Heaven's Family Magazine
April 2016 Issue

Audio Adrenaline!

Taking the gospel to an illiterate ethnic group

David Servant, Unreached People Groups Ministry

Audio Adrenaline! Taking the gospel to an illiterate ethnic group

A typical remote village in Yunnan Province, China

Dear Friends,

“Turn around and go home!” Hua Yang* screamed repeatedly. She spoke with a strange voice that was all-too-familiar to her husband, Chun, who was clutching the steering wheel. More than 3 hours of driving remained, but Chun endured her frequent outbursts in the hope that, once they arrived, the Christians he’d learned about would succeed at doing what doctors and witches had failed at—delivering his wife from the evil spirit that tormented her, and from her chronic illness.

The handful of believers welcomed Chun and Yang at their meeting place. They told the desperate couple about Jesus, the One who is mightier than demons. Yang subsequently received deliverance, and she also received Jesus. Amazed at his wife’s liberation, Chun followed suit. Within a few weeks Yang’s health problems vanished.

Sister Yang, a new creation in Christ

Of course, Yang’s amazing testimony quickly spread among her friends, relatives, and those in her village. Many turned to Jesus as a result. So many, in fact, that local communist police initiated a wave of persecution against the new believers.

All of the new believers, including Yang, are from the A-Che (pronounced ah-chuh) tribe, one of China’s many ethnic minorities. Unfortunately, most are illiterate, so they cannot read the Chinese Bible or any other Christian discipleship materials. (There is no A-Che Bible or New Testament.) Their illiteracy is a major hurdle to pastor Paul Fang—the very first believer among the A-Che—as he endeavors to disciple them along with the help of Yang, who is illiterate herself.

The new A-Che believers are at a critical phase in their fledgling faith, and as a good spiritual father, pastor Paul knows he must protect and strengthen the new flock, establishing them firmly in their faith. This is especially important considering these new believers had absolutely no prior knowledge of the Bible.

Pastor Paul and Sister Yang praying for a villager

Limited to only the spoken word, and restricted from regular visits to Yang’s remote village by ever-watching government spies, pastor Paul has decided that his best option is to evangelize and disciple the A-Che through a more clandestine means. He intends to record salvation messages, as well as Gospel stories, Jesus’ teachings, and key New Testament passages in the A-Che language. Those digital audio messages can then be duplicated and safely delivered by various covert means to A-Che people, believers and unbelievers alike, of whom there are tens of thousands in China’s Yunnan Province.

Pastor Paul cannot accomplish his plan without substantial help, however. And that is why I’m asking the friends of Heaven’s Family to join in this strategic effort that could introduce thousands of A-Che people to eternal life through Jesus Christ.

This project requires hours of work translating and recording the words of Jesus from the Gospels, texts from Paul’s writings, and many other key scriptures that will help build biblical foundations among the A-Che. Clandestine, individual distribution of those recordings also requires funding. The total cost for this project is $32,000.

About half of that amount is needed to purchase a rugged pre-owned vehicle so that pastor Paul and his team can better access the mountainous locations of A-Che villages and minister in them more regularly. Todd Matthews, director of Heaven’s Family’s Unreached People Groups Ministry, firmly believes “this is the next crucial step in reaching the A-Che tribe…all 40,000 of them.” Pastor Paul Fang is one of Todd’s own converts.

Most of the A-Che scattered across Yunnan Province have never once heard Jesus’ name. Can you imagine that? They don’t know that there is an option to turn to Him for salvation and freedom from Satan’s bondage.

Would you help us deliver the gospel in spoken form to thousands who have never heard? And would you also help us deliver God’s Word in spoken form to our sister in Christ, Hua Yang, and to all the new A-Che believers? They are the ones who can take the gospel to fellow members of their forgotten tribe. This is an opportunity to play a part in something historic, something that will be recorded in the annals in heaven!

Thanks so much,

David

Yes! I’d like to help deliver the gospel in spoken form to thousands who have never heard, with my gift of:

$10  |   $50  |   $100  |   $500

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