The Hastings Family

Dear Friends,

Lao Officials to Expel More Christian Families from Village

Katin chief says previously expelled Christians will be shot if they return.

DUBLIN, November 9 (CDN) — Officials in Katin village, southern Laos have ordered six more Christian families to renounce their faith or face expulsion in early January, advocacy group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF) reported today (Nov. 9).

The Katin chief and the village religious affairs officer, along with local security forces, recently approached the six families with the threat after having expelled 11 Christian families, totaling 48 people, at gunpoint last January. The six families now under threat had become Christians since the January expulsion.

The eviction last January followed months of threats and harassment, including the confiscation of livestock and other property, the detention of 80 men, women and children in a school compound and the death by asphyxiation of a Christian villager. (See www.compassdirect.org, “Lao officials Force Christians from Worship at Gunpoint,” Feb. 8.)

Immediately after the expulsion, two more families in Katin village became Christians despite the obvious risk to their personal safety, according to HRWLRF. The village chief allowed them to remain in Katin but warned all villagers that their own homes would be “torn down” if they made contact with the expelled Christians.

In the following months, the expelled villagers suffered from a lack of adequate shelter, food and water, leading to eye and skin infections, diarrhea, dehydration and even the death of one villager. Katin authorities also denied Christian children access to the village school. (See www.compassdirect.org, “Christians Expelled from Village Suffer Critical Illnesses,” May 14.)

District officials in early May gave the Christians permission to return to Katin and take rice from their family barns to prevent starvation, said another source on condition of anonymity. Some families then tried to cultivate their rice fields to avoid losing them completely, but the work was extremely difficult as authorities had confiscated their buffaloes, essential to agriculture in Laos.

Threat to Shoot
In July, officials from the Saravan provincial headquarters and the Ta-oyl district religious affairs office met with the evicted families in their shelters at the edge of the jungle and encouraged them to return to Katin, HRWLRF said.

The Christians agreed to return under five conditions: that authorities designate a Christian “zone” within Katin to avoid conflict with non-believers; that all forms of persecution end; that their children return to school; that Christians must be granted the right of burial in the village cemetery; and that the village award compensation for six homes destroyed in the January eviction.

When higher-level officials approached Katin leaders with these terms, village officials and local residents rejected them, insisting that they would only allow the Christians to return if they gave up their faith. The higher officials invoked Decree 92, a law guaranteeing the rights of religious minorities, but village heads said they would shoot every Christian who returned to Katin.

Shortly after this discussion took place, a further four families in Katin became Christians, according to HRWLRF.

A communist country, Laos is 1.5 percent Christian and 67 percent Buddhist, with the remainder unspecified. Article 6 and Article 30 of the Lao Constitution guarantee the right of Christians and other religious minorities to practice the religion of their choice without discrimination or penalty.

END

CLICK FOR UPDATE!! 9/7/10

Urgent from Mission ONE: We need YOUR help! 8/27/10

image from Boston Globe

Mission ONE announces the creation of a new fund, the International Emergency Fund. The urgency for this fund stems from the current situation in Pakistan. Our long-term partnership there is with the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Pakistan led by Rev. Inayat Bhatti. More than 40 national pastors work with Brother Bhatti evangelizing and planting churches throughout this Muslim nation. As seen in news reports, torrential rains have created devastating floods in Pakistan. Brother Bhatti says:

• millions of people have been displaced
• the floods have claimed the life of one of the pastors that works with RPCP
• many have lost everything and are in need of emergency supplies
• Christians often face discrimination when relief supplies are available

When situations like this one occur, Mission ONE receives calls from our partners asking for help. Often we do not have funds available, even for smaller crises. Would you prayerfully consider helping us with a seed gift for the International Emergency Fund? We are committed to using this fund for the current need in Pakistan and for future emergencies as they arise.

We are asking individuals, churches, small groups, companies, and foundations to help us demonstrate the love of Christ. Our team in Pakistan is dedicated to spreading the gospel and helping others in a land where less than 1% of the population call themselves Christian. By praying, sending funds, and encouraging our brothers and sisters in Pakistan, we can be living examples of how the body of Christ reaches out in love to the lost, the hurting and the weak.

