2015 May Prayer Powerlines

May 2015
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. –Psalm 96:3

1. VULNERABILITY. Lift up a group of staff members from Mercy Medical Center in Cambodia who are learning to be vulnerable and trust one another. Pray that God shapes each person into a skillful, humble instrument so that each would affect lives throughout Cambodia for Christ.
2. COUNSELING TRAINING. Intercede for Sochea, the primary counselor-in-training at Mercy Medical Center in Cambodia, who returned from module one of a Christian pastoral counseling course in Singapore. He has much to absorb before returning for module two this month. Pray that God provides funds for his education and stretches his abilities through the course.
3. STRATEGIC CHURCH PLANTING. A team in Southeast Asia aims to plant a church in 13 strategic village clusters in an area of Southeast Asia where 60,000 unreached “Sunny” people reside. They are an animistic people. Pray for the Holy Spirit to draw whole families to faith, sparking a movement of churches among the Sunny.
4. GOSPEL STORIES. Lift up those in three strategic areas of the Mekong region who have received training on using stories to share the gospel. One woman went on to share with 15-20 people, mostly men, and many leaders of her village. Pray that the training would soak into students’ hearts and that they would go and share at every opportunity.
5. MOVING FORWARD. The North Korean government insists that a U.N. report on human rights abuses in the DPRK be nullified after it was revealed that a high-profile defector lied about details of his experience in a prison camp. The U.N. is still moving forward with its overall findings. Pray that the Lord would use the report to bring health and just treatment to citizens of the North.
6. MIRACLES BREAK OUT. Recently, during an outreach in Western China, miracles broke out as the message of Jesus was shared. People were healed, crowds gathered and dozens made commitments to follow Christ. Pray for continued spiritual harvest in this region and that discipleship takes place among those who were saved.
7. BOUYEI PEOPLE. During this month, a united prayer effort is underway for the Bouyei of China. Join with others, praying that more Bouyei will hear of Christ, trusting him as Savior. Pray that more intercessors and workers will respond to this need. (To receive a short Bouyei prayer guide, e-mail your request to prayer@omf.org.)
8. NGO FOR AUTISM. Pray for a rehab team in East Asia that is journeying with a group of local parents with autistic children. The parents want to register a local NGO to help their children find independence, develop skills and promote understanding. Pray for the right doors to open and for many autistic children to find a place of help and belonging through this NGO.
9. HALLOWEEEN TRACT. Holidays are a great time for Christians to share about our greatest reason for celebration, even when holidays have non-Christian origins. Praise God that a Christian publisher has agreed to print a Halloween gospel tract that Christian workers will hand out in Japan. Pray that the tract will be available by September this year.
10. SHAN TAI. Christian workers among the Shan Tai, a Buddhist people scattered throughout Thailand, Myanmar and China, have recently suffered from miscarriages, debilitating illnesses, motor accidents and personal issues. Pray against the devil’s schemes, which no doubt resist the amazing work God is doing among this people. Pray for good health, peace, endurance and boldness for workers among the Shan Tai.
11. PROTESTS IN MYANMAR. In March, Burmese police forcefully quelled peaceful student protests in the small town of Letpadan. The event brought flashbacks of Myanmar’s authoritarian military government. Pray that peace would reign in Myanmar—a peace that the Lord alone can establish in hearts, souls and minds through his Spirit.
12. SHARE BOLDLY. Some Vietnamese believers had planned to bring eight or nine other believers to Hanoi, Vietnam to learn simple, reproducible ways to share their faith, but chose instead to attend a Christian training seminar. Pray that Vietnamese Christians would boldly share their faith with their Buddhist, Daoist and Confucianist neighbors instead of avoiding evangelism under the guise of needing more training.
13. SG FOUNDER PASSED. Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, passed away on March 23, 2015. As Singapore’s parliament discusses ways to honor him, they note that Mr. Lee wanted attention drawn to the country’s ideals, not himself. Pray that Singapore would adopt and promote the Lord’s ideals, and would become a country that honors God over man.
14. MAUBAN VILLAGES. Praise God that a church-planting team has started ministries to children, teens and adults in three villages in Mauban, Quezon in the Philippines. Unfortunately, there remain more than 30 villages in the area without evangelical churches. Ask God to send workers—both local and foreign, whatever it takes—that the people of Mauban can hear the Good News.
