Requests from Around the Rim
November 2005

"If I say: I won't mention Him or speak any longer in His name, His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail." Jeremiah 20:9, HSCB.

Ask that the Word of the Lord may spread rapidly, run its course, and triumph where ever it is proclaimed. Pray that each time the Word goes forth great power would accompany it and that the Spirit would move convicting people of sin, righteousness and judgment. Pray that people will receive and welcome the Word. Ask that it will be rooted in their hearts that they might be saved.

Pray that Third Culture Kids in our region will develop healthy, strong relationships with other kids, that they will be full of joy and peace, that they will grow in their love and understanding of Christ, and that will persevere in the midst of trials, heartache and difficulties.

Pray for new workers who will soon be coming to the field. Ask that these final days in the states are full of great memories and lots of laughter and that a spirit of expectation and joy will accompany them as they travel. Pray that language and culture acquisition will be very good experiences. Ask that culture shock will be dealt with in healthy, beneficial ways that will encourage and delight all those around them.

An Islamic web site states, "Keeping the stomach empty is not sufficient to remove the veil, unless one also empties the mind of everything but God." Pray that those fasting will see that an empty stomach and a mind empty of everything but God will mean nothing without a heart full of Jesus. Pray that "the veil" will be stripped away not by fasting but by the Spirit of the Lord. Pray that those fasting will deeply sense that they cannot earn the favor of Allah and that they will seek the truth as a result.

Continue to remember those who are participating in the 40 day fast. Pray for wisdom, strength and peace for each participant. Ask that God will honor this time with a mighty outpouring of His Holy Spirit on those who have yet to call Him King and on those of us who already bow before Him. Ask that this would be a time of great encouragement and a strengthening of hearts and relationships.

Filipinos reaching Filipinos is what an important Strategy Coordinator training the first two weeks of November is all about. The training event in the Visayas region will train national leaders to reach an entire people group with the gospel.  Ask God to bring to this training those He has called to lead and pray for all of the preparation and logistical details.  The 15 participants will study and learn intensively for 13 days.  Pray for good health, clarity of thought and peace in separation from family.

Thank you for praying for the English Bible Class that is being taught at Jeju National University in Jeju, South Korea.  There are five unbelieving students in this class. Pray that these students will come to faith in Jesus Christ and then be avenues to reach their family and friends back home in the villages. 

Pray for the Jeju team members involved in this outreach effort that they will have wisdom and discernment while preparing for and teaching this English Bible class.

Pray for the SAVE staff (Skills and Values Education) as they begin working with Operation Blessing. OB assumes leadership of this ministry in the next few months. Dan Wood, who developed the program and has capably overseen this vocational-technical training for several years, will assist in a smooth transition. Praise the Lord that by graduation time recently, all 56 SAVE students were believers. Twenty students made decisions to follow Christ during the course of their training; the other students were already Christians. Praise the Lord for the testimony given at graduation by a grateful new believer whose life has drastically changed from being a thief and drug addict to being a follower of Christ.

The Philippines Missions Mobilization Team (MMT) trains Filipinos for cross-cultural ministry. They are looking for people who will join them in praying for the Philippine Church as it seeks to obey God's command to make disciples throughout the world. God has created in the Filipino people a growing passion for missions and they are going out as witnesses throughout the world; but only humble, faith-filled prayer can sustain this movement. Pray that the MMT will find many people who will join in praying for effective witness and discipleship of the peoples around the world where Filipinos live and work. Eight million Filipinos work abroad and at least 5% of them are born again believers who are enthusiastic about sharing Christ's love and salvation. If you would like short periodic updates on how to pray for Filipino believers who are witnessing across cultures or if you know of others who would like the updates, please send a name and e-mail address to:

Pray for the Missions Training Program at the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. Two workers serve faithfully to train Christian leaders to plant churches and to do missions throughout Asia. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide in this training program and for the Christian leaders to catch a vision of their part in the Great Commission.

