Pray for the Mien

New Mien Outreach Project

2011-05-28T22:57:00.002+07:00

In a couple weeks we will begin a new Mien outreach project at our location. Please pray that many who do not yet believe will be involved. Pray also that the approach we are taking will not only be effective, but also reproducible--that others will take the example we are giving and repeat it on their own. This project will last for about 9 months. Thank you for praying for the Mien of Southeast Asia!

Special Training This Week

2011-02-13T22:04:00.002+07:00

Dear friends and prayer partners for the Mien,

We are having another special training this coming week. We would like you to pray for us as we study all about Church Planting Movements and Best Practices in ministry that help lead to multiplication. Please pray for security for those coming and going. But also, please pray for the success of the messages--that they would inspire those who participate to have faith in God and to go out and attempt things they never dreamed they could do. Pray that when they do these impossible things, God shows that it is HIS power that brings fruit and miraculous results!

Drops Successful

2010-12-18T22:47:00.002+07:00

The special abundant evangelism event went succesfully this past week! Materials were delivered and some Mien people will hear the story of Christ for the first time ever as a result! Please pray that these items will plant seeds and begin to bear fruit! Pray that the Holy Spirit works through them.

Special Mien Evangelism Project

2010-12-09T20:54:00.002+07:00

Next week there will be a special Mien evangelism project happening here in Southeast Asia. The idea is to target unreached Mien in some of the largest and key villages around the country. Please pray for those involved. Pray for success. Pray for safety. Pray for maximum and lasting impact. Pray that this will be the beginning of a Church Planting Movement among the unreached Mien in Southeast Asia.

Mien Training Very Successful

2010-10-14T15:29:00.003+07:00

The special Mien training event we had last week was VERY successful! We had Mien people from four different provinces and they all got a lot out of it. Paradigms were shifted. People began thinking out of the box. Everyone was excited to put their learning into practice.

Please pray for these Mien people and that God will make them fruitful. Please pray that a Church Planting movement will begin because of their vision and God's blessing!

Mien Training Underway

2010-10-04T19:23:00.002+07:00

Our Mien Church Planting Movement training is underway and so far it is going fabulously! Please pray for it to continue and that people will be inspired to dream and act big for God! Please pray that "ruts" and tradition, as well as the love of money and power, will be removed from people's hearts and minds so that God can use them to the fullest and that fruit will multiply among the Mien!

Mien Training Event

2010-09-29T00:25:00.002+07:00

Next week we are having a very important training event for the Mien. We NEED your prayers for this all to go well. Please pray...

That all those invited will be able to participate.
That all who participate will have their hearts and attitudes in the right place.
That I will be able to teach effectively.
That I won't get sick before or during the training. (Sickness is going around here now.)
That those participating will gain a new vision and commitment.
That there will be security for our training and for everyone as they travel to and from the training.
That this will ignite a church planting movement among the Mien in Southeast Asia.

Thank you for praying!

Please Raise Up Missionaries to the Mien

2010-07-12T12:10:00.002+07:00

Dear Lord Jesus,

The numbers of the unreached Mien in Southeast Asia are vast and are too many for a handful to missionaries from the outside to reach alone. Mien Christians are too few to do it themselves or lack some good tools that outsiders can help provide. So we ask you to please raise up missionaries to the Mien. May they be good ones who train the Mien how to train others, who disciple and who do not create dependency. May these be Christians from other countries and tribes, as well as Mien Christians from the West. May you give them a burden for the unreached Mien of Southeast Asia that persists until the work is complete.

Please Save the Mien of Vietnam

2010-07-10T10:53:00.002+07:00

Father and Savior,

You are worthy of having all people praise you. We ask that you would please save the Mien of Vietnam that they may worship you in new found joy. May they know your love and your forgiveness. May they turn to you in truth and turn away from the spirits. May you be glorified among the Mien of Vietnam!

Please Mobilize the Mien of Thailand

2010-07-08T12:53:00.002+07:00

Dear Lord God,

You have placed the Mien in Thailand in a unique position. There they have freedom to worship you and many resources with which to serve you. We ask that you mobilize the Mien Christians of Thailand to reach the unreached Mien there, and then to mobilize them to reach out to the Mien in China, Laos and Vietnam. May their witness be effective for you. Bring revival to the Mien church in Thailand. May you be glorified among them and through them!

Please Call the Mien of Laos to You

2010-07-07T09:33:00.002+07:00

Dear Lord Jesus,

The Mien of Laos are in a special location, bordering all the other countries in Southeast Asia that have Mien. Please call the Mien of Laos to yourself--that they would rise up and know you--that they would repent of all evil and follow you with holiness and passion. May a church planting movement start in Laos that spreads to all of the other nations that have unreached Mien. May you be glorified among them!

Please Redeem the Mien of China

2010-07-06T06:35:00.002+07:00

Lord, just as you could not forget the city of Ninevah and all its people, we pray that you will remember the Mien of China, the most numerous segment of their population. Please redeem the Mien of China and call them to repentance. Send your messengers to them so that they would hear the good news of Jesus and turn to him. May you be glorified among the Mien of China!

