September
Update on the Situation in Bangladesh
Since late June, students from public universities across Bangladesh have been staging protests against the government’s “Quota System”, which reserved 30% of the government jobs for the descendants of those who fought in the independence war. A week later, students from private universities joined the protests. Major city intersections and highways were blocked, which led to severe traffic disruptions. Schools nationwide declared an indefinite break, dormitories were closed, and the college saints in Dhaka all returned to their hometowns. The saints in Dhaka mostly stayed at home, except for essential shopping.
On July 14, the conflicts turned violent. By July 18, clashes between the police and protesters resulted in increased casualties and the government imposed a nationwide internet blackout that evening. The next day, the military enforced a curfew, allowing the police and soldiers to shoot anyone found in gatherings. This situation lasted for six days. During this time saints mostly stayed at home and they occasionally would hear gunshots and explosions. On July 24, people returned to work for half day, but schools remained closed.
The internet was restored on July 25, but the curfew remained in place as negotiations between the government and the student representatives carried on. That afternoon, the saints got in touch with and invited to their home an open gospel contact, a Muslim whom they had met on campus earlier in July and who had already joined four home meetings to read the Bible. At the end of that meeting, he expressed his willingness to be baptized and the saints baptized him at home. Thank the Lord! Despite the outward turmoil, every situation was used by Him to open people’s hearts to Him.
The student protests gradually turned into a nationwide anti-government movement. After a few days of calm, protests resumed on August 2-3, with ongoing clashes and attacks in various regions. On August 4, nearly 100 people were reported dead. On the afternoon of August 5, the Prime Minister fled to India, the military took control, and a temporary government was announced, bringing an end to the protests. But the country was in a near-anarchic state. Prisons and police stations were taken over and widespread looting, especially in rural areas, took place. Many saints reported persecutions and even killings of Christians and Hindus by radical groups in their hometowns. Many foreigners left the country, and international organizations evacuated most of their staff. As of August 9, there had been 197 deaths, over 5,000 injuries, and 3,000 arrests nationwide.
As of now, nearly a month has passed since the formation of the provisional government in August, and the social order is gradually being restored. Saints in the capital have resumed the physical bread-breaking meetings, with about 10 saints gathering every Friday to break bread. However, the situation outside the capital remains difficult and chaotic, especially in some ethnic minority areas. The saints can only have corporate pursuit and prayer online as physical meetings have not yet resumed. The intercession of all the saints is needed.
Prayer Requests
1. Pray for the restoration of social stability as soon as possible and for people’s hearts to be open to the gospel through the turbulence of the external environment.
2. Pray for the saints to turn to the Lord and experience Him as peace in the midst of the situation.
3. Pray for the new government that regardless of the changing environment and situation, everything may work for His interest and for the gospel.
Cambodia
National Responsible Brothers’ Training
The 2024 Spring National Responsible Brothers’ Training took place in Phnom Penh from May 10 to 12. Over 50 responsible brothers from across the country participated, along with two overseas co-workers. On Lord’s Day, a blending meeting of the churches in Southern Cambodia was held. Nearly 150 saints were blended together in the up-to-date speaking of the ministry. By entering into the fellowship of the Body, the churches received timely help from the Body.
The training content was taken from the 2024 Spring ITERO on “Being a Vessel unto Honor, a Fully Equipped Man of God, by Being Empowered in the Grace Which is in Christ Jesus to Fully Accomplish Our Ministry in the Unique Ministry of God’s Economy”. Six messages were released, with the hope that by building up a habit of exercising their spirit and being empowered in the grace, the responsible brothers in different localities would receive a commission to be the inoculators against the decline of the church and to actively cooperate with the Lord in this age to bring life and incorruption to light through the gospel. In addition, the brothers were reminded to actively accomplish their ministry under the unique ministry of the New Testament, that is, to speak the same thing in their service in the their localities in order to maintain and witness to the oneness of the Body for its building up.
Besides the message meetings, a special session was held on Saturday evening for the responsible brothers. This included two parts: “Being strengthened to live a Life for the Gospel and Participating in Gospel Outreach” and “Entering into the Bible Through the Life-studies”. Regarding gospel propagation, seven saints shared the blessings they experienced from their recent coordination with Taiwan and Hong Kong trainees, as well as the gospel propagation in the second largest city of the country, Battambang. The brothers responded by committing to weekly gospel preaching and continuous shepherding of the new ones. Regarding the Life-study pursuit, with the help of the overseas co-workers, the brothers were encouraged to establish a habit of reading the Life-studies in the way of “everyone, every day, together, and step by step” and keep up with the flow of the churches worldwide to enter into the richness of the Life-studies in the next twenty years so that they could be constituted with the word of the ministry.
After the meetings, the overseas co-workers coordinated with the local co-workers for four days, visiting a number of saints, including local responsible brothers and their families, foreign saints working in Cambodia, and brothers responsible for the work in northern and southern Cambodia. Through their supply and encouragement, many working saints from overseas picked up the burden to coordinate together in prayer, fellowship, and finances to support the churches of the entire country to create more opportunities for blending. In addition, responsible brothers from different localities shared their local situations and needs with the visiting brothers, seeking breakthroughs with the help of the Body.
Praise the Lord for His mercy! The churches in Cambodia have made progress through this training. With the help of the word of the ministry, the saints were able to know and be deeply convinced of this ministry, be strengthened in their faith, and be perfected and encouraged in their service. We look to the Lord to continue to grant grace to the churches so that the saints would keep running the race set before them.
Prayer Requests
1. Pray for continual breakthroughs in the young people’s work across the country that the Lord can gain more quality young people who are open to Him.
2. Pray for the saints to establish a habit of going out weekly to visit people for the gospel and for shepherding.
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