Thank you for praying for the five teams from Louisiana who have been partnering with a number of missions-minded Korean churches to focus on five college campuses. The Missions Mobilization Team reports that despite the devastation Louisiana has experienced in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, five teams traveled to Korea October 24 through November 5 to conduct evangelistic activities. Pray the teams will be used effectively to reach students for the Kingdom.

You prayed recently for a special opportunity for the Professionals Team to secure Bobby Martin, CEO of Wal-Mart, to come as a special speaker. Workers thankfully report that an outreach luncheon was well attended and well received by approximately 100 CEO/executives. Over 525 business professionals attended another event where Bobby Martin spoke. One worker remarked, "God worked a miracle.  The attendance was just right. The seats were full, but there was not an overflow crowd which would have presented logistical problems, such as not having enough food."  It is truly amazing that the Team heard about Bobby Martin coming to Manila, reserved the hotel, planned the events, printed brochures/tickets, sold tickets, arranged for the Managers Association of the Philippines luncheon, and did the work of arranging/preparing for each event in just one month's time.  The workers say, “Without your prayers and God's help we would have failed.”

Thank you for your prayers for the Strategy Coordinator Training conducted by the Luzon Missions Committee. This was a first time event where Filipinos who had been trained as SCs led their own Strategy Coordinator training. Eighteen pastors and workers came to the training; eleven of them came from the Bicol Region, the least evangelized area on Luzon with five million people and less than 2% evangelical.  Pastor Fil B, commented, “We sense a great awakening and revival among our pastors and lay workers.  We believe that God will do great and mighty things in our midst in the coming months.” 

Please remember five young people are studying the Word. Pray for an easy adjustment, good health, and wisdom. Three are the only believers in their families.

One team will soon begin translating and dubbing the J film into the language of a people group. Please pray that the Lord will give wisdom and that the project will be a quality one. Not many workers know this language, so this is a HUGE project for one person. Remember the worker who is supervising this!

We truly saw a mighty movement of G’s power this past week. Documents that usually take a week to generate came through in two days. Leaders that had refused to sign for the clinic gave their blessing. Agitated individuals had complete transformation. A woman that had been bent over in pain for seven years was healed. Tensions between adversarial ethnic groups dissipated. Insurmountable crowd dynamics resolved without incident. Over 1000 people were treated and heard the truth. 423 people showed a positive response!

Remember the new work in two local villages in a Southeast Asian country. One is a floating village. Pray for Mr. A and Mrs. Ut to receive the Lord. Pray also for Tung, who is a young leader in a fellowship. Pray that he will grow strong in his faith.

Pray for the opening of a farming center in one SE Asian country. Pray that this project will allow the workers to be bold witnesses within their sphere of influence.

Pray for a first ever tract in one SE Asian country. It will have a majority language along with a minority language of some half million people. A worker must supervise every step because this minority language is not well known and has not been printed in this country. Pray that the Lord ensures the quality of the printing process.

Pray for a strategic meeting with the Billy Graham of the cousin world. We hope to help his friends invade this country with the great news. Pray that the Acts Thing would break out in this country and in neighboring countries.

Brother Chaw used to be a proud follower of another group, but he was a wife beater and drunkard. One leader shared the great news with him in a way that he could understand and he repented of all his sins and believed. He is now working more and not beating his wife. Pray for him and others like him.

Sister T grew up a devout follower of another group. She traveled 400 miles to find her unemployed alcoholic husband, but instead found the One who would never leave her and could always provide for her. After going through the water, she was shown an easily reproducible form of worship and was sent back to her hometown a changed woman. She has brought her whole town the good news. After her brothers and mother became followers, they all started 14 multiplying groups!

Grandma M heard about God and His love for her through workers and the written message. She read about it at home and finally prayed by herself. Now she reads the Word every day and prays with peace in her heart. Remember her! Another grandpa, on the other hand, has heard the Story and can quote it, but is not quite ready to make a decision. Pray for him and others like him.

The Kui team has a vision to see an EvangelCD made from various gospel materials. Please pray for this project and for someone to spearhead it. Please remember those who will share testimonies and songs and produce the recording. Pray for a similar project in another country, along with the development of other oral resources for studying the Word.

