Correspondence of Roger Hedlund: Youth for Christ 1981-1984

DOI: 10.7252/Archives.He.0217
Correspondence of Rodger Hedlund: Youth for Christ 1981-1984
Archives Special Collection: Papers of Roger Hedlund
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•
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Ale, Office:
7 Branson Garden Road • Kilpauk • Madras 600 010 • Ind
Box 1021 . Phone 611476 • Grams
uoulh fo
reech • Telex 41 7664 JUST IN
hrisl inlernatiol
J. Victor Mano arom • AI • DI18ctOl
Sth Augqst1981.
Dear Friends :
I praise God for enabling me to meet you again through this letter and
,share what He has done for us in the past few months. My sincere than~s
to each of you who stood behind me faithfully and encouraged me to move
forward in the midst of difficult situations.
SRI ~KA
The ministry in Sri Lanka is expanding rapidly under the
able leadership of Ajith Fernando and the team of dedicated staff, board
members and volunteers. Six camps in three languages held during April
and May attracted over 600 young people and quite a few non-Christians
have co~itted their lives to Christ .
I was in Sri Lanka June 14-28 at the invitation of the World Vision to conduct a training programme on Personal Soul Winning. This was solely for
estate labourers and 76 of them from different tea estates took part. It
was a thrill for me to minister to them and equip them as I was born in a
tea estate and had a burden for them.
Dnring this time, I also had the
joy of fellowshipping with the Sri I~nka YFC staff. I will be in Sri Lanka
again October 1-3 . to speak in evangelistic meetings for Tamil speaking
young people.
NEPAL
By the end of 1980 Nicanor Tamang left Nepal YFC as he felt called
for pastoral ministry. We praise the Lord for Mr Chhatra Subba, a young
Hindu convert, who is now coordinating the programme . I have made three
visits to Nepal this year to help in the transition.
The work is moving
forward by His grace and guidance . I spoke in a YFC rally on July 11 ~nicQ
was well attended. Eight young people expressed their desire to knQY ~q~~
about Christ.
Please remember Chhatra Subba and the board members in your
prayers.
BURMA
The progranune in Burma has been mOVing slowly but steadily under
the dedicated leadership of Mehm Tun Thein and the local YFC c
ittee.
We held a Youth Leaders Training School in Rangoon in November last year
in which 34 youth leaders from churches allover Burma took part .
Miss Heather Adie (India YFC), Mr Suri Williams (Sri Lanka YFC) and
Mr Chay Wing Fun (Singapore ' YFC) assisted me in this school. Besides, some
of the local church leaders contributed by way of Bible Studies, lectures
etc. We are glad to be able to do something for these young people in the
midst of the problems we faced when we prepared for the School, particularly
with regard to finance and travel papers . The Lord undertook for us and
blessed each of the participants. we have received a request now for an
l\Qyanc!ad Tr~nin<;( s'ch9Ql. Please pray for my visit to Burma in August .
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2
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BANGLADESH Rev Smith Adhikary and the local committee continue to help us
with the programme, but we do not have any full time staff now. Please
join us at the Throne of Grace that the Lord will provide us with the
right persons to do the work . My plans to visit Bangladesh in May and July
did not come through. I hope to make a visit in August . Please pray that
I may get my visa without any difficulty .
,INDIA
India YFC is in its 35th year of ministry among young people . They
have over 185 small groups functioning through the country, reaching 20,500
young people every week . 60% of these young people are from non-Christian
background . Several prayer cells are in oper ation around the country to
uphold the ministry by concentrated prayer . Regular rallies, camps and
retreats are arranged to reach young people .
Staff and families and the chairmen of the local boards met for a Seminarcum-Conference session for a week in a hill station called Ooty and received
a fresh touch from the Lord " M/s . Dick Wynn, au~ Shilling and Tom Robinson
from the US and Dr R E Hedlund from Madras conducted the Seminar and ministered at the conference .
Due to lack of funds the building project is yet to be completed. Please
remember this need in yonr prayers . Apart from regular YFC activities, I
had many oppotrunities to minister in churches and institutes in various
parts of the country . The Lord gave me the joy of seeing many people come
to Him. Wherever I go, I see open doors with great opportunities . How I
wish we have men und money to take advantage of them! With the high
increase 'in the cost of travel, postage etc . we find that our monthly
financial need has inflated to about Rs . 7200/- (US $ 900) per month . Your
share in this by prayer and finance will be greatly appreciated .
Chella and Isaac are doing fine " Isaac is now in his VIII standard . They
need yonr special prayers as I am constantly away from home as you can see
from my schedule given below .
Yours in HIM
••
(J
MANOGAROM)
I would value yOU! ;prayers for the
August
8-23
30- 31
programmes
follo,~ing
Visit to countries in Central
Asia Area with a German Team
Meetings at St . Matthias' Church,
Madras
Septemper
1- 2
Meetings at St Matthias ' Church,
Madras
Evangelistic Meetings arranged
11-13
by Coimbatore YFC
19- 27
YFCI Area Directors' Conference
in Seoul , Korea
October
Evangelistic Meetings for
1-3
young people in Sri Lanka
YLTS - New Delhi
7-9
EU Camp & Evangelistic
10-14
Meetings in Mangalore
November
1-7
YLTS - , Shillong , North
East India
Week of Prayer - YMCA Cut tack
8- 14
Church meetings in Munnar
19- 22
Meetings arranged by
26- 29
Belgaum YFC
5
7
Sri
you.h for chris.
