April 4 : Washing in the Ganges. Of the 1.5 billion people represented in the South Asian affinity group, 969 million South Asians – including 80 percent of India’s population – still worship Hindu idols made by human hands. Pray that as millions of Hindus attempt to wash away their sins in the Ganges River, they will encounter Jesus, who died in their place and rose again so that they might have life everlasting. Pray that Christians will have opportunities to meet with many of these Hindu worshippers this month and clearly share the Gospel with them. May those who are searching so desperately for forgiveness find the cleansing that only Jesus can give! http://www.go2southasia.org/all-features/kumbh-mela-pilgrims/

April 5 : Youth of Asia. The Asia Evangelical Alliance (AEA) Youth Commission has set up a “prayer network” website composed of 30 Asian countries. Their goal is to impart a vision to the churches in Asia to reach the youth of their nations (representing 60% of the Asian population) to promote prayer and partnerships for youth ministries in Asia and increase the effectiveness and sustained impact of the Gospel. Dr. H states, “Prayer is the channel to receive the power and grace of God needed for Asia evangelization, and prayer is also the door to open up missions.” Pray that the youth of Asia will come to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord, their Master, Redeemer and solid Rock. Pray that they will grow to be strong Christian leaders who impact their nations for Jesus. http://ycprayer.asiaevangelicals.org

April 6 : Persecuted for Jesus’ Sake. In March, you prayed for H. A village judiciary council had summoned him to a meeting to answer a charge of blasphemy against Islam. H, a former Bihari Muslim, was afraid to go to the meeting and ignored the summons, but Muslims came to his home and took him by force. Two other Bihari believers, also formerly Muslim, were there when H arrived. The council asked the three men why they had rejected the Muslim faith and why they were trying to deceive other Muslims. Parents and other relatives of the men testified against them. The council photographed the three men, with plans to make signs to announce that the men are prohibited from sharing the Gospel. Then those present beat the three men with a hockey stick. “Every person who was in the meeting slapped them until they lost consciousness,” said a believing brother who talked with H after the meeting. Someone then drove the men back to their homes and left them there. Please pray for these three men. Ask the Lord to heal their wounds and give them strength so they may continue to testify for Him. Pray also for the salvation of their persecutors. BihariBride@pobox.com

April 7 : Team in Transition. Pray for the LEAD team as it continues its task of equipping and developing pastors and primary church leaders in South Asia through onsite, interactive teaching. The team will continue to relate to the entire South Asian peoples affinity group and will seek to model leadership training practices that can be adopted affinity-wide. Team members will be available to do more mentoring, develop closer relationships, and work with smaller groups. LEAD will continue to do week-long Institutes but also will be available for a wider variety of training situations, including more frequent training sessions of one to one-and-a-half days. Currently five hubs have been developed to reach the affinity group, although they do not have a LEAD team couple in each hub yet. http://www.go2southasia.org/

April 8 : Shopping and Sharing. A cross-cultural worker new to South Asia writes: “As I was shopping at one of the local food markets, I was practicing my new language with one of the attendants, K. As I took out my Bible that has both English and the local language to find a word I wanted to communicate, K gasped and said, ‘I know this book!’ He took it from my hands and started reading. Another Muslim attendant, Y, started reading over K’s shoulder. When K got to the Book of Acts, he asked, ‘Who is this Jesus?’ Since he knew some English, I was able to give him the full Gospel message. K was excited to know that freedom comes from Christ, but he was fearful because his family is Muslim. He said he still wants to know Jesus.” K is now reading the Gospel of John to get to know Jesus. Please pray for the salvation of K, Y and their families. http://www.go2southasia.org/

April 9 : Disaster Response. Bangladesh has had more than its share of natural disasters. Cyclones have wreaked havoc, and flooding seems to be a seasonal plague for Bangladeshis. An international Christian who focuses on the needs of Bihari Muslims recently attended a rescue and disaster response training in Europe. He had longed to have this training for quite some time. Give thanks that the Lord provided in this way. Please pray that this Christian will be able to use his training to minister to Biharis and other Bangladeshis in times of need. Pray also that God will bring Bihari and Bangladeshi Christians to this man whom he can train informally in rescue and disaster response. God often uses natural disasters to draw the lost to Him. Please never neglect lifting up the millions of lost souls in Bangladesh before the Lord. Thank you for your prayers. BihariBride@pobox.com

