SEARCHLIGHT IN ASIA

2000 Mike and Anne Barton travel to India in January. They visit the states of Maharashtra, Goa, and Andhra Pradesh. The trip gives them an opportunity to see the situation of the church in India. The English edition of "Light for Life" begins to be distributed.

2000 At the end of the year, Mike Barton accompanies our friend, Phil Beach, from New Jersey, USA, to the Philippines. They conduct a conference for pastors on the island of Mindanao. The English edition of "Light for Life" begins distribution around the Philippines.

2002 The Bartons return to the Philippines, and Searchlight begins to establish relationships with affiliates in that country. Love Asia Missions Partners (LAMP) and Jesus for All Nations are two Philippines organizations that become Searchlight affiliates.
» read more about Philippines affiliates

Philippine pastors working in
association with LAMP

2004 The first translations of "Light for Life" in the Urdu language begin to be distributed throughout Pakistan and India. The requests for the magazine double in the first year. Several ministries also write and ask for help in teaching and training church leaders in Pakistan.

2005 Mike and Anne Barton travel to the Philippines for three conferences, then go on to visit Myanmar. They hold a two-day conference for representatives of 50 different denomations and Christian organizations. 3,500 copies of the first issue of the Burmese "Light for Life" are distributed across the country.

Translator, Schwekey Hoipang, explains
the complexities of the Burmese language.

2005 Later in the year the Bartons travel to Kathmandu, Nepal to meet contacts and to monitor the printing and distribution of the first Nepali issue of "Light for Life." 5,000 copies are distributed in Nepal, Bhutan, parts of Myanmar, and parts of India.

Mike Barton speaks through a Nepali
translator in a church in Kathmandu.

2006 New translations of "Light for Life" are produced in Hindi and Telugu, the two most widely spoken languages in India. Distribution of these magazines is now taking place throughout the country.

Pastor M.J. Bhaskar Rao displays the
first issue of the Hindi magazine.

Opportunities across Asia have developed rapidly in the past few years. There is such a great need for literature, teaching, and encouragement for churches in many oppressed countries. Searchlight's desire is to help the Christians in the many wonderful countries of Asia in any way that we can.

» to read more about Searchlight's activity in Asia 

» back to Searchlight History