2017 November Prayer Powerlines

Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. –Psalm 107:8

1. PRAY FOR “SKYLANDS.” About 15 million people in Mongolia, Western China and Bhutan have been deeply influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. Many of these people, who live against the backdrop of breathtaking mountains and open skies, have little or no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray with us this month that the message of salvation would be heard in these hard-to-reach Skylands areas.
2. ADULT MK REUNION. OMF is hosting a reunion for Adult Missionary Kids (MKs) November 3-5 in Divide, Colorado. Pray that this will be a time of encouragement, healing and growth for all who attend.
3. UNREST IN CAMBODIA. In September, Kem Sokha, the leader of Cambodia’s opposition party, was arrested for treason. This charge followed the shutdown of at least 15 independent radio programs. Pray for Cambodia’s government leaders and that a solution would be found to the current political crisis.
4. REBUILDING IN MARAWI. Since May, the city of Marawi in the Philippines has seen extreme violence as a result of terrorist activity, causing some 350,000 people to flee. Last month, President Rodrigo Duterte declared the city “liberated” from terrorist control, but much rebuilding must take place. Pray for God’s provision for the people of Marawi, that they could access basic needs and receive emotional and spiritual support.
5. IDOP. Today and next Sunday (Nov. 12) are the International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. In honor of Hebrews 13:3, we remember “those who are mistreated as if [we ourselves] were suffering.” Pray for communities throughout East Asia to be strengthened in hope and faith as they face persecution for their commitment to Christ.
6. MEMBER CARE COACHING. Barry Potter, our Vice President for Personnel, will be traveling to Chiang Mai and Amsterdam this month to run back-to-back coaching workshops for field members and European home staff. Pray that, through these workshops, the attendees will grow in their ability to coach colleagues.
7. MOBILIZATION OPPORTUNITIES. Fall is a time of great opportunity for our Mobilization Team as they visit churches, attend missions conferences and talk with students on college campuses. Pray that God would use our mobilization staff to connect with many serious inquirers so that we can see a new influx of workers in 2018.
8. MERIT-MAKING. The Shan people of Myanmar, Southwest China and North Thailand have a Buddhist tradition called Boi Sang Long that involves boys making merit for their mothers out of gratitude for the nourishment that they received as infants. Pray that the Shan would hear the gospel and realize that their merit rests on Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf.
9. PASTOR NEEDED. A church in Shan State has been in existence for about 20 years, but still has no permanent pastor. Those who are part of the church are fearful of military conflicts in the surrounding villages and have been slow to grow in Christian maturity. Pray that God would prepare a pastor for this church and bring peace to the community.
10. JAPAN FIELD LEADERSHIP. Mike and Rowena McGinty are preparing for their departure from Japan and time serving with OMF there. Pray for Chris and Kesia Pain as they are passed the baton of field leadership. Pray that God brings together a unified team that will glorify him among the Japanese people.
11. SPIRITUAL CURIOSITY. A new OMF worker in Japan was surprised to find spiritual curiosity in a man she sat next to on a bus one day. The conversation ended with her giving him a book about Jesus and offering to connect him with a long-term OMF worker in his area. He responded positively to both offers. Pray that this young man would find Christians where he lives and continue asking questions about God.
12. RELIGIOUS RESTRICTIONS. Recently, the government in Myanmar issued a statement restricting all religious activity in unregistered churches where more than five people are present. This has increased fear among house church members. Pray for God’s peace to comfort believers and that they would not give up meeting together.
13. ABANDONED CHILDREN. Lift up the special-needs orphans that have been abandoned by parents in China’s cities, and for other children who have been left behind in the countryside as their parents go to the city to work. Pray that children who are broken and struggling will have their needs provided for and know that they are treasured by God.
14. INFLUENCE. Students, teachers and researchers in China all struggle with the pressure to be the best. As teachers have a lifelong influence on students in urban China and research carries great weight in society, pray that more Christian professionals and academics will bear witness to Christ.
15. URBAN CHURCH. The urban Chinese church, filled with both white-collar professionals and blue-collar migrant workers, is still relatively small. Although churches are growing in some areas, only about two to three percent of the urban population knows Christ. Pray that urban Chinese churches would grow in their zeal for evangelism and cross-cultural outreach.