Please Unify Mien Christians

2010-07-05T10:24:00.002+07:00

Dear Lord Jesus,

You prayed that your disciples would be one. Yet Satan is a master at finding ways to get Christians angry and jealous with one another. We have let you down by fighting and dividing when we should be forgiving and unifying in order to work hand-in-hand. We pray for the Mien Christians in Southeast Asia--please unify them. Make them one. Help them have a spirit of forgiveness and grace and a commitment to overcome any differences in order to be one in you and one in purpose. May you be glorified as a result.

Please Draw Mien Believers to Holiness

2010-07-03T20:24:00.002+07:00

Holy Father of us all,

You are holy and you ask us to be holy like you. Please draw Mien believers in Southeast Asia to your holiness. May they be holy as you are holy. May their holiness reflect your character, love and authority. As a result, may others who do not believe in you take notice when they see the purity and grace in the lives of your Mien children. Do not let Satan pull them away from your perfect standard. May you receive glory from their lives.

Please Ignite a Church Planting Movement

2010-07-02T10:23:00.002+07:00

Lord of Creation,

We ask that you look down on the Mien of Southeast Asia in mercy. Do a miracle in their midst that we would never think possible. Please ignite a church planting movement among them. May the message of the gospel spread like wildfire as people "gossip" it from home to home in stark realization that you are their God and are calling them to repent. May groups of passionate worshippers pop up in their homes until there are house churches planting house churches that plant house churches in every Mien village in Southeast Asia.

Please Raise up Mien Evangelists

2010-07-01T11:03:00.002+07:00

Dear Lord,

The kind of evangelists who are passionate for your gospel, obedient to your commands, and persistent in holiness and humility are few and far between. We ask that you would raise up these kinds of people from the Mien in Southeast Asia so that they would share your good news to their unreached brothers and sisters effectively.

Please Give The Mien Dreams

2010-06-30T03:40:00.002+07:00

Lord Jesus,

As the Mien sleep tonight, and in coming days and months, please visit them in their dreams. Tell them how you feel about them. Tell them what you want them to do. Prick their hearts with curiosity so they will seek you out and listen when they hear your message. May they wake up wanting to repent of their sins and know their heavenly father who loves them.

Please Open Their Hearts

2010-06-29T10:00:00.002+07:00

Lord, we ask that you open the hearts of the unreached Mien in Southeast Asia. Open their hearts to having their worldview challenged. Open their hearts so that they will consider the gospel when they hear it. Place a curiosity in the Mien to seek you out. May the Mien know you and glorify you!

Worldview

2010-06-16T20:52:00.002+07:00

I want to ask you to pray for a special event we are planning here. I can't give you a lot of details but it involves putting out a message to the Mien people here that will help frame a worldview narrative for them--one that is different that what they have believed before. But this is the worldview narrative of the Bible and it leads us to understand why we need God.

We have many different pieces in place, but we are still waiting for a couple more integral parts to fall in place. One of these is that we need an artist ASAP to help us draw up some pictures that go along with the message. Simple black and white "cartoons" that express the meaning of the narrative. Please pray that someone who is talented in this area can come forward and help us!

Then pray that the special event goes well. When the time comes, we'll tell you more. And after it is finished we'll give you an account. Please keep praying.

Where's our Investment?

2010-06-14T08:37:00.002+07:00

Haggai 1:5-6 says:

"Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.'"

I know I've felt this way before! Have you? Now look what God says in Haggai 1:9:

"'You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?' declares the LORD Almighty. 'Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.'"

For us who live with Christ, the Lord's house is not a temple built by human hands, but our hearts and bodies in which the Holy Spirit inhabits. So, are we guilty of same thing by worrying about the lives we are trying to build, yet forgetting to build our hearts and purify ourselves so that we are an appropriate temple for the Holy Spirit to indwell?

Could our lack of success in the things we're worried about pursuing and achieving be attributed to God not giving his blessing because he wants us to seek him first?

Lord, may your Word infiltrate our minds and our hearts. May we turn our attention to you and honor you above all things. May we give up our pursuit of anything other than you. May the Mien of southeast Asia find you when they seek you.

Artist & Translator

2010-06-13T12:02:00.002+07:00

We have some work we need done for ministry to the Mien people. There are two different things and perhaps you can help us with one of them:

1) We have 12 lines that tell a very simplified worldview narrative of Creation and the Fall and how God is calling the Mien to come back to him. We need this translated from English into Mien (new Roman script) correctly and effectively. Can you do this? If so, please e-mail me.

2) We need an artist to draw 12 very simple black-and-white "cartoons" that depict the idea from each of the 12 lines of text. The should look clean and simple, but not childish or scary. They need to be digitized and put into a computer. You don't have to speak Mien to do this--we can give you the 12 lines in English to work from. Can you do this? If so, please e-mail me.

Lord, may you provide helpers for this task!!

