For many years the AUC and many Conferences adopted and supported Mission Mongolia as a Sister Mission – two years ago that changed and now they have officially adopted Timor Leste (Timor East in English) as our sister Mission to support for the future with projects such as pictured.
Here is a touching story from the Mission President.
Many Muslims are coming to Christ because of dreams & visions. These were the words Zered* said after I baptized him, “I saw you in my dream”.
For as long as he could remember, Zered had been looking for two great finds: God & hidden treasure. Raised in a Muslim home he was accustomed to think of God every day, but something kept him looking beyond his family religion for more of God. Not unlike this search was his zeal to find hidden treasure, in spite of the government ban for such exploits. One night Zered was visited by an old man in a dream. He told him of a hidden treasure of two golden statues in a place no one else had searched, but he warned him “be careful”.
When he received an invitation to come to Timor Leste to help on a building project, he knew he would find God. While working on a convent, he observed the compassion and kindness of the nuns as they cared for the orphan children. He thought, Christianity must have some answers for him.
A miracle happened at the beach when he had borrowed a friend’s car. When they got ready to go, the car became hopelessly stuck in the loose sand. A dozen Timorese men tried unsuccessfully to get them out. Zered, in a split second, remembered the prayers of the nuns & desperately pled his first prayer to Jesus, “Jesus, please help me drive out of the sand & return this car to my friend!” As if he had never been stuck, he drove right out of the sand and into a new life of faith.
The warning from the dream of the old man was echoing in Zered’s head, “Be careful”, but he was too curious about this new faith treasure to turn back now. He prayed his second prayer, “Jesus, if you are real, show yourself to me!” That night, his prayer was answered when Jesus came to him in another dream. He couldn’t see His face, but he saw his rob & a shawl over His head. Jesus said, “I am Jesus Christ, the one you wanted to see. What do you want?” Excitedly he sought Bible studies from a friend & then I [Pastor Raymond House] and a local pastor got involved when he asked to be baptised.
Tears of joy were shared at the ocean side where he and his friend Avram* were baptised together one Sabbath afternoon. He admitted later that he had indeed found the greatest treasure of a lifetime, Jesus Christ. Zered also shared that this was a very dangerous find for him, due to the fact that when he returns to his homeland he could be killed for his new faith, as many have who have gone before him.
Please pray for Zered & Avram. Pray that they will continue to serve Jesus under trying circumstances, and please pray that they will be bold enough to share His love wherever they go, to whoever they meet.
Pr Raymond House
[Timor Leste Mission President]
If you care to donate to the mission work in Timor Leste please do so by contacting; [email protected] for more details, or you can donate directly here; https://chuffed.org/project/worthy-student-fund-timor-leste
*alternative names