The End or the Process?
“God’s purpose is that I depend on Him and on His power now… It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God. We have nothing to do with the ‘afterwards’ of obedience; we get it wrong when we think of the afterwards. What men call ‘training and preparation’, God calls ‘the end’. God’s end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now. If we have a further end in view, we do not pay sufficient attention to the immediate present: if we realize that obedience is the end, then each moment, as it comes, is precious.”
My Utmost for His Highest
Phuan
140,000 Phuan people live in northern Laos and another 60,000 in central Thailand. There is estimated to be only 20 believers among the 200,000 Phuan. Most are secretive about their faith due to persecution. All of these have come to faith since 1990. The Phuan language is a distinct separate language but is related to the Lao language. The Phuan have no books in their language.
Traditionally the Phuan have large families with men and women sharing work responsibilities. It is as common to see a Dad with a baby tied on his hip, as it is to see a Mom working in the fields.
The Phuan live on a large plateau in NE Laos. The climate is wonderful, the land is fertile and there are beautiful forests and many resources. Not surprisingly, this area has experienced invasions and wars for centuries. Raiders have come from China and armies from Vietnam. 100 years ago the King of Thailand attacked and took 40,000 Phuan as slaves to dig the canals of Bangkok – hence the present day population of Phuan in Thailand. More recently, the homeland of the Phuan was a major battlefield of the Vietnam War.
- Pray the handful of Phuan believers in Laos will know Jesus more and more and be filled with His love and joy. Pray they may know godly wisdom and boldness in living as followers of Jesus in a communist country.
- Pray for a vibrant, multiplying group of believers within walking distance of every Phuan person.
- Pray for 1000 intercessors, prompted by God, to pray faithfully and fervently for the Phuan. To receive regular prayer updates and information on the Phuan subscribe to phuanpg@rogers.com
Bamar
Many Bamar people come to Thailand for work in order to support their family back in Burma but there are not enough jobs for them. Two young men named BB and AA came to Thailand and found a place with some other Bamar believers – 4 in one room!
- Pray that the Lord in their midst will unify them in His love.
Mr. SP's mother died with leukemia when he was born. He was taken by a Burmese Buddhist and was sent to the Buddhist temple where he grew up. When the time came for him to get his identification as a Burmese citizen, he found out that his parents were Karen and Christian. So, although he had grown up Buddhist and did not know Jesus, he listed himself as a Christian on his identity card - but who was this Christian God? He went to a church to find out. A Christian took him to his home and shared the gospel with him. SP was still living at a Buddhist temple but each day he went to the Christian’s home to learn more about Jesus. After a few days, he came to faith and was baptized in a nearby river.
- Pray for SP’s health and growth in his walk with Jesus. Also pray for God’s healing him of his leukemia.