April 10 : Casting Vision. “Last month there were opportunities to meet with national pastors and leaders and share the need to reach Muslims throughout the state. We still do not know how God will use what was shared. Please continue to pray for those who heard about this need. Also pray that those who sense God’s leadership will become involved; ask that they will obey and that, if possible, healthy partnerships will develop that will facilitate the Gospel spreading to Muslim communities all over the state. God also provided a connection with laborers from another country who have come to learn the language and prepare to minister. Some do not know where the Father is leading them. This month, we hope to ‘cast a vision’ and introduce them to simple evangelistic tools to help them communicate with Muslims. Please pray for this meeting, and ask that some might be called to join us in this task. It seems that the persecution of the church-planting network with which we partner has subsided. We have prayed about this situation, and the nationals feel that less frequent contact with internationals might help. We also feel that bi-vocational church planters might be more welcomed into the community. Please pray for those who have been trained, who will now have to practice what they have learned and teach it to others with very little accountability and further training. Ask God to provide for their needs. Continue to pray for other church-planting networks that desire to reach Muslims.” http://www.go2southasia.org/

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=32431

Posted on Mar 5, 2010 | by Mark Kelly

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BP)—Paul Chitwood knelt with six other believers in an overseas province where all of the nearly 100 million inhabitants know little or nothing about salvation through Jesus Christ. They prayed God would send Southern Baptist workers to tell the people there about the Good News.

“Yet I flew back to America knowing how unlikely it would be that God would send an IMB missionary there because we are in the process of reducing our mission force by several hundred people,” Chitwood told trustees of the International Mission Board (IMB) during their March 3 business session in Memphis, Tenn.

His voice filled with emotion, Chitwood, chairman of the board of trustees and pastor of First Baptist Church in Mt. Washington, Ky., challenged his fellow board members to be passionate advocates for the Great Commission cause of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

“To most of the world, how to know God is still a mystery. But we know the mystery has been solved,” Chitwood told the trustees, who were about to appoint 61 new missionaries in a service at nearby Bellevue Baptist Church. “Some have heard and not yet believed, but over a billion have not yet heard. Our labors and our struggles are so that all may hear. Thank God for those who are willing to go and share their lives among the nations that all may hear.

“God has given us a small piece of the greatest endeavor He has undertaken,” Chitwood added. “Let us be found faithful, doing our part.”

Chitwood’s impassioned plea closed out a two-day meeting in which trustees also heard an update on Southern Baptist relief efforts in Haiti and Chile, received an “over and above” check from a group of Texas Baptist churches and recognized the leadership of Lloyd Atkinson, who served in South America in the 1970s before having various leadership roles in the IMB’s personnel office.

‘AN INSPIRATION AND A BLESSING’

Atkinson, a senior consultant who served as the IMB’s vice president for mission personnel from 1999-2009, retires March 31.

“Lloyd and his staff have led in an era of growth beyond what anyone would have dared imagine a few years ago,” IMB President Jerry Rankin said. “Lloyd has demonstrated not only superb leadership skills as a team builder but also conscientious commitment to the values and policies of this board.” Speaking directly to Atkinson and his wife, Sue, Rankin added: “It has been a wonderful journey. You have been an inspiration and a blessing.”

“I am so optimistic about the future. God’s hand, I believe, is on this board,” Atkinson told the group. “God called all of us a long time ago to carry out the Great Commission and that Great Commission is still in our hearts. I’m looking forward to the days ahead even being greater than they are now.”

OVER AND ABOVE

Rob and Jenny Patterson, newly appointed missionaries among American peoples, share their testimony during an International Mission Board appointment service March 3 at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn. (

The trustee board also received an “over and above” check from Bryon McWilliams, pastor of First Baptist Church in Odessa, Texas, and president of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. That state convention sends 55 percent of its Cooperative Program missions receipts to national and international missions causes — a percentage well above that of most state Baptist conventions. It also was the SBTC that presented an “over and above” check for $100,000 to the IMB during the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting in Louisville, Ky., in June 2009.

“I am thrilled to be part of a state convention that is so missionally minded,” McWilliams told the trustees. “Today it is my pleasure to represent the more than 2,000 Southern Baptist of Texas Convention churches and give another check for $100,000 … to the IMB.”

HAITI AND CHILE

Terry Lassiter, IMB strategist for the American peoples, reported on the entity’s relief efforts following major earthquakes in both Haiti and Chile. In Haiti, joint relief efforts with Baptist Global Response, Haitian Baptists, Florida Baptists and the North American Mission Board are focusing on food, shelter and medical needs, especially in areas being missed by the larger international relief effort, Lassiter said. A total of $1.8 million has been donated to the IMB for Haiti relief and $475,000 of that already has been targeted for specific projects.