16. FRESH VISION. As East Asians come to Christ overseas and return to their home countries, pray that they would bring a fresh passion and vision for the kingdom of God to their communities. Pray also that they would look beyond their own ethnic groups and seek God’s heart for the nations.
17. AUDIO BIBLE STORIES. The 80,000 So people of Laos do not yet have the complete Bible in their heart language, but the So Audio Story Bible Project is underway to enable So people to hear God’s word in their own language. Pray for the So leaders who are compiling and recording Bible stories for this project.
18. INNOVATION. One expert on the North Korean (DPRK) economy has observed a level of innovation and resilience in the DPRK’s citizens as they develop small businesses to earn income apart from the work offered by the government. Pray that North Koreans would continue finding additional means to provide for their families and that Christians would be helpful in these efforts.
19. MISSIONS MOVEMENT. Mongolian Christians regard 1991 as the birth year of the Mongolian church. Since then, Mongolian churches have sent out more than 20 long-term missionaries. Pray for foreign missionaries as they come alongside the Mongolian church to both learn from them and partner with them to develop good missionary care.
20. KHMER OUTREACH. The Khmer are the majority ethnic group of Cambodia. Pray that the Khmer church will stand apart from the prejudices of society by loving, welcoming and actively seeking to reach out to minority groups such as the Vietnamese, the Cham and tribal groups.
21. WORKING CLASS. Outreach to the working class in Taiwan is challenging even for locals. Working class people’s culture, lifestyle and struggles are different from that of middle class Taiwanese, who comprise the majority of the attendees and leadership of Taiwanese churches. Pray that God would move through Taiwanese churches to reach the working class for Christ.
22. POWER IN JESUS’ NAME. Dee, a Taiwanese woman, became a believer several years ago, but she still fears the evil spirits that sometimes possess her boyfriend. Recently, an OMF worker encouraged Dee to command the spirits to leave in Jesus’ name. Dee followed the suggestion and was surprised to see her boyfriend immediately snap out of his trance. Pray that Dee and her boyfriend would trust in Jesus and follow him.
23. HAPPY THANKSGIVING. As Christians, our gratitude overflows in response to the Cross. We have a Good Shepherd who has satisfied all our needs through his atoning sacrifice. Praise God for his steadfast love, which he extends to all nations and peoples. Pray that East Asia’s peoples would know God’s abundant love and embrace his free gift of salvation.
24. YEAR-END GIVING. This time of year, many Christians are seeking God to discern how to allocate their year-end giving. One of Hudson Taylor’s quotes describes well the ethos of OMF: “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.” Pray that God will provide financial resources for all that he has called us to do as we look to opportunities at the end of 2017 and throughout 2018.
25. TAIWAN’S YOUTH. While the economy in Taiwan has been growing in recent years, data show that youth unemployment remains elevated and wages have barely grown over the past decade. Pray for Taiwanese churches to have wisdom in addressing the needs of the country’s young people and that through relationships with other believers, Taiwan’s youth would discover God’s love for them.
26. TRANSITION PLANNING. The OMF (U.S.) National Leadership Team will join together for their biannual leadership retreat November 28–30, 2017.  Pray for the team as they work on a transition plan for 2018 and look toward the future once Michael Littlefield steps down on December 31, 2017.
27. ORAL BIBLE STORIES. Seventy percent of the world’s population are oral learners, meaning they cannot or do not prefer to learn from reading. Pray for OMF workers in Thailand who are employing oral Bible storytelling to evangelize Thai people and disciple local Christian leaders. Ask God to move powerfully as his word is shared.
28. TRANSITION PLANNING. A mother and daughter in the Mae Wong district of Thailand came to Christ through the witness of another believer. They do not live close to a church so a team must visit them to disciple them. Pray that this family would grow in their understanding of God and that a church would be planted in their area.
29. MISSIONAL BUSINESS. Missional business, while an important strategy, is becoming an increasingly complex ministry model in our world today. Navigating legal parameters of both the U.S. and receiving country is just one of many challenges. Pray for God’s leading and guidance as OMF seeks to address these challenges well so that ministry to East Asia’s unreached peoples is not hindered.
30. FINANCE TEAM. The Finance Team keeps many important behind-the-scenes elements in motion to ensure that OMF’s ministries run smoothly and effectively. Pray for the team as they finalize the 2018 budget and prepare for year-end with a new auditing firm.

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