Thanks so much for your very welcome offer to pray for us! Murray has only 12 days left in England and then he will be away until 23 April (almost 6 months!). Ben and I (Ruth) leave on 30 November and will catch the same plane as Murray from Seoul to Auckland.

Murray presented his paper on Wednesday morning on translating poetic portions of the Bible. This is one hour away at the Wycliffe Centre (near High Wycombe). He was there all day catching up about various things with the 50 attendees from far and wide. Pray that the teaching and interaction went well and that the Holy Spirit will guide and bless.
Then on Thursday and Friday Murray continues with translation checking as usual, where he was today (Tuesday).

Then on Saturday Murray needs to start efficiently preparing for Korea.

On Sunday afternoon we have accepted a young man’s request to come and visit us for prayer. He has had a very traumatic early life in an Eastern European country.

Next week is also busy for Murray -- checking the translation, preparing the translation team for his six months away (deciding key terms in Leviticus, etc.), preparing the course in Korea, preparing our itinerary of church meetings in New Zealand (quite a difficult and involved process!), packing and making arrangements for six months away, some mentoring, and so on. Please pray that the important things will be done well.

Thanks so much for being on the other end of this email and for upholding us in prayer. We very much feel the need of it.

Yours very gratefully,

Ruth and Murray Salisbury

Dear friends of SAIACS,

Orissa has recently been on our hearts and minds. Many of you will know of the atrocities committed against Christians and churches in Orissa since 23 August. Thousands of Christian homes and hundreds of churches and Christian institutions have been burnt down. Reports of numbers killed for their faith are still uncertain, with the official toll at fifteen but unofficial estimates running to hundreds. At SAIACS this has hit home as three of our students are in deep pain on account of the plight of their immediate family and loved ones. We suffer with these our brothers and sister who are tortured, killed and homeless on account of their faith in the Christ we follow.

Since 23 August, in the state of Orissa, 1,100 churches have been burnt; 18,000 families attacked and about 78,000 Christians displaced, with 13,000 in refugee camps; more than 100 have been killed and 36,000 thousand injured. Calls have come for government intervention and protection. Too little, too late for many. A media black-out has throttled news. Even central government requests for access to the affected rural areas have been denied by the state government. Christian lawyers cannot go there to help make First Information Reports (FIRs). Three weeks later, the situation is unchanged. It is a systematically organized attempt to displace Christians from the state.

SAIACS is determined to do something about this.

We have issued a public statement a week ago stating our anguish over this continuing situation and appealing for adequate intervention by the state and central government. We have also collected some funds and sent them for immediate relief through the Evangelical Fellowship of India. With the establishment of several refugee camps the need has switched from rescue to rehabilitation. If your business premises, house and church have been destroyed, where do you begin? It has to be one-by-one and step-by-step. As Christian families begin to pick up the pieces and face a challenging and bleak future, we believe our community ought to do more. We believe friends like you would like to participate. Provided it gets into the hands of genuine victims and is equitably distributed – and this we are confident of doing, we know that financial help, can really make a difference and point our suffering Christian friends to hope in God again.

We are collecting a special offering to send directly through one of our Orissa students to these suffering Christians. We are encouraging people here to sacrificially and intentionally give to demonstrate their solidarity to this cause and invite you to do the same. You may contribute by sending your gift to Leadership Development International, as per the details given below by Tony Plews.

Every blessing,
Ian Payne

If you and/or your church can make a donation to help relieve some of the suffering of our Christian brothers in Orissa, please:

1. Send a cheque made out to “Leadership Development International,” with the note / designation ; “Orissa Relief Appeal,” to PO Box 68208, Newton, Auckland 1145

AND/OR

3. Ring 0900 – LEADER [0900 – 53233] to make a one-off $50 donation, which is charged to you via your telephone bill. All such donations via our 0900 during the rest of September will be reckoned as designated to the Orissa Relief Appeal.

Ruth recently wrote:
“A Korean paediatrician has arrived, which will relieve some of the work load.
LAMB has recently been encouraged by several VIP visitors - pray that resulting relationships lead to strengthening of the work here.

Please pray for stamina and grace for us as the weather is still hot - September is also economically difficult for people in our area, as it is between seasons, with little work and a narrow food range.”

Iain writes - "Funding is always very challenging at LAMB - even more difficult than many other worthy causes.
The people in the LAMB district are very hard working - no dole or it's like there!Blessings on you as you play your part in the witness at LAMB.
No part is insignificant with the One we serve"