Leading the Sheep

It is not unusual for shepherds on Sumatra to guide their flocks with bicycles or motorcycles. This Tamiang man is leading his sheep astride his bike. The job of a shepherd is important as live stock is often the target of thieves, and on occasions of wild animals such as the rare Sumatran Tiger that is still occasionally seen in Aceh Province. The job of the shepherd is to value and protect the sheep.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. When he saw the masses of people He was grieved. He saw them as harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34). It is hard to be among the unreached peoples of Sumatra without understanding what the Lord felt. They are often harassed and helpless under the weight of sin and works based faith that never gives relief from shame and guilt.

Pray for faithful under-shepherds who will lead the lost sheep of Sumatra to the Good Shepherd.

Pray for courage to protect the sheep from the thieves and wild animals that seek to devour them.

Pray for believers on Sumatra to feel the same burden that Jesus had for the harassed and helpless.

Pray for rain on Sumatra. Many areas are in serious need of rain to avoid crop losses.

Photo from Duano

Not so Scary

These are Lampung Abung girls playing in their village. Many believers in Lampung are afraid to share the Gospel with their Lampungese neighbors because they fear a violent reaction. Certainly there are extremist living in Lampung, but the truth of the matter is most Lampungese are like these girls – not so scary. If believers would trust and obey God, they would find that more times than not they will be received with kindness, not with violence.

Satan is behind this fearful thinking that keeps believers silent when they alone can share the story that can show people the way to be free of the huge sin debt that they owe to Holy God. Only through the Gospel will the Lampungese people find their way to be restored to God and find the doors of heaven opened to them. It is a terrible thing to remain silent when so much is at stake.

Pray for believers in Lampung to overcome their fears of sharing the Gospel with the Lampungese.

Pray for workers to be faithful to mentor believers so that they can experience sharing with the Lampungese.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of the Lampungese to hear and respond with faith to the Gospel message.

Sins of Others

This Penghulu man in the black jacket was teased without mercy. The topic of sin came up, and everyone pointed to him as the worst sinner because he had recently divorced his wife. The heart of man is the same the world over. It is much easier to point out sin in others than to recognize it and deal with in in our own lives. The “bad” sins are the ones that we don’t struggle with ourselves.

In the book of Isaiah we see the prophet telling of the wickedness of the nation, but in chapter 6 Isaiah comes face-to-face with the Holiness of God. The “woe” to them became “woe” is me. Isaiah realized his own sin, and it was then and then only that God could deal with him, restore him, and use Him to reach others. The same is true in our lives.

The peoples of Sumatra and the workers trying to reach them desperately need to encounter Holy God in a profound way that will cause a turning from the sins of others to deal with personal sins. It is this God-given conviction of sin that causes the Gospel to be Good News.

Pray for workers on Sumatra to encounter God and deal with personal sin.

Pray for believers on Sumatra to encounter God and deal with personal sin.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to lay bare the hearts of people to see their own sin and not rationalize their behavior by pointing to others that they think of as being “worse” sinners.

Pray for the Gospel to be boldly and fully proclaimed to Holy Spirit prepared people on Sumatra.

Pray for men, like the man in this picture, to realize that the sacrifice of Jesus is more than enough to make him clean. There are no sins too big to be beyond the reach of grace expressed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Midwife

This Javanese woman has worked as a midwife or bidan in her community for the past 13 years. She mentioned that one of the challenges of her job is working with the shaman or dukun in the area. Many people still prefer to use these occult healers rather than using the midwife. Most dukun come equipped with a pair of scissors and that is it. If there are any complications for the baby or mother, the dukun are not able to help much.

The bidan in the community are trying to befriend the dukun and help teach them how they can better help in emergency situations during delivery. The process is slow, but for the sake of the women in the community the bidan are committed to continue befriending and training the dukun.

This is a beautiful picture of what believers ought to be doing. We need to befriend those of other beliefs and patiently teach them of a better way to be born again!

Pray for the health and safety of women giving birth in the area where this bidan works.

Pray for the dukun to be willing to be taught by the bidan.

Pray for believers to be willing to undertake the long and often frustrating process of befriending those who have different beliefs in the hopes of helping them to find new life in Christ.

Pray for God to prepare the hearts of people among the UPGs of Sumatra to hear and receive the Gospel.

Deli Malay People Group Profile

“And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch’” (Luke 5:4, ESV).

The 2 million plus Deli Malay live along the Eastern coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. They live on the banks of rivers and near the ocean in marshy areas that often flood. Because of this, most Deli houses are raised off the ground on stilts. The Deli typically work as fishermen or traditional farmers. Because of poor sanitation, the Deli often suffer from skin ailments and mosquito borne illnesses. Many Deli also suffer from cataracts caused by the glare of the sun off the water.

The Deli believe that men and women have equal status in the family. According to the Deli this agrees with teachings of Islam. Hence both sons and daughters are able to receive a share of the inheritance from their parents.

 

The majority of Deli Malay follow Sufi Islam. It’s often said that once you become Malay, you become Muslim. Despite their strong identification with their religion, the Deli also hold equally strong animistic beliefs about spirits. They have many traditional ceremonies that focus on seeking protection from spirits through magic by either appeasing or controlling these spirits.

Pray that:

God will turn the Deli Malay people into fishers of men.

God will break up the hard ground of Deli Malay hearts so that they can receive Gospel seeds in good, fertile soil.

The Holy Spirit will break the demonic stronghold of spirit worship among the Deli Malay.

Believers living among the Deli Malay will become burdened to pray for and bold to share the Gospel with their Deli Malay neighbors.

New Deli Malay believers will be bold to witness, obedient to God’s Word, and courageous in the face of persecution and opposition.

The first indigenous Deli Malay church will be formed this year.

God will receive the glory He is due from the Deli Malay.

Photo from Muko Muko

Recycling

This pile of cans was in the back of a roadside restaurant. The normal method of recycling on Sumatra is to have women picking through the garbage in front of your house and throwing your garbage all over the front yard. While you don’t want to discourage the women from making money for their families, it is often frustrating to have to pick up and re-bag your garbage. Perhaps that is the reason that many people on Sumatra burn their garbage, but that brings up an entirely different frustration!

I wonder if the Lord feels that way with His children. He gathers up the garbage in our lives, cleans us up, and forgives us. The next thing He knows we are back in the garbage bag pulling out stuff and making a mess. It is a good thing that God is far more patient with us than we are with the people around us.

Pray for workers to have love and patience for the lost and messy peoples of Sumatra.

Pray for workers to have humble hearts willing to endure much for the opportunity to share the Gospel.

Pray for the peoples of Sumatra to encounter the love of God that gathers up the garbage of their lives, cleans them, and forgives them so that they can become members of His family.