Feel free to join in and ask any questions you would like to know about short [...]]]> This interview took place on November 1st, 2009.  Click here to see the entire interview.

The interview will be conducted live in the comment section of this post (scroll down this page).  Jerry has 17 years of long-term missionary work experience.

Feel free to join in and ask any questions you would like to know about short and long-term missions programs and the state of the Christian church in Taiwan.

When asked about what he hopes people will come away from this interview with, Jerry said, ”The important thing is that they understand missions, pray for taiwan, and get involved in their church’s mission program.”

Note:  Due to the openness of the internet, “Jerry” would rather not use his real name.

GatheredTogether Live Blogging Rules

The children in this photo are students in a Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope Center. Flood waters still surround their home after more than a week.

was alone, working on a farm in a neighboring village while his [...]]]> CARROLLTON, Texas /Christian Newswire/ — Dinanath Rangan, 50, watched as the rain kept pouring down. He

The children in this photo are students in a Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope Center. Flood waters still surround their home after more than a week.

was alone, working on a farm in a neighboring village while his wife and two children stayed at home. For two days, the waters wouldn’t stop. When he discovered that the river that flowed through his home village had breached an embankment, he rushed home, but by the time he reached his village, his house was underwater.

Frantically looking for help, he managed to find a small, hand-crafted boat. He climbed in and started rowing toward his house. But the strong current beat against his tiny boat until it capsized, and Dinanath lost his life in the flood waters.

When GFA relief workers arrived in the area with aid, they met Dinanath’s widow. Constant tears flowed down her cheeks as she received the relief materials. “Thank you,” was all she could say.

GFA relief teams had stepped in when government workers weren’t able to reach the area where Dinanath’s widow resided.

“It was one village where we could not supply any help yet,” a local government official said. “I appreciate [them] for coming forward to lend a hand of help and for supplying essential commodities to people who have lost everything.”

So far GFA relief teams have helped thousands of families in the flooded Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka by supplying items like blankets, bed sheets, cooking utensils and towels. As the water recedes, the workers will stay on to rehabilitate and rebuild damaged homes.

“Ministering to the survivors of these catastrophic floods is a privilege that God has given us. Right now they need food, water, clean clothing and basic household utensils, which we are already providing,” said GFA President, K.P. Yohannan. “We also know that when the water completely recedes they will need help rebuilding their lives. That’s why we will be in these affected areas for the long-term to help them clean up or, in some cases, completely rebuild, their homes. We want to replace the livestock that was killed in the flood. We want to help them restore their lives.”

In the meantime, GFA Compassion Services teams continue ministering to the immediate needs of the people caught in this unusual flooding situation.

Tanmay’s family was one of many that received aid. After the floods covered his four acres of land and swept away everything he had, including crops, buffalo, cows and chickens, he and his family took shelter in a relief center opened by the government.

GFA-supported missionaries visited the relief camp and gave Tanmay and the other refugees blankets and household utensils.

“They had come to the relief camp virtually empty handed, and they were so grateful for the help we gave them,” said a GFA field correspondent.

Fulfilling a Need

Besides food to eat and clean water to drink, victims of the floods were in desperate need of clothing and blankets to shield them from cold nights and ravenous mosquitoes. GFA relief teams have distributed clothing to about 2,475 people in Andhra Pradesh.

Santosh was a fisherman who lost his entire household and possessions in the rising flood waters. He was left with nothing until GFA relief workers helped him.

“Others gave us food and water, but you are the first person who helped us with clothes,” Santosh said.

In one village in Andhra Pradesh, waters rose to 15 feet, collapsing 15 houses. Villagers fled to a government-operated relief camp, leaving everything behind.

GFA relief teams gave clothing to 250 families in that village.

“We had many sleepless nights due to cold and mosquitoes, and we had nothing to cover our bodies,” one survivor said. “Now, God has sent you to provide our needs. You Christians are good and help all people without partiality.”

