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MISSIONA D V E N T I S T YOUTH AND ADULT

MAGAZINE 2008 2008QUARTER 4

N O RT H E R N A S I A - PA C I F I C D I V I S I O N

featuring:

SANA’S CALLING pg 4| A REASON TO HOPE pg 14

www.AdventistMission.org

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= stories of special interest to teens

C O N T E N T S

On the Cover: YuLee Chou, a student at Taiwan Adventist College, performs a tribal folk dance. Most Adventists in Taiwan are from tribal groups.

MONGOLIA 4 Sana’s Calling | October 4

6 Out of the Cold | October 11

8 Before I Knew Him | October 18

TAIWAN 10 Compelled by Christ | October 25

12 Someone to Believe In | November 1

14 A Reason to Hope | November 8

16 Stubborn Sabbathkeeper | November 15

JAPAN 18 Lost—And Found | November 22

20 Finding Answers in God | November 29

22 VBS Made the Difference | December 6

KOREA 24 Stepping Into the Sea | December 13

26 A Place to Call Home | December 20

RESOURCES28 Thirteenth Sabbath Program | December 27

31 Resources

36 Map

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This quarter we feature the Northern Asia-Pacific Division, which includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North and South Korea, and Taiwan. The region is home to 1.5 billion people, with an Adventist membership of almost 563,000. That’s a ratio of one Adventist for nearly every 2,700 people. Each of the featured countries faces unique challenges.

The Challenge:Japan is a modern, secular society.

More than 80 percent of the population claims no personal religion.

Only about 1.5 percent of the population claim to be Christian, and about 15,000 are Adventists. With a ratio of one Adventist for every 8,460 people, Japan is second only to North Korea as the least evangelized country in Northern Asia.

However, growth is occurring among the non-Japanese in Japan. Churches have been planted among the 450,000 ethnic Japanese from Brazil and Peru who now speak Portuguese or Spanish as their first language. Two Korean congregations and several English-speaking congregations also are thriving.

But the largest ethnic minority in Japan, the Mandarin Chinese-speaking

people, are virtually unreached. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help establish the first Chinese-language Adventist church in Tokyo, Japan.

Mongolia is a young church with about 1,200 Adventist believers. One fifth of these are college students who move to the capital city, Ulaanbaatar [OOH-lahn-BAH-tr], to study. Most stay with family members or friends or seek other cheap alternatives to survive while they study. Most struggle to pay their room and board or live in substandard housing. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will provide an Adventist dormitory where these students can live while they study. They will grow spiritually and learn leadership skills to help them become tomorrow’s church leaders.

Mandarin Chinese is spoken by about one billion people in China and around the world, yet relatively little material has been prepared for this vast audience. The Chinese Union Mission has taken on the enormous task of translating select existing television programs and preparing new programs specifically for Chinese speakers. They’ve leased time on a major broadcast satellite, begun translation and production of programs, and are working on Web sites to make the programming available 24 hours a day. Part of our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help fund the endeavor to bring God’s love to those who speak Chinese.

That’s a lot for one offering to do, but with God’s blessings, we the church members can lift up the hands of those visioning to do great things for Christ in Northern Asia this quarter.

O P P O R T U N I T I E S

This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help plant a Chinese-language church

in the heart of Tokyo, Japan; build a dormitory for Adventist

students in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; and fund Chinese-language

television and Internet broadcasts from Taiwan.

Dear Sabbath School Leader,

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Sana picked herself up off the floor. She felt dizzy, and her head

throbbed where her husband had beaten her. The television, which he had used to muffle her screams while he hit her, still blared. He was gone now, getting drunk somewhere.

How could her life have gone so wrong? she wondered. She was a medical doctor who had been happy to live in the Mongolian countryside, where her husband worked. Their two daughters had been born there, and she felt content.

But when her husband started drinking, life took on a darker side. He became jealous of her every move and often refused to allow her to leave the house, even to work. Then came the argument and the beating. She had to get away or he would kill her. She filed for divorce and fled to another region where she found work as a district doctor. Her meager salary barely fed them, and constant headaches plagued her.

Devastation and Hope Then one day while working, Sana

had a stroke. She woke up in a hospital,

paralyzed on her right side and unable to talk. Relatives took her daughters while she tried to regain her strength.

One day she heard of evangelistic meetings being held in town. She asked the pastor to visit her. She still found it difficult to talk and struggled to tell him her story. The pastor prayed for her and asked other church members to visit her. One teenage girl who visited her massaged her weak left hand and urged her not to despair. “You have a bright future,” she told Sana. In time Sana found Jesus as her Savior through the love of faithful church members.

Sana had been using a wheelchair, but with the help and encouragement of fellow church members, she learned to walk with a cane. Then she heard of a rehabilitation program in the capital city and went there to receive therapy to strengthen her weakened muscles and learn new skills. For the first time in years Sana felt genuinely happy, for she had hope.

Sana wanted to teach others the principles of healthful living that she was learning. She shared her ideas with her pastor and prayed about her dream.

SANA’S ANA’S CALLINGALLING

M O N G O L I A

October 4 | Sainbileg

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She felt sure that God was leading her to a new ministry, a ministry to give hope to people with disabilities. Her pastor and several church workers encouraged her to pursue her dream. They offered ideas and hope.

In 2007 Sana returned to her village to open a rehabilitation center. She advertised on local television, and calls from potential clients began coming in. The director of the local hospital where she had once worked offered her four rooms in which to hold her clinic. Sana rejoiced to see God’s hand at work.

Simple Remedies Sana uses simple methods such as

massage and exercise to help those with disabilities regain their strength. She teaches clients how to massage their weak muscles and gives them exercises to further strengthen them. She urges them to laugh heartily to strengthen their lungs and suggests that they stand

before a mirror and make faces to strengthen muscles damaged by stroke.

But just as important, she teaches them to deal with the depression that comes with disabilities. She even teaches clients how to play games on a donated computer, knowing that they are using muscles that need strengthening.

Sana does not focus solely on the physical. She encourages her clients to trust in God and offers them books and pamphlets to learn more about God. And she invites them to worship with the little Adventist congregation in town. The church meets in an apartment and is up a flight of stairs, so church members help those who cannot climb the steps. So far, almost 20 people have come to the church through Sana’s ministry. Some are clients, and others are their relatives who have seen how much their loved ones have benefited from Sana’s ministry.

The small apartment that holds the church in Sana’s village is packed now, and they need to find a larger place to meet. But Sana keeps bringing people who have seen the difference her love and her faith have made in their lives.

Sana does not charge for the work she does. She lives on her small government pension. Her assistant, a nurse, also volunteers her time and her skills to help at the rehabilitation center.

When Sana first suffered her stroke, she felt bitter and hopeless. But now she realizes that God is using her disabilities to bring glory to His name.

Your mission offerings provide the means to help grow the church in Mongolia. Thank you.

L I F E I N M O N G O L I A

Mongolia is a landlocked nation squeezed between China and Russia. About 40 percent of the country’s population of 2.5 million live in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar [OOH-lahn-BAH-tr], the coldest capital city in the world with an average temperature of 1° Celsius, or 34° Fahrenheit.

In 1992 the first recent convert was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Today, 16 years later, the church in Mongolia numbers more than 1,200 members in 23 churches and companies. Most Adventists in Mongolia are under 35 years old.

