June 2005
Introducing South Asia
outh Asia is a region of vast diversity, from moun¬
tains to deserts to tropical islands; sprawling urban
centers to remote villages; with more than 5,600 dis¬
tinct people groups. South Asians follow diverse religious
beliefs that include Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, tribal
animism and Christianity. South Asia, with a population
of more than 1.4 billion people — 98 percent of whom are
lost — is home to the greatest concentration of lostness on
the planet. There are 873 lost persons per square mile! To
grasp the immensity of this lost sea of people, imagine
Texas with the same concentration of lostness as South
Asia. The population would swell from 22 million people
to 234,488,673 people, all of them nonbelievers! When you
realize that more than 33,000 people die in South Asia
every day, most without Jesus, it could overwhelm the
cross-cultural missionaries whom God has called to share
the gospel in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Our vision is that the
knowledge of the glory of God would cover South Asia
as the waters cover the seas (Hab. 2:14, NIV), and our
mission is inspired by God's promise to do an amazing
work among the peoples of the earth (Hab. 1:5, NIV).
Already, Muslim converts in South Asia number more
than 500,000. The fields are ripe for harvest and God is
poised to flood these countries with His people to reap
that harvest. Will you pray with us toward reaching our
vision and fulfilling our mission?
INDIA (South Asia). Recently, a member of a Baptist
church in another country made a trip to northern India.
He writes, "What did I see? I saw that God is tilling the
ground. The people are open and interested to know more
about Him. S shared the gospel with a Hindu young man
over lunch one day, and he kept coming back to inquire
more about the Christian faith the next few nights. Al¬
though they were hungry they were afraid to 'eat' because
they feared rejection from family members." Pray that the
perfect love of God will cast out the fear in the hearts of
those in India who are seeking to follow truth. Pray that
their fear will be replaced by faith in God. Pray that more
Tiurch members will accept God's invitation to come and
see what God is doing in India.
UNITED KINGDOM (Northwest Europe). Representatives
in England ask you to thank the Lord for adding five
new people to the Thursday English-for-Speakers-of-Other-
Languages (ESOL) class. Four out of the five have been
coming to a Bible study on Wednesday evenings. Pray for
these four, who have no knowledge of the Bible or of a per¬
sonal relationship with Jesus, to be confronted with the
truth of His Word, repent and walk with Him.
3SRI LANKA (South Asia). God's people have responded
to the victims of the December 2004 tsunami with gen¬
erosity, compassion and love for all, regardless of their reli¬
gious practices. And non-Christians have noticed. They see
the hand of God in the food packets they received. They see
the love of God in the assistance given to them as they
regain their livelihoods. They want to know more when Sri
Lankan and international Christians tell them about Jesus'
death and resurrection. Those who once persecuted the Sri
Lankan church now welcome Christians into their neigh¬
borhoods. Parts of the island where no Christian presence
had ever been established are now open to the gospel. Praise
God for what He is doing in Sri Lanka! He spent years pre¬
paring His church for this moment, and now He is reaping
the harvest. Pray that Sri Lankan Christians remain faith¬
fully obedient servants of the Lord. Ask Him to amaze us
even more!
SILTI OF ETHIOPIA (SILT-tay). Eight Muslim seekers
have been asking questions. They want to hear more
about Christianity. Pray that those sharing with them will
have discernment about the reasons for their questions.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will draw these men and give
them a heart that seeks the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Pray for opportunities to speak with them individually
with the hope of bringing them together when appropriate.
Former Muslims who have come to Christ are often des¬
perately lonely and isolated; they don't want their former
lives but they also don't feel they belong in the church with
its unfamiliar traditions.
HINDU OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. The Hindu people of
the island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the Carib¬
bean region number more than 284,000. They devoutly follow
the beliefs, traditions, rituals and many gods of the ancient
religion of Hinduism brought from India to Trinidad by
their forefathers in 1845. Though there are born-again
believers among the Hindu, there has been little detectable
impact of the gospel among the Hindu as a whole for many
years. Pray that every Hindu person in Trinidad and Tobago
will hear and understand that Christianity is not just another