In Chile, Southern Baptist missionaries in the country deployed only minutes after the Feb. 27 earthquake to begin assessing needs and ministering to survivors, Lassiter reported. Two missionary assessment teams are converging on Concepcion, the city most affected by the quake, to bring badly needed food, water and medicine. An initial release of $50,000 has been approved to launch that effort, which will be conducted in partnership with Chilean Baptist churches and Baptist Global Response.

MEGACITY MISSIONS

A project in a major North American city is helping Southern Baptist missionaries better understand how to evangelize the megacities in which they will be serving overseas, said Gordon Fort, the IMB’s vice president of global strategy.

The purpose of the project is to help new missionaries, many of whom grew up in relatively small communities, understand how to share the Gospel in the post-modern environment of an ethnically diverse megacity, Fort said.

Erin and Jeff Gautney, newly appointed missionaries among American peoples, join a prayer of dedication. They were part of an appointment service March 3 at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn., for 61 new International Mission Board missionaries.

The program, which completed its second four-month cycle in January, challenged its 13 participants to learn how to live in an apartment-dwelling, mass transportation environment and required them to engage the people they encountered with the Gospel, Fort said. Over the four months, 41 percent of the people engaged indicated they were not interested, yet three salvations were recorded, five home or Bible study groups were started and one church was planted.

It was exciting that “in a city like this — post-modern, with its ethnic diversity, many people as hardened to the Gospel as any place in the world — your missionaries in those four months found responsiveness that we will continue to build on … ,” Fort said. “These excited, enthusiastic new missionaries were coming in, struggling with the city, trying to learn how to live in a city, adjusting themselves to the city, but coming to love the city.”

‘WHAT AFFECTS OUR MORALE’

Dramatic changes in IMB structure have occurred in recent months and people ask board leaders how the reorganization has affected morale among the missionaries, said a key leader for missions work among Central Asian peoples.

“By and large, the average worker on the frontlines is hardly aware that anything has happened. They are simply continuing to do what God called them to do,” said the leader, whose name is being withheld for security reasons. “Reorganization is not what affects the morale of our leadership team and keeps us awake at night. What affects us is lostness.

“We have overwhelming lostness facing us and we are being told we are going to have to address that lostness with fewer workers. That’s what keeps me awake at night,” the leader said. “What keeps me awake at night is getting calls from churches … that have qualified people in the pipeline [to become missionaries] … and having to tell them, ‘Slow down. We can’t take you this year. Maybe we can’t take you next year. We don’t know.’”

Deciding how to allocate scarce missionary resources among vast numbers of lost people is extremely difficult, the mission leader said.

“I’ve got somebody ready to go to that place, but I’m going to have to say no because we don’t have the money to send them,” he said. “How do we prioritize? It’s like asking which of your children you are going to save. … That’s what breaks my heart.”

In other business, trustees:

– Adopted a resolution of appreciation for Robert E. Brown, a Masters missionary to sub-Saharan African peoples since 2004, who died of a heart attack Jan. 7 while on family leave in the United States.

– Heard a request from the chairman of the board’s presidential search committee that Southern Baptists set aside March 13 as a day of prayer and fasting to ask God to direct their path.

– Listened to the first reading of a temporary bylaws change that would save money by eliminating the January and July 2011 trustee meetings. Trustees will vote on the proposal during their May meeting in Chicago.

– Received a report about a medical missions mobilization summit set for July 8-10 at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga.

– The next meeting of the trustees will be held May 4-5 in Chicago. Two appointment services will be held in conjunction with this board meeting. The first appointment service will be May 5 at Broadview Baptist Church, Chicago. The second appointment service will be held May 6 at First Baptist Church, Jackson, Miss.

–30–

Mark Kelly wrote this story on behalf of the IMB.

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=32430

Posted on Mar 5, 2010 | by Alan James

Jerry Rankin, International Mission Board president, gives the main address during a missionary appointment service March 3 at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn.

CORDOVA, Tenn. (BP)–As “Jennifer” held the hand of a dying man in the intensive care unit of a hospital, she knew God was calling her to a career in missions.

A nurse for the past five years, Jennifer had already felt God’s call to missions. As she watched that particular encounter with eternity, she realized that people are dying every day without a relationship with Jesus Christ. She is unable to share her real name because soon she will be traveling with her family to an area resistant to the Gospel.

“I knew it was now time to tell an unreached people about the Great Physician,” Jennifer told a crowd during an International Mission Board (IMB) missionary appointment service March 3 at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, Tenn.

Jennifer and her husband were among 61 missionaries appointed that evening. The total number of IMB missionaries now stands at 5,413. And many like Jennifer and her husband are working in areas that are resistant to the Gospel.

