Home Town Connection

A worker met this young lady at a convenience mart where he stopped to buy some water. In the course of conversation it was discovered that the worker lived in the city where this lady was born. There was an instant connection made because of this fact. People who grew up in the same city or village or have connections to the same places are more open to each other. Because of this fact, it is important that new believers be taught how to share their faith as soon as possible. They are far more effective at sharing within their circle of friends and family than any outsider. However they are also more likely to be persecuted and ostracized than any outsider.

Pray for workers to equip and encourage new believers to share the Gospel as soon as possible.

Pray for new believers to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that they can withstand persecution when it comes.

Pray for the Gospel to spread rapidly among all Sumatra’s people groups.

Acehnese People Group Profile

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:8, ESV).

The 4 million Acehnese people live on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Islam entered the islands of Indonesia through the Acehnese heartland. In the past, Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca would stop in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital. For this reason the city is called the “Terrace of Mecca” to this day.

The Acehnese are known by other Indonesian people groups as being the most dedicated Muslims in Indonesia. They are strict Sunni Muslim and have been instrumental in spreading Islam throughout Indonesia and to other Southeast Asian countries. The Aceh Province is the only area in Indonesia to have instituted Shari’a law. Acehnese will often violently oppose any member of their people group who wants to follow another religion. To be Acehnese is to be Muslim.

Most Acehnese men work as farmers or fishermen. The women handle domestic affairs. Children are expected to help with the household chores from a very young age. Men generally do not involve themselves in household affairs, including child rearing. Inheritance is settled by Islamic law with a double portion going to the men, but homes and land almost always pass to the women.

In 2004 a cataclysmic tsunami swept through the west coast area. Over 150,000 people were killed. Yet, in the aftermath of this disaster many Acehnese learned that Christians are different than what they learned from their religious training. Acehnese became, for a time, more open to outsiders.

There are a handful of believers, but they are fearful of family and community reaction, so they are not bold to share their faith. There is no indigenous Acehnese church.

Pray that:

Believers living among the Acehnese will be bold to share the Gospel daily.

Acehnese believers will be given courage from the Lord to share their faith with family and friends.

Three reproducing and vibrant Acehnese churches will be planted this year.

All ideas set up against the knowledge of God will be brought down by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will convict the Acehnese of sin and reveal Jesus as the one path to true righteousness.

The Acehnese will see that Isa [Jesus] is more than just a prophet and they can be Acehnese without being Muslim.

God will not allow those who want to isolate Acehnese from outsiders to succeed.

The Monkey Factor

This type of monkey is fairly common on Sumatra. This particular monkey was chained up in front of a shop-house. Many people here keep monkeys as pets. Some people train monkeys to perform and do animal shows for children and parties. We have a monkey handler who comes to our neighborhood regularly. He will put on a short performance for about 2 or 3 dollars.

You have to be careful with monkeys. They are more likely to bite or become aggressive than a dog or cat. Part of the problem is misunderstandings of cultural-cues. For example, when a monkey looks like it’s smiling it’s actually saying, “Back off, you’re scaring me.” Such communication problems are not uncommon when you are bridging into another culture. There are many things that are being said loud and clear within the culture that are completely lost on the person coming in from the outside.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will help cross-cultural workers to clue into the cultural communication that is going on around them.

Pray that near culture believers will be brave to share with far-culture workers about cultural clues that they might be missing.

Pray cross-cultural workers on Sumatra will remain humble and teachable before the Lord and their national brothers and sisters.

Taking Out the Garbage

Basic sanitation is often a challenge in developing nations. Finding a good solution to the disposal of garbage is not an easy thing. Often times people will burn their garbage out in front of their homes. The smell and toxins released by these fires is not safe or pleasant. However, if these piles of garbage aren’t burned they attract rats. This photo was taken in a market area in one of the major cities on Sumatra.

The problem of garbage on Sumatra is symbolic of the problem of sin. Sin creates a pile of garbage in the hearts of people that becomes larger and larger every day. People try many things to eliminate the problem, but it just gets worse. Just as the cities of Sumatra need a good sanitation plan, the peoples of Sumatra need a good salvation plan. Only Jesus can clean the garbage of sin from the hearts of mankind!

Pray that the peoples of Sumatra will become aware of their accumulating sin debt, and the complete inadequacy of good works to atone for sin.

Pray that believers on Sumatra will be faithful and bold to share about the Savior who can cancel the sin debt.

Pray for believers on Sumatra to deal with the sin that is making their witness smell worse than the piles of garbage that are common in the cities of our island.

Pray against the rats of societal pressure, discouragement and fear that gather around the piles of sin that fill the hearts of people living on Sumatra.

Minangkabau People Group Profile

“Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from far” (Psalm 138:6, NIV).

The Mingangkabau are proud of their heritage. They are proud of their economic prosperity and influence. They are proud of their tradition of merantau, which means going to a distant area to seek success. They are proud of their matrilineal family structure. They are proud of their religion – to be Minangkabau is to be Muslim.

While the Minangkabau are proudly Muslim, they are also strongly drawn to seeking spiritual power through animistic rituals. They routinely consult the dukun (shaman) for assistance with daily problems. This tendency crosses many people groups on the island of Sumatra.

 

There are approximately 5.5 million Minangkabau living primarily in West Sumatra. They are the fourth largest ethnic group in the country of Indonesia. They have their own language and outsiders are often viewed with suspicion. The scriptures have been translated into the Minangkabau language, but distribution has been difficult. Those who seek to share the Good News with the Minangkabau are often met with resistance.

After a major earthquake in 2009, many Christian relief workers were able to enter traditionally closed areas to show the love of Christ through service to the victims of the natural disaster. It is hoped that the impression that these workers made on the Mingangkabau people will open doors for further witness.

Pray that:

God will open the eyes and hearts of the Minangkabau people to see and receive His Good News of salvation.

Doors will open for believers to enter into and live among Minangkabau communities.

The preaching of the Gospel will be accompanied with power so that the Minangkabau will learn that Christ is more powerful than the spirits they consult with their life problems.

The blood of Christ will break the spiritual strongholds that keep the Minangkabau from being willing to receive the scriptures.

God will call laborers with a heart to reach the Minangkabau with the Gospel.

The Holy Spirit will convict the Minangkabau of sin and righteousness so that their hearts will be soft to God’s calling for repentance.

Believers seeking to reach the Minangkabau will be guided to people of peace who will become door openers to the rest of this people group.

Community Alarm System

This painted bamboo is part of a community communication system. This system actually originated on the main island of Java. If there is an emergency, a person will beat this tube with a stick. As others hear they will drop what they are doing and come running.

Some examples of why you might sound the alarm include a fire, a car accident, a wild animal, a thief, or any other threat/emergency that requires a large number of people to deal with. The tube is painted red and white to look like Indonesian’s flag. It’s a reminder to people in the community that helping each other is their patriotic duty as a citizen of the Republic.

Pray that the Holy Spirit will sound the alarm about the wages of sin and bring deep conviction into the hearts of Sumatran people.

Pray that those living on Sumatra will realize the danger of rejecting God’s one method for dealing with their sins before it’s too late.

Pray that the Gospel message will spread rapidly, like this community alarm system.