Identities concealed to protect participants |
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Greetings!
The Hmong are a people group primarily residing in the mountainous regions of Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Originally from China, they migrated to Southeast Asia during the 19th century due to ethnic persecution from the Chinese government. Despite being a minority group, they hold a significant place in the region's history and culture. In recent years, the Hmong have gained recognition for their unique traditions, including their vibrant clothing, music, and festivals.
The culture of the Hmong people is deeply tied up in the belief in animism, which makes it challenging to spread the gospel among them. Animism is a belief system that involves a spirit world of interconnectedness of all living things. Additionally, the Hmong people rely on the spirits of their ancestors to guide them, which creates a significant obstacle for them to accept the Christian faith. The Christian faith often creates division among families, friends, and communities, and so the good news must be shared in a culturally sensitive way.
There are 2.7 million Hmong in China, 1.4 million in Vietnam, 600,000 in Laos, and 300,000 in the USA. Over the past few decades, many Hmong living in Vietnam have come to the Christian faith through FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company) radio programs broadcasting from the Philippines. It's worth noting that most Christians in Southeast Asia are among minority groups like the Hmong rather than the majority Buddhist population.
In 2020, CCI added a Hmong Area Coordinator. However, we cannot divulge his identity due to security concerns. Pastor M is from the Hmong people and is the Hmong Area Coordinator. He attended seminary in the Philippines.
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Pastor M and Family
(Identities concealed to protect them)
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Pastor M said, "Although I studied in a theological school, there is no systematic program to use for teaching the leaders and deacons. I thank God for His provision and for opening the door for me to meet the National Director of CCI Vietnam. He introduced God's Financial Principles (GFP) Seminar to me and invited me to be trained on how to teach this seminar. I found out that it is useful for the Hmong people. Even though Hmong people believe in God, most of them are not equipped on how to use God's property. Many pastors are uneducated and do not have much knowledge about the Bible. We misunderstand God's property and salvation."
Pastor M also translated CCI's 13 other courses (including the BTCP curriculum) into the Hmong language. Over 100 indigenous pastors and church leaders are being trained among the Hmong.
"Translating the GFP material from English into the Hmong language touched my heart so much, and I wanted to use this book to train my people," said Pastor M. "I am given an opportunity to train church leaders and workers in our area. Thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ for giving Hmong people access to such a good curriculum to learn and train our Hmong church leaders, deacons, and pastors in remote places."
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CCI's Hmong Coordinator works diligently as a teacher, administrator, translator, and book editor/designer for the CCI curriculum translated into the Hmong language. Currently, he oversees 8 Hmong classes and has certified 11 teachers. In July, the very first class taught in Hmong graduated with 15 students. However, there are still many churches with untrained workers.
CCI's relational discipleship model is effective in reaching remote tribal groups like the Hmong and helping them learn more about Jesus Christ. With the rapid increase of Hmong churches in Vietnam, there is a pressing need to train more workers. However, this is a challenge as many individuals in tribal communities do not finish high school, live in remote areas, and do not have the means to attend seminary. Thanks to CCI's training model, these individuals can now deepen their faith and become equipped church leaders in their local churches.
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"God opened the door for me to study, and I would like to contribute something to my tribe. CCI's curriculum is practical and suitable to our situation. Because of this reason, I work with CCI hoping to train and equip more church leaders."
-Pastor M
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Coordinators are essential in training and guiding our teachers, establishing new classes, and nurturing the growth of our ministry. Over the past three years, God has been faithful to provide the resources for us to add 61 new coordinators who are impacting more than 3,500 students.
However, this is only the beginning. To ensure their ministry will continue throughout 2024, we need $219,600 to cover their travel, ministry, and personal support.
We PRAISE THE LORD that $37,200 has already been committed. This leaves $182,400 to meet their need for 2024.
We are thrilled to share that special friends of the ministry are providing a matching gift of $60,000 toward this goal of $182,400. All donations toward this matching campaign will be doubled up to $60,000 until met or December 31, 2023.
Click here to make your generous donation to the National Coordinator goal and ministry needs.
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MATCHING GIFT OPPORTUNITY! |
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Join us in supporting CCI coordinators who make a lasting impact on the lives of those we all serve. Thank you for considering partnering with us in this way. |
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David Nelson
President & Founder
Crossing Cultures International
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The 2023 Global Conference held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was a tremendous success. We express our gratitude to the Lord for His abundant provision and protection throughout the conference, which was attended by more than 200 CCI staff members and students from around the world.
It was a time of great fellowship and learning, and we are thrilled to see our staff revitalized and equipped to take the many lessons learned back to their respective countries. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to this conference financially and through prayer and look forward to the continued impact of the conference on our global ministry.
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CCI is co-leading an inspirational tour in Israel. We would love for you to come and join us.
Reservation due by: December 23, 2023
Final Payment due by: February 1, 2024
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November Edition CCI Equipping and Multiplying News
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Click here for more CCI News from Around the World
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Copyright © 2023 Crossing Cultures International, All Rights Reserved.
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