“It’s our job to go to the world,” said Steve Gaines, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church.

“It’s not our job to tell the world to come to us.

“One day we’re going to make it to heaven and … we’re going to see people of every nationality, every tongue, every skin color, every kind of person you can imagine … so many different kinds of people and yet all people created in the image of God,” he said.

One new appointee shared how her work with international students while attending college confirmed her heart for the nations — especially those in South Asia.

“They heard about Jesus for the first time,” said the woman. “I became burdened for all nations to know Him.”

Another shared how her trip to the gym in a Muslim country confirmed her call to career missions.

“While exercising, a woman approached me,” she said. “She whispered that she’d seen me in a dream, and God told her I could explain how to be saved. When she accepted Christ, God confirmed His call on my life to be a light.”

Many others around the world, like that Muslim woman in the gym, are discovering that God speaks their language, said Gordon Fort, IMB’s vice president of overseas operations.

Fort, who served 11 years in Botswana with his wife and children, told how some of the villagers reacted when they saw the “JESUS” film translated into the language of Setswana.

“Those people were startled and astounded that Jesus spoke their language,” he said.

“As people around the world discover that Jesus Christ died on the cross for every language, every people, every tribe, every nation, they are being transformed.”

Fort told about a Muslim-background believer in Bangladesh who was tortured by a group of Muslims and told to recant his faith or they’d cut off all his fingers.

The man replied, “You can cut my body into a thousand pieces, and every piece will cry out the name of Jesus.”

Fort asked, “Why would a man do this?

“Jesus spoke their language,” he added. “[God] knew their heart and their longing for spiritual truth, and they were putting their faith in Jesus Christ.”

During the past three years, IMB missionaries and their Baptist partners have baptized an average of 500,000 people a year, Fort said.

Jerry Rankin, IMB president, challenged those in the crowd to join God’s work overseas.

“The call to missions is not just for an elite few such as these sent by the International Mission Board,” Rankin said.

Too many people are not going to the mission field because they claim God has not called them, Rankin said. But the Great Commission was given to every church and every believer, he added.

“Many times we have a stereotypical idea of what a missionary is — a pastor, church staff or seminary graduate,” he said. “Did you hear those testimonies tonight? … A businessman, doctor, teacher or coach.”

“How grateful we are that we’re able to send out these 61 new missionaries,” he added. “But how many more will it take? How many more until the whole world knows Jesus?”

–30–

Alan James is a writer for the International Mission Board, online at www.imb.org.

By Elizabeth Benthall*

DELHI, India–The morning of the wedding, 20 to 30 religious leaders and men from the community gathered to sing, preach and pray for Allah to bless the wedding.

As they were singing in Arabic, I realized they kept singing the same tune over and over, but I couldn’t understand the words. When I asked the family of the bride what they were singing, they said, “None of us know. Only a few of those men singing know the meaning of the song.”

After they were finished singing, one of the uncles invited me to sit with the main imam (Muslim religious leader) of the group, a really adorable old man. He wore a white tunic, white Muslim prayer cap, and had a large, though thinned by age, white beard. A red and white checkered scarf he had wrapped around his neck offset it all. His tender smile only emphasized how adorable he was.

He began to tell me the story of the song they had just sung — the birth of Muhammad and all of the supposed miraculous events that happened in his life. From there, the old man began to explain to me how they want to know the stories of Allah, but they don’t understand the Quran because it’s in Arabic.

“I believe this story comes from the Hadith, correct?” I asked.

“Yes, it does. How do you know?” he replied.

“Well, I myself have studied the Quran, as well as the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), the Zabur (Psalms) and the Injil (the New Testament). (Muslims believe these three books are holy as well). As it’s written in the Quran, we must know the before books in order to really understand what comes next. I love to know the stories, and so I myself have studied all the books. Would you like to hear a story from the before books?”

Caught off guard, he paused before he replied. “Yes, of course, you may tell a story.”

I then told the story of Jesus walking on water from Matthew 14. As I did, more and more of the older men gathered around me, intrigued by the story I was sharing in their own language.

At the end, quite a crowd had gathered. I asked the main old man, “What do you like about this story?” He was excited to teach everyone what he had learned and understood from the Word of God about the power of Jesus.

From there, I continued with more questions, “What makes you sad about this story? What do you learn about God? About Jesus? About mankind?” After he answered all of them one by one, I finally finished with, “To whom will you tell this story?”

“I’ll tell it to all the people in my religious study group at the mosque!” he proclaimed.

