(WEE-ghurs) - "But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15 ESV). Pray for the Uighur believers around the world to have wisdom as they share about the hope that they have. Pray that they will be prepared to answer hard questions from their own people such as, "Hasn't the Bible been changed? How could God have a Son?" May they answer these types of questions with gentleness and respect!
centralasianpeoples@protonmail.com(SWAH-zee) - Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is a small, independent African country within South Africa. It has a population of about 1 million people. Approximately 80% of the Swazi people claim to be Christian, but true allegiance is more often to their African traditional religion. Many of the Christian churches have introduced syncretism, or the mixing of Christianity with traditional pagan religion. The Swazis are open to the gospel as long as the approach is culturally sensitive and respectful. Pray that many Swazis will understand who Jesus is, be willing to put aside traditions that conflict with the Christian way of life, and follow Him completely. "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me'" (Luke 9:23 ESV).
http://www.imb.org/sub-saharan-africa/ donna.j.fort@gmail.comIn the countries of southern Africa, there are more than 8,000 kinds of African Initiated Churches. They combine African traditional religion and cultural practices with selected aspects of biblical teaching. Most focus on Old Testament stories and traditions. None of them proclaim a gospel true to the New Testament. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction even when the Bible, as it is read, is used selectively. Pray for missionaries who intentionally build relationships with leaders of these movements, asking that they will "be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it" (Titus 1:9 ESV).
http://www.imb.org/sub-saharan-africa/ donna.j.fort@gmail.com(car-NAH-tuh-kuh) - Please pray for a follow-up meeting with local leaders, some from the Upper Plains, who have a heart for reaching unengaged, unreached people groups. Pray that it will be a time of celebrating, sharpening, refreshing, and gathering data so that these leaders can continue to press hard into the work of seeing every people group in the Upper Plains engaged with the gospel.
May the people of the Southern Baptist Convention "declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods" (Psalms 96:3-4 ESV). "Thank you, Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), for praying for us -- your sent out IMB missionaries. We are thankful for every SBC church who prays for us and gives to the Lottie Moon offering. Whether you're a big or small church, we are reaching the nations together. Thank you from East Taiwan! Because of your financial giving, we can live among the people and tribes of East Taiwan. Let's make His name known together among every tribe and peoples."
eastasiaprayer@pobox.com(mon-GOHL-yun) - The Buriats (Boo-ree-aht) are one of the unreached people groups in Mongolia with a population of about 61,000 and 0.50% evangelical Christians. Praise God that He increased that percentage after a summer outreach to these people that resulted in 280 Buriat people expressing their faith in Christ! Many of these people are nonliterate and cannot read the Bibles they received during that outreach. So last month, a Buriat pastor took audio Bibles to the remote areas so that each household with a new believer received an audio Bible. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to continue revealing truth as these new believers listen to God's Word.
"Things are starting to stir in women's ministries at the new international church plant in Debrecen! A small group of married women have begun meeting on Wednesday evenings for a women's book study on biblical principles of how to be an excellent wife. There's been a lot of really good discussion so far. Pray for the women involved--and their husbands--that marriages will continue to be transformed for the glory of God. Also pray for guidance as things develop further in women's ministries. We want to start having times together for all the women, both married and single, but we face the reality of busy schedules. We ask for wisdom in how best to reach out and meet women's needs while not over-burdening their precious evening hours."
http://www.heartforhungary.com/"Earlier this year, you prayed with us for the Lord's chosen person to fill a healthcare job in a pioneering setting. Praise the Lord, for He is good! An adventuresome nurse has stepped up to fill the role on a team doing community health and health education to reach the lost in a country closed to other gospel witness."
www.imb.org/healthcare healthcare@imb.org(boh-guh-TAH) - "Every tourist spot in Bogota has vendors from indigenous people groups displaying their beaded jewelry on blankets and tables. Pray that these vendors will be open to gospel conversations and be willing to listen Bible stories in their heart language. Pray that our Indigenous Team Bogota will be bold and clear when we talk about God's love and invite them to follow Jesus."
A group of women are meeting regularly to walk through a Bible study in relation to healing from past or present traumatic events. They are being challenged each time to consider the claims of the Bible as truth and apply them to their life. They are encouraged to take their story of hurt to the Savior and experience His comfort as He walks alongside them through the journey of grief. While not all of these women personally know the Savior, they have demonstrated a softening of heart toward Jesus and His Word as a result of this time together. Pray for these women to experience the comfort and hope available to them in Jesus. Ask that the stories will be presented accurately and received as truth. Pray that God's Word "shall not return to [Him] empty, but it shall accomplish that which [He purposes], and shall succeed in the thing for which [He] sent it" (Isaiah 55:11 ESV).