People Group Focus: the Walpiri of Australia

The Walpiri, pronounced wall-pree, are an aboriginal people who primarily live in Katherine, Australia, a town in the Northern Territory.  They have many names among neighboring tribes, including Warlpiri, Walmala and Warumala, and Alpiri.

The culture is rich with traditional folktales, songs, dances, and foods, but the English influence in Australia has caused the culture to become almost lost. More about the Walpiri.

Photos from a Walpiri literacy school (click "Photos" on the navigation bar)

This information is compiled from the following sources:

Tindale's Catalogue of Australian Aboriginal Tribes

Lajamanu CEC Literacy School

More Walpiri information

Prayer Points for the Walpiri

• A Walpiri Bible translation project currently underway. Pray for the translators to quickly finish the Word so the Walpiri can know about Jesus in their heart language.
• Ask God to send workers to the harvest field among the Walpiri, especially workers who understand the social and personal needs of those who live in the Walpiri Camp. (Matt. 9:37-38)
• Ask God to draw the Walpiri to Himself so that they would have a hunger to know Him. (John 6:44)
• Ask God forWalpiri believers as part of Christ's inheritance and your inheritance as a co-heir with Christ. (Psalm 2:8)

Mission Projects

Youth:

College/Seminary:

*Southeast Asia & Oceania

More college/seminary projects

Persecuted Church: Pakistan

PAKISTAN ACQUITS ILLITERATE CHRISTIAN OF BLASPHEMY

ISTANBUL, June 4 (Compass) -- After four and one-half years in prison for alleged blasphemy against Islam, Pakistani Christian Aslam Masih was acquitted today in a 15-minute appeals hearing before the Lahore High Court. In his mid-50s and illiterate, Masih was arrested in November 1998 on charges that he had desecrated the Quran by hanging verses from the Muslim holy book in a charm around a dog's neck. Although the prosecution produced only hearsay evidence against Masih, he was found guilty in May 2002 and sentenced to two life sentences. In overturning Masih's lower court conviction, Justice Najam ur-Zaman took what one observer called "a very aggressive attitude against the prosecution," noting that the prosecution's chief witness had retracted the statement attributed to him by the police. Seven other Christians remain jailed in Pakistan on trumped-up charges of blasphemy.

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Copyright 2003 Compass Direct

Compass Direct Flash News is distributed as available to raise awareness of Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith. Articles may be reprinted by active subscribers only. For subscription information, e-mail: info@compassdirect.org.

Packing Right

If you've been on a student mission trip, we'd like to hear from you. Drop a note to commission@imb.org, listing the five items you feel are most important to carry on a mission trip-and five you wished you'd left at home.

We plan to compile the results for a coming Toolbox in The COMMISSION Magazine and TConline.

TC Online

More online missions info!  TC Online is the IMB's online missions magazine at www..tconline.org. 

Read about x-treme hikers in China in this edition.

Fast Facts

• Southern Baptists gave a record $115 million to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering in 2002.

• Every dollar given to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is used exclusively for missionaries and their ministries.

• Giving still fell $10 million short of the $125 million goal.

• The International Mission Board sent more than 1,000 new missionaries in the last two years, a sharp upturn in growth.

• The IMB will have to restrict missionary appointments for the first time since the depression of the 1930s.

• Of the $9.4 billion Southern Baptist churches received in offerings in 2002, less than 2.5 percent was channeled through the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering to reach 95 percent of the world's population.

• More than 421,000 believers were baptized in 2002, and 8,369 churches were started.

Quotable: Missionary candidates deferred

"About 100 candidates who hoped to begin their missionary careers this year have been deferred to next year or put on hold. That is a tremendous disappointment to them personally, as well as to missionaries on the field who hoped these urgent strategic needs would be filled."

-Lloyd Atkinson, IMB vice president for missionary personnel

More Fast Facts

Bible Study: Fighting for God's Honor

By A., a Christian worker in East Asia

The two boys glare at one another across the locker room. The hair on Ryan's neck started to bristle as his anger built. An upperclassman named Jason had slandered his sister's name and reputation in front of all the guys and now Ryan had to decide whether to do nothing, allowing rumors to destroy her, or to fight for her honor and make Jason take back his words.

Reputation. Honor. The family name. Those matters are very important to young and old alike. They are also important to God. Read more about how God's name and reputation are defamed around the world and what you can do about it.