Pacific Rim July 2006 Prayer Emphasis:
The San Diu of Vietnam

“And Jesus said, ‘I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’” Mark 14:62, NAS.

The San Diu is a Chinese speaking minority group in Vietnam who migrated from Guangdong, China in the mid-1600s. They live in densely populated villages throughout Northern Vietnam. The little over 100,000 San Diu are mainly subsistence farmers who have historically been ill-treated by wealthy land owners. Their villages are often located at the foot of a mountain and near a stream. They refuse to dig wells because of a belief that spirits live in the earth and digging might cause them to accidentally hit a dragon’s vein, which would cause misfortune.

Most San Diu follow Daoism mixed with ancestor worship. The greatest honor for a San Diu family is to have a son become a priest or shaman. For centuries they have believed a Daoist shaman is capable of gaining favor with the spirits, enabling his family to live in peace. There are very few known Christians among this group and a majority have never even heard the name of Jesus.

Pray that:

God will create a hunger in the San Diu for the gospel.

Christians will discover creative ways to gain access to this remote people group.

San Diu believers will be bold to witness and that God will accompany their witness with His power so that many San Diu will believe and be saved.

San Diu churches will form and spread from densely populated village to densely populated village.

God will give believers grace and protection from all powers that oppose the spread of the gospel in Vietnam.

Intercessors will become burdened to pray earnestly for the San Diu until the gospel is established among them.

God will burden a mature Christian to go and live among the San Diu as an evangelist and church planter.