2017 September Prayer Powerlines

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving. -1 Timothy 4:4

1. PRAY FOR ISAAN. This month, join us in praying for the Isaan people of Northeast Thailand. The Isaan region has the largest number of unreached districts in Thailand. Ask God to bring his word to the nearly 22 million people in the region.
2. IDENTITY IN CHRIST. The Isaan people of Northeast Thailand, who are predominantly Buddhist, have a strong regional identity within the country. Pray that the Isaan people would come to identify as Christ’s children and that village life would be centered around God’s word.
3. DIFFICULT ENCOUNTERS. Demon possession and oppression are common realities for communities in Northern Thailand.  However, foreign Christian workers are often not exposed to demonic encounters of this form before arriving on the field. Pray for God’s wisdom for workers as they try to offer biblical guidance to new believers who face demonic oppression.
4. SERVE ASIA WORKERS. Lift up three Serve Asia workers who are leaving this month to serve and learn in an urban area of East Asia for eight months. Pray for safe travels and that God enables them to be a blessing to the people they meet.
5. TRANSLATION WORK. Pray for the translation team in Ta Veng, Cambodia, that meets together regularly to translate the Bible into the Brao language. Roads have been difficult to traverse during rainy season. Pray for safety and that road conditions would not prevent the translators from meeting.
6. UNEXPECTED MINISTRY. Local children in the Snuol district of Cambodia heard about the “school” at the house of some OMF workers and begged to join. The children now visit once a week for lessons. Praise God for extending the workers’ homeschooling ministry. Pray that the neighborhood children would come to know Jesus’ love for them.
7. MIRACULOUS PROVISION. A Christian leader in Kratie Province, Cambodia, fell ill and needed an expensive surgery. God miraculously provided the finances he needed, leading the man’s non-Christian wife to praise God and show interest in Jesus. Pray that the wife would release her fears and seek the Lord.
8. EAGER TO LEARN. Believers from a minority people group in East Asia are being taught a reproducible church format, but they have had little education and struggle to memorize things or answer open-ended questions. Yet, they are eager to learn. Ask God to bless these faithful followers, and pray that God grows his church through them.
9. MIEN OUTREACH. Less than one percent of the 1.2 million Mien people of China know Christ. Pray that Mien believers in Laos and Vietnam would have a heart to share God’s word with the Mien in China. Pray also that Mien believers would remain steadfast in the face of religious persecution.
10. DIASPORA IN AFRICA. Leaders from 41 Kenyan Baptist Bible schools recently attended a seminar to be better equipped for ministry to the African and Chinese people. As the seminar concluded, each Bible school signed an agreement to use the ministry curriculum in their contexts. Praise God for the African church’s heart for missions. Pray that each Bible school would implement what they learned to the glory of God.
11. MATURING DISCIPLES. During a training conducted in the Mekong region, young Christian leaders from an unreached people group shared testimonies of God’s work in their lives. The Christian worker in attendance noted how 20 years ago, testimonies from this people group were centered on freedom from bodily sickness. This time, each student acknowledged their salvation from sin through Christ. Praise God for these maturing disciples. Pray for their continued growth in faith.
12. TRAVEL BAN. As the U.S. travel ban to North Korea (the DPRK) takes effect, pray that Christians would remember God’s love for the people of the DPRK and lift them up in prayer. Pray that believers who live and work in the DPRK would share the love of Christ with those who do not know him.
13. DPRK LEADERS. God is in control of all nations. Pray that Kim Jong-Un, the leader of the DPRK, and the other leaders around him would come to know God’s love. Pray that DPRK believers would lift up their leaders in prayer.
14. IPPO IPPO IWATE. A group of elderly Japanese people make daily visits to Ippo Ippo Iwate—a coffee shop and church in a tsunami-stricken area of Japan. Those who attend enjoy the fellowship and teachings about Jesus but are reluctant to leave their non-Christian traditions. Pray that God’s Spirit would break through strongholds to reach the hearts of the Japanese.
15. CASTING BURDENS. Vulnerability is a hard-earned privilege in Japan. Only extremely close friends tend to share sorrows and struggles with each other. Pray that the Japanese would encounter Jesus, who wants to carry their burdens and journey with them in sorrow.
16. ONLINE HARASSMENT. BBC News reports that young Malaysian women are using social media to discuss women’s issues more than ever before. As they do so, many are being met with harassment. Pray that Malaysian women would have the freedom to share their ideas in a respectful forum.
