New Year Newsletter

Dear Partners in Ministry,

Thuan and I would like to thank you for every single prayer that you ever offered to God on our behalf, for every single moment that you ever thought of us, for every single encouragement that you ever said to us, and every single gift that you ever sent to us. Some one said: "Meeting people changes our lives." Yes, it has been true with our new believers when they met us and through us they know Jesus Christ, and they are changed forever! But it has been true for us too, when we met you and enjoyed your love, care, sympathy, companionship, prayer that uplifted and changed our ministry in such an exciting and fantastic way. We believe that all ministers need partners like you and we have you, being there for us and walking alongside with us, we are so blessed! Thank you so very much for everything you have done for us in the year of 2010. May God bless you in the year to come as you always find ways to bless us!

In the past 3 months, we have seen 22 adults added into our church, making our congregation to be 65 in total. 15 finished the follow-up class, and 13 received baptism. Out of 65 in number, 50 are walking with God and experiencing His love and power in different dimensions.

Friends, 50 lives, 50 interesting stories of either how they entered in the relationship with God or recommitted their lives to walk with God whole-heartedly and closely have faced challenges, persecutions, costs to be Christians in our context but we all grow in Him wonderfully. We really see God is at work among us. Hallelujah!

********************

The fact that Linh (Kats) became the first staff of AEC (Jan 2) is a great blessing for AEC and also a turning point of AEC growth. Linh was our disciple, sister, and a good friend for almost 10 years and we have been nurturing our passion and dream together since college. She has a great heart to bring people in the upright worship with her gift and profession in music. She is extremely gifted with a servant heart and her sacrificial works have blessed many lives, including us. More wonderfully, she was one of the other 2 who started AEC with us. Now, as she expressed her commitment to serve full time in AEC, we were so blessed to pray and appoint her as the first staff of AEC. She is now in charge of training ministry and Sunday Service in our church. And she will be overseeing the Bible Project partnering with Lost Orphans International (LOI) to distribute over 10,000 Bibles in the next 5 years for the Vietnamese.

1. Our goal is to raise $150/month as living allowance for her ministry. We thank God for providing $100 for her and with contentment, she maintains her service as a full-time staff but please pray that God will provide abundantly as she serves Him in AEC.

*******************

In January 20, as we evaluated AEC progress and planned for the next quarter, 9 of us in AEC Lead Team came up with a project called “FAITH PROJECT” based on God’s promise in Luke 1:37 - “Nothing is impossible with God.”

In the first year of this project, if 20 people commit to give averagely $1.000/each per week, then we will have around $1000 that year. In the second year, as the church grows, we will have more believers and more people give, and supposed that God bless us with 40 people who commit to give averagely $1.3/week, and then we will have another $2,700. And in the third year, with 80 people giving averagely $1.5/each per week, we will have another $6,300. In the four year, with 140 people giving $1.8/each per week, we would have another $13,000. In the fifth year, if we have 220 people giving $2.2/each per week, we will have $25.100. So, after 5 years, we would have around $50,000! Together with the interest we save the received money monthly in a bank; we would have approximately 60.000,00 after 5 years!

In the first week, January 23 when we first cast the vision about a church building for our congregation, amazingly, 20 people committed and started giving $20 a week, exactly with our plan for the first year. Hallelujah! We were confident that this is God’s project for our church.

In the second week, January 30, we have 10 more committed to give $39 a week. Among them there are one couple of an American believer whose Vietnamese wife received Christ in our church, giving $25 and 3 kids in our church whose parents teach them to give 5 cents in total a week. So, it is 3 times comparing with the initial plan. What should we do? We would go for the project!

More amazingly before this project was launched, one friend of ours who knows us through LOI shared with his church about AEC. They were moved to give a special offering for our church, and it was $4000.00! Thuan called it start-up or seed capital that God gave us to build up His house. We designated that amount for the project.

2. Please pray for our people that God will bless their hearts as they learn to give for the Lord’s house apart from their tithe and may God multiply our little giving with the whole heart to trust Him for the growth of our church, not depending on men for provision.

*********************

In January 20, as we evaluated AEC progress and planned for the next quarter, 9 of us in AEC Lead Team came up with a project called “FAITH PROJECT” based on God’s promise in Luke 1:37 - “Nothing is impossible with God.”

In the first year of this project, if 20 people commit to give averagely $1.000/each per week, then we will have around $1000 that year. In the second year, as the church grows, we will have more believers and more people give, and supposed that God bless us with 40 people who commit to give averagely $1.3/week, and then we will have another $2,700. And in the third year, with 80 people giving averagely $1.5/each per week, we will have another $6,300. In the four year, with 140 people giving $1.8/each per week, we would have another $13,000. In the fifth year, if we have 220 people giving $2.2/each per week, we will have $25.100. So, after 5 years, we would have around $50,000! Together with the interest we save the received money monthly in a bank; we would have approximately 60.000,00 after 5 years!

In the first week, January 23 when we first casted the vision about a church building for our congregation, amazingly, 20 people committed and started giving $20 a week, exactly with our plan for the first year. Hallelujah! We were confident that this is God’s project for our church.

In the second week, January 30, we have 10 more committed to give $39 a week. Among them there are one couple of an American believer whose Vietnamese wife received Christ in our church, giving $25 and 3 kids in our church whose parents teach them to give 5 cents in total a week. So, it is 3 times comparing with the initial plan. What should we do? We would go for the project!

More amazingly before this project was launched, one friend of ours who knows us through LOI shared with his church about AEC. They were moved to give a special offering for our church, and it was $4000.00! Thuan called it start-up or seed capital that God gave us to build up His house. We designated that amount for the project.

2. Please pray for our people that God will bless their hearts as they learn to give for the Lord’s house apart from their tithe and may God multiply our little giving with the whole heart to trust Him for the growth of our church, not depending on men for provision.

Praise God:

1. For the Baptism of other 13 adults and their life transformation.

2. For many great and wonderful partners that God brought into our ministry and to our church.

3. For men and women in AEC who set apart their time and heart for 3-day fast and prayer in Jan 17, 18, and 19 to seek God for their lives and AEC progress. May He reveal Himself to us during this event.