Ramadan Prayer Challenge!

Ramadan will be celebrated 18 June to 17 July, give or take a few days depending on the interpretation of local religious leaders, and we'd like to invite you to pray for the peoples of Sumatra. Please download the following 31-day prayer guide - http://ge.tt/8xm89AH2. The "web" version is great for viewing on a tablet, Kindle Fire, or lap-top computer. The high resolution version is great for printing out as bulletin inserts for your fellowship or small group.

Feel free to use this guide for a prayer focus in any month that works best for your ministry schedule. THANK YOU for praying! 

Squatty Standards

This photo is of a squatty-potty. It is a fairly standard form of toilet used all over Asia. This particular squatty-potty was photographed at a gas-station in Bengkulu, Indonesia. It is also standard to have to pay 20 cents to use public toilets on Sumatra. What caught the attention of the worker who snapped this photo was the brand name of this particular toilet – American Standard. Squatty-potties are anything but STANDARD in America. That incongruity just felt wrong to the worker!

Workers are often having their American cultural norms challenged and stretched as they interact with the many and varied cultures on Sumatra. Some of these challenges are like this squatty-potty, humorous and ironic. Some cultural challenges, however, bring unexpected surges of emotion and frustration.

Pray for workers on Sumatra who are dealing with culture shock. This can even hit very experienced field veterans.

Pray for volunteers serving on Sumatra as they encounter and work through culture shock.

Pray for the love of Christ to be seen in His children as they bring the Gospel to the lost on Sumatra across broad language and cultural gaps.

Purpose of a Bridge

This Kerinci boy is crossing a bridge that spans the river and links his village to a neighboring village. The purpose of the bridge is not to stand on it or admire it. The purpose of a bridge is to get over it and reach the intended destination.

Cross-cultural workers sometimes get confused about the purpose of a bridge. Within the host culture or religion there are often bridges that can be built in order to share the Gospel. Sometimes workers get caught up in building the bridge. They become fond of the bridge. They spend a lot of time on the bridge. They want to make the bridge stronger and more attractive. While none of this activity is bad in itself, it becomes a problem when the worker forgets the purpose of the bridge and never get around to sharing the Gospel.

A bridge doesn’t have to be fancy or look pretty to achieve its goal, which is to get to the other side!

Pray for workers on Sumatra to use bridges for their intended purpose; to share the Gospel.

Pray for workers to have wisdom to see new bridges without spending too much time on developing the bridges.

Pray for the peoples of Sumatra to cross over these cultural/religious bridges and reach the intended destination of saving faith.

Moo-re Prayer Please!

The Price of Education

These Jambi boys come from all over the province to be educated in a religious based school called a pesantren. From 10-years-of-age upward many children live in dormitories away from home to have the opportunity to get a better quality education. Schools in the rural areas often lack teachers and other resources to equip the children.

It must be incredibly difficult for such young children to be separated from their family in order to go to school. This same challenge is often faced by cross-cultural workers. Many workers send their high-school-aged children off to dormitories in order to study at international schools. These children are 14 or 15 years old before they are separated from their family, but still it is difficult. Some children handle this freedom well, others struggle. Some parents handle the separation well, and others struggle.

Pray for education opportunities on Sumatra to improve, especially in rural areas.

Pray for God to protect children who are being sent off at young ages for educational opportunities.

Pray for the children of workers on Sumatra who are also having to be independent at very young ages.

Pray for parents to have wisdom to stay connected with their children at long-distances.

Pray for worker families who choose to home school through high school to have wisdom and resources to make this option viable to keep the family together without sacrificing the quality of education for the children.

Semendo People Group Profile

“Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15, ESV).

The 230,000 Semendo are found primarily in the Semendo district of Muara Enim in Southern Sumatra, Indonesia. The land they inhabit is fertile and most Semendo work as rice or coffee farmers. The Semendo area supplies rice to much of Southern Sumatra. Robusta coffee is a popular export. They regularly grow 300 tons of coffee a year.

Lands and houses are passed down to the eldest daughter. Many young Semendo men leave the area to seek their fortunes in other places because they have little hope of getting an inheritance from their parents. The Semendo are descended from the Banten people of Java. They migrated from Java several centuries ago, seeking a better life.

The Semendo are very sincere in their devotion to Islam. The area has many mosques (places of worship) along with several pesantrens (religious schools). Semendo children are taught to spread the teachings of Islam wherever they go. There are only a handful of known believers and no indigenous church among the Semendo. There are few believers who live near or among this people group.

Pray that:

God will call, equip and send workers to live among the Semendo.

The Holy Spirit will convict the Semendo of sin and prepare their hearts to receive the righteousness of Christ.

The few Semendo believers will be bold in their witness and holy in their lifestyle.

Several churches will adopt the Semendo for prayer and outreach.

Believers seeking to reach the Semendo will have wisdom and boldness.

The first Semendo church will be started before the end of this year.

God will save a Semendo man who moved out of the area and send him back as an apostle to reach his people.