The quickest way to give is through the Mission ONE "giving" website(below). Simply fill out the secure online form and in the “other designation” box write International Emergency Fund. Or, if you prefer you can send donations directly to us at the address below.

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18

Donate online at: http://mission1.org/giving.html

Mission ONE / PO Box 5960 / Scottsdale, AZ 85261 / USA / http://mission1.org

Dear Friends and Family,

Greetings from Arizona from all the Hastings! Today marks 3 weeks that we have been here and to answer a question that so many have asked - yes, we are settling in well. In case you were unaware, we drove here from New Hampshire during the second half of June. It was a great time of seeing new places as well as visiting friends and supporters.

First, our family:
We (Bob, Robin, Bethany and Melody) are living in a rented furnished condominium here in Scottsdale. This worked out best for us to start our new lives here and so far has been great. The condo is small (900 sq.ft.) but has everything we need. Robin and the girls have been getting us settled and finding their way around Scottsdale. Our boxes of personal items (and Mel's piano) arrived from Guatemala so they will be going through those in the coming week. We're still waiting for a few things from New Hampshire to complete our move but they will be along shortly. The girls have babysat some already and have made a few friends as well. Bethany is enrolled at Pinnacle High School and she and Robin have visited there with some new friends. She'll start the 3rd week of August. Melody will return to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago as a sophomore just a few days later.
The weather is interesting...very hot. Every day has been over 100 degrees so far. Someone told me that it was 116 yesterday, and it only got down to the high 90's last night. There is, however, very low humidity and this makes the high temps much easier to bear. The seasonal rains/monsoons are supposed to start soon, we're looking forward to that.

Family prayer requests:
- praise the Lord that we are here!...and that most of our things are here...and that He has provided for us in so many ways
- please pray for Bethany as she prepares to attend a public high school. This will be a very different experience for her, please pray that she will be a light for Christ
- please pray for Mel as she prepares to head back to Moody Bible Institute to continue her studies in Music and Bible
- please pray for all of us as we settle into a new life in a new place

Ministry/Mission ONE:
As most of you know, Bob is serving as VP of Operations for Mission ONE. In his new role, he is responsible for overseeing all administrative areas for Mission ONE here in the US and also will be involved with relationships with Mission ONE's overseas partners. What a privilege it is to help and serve in this organization. Along with getting to know the staff here, Bob has had the opportunity to talk with a few partners already, specifically in Pakistan and Lebanon. We thought it would be a good idea to share about one partner organization each time we write to help you have a better idea of who Mission ONE works with.

Profile #1 - RPCP Pakistan (Reformed Presbyterian Church of Pakistan) Team Leader - Inayat Masih Bhatti.
This organization, led by Brother Bhatti, exists in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. (there are less than 1% Christians in Pakistan). Brother Bhatti is the leader and teacher of a group of about 45 pastors throughout Pakistan who serve in evangelism and church-planting ministries. Most of these men and their families live in poverty and under oppression due to Muslim attitudes toward Christians. In 2002, Brother Bhatti's wife, Martha, was killed in their home by Muslim extremists. Through this and many other hardships and trials, Brother Bhatti and this team persevere in God's work. He is a remarkeable man of 80 years who continues to live and serve in and by God's grace. Through supporters like you, Mission ONE provides continuous prayer and financial support to RPCP and 16 other partners like them. You can read more about RPCP and Mission ONE's partner relationships by visiting our website and clicking on the "partnership with nationals" tab. Please pray for Pakistan.

Ministry prayer requests:
- please pray for RPCP of Pakistan, Brother Bhatti (pronounced bah-tee), and the team of pastors that serve in Pakistan through this ministry. Please pray for their provision, their protection and for God to use them for His glory.
- please pray for Bob Schindler and Werner Mischke as they continue to lead Mission ONE, that God would give them wisdom and vision for the ministry
- please pray for God to use Mission ONE's newest training resource, The Beauty of Partnership, a Study Guide for those who want to learn more about building healthy, God-honoring cross cultural partnerships. Click here if you are interested in learning more.
- please pray for Bob as he serves at Mission ONE, that he would learn quickly and become an effective part of the Mission ONE team.

Thank you all for your interest in our family and the ministry that God has placed us in. We are blessed to have all of you in our lives.

For God's glory,

The Hastings Family