2017 August Prayer Powerlines

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. –James 1:12

1. PRAY FOR THE DPRK. Join us this month in praying for North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or DPRK), a country of 25 million people. Pray that God would reveal himself to the citizens of this nation, and that DPRK leadership would come to honor and worship Christ as Lord.
2. SERVE ASIA DEBRIEFING. Please pray for our Serve Asia debriefing happening July 31–August 3. Two participants will have a lot to process from their year-long programs. Pray also that other participants who are returning from trips would implement the lessons God taught them on the field.
3. ECONOMIC SANCTIONS. Mounting economic sanctions against North Korea are aimed at discouraging the country’s nuclear ambitions, but the DPRK’s citizens may also suffer as a result. Pray for God’s provision for those living in the DPRK. Pray that they would one day know God as Jehovah-Jireh—the one who provides.
4. HART ATTENDEES. We are grateful that 19 missionaries and seven children were with us for Home Assignment Reunion and Training (HART) July 24–29.  Please pray for them as they take the information they received and apply it to partnership development, mobilization and debriefing of their ministries on the field.
5. NEW COUNSELING CENTER. Two Christian social workers are making plans to start a counseling/training center in Cambodia. This center would meet a huge need in Cambodia. Pray that plans for this center continue moving forward and give Cambodians struggling with mental health new hope in Christ.
6. CONFIDENCE IN GOD. The church in Cambodia has a history of relying on outside resources, funding and programs, and it often lacks confidence that the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Pray that the Cambodian church grows in that confidence.
7. HEAVY QUESTIONING. Pray for a team of Christian workers in Central Asia who have recently been questioned heavily by police. Pray for peace for those who are now treading carefully as they go about ministry tasks. Ask God to cover them with spiritual protection so that his work would go forth among unreached people in Central Asia.
8. HIV/AIDS MINISTRY. There is a need for ministry to HIV/AIDS-affected people in China. Unfortunately, social barriers can prevent believers from reaching out to this segment of society. Pray for churches in China to rise above social stigmas and embrace HIV/AIDS-affected communities with the love of Christ.
9. MIRACULOUS HEALING. Christian workers who have been discipling new believers in a village in Southeast Asia have witnessed the miraculous healing of one grandmother. After a year-and-a-half of prayer, the golf-ball sized tumor on her eye has all but disappeared. The whole village, which engages in spirit worship, is acknowledging that the workers’ God has done this. Pray that God’s visible power in this village would draw the whole community to faith in Christ.
10. DIASPORA MINISTRY. Pray for members of the OMF Chinese Diaspora Ministry team as they work toward two goals: 1) equip American churches to reach the Chinese and connect them to Chinese churches, and 2) help Chinese churches facilitate trainings that prepare returnees to serve the church back in China. Ask God to open doors for relationships with churches that can serve the Chinese diaspora in these ways.
11. OPEN TALKS. In a region of Southeast Asia where believers have been experiencing persecution, government officials are suddenly open to having a dialogue with local believers about the law, religion and its compatibility. Pray that these talks result in better treatment of believers in the province and opportunities to minister to local authorities.
12. WELL-SUITED STAFF. Sanriku Hope Church was started to minister to people in Yamada and Kamaishi, two tsunami-stricken areas of Japan. The church has struggled to connect with seekers, in part because of the strong accent of people in the area. Praise God for bringing along a new staff member from the region, Mrs. Rumiko Shibamato. Pray that for continued provision for this church, and that God would use it to bring new hope in Christ to the people of Japan.
13. PRIORITIZING FAMILY. An old Japanese saying lists the four most awful things on earth as “fires, earthquakes, thunderbolts, and fathers.” Pray for fathers in Japan to prioritize family over work. Pray that Japanese men would find new identity in Christ rather than in their jobs.
14. EQUIPPED FOR MINISTRY. Theological seminaries across Malaysia are seeking to equip churches with appropriately qualified and experienced ministry workers. Pray for Malaysia’s seminaries and churches to work in tandem to see God’s kingdom grow in Malaysia.
15. SPECIALTY COFFEE. Myanmar has produced commodity-grade coffee for years, but in the last five years or so, NGOs have been helping build the specialty coffee industry with surprising success. The specialty coffee trade means not only better pay for farmers, but also more opportunities for Christians to get involved. Pray that God would use this growing market for his purposes in Myanmar.
