By Susie Rain, Baptist Press NEPAL (BP) -- The Nepali man pulled brick after brick off a pile of rubble that was once his home. He passed along anything that was salvageable to his children to set aside. Finally, down in a hole, he found what he was looking for -- their food storage. The splintered, dusty woven basket held their entire harvest of rice. Before the April 25 earthquake in Nepal, this basket brimmed with white grains. Today, he pulled out one handful of red-stained rice. "It might taste like dirt now, but we can still eat it," he said. "It will fill our stomachs." He excitedly instructed the children to help sift through the rubble to find more food -- garlic, onions, peppers and rice -- in the remains of their home. Their tedious labor stopped abruptly when they heard shouting up the hill. A neighbor yelled down for everyone to come quick. Someone had brought food! For days on end, the villagers took turns sitting on the edge of the main road trying to get help. From the road, you couldn't even see their collapsed village up on the mountainside. They watched as big trucks of relief supplies passed them by, headed to larger towns down the road. Hope of receiving any kind of help began to die little by little -- … [Read more...]

By Caroline Anderson, Baptist Press EAST ASIA (BP) -- Chinese believers could be the next missions sending force, following the Western and Korean Christians who've gone before them. They pray, give and go, sacrificing everything to bring the message of Jesus Christ to the nations. But sacrifices come with costs. Chinese cross-cultural Christian workers say they struggle with discouragement and loneliness. Those in Southeast Asia welcomed encouragement and counsel from Southern Baptist workers Phil and Ruth Wardell,* who have provided training for believers. Zhao Chang Pu,* Zhao Hui Fang* and their two daughters moved from China to minister in Southeast Asia. They say it's the hardest thing they've ever done. Just like Westerners, Chinese workers experience culture shock and struggle to adapt to a new environment. The Zhaos have shared cultural stresses with the Wardells, who once served in Southeast Asia. The Wardells now serve in a different area of Asia and have led ministry training for Southeast Asian believers who partner with the Zhaos. The Zhaos told the Wardells they are adjusting to being away from family. But their parents don't understand why they took their granddaughters away. "Why did you choose this silly … [Read more...]