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I am Tsoogi [t’SOO-gee]. I’m an Adventist student from a small town

in Mongolia. When I came to the capital city of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar [OOH-lahn-BAH-tr], to study at the university, I didn’t want to live in a dormitory where the influence of non-believers is strong. So I looked for a room to rent, but I discovered that even small rooms were very expensive. I wasn’t sure what to do.

I told the church pastor that I was looking for a cheap place to live while studying. He offered to let me use a little shed near the church until I found something else. He warned me that it would be very cold when winter set in, but he said I could stay there for free. I accepted his offer and hoped I could find something better before the bitterly cold Mongolian winter arrived.

Then I met two other Adventist girls from my town who were looking for a place to stay, and I invited them to live with me in the little mud-brick shed.

At first we were fine. We had light and a small stove we could use to heat our room and cook our food. And best of all, it was free.

Winter WorriesBut when the cold winter set in, we

spent lots of money buying wood or coal to heat the room. We would build a fire each evening, but it would burn out before morning, and we’d wake up freezing. Temperatures in Mongolia can fall to -40 degrees! We slept in our heavy clothes, but it was still hard to get up when it was so cold.

By being careful with our allowance, we could afford to buy wood or coal for heat. The church members often brought us a little food or some wood or coal. How grateful we were for that! And we were glad to be together, sharing what little we had. But we prayed for a warmer place to live!

Praying for Something BetterThen someone suggested that we

write a letter to the evangelist who had baptized us. Perhaps he would help us.

OUT OF THE UT OF THE COLDOLD

M O N G O L I A

October 11 | Tsolmontuya Nergui

[Ask a young woman to present this first-person report.]

We prayed for a warmer place to live!

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IAWe wrote to him, telling him of our

situation. And one day a church leader came to our door. He found us wearing our coats and wrapped in our blankets. He brought us some food and good news. The evangelist would help us pay the rent on a small apartment.

We started looking for a room large enough for the three of us, but the ones we found were too expensive or not convenient to our universities. The evangelist suggested that we look for an apartment instead of just a single room. We were thrilled!

We found a two-room apartment close to our schools. It was big and it was furnished. It seemed like heaven, and with the help of the evangelist, we could pay the rent. Joyfully we moved in at Christmastime.

At last we were warm again! We could sleep in our pajamas, not in our coats! Best of all, we could stay together and share our faith and pray with one another without fear of being harassed by unbelieving roommates or landlords.

God has answered our prayers in so many ways. Through the difficult months we were totally dependent on God for our needs, and our faith grew stronger. Then He blessed us with a nice place to live while we prepared to serve Him.

Abundant Blessings My parents were not believers, but

when they saw how God blessed us and how the church members helped us, they no longer complained that worshipping God is a waste of time. Others in our town heard how God answered our prayers, and now they are willing to hear more about God too.

For many university students the biggest problem is finding a place to live while they study. Rooms or apartments are expensive, and for Christians it is difficult to live in the university dormitories with so many people who would destroy our faith.

That’s why I’m so happy to learn that our church is planning to build a dormitory for young Adventists who come to the city to study. The dormitory will give us a place to live and fellowship together while we study. The church will offer seminars to help us grow stronger in our faith as we train for God’s service. Thank you for helping the youth of Mongolia by giving to the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter.

Tsolmontuya Nergui continues her studies in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

M I S S I O N P O S T

The church in Mongolia is young. The first Adventists were baptized just over 15 years ago. They are served by six pastors and some 40 volunteer missionaries. They worship in homes and rented halls as well as in a few dedicated church buildings.

Youth leave their villages to study in the universities of the capital city. But living accommodations are expensive and difficult to find. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help provide a dormitory for some of the 250 Adventist college-age students seeking an education.

The dormitory will provide leadership training as well as living accommodations for the next generation of leaders in the still-young church in Mongolia.

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I am Bayan, and I live in Mongolia. When I was in high school my

dream was to become a doctor, but I was not accepted into the university’s medical program. So I studied nutrition instead. This was a new field of study in Mongolia, and I didn’t realize how important it would be.

I lived with my grandfather while I was studying, but before I finished school my grandfather died. I had depended on him for everything, and suddenly I was on my own. I moved into a dormitory and started looking for a job so I could eat. Fortunately, I had finished my class work and was working on my practicum, so I had time to work to pay my expenses. One day a friend told me about a job as a security guard. The hours I would work gave me time to complete my studies, so I accepted the job. Although I was not a believer at this time, I felt that someone was looking out for me, for this was the perfect job for me.

Then a mix-up in the exam schedule

caused me to miss one of my exams, and I couldn’t graduate when I had planned to. I was so disappointed that I almost gave up. But then I learned of a vacancy in the research center at the university. I applied for the job, even though I hadn’t graduated because of the missed examination. To my surprise, I got the job! Once more I was convinced that someone was taking care of me.

The job required that I know English, and my friend Taivna [TAIV-nah] told me about a free English class held at the Adventist church in the city. I enrolled in the class. At that time in my life the church was just a place to learn English, not the house of God.

Later Taivna invited me to a concert at the church, so I went. It was the first time I actually considered this church as God’s house. I enjoyed the concert and was impressed with the people there. Taivna invited me to other programs at the church, and eventually he invited me to a worship service. Some girls sang during the worship, and I liked their

BEFORE EFORE I KNEW NEW HIMIM

M O N G O L I A

October 18 | Bayanjargal Sandagdorj


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IAlovely voices and smiling faces. Religion

didn’t interest me, but the people at this church were so kind and seemed so happy. I was impressed.

Then Taivna invited me to a seminar at the church. I didn’t want to go, but because he insisted, I went. I went to several sessions, and as I listened, I thought about a lot of things the leader said. Taivna had tried to tell me these things too, and slowly they began to make sense. I realized that maybe God was the one who was watching over me. Now I realize that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me that day.

Taivna left Mongolia to study overseas, but I continued to attend the church. Then some members invited me to attend the summer camp meeting, and there I committed my life to Christ. Later I was baptized.

Before he left Mongolia, Taivna had often told me that my profession—nutrition—was really important and was needed in Mongolia. He had told me that the Adventist Church speaks strongly about the importance of healthful living. He encouraged me to help the church develop a nutrition program.

One day after my baptism, a pastor at the mission office invited me to work in the mission’s health department. I didn’t seriously consider the invitation, as I had thought that I would work in a university. But I began to wonder whether God was leading me to this new job. I decided to apply for the mission work, just to see whether this was God’s will. I was accepted for the job. But then I had a dilemma—I was still working at the university. Should I

leave the university job to take this new job? I prayed for God to help me decide. Eventually I took the job at the church’s little headquarters.

I’ve been working at the mission for just a short time, but already I know that God had a plan for my life long before I even knew Him. Now I can see God’s plan, and I’m amazed that He cares for me so much!

I’m glad that God led me the way He did. I learned a lot while working at the university. Now I feel more confident about teaching people the principles of healthful living and invite them to the church that I now love, the church that my friend—and my God—introduced me to.


The church in Mongolia is still small—approximately 1,200 believers—but it is growing rapidly. The majority of its members are young people, under 35 years of age. Many are high school and university students, and many of these are the only Adventists in their families.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help build a dormitory for university students in Ulaanbaatar [OOH-lahn-BAH-tr], the nation’s capital. The dormitory will not only provide desperately needed housing for Adventist students, but will provide a nurturing Christian atmosphere where they can grow in Christ and train to be the church’s leaders.