Over 30 people had a swimming party at the new ministry point for the people of our day of prayer and fasting! Pray for the discipleship of these new believers. Pray also for the nationals working hard among this unreached people group.

Several hundred workers from one SE Asian country recently went to work in factories in a neighboring country. Most will work there for 3 years. Praise the Lord for this awesome opportunity to minister to them.

After hearing the good news for four years, Alice accepted Him two weeks ago! We rejoice at her new life. She first heard from four college students who came to teach English. Pray for her spiritual growth and witness.

Amazingly, a leader in another group became a believer. He actually went to our spiritual station before he was seen or treated by the doctors, and he went on to visit the spiritual station many times over the course of the clinic. Remember him and his spiritual growth, as well as so many new disciples among this people group. Pray for the disciple-makers the L would raise up. And don’t forget Matt Manila, who asked for thousands of people to ask for his salvation!

B has been working with us for 3 years but has not been a believer. Though he has read the Book, for a long time he did not accept. Just last week, his wife delivered their second son. During the delivery, they had complications and she bled profusely. Several hours after the delivery, B feared her death. He prayed that the Father would heal his wife and in return he would give his own life 100% to the Father. Immediately she was healed. B spent this year’s festival of the dead studying the Word of our Father instead of sacrificing to idols! Remember him, his wife, and other just like him.

We met a woman named OmSrey who was swollen head to toe and could barely walk. She had spent all her money seeing every doctor, but none could help her. She has been unable to eat and her face has swollen so severely that you cannot see her eyes. For an hour we shared about our Father, His love for her, his ability to heal, and what afterlife could be like. She cried and cried but could not speak. Now a week later, we are beginning to see our Father answer our prayers for her. She is still alive and very slowly getting better. But she is deeply entrenched in spirit and idol worship. We believe the Father is also reaching out to her daughters through all this. Pray for this woman and her entire family to come to know the One True God.

Continue to pray for my friend who has been wearing the “I want to know J” bracelet. I was able to help him when he was sick and share more about J. I could see from his red eyes that AM was thinking about my words, and I truly believe he is getting closer to the kingdom.

For the past three years we have been meeting with several in our village to study the Word. Just this past week, the teenagers gave permission to have the studies in their own home. It is a miracle that they would open their home because they are the only believers and have endured much persecution. It was amazing this week to open the Word and feel the Presence of the Father in the midst of the idols surrounding us. In each corner were golden idols and pictures, along with incense burning in front of them. Each window had a painted white cross in order to protect from evil spirits and there were red cloths with symbols hanging from the ceiling, which protect from evil spirits or angry dead ancestors. Pray for these believers and pray that their faith, their witness, and their numbers would increase.

I was walking in the mall today when I suddenly heard my name called. I turned around to see a lady in full covering looking at me and asking if I remembered her. I saw her husband and son standing behind her. It was my friend AR that I had not seen for nearly 2 years. I had visited their family in another city. They had only come to my city because of a death in their family. How sad I was to know that the wife’s father had died and had not known the good news. Sometimes I quite honestly feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task – but then I have to remind myself of the enormity of our Father who specializes in seemingly impossible tasks.

Praise the Lord for Shihoko, a Kansai University student, who accepted Christ last month and was baptized after reading a Japanese comic book Bible 15 times! After she heard the testimony from another Japanese Christian, Shihoko said she believed! Pray for Shihoko to grow in her faith consistently. Pray that she will be a catalyst in spreading the gospel at Kansai University. Pray also for Naomi, another Christian at Kansai University. She is graduating this March, so pray she will sense the urgency to share with her fellow students. Pray that God will radically move across this campus.
 
A worker asked one of her non-Christian friends to read a chapter a day from the book of Mark and then discuss it the next time they got together for lunch. Her friend read all of Mark and told the worker she wanted to become a Christian! God's Word is powerful and sufficient!! Another worker has become friends with a young mother, Yumiko, who lives in her neighborhood. A few days ago, the two got together. Yumiko said she had begun to believe in the same God in whom the worker believed, and she prayed to receive Christ. God is moving in Japan! Praise Him!