P. O. Box 13U t Colombo.
Tel No. 92587
(From February 1984 new street addres'i :
28, Kassapa Road, Colvmbu 5.
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December 1983
Dear Friends,
At a time when Christians are rejoicing at th¢ birth of God's Son, we are rejoic in g add.tionally
at the birth of o ur son Asiri Suhi t h born 011 10th December. The !lames mean good hearted and
blessed and we pray th at through lhe blessing of God he would have a heart which loves both
God and man.
This was supposed to be a semi-sabbatical year for me . But with numerous nceds in the land
I could not take a strict sa bbatical. Yet my administrative load was reduced, and I was freed to
do what I like most - preaching, teachin g, writing, pastoral care of staff, strategising and of course,
helping in solving problems in the ministry (which is not so exciting). Chandran Williams, a
business executive, who "grew up" in our ministry, supervises our administrative work.
I've been able to write down SOme studies on leadership from 1 Timothy which I've done with
our leadership team. It looks like Tyn dale House in USA will publish this . My book on Universali sm
also came out thi s year.
It was a key year in my continuing education. Having lived in 1 Timothy for 19 months many
key principles of Ch ristian livin g were lea rn ed that have profoundly influenced Nelun and myself.
I was also able 10 spend thre e weekends teaching evangelists working among non-w estern nonChristians about six bours a day, and that was very important in helping me project for my
futufe teaching and writing schedule.
God also led me to many Buddhists to whom I could speak about Christ and to whose questions
and views I could listen. I'm getting more acquainted with the mental blocks in their minds when
confronted with the gospel. Thi s I believe will help me much in a project I hope to work on some
day . I am imm odes tly calling it :111 evangeli stic theology of origins. It is a~lually some simple
expositions on Genesis 1- 3 for evangelists working with Buddhists and Hindus. Genesis 1- 3 has
key truths which are relevant to evangelism in Sri Lanka. I hope to start the writing proper
in 1985.
Nelun's principal ministry this year was hospitality. In December last year we prepared a "prophets
chamber" to host God's servants; and since then, except for about three weeks it bas been
continuously occupied. First by a staff couple who could not find a house. Then by a staff family
displaced due to the riots and finally by a staffer and his Hindu mother, also displaced due to
the riots. We had the joy of seeing her baptised last mORth. At this same service a Buddhist
girl, converted at a YFC Camp. whom Nelun had been discipling, was also baptised. Nelun's
iedtorial involvement in my wfiting also became a meaningful experience in our life together.
The Am sterda m '8 3 Conference for Itinerant Evangelists was a big boost to our ministry.
o f our staff atte nd ed.
returned we met
For five of th em thi s was their first int ernalional conference.
Seven
After we
fo) a day o f soul searching, realising how much we had fa iled in our call to
evangelism, espec ially personal evangelism.
I believe the result bas been a fres h harvest for the
kingdom.
As you probab ly know tbe country was hit by race riots this year, and thi s placed new challenges
upon us. Our re habilitation project of $ 30,000.00 was able to belp abou t 150 displaced famili es.
[n addition th e carpentry team on our farm did a $ 8,500.00 carpentry project ma king doors,
windows and fra mes for h ouses that were damaged and burnt. Christian friends and International
organisations provid ed the funds. Many displ aced people were housed in our homes. Nelun had
about 35 the first night of the riots. I was in Pakistan! The hardest part was counselling people
who have been hurt or were in need of direction for the future. We also organised a one day
conference, co - sponsored by the National Christian Council and the Evangelical Alliance, for Sinbala
speaking Christians, who don' t normally get an opportunity to attend such gatherings, to be exposed
to some Christian thinking about the racial issue.
400 attended from different parts of the country.
Our Tamil Ministry in Colombo which was experiencing tremendous growth before the riots has
been badly affected.
There are many believers who l!eed to be helped and a ripe harvest of people
ready to accept Christ. But most of the leaders have moved out of the area. Will you pray that
God will raise up a new generation of labourers among the Tamil people. Pray also that tbose
who have left will go as missionaries, not as refugees.
Please note our new street address. We will be moving into this rented office space in February. It is
adjoining the land that will be gifted to us for our office.
We have a long way to go in collecting
funds for this building project, but are hopeful that in his time the Lord will provide what we need.
You may send gifts toward it to
Youth for Christ / USA
P. O. Box 419
Wheaton
Jl1inois 60189
or
Youth for Christ / CANADA
P. O. Box 214
Rexdale
Ontario M9W - 9Z9
and designate it to Sri Lanka YFC, or send it directly to us.
May God's blessings enfold you and keep you in His will this new year.
Sincerely in Christ
(or Ajith, Nelun, Nirmali and Asiri Fernando.
•
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-\ugust 10, 1. 9 04
Dr oger
Hedlund
Church GrOivth esearch C ntre
Post Dag 768
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,
Greetings to you in
•
Prec~ous
u.llle !
I was deeply touched
your very thoughtful note .
In fact you hClpe me by taldng some of my time, dS
I did not need th at much tim e for my talk .
Taldng time to clear ny pos si bl e misunderstandings
re al l y enable us to walk forward in the Lord ' s work
in s\veet fellO\vship with one another .
Thank you
for encouraging me .
Yours in HH
• •
rea
,
r Man g rom ,
Of
or
Youth for hr t Inte ttonal.
1 r Non ni«m Road.
.1r .
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