January 10 :  To the Fourth Generation. “The start of a new year is a great time to reflect on last year’s accomplishments and setbacks and to begin prayerfully setting goals for the months ahead. Please pray that each person involved in ministry to Muslims in this state will set aside time this month to seek guidance from God through prayer and fasting. Ask God to purify His servants and reveal hidden or unconfessed sins. Also ask Him to encourage the fainthearted and weary and to equip each of us to fulfill the task to which He called us. There are several groups of Muslims who meet regularly to study the Bible. As they study, pray that individuals in the groups will come to faith at the same time and be baptized. Muslim-background believers already meeting in first-generation house churches (those started by church planters) are being encouraged to share their faith with their families and friends. Pray that their boldness will be well-received even by those who do not accept Christ. As these house churches try to find ‘people of peace’ (Luke 10:6) in other Muslim communities, please ask God to help them start second-, third- and fourth-generation churches (those planted by the new churches and not church planters). Currently most of the church planting in the state connected to our work is through one network. Please ask God to provide multiple church-planting networks so that the work can more easily withstand persecution and other difficulties.”

January 11 : Let Them Hear. “In November, we took several nationals to a village and stayed in a home there for five days. Using that village as a home base, we saturated seven villages with the Gospel. In every home where there was a person willing to hear, the Gospel was shared. In an attempt to place a Bible in every home, we left one in every place that would accept a Bible. In one village, two people accepted Jesus as their Lord! One was a man in his eighties who is blind; he was just waiting to die, with no hope. His wife is not able to read. The other new believer is a young man. Please pray for these two new believers, asking that they will be able to grow in Christ and share Him with their families and friends. Ask that God will continue to show Himself in this area, and that strongholds will be broken. Pray that many will make Jesus their Lord and that a house fellowship will begin and will soon develop into a healthy, reproducing church.”

January 12 :  Carving for Jesus. Following the tsunami in 2004, workers helped provide relief to this one village. Currently there are two house churches located in this jungle village. In November you were asked to pray for one that is being led by G, who held the first Christian funeral in that area. The second church is led by two leaders,  M and J. J is a wood carver who previously carved idols. After receiving Christ, he began carving nativity sets. J’s gift is teaching. He leads this house church, currently consisting of three families, in his home. Pray for J to remain close to the Lord and for this church to be obedient to share in the midst of persecution. M is a very strong believer and has many different gifts. He helps J and many other church leaders with teaching and accountability issues. Ask God to grow M into a church planter trainer.

January 13 : Working Together. Although India is one-third the size of the United States, four times as many people live in India. It is estimated that more than 97 percent of the population does not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In a country that worships more than 330 million gods, cross-cultural workers and South Asian partners work together to share the love of Christ. Pray that nothing will hinder these partnerships. Pray that God will have mercy on His people and the people of India and open closed doors and closed hearts. Pray that visa issues will be resolved. Praise Him, for He is in control and will bring His purposes to fruition!

January 14 : Anniversary Celebration.  Pray for the hospital as it celebrates its 37th anniversary in January. New facilities are being dedicated. Pray that the continued growth of the hospital will open more doors for the Gospel. Ask that the hospital will be protected from persecution or disruption as it shares with people. Pray that the spiritual outreach will remain a priority.

January 15 : Redeemed from Worry. Mr. F was a Bihari Muslim man in his seventies who chose to follow Isa (Jesus) very late in his life. The last week of November, he suffered an attack that paralyzed his entire left side and left him unable to speak. He then died on Dec. 1. An Indian Christian, a former Bihari Muslim who now follows Jesus, writes: “God answered our prayer, and he completed his journey in this land. We praise God because He redempted him from all types of sickness, hatred of his kin, and worry of the future.” Please pray fervently for Mr. F’s family during this time. He left behind his wife, two sons and their families, all of whom remain Muslims. Please pray for their salvation. Please also lift up the Indian Christian who is trying to minister to them as they grieve.