A new house church has begun in the city of Ikeda, a suburb of Osaka.  On a recent Saturday, we held a "Kick-off Party". A new believer who became a Christian the week before was baptized! Pray for Ikeda House Church. Pray that the church will be strong in the Word and will make disciples who will go out and make more disciples.
 
November is here and, like many other places around the world, the countdown to Christmas is on! Although IMB Tokyo team members are thinking Santas, they are not thinking gifts - they’re thinking -Texans. That’s right…a student team from Texas will don their Santa suits and descend on Tokyo’s streets next month to share Jesus, the Reason for the Season, through song, drama, and dance, with hundreds- even thousands of Japanese, who have yet to receive the best gift of all. Pray that God will prepare the team in every way for the task at hand; work in the hearts of those who will hear the Gospel; and, protect all involved from the Enemy who desires nothing more than to destroy this evangelistic effort.
 
God seems to be raising up nationals to be potential ministry partners with some IMB Tokyo team members.  As you praise God for these possibilities, pray He will confirm His will in each of these relationships and give wisdom to everyone involved to rightly determine the nature and depth of any partnerships that He desires to be forged.
 
Bluegrass music ... a witnessing tool? It just might be for one IMB Tokyo team member who can play a banjo with the best-of-them. As he witnesses to local band members, pray God will give His servant countless opportunities to share powerful, personal testimonies and effective Gospel presentations that lead these men and their families to trust in the One about whom they often sing without any true understanding.
 
After hearing the Gospel for the first time last month from a Japanese co-worker, H. prayed to receive Christ just one hour after hearing further explanation about the Bible from an IMB Tokyo team member recently.  As you praise God for the salvation of H., pray that he will not only grow as a follower of Christ but that he, together with his co-worker, will boldly share his testimony and the Gospel with others, resulting in their salvation.
 
Through personal relationships and upcoming evangelistic Bible studies on the meaning of Christmas as well as evangelistic training courses and the birth of a new house church, IMB Tokyo team members and GCC’s are making strategic plans for sharing the Gospel and implementing them across Greater Tokyo in response to the Holy Spirit’s leading.  Pray God will give each messenger of His Word countless divine appointments to share the Gospel boldly and effectively, bearing the fruit of salvation in the lives of those who hear.
 
E met M the first month she was in Japan (May 2004), and they’ve had a special relationship ever since. E has shared the gospel with M many times, they’ve studied the Bible together and several times M has seemed so close to accepting Jesus. Recently E asked M what is holding her back and she said that if she becomes a Christian she wants to give 100%, but she is not ready for that yet. Please pray that M will surrender everything to God and He will become Lord of her life.
 
The Tetsuo family that was just baptized is looking for a place to meet for house church. Praise God they are growing in their faith! Pray that God shows them where to meet and that their young, new church quickly multiplies itself. Pray that this family will be one of the sparks God uses to set Aichi ablaze with his Spirit.
 
The 2005 World Expo held in Aichi closed its gates for the last time on Sept. 25. But with dozens and dozens of contacts, the follow-up has just begun. In some ways, this is the most important work of all because this is when we try to determine where our contacts are spiritually.  Pray that we will reach all of these people who’ve asked for more info.  Pray that God is already softening their hearts, tuning their ears to His truth and opening their eyes to His light. Pray that these contacts place their faith in Jesus and then quickly get to work in His fields in Japan, reaching their friends and family for Christ.
 
Last month you prayed for M.O., as we began to talk deeply about Jesus Christ and what He can mean in a person’s life. After our initial time of sharing, M.O. is not responding to my requests to meet again. Pray that she is well, that she will allow me to stay in her life, and that while we are in this season of no connection the seeds of the gospel will not die but find the good soil in her heart. Pray that she will not only become a disciple, but a worker in the harvest.
 
Without planning it, we met a Deaf Christian friend, K.O., at a local coffee shop. He had his Bible open, drinking coffee all alone. As we visited we learned that he was baptized five years ago at age 25, but at home it is a struggle because his mother is in a strong Buddhist sect. She prays before the Buddhist altar daily to the dead ancestors. K.O. has shared his testimony and scripture with his mother, but she continues to say it is only lies. Pray for K.O., and hundreds more like him, deaf and hearing, who live in a daily atmosphere where the spirit of Jesus is not welcome. Pray that they will not despair, but be the light of the world in their homes, and that God will break down the strongholds and barriers that keep so many people from accepting the God of Jesus Christ into their hearts and lives. 
 
