October 3 : South Asian Summit: South Asia is the land where a billion eyes search for the truth. A billion people are hungry for the Bread of Life and thirsty for the Living Water. A billion stumble in darkness, seeking the light found only in Christ. People of all ages and all walks of life will be making their way to the South Asian Peoples Summit in Knoxville, Tennessee, October 3-5. Pray that Father will take control of this Summit. Pray that lives will be changed. Pray that servants will be called out to reach out to South Asians both in the United States and around the world and will respond, “Here am I Lord, send me.” May His kingdom come, His will be done in Knoxville, Tennessee, and around the world, and may all the glory go to Him who loves us so.

October 4 : Possible Adoption. Pray for a team coming this month from a church in Tennessee who will be praying onsite about whether God is calling their church to adopt this particular area. This adoption will involve church-supported prayer, as well as frequent volunteer teams coming and laboring in the harvest fields of this unreached land. There are also two single women from the church praying about investing two years of their lives in working among these people, sharing the Good News of Christ. Pray that God will move in the hearts of those who will set foot on the land and look in the eyes of the lost and dying; may He open their spiritual eyes to see what He wants them to see. Pray that He will fill this body of believers with a passion and a call to reach out to this remote and neglected field on the other side of the world. Pray that they will embrace the words of Isaiah 49:6: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

October 5 : Commonwealth Games Come to India. Delhi, the vibrant capital and political center of India, has a population of almost 22.5 million, making it India’s second-largest metropolis and one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Official languages include English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. This October, Delhi is hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games – the largest sporting event ever to be hosted in the city. Pray that the light of Jesus will be shared fearlessly with those who have come to these events, and that seeds planted will take root. Pray for good follow-up efforts following the Commonwealth Games. Ask that churches will be planted throughout Delhi and the world for the glory of the King!

October 6 : Hospital Retreat. Pray for a retreat this month at the hospital for seekers who want to know more about Christianity. These are contacts from the hospital ministry who are being followed up on by the hospital chaplains. Pray that many will be able to attend, and that their hearts and minds will be open to understand the message about Jesus. Pray that many will believe.

October 7 : Thanks for Your Prayers. Thank you for praying last month for s6-year-old M, the second daughter of P, a Bihari Muslim-background believer who serves the Lord, and his wife V. M was suffering from a large kidney stone that threatened to damage her kidney. She did have surgery to remove the stone. Please pray for her complete recovery and for good health for her. Pray for her father as he tries to provide for his family, and remember her mother as she awaits the birth of their third child, who is due on January 2. Thank you for lifting this precious family up in prayer before our mighty Lord. BihariBride@pobox.com

October 8 : Fall Pastor’s Training. In October and November, pastors from the United States will be traveling to Gujarat to lead a Bible training session for local pastors. Opportunities for further training are rare in this area, so local pastors are hungry for a deeper knowledge of the Word of God. Please be in prayer for the pastors who will be coming, asking that as they prepare, they will hear what God has for them to share, and ask for all the planning for the trip to go well. Lift up the local pastors who will be attending the training, asking that their hearts will be open to the Word shared, and that they will learn and, in turn, share that knowledge with others who need to know.

October 9 : Farm Training Multiplies. Pastor S has ministry centers all over the island. These centers are hubs of activity focused on fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. For example, there are orphanages, widows’ homes, livelihood projects, and vocational training centers, to name a few. One of these, “The Farm,” has a disciple-training center, where young church leaders are being prepared for ministry as church planters. In October, a training session will be held at The Farm for 100 leaders who come from all over the island. Ask God to bring those whom He has ordained to participate in this. Pray for leaders to become passionate about seeing the lost reached for Christ! Also, back in March, believers in the Bahdoo (pseudonym) district were challenged to begin praying daily for 10 unsaved family members and/or friends. In October, an Operation Andrew volunteer will go with a national believer into the homes of those who have been prayed for and the Gospel will be presented. Pray for God’s Spirit to go before them and make the way smooth. Pray that those who hear will be ready to accept the Truth and will follow in obedience. Pray for those who have been praying and those who will share, asking that they will see the power of a Mighty God who longs to see His creation know Him and that they will keep walking with and working for Him daily!

September 26 : Nurses Need Jesus. Please continue praying for the new class of nursing students who began their studies in July. Pray for these students as they continue the adjustment and become more proficient in English. Pray for them in their weekly Bible studies, nightly devotions, and twice weekly chapel services, asking that they will learn and grow spiritually. Pray that those who do not know Jesus will hear and understand and choose to follow Him.