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I live in the island nation of Taiwan. My family is Buddhist. But my life

changed when my mother sent me to study English at the Adventist English Bible Center in our city. She warned me, “Learn only English, and never become a Christian.” She feared that if I became a Christian, I would leave my family.

God’s Love CompelsI became friends with some of the

young missionaries who taught English at the center. They were so kind, so caring. I was amazed that people from such different cultures could love me so much. I marveled that these young people—barely older than I was—would leave their homes and come to a country where they didn’t know the language, just to teach me English. Only later did I realize that it was God’s love that compelled them to come.

One girl repeatedly invited me to join a Bible study group, and finally I accepted. The Bible study was in English, so I told myself that I was practicing my English. But before long it was the Bible that drew me to the study group.

I studied at the center for two years before I had the courage to visit the church. I believed in God, but I knew that if I became a Christian it would break my mother’s heart. So I hesitated. Finally I committed my life to Jesus and followed Him in baptism. Somehow my mother knew, and she wept that I might leave her. I cried too, but I promised fervently that I would never leave her.

In fact, as I read my Bible and learned more about honoring my parents, I grew closer to my mother. I prayed for her every day. When I went away to college, we talked almost every day.

I was the only Adventist Christian in the Education Department at the college I attended, and I didn’t know anyone at the local Adventist church. So I felt lonely. Then I discovered a Christian student fellowship group on campus. I joined them on Thursday evenings, and one member invited me to join a small group Bible study. They weren’t Adventists, but they strengthened my faith. In turn I introduced them to the Adventist faith and answered their questions. I hope it planted some seeds for Jesus.

COMPELLED BY OMPELLED BY CHRIST HRIST

T A I W A N

October 25 | Erica Chen, a teacher at Taipei Adventist American School


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Serving the MasterAfter finishing college I returned

home and worked in my home church. The young people who had been there when I joined were gone, as were my missionary friends. Others had come to take their place and teach English. I decided to start a small group meeting in English. I was thrilled that I could strengthen these young people in their faith.

During that year I was invited to join the staff of the Taipei Adventist American School as their Chinese teacher. The school is an elite school that is taught in English on the American education system. Few of the students are Christians, so this truly is a mission school. I love watching students learn about God and share God’s love with one another. They are learning that God is the source of their life, their health, and their faith.

One little first grade student came to me with a Bible and offered it to me. He said, “This is a very good book, and I want you to read it.”

A sixth grade boy asked me why everyone in this school talked about God. He was a Buddhist and didn’t want to hear about God so much. I explained that I once had been a Buddhist, but now Jesus is the center of my life, and I can’t stop talking about Him. I told him I was praying for him, and he accepted that. Then one day he came to me and asked me to pray with him about a problem he had.

Changes at HomeMy family was shocked when they first

learned that I had become a Christian. But as they have seen how God has blessed me and strengthened me, they

have accepted my faith. When I visit home, my father takes me to church. And when my grandparents were sick, my mother asked me to pray for them. I know she believes, but it is hard for her to leave the family traditions.

I’m so glad that God used student missionaries to call me to Christ. I’m amazed and grateful that no matter who we are or where we live, we are one big family in Jesus. Your mission offerings bind us to one another, for those funds help support the language school that has led many people to Jesus. Thank you for sharing God’s love through your offerings.

L I F E I N T A I W A N

Taiwan is a small but highly industrialized island nation off the eastern coast of mainland China. The official language is Mandarin Chinese.

Buddhism is the largest religious faith. Much of the culture is still directed by traditional values derived from Confucianism, with emphasis on principles of good conduct, practical wisdom, and respect to ancestors and especially to parents. But the Taiwanese people find it challenging to relate these traditional values to their modern secular lives.

While the tribal peoples living in the mountains of Taiwan have accepted Christianity, the Christian faith has struggled to gain a foothold among the ethnic Chinese in Taiwan, where only one in 25,000 ethnic Chinese in Taiwan is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian.

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I am Tina and I live in Taiwan. My family is not Christian. In fact,

my father followed a religion that seeks harmony and order in the environment. He urged the family to worship stone statues he had placed throughout our home, but my mother and brother and I didn’t care for this religion. I was sure there must be something more worthy of our worship than stones.

Teacher’s TestimonyOne of my high school teachers was

a Christian and often referred to the Bible in his lectures. I wanted to know more about what Christians believe, so I asked him about his faith. He said that he was searching for a church that teaches the Bible plainly, and when he found such a church, he would tell me. Some weeks later he told me that he had found the church he was looking for and invited me to attend.

I visited the church—the Seventh-day Adventist church—and liked it. I started attending regularly. I told my

mother that I was visiting a Christian church, but she didn’t worry about me. She thought it was a passing phase. But when she learned that I had joined the church, she was angry and refused to give me money for school expenses.

True Church FamilyI was still in high school, and I

needed financial help. So I prayed that God would provide for me, and He did in so many ways. Church members would give me a little money or some food, and sometimes my aunt gave me money. And even though my brother was not a Christian, he defended me to my parents. He often told them that while some of my friends had made bad decisions about smoking and drugs, I was a good student and didn’t do those things.

My father became ill, and my parents went to another city to seek medical treatments. I had just started college when a crazy man moved into our apartment house. He began harassing me, scolding and screaming at me.

SOMEONE TO OMEONE TO BELIEVE ELIEVE IN N

T A I W A N

November 1 | Tina Lee lives in Taichung, Taiwan


She was searching for something meaningful to believe in when God stepped into her life.

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His verbal attacks unnerved me, and I looked for another place to live.

I needed a job to pay my school fees, but it was hard to find work that didn’t require working on Sabbath. After months of looking, I finally found a job in a beauty shop. But when I learned that I would have to tell people’s fortune using tarot cards, my heart sank. Again I prayed for another job, one that would let me to keep the Sabbath and didn’t compromise my faith in other ways.

My pastor’s wife told me about a job opening in the church-owned bakery. The pay was low, but I had Sabbaths off. I took the job. Then a woman working in the bakery told me about an apartment I could rent. It was dirty and needed remodeling, but the owner was planning to remodel it. I hadn’t found anything else I could afford, so I kept looking. When the woman with the apartment called to say the apartment was ready, I went to see it. It was beautiful! I was afraid to ask how much the rent was, for I could afford only $75 a month, and I knew her apartment should rent for twice that much. When the owner said $75, I knew this was an answer to my prayers. I took the apartment.

I told my mother how I had prayed for a safe and clean apartment and how God had led me to this apartment, which rented for exactly what I could afford. I hoped Mother would realize that God had answered my prayers, but she didn’t say anything.

When the church bakery closed, God provided me with another job working with our church’s after-school care program. It was a good job for me while I finished my studies.

As I look back on the past few years

of my life, I’m so thankful for God’s leading—for my teacher who cared enough to show me Jesus through his life and his words, for my brother who defended me to my parents, for jobs when I needed them the most. But I’m especially grateful that when I couldn’t worship on Sabbath because I was forced to work, God never left me. Instead He led me to work where I can share His love with young children and worship Him on Sabbath.

Recently I began working with Hope TV to produce Chinese-language youth programs. This quarter part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help strengthen this ministry so that the Chinese-speaking people throughout Asia can hear the Adventist message in their own language.

uIlc

OMEONE TO ELIEVE N


Taiwan is a small, highly industrialized island nation off the eastern coast of mainland China. The official language is Mandarin Chinese.

While many among the tribal peoples living in the mountains of Taiwan have accepted Christianity, the Christian faith has struggled to gain a foothold among the ethnic Chinese in Taiwan, where only one in 25,000 is a Seventh-day Adventist Christian.

Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help fund Chinese-language programs to introduce the Chinese-speaking people in the entire Asian region to Christ.

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We didn’t know what to do. Our printing business was failing,

my husband was depressed, and then I became sick. What more could happen to a young family?

I am Su Un [oon]. We live in Taiwan, a small island nation off the coast of China. We weren’t Christians, and I had no idea what it meant to be a Christian. But when an Adventist church asked us to print its materials, we came to know that they are Christians.

We had so many problems. The business was failing, my husband was still depressed, and I wasn’t feeling well. I went to the doctor and discovered that I had leukemia, a kind of cancer. The stress was almost too much for me. Our three children were under 12 years old. Then I learned that a bone marrow transplant might cure me. But the cost was staggering. We sold our business to pay the medical bills and moved to a small town outside the city. There my mother looked after the children and me while my husband set up a smaller printing company.

We had no religious faith, no God to

run to for comfort, and we all struggled to find something normal in our lives. I grew stronger, and soon I could care for my children. Then I went to work in the printing company.

One day a friend invited me to play ping-pong in the recreation hall of the Adventist church. Because we were printing materials for the church, I knew where it was, and I knew a few of the people who worship there. So I went.

Unexpected HelpI met the pastor and his wife and

some of the other members of the church. When the members learned of our troubles, they helped us. I realized that Christians are good, loving people who really cared about us. The pastor’s wife taught our children piano, and her family helped us in so many ways. My husband often visited the pastor just to talk. Soon he began to feel better. Then the pastor offered to study the Bible with us.

We began attending Sabbath services, during which we learned so much about God. We realized that the Christians’

A REASON TO EASON TO HOPEOPE

T A I W A N

November 8 | Su Un Hwang

[Ask a woman to present this first-person report.]

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God is the true and living God, and we gave our lives to Him and were baptized in 2005.

My eldest son was living with my mother-in-law at this time, but when he came to live with us, he asked to be baptized as well. Our youngest child was too young to be baptized with us. But when the pastor announced another baptism, my son, then 9 years old, told the pastor, “Don’t say that I’m too young. If you refuse to baptize me now, I may never ask to be baptized again.” The pastor agreed, and the family was united in faith.

We were learning to give our troubles to God when my husband was killed in an automobile accident. I was devastated, but the pastor reminded me that I will see my husband again when

Jesus comes. The church members’ support has encouraged us so much. I am learning to cling to Christ and trust Him to take care of me.

My children are 17, 13, and 10, and it’s expensive to keep them in school. But God is providing for us.

The church members have showed us what Jesus is like, and I’m excited about what God is doing in my life. I love this church and want to bring lots of people to the church, but in Taiwan it’s very difficult to interest people in God and in church, for most people worship their own gods and don’t want to change their religion.

Small but Growing Three years ago, when our pastor

came here, there were no Adventists and no church. The pastor and his wife visited people’s homes and offered to teach people piano and Korean. Eventually the people who came to learn Korean or piano also asked to learn about God. The work is very difficult in Taiwan, but the Lord is blessing. Today our little congregation has 20 members, and 25 come to worship every week.

I thank God for the pastor and my fellow believers who have led me to Jesus and strengthened me. And I thank you, too, for it was your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering three years ago that made it possible to send our pastor to start this little congregation. Because of you I have found hope in Jesus. Without your offerings, we would be lost. Without your generous gifts, my husband would have died without hope of eternity. From my heart I thank you for your mission offerings. You helped change our lives forever.


Among the ethnic Chinese living in Taiwan, only one in every 25,000 is a Seventh-day Adventist. It is difficult to reach the Chinese in this industrialized country where most people mix ancient traditional religions with modern secularism.

Three years ago part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering was designated to establish church plants among the ethnic Chinese people of Taiwan. Three church plants are currently growing new believers because of the offering given in 2005.

This quarter part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help produce television programs in Mandarin Chinese to serve the more than one billion Chinese-speaking people in Asia and around the world.

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I grew up in an Adventist family who regularly attended church.

But sometimes we went without Father, who had to work on Sabbath in order to keep his job and provide for the family. I remember saying to my mother one day, “Daddy won’t go to heaven, because he can’t keep the Sabbath, will he?”

Apparently my innocent childish remark deeply impressed my parents, and shortly afterward we left the city and moved to the countryside where life was simpler and Father could keep the Sabbath. But he soon discovered that Sabbath problems aren’t limited to the cities. He couldn’t find work in the country either. He helped people build houses, but this work was sporadic. Our family’s financial situation became serious before Father finally found work that allowed Sabbaths off.

New Sabbath ProblemsThen it was my turn to face Sabbath

problems. Schools in Taiwan held classes six days a week. In the lower grades we could skip Sabbath activities,

but in junior high school more serious Sabbathkeeping problems arose. Teachers often gave tests on Sabbath, and the all-important year-end tests were almost always scheduled on Sabbaths. To prepare for these yearly exams teachers held special cram sessions—on Sabbaths. Not taking part in these cram sessions would certainly mean lower scores on exams.

In the ninth grade my teachers planned a mock test—a practice test—to determine how we would score on the actual test. But the mock test was on Sabbath. I asked the teacher to allow me to take it on another day, but she couldn’t understand why I couldn’t take this exam with my classmates. “Why can’t you take this test on Saturday?” she asked. “You can worship God all your life, but this test could give you a better future.” When I tried to explain that I was following God’s commands, she said angrily, “Do as you wish; it’s your choice.” I didn’t take the test.

Giving In to Pressure Sometimes I made mistakes, even

STUBBORN TUBBORN SABBATHKEEPER ABBATHKEEPER

T A I W A N

November 15 | Naomi Wang, a student at Taiwan Adventist College


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when I wanted to follow Jesus’ example. When the final exams in the ninth grade were scheduled for Sabbath, I gave in and took them. But I knew I had let Jesus down and decided never to give in to such pressure again.

In high school I faced the same problems, but the heat was turned up during my last year of high school. One of my semester tests fell on Sabbath. It could have been scheduled for another day, but my teacher told me that if I did not take that test, I would not graduate. I told my teachers that I would not take the test; I would be in church.

“Are you willing to sacrifice all you’ve done for the past 12 years for this one test?” the teacher asked.

“Yes,” I said. “God will take care of me.” Afterward I thought about what was at stake. I had taken the other final

exams and had done well. Everything rested on this last exam. If I didn’t take it, I would have to take summer school and retake the exam.

Then the teacher called me. She told me that she had called the instructor for the test I would have missed on Sabbath and explained my situation. The teacher agreed to let me take the test another day. I know that God worked this out for me, because I didn’t even ask! I passed all my exams and graduated with my class.

The next hurdle was college entrance exams, which are held on Sabbath. I decided not to take the exams.

Finding My PlaceI decided to study health evangelism.

I studied with a couple in a nearby city and later took short courses in Australia and China. Then I learned that Taiwan Adventist College offered a health evangelism course, exactly what I needed. I applied to study, even though I had no idea where the money would come from to pay my tuition. People assured me that if I really wanted to study, God would make a way. And God has provided in many ways.

I know now that when we honor God and remain faithful to Him, He will honor us. Many people see us as strange or superstitious or fanatical, but what matters is what God sees, not what people see.

More people need to hear the message we love. And one way they can hear is through Hope TV’s new television broadcasts in Mandarin Chinese. Part of our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help make these broadcasts possible. Thank you for your generous gift on December 27.


