Photo from Bengkulu Province

Passive No

This Minangkabau man was selling rice and beans at a traditional market. He agreed to have his photo taken, but then closed his eyes. This is an Indonesian way of saying no, without having to say no. Sumatran culture wants to please and will often give the appearance of agreement, when at heart the people here are rejecting what is being offered to them, or being asked of them.

This is no big deal when we’re talking about taking a photograph in the market, but it’s a HUGE deal when we’re talking about the Gospel. Many Sumatrans close their eyes and hearts to the Gospel message because it doesn’t square with their religion, traditions, or culture. The rejection of being photographed doesn’t have any eternal repercussions, but rejecting Jesus and His Gospel is a different matter entirely. It’s a difficult thing to deal with the passive “no” of Sumatrans.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to open eyes and hearts among the peoples of Sumatra to the saving power of the Gospel.

Pray for open eyes among believers on Sumatra so that they will see the lost peoples around them and care enough to pray and to give and to go so that the nations represented on Sumatra will hear the Good News.

Pray for workers to have wisdom to negotiate the passive “no” that they often receive from people here on Sumatra.

Photo from Riau Province

Up a Tree

These Kaur boys climbed a tree to get a safe view of the foreigner who came into their village to take photos. Most Sumatrans are curious to meet a foreigner, but also shy. They don’t want to miss out, but still want to keep a healthy distance. The reaction of these boys reminded the worker of the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19.

There was something about Jesus that drew Zacchaeus to the extreme of climbing a tree for the opportunity of just getting a glimpse. In the same way, the Lord is drawing people to Himself and He causes an attraction between His messengers and the people in unreached areas of Sumatra. The attraction is stronger than just the excitement of seeing a foreigner.

Jesus reminded His followers that the Father is always at work (John 5:17) drawing people to Himself (John 6:44). There are people like Zacchaeus all over Sumatra. God is drawing them to Himself, and believers just need spiritual eyes to see where God is working and courage to engage these people with the Gospel.

Pray for the Spirit to draw people all over Sumatra to meet people who know the Good News and are willing to share it.

Pray for workers to have discernment and sensitivity to recognize the people like Zacchaeus around them.

Pray that believers will have confidence that God is at work and courage to daily join in that work.

Ranau People Group Profile

“For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9b, ESV).

The heartland of the Ranau people is the lush forest area surrounding the lake with the same name in southern Sumatra. There are only 17,000 Ranau. Most of them make their living by tourism-related industries or as farmers. The lake has a famous hot spring, and many people come to visit. Oddly enough, about once a year sulfur emissions from the center of the lake kill many fish. 

Most Ranau villages are mixed with Javanese, Daya, Komering, and some Chinese. Ranau men often own ceremonial knives called keris. It’s not unusual for occult belief of magical powers to be attributed to these knives.

The Ranau are Muslim by tradition, but they often have stronger beliefs in ancestral places and magical items such as charms or keris. There are a few known believers among this people group and no indigenous fellowships. There are no groups currently focused on sharing the Gospel with the Ranau.

Pray that:

God will call, equip, and send many workers to the Ranau.

God will guide many Ranau to the knowledge of God.

Believers will use tourism as an opportunity to send short-term teams to share the Gospel with the Ranau.

Strongholds of occultism will be broken by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ranau believers will be trained to effectively share the Gospel with family and friends.

New believers will be gathered into Ranau fellowships that will rapidly multiply.

Workers will have wisdom and perseverance in reaching the Ranau with the Gospel.

Weaving Lives Together

These Semendo women are weaving bags by hand. They said it normally takes about two to three hours to complete one bag. These bags normally sell for 3 to 4 dollars each, which means that these ladies will likely make a little less than a dollar an hour, as there is often a middle man who sells the bag to the end user. These sellers will take at least half the profit.

The process of making the bag is very social and fun. The women sit and joke and talk as they work on the bags. This is a side source of income. These women also spend time every day out in the fields preparing for and tending the coming harvest. One of the main values people from an agrarian culture have is a sense of community and doing things together. Half the fun of life is the togetherness of everything.

As the women weave bags, they are also weaving their lives together. Because of this interconnected life, these women cannot imagine leaving the religious norms of their community. To them, that would be the same as ripping apart the fabric and identity of their entire lives.

Pray for workers as they seek to weave the Gospel into conversations with the Semendo and other people groups like them on Sumatra.

Pray for groups of people (family and friends) to come to faith at the same time in unreached areas in Sumatra.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to give courage for Semendo to risk rejection by family and community in order to find acceptance from God through the Gospel.

Muko-Muko People Group Profile

“In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 17:7, ESV).

The Muko-Muko live in the northern part of Bengkulu Province. Their area is adjacent to West Sumatra, the territory of the Minangkabau. The 50,000 Muko-Muko are related by the language and culture to the Minangkabau. Like the Minangkabau, the Muko-Muko are matrilineal, meaning land and inheritance is passed from mother to daughter. They live among many rivers, the largest of which is the Muko-Muko River.

Most of the Muko-Muko work as farmers or fishermen. They often have communal farms of rubber, cloves, and coconut oil. Their community is governed by a village chief called a pasirah. His job is to maintain harmony and stability according to cultural norms.

The Muko-Muko are predominately Muslim. They are also heavily influenced by occult beliefs in magic to appease and control evil spirits. They especially fear the spirits of mothers who die during childbirth. Muko-Muko venerate large trees, stones, river sources, and ancestral tombs. There are no known believers from among this group. There are very few believers living near the Muko-Muko. This is one of the most isolated people groups on Sumatra.

Pray that:

The Muko-Muko will look to their Maker with eyes of faith.

Believers with agricultural know-how will come and help the Muko-Muko with their communal farms and share the Gospel with them.

The few believers in the area will be burdened by the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel broadly with the Muko-Muko.

The Holy Spirit will bring deep conviction of sin and of righteousness among the Muko-Muko to prepare them to hear and receive the Gospel.

Muko-Muko will soon come to faith, be effectively grouped together, and taught to be obedient followers of Jesus Christ.

Workers will be called, trained, and sent out to serve the Muko-Muko.

Demonstrations of the Spirit’s power will break the strongholds of occultism among the Muko-Muko.

Flyin' Prayer

This is something you don’t see in America, but it’s common in Indonesia. Lion Air is one of the major airlines in Indonesia. They have provided a brochure with suggested ways to pray for your flight’s safety. There are specific prayers for those who are Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, or Buddhist in both English and Indonesian. For anyone who has had the pleasure of flying in Indonesia, prayer is not a bad idea!

Indonesia is far more public about religion than the United States. It is very common to talk about religion and people are not offended if you ask about their religion. The problem is that religion alone does not deal with the problem of sin, nor does it give power to do what is right. Many Indonesians know the right answers that religion teaches, but it has no impact or bearing on how they live their day-to-day lives.

What people in Indonesia, and for that matter in the United States, need is a personal encounter with Almighty, Holy God. While surface religion has no impact on how life is lived, an encounter with Jesus changes everything. All mankind needs this type of life-transforming faith. Flyin’ prayers just won’t do.

Pray for religious people on Sumatra to meet Jesus and experience life-transformation.

Pray for those who already know Jesus to be faithful to obey His commands.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts and minds in Sumatra to hear and receive the Gospel.