Without Having Studied

2010-06-11T10:49:00.002+07:00

In John 7:15 the people listened to Jesus speak and were amazed. Then they asked themselves, "How did this man get such learning without having studied?"

Without having studied.

The truth is, Jesus most certainly studied. What this question means, however, is that he never entered the religious training schools of his day. In contemporary terms--he never went to Bible college or seminary.

What amazed people back then about Jesus still amazes people today--How could someone possibly learn to teach in an amazing or effective way about God without having gone to Bible college?

I have heard this before. A guy I know was once hired as a youth minister at a church. When the people heard him teach they were amazed and exclaimed to one another, "He hasn't even been to Bible college!" Now he is the senior preacher at that church.

But some of us assume that back in Jesus' day they didn't have Bible colleges. They most definitely did and this verse demonstrates their thinking about it, too. The biblical training institutions of then were certainly very different from those of today, but the idea was the same--learning to know the Bible.

Some of us may then say, "Well, Jesus didn't need to go to Bible college because he was the Son of God." But apparently he seemed to think his disciples didn't need to go either--they were accused of being "unlearned" men by the Pharisees. Yet, these same unschooled men were the ones who turned the world upside down.

Why? How?

A clue might be in the verses following John 7:15. Jesus says that Moses gave them the law but that none of them keep the law he gave them. (v. 19) His point? Knowing all about the Bible doesn't help us at all if we don't obey it. People who go to institutions to learn the Bible come away with a lot of knowledge, but not necessarily obedience. God desires obedience.

Lord, we pray that you would use us according to our obedience to you in reaching the unreached Mien. Raise up Mien people who have a heart for obeying your words and walking in your way. May they study you as they seek you on their own and in fellowship with other God-seekers. And may their obedient lives be a strong testimony to others of your grace and kindness to us, leading many to you even though they serve you "without having studied."

His Name and Renown

2010-06-10T10:17:00.003+07:00

Isaiah 26:8 says, "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts."

There is a connection between walking according to God's laws and his name and renown. God's name is honored and revered when his people walk in his ways. This is is pleasing to God and is his desire for his people.

God's name and renown among the Mien of southeast Asia are the desire of my heart. I pray that it will be the desire of the hearts of many Mien here to see Jesus glorified among their own people--so much so, that they meticulously walk in his way.

Lord, your name is beautiful and powerful. May you be famous and renowned among the Mien!

Don't Stray from Prayer

2010-06-08T23:35:00.002+07:00

Slow internet connections are my reason but not an excuse. Praying without the "accountability" of posting it has eventually led to lapses in praying. But it's time to come back. Time to take the time to pray. The Mien are still unreached. Thousands of them are still held in the kingdom of darkness. Now is not the time to lay down the sword. The battle is still raging. We must not stray from prayer.

Christian Animism

2010-05-19T09:58:00.007+07:00

Just last week we went to a house church of Mien people. Outside their front door we found this:

If you are not familiar with Animism you'll say, "Oh, Cool--an old rugged cross decorated with flowers!" If you understand Animism then you will see that this is not just decoration or an evangelistic proclamation, but it is a shrine. Flowers, water and other items are offered at this "spirit cross" in the same way offerings are made at non-Christian spirit houses.

This spirit house was just about 2 meters away from the "spirit cross" in front of the same house.

What's the purpose of these offerings? They are to "feed" the spirits who inhabit the area in order to placate them so that they don't come and bother the people in the house by making them sick or fall on financial hardship.

So what kind of spirits would "eat" at a "spirit cross"? "Christian spirits" (namely Jesus, in their thinking) who will be satisfied with their offerings and subsequently decide not to harm them for not feeding him.

The spirit house is for "non-Christian" spirits (demons) just to make sure they are still protected in case if Jesus can't get the job done. Better to have double protection by placating all of the potential threats.

Attached to the front of their door was the following:

A cross. No big deal, right? Well, for many Animists, putting a charm on or over your door is intended to protect from evil spirits entering. It is pretty clear that this family thought that this paper cross would help protect them from malevolent spirits.

These kinds of misunderstandings are what happen when Mien people "accept Christ" and aren't taught to understand the true way of Jesus. They simply take the names of Jesus and other things in the Bible and place it on top of their animistic worldview and beliefs.

This family needs to be taught much better. Thankfully, our disciples are working with them and teaching them. Please pray for other Mien "Christians" who are merely Christian Animists and who don't yet understand the gospel.

Released

2010-05-03T23:01:00.002+07:00

Thank you for praying for CC and LA. They were released today after being extensively interviewed about their faith and how and when they became believers. The police requested a payment of about $180 for their release citing various administrative fees for holding and processing the two young men, even though they were officially not found guilty of anything. This was haggled down to about $40.

At one point the officer asked CC, "What did you get to become a Christian?" CC was waiting for this question. It is a very common question as many non-Christian people here assume that foreigners pay people to become Christians, or otherwise entice them with scholarships, vehicles, investment or paying for medical fees. The police are trained to believe that the US government sends foreign workers here to spread the Christian religion by means of enticing people with financial benefit in order to turn the people against the government.