Since the Adventist Church was established in Taiwan in 1949, students have faced Sabbath problems in government schools. Many parents yielded and let their children attend school on Sabbath, but few of these students who gave in to Sabbath pressure became church leaders.

In 2001 Taiwan moved to a five-day school- and workweek. But problems didn’t end. Schools held tests on Sabbath, including the all-important college-entrance exams. If a student missed it, they missed their chance to get a higher education. And virtually all cram schools are held on Sabbath. This puts Adventist students at a disadvantage.

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It was after midnight when I stepped off the train in Tokyo. I had stayed

too long at a friend’s party and had caught the last train home. Not until I exited the train and my eyes adjusted to the darkness did I realize that I had gotten off the train at the wrong station. There would be no more trains until morning.

Fear fluttered in my belly. I called my husband, but he reminded me that he didn’t know the area either, for we had just moved there.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way home,” I replied with more bravado than I felt. Then I called the taxi dispatcher.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the dispatcher said. “We don’t have any cars in your area.” The phone clicked, and the line went dead. I stood alone on the street corner, unsure what to do next. I felt helpless.

PrayPray. The thought was so real it was

almost audible. Ask God to help you. I hadn’t thought about God for years, but

I was desperate. “God,” I stammered, “I don’t know where I am. It’s late, it’s cold, and it’s dangerous here. Please send a taxi to take me home.” Feeling better, I started walking toward where I hoped my home was located.

Suddenly I saw headlights to my right. I watched as the lights drew closer. It was a taxi! Hope leaped in my heart. But as the taxi drew closer, I saw customers in the back seat. Disappointment flooded over me. Then the taxi driver stopped nearby, and the riders got out and walked into an all-night convenience store.

I watched amazed, then turned toward the driver and asked, “Could I hire your taxi?” He nodded, and I got in and gave him my address. As the driver made his way toward my home, I said aloud, “I prayed for a taxi, and you came!” Noting his curious look, I realized that my comment made no sense to this man who probably thought I was drunk. But my heart overflowed with the joyful wonder of knowing that God had heard and answered my prayer.

LOST—OST—AND ND FOUNDOUND

J A P A N

November 22 | Jiang Lin Tsang


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Who Are You, God?After that night I wanted to

know more about God. I visited several churches near my home, but something was missing, something I had experienced during my childhood in the mountains of Taiwan.

A few months later I returned to my childhood home in Taiwan to find rest and peace from the stresses of work and life. There, on Saturday morning, I heard singing. I stopped to listen and realized it was a hymn, a faintly familiar hymn. Quickly I dressed and followed the music to the little Seventh-day Adventist church not far from where I was staying. I stepped inside and joined the worshippers. The members welcomed me, and the pastor’s message strengthened me.

After the service, I told the pastor that I was living in Tokyo and asked

if he knew of a church there that I could attend. “My cousin has just gone there to pastor a Chinese-speaking congregation!” he said. He took my telephone number and promised me that his cousin would contact me when I returned home.

The day after I arrived back in Tokyo, the telephone rang. It was the Adventist pastor whose cousin I had met in Taiwan. I was thrilled that he had called so soon! I invited him and his wife to visit me in my home, and we began studying the Bible together. Because we are from the same place, we quickly formed a special friendship.

I began attending the small Adventist worship service each week. In time I fully surrendered my life to Jesus, and recently I was baptized.

My husband isn’t a Christian, but he doesn’t mind that I go to church. He even lets me share my faith with him. And when he asks questions about God, I become excited, especially because I can answer his questions from the Bible.

From hopelessness to hope, from helplessness to a powerful Savior, from sin to forgiveness and a better way of life—my life has changed so much. I am so thankful God didn’t allow me to remain lost in the city or in my sin.

Our little Chinese-speaking church in Tokyo is reaching out to other Chinese-speaking people living around us. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will strengthen this congregation and build it into a strong and evangelistic church, a lighthouse in the heart of the city. Thank you for helping us reach others for Christ.

L I F E I N J A P A N

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is the most populated metropolitan area in the world, with more than 35 million people.

The Japanese people are not deeply religious, and only about 4 percent of the people in Japan are Christians. The most common Japanese religions are Shinto and Buddhism. Shinto focuses on worship of nature, ancestors, and sacred spirits or gods that represent the parts of the natural world.

Only one person in every 8,460 in Japan is an Adventist. Pray that God will open the hearts of people to follow Jesus.

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I am Bo Gao from China. God has led in my life even before I knew Him.

And today I want to thank Him. My family was not Christian, but my

aunt, who is a Seventh-day Adventist, often told me about her God. She told me that there is power in praying to God. So when I was ready to go to college, I decided to put her God to the test. I didn’t know where I wanted to go to college, so I prayed that God would show me which university to attend. Then I took the entrance exam for a prestigious school, but when the results were posted, I hadn’t passed. I decided that my aunt’s God wasn’t who she claimed He was, and that prayer wasn’t worthwhile.

Then my aunt invited me to go to church with her. I didn’t want to go, but I had nothing else to do. So I went. I thought maybe I would learn why God hadn’t answered my prayer about college. I had never attended a Christian church before, but during that worship service I felt drawn to God. I began trusting Him, although I still

didn’t know why He hadn’t answered my prayer about college.

Surprise AnswerThen I received a letter inviting

me to enroll in a different university. Happy and relieved, I enrolled to study economics. Then I discovered that God had answered my prayer; I just didn’t realize it. The school I had hoped to attend held classes on Sabbaths, but the school that accepted me holds no classes or exams on Sabbath. I started attending church and learned a lot about God. Although I was busy in school, I took time to read the Bible and pray. Three years into my studies I committed my life to Jesus through baptism.

But I quickly learned that Satan is a master at discouraging new believers. When the company that my parents worked for closed, both of them lost their jobs. They lived off their meager savings, but there was no money to pay my final year of tuition. By this time my mother was a believer, though my

FINDING INDING ANSWERS IN NSWERS IN GOD OD

J A P A N

November 29 | Gao, Bo

[Ask a college-age man to present this first-person report.]

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father wasn’t. We prayed together that God would supply our needs, and God provided work for my father. It’s hard work, and it doesn’t pay well, but he is thankful that he can work.

God at Work I graduated with a degree in

economics, but I needed a graduate degree to find meaningful work. A friend suggested that I study in Japan. I could work and study, and that way help my parents too. I prayed about it, but I knew it could be difficult to get a Chinese passport. I took the necessary paperwork to the Chinese authorities, but they made it clear that they wanted bribe money to process my papers. I didn’t

want to pay a bribe and decided to trust God, for if He wanted me to go to Japan, nothing would stand in the way.

After praying, I returned to the office that issues passports early one day. This time different workers were there, and in 10 minutes my papers had been processed. I had a passport! I thanked God all the way to the Japanese embassy, where I applied for the student visa. I had no doubt that I would get it, because God was working!

But even with the passport and the visa, I couldn’t travel to Japan without money for my fare. So I prayed. My grandmother had been trying to sell her house for some time, and just when I needed the money to go to Japan, her house sold, providing money to travel to Japan.

When I arrived, I found a job cleaning dormitories in exchange for my room, and another job to pay for my food and help with my tuition. Then I searched for a nearby Adventist church.

I searched the Internet and found a Chinese-speaking Adventist group in Tokyo. From my first visit I felt at home. These believers are my family, and we have a strong bond. I treasure them, and I know that God is with us when we worship together.

