AsiaStories

Many men and women in rural areas in East Asia have few options for income. Ted Wong* is committed to using business and entrepreneurship to teach believers in rural areas how they can support themselves and their ministries. His vision is to provide rural farmers with a cash crop. This could provide an additional source of income as well as allow more time for ministry. Zhe Wang Hu* and Jia Liang* are two of the men Wong works with.

Jia Liang* shoulders a heavy load for a 29-year-old. Because he was the first to come to faith in his village, he is looked to as the leader of their house church. He balances leading this church with raising a family and farming the rice, soybeans, yams and coffee that sustain his extended family.

When David and Regan York heard music in their living room in the middle of the night, they discovered an instrument playing on its own. The couple used traditional instruments to connect with local Southeast Asian culture and create opportunities to share their faith, but they didn’t expect spirits to inhabit their means of ministry. Once they prayed over the instrument, it stopped playing, proving God’s power in the spirit world. The local villagers, however, didn’t see it that way.

As I spent days immersed in Chinese New Year symbolisms in Hong Kong, one stands out above the rest — food, or more specifically the dinner table. Sitting around the dinner table with family, for me, is a symbol of the importance of relationship — which is the point of this whole journey. Understanding my own culture has been the guide, but in the end, relationships are what matter the most.

The Chinese New Year countdown begins with the beating of a drum, followed by the crowd racing to the altar to receive the very first blessing of the year. T.Y. Po watched and thought about his own blessings that day — sharing Christ with his extended family. Find out more at AsiaStories.

This Chinese New Years trip hasn’t been easy. But it’s been a journey that is giving me new perspective on me my role in my own family. Whether it’s a kind word or simply listening to them share their stories, things are simple. I’m also discovering the needs in Hong Kong. Join in me praying for this city and it’s people.

Looking for some basic information about Chinese New Year? Look no further! Here’s a primer and some “downloadables” to get you started.

Despite the hustle and bustle, there’s a special feel to the air. The normally dark, muted Hong Kong is painted to life with splashes of red and gold everywhere you look. It’s Chinese New Year, a time for family. Today, T.Y. Po gets to know his Aunt Keun and takes a crucial step toward bridging the gap between a first-generation American and his Chinese heritage.

Chinese New Year is a time of festivity, but also a time of pagan worship. Pray for Chinese Christians and for people to come to Christ. Read more on AsiaStories.

It’s Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one. And like these American holidays, Chinese New Year is all about family — it’s a time to reconnect with loved ones. This year, T.Y Po, a Chinese-American, is joining the traveling masses to celebrate the holiday with his aunts, uncles and cousins in Hong Kong and inviting AsiaStories to come along for the four-day celebration.

Join Po on this journey through temples, the wishing tree and much more by viewing daily posts on AsiaStories.

The AsiaStories coverage of Chinese New Year begins January 20th, 2012.

The men and women who work in this massage parlor had never heard about the true meaning of Christmas. Christmases for these men and women weren’t filled with advent calendars, gingerbread men and presents. There weren’t any links in paper chains to rip off to show how many days were left until Christmas.

In India, the devadasi (day-vah-dah-see) system, a Hindu practice of temple prostitution, has existed for more than 5,000 years. In the state of Karnataka in southern India, starving families dedicate hundreds of girls each year to the goddess Yellamma. The children are forced to begin a life of prostitution at age 11 or 12.

Yada Chaipetch* and Maliwan Wongsurin* are prisoners at a Juvenile Detention Center in Thailand. Because they have little education and few job skills, they are at-risk for trafficking and prostitution upon their release from prison. These are their stories.

Nicole Dell and her friends from America never pictured themselves singing Karaoke in a Thai bar, but they threw caution to the wind when they realized it was the easiest way to have uninterrupted conversations with the bar’s sex workers.

Kathleen Jones* visits India’s brothels five days a week to share Christ’s love with the women working here. She is 69 years old and has been working in the red light districts of India for over three years. With four children, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren at home in the United States, coming to India was not an easy decision, but Jones says she knew it was what God called her to do.

The young Chinese woman steps from a back room into the soft, pink light of a small brothel. She adjusts her short dress and black stockings. A middle-aged Chinese man follows a few steps behind, handing her the equivalent of $60 U.S. Transactions like this happen every day in brothels throughout China, a Christian worker says. By praying and sharing, she hopes to bring the Gospel to China’s commercially exploited women.

It’s been an eventful year in Asia. From Japan’s tsunami to making Christmas ornaments in Thailand, AsiaStories has taken you there to experience how God is working among His people. Take a glance through our 10 most popular stories of the year. Then, cast a vote for your AsiaStories 2011 favorites. We want your opinion!

Yupha Hanuman came to Thai Country Trim eight years ago as a widow looking for work. Like most Thais, Hanuman was a Buddhist. When her daughter caught dengue fever, Hanuman’s Christian coworkers covered her in prayer. God healed her daughter and at a Christmas party Hanuman chose to believe the message behind the ornaments she made.

Christmas isn’t celebrated in Ponpit Sayom’s home with ornament-laden Christmas trees, cookies or carolers, but she prays that one day her family will listen to the story represented in the ornaments she makes.