2016 January Prayer Powerlines

JANUARY 2016
Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. -1 Chronicles 16:23

1. WESTERN CHAM PEOPLE. Recently, there have been some breakthroughs and baptisms among the Western Cham (or Khmer Islam) people of Cambodia. Fewer than 0.01 percent of this impoverished people, numbering 242,000, know Christ. Pray that Cham believers would treasure the richness of knowing Christ and share him with their friends and family.

2. GOSPEL INTEREST. Lift up three Christian families in an isolated Piang village. There is growing interest in the gospel there. Recently several young teenage girls decided to follow Christ. Pray that many will love the Lord with all their heart, mind and strength.

3. CONFLICTING TRADITIONS. A Brao Christian man recently passed away in Cambodia. Relatives wanted to conduct spirit rituals at the funeral. The man’s wife wanted a Christian funeral. In the end they did both. Pray that Brao believers would navigate issues like this with bold obedience to Christ but also love toward their community.

4. SHARIA LAW. In 2014, the Sultan of Brunei announced that a strict penal code would be enforced to uphold Sharia law. The nation of 420,000 people is officially Muslim, though roughly 34 percent of the population identifies with other religions like Buddhism and Christianity. Punishments include flogging and death by stoning. Pray for churches as they navigate this sensitive context. May they be a light for Christ in their nation.

5. BACK TO THE BASICS. A Christian couple in China is giving marriage counseling to other Christian couples and finding that basic skills such as assertiveness, active listening, keeping a planner and making a family budget are lacking. Pray for these couples to develop skills that will strengthen their marriages and provide a healthy example to couples around them.

6. MOBILIZATION CONFERENCE. Lift up the OMF (U.S.) Mobilization Conference held in mid-January at the OMF (U.S.) headquarters in Littleton, Colorado. Pray for a time of unity and bonding for the Mobilization Team. Pray for clear vision and direction and wise planning as mobilization strategies are discussed.

7. OPENING UP. A young Chinese girl hesitantly opened up to her Christian English teacher about her father who had just passed away. “It is unlucky to talk about death,” she said. The teacher assured her of her heavenly Father’s love and concern. Pray for this girl and other Chinese students to embrace vulnerability and the love that God extends to them.

8. OVERSEAS OPPORTUNITY. More than 1,000 North Koreans have studied at Far Eastern Federal University in Russia. North Korean and South Korean students take classes together and have developed mutual respect for one another. Pray that South Korean Christians would attend this school and develop friendships and share the gospel with their classmates from the North.

9. GOSPEL INFLUENCE. “We are Muslims, my daughter. Never get influenced by Christianity!” Today, the mother from South Thailand who spoke these words is involved in ministry to Muslims and she, along with her family, are followers of Jesus. Praise God for the Chiang Mai Theological Seminary graduates who ran the teen group her daughter attended. Pray for a multiplication of believing families and workers in Thailand.

10. INTERNATIONAL COORDINATOR FOR MOBILIZATION. Pray for the incoming International Coordinator for Mobilization, James and Lisa Dougherty, now on home assignment. They plan to move to Singapore in July 2016. Pray for the partnership development process, personal renewal and preparation for their new role.

11. DECISIONS FOR CHRIST. More than 38,000 attended the Greater Tokyo Celebration of Love with Franklin Graham in Japan on November 20-22, 2015. Over 1,400 people made a decision for Christ. This is an impressive number, considering less than 1 percent of Japan’s citizens follow Jesus. Pray for thorough follow-up of all new believers. Pray that they would have opportunities to be discipled and become grounded in faith.

12. ADULT TCK REUNION. An Adult Third-Culture Kid (ATCK) Reunion took place in Washington in November. Thirty-six ATCKs attended. They processed through both fun and painful memories of their time as children of CIM/OMF missionaries; many were separated from parents for long periods of time. Pray for God’s continued restoration and healing in their lives.

13. BIBLE LITERACY FOR YOUTH. Pray for students and other young people in Myanmar to read the Bible and learn to meditate on it. Youth struggle to walk with Jesus. They seek well-paying jobs, which causes them to be distracted and fall away.

14. BIBLE STORY TRANSLATION. A local believer in East Asia is translating and recording Bible stories for distribution to an unreached minority group. The recordings are meant to reinforce the stories she shared with them in person, since the minority people can be difficult to visit regularly. Pray that the stories plant gospel seeds that continue to grow.

