2016 October Prayer Powerlines

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. -Psalm 63:1

1. PRAY FOR THE SHAN. This month, join with intercessors praying for breakthrough among the 6 million Buddhist Shan people of Myanmar, Thailand and Southwest China. Less than 0.1 percent know Christ. In the past few years, gospel momentum has been slowly building. Pray that God would use radio broadcasts, gospel CDs and the Shan Bible app to proclaim the Good News to Shan in remote areas. Contact prayer@omf.org to learn more.
2. BUDGET. The U.S. National Leadership Team is in the process of evaluating the needs of OMF and preparing a 2017 budget. Pray for discernment for the leadership team as they determine how to maximize the funding we have received as good stewards of all God has provided.
3. TEAM STRUGGLES. Praise God for each of the 87 missionaries and staff workers on the OMF Philippines field team. Ask God to be their provider, comforter and healer as they deal with heavy struggles like illness, family strain, lack of finances, spiritual warfare, political change and more. Pray for unity, health and strength for the team.
4. NEEDS IN SAMAR. Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit the Philippines in November 2013, and some of the affected areas are still in recovery. On the island of Samar, remaining needs are to see regular attendance for Bible studies and more long-term workers. Pray for God’s provision and the growth of the church there.
5. CHILDREN RECEIVE CHRIST. Praise God for the five children who received Christ as their personal Savior during a youth camp in Miaoli, Taiwan. Pray that spiritual seeds planted through the Bible stories would take root and grow. Pray also for better access to local churches for those in Miaoli who do not have a church nearby.
6. SOUTHERN TAIWAN. The OMF Taiwan field team would love to send more workers to southern Taiwan. Pray for the team in Qiaotou, Kaohsiung, that has recently grown. Ask God to show them which of many ministries should be their focus.
7. GETTY TOUR. OMF has the special opportunity to partner with Keith and Kristyn Getty on their tour, “Facing a Task Unfinished.” OMF representatives will be at some of the Gettys’ events to share more with those interested in OMF’s work. Pray for significant connections and for hearts to be moved to join God’s mission to East Asia’s unreached people.
8. TEARS OF JOY IN CHRIST. Despite being bed-ridden from a stroke, Mr. Mala in Thailand requested a visit from Christian workers to hear more about Jesus. They led him in a prayer of confession and forgiveness, and he wept with gratitude to God. Pray for Mr. Mala’s physical healing and for a growing understanding of his new life in Christ.
9. MINORITIES REACHING THAI. Pray that tribal minority believers in Thailand would be mobilized and trained to reach the ethnic Thai majority, despite the stigma that Thai attach to tribal minorities. Praise God for a Christian minority couple that is church planting among the Thai. Pray that God opens doors for relationships and ministry to Thai people.
10. MORE PRAYER WARRIORS NEEDED. North Korea is known as the “Hermit Kingdom” due to its self-imposed isolation from the rest of the world, but the country is known to God. Pray that more Christians around the world will intercede regularly for the North Korean people, including its leaders.
11. UNREACHED THAI BUDDHISTS. Animists in minority regions of Northern Thailand have seen powerful demonstrations of God’s victory over spirits. However, Thai Buddhists have not been as moved by these encounters. As a result, the work among Central Thai and Lao Thai of the northeast have seen little fruit. Ask God to raise up laborers to reach Thai Buddhists in that region.
12. WITNESS IN MIRI. Thousands of Bruneians visit Miri (a Malaysian city) on the weekends to shop and explore restaurants. The population of Miri is said to be 50 percent Christian, and churches abound. Pray that the predominantly Muslim Bruneian visitors would be impacted by the love of Christians on their visits.
13. MEDICAL CARE. Pray for China’s Silk Road families that struggle with the logistics and cost of hospital treatment in the city. Chinese hospitals do not provide patients with meals or help with bathing, so family members need to stay nearby to provide basic care.
14. CHILD SAFETY CASE. As OMF winds up a child safety inquiry on a historic child abuse case in OMF, pray for wisdom as we determine what to communicate and how to bring healing and glory to God through this difficult situation.
15. BOARD MEETING. The OMF (U.S.) Board of Trustees will have their annual meeting October 21-22, 2016. Pray for clear guidance and direction as the board members meet together to pray and discern God’s plan and purpose for OMF moving forward. Pray also for wisdom for them as they receive and evaluate the proposed 2017 budget.
16. SNAKEBITE. A Cambodian believer was recently bitten by a snake and was urged by his family and fellow villagers to offer a sacrifice to the spirits in order to be healed. He refused and has been chastised for it. Praise God that he is healing. Pray for this believer’s faith to remain strong, that he could be a witness to the power of Christ.
