Flowers for the Dead

These flower pedals were being sold in a market in Padang, Sumatra. They are used for funeral ceremonies. It is still common and traditional for the family to prepare the body for burial. In a Muslim funeral the body is supposed to be buried within one day of the death. There are many traditions as to how the body is to be prepared.

Many of these traditions stem from animistic beliefs about how to keep the spirit of the dead person from haunting the family. There are still much fear of spirits bound up in the beliefs and practices of the people groups on Sumatra. These practices are still very common among people who claim to be followers of Christ.

Pray for workers to have wisdom as they help new believers from Sumatra’s unreached peoples to let go of their animistic traditions.

Pray for believers on Sumatra in traditional churches to stop following their animistic traditions.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to cause the peoples on Sumatra to consider the shortness of life and the need to have a restored relationship with God.