15. POOR, BUT FRUITFUL. A poor middle-aged woman in the Philippines came to faith in Christ after an October 2013 earthquake. She now eagerly shares the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Many have come to believe through her testimony. Praise God for this and pray for this woman and the people being reached to grow in their love for Christ.
16. NATIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM. Pray for the OMF International (U.S.) Leadership team as it meets on May 19-22, 2015 for a retreat/meeting. They will spend time together in discussion and prayer—seeking God for wisdom and discernment in leading the OMF (U.S.) team. Pray for God to guide and direct our leaders.
17. UNREACHED IN INDONESIA. Intercede for some of the many unreached people groups in Indonesia, such as the Madurese (20 million), Minangkabau (8 million) and Acehnese (4 million). May they hear the good news of God’s grace and respond in faith, repentance and lives of worship.
18. UNDERSTAFFED. Many of the teams trying to reach Muslims in East Asia are understaffed. Pray for resources, such as the online Encountering Islam course, to be used by the Lord to mobilize more workers to reach East Asia’s Muslims with the gospel.
19. REDUCE FALL-AWAY RATE. Lift up the first-ever Returnee Ministries Consultation, taking place May 25-June 4. Organizational leaders will discuss how to dramatically reduce the number of Chinese Christians who fall away from faith upon return to China from overseas. Ask God to bring together the details and enable fruitful conversation.
20. CHINESE DIASPORA. OMF International has recently received calls from Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, requesting that we help minister to the Chinese there. Pray that we would have wisdom in making visits and working with local churches to help grow the work.
21. CRUCIAL QUESTION. “Are you willing to die for Jesus?” Jesus told his disciples that they must be prepared to suffer and maybe even die for him (Matthew 10:37-38). Similarly, in many Muslim areas new followers of Jesus are asked this question before they are baptized. Ask for God to raise up increasing numbers of bold, unashamed and loving witnesses for Jesus in the Muslim world.
22. PREP FOR FUTURE MINISTRY. Pray for Jerry and Jackie Hwang and other professors and teachers at Singapore Bible College (SBC) as they prepare and train a diverse group of future Christian leaders from throughout East Asia. Ask that SBC would prepare these students well for the work the Lord has for them to do; many are reaching out to unreached people groups.
23. ANSWERING QUESTIONS. “How do you know God is real?” asks an older woman in Taiwan. “You can’t see him. Will he give you money?” Pray for this woman to come to a better understanding of who God is and submit her life to him. Also intercede for Christians—foreign and local—to know how to help her as she seeks answers.
24. WAITING FOR GROWTH. Taiwan is the only major Chinese society where there has not been significant church growth this generation. Pray that this would change and that many in Taiwan, perhaps among the large unreached working class, would turn to Christ for salvation and new life.
25. COMMUNITY OUTREACH. “What if the displaced factory workers of Rojana, coming from every region of Thailand, then carried the message of Good News back to their homes?” asks a worker in Central Thailand. Pray for a community center that serves as an outreach in the area (via music, cooking and English lessons) to bear spiritual fruit.
26. CREATIVE EVANGELISM. Lift up creative evangelistic strategies in Thailand, such as the Sattha Football (soccer) teams and the Kwamjing (“Truth’”) website. Ask that God would use these efforts to reach the Thai people with the gospel in new and effective ways.
27. CANADA MISSIONFEST. Praise the Lord for the strong turnout (over 30,000 people) at the recent Missionfest 2015 conferences in Vancouver and Edmonton, Canada. Now pray for good follow-up with inquirers, that many would commit to long-term service in cross-cultural missions.
28. NEW STAFF AND STRUCTURE. Please pray for new staff and restructuring in the OMF International (U.S.) Finance Department. Ask for God to maintain unity and give wisdom, creativity and diligence in this time of transition.
29. IT VOLUNTEERS. The OMF International (U.S.) IT department is in need of volunteers who can assist with a heavy workload. Please ask God to send the right people to help in this vital ministry.
30. STEP BY STEP. Michael Littlefield has been on the go traveling to church missions events, leading the OMF (U.S.) field, and representing OMF at conferences. Pray that in the midst of a full schedule and much demand on his time, Michael will continue to move step by step as the Lord leads. Pray that he will speak with boldness as the Holy Spirit leads and as God gives opportunities.
31. U.S. ORIENTATION COURSE. Lift up the final stages of planning and preparation for the upcoming OMF International (U.S.) Orientation Course, starting on June 6. Ask for the last-minute details to be arranged well and that God would prepare the hearts of those in attendance to respond to him.

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