September 27 :  Three New Groups. Last month you were asked to pray as 26 key national leaders gathered for a retreat and a time of training. Give thanks to God that at least three new groups have formed as a direct result of that training! The ones receiving the training have said many positive things about how the training is helping them to stay focused on “the main thing.”

September 28 :  Wherever He Leads I’ll Go. A. and his family never lived in a place where Christ was welcome, and yet they faithfully proclaimed the Gospel and sought to equip believers to do the work of the church. As they prayed and served, God spoke to their hearts about moving to an even more difficult place in India. In July, this family left what was familiar and moved to a state where less than .2 percent of the people are Christians, a state where the Christians suffer much persecution. This is a cross-cultural move for this family and even requires learning another language. A. writes of the blessing they have to start a work in a place where so few people know Jesus. They are reaching out to a specific people group of more than 10 million people, and they ask prayer not only for themselves, but for those whom the Lord is calling to be among the laborers who are needed for this huge harvest field. Remember them in prayer as they learn the cultural differences, and pray for the adjustment of their children, for their safety, and for their strength in the face of opposition.

September 29 : Faithful Students Reach Out. Thank you for praying for the university student volunteers who came and invested their summer in Bangladesh. They spent their time getting to know Dhaka’s growing college-age crowd and speaking truth into their lives. They had many great opportunities to share and befriend people as they willingly went and did anything asked of them. These students were able to deliver many New Testaments and other materials through the relationships they formed at two major universities in Dhaka. They also assisted in the work outside the city, where God enabled them to share the Good News through drama and the “JESUS” film with approximately 2,000 people. Pray that the long-term workers on the field will be able to follow up with the relationships that were formed on the campuses. Ask God to work in the hearts of all who heard His story. Also pray that the American students will share with their friends at home and help to prepare teams for next summer!

September 30 : A Call to All. Nepal is a country steeped in tradition. It is evident even in the churches, as tradition hinders believers from being obedient to God’s Word by sharing the Gospel and carrying out all of the Great Commission. Currently the tradition of only pastors being allowed to share is severely stifling the spread of faith in Christ. Pray that the eyes of pastors all over Nepal will be opened to the command that disciples are to make disciples, and that all the believers in their churches are commanded to go and make disciples. Pray for them to understand that others sharing will not make “their job” obsolete.

October 1 : Church Multiplication. Praise God that He continues to answer prayer for G-city! Three traditional pastors in the city are continuing to work to plant house churches. With the recent loss of a meeting place for his traditional church, the first pastor has divided his congregation into several house church groups. In addition to those groups, he has started two more house church groups.  He also has a church member who wants to start a group in his own home. The second pastor has started several groups with Muslim-background believers and seekers. He has also started one group with Hindu-background believers plus seekers. The third pastor has several groups meeting with members plus seekers. Some of these groups already have their own leader, and three of the groups are meeting independently. This pastor is training two more men to plant house churches. Praise God! These pastors may not follow the exact house church model that the strategy coordinator (SC) church uses, but God is obviously using them to spread the Gospel in many areas of G-city. Pray that these pastors will identify and train leaders for each of these groups. Pray that the believers who are not baptized will be obedient and desire baptism. Pray that the groups will desire to be a house church, and that each of these groups will multiply and spread the Gospel all over the city!

October 2 :  Farming and Listening. A recent believer from the Deccani Muslims, a farmer, has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few months. Though he cannot read, he was given a solar-powered MP3 player that has the Bible on it in his language. As he works on the farm, he listens. As he sits at home, he listens so that his wife, children and guests can hear it. He has a habit of discussing what is being heard. Several friends continue to come over to listen and discuss what is being heard. Please pray for this “listening group,” asking that it will grow. Pray that the listeners will place their faith in Jesus and that a viable church will result. The farmer is zealous about Jesus and shares with great joy. All the farmers, Muslim or not, know of his faith and his listening group. Praise God for such a testimony in his area!

September  19 : Partnering in Bihar. A company representative has written a teaching course on how to reach the Muslims of northern India with the Good News of Jesus. He and an Indian Christian are now ready to teach the course in Bihar. They will teach three days per month for six months. Please pray that the Lord will draw to this training those He wants to attend, that they will learn from it, and that they will use what they learn for the glory of God and the growth of His kingdom. Pray that the two who will be leading it will have safe travels to and from Bihar and that they will be filled with the Holy Spirit as they teach. Approximately 17 million Bihari Muslims live in India, and few have trusted Jesus as their Savior and Lord. BihariBride@pobox.com

September 20 : Clinging to Jesus. Two Deccani Muslims came to Christ this year, and they were readily baptized by an evangelist. A few weeks later, these recent believers took the evangelist to the homes of their relatives, where they shared Christ. The evangelist was able to lead two of their relatives to Christ that day and encouraged the recent believers to baptize their relatives who had believed after doing Bible study. A few weeks went by, but they did baptize their relatives in obedience to Scripture. It was a happy occasion but short-lived. As the greater Deccani Muslim community became aware of what had happened, they roughed up the believers who had been baptized, asking, “Who did this to you?” Frightened, they named their relatives who had come to Christ some months before. Men came to those recent believers and beat them, threatening their lives. Please pray for this handful of recent believers in this one Deccani Muslim village. Pray that God will make their faith strong through His Word. Pray for continued boldness, and ask that the believers will cling to Jesus during this tough time, continuing to pursue Him in love and obedience.