The waters in another village of Andhra Pradesh rose to six feet. When the waters entered GFA-supported missionary Kundir Rao’s church, he climbed on the roof and was stuck there for three days without any food or water.

When GFA relief workers arrived, Kundir received food and another 180 people received relief materials. The residents of Kundir’s village welcomed the workers and thanked them for their help.

“Many gave us food, but you came from a far distance and gave us clothes,” the villagers said. “This is the first time we received clothes. We are so thankful for your kind help in our time of need.”

“God Sent His People to Help Us”

People fled their villages completely empty handed. Now, as they slowly begin to return to what used to be their homes, they take with them the materials given them by GFA relief workers—and a new understanding of the love of Christ.

“It is God who sent you to us,” said a survivor. “Now, if we have to go back to our home, there is nothing except what you gave.”

GFA relief workers are working around the clock to care for these men, women and children.

At 1:30 a.m., as one team traveled to the home of a local pastor, they spotted people sleeping on the roadside without blankets. The group stopped their journey and handed out blankets, clothing and towels. The distribution lasted until 3:30 a.m.

“At this midnight [in our lives], God sent His people to help us,” said one recipient.

Gospel for Asia continues to provide relief to those suffering from the devastation of the floods that hit Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, India. It is estimated that a total of 10,000 families have been given aid through GFA, and the number is growing each day.

GFA relief teams stand ready to extend physical help and also share the Good News found in Jesus Christ to the ones in need. One GFA worker summed it up as he helped a survivor.

“We are here to help you,” he said.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. /Christian Newswire/ — Proving that space flight is not the highest calling for a pilot, astronaut Patrick Forrester is taking a bit of missionary history onboard space shuttle “Discovery,” which is scheduled for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in the early morning hours of Aug. 25. The aim of [...]]]>

Astronaut Patrick Forrester

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. /Christian Newswire/ — Proving that space flight is not the highest calling for a pilot, astronaut Patrick Forrester is taking a bit of missionary history onboard space shuttle “Discovery,” which is scheduled for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in the early morning hours of Aug. 25. The aim of the two-week orbital mission is to equip the International Space Station.

The item comes from martyred missionary pilot Nate Saint’s Piper PA-14, which is on display at the headquarters of MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) in Nampa, Idaho. Saint and four other missionaries were martyred on a sandbar in Ecuador on Jan. 8, 1956, by a tribe of Waodani Indians.

The incident sparked international news coverage and renewed interest in missionary service. Several of the tribesmen that killed Saint and the others were later converted to Christianity by relatives of the slain missionaries.

“Bringing attention to and renewing interest in missions would be a great result of this experience,” said Forrester, who was born in El Paso, Texas, the year after the martyrdoms. “My deepest intent is to honor Nate Saint, the Saint family and all missionaries around the world.”

The piece is from the Piper’s battery box and has received approval for the flight from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after conforming to strict size and weight restrictions.

Forrester, who will be making his third shuttle flight, has logged more than 4,500 hours in more than 50 different aircraft and has been with NASA 16 years. In addition to his time at NASA, he spent over 26 years as an Army aviator. Yet his dream has been to assist with the high calling of missionary aviation.

“I’ve always had a heart for missions,” Forrester said. “When I visualize what I might do after I end my career at NASA, always in the back of my mind is going into the mission field in some way. If I could go tomorrow and be a pilot with an organization like MAF, I think that’s what I’d do.”

Whether you are an astronaut, a missionary or something else, Forrester has a simple approach to discovering what career journey you should take. “There are so many needs out there,” Forrester said. “People need to figure out where their passion and their talents intersect with God’s plan for the world.”

Forrester heard about Saint and the other four missionary martyrs while attending a Steven Curtis Chapman concert. “He told the story of the missionaries who had gone down and had lost their lives,” Forrester recalled. “That story just fascinated me, and through that I heard of the book ‘Through the Gates of Splendor.’ That’s when I really first understood about MAF.”

