What’s the greatest gift you’ve ever received? As Christ followers, I know you’ll agree it isn’t something that can be wrapped and placed under a Christmas tree. It’s someone — Jesus — and His free gift of salvation. As we have for many years, SMI is encouraging your participation in GivingTuesday in order to bring the same gift to others.
For a long time, we asked the SMI family to support the Jesus Film Project, a worthy initiative that uses the powerful medium of film to bring the story of Jesus to people who have never heard of Him. Last year, we asked you to support a very effective ministry that makes use of the JESUS Film, Asia Christian Services (ACS), in bringing the Gospel to people in Myanmar and surrounding countries. We are asking you to do the same this year, and once again, SMI will match what you give.
The 2024 initiative was a tremendous success, with the SMI family contributing over $14,000, which was then doubled by an SMI match. The money was used to purchase tablets preloaded with the JESUS Film in the native language of people living in various parts of Southeast Asia, as well as projectors for large-group showings of the film.
The ACS team faces many challenges in their work, having to navigate a long-running civil war in Myanmar (where, horrifically, the army has been conscripting people’s children, using them to clear mine fields ahead of the regular army) and a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hitting the country in March of this year. Still, the equipment purchased with last year’s funds is now in the hands of ACS-trained evangelists. They are putting it to good use, as you can see in this video update (recorded about a month ago) from Simon, the ACS coordinator for Myanmar.
Money raised this year will help cover the travel and other expenses of missionaries who are using that equipment to take the Gospel to remote and sometimes dangerous places in the region.
A long history of impact
ACS has roots that stretch back to 1921, when J. Russell Morse and his wife, Gertrude, began serving as missionaries in Tibet. The Morses brought the Gospel to countless people in Western China, Northern Burma (now Myanmar), and Thailand, seeing thousands place their faith in Christ. They worked tirelessly in difficult conditions.
In 1966, the Morse’s youngest son, LaVerne, established Asia Christian Services to further that work by training and equipping indigenous Asian missionaries to share the Gospel with their own people; build churches, leadership training centers, Bible colleges, schools, and orphanages; provide disaster relief; and disciple new Christ-followers. The churches it plants are intentionally “reproducing churches,” which send evangelists to share the Gospel with more people and establish more churches.
Incredibly, there are now thousands of churches and over a million Christians living in SE Asia because of how God has used the faithfulness of these Asian missionaries to reach the lost.
Multiplying your generosity
Sound Mind Investing founder Austin Pryor has gotten to know ACS in recent years and has been moved by the immediacy of the ministry’s impact. That’s why Austin and his wife, Susie, along with many of us on the SMI staff, are directing our GivingTuesday offerings to help further the work of ACS. We encourage you to do the same.
To expand the impact of your generosity, every dollar contributed by members of the SMI community will be doubled by the Sound Mind Investing newsletter and by Austin and Susie personally, up to $20,000. So, if SMI members contribute a collective $20,000, that amount will be matched, enabling $40,000 to be invested in spreading the Gospel in Southeast Asia.
Making disciples of all nations
We hope you'll agree that funding the spread of the Gospel in Myanmar and neighboring countries will be a great way to begin your celebration of Advent and Christmas! After all, Christ came to save a lost world, and He has given us a similar mission: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
To learn more about ACS and then give as the Lord leads, click here. Thank you!