CC answered the officer, "I have received a guarantee that my spirit will be safe forever with God for eternity." He continued to explain the gospel to the police man who displayed a certain disdain for his answers. He wasn't interested in allowing CC the opportunity to share the full message with him and cut him off.

The young men finally ate their first meal around noon today after being released. The police did not feed them anything even though they told us they would when we tried to bring food to them last night and were denied.

These events may possibly initiate an investigation into our work and activities here. So we ask you to continue to pray for us here. Thank you!

Two Mien Christians Arrested

2010-05-03T08:15:00.002+07:00

Please pray for two young Mien brothers who were arrested here last night. Their crime? In going to visit a friend they accidentally went to the wrong house. The house they went to happened to be the Chief of Police who thought they were thieves trying to break in. He searched them and found a Bible on one of the young men. He ordered them arrested and they are now being held in prison for trying to break in to the Chief of Police's house.

It is ridiculous. Even after adequately proving that it was a simple mistake the lower ranked police officers did their best to come up with reasons to hold these two brothers in prison. However, they were simply ordered to do so by their boss.

Please pray for CC and LA. One is a new believer and was visibly shaken by the experience. The police separated them and interviewed them behind closed doors. We don't know how much they're going to make an issue out of the Bible or how difficult things are going to be. One thing we are confident of is that the Chief of Police will not admit that he made a mistake because "big people" here do not admit error or they would lose face. So, please pray. Thank you.

Small Church

2010-03-17T10:21:00.002+07:00

Please pray for a small gathering of Mien Christians in LP. They are a group of individuals who have come to faith separately and are more accustomed to worshiping with other non-Mien Christians than with one another in their own language. CC is trying to lead them. Pray that they will start to form an identity and that God's Spirit will enliven their fellowship.

Mien Evangelist

2010-02-28T13:43:00.002+07:00

I would like to ask you to pray today for a Mien evangelist here that I will call "CC." He is someone who has caught the vision as a result of his own transformation by God, and by being discipled. Please pray that God protects him as he shares the gospel, as he works with unreached Mien and as he plants and encourages new house churches. Please pray for CC.

Unreached Mien of Houaphan Province, LPDR

2010-02-16T16:13:00.004+07:00

Please pray for the Mien of Houaphan province. We recently did some research there and although they were very welcoming to us, there were no believers among them. We heard of only one. But because of the intense pressure by the government against Christians, we were told that this man doesn't even admit to his faith for fear of persecution. In another village the village policeman wanted to write down our names to make a report after learning that we know of Mien Christians in other locations--we hadn't even attempted to share the gospel. So, please pray for the Mien of Houaphan province.

Vince Antonucci: On My Heart--Mien Missionaries From America

2010-02-14T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father, You have brought some of the Mien to America, and many of the Mien in America are believers. Most of the Mien in America may feel like they escaped oppressive governments and are grateful for the freedom they have in America. But today I pray that You will call some of the Mien believers in America to go back – back to Laos, to Vietnam, to Thailand, to China – back so that they can share with the Mien there about freedom in Christ. I especially pray for Mien teenagers in America, that You would give them a heart for their people and some of them a calling to become missionaries to the Mien in Southeast Asia.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Maintain Purity of Devotion

2010-02-13T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father, You tell us that You want all of us. That You want us to love You with all we are , in all we do, with all we have. Often when a person first gives their heart to You, their devotion is focused and strong. But there is so much to distract us and to pull us away from a single-minded focus on You. God, we pray that the Mien who become believers would only see their passion for You increase, and would maintain the purity of their devotion. We know this will please You, and will also allow the Mien to shine your light so others are drawn to You.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Give Creative and Inspired Strategies

2010-02-12T18:00:00.002+07:00

Lord, there are so many barriers to the gospel being shared with the Mien. Most live in hard to reach places in the mountains of Southeast Asia. There are language barriers for some who might want to share with them. Most live in closed countries where missionaries are not permitted. And all of this means that missionaries need platforms for access to the Mien. And that’s what we pray for today. Would You give creativity and divinely inspired strategy to those who want to share Your Word with the Mien. We pray that You would supernaturally open paths for them gain access to the Mien for you.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Demolish Strongholds of Bondage to Spirits

2010-02-11T18:00:00.002+07:00

God, most of the Mien in Southeast Asia are in bondage to spiritual strongholds. Not only are many unaware of Jesus, but they fear and worship spirits. These strongholds can keep them from putting their faith in and following Jesus, even if they were to hear about Him. You tell us in 2 Corinithians 10:4 that You provide your divine power to demolish strongholds, and that’s what we pray for the Mien in Southeast Asia. We pray that You would set them free from these strongholds, so they can be free to believe Your truth, which is what will truly set them free.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Guard from Sexual Temptation

2010-02-10T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father, some of the greatest temptations people face are sexual in nature. You gave sex as a gift to be shared between a husband and wife, but for many sex is used outside of that context and becomes a problem rather than a blessing. God, the Mien fall into the same traps, and even face some sexual temptations most other people don’t. We pray that You would guard the Mien from sexual temptation, that You would protect and restore their sexual purity.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Expose the Lies of Satan

2010-02-09T18:00:00.002+07:00

God, we know that You are the Father of truth, but we also understand that there is a father of lies. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy the life You intend for us to have with You, and perhaps His greatest weapon is deception. He sometimes uses blatant lies, and other times subtle distortions of truth. Lord, we want the Mien to experience the abundant life of Jesus, and so we pray that You would expose the lies and help them to know Your truth.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Pray For New Church!

