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| Thailand page 3 | ||||||
 Golden Bhuddist Monastery, Chiang Mai, Thailiand |
Known as Siam until 1931, Thailand is at the heart of the Indochinese peninsula. The Thai people, believed to have arrived from southwest China about a thousand years ago, are the only ones in southeast Asia who were never colonized by a European power. Although foreign missionaries were accepted in the beginning, local people now feel that Christianity is for Europeans, but not for Thais. Even so, nationals are a more fruitful witness. Education is the best tool in a Buddhist country, and the church's two academies average 100 baptisms annually. ADRA provides water, opium rehabilitation programs, AIDS awareness, plus agriculture and small enterprise development. Changmai Adventist Academy students have taken the message into surrounding villages, establishing a church and two small groups. | |||||
| Russian Federation page 8 |
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 Statue of Peter the Great aboard a ship, St Petersburg, Russia. |
The world’s largest country, the Russian Federation extends halfway around the globe. Surrounded by the Arctic and Pacific Oceans on two sides, it also faces the Barents, East Siberian, Okhotsk, Japan, Black, and Caspian Seas—as well as a short outlet to the Gulf of Finland. In this vast land, Seventh-day Adventist membership has increased 900 percent during the past 14 years. However, only three out of ten congregations have a place to worship. The Adventist dental clinic in Moscow, six language schools and the three Adventist secondary schools provide opportunities for public and personal evangelism. The unions in Russia pay serious attention to various kinds of youth ministry; Pathfinder and Adventurer Clubs have been organized in several places. There are full-time evangelists in each conference. | |||||
Guyana page 12 |
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 Guyana house island |
Known formerly as British Guiana, Guyana derives its name from an Amerindian word meaning "land of waters," seen today across the narrow coastal plain protected by dikes and crisscrossed by canals. Seventh-day Adventists witness in English, Creole, and Hindi. Because of economic instability and frequent devaluation of the Guyana dollar, there is a growing lack of human resources within the church; one pastor may care for as many as 12 churches. ADRA and its airplane pilot director do much in an isolated area to share the message, and many of the nation's evangelistic campaigns are conducted by the youth. There is an Adventist hospital in Georgetown, but Adventist schools were outlawed in 1976. | |||||
Mongolia page 16 |
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 Monument in Sukhbaatar, Mongolia |
Sometimes called Outer Mongolia to distinguish it from an autonomous region of China, most of Mongolia’s cities are mainly in the north, close to Russia. There are few surfaced roads in the land with a huge livestock population, and camels are still used in the south. The State heavily subsidizes health care and education, and literacy rates are high. Two students who went from North America to the University in Ulaanbaatar witnessed to their faith, bringing the first baptisms in 1993. Once these students learned the language, they began to translate portions of Scripture and prepare Bible lessons. The New Testament translation, available through the Mongolian Bible Society, is being used, as well as one-half of the Old Testament currently in print. However, the entire Bible has now been translated and was printed by the Bible Society in June 2000. During the past seven years, ADRA has initiated a very active program. A multipurpose building has been acquired for the Mission and also serves as a meeting place for one of the Ulaanbaatar congregations. There are now two groups meeting in Ulaanbaatar, one in Darhan, one in Sat, one in the Gobi, and one in Erdenet. | |||||
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