2017 July Prayer Powerlines

 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. -2 Corinthians 3:17

1. PRAY FOR TAIWAN. This month, pray with us for Taiwan’s working class, who face issues such as domestic violence, poor family role models and long working hours. They revere the spirits of their ancestors and less than 0.5 percent follow Christ. Pray for the hearts of Taiwan’s working class to turn to Christ so they may be saved.
2. TEAM EXPANSION. The OMF Taiwan Field hopes to see their team expand to 80 missionaries by 2019. This will require an additional 5-10 new workers each year. Pray God provides the people and support structures to see this team grow and to see God’s kingdom advance in Taiwan.
3. LANGUAGE STUDY COMPLETION. Six new workers will complete full-time language study this year and move to their first ministry placements in Taiwan. Pray that each person would see the Lord’s hand in their new locales—both in terms of personal growth and ministry to the local community. Ask God to use them in powerful ways.
4. INDEPENDENCE DAY. Americans enjoy many forms of freedom in the U.S.—freedom to gather in worship, praise God openly and teach others about Christ. Pray for believers throughout East Asia who do not have these freedoms, and as a result, struggle spiritually or suffer physical consequences. Ask God to strengthen and protect East Asian believers today.
5. TENSIONS RISE. Even though Cambodia’s elections on June 4 were peaceful, Christian workers in the Ta Veng district are seeing tensions rise in response to election results. Two local church leaders are receiving pushback from those who were campaigning for the opposition party, and a local woman who was helping with translation work is now afraid to assist for political reasons. Pray for protection and peace for believers in Ta Veng and throughout Cambodia.
6. TEAM TRANSITION. Nathan and Brianna Martin are slated to take over leadership of an OMF team in the Snuol district of Cambodia. This change will release former team leaders to pioneer in another unreached location. Pray for wisdom for the Martins as they take on new roles, and ask God to provide more workers for this team.
7. BOUYEI. Lift up the 3 million Bouyei people of Southwest China. Less than 0.5 percent of this animist people group knows the Lord. Where there are small pockets of Bouyei believers meeting together, ask God to give them encouraging fellowship and opportunities to grow.
8. SMALL BUSINESSES. As China changes and develops quickly, many small business owners are being squeezed out and left behind, especially those from ethnic minorities. Pray for these small business owners to find new ways to earn a living. Pray that God will help them find True Hope, even in the midst of struggle.
9. TRAINING TOOL. OMF’s Chinese Diaspora Ministries in Africa team has helped develop an Institute for Training in Ministry course (iTM) for training lay pastors in Africa. This tool meets a critical need, as 90 percent of pastors in Africa have not received basic theological training. Sixty-four Bible schools in Kenya have already expressed interest in iTM. Ask God to provide trainers and teachers who can help equip African pastors and Bible schools with this missions tool.
10. PERSECUTION. Lift up So and Baw believers in Southeast Asia who are persecuted for their faith. Local authorities sometimes threaten them about meeting for worship on Sundays and ask them to sign documents recanting their faith. Pray that these Christians would be encouraged through scripture and remain strong in the Lord.
11. SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT. Pray for Moon Jae-In, the new president of South Korea. Since taking office, President Moon has expressed openness to talks with North Korea. Pray that he will develop appropriate relations with the DPRK that benefit citizens of both countries.
12. DETAINED IN NORTH KOREA. The death of American university student Otto Warmbier on June 19, six days after his release from North Korea, has highlighted the continued need to lift up the DPRK in prayer. Pray for the safety of other detainees in the country, and ask God to instill mercy and grace in the hearts of North Korean leadership.
13. TRIP TO CHINA. Please pray for OMF worker and a team from a San Francisco church preparing for an August vision trip to Western China. Pray that God would guide their time and protect them in travel.
14. HIGH INTEREST. Japan is the third most popular country of interest among inquirers on the OMF (U.S.) opportunities site. Praise God for moving people’s hearts for the people of Japan—the world’s second largest unreached people group. Pray for this ministry interest to continue, that Christ would be proclaimed in Japan.
15. NON-CHRISTIAN HUSBANDS. Pray for Christian Japanese women who are married to non-Christian Japanese men. Thank the Lord that some have husbands who allow them to go to church. Pray for those whose families prevent them from having Christian fellowship. Pray for more Japanese men to follow Jesus and be spiritual leaders in their families.
16. MK SURVEY. Michele Phoenix, a missionary kid (MK) advocate, conducted a survey in which she asked 1,000 MKs about the hardest part of being a missionary kid. The second-highest response was: “The number of goodbyes I had to say.” Pray that MKs would be taught healthy, productive ways to process loss and that they would find comfort in Jesus’ love for them.
