ISEMA Newsletters
Church Growth in Viet Nam
by Doug Paradise (“I Was in Prison” Ministries, P O Box 4962, Santa Rosa, CA 95402, (707) 575-4685)
It was July 7, 1991 and I was back in Viet Nam for trip number 4. I had 90 pounds of Christian contraband in my three pieces of luggage. To get caught would mean jail, fines, and deportation! Just three weeks earlier, a Hong Kong pastor got caught with 70 pounds and to jail he went! Holding my breath and praying in tongues, I made it through customs and soon arrived at my hotel room.
There I learned that three days before my arrival, 35 church leaders had been apprehended, including four American-Vietnamese leaders at Vung Tau, a coastal City. Now, all church meetings were being watched closely. The police informed two friends of mine (church leaders) that they knew I was in Viet Nam and what I was up to. From that moment on I was very careful. Meetings were hush-hush. At one such meeting, I was interrupted midway into my message and hid in an old warehouse as police searched the building for thirty minutes looking for me. After they left I continued preaching. Why?
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (II Tim. 1:7). Yes, I had come to Viet Nam at a difficult time but God always looks better in times of difficulty! On the way to meetings I was escorted by three motorcyclists who were on the look-out for plainclothes police. Once at the meetings, a lookout was posted. During the time I was there, some 27 Americans were arrested on trumped-up CIA charges. One day the Voice of America radio, broadcast out of Bangkok, told Americans who were visiting Viet Nam that they should leave Viet Nam due to difficulties with the government and police.
But while that was going on, God was healing the sick, casting out devils, baptizing new churches in the Holy Spirit and saving lost souls. A woman who has been prayed for several times with no results now gets set free from strong demons. A girl with a seriously broken leg … is healed instantly. Now she can run! A child five or six years old that was paralyzed and dumb since being an infant walks and begins to speak! A suicidal teen-age boy gets saved and delivered…
Pastor Ai…is facing at least 2 1/2 more years in jail….Pastor Anh has been imprisoned for Bible smuggling (10,000 Bibles) in Da Nang. Last week, Pastor Mai, one of Viet Nam’s four major pastors, was imprisoned for perhaps three years….But as you know, persecution is good for the Church. The Church in Viet Nam multiplies under this pressure and bold new leaders arise in all the major cities of Viet Nam….The unemployment rate is at least 60%. Many godly saints have very little to eat….Please pray for me, for the churches, for those imprisoned. In the two years from the fall of 1989 to the fall of 1991, the church in Viet Nam has grown from about 5000 to about 250,000 believers!
Revival in Cambodia
by Doug Paradise
Note: Many of you have heard of the great revival that took place in Cambodia in the 1970’s shortly before millions of people were killed by the Khmer Rouge. One of the leaders of this revival was a man named Sopal. A few months ago, he returned to Cambodia after living in the U.S. Since that time, God has been doing a great work in that nation, which is presently under United Nations control until it can hold free elections On January 5, 1992, I visited Cambodia (Democratic Kampuchea), specifically Phnom-Penh, the capital. I stayed at a former secondary school which by a miracle was leased to Sopal by the current government for $1000 per month. It is in the heart of the city and has 66 large rooms! It is currently being remodeled for use as an orphanage and a meeting place for church, prayer, and English instruction. Each day there are prayer meetings for two hours with about eight persons receiving Christ a day. In the afternoons a time of teaching Christian songs in English brings several to Christ each day. The orphanage is in operation on a small scale with no paper work required by the government! Church attendance on Sunday mornings is about 120 and that is without any outreach or advertising. Without stretching the truth, I witnessed the second part of Anointed for Burial (a book about the 1970’s Cambodia revival). I preached for ten minutes at one meeting and thirty responded to Christ or the filling of the Holy Spirit. This ministry is ready to receive any who are willing to serve with a submissive spirit.
There are many ways to reach Cambodians for Christ. You can easily get work there teaching English and get good money and live in one of the rooms at the building. You can work part time and minister part time. While you teach English you can lead your students to Christ. It costs $400 per month to live there. While in Phnom Penh I met with and prayed with the number 2 leader of the feared Khmer Rouge right in the government’s “Oval Room”! He wants to see me again when I return in July. The doors are wide open right now. Go! Go! Go! Anyone interested in Cambodia should contact me or fax Kirk Schauer at 855-232-6234.
Nigeria Outreach
by Henry Pulsifer, Brothers and Sisters in Christ (B.A.S.I.C., Box 431, Kiln, MS 39556, (601) 255-9251)
God has given us a vision for reaching the world for Jesus. There are three steps involved in carrying it out: 1) An intercessory walk with the Cross around each nation’s capitol. 2) Training a dedicated team of men and women with a Jesus message. 3) Providing pastors and teachers with the literature and training material they need to equip their people for the work of the ministry. We are already seeing the vision unfold.