Forrester asked MAF to provide a part of Saint’s plane for the shuttle mission. When the mission is completed, Forrester will return the piece to MAF, providing a certificate confirming its presence on the space flight. MAF plans to display the battery box part and certificate at its headquarters. Forrester noted that Saint “could have never imagined that we would have the opportunity to take it to a space station.”

As for himself, Forrester sees missions in his career flight plan. “We are all called to serve God in some manner,” Forrester said. “I have had the opportunity to participate in several short-term mission trips to Uganda, Canada, Puerto Rico and South Africa. Each time I have developed a heart for the people we served. I believe my wife and I will continue to serve in the mission field for the rest of our lives – whether it is at home or overseas, short-term or full-time.”

Founded in the U.S. in 1945, MAF (www.maf.org) missionary teams of aviation, communications, technology and education specialists overcome barriers in remote areas, transform lives and build God’s Kingdom by enabling the work of more than 1,000 organizations in isolated areas of the world. With its fleet of 130 bush aircraft, MAF serves in 55 countries, with an average of 242 flights daily across Africa, Asia, Eurasia and Latin America. MAF pilots transport missionaries, medical personnel, medicines and relief supplies, as well as conduct thousands of emergency medical evacuations in remote areas. MAF also provides telecommunications services, such as satellite Internet access, high frequency radios, electronic mail and other wireless systems.

A missionary serving in the area is reporting: “Our church family came through fine, though our church did suffer some serious cosmetic damage to the face of the building from the wind. They are saying that this was a 50 year typhoon. It was not the strongest typhoon in strength, but it did more damage to the southern end of Taiwan (where we are) than any typhoon in the last 50 years. It basically camped on top of us for more than 48 hours before finally moving on. Very powerful sustained winds and torrential rains brought trees down everywhere and some areas have had severe flooding.

Needed Prayer

We just heard the news report about a remote mountain village in our own county which had its communications cut off by the storm. Today, a day after the storm, when some one finally went out to check on them they discovered that the whole village had simply been wiped away by landslides and flooding and not a single person remained. The death toll could top 800 people.

Please keep us in your prayers as our church is experiencing an amazing growth spurt and tremendous spiritual blessings. But the pressures are great on our family and team as we try to train workers to help carry the load of ministry.”

Relief Organization on the Ground in Taiwan

World Vision is responding with help to the victims.

From their website:  In the wake of Typhoon Morakot, World Vision is providing food, clean water, and cleaning materials to affected households in southern Taiwan.

“The most pressing needs now are providing shelter, food, and clean water for those who have had to evacuate their homes,” says Hank Du, executive director for World Vision in Taiwan. “We also want to make sure the children are secure and have a safe place where they are cared for.”

Click here to donate to World Vision’s Emergency Relief Fund

Related Links:

• Big Picture: Taiwan Typhoon Pictures
• Taipei Times: Downpour continues to pummel south
• New York Times: Taiwan Mudslide May Have Buried 600 Villagers
• New York Times Map to path of Morakot
• Google News Search

I have a niece, Susan Clark, who is a missionary in Niger, Africa. At this moment, she is being flown by bush plane, to be transferred to a medical evacuation aircraft, and flown to Ghana. From there they plan to take her either to Germany or France for treatment. She has a respiratory illness, described [...]]]>

I have a niece, Susan Clark, who is a missionary in Niger, Africa. At this moment, she is being flown by bush plane, to be transferred to a medical evacuation aircraft, and flown to Ghana. From there they plan to take her either to Germany or France for treatment. She has a respiratory illness, described as pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome. She’s been serving all alone at her remote location in Niger, and we’re unsure about the potential outcome just now. If you think to pray for her, I would appreciate it.

-Max Elliot Anderson

• Original post: http://booksandboys.blogspot.com/2009/08/prayer-for-my-niece-in-africa.html
• Updates on Susan Clark’s condition:
  • Update on Susan Clark In Africa
  • Further update on Sue
  • Email Update Sue Clark
  • Follow Sue’s progress on Max’s website: Books for Boys