelve and then the seventy - to preach the gospel. As He sent them, he also gave them instruction to be compassionate to those they met (Matthew 10). They were to be involved in what I call benevolent ministries. While they were busy preaching and teaching they were also to be involved in healing the body and feeding the poor. The Head of the church led the way by His personal example. Everywhere He went He was about His Father's business of preaching the gospel and doing good to those around Him (Acts 10:38). He involved His church in His activities and taught them to do the same (Matthew 15: 36; Matthew 25: 34 - 36). Though we do not have the apostolic power to miraculously cure the sick, yet we can do much to help them. Though we do not have the miraculous power to convert a few loaves into enough food for 5000 men to eat, yet we can do something to help the poor and hungry. Indeed the history of Baptists in our own country and abroad is one of taking compassion upon the multitudes. The other day, one of our brothers had an open door to preach the gospel as he to spoke to a group of Hindu men when one of them admitted that if it were not for the Baptist missionaries from America the A...ese peoples would no longer have their language. The first Baptist missionaries preserved the A...ese language, created a dictionary, brought in the first printing press, printed the first newspaper, established the first hospitals, and did many other things to help improve the quality of life for the people of A.... While doing those "secondary" things, they were actively involved in their "primary" work of preaching the gospel and establishing churches. After we visited P.. and the surrounding area, it was determined that there is a need for a school and a medical clinic in the area. There is no school which teaches English anywhere near the area where we are working. In fact, to get a decent education, the indigenous peoples of the area must try to get their children to Agartala which is two hours away. Many are simply too poor to do so. Thus, illiteracy and ignorance is rampant. T... is one of the most illiterate states in South Asia. The same condition exists regarding any decent medical care. Again, Agartala is the nearest place and as I said, it is two hours away. The peoples living in P and the surrounding areas are primarily the indigenous peoples of T.... Though there are a few Christians among them, the majority are Hindus and are very poor. There is a great burden upon our heart to help these people. But we cannot do it alone. We will need the help of the Lord's churches in the States. Our home church - Raleigh Springs Baptist Church - is committed to help us and our pastor - Jack Duplechain - has asked me to write you to ask you to help as the Lord burdens your heart to do so. In America, we concern ourselves with health problems like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. But, in the rural areas of T..., the Tripuri people are suffering from various simple and mostly preventable illnesses. Illnesses like diarrhea, dysentery, malaria, malnutrition, and pneumonia are killing these peoples. For many, many years, these illnesses, especially malaria and diarrhea, have been the main cause of death among the indigenous peoples of T.... Thus, last year, we laid the foundation for the establishment of a school and a medical clinic in T.... While in the States last fall, things continued to move forward so that we might see both come to fruition. This building was donated to be used temporarily for the Academy. The school opened in January while we were still in the States. A building, which was originally built by the government of T... for a school but was never used, has been temporarily donated to us. We will use it for now to keep our expenses down. We have some teachers and a commitment from a very good brother to help in overseeing what has been named Life Fountain Academy. A small vacant house was donated for the use of the medical clinic and it is being prepared right now so that we can move forward to establish a medical clinic while I am there this month and next. The clinic will be called Jehovah Rapha Medical Hospital. The clinic/hospital will begin with two beds and a supply of medicine. We hope to have enough room for five beds soon. A young doctor, who we met on our first visit to T..., has expressed a desire to be included in the teaching and training sessions this month. Dr. Ra has also committed himself and his young wife (who is a nurse) to move to P to set up the clinic. For several years he has carried a burden for this kind of work. In the providence of God, we met, and our hearts were knit together over gospel truths and the need of the poor to hear the gospel. He is very forward to speak to his patients about their spiritual need as well as their physical need. He has two great burdens. First, he desires to know the word of God better so that he might be better used to speak to others of Christ. Second, he hopes to use his abilities as a doctor to help heal the bodies of those who come to him for help. Two weeks ago Dr. Ra had organized a medical camp for the area. He and the other doctors who donated their time hoped to see about 300 patients in four days. Dr, Ra, his wife, and new born baby - he was born the end of December. Instead, they saw over 500. People came from every district in T... to get help. The response was so great that one hospital has committed to help with the purchase of some medical equipment. As soon as I know the extent of their commitment, I will have a better idea of our expenses this year. Please pray for the needed expenses for these projects for this year. Finally, it is my sincere desire to see that both these projects become self-supporting as soon as it is feasible. That will be accomplished, Lord willing, by a number of other projects which are being planned to provide income for the school and clinic. I will write more on this later. Be assured that it is our goal to be self-supported as soon as possible. We do not want to make the peoples of South Asia more dependent. Our goal is to teach them to be independent and help them to be self-supporting. Please pray with me about this. As you pray for the spread of the gospel in South Asia, please pray for these two projects, too. For now, they will only succeed if we get help from our brothers and sisters in Christ. If you have any questions, you may feel free to contact me or my pastor. He is being kept informed as to the progress of things. If the Lord burdens your heart for this kind of benevolent work you may send your gifts to the same address where my missionary support is sent -- PO Box 34788, Bartlett, TN 38184. Please designate the support for which ever project is a burden upon your heart or simply mark it for benevolence and we will use it where it is most needed. These projects are just two of several other things we are doing. We are also very busy with printing and distributing literature. We are presently working on printing three books for distribution to the pastors, missionaries, and others who have a desire to learn God's word. I will write more in future prayer letters concerning our hopes for the expansion of the printing ministry. In addition, we are beginning to work with some local men to establish a number of Bible studies in 100% Hindu villages where some contacts have been made. As the gospel goes into previously unreached areas, we are praying that we might see some churches develop. Please pray with us. Finally, after I am through teaching and training in T..., my wife and I will return to G...for a short rest. After that, Lord willing, we will hold a five day training conference in G... the first part of April. There are several young men from various areas who have expressed an interest in being taught. At least two of them are working in Bangladesh. Brethren, we need your prayers! Please pray specifically for my wife, D. We both came to South Asia with little strength. She remains very tired and in need of much prayer. The work in South Asia requires every ounce of strength we may gain from our God. We wrestle not against flesh and blood! Please carry our names before the Throne of Grace. We are debtors to His grace and are seeking to live day by day on the strength of our God alone. May the Lord richly bless you all, Pat H. back to top

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