“Well, because this is a true story from the Word of God, we must make sure to tell it correctly, for we don’t want to change God’s Word, so can you tell it to me again now so I can help make sure you remember it correctly?” And then he did. He told the whole story back to me and the group around us.

The men were amazed at how I knew such things and began talking of other prophets such as David.

“Oh, I know one about him, too. Do you wanna hear?” I asked.

So I shared the story of Samuel anointing David as king from 2 Samuel and how God looks at man’s heart, not the outside. They loved it!

As I prepared to go that day, I left a CD of stories for the old man to listen to and share with his mosque members.

Pray that God will give him a way to listen to them and an excitement to share them with others. Pray that they could become disciples of Jesus and that many would come to know Him from His Word.

–30–

*Name changed.

Elizabeth Benthall, 26, recently completed two years of service in India as a Journeyman focused on the benefits of oral storytelling. From Missouri, she currently is ministering through Bible storying in Oklahoma.

March 28 : Changed Lives. In one prominent rural area of the Deccan, a young Muslim woman was married a few years ago. She went to live with F, her husband, and his parents. F was a bit older than her and, unfortunately, a drunkard. He abused her often in a drunken rage, but she was counseled to remain with him. Late last year, F came to know Jesus as Lord, the Son of God. His life was changed. He quit drinking and began treating his wife with respect. Now the woman’s parents have counseled her to leave F because of the shame and sin of leaving Islam. Her response was this: “You didn’t tell me to leave him when he was drinking and beating me. Now he has quit doing those things and treats me lovingly and you want me to leave him?! He is very good to me. I will not leave him!” The Lord Jesus is changing lives. Please pray for F to grow in his new faith, and pray for the salvation of his wife and extended family. It is not simply a behavior change that is needed, but transformed lives – from the inside out, by the blood of Christ.

March 29 : Speaking Clearly. “Therefore, if I do not know the language meaning, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks. And he who speaks shall be a foreigner to me” (1 Corinthians 14:11). “We asked the men why the visiting foreigners had not told them more about Isa. They answered that it was because they could not speak our language.” Please pray for the newly formed team based in a large, major city as six of its eight adult members are engaged in language study either with tutors or language helpers. Urdu is a difficult language to speak, read and write. It is easy to become discouraged or mentally fatigued with the processes of language acquisition. It can be very frustrating to want to speak but be lost for words to express yourself. Urdu must be mastered if the team members are to live and work in that city and country, develop significant relationships, and be effective in communicating the Gospel message. Pray for encouragement and perseverance for the learners. Ask the Spirit to quicken their minds to hear, understand, learn and apply. Pray over them the words that the Lord spoke to Moses, “I will help you speak and will teach you what to say” (Exodus 4:12).

March 30 : Worried and Confused. Nine people of South Asian origin recently heard the Gospel in Canada. One of those people is R, a young woman who has been meeting with two Baptist workers and learning about Jesus. On the day she asked about the meaning of Christian baptism, her brother stopped by, met the Baptist workers, and then left. Later he called his sister, speaking harshly to her for meeting with “proselytizers.” He threatened the anger of the entire family if she continued to do so. R is worried and confused because she already has had some conflicts with the family and doesn’t want total estrangement. Please pray that our Father will intervene on her behalf, showing Himself strong. Also ask the Holy Spirit to open R’s eyes to the importance of choosing Jesus above her family.

March 31 : Houses of Peace. Pray for the Jat believers who are learning how to share the Good News of Jesus and disciple new believers. Pray that they will faithfully seek “houses of peace” (Luke 10:6), share the Gospel message, and disciple new believers. Petition for strong discipleship “chains” that will continue the process in each new believer. Pray for new house churches to start as a result.

April 1 : Living a Different Life. “If you have ever spoken to a person who serves the King of Kings overseas, you may have heard the phrase, ‘Life overseas is different.’ Immediately thoughts come to mind of jungles and wild animals. Of course, we know that not every worker serves in the jungles of South America or Africa, but there is still a sense of mystery about their daily lives. To me, the phrase ‘life overseas is different’ means that I find it very difficult to leave my house and share the Gospel like I ought to. I notice the negative influence of Satan in the world. I cry for the people who are lost and get depressed when I do not pray for them hard enough. I feel the pressure of bringing people to faith – even though I know that is God’s job, not mine. And finally, living overseas is different because it is the exact spot God has reserved for me to live. Please pray for your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who live a ‘different’ life.”

