April 2006
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has the largest
landmass of any IMB region worldwide. It covers 12 time
zones, 25 countries and more than 350 million people. Of
the 440 peoples, cities and population segments that com¬
prise the region, 234 are unreached with the Gospel of
Christ. Only one out of every 200 people know Jesus as
their Lord and Savior. The challenge of reaching the other
199 is due in part to the region's history of repression and
anti-God philosophies, which, even today, hold sway
over the hearts of the people. Another factor is the poor
representation of Christianity by state churches that have
buried the Gospel under tradition and meaningless cere¬
mony. Those emerging from the dark days of commu¬
nism find themselves thrust into the blinding light of secu¬
larism and false religion. They are now without common
purpose, without Jesus, without hope and without a
guide to lead them to a better future. Our missionaries are
working to be guides leading them to the truth. There are
396 IMB missionaries on more than 60 teams engaging
the lost of CEE with the Gospel. Our immediate goal is to
reach 122 of the people groups by 2010. For this to hap¬
pen, approximately 60 new strategy coordinator (SC) mis¬
sionary teams need to be in place and working. These SC
missionary teams can be IMB personnel, national partners
or stateside partners acting as "virtual" SC teams. Virtual
SC missionary teams are churches or ministries that
choose to adopt and take responsibility for reaching an
unreached people group. To find out more about this
important volunteer missionary role, visit hope4cee.org.
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but
the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore,
to send out workers into his harvest fields" (Matthew
9:37-38, NIV).
1 HUNGARIANS IN SLOVAKIA. The Treaty of Trainon in
I 1920 dictated that two thirds of Hungary's land be given
to neighboring countries. The result 85 years later is that
more than 600,000 ethnic Hungarians live within the politi¬
cal borders of southern Slovakia. They have learned to
speak the local language and adopt the local customs but
still choose to relate primarily to people of their own blood.
Evangelistic initiatives in the Slovak language have failed
to capture the heart of ethnic Hungarians. Please pray for
the Lord to send someone who will focus on sharing hope
with each of these 600,000 hearts and partner with IMB
missionaries in Slovakia and Hungary to deliver this hope
in their native heart language.
0 MAKHUWA OF MOZAMBIQUE AND TANZANIA (mah-
L KOO-ah). The Northern Mozambique Ministry Team has
begun an "AIDS Orphan Project" among the children of
the Makhuwa-Makhuwana in Mozambique. Please pray
for missionary Dianne Randolph and the pastors who serve
on the AIDS committee. Dianne writes: "We will be getting
around 30 to 60 children enrolled in school. Some have not
been going because their widowed moms have no resources.
We are beginning a club that will have a special program
for these children and sometimes their moms or dads, too.
Pray for the Gospel message to cause a lasting change in
each orphan and their surviving parent or caregiver."
П
CHISINAU, MOLDOVA. This city of 850,000 people serves
и
as the cultural, political and social capital of the poorest
country in Eastern Europe. Though a great deal of evange¬
listic focus has taken place in the smaller villages of Mol¬
dova, the capital city remains largely unreached. The child
prostitution, gambling, alcoholism, corruption and poverty
of the capital city lend credence to the fact that a fresh, spir¬
itual awakening is needed if every heart in Moldova is to
receive an opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel.
Please pray the Lord will send someone who will focus on
taking the "urban challenge" in Moldova and partner with
national Baptists and others to win this key city.
4 BHUTAN (South Asia). Pray for Bhutanese Christian stu¬
dents, asking God to equip them, empower them and use
them to make Jesus known to their generation and in their
country. Pray that the Father will protect them from the
evil one and protect their testimonies for His name's sake.
Ask that they would live holy, obedient lives - completely
sacrificed - totally committed to Jesus. May they shine like
the stars in the heavens as they hold out the Word of life.
Г
AUKAN OF SURINAME AND FRENCH GUIANA (AW-
u kan). "Almost four years ago, the Aukan Team erected a
radio tower in the jungle of Suriname. This is one of the
tools being used to bring the Gospel to the Aukan people.
As of now, there are Bible stories being played on the radio
but no Christians work there. We consider the radio station
to be Christian and hope one day to have Christians giving
testimonies over the radio. Pray that the Lord will call Chris¬
tians to come and work at the station and that they will be
bold in their faith and witness to the people listening."