2010-02-08T22:43:00.002+07:00

We are in the the process of planting a new Mien church in the location where we live. A Mien disciple of ours who has really caught the vision for ministry and church planting will be leading the first gathering tomorrow.

So, please PRAY! Please pray that this new church is birthed with the right DNA that will allow it to both GROW and REPRODUCE/MULTIPLY. Pray that growth will lead to multiplication and the equipping of many people to ministry, and not to an expanding single body under the authority of one person who does all the ministry and gets all the credit. Pray that they will learn to do everything with their own resources and not seek outside help to do regular stuff. Pray that the Holy Spirit moves within them, leads them and guides them in obedience! May God's grace transform people's lives and lead many to repentance!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Spiritual Strength against Temptation

2010-02-08T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father, we pray, as Jesus taught us, that You would not lead the Mien into temptation, but deliver them from the evil one. The Mien of Southeast Asia face many temptations we can relate to, but others that we don’t. We pray against these temptations, and for spiritual strength for the Mien. We count on the promise in Your Word that when the Mien are tempted, You will provide a way out so they can stand up under it.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: May Comfort Overflow to the Suffering

2010-02-07T18:00:00.002+07:00

God, so many Mien Christians around the world suffer on Your behalf. We pray that You would be the God of all comfort, and comfort each of them so much that Your comfort overflows and they’re able to comfort each other. Please fill them with confidence that comes from the hope of eternity.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Desire for Boldness

2010-02-06T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father, we remember the story in Acts 4 where the Christians had been persecuted, and rather than praying for safety, they prayed that they would share Your word with even more boldness. And You filled them with the Holy Spirit so they could do just that. God, we pray for the Mien, many of whom would be persecuted if they tell people about Jesus. We pray that their desire would be for boldness, and You would provide it through Your Spirit.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Do with Governments Whatever is Best

2010-02-05T18:00:00.002+07:00

God, we know that most of the Mien live in nations where the government does not permit people to share Jesus, and where those who do are often persecuted. It’s tempting to pray that the governments would change so as to allow religious freedom, but God we want whatever is best for You and the advancement of Your Kingdom. And we pray for Mien Christians who are in difficult situations, that You would give them faith and hope and endurance.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Bring Mien to Faith through Audio NT

2010-02-04T18:00:00.002+07:00

Lord, we are so thankful that the whole New Testament is now available for the Mien. In Romans 10:17, You tell us that faith comes from hearing the message, and that the message is heard through the word of Christ. We pray that You would bring countless Mien to faith through hearing Your Word through the audio New Testament. Please God, draw the Mien to You.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Make Effective Mien Literature

2010-02-03T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father, we pray for the effectiveness of Mien Christian literature, in evangelizing those who don’t yet know You, and in growing in Christ-likeness those who do. Please make more effective Christian literature. God, we also thank You that the “Jesus Film” is now available in Mien. We pray that it would be an incredibly effective tool in helping the Mien to know Jesus.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: May they Know your Word

2010-02-02T18:00:00.003+07:00

God, we are thankful that there is now a Mien Bible. We pray that You supernaturally see that it gets distributed so that all the Mien can know Your Word. We also pray, as we learn to in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, that the Mien will receive it as the word of God, not the word of men.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: May they Hear through Mien Radio

2010-02-01T18:00:00.003+07:00

Lord, we read in Romans 10 that people cannot call on the one they have not believed in, and that they cannot believe until they have heard. One of the ways Mien can hear about Jesus is through Mien Christian radio. Please use Mien Christian radio to effectively lift up Jesus and draw the Mien to Him.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Raise up Missionaries to Mien

2010-01-31T18:00:00.003+07:00

God, our dream is that the Mien will know You, but they cannot believe unless they hear the Word, and cannot hear the Word unless someone preaches it to them. Would You please raise up missionaries to the Mien? We pray that You would right now, at this very moment, put it on the heart of people to be missionaries to the Mien in China, Vietnam, Laos, and all around the world.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: May Mien of Vietnam Worship You

2010-01-30T18:00:00.003+07:00

Lord, You created people to worship and glorify You. We know that evangelism happens because and where worship doesn’t. We pray that You would have effective evangelism happen with the Mien of Vietnam, so that true worship would happen there. Someday those who worshipped You on earth will worship You in Heaven, and we pray that many, many Mien Christians from Vietnam will be there.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: May Mien of Thailand be Effective

