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.

Faruq Jamil, a Saudi Arabian, stopped in the middle of a Southeast Asian market to listen as American teenagers worshiped outside a hostel. Before long, he began a conversation with three International World Changer students about the differences in Islam and Christianity. Soon they gave Jamil an Arabic Bible, so he could study on his own. Only two weeks prior to this meeting, missionaries had arrived with the city’s first supply of Bibles in Arabic.

When International World Changer student Haley Wathen met 10-year-old Hadi Ibrahim, her heart melted. Ibrahim lived in an orphanage with a staff that barely had time to interact with him, and therefore, he received very little affection. He also never talked. Yet, after Wathen held him and played with him, Ibrahim began to speak.

International World Changers student Jessica Newberry planned to visit Southeast Asia with her church and work with orphans. The only other Christian in the Newberry family, her mother, Jan, worked tirelessly to raise funds for her daughter’s trip. But, when Jan died in March 2011, Jessica found herself traveling to Asia without her main support system. God, however, blessed her in the midst of tragedy and used the death to begin to change the heart of her non-Christian father. Months later, she flew to Asia and let God heal her further through the grins of a disabled young woman.

International World Changers student Aaron Powell visited Southeast Asia this summer. Powell was born with a a congenital defect, a half-formed arm. For the past couple of years, Powell felt God’s calling him into the mission field and his hand had become one of his greatest witnessing tools. It opened up conversation and allowed Powell to talk to strangers about God’s glory and mercy.

When Micah Watson came to India for the first time, he never thought he’d be back, let alone recording a music video with his band here one year later.

The daunting task of sharing Jesus with 22 million people in one city haunted him so much so that for an entire year after his trip, all he could do was talk about it. He shared with his family … his friends … and even his audiences attending Micah Watson Band concerts.