January 16 : Stirring the Nest. In a dramatic turn of events, an evangelist who simply has been spreading the Gospel in Muslim communities across the state over the past year has taken it upon himself to educate the local Christian community in how to do the same! Several pastors who live approximately two hours from his home had articulated their interest in years past, and in November and December, they joined him in training meetings where he shared in very simple ways how to proclaim the Gospel. God is using this man to “stir the nest.” Please pray for the body of Christ in this area, asking that they will be bold to proclaim Jesus. Ask God to prepare the hearts and minds of the Muslims to hear and receive His Word with gladness. Pray that He will raise up enough laborers to reach into the heart of the millions of Muslims across the middle of India and reap the harvest that God is preparing.

January 3 : “Happy New Year from Pakistan!” A new water-testing project is underway. This will allow cross-cultural workers access to numerous villages. Please pray that they will be well received by the village elders and that these elders will be “men of peace” (Luke 10:6). Pray that they will allow the testing of their water sources and then be willing to work together as a community to come to a solution to whatever problems arise. The purpose of this is to move toward a community-development process. Community development is more about how people solve their problems and less about what they actually do. “The goal is not simply the physical improvements that happen in a community, but the social, emotional and spiritual changes that we pray will occur as well. Pray that as we do the water testing, there will be many opportunities to share stories of Truth.”

January 4 : Untold Millions. The South Asian peoples affinity group has the highest number of unengaged unreached people groups (UUPGs) in the world with a population of over 100,000–more than 150 such groups. Within that number are more than 100 million people who have yet to hear the Good News. Twenty of these groups have populations of more than 1 million people who are yet to be engaged with a church-planting strategy. Can you imagine it . . . hundreds of millions of people who have never heard of God’s love for them? Jesus died more than 2,000 years ago so that they might have new life in Him. Pray that God’s Spirit will move across these people groups as cross-cultural workers and South Asian Christians work together to plant churches where they have never been before. Praise Him–for He is worthy to receive all glory, honor and praise–the Lamb who was slain.

January 5 : Searching for Green Pastures. Pray for the Kalwar of Bihar, India, who number more than 3 million. Due to frequent droughts in Bihar, the Kalwar struggle to feed their families or provide for their basic needs. Although the young people are now receiving an education, most of the elderly have never had that opportunity and have never heard of Jesus. The Kalwar need to know the One who came to seek and to save the lost. “Good Shepherd, lead the Kalwar to find green pastures and still waters and to place their trust totally in You.”

January 6 : Discipleship Dividends. After teaching and training church leaders this past semester, one location reports that they have had 50 baptisms since the semester ended. They also report that there have been 15 new church plants during the past six months. Please pray for strong biblical teaching to ground the new believers in these locations. Pray for the leaders in these places to put an emphasis on studying God’s Word and then “feeding” it to those who wait to hear the truth so that all may mature and be able to stand against any attempts of Satan to lead them astray.

January 7 : Musical Outreach. Pray for a group of Christian music songwriters who are doing evangelism around a very large city in India. Using principles from Luke 10, they are looking for people in various parts of the city who are open to the Gospel. Pray that many people will be reached and that doors will be opened for more to hear. Also lift up a group of keyboard music teachers who will be offering lessons in the same city in hopes of leading many to the Gospel through the lessons.

January 8 : A Second Chance.  ‘Z’ is a middle-aged Bihari woman who has had much hardship in her life. As an orphan, she was married off early to a man who died soon after the birth of their two children. Her family had been among the poorest in their Bihari neighborhood until Z found work in the home of a Christian family. With encouragement and a stable income, she started to bloom. She has shown a keen interest in learning to read and to study Scripture. Her employer is teaching Z basic small business skills so she will have opportunities for additional income. Thank God for the patience and vision this Christian family has had for helping Z. Please pray for Z as she struggles to learn new skills. Ask God to give her the courage needed to give her heart to the Messiah and to follow Him wholly, even in an environment that is hostile to the Truth.

January 9 :   Open Doors in Canada. During the past Christmas season, immigrants from other faiths saw Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus. Through television, radio or the testimony of Jesus-followers, some of them may have heard the truth about the uniqueness of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will use those truths to stir up questions about their own religion, and cause them to seek more information about Christ. Ask that it will lead them to have many conversations with Jesus-followers. Pray that their eyes will be opened to see that Jesus is God’s only plan for the salvation of individuals and for the entire human race.