We were in Nigeria from Nov. 7 to Dec. 12. We worked with Dr. Don Crum and Rev. David Jeba from Africa Missions. Even though it is a country under Muslim military rule and influenced by demonic voodoo powers, we were able to walk with the cross around the capitol area and intercede for the country. BASIC Evangelism and Discipleship workshops for pastors and leaders were conducted in several places…In addition, evangelistic crusades were held.
Over 1000 people were trained to be men and women with a Jesus message! An indigenous missions movement was also birthed, as many volunteered to reach the unreached in Nigeria, Africa, and around the world. Others backed them up with commitments of prayer and finances. We rejoiced as the first funds were given by these Nigerians to help their own people win the world for Jesus.
The crusades were anointed as God moved in a tremendous way. Many were healed, and hundreds came forward for salvation.
Please keep Nigeria in your prayers. The saints there are under severe persecution. Also, be in prayer for the ongoing literature and training ministry we hope to establish to help raise up God’s army in Africa.
Coming Events
Saturday April 25 San Francisco Worship Rally and Evangelism Outreach. Meet at 3 PM at Powell St. BART Station. Contact SOS Ministries, Box 27358, Oakland, CA 94602, (510) 531-5325.
April 30-May 2 Carolina’s Conference on Evangelism and Revival, Greenville, NC. Tommy Barnett, Winkie Pratney, Scott Hinkle and others. Free. Call (919) 355-6621 or (214) 283-3900.
May 1-2 Kentucky Derby Outreach, Louisville, KY. Contact No Greater Love Ministries, Box 263, DuQuoin, IL 62832, (618) 542-4503.
May 22-24 Indianapolis 500 Outreach. Contact Christ in Action, Box 100, Chatsworth, GA 30705, (404) 695-1868 or No Greater Love Ministries (address above).
May 23 March for Jesus. Christians in dozens of cities around the world will be gathering to exalt Jesus in the streets. For information about the cities scheduling a march, contact Tom Pelton, March for Jesus, P O Box 3216, Austin, TX 78764, (512) 416-0066.
May 23 San Antonio, TX Riverwalk Outreach. Contact Rev. David O’Dell 3400 W. Park Blvd. #2117, Plano, TX 75075, (214) 519-0195.
June 2-16 England Outreach. $1370. Contact Forward Edge, 15121-A NE 72nd Ave., Vancouver, WA 98686, (206) 574-EDGE. (Also short-term outreaches throughout summer to East Germany, Romania, Spain [summer Olympics], China, Thailand, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Native American Indian tribes [$285].)
June 11-14 Tampa, FL Outreach. Contact Pat Schatzline (813) 683-5726.
June 14-27 BASIC Training. Comprehensive training in evangelism and discipleship. Outreaches to New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast. Contact Henry Pulsifer, Box 431, Kiln, MS 39556, (601) 255-9251. (Also August 2-15).
June 22-27 Rescue Atlanta Outreach. Contact Rescue Atlanta (Mel Rolls, Director), Box 965039, Marietta, GA 30066, (404) 924-0201.
June 19-27 SOS-Hollywood. $150. Contact Holy Ghost Repair Service, Box 1590, Hollywood, CA 90078, (213) 469-3027.
June 26-July 4 SOS-San Francisco. This outreach will be held in conjunction with the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International Convention. Contact SOS Ministries (address above).
July 11-15 Democratic National Convention Outreach, New York City. $150. Contact No Greater Love (address above).
July 25-August 8 Barcelona, Spain and Israel. Outreach to Olympics and Israel. Contact No Greater Love (address above).
August 15-19 Republican National Convention Outreach. Houston, TX. $150. Contact No Greater Love (address above).
1992 International Street & Evangelism Ministry Directory
By the time you receive this letter, the 1992 International Street & Evangelism Ministry Directory should be ready. This directory contains the latest revisions in our listing of street and evangelism ministries around the world plus many new listings. I believe you will find this directory very helpful in learning about ministries in your area and around the world. It is filled with valuable information not available elsewhere and is very easy to use and easy to read.
Please keep sending us evangelism reports from your area. I want to thank Doug Paradise and Henry Pulsifer for the fascinating reports in this newsletter. Also, as you can see, there are a number of important outreaches coming up this summer — outreaches to the Olympics, to the political conventions, and other major outreaches including Marches for Jesus on May 23 in dozens of cities around the world. Plan on attending at least one of these outreaches. It will change your life!
Our Tape of the Month is “Vietnam Outreach Report” by Doug Paradise. This tape gives a more complete report on the miraculous works God is doing in this nation. It also contains a powerful message that will challenge you to a closer walk with Jesus.
Yours in His love,
Larry Rosenbaum
