For the last 2 to 3 years, a group of Mien students who have considered themselves Christians since they were small children, have been staying in the hostel attached to a Mien church and attending services.  They show little evidence of being born again.  They tend to influence each other in a worldly way. 

• Please pray for the 2 high school boys and the 5 girl students that they will respond to the working of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.

Pastor SZ is good at organising activities for the young people but finds it difficult ministering to the spiritual needs of people who are discouraged or who are not right with the Lord. 

• Please pray for him that besides his gift of working with young people, he will develop more pastoral skills.  Pray also for his wife O that her ministry would be a spiritual one, not just relying on her own gifts and abilities.

Please pray for Th church.  They have asked us to assist the church in April 2007.  Since commissioning Pastor NK and his family for ministry in a CAN, the church has been without a pastor.  There is a danger that the church will be taken over by unsuitable people. 

• Please pray that the Lord will prevent this from happening and that 2 Mien Christians from other villages who have said they will each try to help out one Sunday a month will follow through on what they have said.

Bible translation
What a time to have one of the computers crash but that is exactly what has happened this past week.  Now it has to be fixed. Please continue to pray for the Lord’s protection over the computers and equipment. GF and I are now into the New Testament, checking the comments of checkers plus parallel passages of which there are many! At the same time we are struggling with remaining change table and typesetting problems.

 

Over these last months the three rotating 'preachers' here at RM have also been rotating in going to RW, a Mien church about 8 km. away.  They are encouraged when they see that people are attending faithfully and want to see the church grow.  The church building is very old, in poor condition and the roof leaks.  The land the church is on is a very good site beside the road which goes through the village. A new building is needed.  When and how is the question.

Please continue to pray for the former Pastor at Th Village with his wife and 2 small sons who are now in the CAN learning the national language.  They are able to assist believers there particularly at weekends.  Pray that the Lord will bless and protect them and make them a blessing to their own people.

 

9 Mien young people are studying the Bible, 5 in a recognized Bible School, 4 in an unrecognized.  Pray for a deepening love for God and for His Word and for a burden to minister to their own people.  Pray too God’s leading over their future service.

Youth and Children
It is good to have the Christian youth back in the village during the school holiday until the end of Oct. and to be able to spend time with them.  They are helping their families with the corn harvest.  Their presence at church meetings is a spur and encouragement to everyone.  Pray that their lives and conversation will be a powerful testimony to their parents and to non-Christians in the village.

 

Two Christian young ladies have graduated and are looking for jobs.  If they could find work in their home area they could be part of the of their own home church.  This would inject new life into the church.  Unfortunately jobs there are scarce but God can do it.  Others are applying for tertiary education.  The same applies to them. If they can be in a area where there are Mien they greatly strengthen the local Mien churches.

 

A Vacation Bible School and special Youth meeting will be over by the time you read this.  Pray for the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of these children and youth to give them the desire to know God and be pleasing to Him.  There is now a toddlers Sunday School before the Children's’ SS on Sunday mornings – 6 attend.

 

Last year Granny L’s son was murdered.  This year one of her grandsons hung himself.  Another died in a tragic accident.  Now her youngest son is dying.  Mr. F who is Granny L’s son-in-law said that her first husband was murdered many years ago.  Mr. F wondered why there is so much tragedy in Granny L’s life.  I tried to explain to him but I wondered how much he understood.  Pray for Mr. F's spiritual eyes to be opened.

 

Church planting
Last week we met others who can help us to get the Scriptures and hymnbooks into CANs.  This opens up several other possible channels.  Please pray that these will become reality.  A small number of books will be going in later this month.  Pray for the safety of all concerned and that they will speedily reach the Mien believers who keep asking for them.

 

Please continue to pray for the 13 coming to the baptismal classes for the spiritual hunger and illumination that only the Holy Spirit can give.  May the life giving seed of God’s Word fall on good soil that will reproduce more than a hundred fold.  The classes over the next few Friday evenings are on being led by the Holy Spirit, prayer, Bible reading and temptation.  Pray that it will not all just be theory.