"Thought I could never walk with God again!"

Thuy & Thang in Thang's baptism day

Thuy cried as she testified how grateful she isseeing her husband
serving God in Christmas: "Thought I could never walk with God again!"

June 20 - Thang received Christ.

The news that Thuy got married to a non-believer guy saddened my heart. I remember in 2003 when I first came to Da Nang, a city of Central Vietnam for work, I led Nguyet to Christ and Nguyet was Thuy’s classmate then. As a new believer, Nguyet brought Thuy to church and I called her to receive Christ into her heart as her Savior and Lord. To my joy, Thuy offered her life to Christ. We had a great time growing and faith and serving God together in Da Nang for 3 years. And then, I left Da Nang for my theological training. 2009 as I came back I heard that she no long walked with God and even worshiped idols again in her wedding day.

We prayed for her, asking God’s forgiveness and interference to save Thuy again and even save her husband. We started contacting with them. Thuy was not that willing because she hardly thought of her husband to be a Christian. After 3 months demonstrating Christian love to this couple, Thang surrendered his life to God in our great joy.

Thang’s testimony is also an awesome story. He grows up with single mom and experienced a lot of failure in his life and work, till the point that he wanted to commit suicide. That’s why the gift of eternal life to him was so precious when he heard about the gospel.

Now we thank God for having this couple in our church. Thuy is our treasurer and Thang is a cell group leader and a Lead Team member.

December Urgent Prayer Requests

Dear Partners in Ministry,

2010 has been a great and fruitful year for us both in family life and ministry life when we witnessed God’s hands upon us, moving us forward for His purpose and plan. Especially when AEC was established, what a great joy it is to see His Church built on the Rock of overwhelming testimonies of how Jesus Christ came, transformed life, and changed the future. We have been experiencing so much joy and excitement in serving God more than any time before in our lives. In this journey, you have been there for us and foremost for AEC. Your prayers, support, love, and care time to time lift us up. Just as other young couples in ministry, our hearts are pure for the call but we lack of wisdom, experience, and knowledge to fulfill His call. But you were there, with us, listening to our joy and sometimes our tear, sharing with us faith-stretching periods and joy-overwhelming moments. We thank God for you and you are always in our prayers.

These words had been kept in our hearts to write to you in the end of this 2010 but we need you to pray for a very urgent need of our church so we are writing to keep you posted but also ask you to specially pray for us. Just in one sermon, God shows Thuan that He has a very special concern regarding AEC; that’s why He brought people, resources, prayer to build up His Church. So let us continue to trust that the greater things are yet to come in this church. Hallelujah!

Now, we don’t know how to start with our prayer requests. =) Well, let’s start when Mr. Tam’s family received Christ...

July 18, 2010

Sept 5, 2010

Since this family came to the saving faith, they attended church very faithfully even their house is around 50 kilometers (30 miles) away from our church. We were always moved and excited with their testimonies of how God started His good work in them. Many severe sicknesses were healed; Joy and hope were brought in their miserable and hopeless hearts; especially one of the young men in this family, Tien sensed the call of serving God so he has been devoting his time to read the Bible and learn music instrument. As a great testimony of new life in Christ, they encouraged and brought another family of 4, Mr. Tam’s brother to Christ. We were overwhelmed as we saw them surrendering their lives to God, altogether hoping for tomorrow, a turning point for their future.

Mr. Tam brought his brother's family to Christ in Nov 17, 2010.

These two families cried in joy on the day they received Christ.

And now, together with his two other children, there are 10 adult believers in that area. We are grateful for the fact that more people added into church and their faith growing in Him but we have to face with a challenge that they can’t come to church every Sunday because it’s too far and there have not conveniences for them to all come at the same time.

Last Sunday as we came back from a far trip, it broke our hearts when we heard the story of their struggles. On Friday, Tien came to church for Evangelistic Training and Music Class up till Sunday afternoon. He came back after 2 hours traveling and handed the money he has for 2 other members, 1 from each family to travel to our place for Sunday Service. Seeing that, Mr. Tam left the house. Unintentionally, we phoned him just when he was wandering outside. In a very great confusion, he said: “I just don’t know what to do. The money Tien has is all we have now in our family. My wife is sick, she needs food and medicine; but my children choose to use it to go to church and my heart is there with them also. We all want to go to church. Please tell me what to do in this situation.” We then called Tien and found out that his brother and cousin just disappointingly came back home because they missed catching the last bus going to the city.

In the Sunday Service, with church new equipments, all the lights, and Christmas decorations, our hearts were divided, half in church and half with our dear brothers and sisters who could not make it to worship God with us in the same manner because of geographical, financial reasons. God is putting a burden and also a pressure on us to start a new branch church there. It’s not in our plan at all but it seems that we don’t have any other choices. It has been 4 weeks; they could not come to church together.