April 2 : Families Need Jesus. Sindhi families are as varied as American families. Some women go out completely covered; others just cover their heads. Some families pray five times a day; others pray only occasionally. Some families nightly sit in air conditioning, watching TV; others sit outside, visiting friends. We trust in God’s promise that, “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you” (Psalm 22:27, ESV). Pray that entire families will seek after the one true God and that God will reveal His true self to Sindhi fathers, mothers and children. Pray that God will instill a desire in families to read the Bible. Pray that the stories of Jesus will be told when families are together and that Sindhi families will marvel at the glory of Jesus, who is the Son of God.

April 3 :  Easter Opportunities. Bihari Muslim families are hearing the Gospel! In December, 196 Bihari Muslim children and their mothers attended a Christmas program during which they watched a drama and viewed the “JESUS” film. As Easter approaches, please pray that these Bihari families will gain an even greater understanding of the salvation that Jesus, the risen Savior, offers them. Pray also that the heads of their households will trust in Jesus and invite Him to be Lord of their lives and Master in their homes.

March 21 : Salons for Jesus. Earlier this year, a group of women from the northwest conducted “TLC Salons” in area villages. Initially they had planned to wash and condition the hair of the women in the villages. However, the weather was too cold, so instead, they gave hand massages with lotion and painted the women’s fingernails. Over a period of seven days, they visited 10 villages and physically touched 700-plus village women and children. In addition to the physical acts of kindness, they also shared their testimonies, sang songs and allowed God to use them. Give thanks to the Lord for their success!

March 22 : Rami Navami Celebrated. Hindus across South Asia will celebrate Rama Navami in commemoration of the birth of Lord Rama on Wednesday, March 24. They believe that Rama was an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, and the hero of “Ramayana,” an epic story of 24,000 stanzas. This book is read continuously for several days preceding the holiday. Houses are thoroughly cleaned and decorated, and families place offerings of fruit and flowers on the family shrine. The youngest female in the home applies a red “tilak” (dot of powder) on the foreheads of her family, and then everyone offers “puja” (prayers) of worship. An image or picture of Rama as a baby is placed in a cradle as part of the rituals. Rama was considered an ideal human being, portraying a good son, a doting husband, a mighty king, wonderful brother and great father. Pray for Hindus celebrating Rama Navami to have the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Pray that they will be able to recognize Him as the Son of God, our Almighty King, and our perfect sacrificial Savior. Pray that families will be gathered together to read the Bible and receive its truth, leading them to worship the one true God in their hearts and homes.

March 23: True Freedom. Throughout the centuries, the Sindhis have rarely been independent, and the people long ago began searching for other expressions of freedom. That search is exemplified today in mystic saints, involvement in politics, and interest in things Western. Pray that this search will open the door to reaching into people’s lives with the true freedom of the Gospel. From among the millions of Sindhi people, only a handful of men and even fewer women have accepted the claims of Christ and become His followers. Pray for opportunities for these believers to share the Good News with others who are without a knowledge of Jesus. When Jesus looks upon the Sindhi people, He sees that they are people without hope. The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray earnestly that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into the Sindhi harvest.

March 24 : Spirit of Boldness. “As 2010 is underway, please pray that this year will be a turning point for North Pakistan. Just like the Apostle Paul was radically changed, pray that men and women will be radically transformed from wanting to be suicide bombers to becoming mighty preachers of the Gospel of peace. May the scales fall and the veil be removed from their eyes so they can see their glorious Savior who, because of His great love, died for them. Pray for your representatives who are working here, asking that we will not live with a spirit of fear, but with a spirit of boldness and love. This year could be the turning point for North Pakistan because of your prayers.”

March 25 : Translation Needed. An international brother is asking for prayer regarding the translation of some discipleship material that needs to be put into the Devanagri Script. This needs to be done in a “Muslim-friendly” way so that believers and Indian workers can understand and also share as they seek the lost Muslims in Rajasthan. Please pray that the Lord will give wisdom to those who are working on this project so that He will be glorified in Rajasthan.

March 26 : What’s Most Important? Give thanks that in answer to your prayers, God has opened doors among university students across one Pakistani city in different avenues in the past year. One avenue involves a team member’s teaching at a local university. After the final exam this month, one student commented to this team member, “Since I was a kindergartener, I have been taught to work hard and make lots of money, and then I will have a nice car, a big house, etc. For the first time in my life, one of my teachers has told me that it is more important to love God and live to please Him all my days. I learned in this class that we should ‘Do unto others as we would have them do unto us.’ Thank you for teaching me about really important things in life.” Thank you for making this work possible. Please continue to pray for students across this Pakistani city to see that truth is found in Jesus Christ!

