Friday, March 16, 2018

Foreign Mission Prayer Opportunities...March 16, 2018

1.    Myanmar – Pastor Kham and his wife have taken the appropriate legal action to adopt and care for a Seventeen-year-old Buddhist convert who has been rejected by her family because she converted. Thank the Lord for His grace in calling this young lady out of the darkness of idol worship and into the marvelous light of the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness through our Savior Jesus Christ! Pray that his young covert will continue to grow in her faith as she studies her Bible with the Kham family and the members of the CLC-Myanmar.

2.    Myanmar – Three pastors of the CLC-Myanmar have passed away in recent months and another pastor had to resign due to health problems. Five young men have been identified and will receive training to replace these four men. Pray for their training and for congregations they will serve.

3.    Myanmar – A young man named Sam who is the son of Pastor Charles Edwards of the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar will begin Online Theological Training to prepare him to assist his father. He has recently earned a bachelor’s degree in information technologies and has good job. He is committed and dedicated to serving His Lord and working with his father in the Gospel ministry in the Yangon, Myanmar area.

4.    Myanmar – Thanksgiving to God for new the religious freedoms that have come from the new government in the past couple of years. Both the CLC-Myanmar and the National Lutheran Church of Myanmar report that they no longer receive any interference from the government, military, or police that was once common-place.

5.    Myanmar – Thanksgiving for the completion and dedication of the new buildings that the CLC-Myanmar was able to build with help from the CLC-Mission Development Fund.

6.    Myanmar – two men of the CLC-Myanmar are actively working to evangelize Buddhists in villages around Kalaymyo. Ten Burmese Bibles were purchased for their use as they conduct Bible studies with contacts.

7.    Nepal – Thank the Lord and ask for His on-going blessings on the four men who graduated on March 7th from the two-year Himalayan Bible Institute.

8.    Nepal – pray for God’s blessings on the new students and those who continue their studies at the Himalayan Bible Institute of the HCLC-Nepal.

9.    Nepal – There are ten men in distant districts of Nepal that are requesting Bible training. A visit is being planned. Pray that the Lord will bless this meeting and that these men will be dedicated to the truth of God’s saving word.

10.  Nepal – Visits are planned to the far-west regions of Nepal to meet with pastors who are interested in learning more about Lutheran doctrine and training to be faithful preachers of God’s saving word. Christians are very far and few between in these regions. Nepal is less than 2% Christian. Most of those Christians live in the Kathmandu area so it is great to see to the Gospel reach far beyond the Kathmandu valley!

11.  Nepal – Pray for the Gospel outreach in Nepal as new anti-conversion laws come into effect in July. These new laws are open to the interpretation of those who are charged to enforce them. The law states that those who publicly preach or teach the Bible to those of another faith with the intention of conversion are subject to punishment of five years in prison and hefty fines. Some have interpreted these laws to even prevent parents from bringing their children to baptism and Sunday School until the children reach the age when they can decide on their own if they want to hear God’s word. Pray that the Lord will embolden His children during these troubling times. For more information go to: http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/october/nepal-criminalizes-conversion-christianity-evangelism-hindu.html

12.  India – Mary Benjamin, the wife of Pastor V.S. Benjamin has suffered from diabetes for several years. She has been released from the hospital and is home resting after trouble with her kidneys. She will undergo more tests.

13.  India – A Hindu nationalist party currently holds the majority in the Indian government. Part of their platform is to promote Hinduism as the national religion of India. New rules and regulations that govern the transfer of money to India from foreign countries has created a great deal of difficulties for our CLC Treasurer and our brothers and sisters of the CLCI.

14.  India – Even amid the government crack-down on Christianity mentioned above, the doors of opportunity to train faithful pastors to proclaim the truth of God’s saving word and start new congregations is overwhelming. There is seemingly no end to the opportunities before us. Pray that the Lord would provide the necessary resources, man-power, courage and zeal to continue in this harvest field that is so ripe for harvest.

15.  Pray for the individuals in Senegal, DR Congo, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, and Myanmar who continue CLC Online Theological Studies correspondence courses.

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