17. CROSS-CULTURAL MISSION. The Manobo church in Mindanao, Philippines, was birthed through the missionary efforts of the Mangyan people roughly 40 years ago. Today, the Manobo people have their own Bible school and are training Christian leaders. Pray that Manobo lay leaders and pastors would have a heart for cross-cultural missions to unreached tribal groups in the Philippines.
18. OPENNESS IN ACEH. In the wake of the tsunami that struck the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2004, there was a period of remarkable openness among the Acehnese people as help flowed in from many sources, including Christians. But today, the province of Aceh has tightened up again. Ask God to open the hearts of the Acehnese people once more. Pray that they would learn more about Jesus and his love for them.
19. COMMUNITY FAVOR. Christian workers in a community in Southeast Asia planned to move after finding out that their rent would increase dramatically. When the village chief heard the news, he paid them a concerned visit. “I do not want to lose you from our community,” he said. The next morning, the landlord called the workers to negotiate a lower price. Praise God for this answered prayer. Pray that God would use this couple to bring Christ’s light to their neighbors.
20. POSITIVE INFLUENCE. Because of the role of respect in Chinese culture, business leaders in China have an incredible amount of influence over their employees’ lives. Pray for Christian business leaders to use their influence for blessing and to help employees and customers learn more about Jesus.
21. CANCER RECOVERY. An OMF worker was diagnosed with breast cancer but has recently been declared cancer-free. Praise God for his healing work. Lift up this woman and her family as they plan to leave for Orientation Course in Singapore next month and then head to Taiwan in December. Pray for the wife’s continued recovery and for God’s guiding hand over their lives in coming months.
22. TRUE BLESSINGS. A woman and her daughter have been attending weekly Bible studies with an OMF team in Taiwan. They enjoy learning about a God who loves them. However, the woman’s husband is uninterested in God and spends the family’s money on blessings from a spirit guide. Pray for this man to be willing to hear about the Creator God who richly blesses his children.
23. FOLK CATHOLICISM. Though many people assume the Philippines has been reached with the gospel, there are still thousands of unreached Folk Catholic communities throughout the country. Pray for Filipino believers to have a burden for these areas. Ask God to raise up his church in every community in the Philippines.
24. CANDIDATE COURSE. The fall U.S. Candidate and Orientation Course is scheduled for October 21–28. Pray with us that all nine potential candidates would finish their applications and be able to attend. Pray also that the Candidate Department would sense God’s leading as they plan and prepare for the course.
25. A BEAUTIFUL WORK. The OMF (U.S.) Communications Team is excited to be working on the 2017 year-end partner gift, A Beautiful Work. Pray for the team as they brainstorm and collect stories and reflections from workers for this publication. Pray that God would use the magazine to glorify his name and inspire prayer for East Asia’s people.
26. REST FOR THE WEARY. Home assignment is an important time for missionaries to reconnect with ministry partners and churches, receive more training and share about their ministries. However, this time in their home country can also be busy and exhausting. Pray that missionary individuals and families would find physical and spiritual rest during home assignment.
27. NEW POSITION. OMF (U.S.) prints and sends out a variety of mobilization and prayer pieces on a regular basis. We praise God that Rachel Bechtholdt has been hired as our new Print Production Coordinator to help with this process. Pray for Rachel as she adjusts to her new role and team.
28. THE SEARCH CONTINUES. The President/National Director search committee is meeting regularly to seek God’s will for the next leader of the OMF (U.S.) team. Pray for discernment for each member of the committee, as well as the candidate(s) they are interviewing.
29. TECHNOLOGY. Technology plays a critical role in OMF’s work. Pray that God would continue to guide our development and choice of technology so that it is fit for purpose, effective for ministry and cost-effective for OMF as a whole.
30. STAGES OF WORK. Pray for OMF’s ministry teams as they seek to see their work develop from earlier stages (praying about an opportunity, understanding the context, building relationships) to later stages (sharing the Good News, contributing to church planting movements). Pray that we would be faithful, humble servants of the Lord throughout each stage.

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