March 27 : Childhood Suicide. A concerned mother writes: “In India, education is very important, so much so that they start sending their children to school by the age of 2. Some call it ‘play group,’ but all children are expected to start attending school in some fashion so that by the time they start the first grade, they can read, write and do math. I was talking with a friend, and she said that children in India today have such pressure to perform well in school that many are committing suicide by the seventh grade!” Please pray that whole households in India will come to know Jesus like they did in Acts 16:31-34 and that they will seek to please Jesus rather than society.

Who are the unreached and how can you pray for them?

The 30 Day South Asian Peoples prayer guide is a resource available to learn about the lost peoples of South Asia and pray for them. Each day highlights a different people group or place. You will learn about their life, their history and religious beliefs.

Small enough to fit in your Bible or notebook, use this guide individually or as a group.

Be a part of reaching the billion eyes searching for the Gospel!

Download a version (here)  OR order your free copy from IMB.org (here)

March 14 : Volunteers on the Way. Each year it is necessary for many volunteer teams to come to Nepal in order to reach the millions who have never heard the Gospel. Please pray for ongoing plans that are being made for many different types of volunteer trips to this country. Pray for those whom the Lord leads to be part of a team to be obedient. Pray that those on the field will listen to God’s direction as to which places would be strategic in sharing the Gospel. Ask that the right kind of trips will be planned – e.g., medical, pastoral training, seed sowing, etc. – and that all the logistics will go smoothly.

March 15 : God At Work among Magar. Recently a worker met some great contacts who could provide an open door into the Magar people. One contact even knows the Magar language, which is virtually non-existent except in the hard-to-reach villages. Praise the Lord! Please pray that workers will continue to find Magar people in God’s strategic plan to share so “. . . that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

March 16 : Blind Hear about Jesus. Thank you for your prayers for the two men who accepted Jesus as Lord in November. A worker writes: “The elderly new believer who is blind, and whose wife is unable to read, received from a national partner a solar-powered audio player containing the whole Bible. In this case, the recording is in the Nepali language, so the man and his wife can understand it. Last month, that national partner, my husband and I visited this couple’s home and had fellowship with them and several others from nearby villages. Some were new believers, and others were new listeners. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to fulfill His Word and to answer our prayers!”

March 17 : Opportunities to Share. Washington, D.C., is a melting pot of cultures, languages and peoples. On Thursday, March 18, newly appointed and trained cross-cultural workers will spend the day in Washington, D.C., seeking opportunities to share the Gospel with people from different cultures. Some of those workers will be looking for South Asian peoples with whom they can share their testimonies, tracts and the Good News. Pray that each person going to the capital will have multiple “divine appointments” during the day, meeting people whom God brings to them just so that the lost can hear the name of Jesus spoken in love. Pray that many men, women and children will give their hearts to Christ on Thursday.

March 18 :  Plantation Churches. Rahmaree house church is made up of six families. It is located on one of the many tea plantations of Sri Lanka. The harvest seems to be great in this area. Please pray that this group of new believers will share boldly and glorify Christ, and that as they do, many in this village will come to faith in Him. In this church, J is training up two leaders, S and S. Pray for these two men to walk daily with the Lord and, out of their love for Christ, to work diligently to serve Him.

March 19 : Woodcarver Shepherds Church. Please continue praying for J, the woodcarver in the village of Thamina who is helping to lead a house church. His children are being persecuted at school. Also pray for two teens who are being forced to follow Buddha and are not allowed to go to the house church. Please pray for their boldness as they share, and ask for open hearts and minds so that new believers will come.

March 20 : God’s Glory in the Mountains. There is a ministry project getting underway in the northern areas among the B people. A dormitory building for students who are studying in school far from their village home will be operated by a group of believers in the area. Please pray that this group will come together in one accord and will be able to take ownership of this project. They see themselves as the church and desire to grow more and more in the knowledge and grace of Christ. Pray for protection from the evil one, as he would like nothing more than to destroy this plan and this church. Pray that they will stand strong in the midst of every trial. May God’s glory truly cover this mountainous region of the world. (More information on how you can pray, including incredible pictures of Pakistan and her people, with specific verses to pray over them, are available on the website.) http://www.prayforpak.com/

March 7 : God’s Business. Pray for Bangalore Baptist Hospital’s Governing Board meeting this month. Intercede for them as they approve budgets and make other financial decisions, and lift up the leadership of the hospital as they prepare and as they present reports. Pray that in all the business, God’s direction will be sought and followed.  Thank you for your prayers for the revival services which reached their conclusion on Jan. 29-30. Give thanks to the Lord that in the special services held that weekend over 200 staff and students signed commitment cards.  Pray that the experiences of recent months will translate into a stronger spiritual outreach at the hospital. Pray for the follow-up of those who made decisions.