2010-01-29T18:00:00.003+07:00

God, Thailand is the one country in Southeast Asia where the Mien live, and where they are free to believe in and speak of You. We pray that this freedom would cause Your Word to spread rapidly amongst the Mien throughout Thailand. And we pray that Mien believers in Thailand would feel called by You to bring Your Word to the Mien in closed countries. And God, we pray for the Christian conferences that happen in Thailand, that they would be effective for You and Your Kingdom.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: May Mien of Laos See Your Light

2010-01-28T18:00:00.003+07:00

Father, we know that there is an unseen battle raging, and we pray against the spiritual forces that would keep the Mien of Laos down and from God. We pray for the Christians in Laos who are waging war against the darkness, and trying to shine the light of Christ. Let all the Mien there see Your light.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Revival amongst the Mien of China

2010-01-27T18:00:00.002+07:00

God, there are more Mien in China than any other country, but it’s probably the country with the smallest percentage who are Christians. We pray that You would raise up people who will lift up and draw people to Jesus. And we pray for those who are already doing so. God, bring a revival amongst the Mien of China.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Evangelistic Unity

2010-01-26T18:00:00.002+07:00

Jesus, You said in John 17:23 that you want believers to be brought together in complete unity, and that this would help the world to know that Your Father sent You and loves us. We pray that Mien Christians would live in harmony and experience the kind of unity that points non-believers to You.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Holiness in Mien Christians

2010-01-25T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father, You tell us that your desire for us is holiness, that we are to pursue holiness, and that without holiness no one will see you. Today we pray for holiness in the Mien Christians. We know that it will please and honor You, and that it will help non-believers to see You in them.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Ignite a Church Planting Movement

2010-01-24T18:00:00.004+07:00

God, throughout history Your Kingdom has grown and spread through church planting movements. Today we pray that you will catalyze a church planting movement amongst the Mien. Would You put a passion for sharing the gospel in the hearts of Mien believers, and let that ignite a church planting movement.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Raise Up Evangelists

2010-01-23T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father, in Matthew 9:36 we’re told that when Jesus saw crowds of people who were not in relationship with You, He was filled with compassion, and He asked His followers to pray for workers to be sent out to share the gospel with them. Today that is what we pray. Please raise up Mien evangelists.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Give Them Dreams

2010-01-22T18:00:00.002+07:00

God, so often in the Bible you speak to people in dreams. We know that You are still fully capable of doing this, and we pray that You will give the Mien dreams of Jesus that will draw them to Him and the life only He can offer.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Vince Antonucci: Open Their Hearts

2010-01-21T18:00:00.004+07:00

Father God, our heart’s desire is that you open the hearts of the Mien to You and Your love, because we know that is Your heart and Your desire. Please prepare Mien people everywhere to hear and respond to the gospel and to follow Your Son Jesus.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Guest Pray-er: Vince Antonucci

2010-01-20T21:30:00.000+07:00

I would like to introduce the next person who will be leading us in praying for the Mien of Southeast Asia. His name is Vince Antonucci.

Vince Antonucci has started two churches, Forefront in Virginia Beach, and Verve in Las Vegas (where he currently pastors), both of which are committed to helping Mien across the world know Jesus.

I helped introduce the Mien people to Vince nearly 10 years ago. More than most anyone else he has a sincere passion and commitment to them. I have been with Vince in Southeast Asia and will never forget how his eyes would light up when he had the chance to meet and visit Mien people. And I will never forget what he told me helped him develop this passion for the Mien: Prayer.

When Vince's church adopted the Mien people he took it personally. He didn't just lead a church that adopted the Mien; he adopted the Mien in his own heart. He prayed for them regularly and witnessed God turn his heart toward the Mien. Vince has been involved in a number of different efforts to serve and reach the Mien in Southeast Asia and in the West.

Please join with Vince over the next 25 days as he leads us in prayer for the Mien. Please pray along with him and post your prayers on this site as an encouragement to others. May the Mien people know Jesus!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: On my Heart for the Mien

2010-01-20T18:00:00.001+07:00

Father I ask that you will bring others to pray for the Mien people of the world. I pray Lord that you would help believers world wide to see that only by OUR prayers can we empower those that are desiring to serve You by serving the Mien people. Father, impress on our hearts how and when to pray, and cause our prayers to be effective - despite our shortcomings and mistakes. I ask Lord, that you would encourage those that are praying for the Mien to see You at work among the Mien people, and at work in those that are committed to working with them - bringing them the gospel. Lord, set their hearts on fire; and let that flame spread to our hearts for You!! Thank you that You allow us to partner with them in prayer, to share this burden for the lost - for those that are so far from Your heart. Lord, give US that same love for the lost of the Mien, and other people groups around the world. Give us boldness to pray, and to ask others to pray, and let this be a foundational part of our faith.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Purity of Devotion

