Tibet
(MNN) — Under the guise of visa problems, more than a hundred foreign
Christian workers have reportedly been expelled from China. Citizens from six countries (South Korea, Singapore
, Canada , Australia , and Israel)
including U.S. missionaries working
in Xinjiang, Beijing, and Tibet were
targeted.
While the U.S. State Department won't confirm the
expulsions, the China Aid Association asserts it's happening to prevent
missionary activity during the Beijing Olympics.
Words Of Hope's Lee DeYoung says while open to Gospel
radio programs, Tibetans, who are mainly Buddhist, have sometimes been reported to
resent missionary activity. But DeYoung says that's not what they saw. "We had the opportunity to go along with
one of the Tibetan men who is involved in follow-up. There are thousands of
responses that come every year to these broadcasts."
More surprising, he says, is the unlikely place where
interest broadened to asking questions and openness. "These contacts
include people in monasteries who are listening, who are open to the things of
God, and who listen with interest to this Gospel broadcast."
WOH has been working in the region for two decades now,
partnering with other ministries in order to effectively minister in this
remote region. Over the years, WOH has
seen some letters come from the military men in the armed forces throughout India and China.Others come from Buddhist
Monks seeking a better grasp of the evangelical Christian viewpoint.
Voice of the Martyrs estimates that Tibet has only a few hundred
Christians. Pray that they would be equipped
to respond to the interest. Pray, too,
that the Gospel broadcasts would continue to penetrate Tibet.
