Asia Regional Conference
Unity Grows as Luke Society Family Gathers
Recording the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth, Luke wrote in chapter seven, “They were all filled with awe and praised God. ‘A great prophet has appeared among us,’ they said. ‘God has come to help his people.’ This news about Jesus spread throughout the Judea and the surrounding country. John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come or should we expect someone else?’ At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard…’”
Sure signs of the godly calling and ministry of Jesus were and still are the physical healing of people from disease and their release from the power of the evil one and his evil servants. At the first Luke Society Asian Regional Conference hosted by Dr. Julius and Debby Surjadi in Indonesia, it was apparent that Jesus is still ministering today through his good and faithful servants in that part of the world. Though for various reasons only three of our six Asian Ministry Partners were able to attend the conference, we were all very blessed and encouraged by our time together.
We began each day with corporate worship led by Debby along with members of her church from Jakarta and inspirational devotionals led by participants such as her Senior Pastor Andreas. Each day was also filled with listening to ministry reports from our Asian Ministry Partners describing their work and demonstrating how the Lord is active today in their countries.
From one of the most regularly devastated parts of the world where cyclones (hurricanes) are common, extended heat waves with temperatures exceeding 120 degrees Fahrenheit are expected annually, and where hostility to the gospel and persecution of Christians is imbedded into their laws, we learned from Prem and Dr. Pushpa Rout from Northeastern India that the ministry of Jesus is still effective in changing lives there as it was in Israel when he walked this earth.
With Jeremiah 29:11-13 as their guide Prem and Pushpa reported, “We started community health services in the most devastated cyclone affected coastal belt of our home state of Orissa. Our hearts were broken seeing the misery of the people who were lying in plastic tents with pools of water and debris. Many sick and hungry people were waiting for help. The saddest news was that many died in the cyclone without knowing Jesus, the Savior! We started reaching them by traveling hours away, dispensing medicines from the back of our vehicle, caring for the sick and comforting the disheartened with the love of and hope in Christ.”
Since the beginning of their holistic Christian ministry in 2001, the Routs have taught about community health issues such as clean water, sanitary latrines, nutrition, care for children, and sexually transmitted diseases. They have trained community health workers and traditional birth attendants, provided immunizations for children, promoted economic development programs for young people, and taught literacy programs to many. The Routs have ministered in 140 villages, distributed almost 8000 pieces of Christian literature, have prayed to release several people from demonic oppression, and have helped establish six churches in which new believers now worship the true and risen Lord, Jesus of whom the Routs say, “we give all the glory to our Master Jesus Christ for his call, plan and wisdom to minister to the downtrodden and needy of our state, Orissa.”
At the conference, we also had the blessing of hearing from Dr. Susie Cayaon who with her husband, Pastor Ben, became the directors of the Philippine ministry on the island of Palawan in 1997. Over the past ten years they have significantly developed this ministry, which also began as a response to a devastating typhoon years earlier. Initially working in a government building that needed many repairs including a new roof, the Luke Society of Palawan has been functioning for the past few years in a new facility thanks to generous donors of the Luke Society.
Susie reported that the clinical aspects of the ministry have grown extensively and that in addition to out patient care, they are now able to provide some limited in-patient care, minor surgeries and monthly ultrasound services with the assistance of visiting physicians, on-going care for burn patients, X-ray services, and a pharmacy. Since the local hospital is often understaffed and ill–equipped, and the trip to the nearest city Puerto Princesa is at least four hours over a difficult road, the Luke Society clinic is regularly busy ministering to thousands of patients each year of which 40% are children and several are Muslims.
Following the example of Jesus who “went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Matthew 9:35), Ben and Susie along with their team also travel great distances over difficult roads to provide primary medical care, community health education, and the gospel message in many villages surrounding their base ministry center in the town of Quezón.
Each month they travel to different communities in which they teach about common illnesses, how to cure them and more importantly, how to prevent them. Equipping local leaders with basic health knowledge and assisting with capital projects such as community wells, most if not all of the villages have been open to also learning more about Jesus through the showing of the Jesus Film, regular Bible studies, and the establishment of new churches in communities with new disciples of the Lord Jesus. Here, also as in India, Pastor Ben has had to do the work of Jesus in releasing some people who have been captive to demonic spirits. But regardless of the particular need, the Cayaons are quick to give glory to God as they touch lives in Jesus’ name.
More could be said about the ministries represented at this conference including the work done by Dr. Julius and Debby Surjadi on the Indonesian island of Irian Jaya (the western half of Papua) which is still one of the most primitive places on earth today. And much more could be written by including the ministries of the three directors who were not able to attend, recounting the several discussions we had about specific subjects, and relating a bit about our times of prayer together. But suffice it to say that all of us were mentally stimulated by what we heard and discussed, emotionally touched by the difficult but dedicated work of our brothers and sisters in Asia, and spiritually motivated by hearing more about the ongoing power and presence of Jesus in the world today.
On behalf of all the Asian Luke Society ministry directors and from us who serve with the Luke Society, thank you for all of your faithful prayers and continued financial support. I trust that in this report and from all you read in this newspaper, like John the Baptist, you will be more convinced that Jesus was and is “the one who was to come.”
Phil David