English Opens Doors

The young woman on the right is currently studying at University to become an English teacher. When she saw the opportunity to sit with a native English speaker, she was very excited. Many people on Sumatra are interested in learning English. Some are interested because of the freedom of expression that they see in American culture, and not all of that is good.  Some are interested because they see English as a tool to become more marketable in business, or to get ahead in life. Some are interested because they see foreigners as an opportunity to make money. Regardless of why they are interested, the fact remains that many Sumatrans are interested. This opens doors for Americans visiting or living on Sumatra to share truth.

Pray that native English speakers will have wisdom to capitalize on the interest that Sumatrans have in learning English to share truth with them.

Pray for volunteers to come who have a heart for the Lord and for the peoples of Sumatra.

Pray these volunteers will see the open doors that their English gives to them and will be willing to let people practice English with them.

Pray that God will give wisdom to believers to see where God is working and not spend too much of their time teaching English to those who are not interested in truth.

Coffee for the Peoples

This Gayo man is enjoying a cup of coffee after breakfast. Most of the people groups on Sumatra have distinctive coffee grown in their areas. And, of course, their coffee is always the best! Many times, as a foreigner, you will be asked if you’ve tasted their coffee yet. When you are served coffee it’s usually scalding hot. This is good for two reasons. First, it means that whatever was in the water has been killed off and you won’t get sick. Second, it means that they want you stay and talk while the coffee cools down. On the other hand, if they give you warm coffee it means they want you to drink it and leave.

Pray that the peoples of Sumatra will smell the aroma of Christ, awake from their spiritual slumber and be saved.

Pray that believers on Sumatra will see hot coffee as an invitation to sit and share the stories of life with their family, friends and acquaintances.

Pray that like the unique coffees of the peoples, God will help the peoples of Sumatra to value the uniqueness of His Son. Pray that they will come to understand that He is more than just another prophet.

Chess Anyone?

Many men on Sumatra enjoy playing chess. Often times after work they will meet with their friends to talk, smoke, drink coffee (or alcohol) and play chess. It’s not unusual to have places in traditional markets for drivers to play chess while they are waiting for their clients to shop. A simple wooden chess set here costs around $3.

Chess is one activity that bridges both rural and urban areas. From the biggest city to the smallest village you can find men playing chess. If you like to play chess, you should come to Sumatra. You will never lack for someone to play a good game of chess, but be prepared to inhale a lot of second-hand smoke. Most men on Sumatra like to smoke just about as much as they like to play chess!

Pray that the Kingdom of Light will overcome on the island of Sumatra.

Pray that people groups on Sumatra will no longer exist as pawns in Satan’s kingdom, but will be set free by the Prince of Peace.

Pray that believers won’t get rooked into believing the lies of the enemy that keep them from obeying the Great Commission on Sumatra.

Pray that the powers of darkness on Sumatra will be put in check by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pray for God to raise up knights of the faith to go behind enemy lines to set the captives free through the bold proclamation of the Gospel among every people group on Sumatra.

The Jamu Lady

This is a Jamu lady. She’s been trained in the ancient, herbal medicine traditions of Java. She carries herbal medicines on the back of a bicycle which she uses to make health drinks for her clientele. Most Jamu ladies are Javanese. Typically the Jamu lady has a circuit that she travels every day. She has glasses on the back of her bike for customers who meet her in the street, but as she does not have a sink to wash the glasses, it’s typically not very clean. Most clients use their own cups as the Jamu lady visits their homes to give them their daily dose of jamu. A cup of herbal medicine usually costs 2,000 RP (around 20 cents). Many Indonesians swear that drinking jamu wards off many types of illnesses. This tradition is much like our taking daily vitamins.

Everyone who drinks jamu will still eventually die. Pray that people on Sumatra will realize that only faith in Jesus will ward off (atone for) the consequences of sin.

Tradition is not a bad thing, but many traditions on Sumatra keep people from being obedient to God’s Word. Pray that the peoples of Sumatra will see that following God is more important than any tradition they may hold.

The 13 million Transmigrant Javanese are the largest people group on Sumatra. Pray for God to draw these people into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Musi People Group Profile

"Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the LORD have created it” (Isaiah 45:8, ESV).

The 600,000 Musi [moo-SEE] people have deep roots to their homeland in Southern Sumatra. Many of them live and make their living along the banks of the mighty Musi River. Others make their living as rice farmers, and by growing various varieties of fruit. They also work on rubber plantations and in mining operations.

The Musi language is a part of the Malay language family. And, like the Malay peoples, the Musi tend to have close ties to their community and don’t often move far from home. Musi women pride themselves on keeping neat, tidy homes so that their husbands can say, “My home is my heaven.” The Musi believe that sons are the guarantee of a strong country and a continuing family heritage. Therefore a typical Musi family prefers to have boys more than girls.
 

Most Musi are Muslim. Many Musi people will say they are Muslim because their ancestors were Muslim. In reality the Musi follow Islam together with a form of ancestor worship. They have many sacred grave sites where they go to consult the dead for wisdom, protection or other blessings. They also believe in the occult powers of the dukun (shaman). Most communities have a dukun to help people with various life issues through magical, spiritual treatments.

There is no indigenous Musi church, and there are very few Musi believers.

Pray that:

Believers living among the Musi River will be bold to share the Gospel.

The Musi will realize that they don’t have to stop being Musi in order to receive the Lord into their lives.

Those seeking to share the Gospel will be led to Musi people already softened by the Holy Spirit.

New Musi believers will be obedient to baptism shortly after they receive the Lord.

Musi villages will allow new believers to remain within the community.

