Abram La Rue, a shepherd and woodcutter from the United States, just knew he had to take the good news to Asia in the 1800s. Today, this region is home to 1.1 billion people, including 1.7 million Adventists.
Abram La Rue, a shepherd and woodcutter from the United States, just knew he had to take the good news to Asia. He wrote to the General Conference but was told that at 65 he was too old, and they didn’t have the money to send him.
Not giving up, Mr. La Rue worked his way onto a ship to Hong Kong. When he arrived there in 1888, he was the very first Adventist missionary to come to Asia. Right away, he began preparing pamphlets to hand out. Day after day, he continued this work until his final years. This pioneer was able to witness several baptisms before he died in 1903.
Mr. La Rue’s ministry sparked the beginning of Adventist mission in all of Asia. Today, the Southern Asia-Pacific Division is headquartered in the Philippines and oversees work in 14 countries.
This region is home to 1.1 billion people, including 1.7 million Adventists. Almost 90 percent of the division’s church membership live in Indonesia and the Philippines, making the rest of this territory largely unreached.
Adventists throughout the division are focused on connecting with their communities to try to improve the lives of the people around them and bring them to Jesus.
In Laos, Adventists developed an Urban Center of Influence to share about healthy living with people in Vientiane, the capital city.
Recently, a business owner and their family learned about Jesus through the urban outreach of the church. The family decided to commit their lives to God through baptism. And recently, they have invited Adventist pastors to perform a ritual to remove their idols, charms, and former worship objects, as they surrender themselves solely to one God.
This baptism marks a new success in sharing the message of hope to the urban, middle- and upper-class people in Vientiane, who have been difficult to connect with in the past.
Adventists have exciting plans for the future, like a mobile book shop, which will use a minivan to bring Adventist books and other health and lifestyle resources to the community. Young people are also excited to join in. They have set up sports groups and social gatherings to create friendships with attendees.
The church members in Vientiane also plan to offer free English, music, and multimedia classes to the public.
Please pray for these efforts that will allow Adventists to connect with and improve the lives of those around them. Pray for territories like this in the 10/40 Window. Thank you for supporting Adventist mission.
