God Will Finish It
Report of the Asia-Pacific Division, presented July 3, 2005

Jairyong Lee
President

The Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) is the largest division in the world in terms of population as well as number of non-Christians. About 1.5 billion people, roughly one fourth of the world's population, reside in the NSD territories. Among this population only 3 percent are Christian; the other 97 percent are Buddhists, Taoists, Shinto believers, Muslims, shamans, and atheists.

The challenges before the NSD seem insurmountable with the financial and human resources currently available. However, Ellen White affirmed: "It is God who began the work, and He will finish His work" (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 507). God Himself will complete this apparently impossible task through dedicated men and women. We do our best to accomplish the gospel commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matt. 28:19, NKJV).

During the past five years the Lord has blessed the work in the NSD territories. In spite of many challenges and difficulties, by the grace of God, the church and the gospel have been progressing remarkably in many parts of the division territories.

Moving Forward in Mongolia
Boldera sat on his pony watching the clouds scurry across the Mongolian sky. The hot August sun beat down on the treeless plain where he kept his 200 thirsty sheep. The 12-year-old and his pony guided the herd away from the nearby railroad tracks. Later, as the sheep drank at a spring, Boldera sat astride his pony and spoke into the wind: "Creator of the sky and the earth, talk to me; teach me about life."

As he rounded up the few sheep that had moved toward the tracks, Boldera noticed a scrap of paper lying on the ground. Sliding off his pony, he picked up the paper and read, "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. . . . When he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:4-7, NIV).

Other scriptures on that dirty, wrinkled scrap of paper spoke of God's desire for Boldera to repent. Boldera knelt in the tall brown prairie grass and prayed to this God whom he did not yet know. "Creator of the sky, You have spoken to me. I repent and ask You to forgive my sins. Carry me on Your shoulders as You did that lost sheep. Be my shepherd."

God led Boldera to the city of Darkhan, Mongolia, where he met other Christians. There he learned more about the Savior to whom he had prayed. He gave his life to Christ and pledged to follow Him wherever He led. Today he is a soft-spoken teenager, leader of his 43-member Seventh-day Adventist Youth Alive club in Darkhan. Boldera still has that tattered scrap of paper that led him to God. And he has a special burden to reach other Mongolian shepherds with the gospel. He wants them to know the Creator and recognize His voice.

Mongolia, greatly influenced by the Soviet Union, was a Communist country for about 70 years. In 1921 the people in the country were deprived of religious freedom. Most became atheists, with little interest in Christianity. In 1991 democracy came to Mongolia, and the door was finally open for evangelism. The membership as of March stands at 750.

The first Mongolian to be ordained as a gospel minister was Bold Batsukh, on Sabbath, August 4, 2001. Pastor Bold's wife, Otgontuya Tserenpil, is a delegate from Mongolia to the 2005 General Conference session.

In order to train future pastors for Mongolia, the Certificate Program in Pastoral Theology was launched during the summer of 2003. Daegeuk Nam, president of Sahmyook University, Korea, was the first instructor for the program, which began with 20 students. These students will work as pastors in Mongolia when they finish the four-year program.

Language Institutes
Seventh-day Adventist Language Institutes, which teach English, Japanese, and Chinese, have made a tremendous impact in the NSD and are most successful in Korea, under the direction of Kim Si Young. Since its inception in 1969, this program has continued to grow. There are now 37 Adventist language schools in Korea, approximately 44,000 students, 244 expatriate teachers, and 440 Korean teachers. Most students are non-Adventists. Through various mission projects of the language institutes during the past five years, 4,504 people have been baptized.

Language school programs are also conducted in the Japan Union Conference and the Chinese Union Mission. A new language school will open in Mongolia in the near future.

Go One Million and Sow 1 Billion
In accordance with the General Conference plan, the Go One Million (GOM) initiative was launched in 2002 to encourage church members to participate in personal evangelism. From 2002 through 2004, 131,421 kits were distributed to the church members, who used them to give Bible studies to others.

After the GOM initiative, we launched the Sow 1 Billion initiative to distribute brochures to tens of millions of people in the NSD territories. So far we have printed and distributed 36 million brochures.

Pioneer Mission Movement
The Pioneer Mission Movement (PMM) is the NSD's Global Mission project for planting new churches in its territories. Its goal is to send 100 church pastors to other countries within the NSD territories for cross-cultural missionary work. They will serve in the mission field a minimum of six years, including one year of language study.

During the NSD's midyear committee held in 2002, the Pioneer Mission Movement was officially voted. As a result of this committee action, the first group of five Korean PMM ministers, along with their wives and children, were dedicated and commissioned in a solemn dedicatory service in the presence of hundreds of church members at the Sahmyook University auditorium in Korea. Jan Paulsen, president of the General Conference, in his charge to the missionary pastors, reminded them of the importance of missionary work and prayed for the power of the Holy Spirit to be poured upon them.

Japan was the first country chosen to receive the PMM missionaries. Although Japan is one of the most developed countries in the world, it is one of the most underdeveloped in terms of Christianity. The Christian population is less than 1.2 million, less than 1 percent of the total population of about 127 million. The lack of pastors is causing growth in the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Japan to come to a statistical standstill.

After 100 hours of intense missionary training in the areas of mission, health ministry, mission strategies, and spirituality, the first group of PMM missionaries left their homes in Korea on April 1, 2003, and proceeded to Japan for one full year of language study, to be followed by five years of service as church planters.

Ten Korean pastors were selected as the second group of PMM missionaries. In 2004 they left Korea with their families for language study and evangelism in Japan and Taiwan, five families to each country.

In 2005, 13 Korean PMM pastors were trained and, together with their families, sent to plant churches in unentered territories in Japan, Mongolia, and Taiwan. Presently 28 PMM pastors and their families are serving as church-planting missionaries in the vast territory of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division.

In order to support the PMM pastors in the field, the Golden Angels singing group was organized with seven volunteer musicians in 2004 and eight in 2005. They assist PMM pastors with public evangelistic meetings and revive the hearts of young people in the NSD territories. In addition to their music ministry they visit people door to door, distributing brochures and giving Bible studies.

1000 Missionary Movement
The 1000 Missionary Movement (1000MM), with Kim Yo Han as director, trains and sends young people to different countries of the world so that they can devote one year of their lives to sharing the gospel. The goal is to train and send 1,000 volunteer missionaries each year.

Since the 1000MM was launched in 1993, 3,200 young people from 45 countries have joined it and given a precious year of their lives in the mission field as volunteer missionaries. Through their efforts about 35,000 people have been baptized, 355 church buildings have been constructed, and 460 churches and companies have been established in 40 countries.

Looking Ahead
During the past quinquennium the Chinese Union Mission, Japan Union Conference, Korean Union Conference, Mongolia Mission Field, and 119 large and small church institutions have been greatly used by God to spread the three angels' messages to the millions of people in the Northern Asia-Pacific Division territories. We praise God, for He has accomplished many wonderful things for the salvation of the people through His church.

The NSD is one of the most challenging divisions in the world, with many obstacles to evangelism. The economy is unstable, and the political situation in many countries is somewhat unpredictable. Nevertheless, the Lord is leading the work of His church. As we continue working together, united in spirit, the Lord will open the door of evangelism. We will move forward, trusting in the Lord until we accomplish the gospel commission in the entire world. Maranatha!