Therefore, please pray for us:

1. Please pray that we can minister to these families and God will reveal to us and to them what He wants for this area as we set up initial foundational works for a branch church. We want to start with a Christmas dinner in Mr. Hue’s house (Mr. Tam’s brother) and deliver gifts for their poor neighbors.
2. Please for our Christmas Mass Evangelism Program Dec 18 when we expect to have from 150 to 200 attendants. May God work in the hearts of at least 20 people to come to the faith.
3. Please pray for the first wonderful, meaningful, and exciting Christmas celebration for most of our congregation to experience and enjoy.
4. Please pray for commissioning prayer for our first staff to serve in AEC this Jan 02, 2011. Linh was one of the other 2 who started this church with us as a part-time worker. Now her desire is to devote her life for God’s ministry in AEC. Please pray for annointment and for God’s provision for her ministry.

Praise God:

1. For His safety and favor as we traveled this month.
2. For His provision for our church equipments. It upgrades our worship experience in a sense.
3. For the new believer being transformed and growing in Him and also in the Lord’s service.
   

A New Believer Reading the Whole Bible in 2 weeks

We think you would be also amazed like us if you know that Thanh, our new believer, finished reading the whole Bible in two weeks. In fact, he is neither a good student in school nor an excellent son in the family. He just loved the Word and read it day and night whenever he had free time. He came to us several days during his reading with a lot of questions and we have approved that His knowledge about God’s Word is amazing! Therefore, we rewarded him a bicycle. God also granted this person a great wisdom to understand the Bible in a very special way. We were so overwhelmed by that awesome testimony. His Word is powerful!

Here is his testimony: “I prayed to receive Christ in August 1st but I just personally and really met Jesus this month when I read the Bible and found His love for me. I am amazed why God’s standard for Christian conduct is so different from the world. I also experience changes in my life. Before conversion, when things went wrong, I often got frustrated and discouraged but now because I digently read the Word and sing praises to Him I have become calm and difficulties seem nothing... Because of reading and mediating God’s Word, He helped me control my temper. I become more responsible with my responses and behaviors.” Thien Thanh - Student

August & September Updates

Dear Co-laborers in the Lord’s harvest,

We thank God for your partnership throughout these months when we walked in some very important steps to establish Antioch Evangelical Church (AEC). Many times hearing from brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those have heart for mission, either you thought of us, recalled our fellowship time together, or had been praying for us, or even said a word of blessing and (many times) prophesying :) for our church, we are always blessed. Undoubtedly, in order for you to be where are you now, blossoming with God-given ministry, you went through the first-hand and brand-new experience like what we have. Therefore, you understand very well how your faithful and earnest prayers, inspiring word of encouragements, generous financial support really mean to us. We cherish each of encouragements from you and we see it as God’s divine moments to uphold and coach us for the ministry that He has called us to do. We appreciate you and what you have done! Our church prays for you, your home, your church, your business as you have been extending your kindness to us. We also pray that our partnership will be stronger as time passes so that we all can do more for His kingdom and glory.

In the past two months, though our focus was to organize church structure, strengthen our new believers’ spiritual life and build intimate relationship between church members, we thank God for adding three more souls to our congregation. They are the results of the sport ministry, a new ministry in our church. Since then, they have been very active in church activities and growing in God’s Word wonderfully. As they prayed, one of them was healed partially from innate heart disease, another one experienced God’s powerful work in his heart, making him strong and confident, and the other started loving the Word and won the second prize in our church Bible context. These things happened also as the result of the series of sermons on prayer preached in these two months, beginning with one-day seminar on Meditation. We are now so encouraged that more than 80% of our church members have their quite time every day. And every service is a great blessing and inspiration to hear from their testimonies how God touched their life, answered their prayers, and transformed their hearts. All glory belongs to God alone!

Dear Friends, in this prayer letter, we would like to show you some pictures of our church activities and also a special testimony of one couple who have been a great blessing for us. We also need your prayer for some of crucial concerns of our church. Once again, thank you so much for your heart for us and for the Vietnamese. May God bless you richly!

Training EE for Lead Team

Giving Awards for Monthly Bible Contest
AEC soccer team

AEC soccer team with the cheer team

We still remember in December 21, 2009 we celebrated and blessed a new couple in their marriage with a burden for Miss Thuy, the wife-to-be. Thuy became Christian in 2004 but Thang, the one she would get married was a non-believer. We tried to contact with Thuy after long time she did not go to church and encouraged her to repent and return to God. When she recommitted her life to Jesus, we prayed for her and organized a party to bless them through which we aimed to reach the husband-to-be. After more than 6 months expressing Christian love and care, overcoming some certain opposition, we witnessed Thang surrendering his life to Christ in June20, 2010 by God's faithfulness and wonderful work. He is now a very active member, a faithful and generous giver, a cell group leader, and the manager of our church soccer team. Praise God!

In Mrs. Thuy's birthday