January 2002
Sometimes the best known dates are not necessarily
the most significant. Two examples immediately
come to mind: Jan. 1, 2000 (Y2K) and Sept. 11, 2001.
While both are important, I want to offer a third that, I
believe, is more so: June 26, 2000.
What? June 26th? Why?
On this date, religious leaders from six continents
gathered in Pittsburgh to sign a charter designed to unite
the religions of the world. This action would seem insig¬
nificant, even naively idealistic. But one of the overre¬
actions to the Sept. 11 attack has been a simplistic, ecu¬
menical desire to amalgamate the world's different
faiths into one homogenized religion. The tree of good
intentions, planted in the year 2000, bears its first fruit
by year-end 2001.
As followers of Jesus, the only Savior of the world,
it is important for us to note that one of the principles in
the June 26 United Religions Initiative Charter is a pro¬
hibition against evangelism. In this era of advancing one-
world religion, let's pray that Christians throughout the
world will be unwavering, witnessing one-Way people.
That all may hear and believe,
Randy Sprinkle, Director
International Prayer Strategy Office
1 MONGOLIA (north of China). A surgeon who
is a believer has come to Mongolia; he is doing surgery
and is reaching out to doctors in this country. Pray for him,
as he has started a Bible study for a hospital director and his
friends. Pray that they will hear the truth and believe. He is
also holding an English class in one of the hospitals, hoping
eventually to use it to share the truth with the hospital staff.
Pray that it will become an effective tool for outreach.
2 TAJUMULCO MAM OF GUATEMALA
(tah-hoo-MOOL-coh mahm). The Tajumulco
Mam team reports: "Earlier you prayed with us about the
unrest over the municipal boundary lines among the Taju¬
mulco Mam, an unreached people group in western Guate¬
mala. The violence escalated for a time, preventing entrance
by missionaries and stopping translation on the Book of
Luke. But it has now simmered down a bit, allowing the
team leader entrance back into the villages cut off by the
violence. Men still stand guard at the roads with their
machetes in plain sight, but it is calm enough for translation
on Luke to start up again. We praise God for the relief from
the violence. Continue to pray that the translation will be
finished so that we can get the JESUS film into Tajumulco
Mam for the thousands who do not understand Spanish."
3SORANI KURDS OF IRAQ (suh-RON-ee
koords). Because of the difficulty in getting to the
homeland of the Sorani Kurds to share the Good News,
work is mostly limited to refugees outside their country.
The diaspora, or displaced Kurds, can be found in many
places, including Germany, Sweden and the United States.
One such man, Adam (a pseudonym), is a Sorani Kurd liv¬
ing in the Middle East, hoping to achieve refugee status
with the United Nations. More than 12 years ago, Adam's
village was attacked by artillery and chemical weapons.
His whole immediate family perished, and he was left with
no lower extremities. The Sorani have suffered from terri¬
ble atrocities and are seeking a refuge. Pray that Adam, as
well as other Soranis, will come to know the true refuge
and safety that can only be found in Jesus Christ.
4MOKOLE OF BENIN (moh-KOH-lay). Praise
God for the new chronological Bible-storying group
that has begun in one village! A Mokole team member
writes: "At the king's request, we have begun storying in
the village on market day. The king stated that 'on market
day, everyone who wants to come can.' On the first day,
there were over 75 who came to hear the first story. We ask
that you pray for God's leadership as we continue minister¬
ing in this new village setting. We ask for wisdom to see
those whose hearts are touched by the Holy Spirit, and that
we may be sensitive to the culture as we lead these new
believers to become the resources of the harvest as they
reach other Mokole for Christ."
5 BANGKOK, THAILAND (BANG-kok). A Thai-
owned restaurant chain with several outlets in the Bang¬
kok area has decided to market to families. In an effort to
push this new direction, they ordered 250,000 copies of James
Dobson's book, Home with a Heart, translated into the Thai
language. They plan to distribute them free at all their rest¬
aurants. Is this not amazing? Please pray fervently that each
and every book would not only be received, but also read
and taken to heart. Ask God that seeds of the gospel message
and a new way of relating within the family would penetrate
deeply within each heart. Pray especially for the parents re¬
ceiving these books. As in any culture, they need to experi¬
ence the love and wisdom Christ brings to those open to Him.