New Musi believers will pray continually, learn the principles of God’s word, and be obedient to the Lord in all things. Pray this for all the believers on Sumatra!

New Musi believers will be successfully grouped into rapidly multiplying, indigenous churches.

Ring of Power

Many people on Sumatra carry items called jimat [gee-MAT]. These items are believed to have magical power. The jimat takes different forms depending on the people group and the area. Amulets, rings, empty nut shells, ceremonial knives and small scrolls are several examples of jimat that are found on Sumatra. While riding a becok [bay-CHOK], a motorcycle with a side car for passengers, one cross cultural worker noticed a man wearing a large ring with a black stone. He asked the man if the ring had any power. The man denied it. Perhaps he did so because it wasn’t a jimat, or maybe because he was embarrassed to answer that question from a foreigner. But regardless of facts about this specific ring, the satanic stronghold of jimat is very real among the people groups of Sumatra.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to break spiritual strongholds like belief in a jimat among the people groups of Sumatra.

Pray for believers to live in the power of Christ so that people caught up in the occult will be able to see the difference between faith in demons and faith in God Almighty.

Pray for believers on Sumatra who dabble in the occult to see it as sin and repent.

King of Fruits

This Batak man is holding a durian in one of the many traditional markets in Medan, Sumatra’s largest urban center. In Indonesian the word for “thorn” is “duri.” Hence, durian is the thorny fruit. When you open a durian it’s a very fragrant fruit. The smell of a durian is so strong that it’s often banned for public transportation in many parts of Southeast Asia. Durian invites a strong reaction. People don’t generally ride the fence in their opinion about this unusual fruit. Most people either love it, or hate it.

People’s reaction to durian is reminiscent of Paul’s description of how people often respond to the Gospel. “For we are to God a sweet savor of Christ, in those being saved, and in those being lost; to the one we are the savor of death to death, and to the other we are the savor of life to life. And who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16, ESV).

Pray that believers on Sumatra will witness in the power of the Holy Spirit and not in their own strength. None of us are sufficient for sharing words of life without God’s empowerment.

Pray for the Gospel to be proclaimed in such a way that, like a durian, it will demand a response.

Pray for God to prepare people from each of the people groups on Sumatra to respond positively to the Gospel.

Palembang People Group Profile

“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!” (Proverbs 16:16, NIV).

The majority of the 1.6 million Palembang people live in and around the city of Palembang in Southern Sumatra. They are linguistically related to the Malay people groups, and are proud of their heritage from the Sriwijaya Kingdom of the 7^th-11^th centuries. The Musi River runs through their territory, and is still a major source of trade, livelihood and transportation for the Palembang people.

Because of the petroleum industry many Palembang people make a better than average income. However, those outside the petroleum industry do not always fare so well. Other livelihoods include factory workers, fishermen, teachers, technical workers and government employees. Over the past five years the city of Palembang has become more modern and prosperous due to success in attracting regional sporting events and tourism.

 

The Palembang are direct and forthright, which sometimes makes other people groups fearful of them. Family linage is traced on both sides of Palembang families. When a Palembang couple marries they are free to choose either name from their parents. They are also free to choose the place where they will live, although this is often decided before the marriage. The marriage ceremony is very important in Palembang culture – it is one key way they maintain a sense of unity and cultural togetherness.

The Palembang people are equally proud of their cultural traditions and their adherence to Islam. However, as one proverb states, “Tradition wins over religion.” Bible translation work in the Palembang language is currently being done, and the Jesus-Film is available. There is no indigenous Palembang church, and only a handful of Palembang people claim a personal relationship with Christ.

Pray that:

Believers living among the Palembang will overcome their fear and begin to share the Gospel more boldly.

The Holy Spirit will bring deep conviction of sin to the Palembang people so that they are prepared to hear and receive the Gospel.

Wisdom and courage will be given to believers who are actively sharing the Gospel with the Palembang people.

Palembang believers will be obedient to the Word and bold to share with family and friends.

God will call out laborers to live among and share their lives with the Palembang people.

Satan will be bound so that the Palembang people will no longer be blinded to the Truth.

Since the city of Palembang has become more prosperous and modern over the past five years, their prosperity will not lull them into a dangerous contentment with the status quo.  

Kaki Lima

This Minangkabau man is standing in front of his mobile food stall. In Indonesia food carts like this one are called kaki lima or five legs. They typically have two wheels and a stand and are pushed by the owner like a wheel barrow. The five legs are for the two wheels, one stand and two legs of the man pushing! Generally speaking you can purchase tasty and inexpensive food from a kaki lima. They are often seen on the sides of busy streets hoping to attract hungry people.

This man has been selling food from his cart for over 20 years. He complained that business wasn’t good, but that was likely to convince me that I needed to buy something from his cart.

Pray that men like this food seller will find the Bread of Life that will satisfy his deepest needs.

Pray that people on Sumatra will look past their rice bowl to understand their need for salvation.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will comb the streets of Sumatra’s cities creating a hunger in the lost peoples for God.

Far From Home

This 13-year-old Mandailing boy recently moved to the city from his small village. He doesn’t have family in the city. He has come to continue his schooling. His village school only had classes available up through the equivalent of 6^th grade.

Many Sumatra children face the same challenge. They have to leave their family and live on their own at young ages to have the opportunity to continue their education. Often they will live in a dormitory called a kos with other students.

Pray for God to open the eyes of His churches to these lonely, uprooted youth who are coming to the city for schooling.

Pray that Sumatra churches will find creative ways to minister to these youth.

Pray that this young man, and the many like him on Sumatra, will come to know new life in Christ as he seeks his education in the world.

Pray for Christian teachers on Sumatra to have wisdom and boldness in sharing words of life with their students.