Now I face another decision. I am praying about changing my major to theology. I’ve learned that God is perfectly able to care for me and lead me wherever He wants me. What a loving God we serve!


Japan is a postmodern culture with deep roots in Shintoism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Ancestor worship (or at least respect for ancestors) is a priority among the Japanese people.

The Adventist Church in Japan has just over 15,000 worshippers among a population of almost 128 million people, or one Adventist for every 8,460 people. Most of the yearly 300 baptisms in Japan come from the church’s junior high and high schools. But when these newly baptized students enroll in public high schools or universities, they face a secular environment that will challenge even strong faith.

Pray that Japan’s young people will turn to God and empower the Japanese church with their faith and energy.

Then I discovered that God had answered my prayer; I just didn’t realize it.

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I live in Japan, and the only religion my family professed was hard work.

My parents encouraged my brothers and me to study harder, work harder. We attended public school, where the competition to be the first in the class starts early. This competition sometimes spills over outside of class, and some students started bullying us. When my parents learned about the bullying, they decided to send us to another school where the competition wasn’t so strong. They searched for a long time before they found the Adventist school, which didn’t permit such strong competition.

But the school had no room in my grade for another student. My younger brother enrolled, but I had to stay in the public school for two more years before the Adventist school had an opening in my grade.

My brother really liked this school. Often he talked about what he was learning, especially in his Bible class. I had never heard Bible stories before,

and I listened with interest as he shared them with us. My parents liked the way the teachers encouraged children without making them compete with one another, and they liked what my brother was learning about God. Before long they began attending the Adventist church next door to the school. I liked it, for I made great friends there.

A boy told me about the Vacation Bible School (VBS) program that the church sponsored during summer vacation. It sounded like fun to me, so I asked my parents to let me go.

VBSI enjoyed VBS a lot, and I admired

the staff that could make it so much fun for the children. I told some of the leaders that I wished to learn to teach VBS and lead songs and tell stories. They invited me to work with them. I enjoyed spending time with these people as I learned to lead. The young people in the church invited me to join other activities too, such as

VBS MADE THE ADE THE DIFFERENCEIFFERENCE

J A P A N

December 6 | Toshimichi Wakui

[Ask a teen boy to present this first-person report.]

VBS leads one teen to God, then teaches him how to lead others.

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learning sign language and conducting puppet ministries. I was happy that they included me, even though I was not a member of their church. I had a great time learning leadership skills.

My family also was becoming involved in activities of the church. We enjoyed the company of the church members, and as we studied the Bible lessons we found that the church’s teachings agreed with everything we could find in the Bible. We genuinely enjoyed attending worship services together.

Teen Trials and TriumphsSometimes I got into squabbles

with other boys at school. In time I realized that my own selfishness was contributing to these misunderstandings. I liked my school and my teachers and even the other boys. I asked God to take away my selfishness, and little by little I became more cooperative.

I continued to pursue my goal of learning to be a youth leader, and I discovered that I enjoy singing. Now I sing whenever I have the opportunity. My friends taught me to play the guitar, which made singing even more enjoyable. I realized that whenever we young people got together, we’d sing. It was great!

The next year when VBS came around, I was asked to lead the singing and play the guitar. I can see how God is working in the lives of children who are just as I was a few years ago. And it’s a joy to see our VBS program growing as well. When I first attended, we had just 20 children; last year 150 children took part. Now my younger brothers are helping out with VBS. I enjoy seeing them use their talents to honor God.

My life has changed so much because of VBS, where I made new Christian friends. But even more important, that’s where I met Jesus and asked Him to be my personal Savior. I realize that I cannot do anything without God’s help. I know that with God living in me, I can do anything He asks me to do. He has said that He will never leave me or forsake me, and I pray that I will always depend on Him for everything I need. I feel privileged to be able to make a difference in the world.

Your Sabbath School mission offerings help make it possible for churches in Japan and around the world to sponsor programs such as VBS, where kids such as I can learn that God loves them. Thank you!


Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, with more than 35 million people.

The Japanese people are not deeply religious; just 4 percent of the people in Japan are Christians. The most common religions in Japan are Shintoism and Buddhism, but the most widely held ethical standard is hard work for the betterment of the community. Only one person in every 8,460 in Japan is an Adventist. Pray that God will open the hearts of people to follow Jesus.

In time I realized that my own selfishness was contributing to these

misunderstandings.

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My name is Hyun Jung [hyuhn juhng]. I am a medical student

in South Korea. Studying in a Korean university can be a huge test of faith—one I wasn’t really ready for. I had finished high school in an Adventist school where we had no Sabbath problems. So when I started my studies in a state university, I faced a new set of challenges.

Classes and exams are scheduled Monday through Saturday in the state universities. When I missed a class on Sabbath, I not only missed important material, but points were deducted from my grade. And if I missed even one important exam that was given on Sabbath, I had to repeat the entire year of coursework, not just the class in which I had missed the exam.

This difficult situation really challenged my faith! How could I keep the Sabbath and become the doctor that I believed God was calling me to be? My parents supported my desire to study medicine and encouraged me to believe that God would make a way. But sometimes I felt that God had put

me into an impossible situation, and I couldn’t see how He would work things

STEPPING TEPPING INTO THE NTO THE SEAEA

K O R E A

December 13 | Cho, Hyun Jung

L I F E I N S O U T H K O R E A

South Korea is located on a mountainous peninsula east of China. The people speak Korean. The country has a larger percentage of Christians than any other country in northern Asia. Even so, there are more Buddhists than Christians in South Korea.

While almost 200,000 people (one in every 255) in South Korea are Seventh-day Adventist Christians, millions of Koreans don’t know who Jesus is. Adventists face Sabbath conflicts in many areas of life, but especially in education and in compulsory military service.

The Adventist Church in South Korea operates one of the nation’s largest universities, dozens of elementary and secondary schools, and a well-known English language institute that has introduced Jesus to thousands of students.


The path to my dream seemed as impossible as making the Red Sea open, but God made a way.

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out. However, as I studied and prayed, I began to see that God was making a way for me. Bit by bit my faith grew stronger.

Learning From OthersHaving come from an Adventist

secondary school, I had enjoyed fellowship with other Adventist Christians every day. Suddenly I was in a situation with no fellow believers. I learned that only 15 Adventists were studying medicine in all of South Korea’s medical schools. We contacted one another and began meeting once a month to forge friendships and strengthen one another.

We began doing volunteer work together. We’ve helped doctors with medical screenings and taught classes in healthful living. During our school breaks we’ve gone on medical mission trips to the Philippines, Mongolia, and Bangladesh. These trips give us time to strengthen our faith and talk about the challenges we face in our separate schools. Knowing we aren’t alone in our struggles gives us strength to keep the Sabbath and complete our training. I know this fellowship has strengthened my faith.

We understand what is at stake if we miss an exam on the Sabbath, so we listen to others’ problems with an open heart. We pray for one another every day, for we all know of someone who has given up their dream to become a doctor because of Sabbath problems in school.

Let me add that some professors understand the importance of our faith and have made private arrangements to let students take the exam after Sabbath. But this isn’t common in this country where the competition for an education is stiff.

Changing the SystemHearing the experiences of others

has helped me know what steps to take to complete my education. I wrote letters to the school I attend and to the government, explaining my faith and the problems created when I must choose between my education and my faith.