More than 20% of the Japanese population is now over 65 years of age. Most have lived their lives without ever seriously considering faith in Christ as a personal option. A team from the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention will be serving with the Impact Japan team November 14-24 in outreach activities focused on senior adults. Pray for open doors and hearts as they share the Good News.
 
Many Japanese believers desire to become more effective witnesses and servants of Christ but have no one to train or encourage them. Some take bold steps to evangelize or form new groups but find that they are criticized and discouraged by Christians in traditional churches. Ask the Lord to protect the hearts of bold believers.
 
The Lord has been has been faithful to answer requests to meet the people He is drawing to Himself in Hiroshima. Please pray for Ya and Kita that their eyes will be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ. Please also pray for the salvation of E and Mrs. Hi with whom a worker hopes to make personal contact soon.
 
Continue to pray for the folks on Kikai Island. An English teacher, Mr. Ta, went out to eat with two workers and was impressed with their relationship to Christ and their relationship with each other. Pray that Mr. Ta will come to a personal relationship with Christ and will share his faith with family and friends.
 
Your prayers for the outreach with DeanO the clown were answered. We were able to meet many people in the parks and share the gospel, give them Manga Life of Christ books and/or digest Bibles. Please pray that they will read them and that their hearts will be drawn to Christ. Pray that we will see people saved and churches started in Kimi no Mori, in Tako, in Fujieda.
 
Pray for Izu and Asa. Both are attending a house church worship that meets in their coffee shop. Izu went to India hoping to find the truth. She didn’t. Claim salvation for these two young ladies who are hungry to know Christ. Pray for their hearts to be open to the Holy Spirit’s voice.
 
Pray for the Nu family, the Ka family, the Hi family and the Sasa family in Sendai. God is giving workers there opportunities to share Christ with these families. The Nu family showed up at the home of workers in Sendai with snacks and sodas to share and stayed for two hours!! Pray for God to continue to give divine appointments and for these entire families to come to Christ and to become His church that will proclaim the gospel across Sendai and Japan.
 
Pray for salvation for Mr. and Mrs. Wa at the Ikoi group home in Sodegaura. Pray they will watch the Hope video and read the Scripture portions that were left with them. They live in an area called Three Black Shrines. The spiritual darkness in the area is oppressive. Pray for the light of the Gospel to penetrate that darkness.
 
Please pray for Mrs. K and her children who live in a town isolated from other Christians. Pray for Mrs. Sa to have wisdom and strength as she raises her children alone while her husband is in prison. Ask God to protect these young Christian families, strengthen their faith, helping them to rely on the Lord daily and grow in Him.
 
Pray for the neighbors of workers in Sapporo. Only two immediate neighbors attend when an activity is held at their home. Pray that others in the neighborhood will come with hearts eager to hear the gospel. Pray for inroads into the relationships already being built and for opportunities to share Christ.

Last month, workers visited Pigeon Hole Aboriginal Community and started mission work there. They shared the Gospel through Christian video tapes in the daytime and made visits to the homes in the community inviting families to attend Bible Studies on the long grass in the afternoon. God gave us opportunities to answer questions about life’s meaning and purpose. We praise God for the many Aboriginal people who are hearing the message of life and hope and are being drawn to it.
 
Praise God for answered prayer! You prayed last month for the children who have grown up in Christian families, and one of the "children" who is now in college has asked to follow Christ through baptism! Please continue to pray for the other children that need to make professions of faith.

Pray for Kazue, whom a worker met while prayerwalking recently. She is a graduate of Seinan Gakkuin and is now working in the office there. She is not a Christian, but since she met this Christian family, Kazue has been to every Bible study and church service that the workers attend. Another worker had an opportunity to pray for her the other day. Kazue said she was moved to tears and is beginning to realize that this ‘chance meeting’ may not be an accident. Pray for Kazue’s salvation.
 