September 21 : Broad seed sowing. More national believers have been trained in outreach and challenged to reach the Gujjar of northern Madhya Pradesh. Please pray for broad Gospel seed-sowing among the Gujjar and open hearts to the truth. Pray that the Gujjar people will see the futility of idol worship and have searching hearts to know the truth of Christ Jesus.

September 22 : Meeting Physical and Spiritual Needs. Please pray for the strategy coordinator (SC) church as they consider a trip to G-city in the first quarter of 2011. In the past, the India teams from the church that have gone to G-city have been small – anywhere from two to five people. Most of the trips have involved training, prayer walking and building relationships. However, the India team is considering a larger-scale medical trip in 2011. A cross-cultural worker living in the city, A., has approached the team about an opportunity to work with a national Christian doctor to hold a clinic in a neighborhood in the city. A. has used this approach in the rural villages but has never used it in the city. Please pray for godly wisdom concerning this opportunity. Lift up A., who will be responsible for determining the feasibility of this project, and ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit as to where to have it and when to have it. Pray for wisdom for the India team in discerning God’s will for their participation in this project. May God give clear guidance and provide the volunteers and resources that will be needed. Pray for this clinic to open many doors of access to the lost, for open hearts that are eager to hear about God’s love, and for courage to make decisions to follow Christ. Pray that God’s name will be glorified through this clinic.

September 23 : A Few Good Men. At a recent training focused on church-planting, one national was telling how it is so much easier to reach women with the Gospel. The trainer was helping them see that if the men are working until late at night and working on Sundays, then the church planters’ schedules need to change so they can be where and when the unbelieving men are. One national was so thankful to hear that, as it was something he had not thought through. In his church, 75 percent of the members are women and there are not men enough to “pastor” the new churches that are starting. That is true of many national churches. Please ask the Lord to raise up more men who can pastor the new churches that are forming. In this state, this is one of the current barriers to a church-planting movement happening among this people group.

September 24 : Taga Need Jesus. The Taga people of India live primarily in western Uttar Pradesh and around Delhi and the state of Harayana. Their total population is approximately 1 million, and there are very few Tagas who know and follow Christ. Some workers are seeing signs that God is indeed at work among this people group. Recently a team from Oklahoma came and spent time working in Taga-dominated areas. Many of those who responded with interest in Christ were from Taga families. Another group of volunteers served among this same group of Taga people this summer, sharing Bible stories and following up on the seeds that had been planted. As a result, some groups have been formed and new Taga believers are among them. We rejoice in this good news and the advance of Christ’s kingdom. Thank the Father for Taga believers. Pray that the new believers will become rooted and grounded in Christ, abide in Him and bear fruit, and have the courage to be baptized. Pray for the Good News to continue to spread among more and more Taga people and for laborers to be sent to share the Gospel with them.

September 25 : Doors Open for Oklahoma Group. You have being praying each month that the Father will open doors among the unengaged people groups of South Asia. Rejoice at what the Father is doing. A worker writes: “What happens when you send a group of committed followers of Jesus from the United States into villages with large numbers of people who have little or no access to the Gospel? You see God move and hearts open as they hear for the first time of the great love of the one true God. In May, we had the privilege of hosting a volunteer team from Oklahoma. They came on a vision trip and were able to get plugged into our work in a very strategic way. The first half of their time was spent with some of our key ‘Timothy’ disciples. They spent their latter days going out into villages known to have high concentrations of unreached peoples. Their efforts have resulted in many homes becoming open to Bible storying groups that are still continuing!” Pray that these storying groups will develop into multiplying house churches.