17. BIBLE TRANSLATION. According to Wycliffe Global Alliance, Myanmar has 115 living languages. Of these, 49 have no scripture, 33 have parts of scripture and only 33 have the full Bible. Pray that God would provide workers to enable Bible translation to continue, that every person in Myanmar would hear and respond to the word of God.
18. RADIO PROGRAMS. Christian radio programs have had a remarkable impact on some groups within Vietnam. More than 350,000 Hmong have professed faith in Jesus Christ, many through Christian radio broadcasts. Pray for the Hmong to reach out in mission to other minority groups in Vietnam, and pray for continued effective broadcasting.
19. BIBLE TRAINING. With limited options for Bible training in Vietnam, many enthusiastic young leaders head to Singapore, the Philippines and Australia. Praise God for those who return from their studies with a heart for outreach and mission in their home country. Pray for more young people to seek Bible training in order to minister in Vietnam.
20. HART. Please pray for our missionaries on home assignment who will be attending Home Assignment Reunion and Training (HART) July 24–29 in Littleton, CO. Pray that it would be a valuable time to reconnect with our workers and provide debriefing and training.
21. MONGOLIAN CHURCH. Wise, a nomadic herder in Mongolia, came to Christ 13 years ago through the testimony of Christian workers. When a recent surgery temporarily disabled him, Mr. Wise continued studying discipleship materials with his pastor. Praise God for nomadic herders who are devoted to the Lord. Pray for more herders to hear the word of God and come to Christ.
22. GROWING ECONOMY. As the Philippines’ standard of living steadily increases, some cultural traditions are being lost; time spent with family and friends is being replaced with technology engagement. Pray that Filipino Christians would not shift their priorities to accommodate unhealthy habits. Pray they would long for a lifestyle that pleases God, and in so doing, draw others to Christ.
23. UNIVERSITY STUDENT WORK. OMF offers a 1-3 year opportunity for working with university students on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The role includes evangelizing and discipling college students, mainly from a folk Catholic background, to be catalysts for starting simple, reproducible churches in their home areas. Pray for God to fill this opportunity with a qualified candidate.
24. MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS. Pray for people who are committed to learning languages, cultures and worldviews of Muslim peoples so that they can build relationships with Muslim communities. Pray for bridges of understanding that lead to meaningful conversations about life and family.
25. TRAGIC ACCIDENT. Two young children who attended an OMF-run Kids’ Club in Thailand were recently in a motorcycle accident. One child died and the other is recovering from surgery. Pray for God’s peace to comfort grieving families, and for continued healing for the young girl who survived.
26. NEW INITIATIVES. A group of Thai church leaders recently gathered to develop policies to help empower church leaders from the Association of Churches in Bangkok, which consists of 30 churches and outreaches. Most of the churches in this network are small and struggling with the lack of accountability. Pray that these new initiatives will help churches gain a clearer direction, identity and support from one another.
27. LIBERATED BY GRACE. Buddhism has a strong influence in Thai society – so much so that even when Thai people become Christians, they struggle to release the Buddhist concept of merit-making. Pray for Thai Christians to clearly understand the liberating grace of God, and that good works are a way to honor Christ, not to earn his favor.
28. LEADERSHIP NEEDS. Pray for God to fill the areas of leadership that OMF (U.S.) is currently seeking, including President/National Director and Vice President for Stewardship Ministries. Pray that in the midst of tough situations, current President/National Director Michael Littlefield will be encouraged in his work and press on to lead the U.S. team, equip new leaders and serve the fellowship.
29. LOSS IN OUR FELLOWSHIP. OMF members Caroline Woo and David Ferguson fought with faith and courage and won their battle with cancer by going to heaven. Please pray for Michael Woo and his five young children, and Lorna Ferguson and her four children. We grieve with them.
30. PREPARING FOR NEXT COURSE. Pray for the candidates who are preparing to attend the next U.S. Candidate and Orientation Course October 22–29, 2017. Pray that they will continue to have confirmation of their call to East Asia and will work diligently to complete all necessary paperwork related to the application process.
31. RETIREMENT PLAN. Many of our missionaries consider themselves ministry “reassignees” when they reach retirement. We hope to provide for them well in the years following field service with OMF. Pray for the Retirement Plan Oversight Committee (RPOC) as they meet to examine future retirement needs.

To download the pdf version of our Prayer Powerlines newsletter CLICK HERE.