Pray for MM, a Chinese Muslim, who is curious about Christians. Pray that God will move in his heart and draw him to read his NT and ask questions. Pray that his friends who are now new believers will give a positive witness.

During the month of Ramadan a follower is supposed to read through the entire Koran. Pray that God would lead Sohad and Mickey to read the Bible that was given to them. Pray that they will know in their hearts that their new home is a gift to them from Jesus, the Living Word.

Praise the Lord for the recent morning worship service with the Warlpiri Camp Community Aboriginal group of believers. Over sixty people were in attendance for the great time of fellowship and sharing. Praise the Lord for the two who shared a personal testimony and a message from God’s Word. Also thank the Lord that two of the teenagers from this group were able to attend a youth camp in western Australia and meet other young believers.

Pray that God will move in the hearts of the new Chinese student believers that they will desire to be baptized and that God will use the baptism for His Glory and witness. We also are asking God to raise up leaders among the new house church. Pray that the leadership will be recognized by others as well.

Did you know that if a follower greets someone with Salam alay-kum (peace be with you) during Ramadan a Muslim get extra points of "goodness" before Allah? Pray that God will reveal to us new ways in which he wants us to reach the Cousin community in Sydney. Pray for Muslims to encounter the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, and be transformed by His love for them.

Pray for a new group that will be formed during the sermon time at Reedy Creek Baptist Church. This will cater specifically to Japanese speakers. Our kick off date will be December 4th. Pray that people all over the Gold Coast will find Christ, perhaps through this new group.

Pray for Tasmania and the work that awaits us. Pray for those who do not yet know Jesus that they will continue on their spiritual journey of discovering Him. Pray for the many couples around the state who want to start churches in their homes, that God will open doors of opportunity for them.

During Ramadan if a follower gives 1 dollar to the poor it is like giving 10 dollars of credit to your "works account" before Allah. Pray for Sana and Hussein and their four children (who do not know the living God) to understand His deep love and mercy for them as a family, which is not based on their ‘works’. Pray that God would give them visions and dreams that reveal Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

Please continue to pray that a Bible study will evolve out of the weekday craft ministry to Japanese ladies. Ministries to Japanese women are fairly easy to do, but reaching the men is much more difficult. Please pray that God would show workers ways to reach the Japanese men in Sydney.

Pray for Kristel, a German woman, who brought her granddaughter faithfully to our weekly playgroup. Now that her granddaughter will be starting pre-school, she won't be attending, but she wants to maintain the relationship we have built with her over the past 2 years. This is a real answer to our prayers as she had been quite cold and closed to anything too personal but has so warmed over the past 12 months. Pray for Karen, Cathy and Sheila, and the playgroup team, that we will continue to invest ourselves in Christ-likeness towards Kristel and her family and be a source of light and encouragement to her

Pray for Takako, a working holiday fun-loving surfer girl who has started attending a church targeting surfers. She is very happy with the whole ‘ambience’ of the church and has changed her travel plans to basically ‘check out Jesus’. Pray that she will meet the Savior face-to-face and be transformed by His love.

Did you know that during the last 10 days of Ramadan if followers pray the routine prayers to God that Allah will bless them more than at any other time they pray? Pray that our Arabic Muslim friends will see the power of prayer when we pray for their individual needs. Pray that God will answer our prayers for Amanah – that she will find the right treatment for her dizzy spells and that she will one day make a decision to follow Christ.

Continue to pray for Colin and Julie. Colin has been asked to pastor and lead an inner-city church here in Adelaide whose folk are keen to know how God can use them - especially in the area of church planting. What a match! Colin believes God's heart for the future is the planting of new reproducing churches! Pray that God will do a mighty work in them and through them all.

In August, you prayed as we were busy ministering to several in the Church who were struggling with crises and various issues. But thank God; He has protected His people, and showed Himself to them, strengthening their faith.
 
Continue to pray for the distribution of the tracts “Welcome to the Gold Coast” in businesses and offices that cater to Japanese. Pray that this ministry will bear fruit for God’s Kingdom.