March 8 : Overcoming Fear. You have been asking God to call out laborers to serve among Muslims as well as other networks of national church planters. During the month of March, God has provided opportunities for Indian church leaders and pastors to gather together and learn about reaching Muslims in the state. Please ask God to anoint those who will be communicating the need for others to reach out to the more than 6 million Muslims living around them. Also pray that God will help those hearing this appeal to overcome any fears or prejudices that might prevent them from responding favorably to the invitation to join what God is doing to bring K Muslims into His kingdom. Over the past few months, you have faithfully interceded for Muslim-background believers who have been experiencing persecution. For the time being, the threats and physical abuse have slowed. It has been decided that it is in the best interest of these brothers to encourage them to get jobs and to discontinue financial support at this time. Please ask God to provide for their needs and to use what they have learned to encourage house groups of believers to become churches and to reproduce to multiple generations. If it is God’s will, pray that in the future, more training and regular accountability can be provided again.

March 9 : New Followers Stand Firm. DS has sent a report from one of the villages where he has led Bible training seminars: In early January, the “head man” in one of the villages asked DS to come because he and others in the village wanted to be baptized. DS and some partners went to the village expecting opposition, but what they found were people who had genuinely given their lives to Jesus and wanted to be baptized. On the same day, at the request of the new believers, they tore down physical altars on which the “head man” was scheduled to make sacrifices at the time of the new moon. Continue to remember in prayer these new followers of Jesus, asking that they will grow in Him and stand firm in Christ in all circumstances. Pray that many others will come to know Jesus through the lives and testimonies of these new believers.

March 10 : Bhar Need Jesus. “Heavenly Father, we lift up the more than 3 million Bhar people living in northern India. We grieve for them because of their poverty, both physical and spiritual. We long for them to come into the fullness of life and joy in You. We ask You to raise up and send forth laborers into the harvest to proclaim the Word of God to the Bhar. Please burden the hearts of Your people to reach out to them, and guide them to where the Bhar people may be found. We ask You, Father, to cause Your Word to spread rapidly and be glorified among the Bhar, and we pray that when Your Word does come, it will come in power, conviction and with the blessing of the Holy Spirit. We pray that the Bhar will turn from idols to serve You, the living and true God. We pray that around Your throne will be multitudes of Bhar people, worshiping and praising You forever, for You alone are worthy!”

March 11 : Recovery Needed. You have been praying since September for a couple serving among an unreached people group. This couple, who are the leaders of a small team trying to plant churches among this people group, still have not returned to the field. Please pray for unity, wisdom and love among all the team members. Ask God to help the team members to make wise decisions and to take the initiative to reach out to the people. Pray also for the leaders as they continue to recover from illness. Ask God to give them the needed strength to address issues that cannot wait until after their return.

March 12 : Facing Exile. Please pray the following prayer for the believers in Bhutan this month: “Father, Your children in Bhutan may face exile in their own communities because of their faith in You, much as the Israelites were exiled to Babylon. The evil one is fighting a sneaky spiritual battle against Your kingdom. How I praise You that he cannot win! I pray that my Bhutanese brothers and sisters will never forget You, Lord, no matter how desolate their circumstances. Let them never lose the ability or desire to sing Your praises! Give them songs in their hearts and tunes on their lips that will sustain them even though threatened with death. May they never fail to honor You as their greatest gift, their greatest joy!” (See Psalm 137.)

March 13 : Canada Needs Jesus. Canada is the new home of thousands of South Asian immigrants each year. They often come from places where it would be unlikely for them to hear the Gospel of salvation through Jesus. And now they are in a “Christian” country – but will they hear? They tend to stay within their own familiar ethnic neighborhoods, but at some point, they will need to learn or improve their English. This is a step into unfamiliar settings where they have to work hard to speak this strange, new language. They need understanding teachers, but even more, they need someone who can tell them the Good News of a living Savior. Team Canada asks: “Please pray for a new English as a Second Language (ESL) class that has just begun in a suburb in Ontario. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead many South Asians to come to our classes, and pray that He will prepare their hearts for the Gospel message. Please pray that their eyes will be opened to the futility of their belief system, their lack of hope after death, and the tremendous value of God’s gift of salvation. Ask the Father to give us wisdom and strength as we and our Christian coworkers teach English and bring God’s Word to them.”

The Kumbh Mela (pronounced KHOOM MAY-lah) draws the largest gathering in the world. During the 2010 Kumbh Mela, officials expect 50 million people to visit Haridwar, India. Pray for the salvation of Hindus celebrating the Kumbh Mela now through April.

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