2010-01-19T18:00:00.001+07:00

Father, give the Mien people a desire beyond all others, to serve You with pure devotion. I pray Lord that they would see that to compromise their faith is wrong. Give them a boldness to stand for the Truth of Your life, Your words, Your work. I pray that you will give them strength to live their lives for You 24/7/365, and that they would be “as iron sharpens iron” as they meet with other believers. I ask that you would bind false witnesses and cast them away from the fruitful work that You desire to achieve with the Mien. Raise up a generation of believing men and women that will serve You whole-heartedly, and we dedicate these people to You in service. I pray that they will see the BIG picture, not just of their salvation today, but of eternal life for their families, for their children, for their grandchildren - should You tarry. Father, bring peace to their hearts and minds, and make them as light in darkness - Pure Light that only comes from You.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Platforms for Access to the Mien

2010-01-18T18:00:00.001+07:00

I ask Lord that you will stir in the hearts and minds of those that are serving you here, and abroad, and give them creative access points to work with the Mien people around the globe. I pray that people who are of Mien descent that are believers, will share their culture and have ideas that would allow business platforms and opportunities to enter the countries where the Mien reside. Call many to work side by side, from many parts of the globe, to show the Mien how there is Peace in Jesus, and to set a good example of living side by side in Christ.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Spiritual Strongholds / Animism

2010-01-17T18:00:00.001+07:00

Lord, there is so much of the Mien culture that is wrapped up in their traditions - without them thinking of it as worshiping idols or their ancestors - it’s just something that they do mindlessly. Please open their eyes to the effects of what they are doing, serving false gods, bowing down to idols, and taking upon themselves to come under the bondage of slavery to animism. Father, continue to give the workers that serve the Mien ways to be sensitive to their heritage, and give them ideas and creative ways to bring Jesus into the place of Lord without offending their culture. I pray Father that the Mien people will choose to lay aside their bondage, and live free in Christ. Make it so clear to them how serving You can bring joy and freedom!!
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Sexual Temptation

2010-01-16T18:00:00.001+07:00

I ask Lord that you would help the men and women to understand that there are clear boundaries in your Word about how and why you have given us sexual desires, and give them strength to practice the boundaries that you have set for us to follow. I pray that you would break the strongholds of sexual addictions, and provide ways for men to encourage each other as they abstain from practicing and participating in sexual activity that is culturally acceptable - but so hurtful to You. I ask that you will provide opportunities for the stronger in faith to minister on this topic and teach your thoughts on sex being between one man and one woman, and only in marriage. I pray that girls will desire to remain pure until marriage, and that mothers and fathers will not sell their children into sexual slavery. I pray that the men that practice such things will be tormented by your Holy Spirit until they repent and flee their practices. I pray that You will protect Your children there, and around the globe, as they heal from the hurts of physical and sexual abuse.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Lies of Satan that Mien Believe

2010-01-15T18:00:00.001+07:00

Lord, I ask that the Mien people will have their spiritual blinders removed that they would see and experience Your joy from walking close to You. I pray that they would understand Your word, Your desires for our lives, all believers all around the world, and that they would want to live lives that are worthy of Your love. I pray that you would help them to discern what is of You, and what is of Satan, and that they would have courage to stand up and choose Your ways daily. I pray that You would equip them with discernment that will not let them rest when they come across situations and temptations that are placed their by Satan. Help them to “be excellent in what is good, and to be innocent in evil”, and to desire to live their life in ways that are pleasing to You. Help them to feel how it honors you when we walk in obedience to your Word.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Temptations Mien Face

2010-01-14T18:00:00.001+07:00

Father, I know that sin is all around each of us daily; but because of the culture where many Mien are that some things are more acceptable in culture - even thought it goes against Your will. I pray that you will give Your believers working in and among the Mien wisdom as they face these temptations, and give them strength to remember that “all things are legal, but not all things are profitable” - and help them to desire to live lives above the laws and in full “profit” of walking with you. I ask that you will give them spiritual blinders that will keep their eyes and minds focuses on You and things that are pleasing to You. I pray that the girls will see how they can be a help, and not a hurt, to their brothers in Christ, by dressing modestly and encouraging their siblings and family members to also be modest. I pray that husbands and wives will find joy in being faithful in marriage and that they will desire only for their spouses. I pray that children will desire to be faithful to You and wait until marriage before engaging in sexual behavior. I pray that Satan would be bound in these countries, and that You would use Your strength to tear down spiritual walls that hold these people in spiritual bondage to sexual addictions. I pray too that a spirit of peace and reconciliation will draw families together and help husbands and wives fall in love with each other all over again.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Those who Suffer

2010-01-13T18:00:00.001+07:00

Father, those that are suffering because of their faith, I ask that you will reach out to them and let them feel Your presence and Your hand at work in their lives. I know that the government officials can make life very miserable in their field of work and life, and I ask that You will work in ways that we can not even imagine - that you would tear down walls of evil and replace them with hope and a renewed strength. I pray that those that are suffering persecution will be restored, and that they would feel You as you pour out Your Spirit upon their lives, and the people that love them. Restore them physically, emotionally, and spiritually, in ways that can not be imagined, in ways that can not be explained, but that it is Your hand at work.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Faith and Boldness in Witness