16. LANGUAGE LEARNING. The English and Korean language can be routes for students to get better paying jobs and other opportunities in Vietnam. Pray that this desire for language learning would open doors for Christian teachers to build relationships with Vietnamese students, and, in so doing, share the gospel with them.
17. FREEDOM FROM ADDICTIONS. Many Mongolians struggle with addictions like alcohol abuse. Pray that Mongolian Christians will be bold and loving as they reach out to their neighbors. Ask that many will be set free from addictions in the mighty name of Jesus.
18. LOCAL LEADERSHIP. Praise God for a Filipino church in Mauban that has recently turned over full leadership to a local pastor. The OMF workers who were supporting the church for the last 10 months can now turn their attention to other ministries. Pray for the continued growth of this church and its witness to the community.
19. FILIPINO MINISTRY TO JAPAN. The OMF Philippines homeside continues to meet many Filipinos who are interested in serving in Japan. With Japan’s high cost of living, raising support is especially challenging for Filipinos. Pray for an out-of-the-box solution that will empower the Filipino church to minister cross-culturally to the Japanese.
20. HUI PEOPLE. Most of the 11 million Hui people of China have never met a follower of Jesus face-to-face. For generations, Hui have been taught about Islam; few question their faith. Pray that this people group would have the desire to learn more about Jesus.
21. MENTAL HEALTH IN TAIWAN. Although Taiwan has improved its care and treatment for the mentally ill in recent years, Christians still play an important role in sharing God’s love with those struggling with mental health issues. Pray for one single Taiwanese woman who has bipolar disorder and whose parents both suffer from mental illness. Pray that she will find a full-time job, and that her love for Jesus will inspire her parents to know more about Christ.
22. INDONESIAN MAIDS. Over 250,000 Indonesian women work as maids in Taiwan, and the majority come from Muslim regions of Indonesia. Ask God to protect these women so that they would not be taken advantage of, but instead would be given dignified work with fair wages.
23. FAMILY TESTIMONIES. Often times, God uses a missionary’s calling to the field to open doors of conversation with non-believing family members about Christ. These conversations can be critical milestones in a person’s journey to faith. Pray that God would continue using missionaries to share the gospel both on the field and in their own families.
24. HEALING PRAYER. When Mr. N’s wife had pain in her shoulder, their four-year-old son asked his mother not to go to the witch doctor, as many do in Thailand. “Dad can pray for you instead,” he said. The family prayed together before bed and the next morning, the mother’s pain was gone. Praise God for his healing work. Pray for this family, that they all would put their faith in Jesus Christ.
25. COMMUNITY HEALTH. Pray for a community health program aiming to serve villages in Southeast Asia. A Christian worker is seeking God’s guidance for next steps and looking for local believers who can assist the foundation in healthcare and management roles. Ask God to reveal his plans for this program and provide national workers to bolster the work.
26. RAISING FULL SUPPORT. Pray for the five individuals who are looking to join the U.S. homeside as supported staff. They must raise 100 percent of their financial support before they begin serving in their roles. Their positions include College Mobilizer and Serve Asia Alumni Follow-up Coordinator. Pray for God’s provision for them and their teams.
27. PRESIDENT SEARCH. The President/National Director search committee continues to seek the Lord for the person to lead OMF (U.S.) when Michael Littlefield steps down at the end of 2017. Pray for God to reveal the way forward. Pray also for a smooth transition in leadership and for the National Leadership Team as they work with Michael to prepare for next steps.
28. SPIRITUAL ATTACK. Pray for our workers on the field as many deal with spiritual attack in the areas of marriage, parenting and family life. Pray that God would help them grow through these experiences, and that the Personnel Team would have wisdom as they offer advice and encouragement.
29. APPLICATIONS. Please pray for the Candidate Department as they interview potential applicants and candidates who hope to come to the fall Candidate and Orientation Course. Pray that people will be motivated to get their papers in, and for successful and prayerful review of applications. Pray also that applicants will have clear schedules to attend the course from October 21 to 28.
30. HALF CROWN MEDIA CEO. Praise God for Half Crown Media’s (HCM) new board-appointed CEO Jonathan Lee. HCM is developing a mainstream feature-length film based on the life of Hudson Taylor. Ken Haron, HCM’s president, will be able to focus more on the creative film matters while Jonathan handles financial, business and legal components.
31. FINANCE BUSY SEASON. This month begins the budget process for the Finance Team. They consider this the beginning of their six-month busy season. Pray for them as they prepare, and also as they welcome a visit from OMF’s International Finance personnel. Pray that our U.S. team can take advantage of their expertise.

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