15. EVANGELISM TEAM. A Christian worker is training a local female believer to share the gospel and disciple unreached minority people in a province of East Asia. Join his team in praying for at least one more woman and two or three more men (local believers) to partner with them to expand the gospel’s reach.

16. CHINA’S HIGH PLATEAU. 24 million people live on the high plateau of China and beyond. The task of evangelism is huge and the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to sustain existing workers and send new, suitable workers.

17. PRAY FOR VIETNAM. Pray for breakthrough among the 73 million Vietnamese yet to know Christ’s love. Vietnam is opening up to the gospel as never before. Nevertheless, the nation remains one of the most unreached areas of East Asia. To join other intercessors in united prayer for the Vietnamese during February, e-mail prayer@omf.org for more information.

18. NEW OPPORTUNITIES. After a church and a seminary opened in a certain area of the Philippines, a number of opportunities for sharing about cross-cultural work and OMF soon followed. Ask the Lord to continue using the church and seminar to mobilize cross-cultural missionaries from the Philippines.

19. TB PROJECT. We thank the Lord that more tuberculosis medication is available at health centers in Cogeo. Praise him also that a local doctor and nurse there are positive about starting a TB project. Please pray for the final details and implementation of the project to go smoothly.

20. EFFECTIVE VOLUNTEERS. Pray that the Thai believers who attended OMF’s Mini Serve Asia Consultation in December will implement what they learned so that they can be effective volunteers in the Thailand Homeside Serve Asia program. The Thai church is small, but strong enough to send short-term workers cross-culturally.

21. ADVENTURE CAMPS. For the past three years, “adventure camps” that help Thai Christian youth reach out to their unbelieving friends have been successful in building the confidence and strength of character in potential Thai Christian leaders. Pray for this to continue to be so in this year’s adventure camps and that many unbelieving youth will trust in Jesus.

22. 1ST ANNIVERSARY. Praise God that God’s Love Church in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, recently celebrated its first anniversary. Two of the OMF leaders in the church are currently on home assignment, but several members have stepped up to lead. Pray for wisdom, love and unity as they serve together in this new church.

23. PRAYER MOBILIZER. Michael Williams has been named OMF’s new Prayer Mobilization Manager in the U.S., but is looking to the Lord to provide more financial support. The more support he receives, the more hours he can work! Pray for God’s full provision for Michael in this vital role.

24. PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TRAINING. On January 25-29, the OMF (U.S.) office will host a Partnership Development Training for new appointees, supported home staff and home assignees. At least a dozen attendees are expected. Pray for them to be well-equipped in the training and that they will see God raise up all the ministry partners they need.

25. RETURNING TO THE OFFICE. Pray for OMF (U.S.) President Michael Littlefield as he returns to the office in January with a backlog of emails and a host of leadership decisions that will need godly discernment and wisdom. Pray that Michael will be encouraged in his leadership role by the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.

26. CANADIAN MOBILIZERS. Join OMF Canada in giving thanks for the continued growth of the Canadian mobilization team. Please pray for a mobilizer for the Prairie Provinces, people to run the Toronto Home beginning in November, and a replacement for the British Columbia Regional Ministry Coordinator.

27. DIASPORA IN NEW ZEALAND. One in five Aucklanders is born overseas—most of them are Chinese. There is much diaspora work to be done in New Zealand. Pray for breakthrough in low support levels for diaspora and home side workers in New Zealand, that they might be able to reach out with the gospel to the Chinese community there.

28. HOW TO COMMUNICATE. Don and Sandy Graham work in maintenance and hospitality roles at OMF’s International Center in Singapore. They sometimes find it difficult to communicate in “Singlish” with local vendors and suppliers and are still learning the cultural norms of communicating in Singapore. Pray for God’s help in guidance as they serve there.

29. NEW IDENTITY. A new OMF worker in Southeast Asia has seen a personal transformation in her life as she settles into life in a new language and culture. She is excited and nervous about the future. “Where will Jesus lead me?” she writes. Pray for God to establish this worker’s ministry and transform her into the image of Christ.

30. ELECTION YEAR. During 2016, the United States will elect a new President. As the hype grows, political barbs are being thrown in every direction. Pray for U.S. Christians to rise above the fray and be salt and light to co-workers, friends and family who may not share their spiritual or political beliefs.

31. CORRUPTION. Endemic corruption affects almost every level of society in Indonesia, including the church. Pray for Indonesian Christians to be exemplary in their witness through integrity, love and care for others. Pray also for spiritual protection around pastors and Christian leaders to be able to resist temptations of many kinds.

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