May 30 : Faithful Women. In January, you prayed that nothing would hinder the partnerships in India and that the Father would open closed doors and closed hearts. Thank Him for answering that prayer: “Recently we trained the first group from our original work in the slums, and it turned out that eight non-literate women were able to return for the second training. The first thing we do at this training is to get a report of how many people they have shared with and how many new believers, Bible studies, house churches, baptisms and lay leaders there are. When we talk about sharing, that includes giving out a tract, sharing your personal story, giving a New Testament, or showing the ‘JESUS’ film. All of these women work and have their own daily home duties. Still, they had shared with approximately 1,400 people and they reported 81 new believers and the start of 12 new Bible studies!”
May 31 : Faithful Despite Persecution. Thank you for your prayers for H, who had been summoned before a village judiciary council and then beaten until he lost consciousness. He has now relocated, and currently he is gathering 20 to 25 Muslim-background believers for meetings each week. Give thanks to God for this work that H is doing despite persecution! Please pray that the men of this village who are now following Christ as Savior will grow in their faith and will lead their wives and families to accept Jesus as Lord of their lives also. Pray that entire Bihari villages soon will be worshipping the Risen Lord. Pray in His name that Satan will be kept at bay and that these new believers will firmly stand on Jesus, the Rock. Please ask for continued guidance from the Holy Spirit for H as he leads these men.
June 1 : Never Too Old. Thank you for praying for J, an elderly tsunami survivor in Sri Lanka. J was the oldest person staying in a displaced-persons camp when Southern Baptist representatives first met her shortly after the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami. During the years, you prayed for healing for J’s ulcerated hand after a cat had attacked her, for permanent housing for her, and for her salvation. In October 2008, after J finally was in permanent housing, she was able to hear the Gospel clearly for the first time, and at age 92, this precious Buddhist woman prayed to receive Jesus as her Savior. She testified that she believed Jesus could forgive her sins because He had healed her ulcerated hand just as Christians had asked Him to do. She added that she knew she would go to be with the Jesus who heals and forgives when she died. Praise God – that is right where J is today. Late in March, J entered the presence of her healing, forgiving Savior! Thank you for praying for her all these years. Please continue to pray that her daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will follow the example of this matriarch and place their own faith in J’s Jesus.
June 2 : Standing Firm. Thank you for praying for a group of Bihari teenage girls whose mothers were trying to keep them from meeting to study the Bible. Some Bihari girls are continuing to meet for weekly Bible study and discipleship. These girls believe in Jesus, but they are still immersed in the Islamic worldview of their parents and community. Muslims in Bangladesh are not allowed to change their faith. Please pray that these teenagers’ faith in Isa (Jesus) will grow stronger every day. Pray that they will learn all that they need while they are still able to join the Bible study and read Scriptures. Pray that the leaders of this group will have wisdom in discipling the girls, so that the girls can stand firm when persecution or marriage possibly separates them from other believers. Please pray for the salvation of their Bihari Muslim families and their future husbands as well.
June 3 : Seeking God. “The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom; his tongue speaks what is just. The instruction of his God is in his heart; his steps do not falter” (Psalms 37:30-31, HCSB). Pray that followers of Jesus in Bhutan will sense God’s guidance in all they say and do. Pray that their non-believing family, friends and neighbors will recognize the godly wisdom of the believers and come to them for spiritual counsel. Pray that the faithful followers will not falter in their faith.
June 4 : Set Free in Jesus. Thank you for your prayers for the village health survey trip. Give thanks to God that because of the power of prayer, many wonderful opportunities were given to the two representatives during this trip. They learned of some of the accidents that had occurred to people in the village. Some were missing fingers or had broken bones that had healed crookedly. One man had been bedridden for 14 years after becoming paralyzed from a poorly performed spinal tap. Representatives prayed for him and gave him encouraging words. A young girl, thought to be demon-possessed, was found to be an epileptic. They prayed with her and encouraged her to take the medicine she had to prevent her seizures. Many problems in the villages are blamed on evil spirits. A young Christian man from the village meets weekly with a mostly non-literate women’s group to share Bible stories. He challenges them to share the stories with others. The representatives were able to share stories they had learned in the Urdu language. They listened to encouraging testimonies from the women. One woman had a demonic attack while listening to the story of the demon-possessed man. The women all prayed together, and she was immediately healed and came back the next week and shared how Christ had set her free.
June 5 : Village Health Programs. “Last month we reported that one of our health-training teams might have to stop their work because of financial pressure from their families. The team is now going to receive partial funding and – though it is still our prayer that these funds will soon come from their local association – this will allow them to continue the work. The women on the team are encouraged and are enthusiastic about moving forward with their health program in this village. Pray that they will bear witness to Jesus in both word and deed. Pray that through the health program, they will have opportunities to build relationships, share stories from the Bible, and mentor seekers.”