September 12 : A Billion Eyes Searching. South Asia is the land where a billion eyes search for the truth. A billion are hungry for the Bread of Life and thirsty for the Living Water. A billion stumble in darkness, seeking the light found only in Christ. Do you have a heart for a billion? Do you want to learn how you can become a part of reaching one of the spiritually darkest places in the world? You are invited to pray and attend the South Asia Summit conference on October 3-5, 2010. Learn how you can be a part of sharing with South Asian peoples in your own community and around the world. Please pray for those who are preparing for this conference. Ask the Father to “call out” those He wants to attend and ask Him to make a way “when there seems to be no way.” Pray that lives will be changed and that many will see the real need to reach out to the South Asians who live next door, across the street and around the world – all for His glory! Pray that South Asians throughout the world will come to know the Light of the world.

September 13 : Physical and Spiritual Healing. Please pray for a medical team that will be coming for two weeks to meet medical needs in a place where there is no medical care for the people. Pray that as the Chitwan Tharu meet with the team and with Christian workers, they will find spiritual healing as well as physical healing. Also pray that they will grow strong spiritually, the Gospel will spread rapidly, and new churches will be formed.

September 14 :  Children “in Cages.” What picture comes to your mind when you think of a cage? Animals at the zoo in cages or criminals behind bars are images one might have. What about children behind the bars of an apartment building where they labor as servants? In Dhaka, many children live and work in homes as servants. They clean and cook and do basically any tasks asked of them. They watch from the shadows as the children of the house play, eat good food, go to school, and have fun. These servant children often go barefoot and carry their master’s children’s bags for them. Most likely they have been sent to the city by family members in the village who receive a small amount of money in exchange for the children’s work. Many of these little ones do not even know where their village is located. They are trapped in buildings with security guards who will not let them pass and apartments with bars on all the windows and doors. Many people even lock their servants in the house while they are out so they cannot escape. There are some people who treat their child helpers well, but for many of the children, this is not the case. Please pray for these children who live a life of hopelessness. Pray that they will come to know the God who loves them and came to bring them life to the fullest.

September 15 :  Seeds Sown by Volunteers. Give thanks to the Father for sending workers into His harvest! As you lifted them up in prayer, two volunteer teams from North Carolina sowed Gospel seeds in July and August among South Asian immigrants living in a major city. Five thousand homes received the “JESUS” film DVD by door-to door distribution. Two neighborhoods were given a “party in the park,” where there were numerous conversations about Jesus with families who came for crafts, face painting, dramas and snacks. Please ask the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of those who received the “JESUS” film, and pray that they will desire to watch it and that the words of Jesus will speak to them. Pray that their hearts will be like the good soil, “. . . who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit . . .” (Matthew 13:23, HCSB). Pray for the fruit of repentance among many South Asians in the city, so “. . . that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:18b, HCSB).

September 16 : Reproducing Fruit. This summer, two workers and two national partners made a trip to a very hard-to-reach Gurung area to meet some new believers and encourage and disciple them. Please pray for these new believers, asking that they will share the Gospel with others and gather the new believers to form a local church. Pray that they will have strong local leadership, not relying on a pastor or leader to come from outside.

September 17 : Buddhist Girl Sees God. In July, you were asked to pray for the souls of neighbors, guesthouse workers, tuk-tuk (a passenger motorcycle) drivers, Montessori teachers and classmates, soccer-field buddies, and restaurant waiters listed on a map of Sri Lanka that an international Christian family made for the Day of Prayer and Fasting for World Evangelization. One of those souls is D, who turns 22 in September. D and her family are Buddhist. They live in a very Buddhist neighborhood. It was to this neighborhood that God placed this same international family four years ago when He first brought them to Sri Lanka. D became fast friends with the family, as her mother and father ran the corner market. Over the years, D has been prayed for, shared with, and invited to special holiday events where the free gift of salvation has been offered. Recently D shared in a phone text, “Do u know I saw god when I’m 13 in my dreem?” It was not this international Christian family who first brought Christ to D; it was God Himself! Yet D still does not know God. She knows of Him. She knows He comforted her in her dream. She knows we celebrate His birth at Christmas. She knows He died for her sins. She knows He has power today. Please, please pray for D. Ask God to remove the veil from her eyes so that she will see the truth of the Gospel and really know Him as her Savior and her Lord.

September 18 : Setting Captives Free. Human trafficking is a huge problem in India, but the Father is breaking through barriers as a result of prayer and action. Pray for the oppressed to have the courage to move forward in seeking and obtaining freedom and abundant life. Especially remember prostituted women who have children. Ask that if they are given the opportunity to place their children in the care of those who will legitimately care for them and lavish them with loving kindness, they will say yes! Pray that more and more facilities will open up to help the children of prostitutes stay out of that lifestyle. Ask God’s protective covering over these children, whose needs are astoundingly huge. Praise the Father that He is the one who sets the captives free. May those in captivity find new life in Jesus and forever be set free.