At first the replies I received from government officials said, in essence, that I must be crazy. But I kept writing letters, and I refused to take any exams on Sabbath. I asked my professors to help me. At first, they refused and suggested I study something else. I persisted, both in my Sabbathkeeping and my determination to become a doctor. Finally, one professor agreed to give me one exam on a different day. Bit by bit, other professors also agreed to let me take exams on days other than Sabbath. Later I learned that my professors had met to discuss my situation and had decided that I was serious about my faith.

Then I received more good news. I learned that a government official had written to the administrators of my school asking them to accommodate my faith. My persistence was paying off! I was so happy. Since then I’ve been able to continue my studies and reschedule exams so I’m not penalized for my faith.

I feel that God asked me to enter medical school in faith and follow the path He had laid out for me. Like the Israelites, I had to step into the Red Sea, not knowing exactly what would happen, but knowing that God would somehow open a way for me to move forward. As I took those first fearful steps into the sea, God did indeed open the way.

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It’s dinnertime in the home of Shin and Kim in South Korea. Some 30

children gather around the table. The children, who range in age from 5 to 20, make room for a few elderly people who are joining them for dinner. They bow their heads as Shin asks God’s blessing on their simple meal. Two of the children around the table were born to the couple, and seven others have been adopted. The rest are children from the neighborhood who come to this couple’s home for a good meal and help with their homework.

After dinner Father Shin listens to reports of the school day and helps some of the children prepare for an exam they will have the next day. Mother Kim listens as the older children coach the younger ones in their language skills. Teams of children take turns washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, their work punctuated with laughter.

At 8:00 the neighbor children leave for their own homes, homes often plagued with poverty and instability. For these children, Kim and Shin’s home offers a safe haven and the only stability they know.

Kim and Shin never set out to minister in this way to a troubled

neighborhood. Shin grew up attending the Adventist church in a small village in South Korea. As a teen he became the children’s Sabbath School leader and eventually the youth leader. When Shin met Kim, he introduced her to the Adventist church. She was baptized just before their marriage and quickly became involved in children’s ministries.

Growing FamilyThe couple and their two daughters

moved to southern South Korea and found that the Adventist church had no pastor and no children’s ministries program. The couple offered to start a program. Soon neighborhood children began to come to Sabbath School, and the group quickly grew.

Kim and Shin realized that many of the children who came to Sabbath School were hungry. The couple asked the church to help feed the children, but the new pastor regretfully told them that the church didn’t have the money. So Shin and Kim moved Sabbath School to their nearby apartment so they could feed the children before they taught them.

The children told their friends, and the Sabbath School group grew until the small apartment was bursting with

A PLACE TO LACE TO CALLALL HOMEOME

K O R E A

December 20 | Told to Mission by Shin Dongsoo and Kim Kyungok

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children. Neighbors complained about the loud singing on Sabbath mornings. The couple had to find another solution.

They found an old building for sale near the church that they thought they could remodel for a youth center. But their plans were frustrated when leaders felt that the youth program was not a viable long-term project. So Shin sold his electronic repair shop and used the money to buy the building for the youth center. With money saved for their children’s education, they remodeled it. At last they had room for the youth ministry God had given them.

Learning to Serve OthersOn Sabbath Shin and Kim and some

of their nine children lead a youth ministry for about 60 youth. They focus on teaching youth what God can do in their lives and how they can serve others.

The couple pairs each young person with an elderly person, usually one who

has no young family members living nearby. These elderly people become the youths’ adopted grandparents. The children visit their “grandparents” after church, and on holidays they take them baskets of food and gifts that they have prepared.

Many of the youth have caught the mission spirit that Shin and Kim have. Some travel around South Korea holding evangelistic meetings or visiting churches that don’t have an active youth ministry. So far the group has conducted 20 evangelistic series.

Shin and Kim are proud of their kids—the young people they serve in their home and their church. To date more than 100 youth have been baptized.

A Growing MinistryAs the youth center grew, the couple

sold their apartment and bought a big house in order to have space to expand their feeding program to more neighborhood children. They have invested all their resources into the youth they serve, and they have experienced miracles in answer to prayers. The conference now supports the ministry in tangible ways. “In addition,” says Kim, “when we run low on food, we pray. We know that God will answer with a bag of rice or some vegetables. And God has never let us go hungry.”

Shin and Kim enjoy the faith ministry they find themselves leading, for they take seriously Christ’s words: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14, NIV).

Your mission offerings help make possible special ministries to young and old alike around the world.


South Korea has a larger percentage of Christians than any other country in northern Asia. Even so, there are more Buddhists than Christians in the country.

Almost 200,000 Adventists live in South Korea. That’s one person out of every 255. However, millions of Koreans still don’t know who Jesus is.

The Adventist Church in South Korea operates Sahmyook University, one of the nation’s largest universities, dozens of elementary and secondary schools, and a well-known English language institute that has introduced Jesus to thousands of students.

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THIRTEENTH SABBATH PROGRAM

Participants: Four speakers—a narrator and three speakers. [Note: participants do not need to memorize their parts, but they should be familiar enough with the material that they do not have to read everything from the script. Practice so that participants can feel comfortable adding inflection where appropriate.]

Props: A large map of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division. (Scan the map on the back page of the quarterly and project it onto a screen, or draw a map on a large piece of paper.)

O P E N I N G S O N G “Give of Your Best to the Master”

The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, no. 572

W E L C O M E Superintendent or Sabbath School teacher

P R A Y E R

P R O G R A M “The Great Challenge”

O F F E R I N G While the offering is being taken, ask the children to sing “Jesus Loves Me” in the languages that they have learned this quarter.

C L O S I N G S O N G “Lead Them, My God, to Thee,”

The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, no. 653

C L O S I N G P R A Y E R

Narrator: Today is Thirteenth Sabbath, the day when we give a special offering to help a specific region of the world church. This quarter we have focused on the Northern Asia-Pacific Division, and in particular on Mongolia, Japan, and Taiwan. Three special projects will help the church grow throughout the division.

It’s easy to think of buildings and plans when we hear these projects, but every project represents special needs and hearts that long to hear the message of hope that we have found in Jesus. So let’s begin by hearing a

story from Mongolia that should help us focus on the important project that young field is planning.

Speaker 1: Khong is a 22-year-old student at a Mongolian university. She is the eldest of five children from a poor family in northern Mongolia. She was baptized at age 15, the only Adventist in her family. Her parents often beat her when she went to church, but Khong stood firm for her faith. After high school she spent two years working as a volunteer missionary

The Great Challenge

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in another part of Mongolia. While serving God, she prayed for

just two things: that God would save her family and that He would provide an opportunity for her to continue her studies. One day Khong learned that her two younger sisters had begun attending church. And after completing her two years of mission service, the church in Mongolia offered to pay her tuition so she could study. She would have to work to pay for her room and board, but she knew that God would provide.

But soon Khong realized that she couldn’t find affordable housing in the capital city of Mongolia. So she stayed with any family who would let her sleep in their home. She remained a day or two in one home and perhaps a week in another. She gave health massages and babysat to pay for food. It was difficult to live this way, but Khong was not discouraged. She knew that God would provide.

Then Khong found a room in the basement of a house that she could share with 10 other people. It’s not ideal, but Khong is glad for a permanent place to live so she can work to buy her food.

Imagine your daughter living like Khong lives, carrying her books and clothes with her wherever she goes, never knowing where she will stay or whether she will have food. Khong is grateful that she has God, for she would not want to live this way without the hope that Jesus brings.

