Photo Taken in Bandar Lampung

Rawas People Group Profile

“He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6 ESV).

The 200,000 Rawas live on fertile, productive land in southern Sumatra. They have expansive rubber plantations as well as the production of many popular fruits such as oranges, mangoes, pineapples, papaya, rambutan and durian. They also raise livestock such as ducks, chickens, goats and water buffaloes. When it comes to food production, they are self-sufficient.

The Rawas language is a form of Malay. Many of their traditional dances come from the Malay forms such as Tari Piring (Plate Dance) and Tari Pisau (Knife Dance). The Rawas also enjoy pencak silat (an Indonesian form of martial arts).

The Rawas are devout in their adherence to Sunni Islam. They strictly follow Ramadan and have festive celebrations of all the Muslim holidays. Their marriage and burial ceremonies are in accordance with Muslim beliefs. They often wear carved objects with Islamic motif or design as a charm.

There are no known believers among the Rawas, and no indigenous Rawas church. The Rawas are a tight knit, interconnected community and outside influences are limited.

Pray that:

Malaria is common in Rawas areas. This is perhaps their only felt need. Pray that Christian doctors and healthcare workers will show the Rawas the love of Christ through treatment of and preventative measures against Malaria.

The Holy Spirit will reveal the true wages of sin to the Rawas and show them the true righteousness that can only be found through faith in Jesus.

God will send workers to live among and share the Gospel with the Rawas.

Entire families and communities will come to faith together.

Agricultural innovations will open doors for Christian farmers to work with and share the Gospel with Rawas farmers.

God will burden believers living on Sumatra to adopt the Rawas in prayer and in outreach efforts.

First fruit believers will soon be born again among the Rawas.

Traditional Games

These Aneuk Jamee men are selling a hand carved board game that uses marbles. The size of the board is not normally this large. Sumatrans love playing games, or any other activity that they can do in a group. The idea of being alone carries a negative connotation. To stand alone is the worst fate that a Sumatran can conceive.

It is this group consensus mentality that forms a formidable barrier to the Gospel. As Sumatrans consider the Gospel they feel that it would cause them to stand outside the group, thus causing them to stand alone. They would rather play the traditional games and hold the traditional positions rather than stand alone.

Unfortunately, there is more at stake than winning or losing a game. The response of Sumatrans to the Gospel will determine the difference between life and death, heaven and hell. This is no game. In this instance it is far better to stand alone than to fall together.

Pray for Sumatrans to have the courage to stand alone if need be in order to receive the Gospel.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to convict of sin so that Sumatrans realize the gravity of their situation outside of faith in Christ.

Pray for entire families and even villages to come to a group decision to receive the Gospel and stand together.

Duano Virtual Prayerwalk

https://vimeo.com/118237519

Who will Bring in the Harvest?

Every farmer knows that harvest time means WORK; HARD work. While many factors are outside the farmer’s control there is one thing he knows, when the harvest comes he has to go out and get it or it will be lost. This farmer is harvesting rice in Aceh Province.

God has been at work unseen in Sumatra for many years. Thousands of hearts have been prepared by the Holy Spirit and are now ready to be harvested. But the cry is all too familiar. The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. There are still 13 Unengaged Unreached People Groups (UUPGs) on Sumatra with no workers among them. Aceh Province is one of the biggest challenges on Sumatra. The Anuek Jamee and Kluet people groups are all still unengaged.

Cry out to the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into these harvest fields.

Pray for workers who are overwhelmed with following up on new believers. Ask that they have strength, wisdom, and additional co-laborers.

The newly harvested crop must be protected, or there will be loss. Pray for new believers who are under spiritual, physical, and emotional attack for their faith in Jesus.

Photo Taken in Belitung

Panning for Gold

This Jambi Malay woman is panning for gold. As can be seen by the boy, the river is also the place to take a bath. Gold mining in the river is very common, but it is becoming more common for people to use dangerous chemicals to gather larger amounts of gold in far less time. This practice is contaminating the river water. The government has arrested many people, but as soon as one group is arrested another pops up to take its place.

The lust for quick wealth is a common malady that proves God right. The heart of man is desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). People don’t seem to care that their actions will hurt many people for generations to come. They only see gold in their pockets.

Pray for government authorities to be diligent to arrest those who seek to pollute the water supply of the area for a quick profit (Romans 13:4).

Pray for the Holy Spirit to convict of sin and righteousness (John 16:8) among the Jambi Malay.

Pray for the Jambi Malay to learn to take an eternal perspective by hearing, receiving, and living the Gospel (Mark 10:30).