September 5 : Final Days. Muhammad practiced setting aside the last 10 days of Ramadan for practicing greater devotion; many Muslims still do this. The first 10 days of September mark the last 10 days of Ramadan for 2010. Please consider fasting and praying for the Muslims of Karnataka during this time. During this time of spiritual sensitivity, ask Jesus to appear to them in dreams and visions, and pray that God will confirm the Bible as His unchangeable Word. As many stay up all night on September 5 to pray and seek revelation, ask that God will keep Satan from appearing as an angel of light and will Himself reveal truth to the many who seek Him on that night.

September 6 : Little Drummer Boy. “Bong, Bong, Bong . . . it was still dark outside, but the drummer hired by our neighborhood was determined to wake us up at 4 a.m. It was time for everyone to get up, cook, and eat breakfast before the call to prayer, when the daily fast began. During the month of Ramadan, many Kashmiris spend more time praying, reading their scriptures, repenting of their sin, and “trying their best” to get right with God. On the “Night of Power,” people stay up for an all-night vigil to seek God’s blessings. Please pray for a powerful movement of God’s Spirit during this night in the lives and hearts of Kashmiris who have suffered so much violence and killing in recent months. Pray that dreams and visions of the Prince of Peace will come to the many mothers who have lost their sons during clashes with military forces, and ask that the living Savior will rescue Kashmiris from the desperation around and within them.”

September 7 : South Asians on the Move. People are on the move! More than 37 million South Asians live outside their home countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan. To where have they moved? They have made new homes in Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and North America (including the Caribbean). They strive to keep their faith, language and culture alive through each generation. Much effort and wealth are poured into cultural and religious programs and buildings. One of the major faiths is Islam, whose adherents observe a yearly 30-day fast, called the holy month of Ramadan. The last days of the fast will be September 2-9, a time when many are searching for special “revelations” from their God. Some will stay up all night, praying for a vision. In this season of seeking, please pray that the Holy Spirit will be at work in many hearts, even giving them visions of Jesus calling them to Himself. “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, HCSB). Please pray that they will be attracted to Jesus and desire to hear His words. Please pray that Jesus will build His church among these South Asian Muslims in all the places they now live.

September 8 : Man in White. As Ramadan, the month of fasting, comes to an end in these next few days, please pray that people will continue to be sensitive to spiritual conversations. Pray for dreams and visions of the “Man in white” (Jesus) on the “Night of Power,” when people stay up all night praying, seeking forgiveness from sin over the past year, and asking for a dream or a vision. May they hear clearly the voice calling them out, and recognize immediately that it is the voice of Jesus Christ.

September 9 : God’s Word Goes Forth. Last month you were asked to pray for M as he distributed Bangla Bibles in the city where he lives. He was able to do that with relative ease. Give thanks to God for M’s hard work and boldness in getting God’s Word into the hands of so many Bengali Muslims! Please continue to pray for M as he shares with those who received these Bibles in their own language. Ask God to open their hearts to the Truth and help them to believe in Jesus for salvation. Pray that those who believe will begin to meet regularly for Bible study and form house churches. M would like to distribute more Bangla Bibles during Ramadan, so please pray that the Lord will make that possible. A large number of Urdu New Testaments have been donated for distribution. Please pray that M will be willing to give these out as well to people who can read them, and ask that others like M will join in distributing them to Urdu-speaking Muslims. These precious books need to be taken out of their boxes and placed in the hands of Muslims who are able and willing to read them.

September 10 : Ganesha Festival.  Tomorrow, September 11, South Asian Hindus will celebrate the birthday of Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom. You have probably seen the elephant-headed images of this god who is said to be able to remove all obstacles from one’s life. In preparation for the celebration, Hindus will purchase a clay Ganesha idol. It may be large or small, multi-colored or plain. The idol will be displayed in the home, or it may be placed in a public location to benefit the entire community. For about a month before the special day, the idol will be worshiped and cared for as if it were a living person. Then it will be taken to a body of water in which it will be immersed and left to be washed away. Please pray for Hindus as they celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi, asking for opportunities for them to learn that there is one omniscient God who has provided a way for them to overcome sin and death. If you know someone who practices Hinduism, ask them about how they are celebrating Ganesha this weekend. Ask God to give you words to share with them that will help them learn more about Jesus Christ.

September 11: Volunteers Help Open Doors. “Recently volunteers from a church in the United States helped our team’s national coworkers gain access into many new homes in an Assamese Muslim area of our city. Pray that our team will have continued access into these homes and lives, and multiple opportunities to share the Truth. Pray that new community health groups will be started, and friendships with these women will be formed. Pray that Assamese Muslims will seek the Truth and turn to followers of Jesus for answers.”