17. CALL TO HOLINESS. OMF recently put out a call for 1,000 new workers over the next seven years. As we pursue this increase, the main challenge is a call to holiness so that we may be fit for God’s purposes. Pray for an increase in holiness and passion for God among OMF missionaries and staff around the world.
18. LOW PERIODS. Some Chinese Christians in a certain area of China have been going through spiritually “low, dry and even dark periods.” Please pray for these believers to have a renewed hunger and vitality in their relationships with God.
19. SUSTAINABLE MODELS. Interest in overseas missions is increasing among Chinese believers, especially among some younger Christians, according to a long-time foreign worker. Much work remains, however, in establishing good systems to send and care for these young people. Ask God for wisdom, guidance and discernment as the Chinese church seeks to develop sustainable models of cross-cultural outreach.
20. STORYTELLING PROJECT. Ask for God’s provision and guidance for a Chronological Storytelling project that is starting among an unreached minority people group in China. The ultimate goal of the project is for local believers to be trained in how to use the stories to facilitate the spread of the gospel.
21. MONGOLIANS IN CALIFORNIA. Celebrate Recovery has been a vital ministry in the Mongolian church for several years. Recently, some Mongolian believers came to the U.S. and offered three days’ training regarding the program for a Mongolian church in San Francisco. Pray for God to use this program to free many Mongolians from addiction, that they might find new life in Christ.
22. CHURCH PLANT IN FUTTSU. In September, a Japanese couple discipled by OMF workers started a new church plant in Futtsu, Japan. Pray for God to bless the couple as they step out in faith, that God’s name would be glorified through this new church in Japan.
23. PROFESSIONS OF FAITH. Pray for six Japanese children who made professions of faith at a sports clinic hosted by The Ultimate Victory, a sports ministry working in Japan leading up to the 2020 Olympics. Pray that these children will carry through with their decisions, that their parents will be supportive and that they will become active at local churches.
24. PRESSURE TO RECANT. A group of Christian leaders from a minority people group in Laos were recently pressured to sign a document recanting their faith. They did not do so, but sadly many villagers did. Pray against fear and doubt that might lead these leaders astray. Intercede for them to remain steadfast in their love for Jesus.
25. VIDEO PROJECT. A video project in East Asia will feature the testimony of a farmer who has come to Christ. The video is intended to be a tool for other believers to share their testimonies. Ask God to bless the preparation and production of the video, that the video might ignite faith in many hearts.
26. HOMESCHOOLING ON THE FIELD. Homeschooling can be a challenge, especially on the mission field. Resources may not be as accessible and families often face unique demands on their time. Pray for OMF parents who homeschool to find peace and joy in the Lord as they educate their children.
27. REINDEER HERDERS. An OMF missionary and a team of three Mongolian pastors recently took a trip to reach a minority people group of nomadic reindeer herders. Pray for the seeds planted on the trip to bear spiritual fruit and that new believers would grow in Christ, despite some daunting geographical barriers to discipleship.
28. BIBLE TRANSLATION. Pray for Bible translation work in Myanmar. The Bible has been translated into 12 languages; 10 more have the New Testament and another 16 have portions of the Bible, but there are still more than 100 people groups with no portions of the Bible in their own language. Ask God to raise up the translators and resources needed to see the Bible translated into the remaining languages that need it in Myanmar.
29. BRAO SONGBOOK. A Christian songbook for the Brao people of Cambodia was recently completed. Pray that many Brao would come to Christ and sing the praises found in this book. Pray that as unbelieving Brao hear the songs, they would be drawn by the Holy Spirit to surrender their lives to Jesus.
30. MENTORING SA ALUMNI. Lift up the Serve Asia (SA) Alumni Follow-up team as they mentor short-term workers who are interested in long-term service. The team praises God for SA participants’ eagerness to serve East Asia, but asks for discernment in guiding alumni through heart issues that need to be dealt with before they go overseas long-term.
31. SERVE ASIA COORDINATORS NEEDED. The Serve Asia team desires to see more people discipled in missions and serving East Asia’s unreached people, but they need more program coordinators to make this happen. Pray for God to increase the team’s capacity to send short-term workers by providing more people for the program coordinator role.

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