NEWSLETTER: MAY 2004
MCGN is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization promoting spiritual renewal and economic development of the people in Mizoram and the surrounding region by serving them as Jesus did. (Mt. 20:28)
"The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." (Mt. 9:37-38)
ANNOUNCEMENT!Send short material, not more than 10 lines, for Mizo Section starting from June 2004
Recently, the enemy burned down the Depot building in Kolkata. Everything was lost - building, furniture, books, printing press, computers, business records, etc. The total loss is more than a million US dollars. ELD still has to pay their bank obligations. They need financial and prayer support to continue the ministry. Pray that their needs will be met and God’s glory prevails over the enemy! Those interested to help can contact MCGN, see email at the bottom.
GO FEST Shillong 2004, a mission conference to mobilize Christian young people in NE India for the Great Commission. It was held April 20-25. Thousands of young people came and committed themselves for global missions, see their website: www.gofestshillong.com. Praise God for the many who are willing “to go” to the 10/40 window region. We heard that 738 people committed to 20 countries!
Mizoram is way behind in modern infrastructure, everything is slow. For example, outdated computer hinder electronic-Bible completion, poor transportation systems delay Bible distribution in jails, poor internet access limits email use, and the list goes on. Pray that the Mizo leaders will think and act systematically to build up strategic infrastructure.
Dr. P.C.Biaksiama was effective in the debate on the controversial theory of Mizo people being a lost tribe of Israel. He received more than 50 calls the day after the debate on March 31st, and some consider him as a "Defender of Faith." It is rather unfortunate that we must spend so much energy on debates like this rather than sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the unsaved, especially unreached people groups. We must be careful of heretical teachings which can come out of much knowledge and not out of ignorance.The following information was extracted from various sources, forwarded by Sam George:
Highest Suicide Rate: Dr. Anuradha Bose of the Vellore Christian Medical College said, “We have identified rates of suicide that are several-fold higher than those reported anywhere in the world, especially in young women.” Higher suicide rates are noted among girls not only in India, but also in China and Singapore.Christian Persecution in India: According to police records, the number of reported attacks on Christians in India rose from 7 in 1996 to 380 in 2003. An unofficial estimate is 600 attacks for last year (2003).
The story of a young girl from Nepal: She was cheated by someone, bought and taken to Bombay as a sex slave. Finally, she was bought back and moved into a “Home of Hope”. In some places, it takes more than just telling the story to free people.
Pastor Joseph Raltong contacted us to help him to visit USA, mainly to minister to some brothers and sisters from Myanmar, now in Texas and Indiana. He has a special burden for their spiritual life and he wants to be an encourager. Joseph is a caring person and is always determined to act in the right way. He has a proper visa as a pastor in Japan. We thank the Lord that he has been a source of encouragement and a helper to many. He serves two Christian congregations in Tokyo. Pray for his effectiveness.
Pu Lalsawmliana (Sawma) suggested good ideas for a Mizo edition of our newsletter. It has always been our desire but we do not have any volunteer to do the task. For a very short time, translation was done by MCGN Nepal. We hope that the Lord will bring someone for this important task. In the meantime, we will start a short section in Mizo from next month. Thanks to Pu Sawma for news from Japan and this good suggestion!Gene and Mary Friedrich from Boston informed us of the ongoing ministry of Norm and Becky Wretlind in Bihar, West Bengal, etc. in India. The ministry is called “Neighbor Hope inistries/Kingdom Building Ministries.” The Wretlinds may be considered American parents for Brother Abraham who is now pastoring in Bihar state, near the Uttar Pradesh border. As the need in India is great, it is encouraging to know some people are responding to the Lord’s calling there.
We are glad to know that our church (Church of the Foothills, Cameron Park, California) mission group is interested to help in Radio Broadcasting ministry in Mizoram. Broadcasting is an effective method to send the Good News to the neighboring countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Also, the Mizo people can be educated and culturally enriched by radio programs. Pray that individuals or organizations in Mizoram with a desire and commitment for this Radio project will come out soon. Until and unless such people or groups come forward, we cannot move forward with the Radio project.Last month, I highlighted the legitimacy and necessity of two-structures of God’s redemptive mission. Not only do we need a nurturing-oriented congregation, but also an action-oriented missions group. Both structures need a good foundation to be effective and lasting. I will briefly point out the requirements for forming a structure, as presented by William Carey’s “Equiry.” Carey followed this vision and principle, and became a well-known mission success story.
Remember when Carey presented the case for global missions to his pastor and church leadership, they were not impressed and dismissed him not to worry about it. Carey did not stop because of them, and started to make a structure or mission society to launch his vision for global missions. He had a clear idea about the qualifications for getting involved in the society. The person must be mature and convinced of the work, and determined to complete the work with perseverance. I found this truth in MCGN as I looked back of the past. In short, MCGN has lacked this kind of leadership and membership.Here is what William Carey wrote in his 1792 report on “Enquiry, ” emphasis points are mine.
The urbanization fact also says that most development or job creation is mainly in the capital city where people will be attracted. The fact clearly speaks the imbalance of development in the state. Aizawl has been so developed and dominant that Lunglei is no longer close comparison, as if Lunglei has been abandoned for all practical purposes. The Mizo leaders have to look at the state with new thinking before it is damaged beyond repair.
Some recent disasters in Aizawl are highly correlated with the result of poor urbanization. More frequent and large scale landslide disasters especially during heavy rain period in Aizawl are related to heavy and unregulated buildings. The disaster scenario for a large earthquake in terms of deaths, short term and long term economic and psychological impacts, must be considered now because such an eventuality is highly probable. It is wiser and more economic to have such proactive measures.Also, the facts of several problems like social unrest and moral failures so prevalent in Aizawl are directly related to the high urbanization. Illegal residents can easily hide in such a large city, as they are now. The system is not in place to administer Aizawl effectively. Unacceptable traffic problem due to too many cars and taxis is also the result of urbanization of Aizawl. So many vehicles are not really needed in Aizawl but there is no system to regulate the situation. Now, we have heard that the government is going to construct an overpass at a high cost to solve the traffic problem. This is only a temporary or short-term solution for a localized area and the policy does not address the root cause. Rather the money be wisely spent for other urgent needs.
It is high time that the leaders take decisive steps in placing development and job creating programs away from Aizawl, and possibly in the southern areas where trade and commerce with the neighboring countries are in the horizon. Leaders of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar are interested in this matter and moving to work together. I know that our Mizo leaders are working hard behind the scene on connecting with our neighbors. The public must also have a mindset of establishing good relationships with our neighbors. Some of us speak and write about this with a conviction that it will foster friendship and lead to prosperity. For Christians, prosperity translates into giving more for missions and be a blessings to others.MCGN International HQ: USA: Lalliana Mualchin (Email: mualchin@hotmail.com)
Original Webmaster: Jeff Mead (Email: ***)
News Compiler: Ngeni Mualchin (Email: mualchin@hotmail.com)
News Editor: Patricia Macy (Email: pamacy@netzero.net)