Narrator: Some 250 young Mongolian Adventists—a fifth of the country’s Adventist members—are studying in colleges and universities in Ulaanbaatar [OOH-lahn-BAH-tr], the capital city of Mongolia. Many of these youth are from

poor families living in the countryside. They have little money and cannot afford to stay in the dormitories, which aren’t the best places to nurture young Christians. So they often are forced to live with relatives or family friends, moving from one house to another. Some even stay in local churches when no other place is available for them.

To help these students, the Mongolia Mission Field is establishing a dormitory for Adventist university students. Here they will find a secure home while they study. In addition to room and meals, they will receive spiritual guidance, leadership training, and missionary experience that will ground them in their faith and prepare them to become leaders in the churches of Mongolia. It’s a win-win situation, as students will have a place to call home, and the church will train leaders for the coming years.

Part of today’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help make this dormitory a reality.

Speaker 2: Japan is largely a secular nation. For generations Japanese people have worshipped their ancestors in shrines and in their homes. But in today’s materialistic culture, the people have largely given up their faith. The Adventist Church has worked in Japan for more than 100 years. In its early history it was relatively easy to make converts. But today, with Japan’s low birth rate not even replacing the current population, and with just 300 baptisms a year—most of which come from the Adventist schools in the country—the church struggles to maintain its membership. Only among the ethnic minorities living in Japan is the church showing significant growth.

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The church leadership is actively planting churches among the minority groups they have identified within Japan. And the largest ethnic minority in Japan is Chinese. Roughly 5 million (0.4 percent) Chinese-speaking people live in Japan, many of whom live in Tokyo. Currently no church exists to serve the Chinese people.

The Japan Union has called a Chinese-speaking pastor from Taiwan and commissioned him to plant a Chinese-speaking church in Tokyo, the world’s largest city. Already a small group of Chinese-speaking believers meet in the Tokyo church headquarters office. Part of your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering today will help establish the Adventist Church among the Chinese-speaking people who have come to Japan from China and Taiwan.

Speaker 3: Imagine a viewing audience that numbers in the millions. That’s the potential for the Adventist Hope Channel’s broadcasts in Mandarin Chinese. Mandarin is the most widely spoken language in the world, with close to a billion people who understand and speak it. Sources estimate that more than 500 million Chinese-speaking people live in urban areas around the world. In China alone millions are leaving the countryside and moving to the cities in search of a better life or a piece of the prosperity that they hear has come to their country. These people leave behind their family ties and religious traditions as they search for a better life. Sadly, many of those will never find the prosperity that they

are seeking, and those who do will eventually realize that material wealth does not bring happiness or peace.

To reach these people with the message of hope in Jesus, the Chinese Union Mission has launched a television ministry from Taiwan aimed at reaching the millions of urban Chinese around the world with the message of hope. It is operating in cooperation with the General Conference’s Hope Channel to make available Christ-centered television programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via shortwave, satellite, and the Internet.

Chinese-speaking Adventists will translate existing Hope Channel programs as well as produce programs specifically for this demographic group. Creative use of the Internet will expand the reach of the broadcast programs to maximize their evangelistic effectiveness.

Already the Chinese community is involved in fund-raising for this significant undertaking.

Narrator: You’ve heard the challenge from the Northern Asia-Pacific Division—three distinct projects serving several fields in this vast territory of the world. Think not just of the potential for evangelism, which is huge, but think also of the individuals whose lives will be touched when they encounter Christ through one of the projects we are supporting today. As the children sing, prayerfully consider what you can do to help make a difference in one person’s life—or in the lives of thousands in one of these countries. [Offering]

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F O U R T H Q U A R T E R 2 0 0 8N O R T H E R N A S I A -P A C I F I C D I V I S I O N

E D I T O R I A L Charlotte Ishkanian Editor Alita Byrd Contributing Editors Esther Lipscomb Hans Olson Managing Editor Emily Harding Graphic Designer

O F F I C E O F A D V E N T I S T M I S S I O N Gary Krause Director Ganoune Diop Study Centers Director Rick Kajiura Communication Director Nancy Kyte Marketing Director Marti Schneider Programs Director Homer Trecartin Planning Director

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S T A F F Laurie Falvo Project Manager Charlotte Ishkanian Mission Editor Andrew King Video Producer Hans Olson Projects Manager Daniel Weber Video Producer

Web site: www.AdventistMission.org

Mission (ISSN 0190-4108) is produced and copyrighted © 2008 by the Office of Adventist Mission, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®,12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904, U.S.A. Printed in U.S.A.

Volume 97, Number 4

ADVENTIST® and SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST® are the registered trademarks of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®.

Texts credited to NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Permission is granted to reproduce material from this quarterly for use in local Sabbath Schools and children’s ministries programs. Permission to reproduce any portion of this material for sale, publication in another periodical, or other commercial use must be authorized in writing by the editor at the above address.

For subscription inquiries, e-mail Julie Haines at [email protected] or call 800-456-3991 or 1-301-393-3280. Annual subscription rates per edition: domestic, US$7.50; international, US$14.50.

MISSIONA D V E N T I S TL E A D E R ' S R E S O U R C E S

For more information on the cultures and history of Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, or Taiwan, check the travel section of a local library. Visit a travel agency for brochures featuring photos of these countries.

Online Information. The Adventist Mission Web site contains additional material that can add flavor to your mission presentation. Find more words and songs in Chinese, Mongolian, Japanese, and Korean; puzzles; recipes; and other activities. Go to www.adventistmission.com/article.php?id=38. Click on fourth quarter 2008, then click on English and Activities.

Adventist Mission DVD is a free video that features stories from the featured countries as well as the worldwide mission of the church. Ask your Sabbath School superintendent for it. Or go online at MissionDVD.org to download the DVD.

Embassies and Tourism Offices sometimes can provide interesting information on their country. In North America, contact:

The Embassy of Japan, 2520 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20008 or log on to their Web site at www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/english/html/index.htm.

The Embassy of South Korea, 2450 Massachusetts Ave., N. W., Washington, DC 20008, or visit their Web site at www.koreaembassyusa.org/. See also the Web site of the Korean Cultural Service at www.koreanculture.org/.

The Embassy of Mongolia, 2833 M Street N. W., Washington, DC 20007. See also their Web site at www.mongolianembassy.us/.

The Embassy of Taiwan, 4201 Wisconsin Ave., N. W., Washington, DC 20016. See also their Web site at www.taiwanembassy.org/us/mp.asp?mp=12.

An offering goal device will help focus attention on world missions and increase weekly mission giving. Ask your Sabbath School council to set a quarterly mission offering goal; then chart the weekly progress toward the quarter’s goal on the goal device.

Draw an outline of a television antenna (or use the same one you used last quarter for the North American Division). Place it near Taiwan on an enlarged map of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division. Every week that the mission offering reaches its goal, add a pair of echo lines (curved lines) broadcasting out from the antenna toward China, to represent the Chinese broadcast project. Urge members to reach all of China by Thirteenth Sabbath.

Remind members that the ongoing work of the world church depends on the weekly Sabbath School mission offerings. On the twelfth Sabbath, report on mission giving during the quarter. Then on Thirteenth Sabbath, count the offering and record the amount at the end of Sabbath School. This immediate feedback will encourage members to continue their mission giving.

FUTURE THIRTEENTH SABBATH PROJECTS Next quarter the Southern Asia-Pacific Division will be

featured. Special projects include two secondary schools and a junior college in the Philippines.

Second quarter 2009 will feature the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division.

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