2010-01-12T18:00:00.001+07:00

I pray Lord that the Christians that are working with the Mien people, both those that are Mien and those that have traveled from other places, will have their faith increased as they draw near to You, and that their increase in faith will give them boldness in how they approach the unsaved around them. I pray that they will feel You at work around them, protecting them and their work, and that You will give them courage to give their testimony when You are leading them.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Governments where Mien live

2010-01-11T18:00:00.001+07:00

Lord, you are Lord of lords, and King of Kings, and you have told us that every knee will bow, every tongue confess, that you are Lord. You, know whose hearts are hard, whose are controlled by evil spirits, and where Satan will lurk to stop the progression of Your word into a dark land. I know that you are capable of doing all things, so we ask Lord that you will open boundaries and tear down dividers. I pray that you will change the hearts and minds of those that are in government positions that are keeping the gospel from progressing in the U.S. and abroad. Please intervene, Lord, and teach those that are opposed to the thought of you to feel Your Presence and you working around them. Throw open the boundaries of countries that are closed, or are difficult to work within, and help missionaries to gain favor by being upright and honest, and admired by those that are in charge of the areas that they are working and living.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Mien Audio/Bible Recordings

2010-01-10T18:00:00.001+07:00

Lord, I ask that you would provide materials and creativity for those that are called to create audio Bible recordings for the Mien people. I ask that you would use technology to increase awareness of You in the minds of those that would be drawn to this media source. Lord, you know when and where this is the best tool, so I pray that you would assist in leading those that have access to audio recording and playing equipment and give them the perseverance to get it in the homes of those that need to hear your word spoken, and that they would receive it well.
Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Mien Christian Literature

2010-01-09T18:00:00.001+07:00

God, I pray that you would be working in the hearts and minds of those that are gifted in translation, transliteration, and printing of popular Bible study books and materials to aid in the discipling and evangelizing of the Mien people around the world. I pray that you would give the people accuracy as they work, and that the thoughts would be easily translated, and understood. I ask that you would provide funding to print it, and that you would make a clear passage for those materials to arrive in the places that they need to be, and that people would want to have them in their homes and hands to further grow closer to you.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Mien Bible Distribution

2010-01-08T18:00:00.001+07:00

Lord, I pray that you would provide financial support for Bibles to be printed and distributed around the globe to the Mien people. In areas that there is illiteracy, I pray that the Mien people would desire to learn to read, and that the Bible would be a source of learning to read and a source of learning about God and his wondrous works over all time. I pray that you would open their hearts and eyes to learn and receive knowledge of you, and that the Bibles may be distributed safely and without any hindrances. I pray that the governments that are opposed to Christianity would be changed, and that you would create new policies to allow Bibles to be safely distributed, and put them in the hands of those that desire them.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Mien Christian Radio

2010-01-07T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father I ask that you would open doors for Mien Christian Radio stations to be established and to keep operating in areas around the world. I pray that you would send financiers to support this great way to outreach, and that it would become a ministry that can reach many of all ages. I pray that the teachers would come forward, and that you would tear down boundaries with government agencies, allowing new stations to be set up and operated with ease. I pray that you would ignite discipling and church planting movements through this medium of media.

[You can learn more about Mien Radio here.]

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Missionaries to the Mien

2010-01-06T18:00:00.000+07:00

God I ask that you would touch the hearts and minds of those that know you and begin to draw them into missions. Whether it is “business as missions” or humanitarian work, or even another way that we have not yet seen, put in their very being an undeniable desire to reach this people group. I pray that you will call believers to send - by supporting missionaries to the Mien people in prayer and financially. I ask that you would protect those that are are working and serving in this field now, that you would meet their needs, that you would protect them and help their families to be kept safe from all kinds of harm. I pray that you would equip them to do spiritual warfare much like you equipped your disciples and apostles in days of old, and that you would give them wisdom and discernment as they do battle against all kinds of spiritual warfare. Let them feel your blessing and help their lives prosper, not for financial gain for self, but to gain approval in the eyes of the men and women that they have gone to serve and save. Lord, encourage them in their work, and I pray that they will never feel that they are alone in it, and teach us - those of us that remain behind - how to serve them as they work in the fields.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: The Mien of Vietnam

2010-01-05T18:00:00.001+07:00

Father, draw people from other nations to meet the needs of the Mien people in Vietnam, and share Your love by being Your hands and feet. Lord I pray that you will stir the hearts of the people there, and begin to prepare the soil to receive your Word, and open their eyes to believe.

Please leave your prayers for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Mien of Thailand

2010-01-04T18:00:00.002+07:00

God, I pray that as opportunities continue to minister to these people that You would create opportunities for these believers to spread the gospel to the Mien around the world. Father, make this the place of sending; that they would come to hear and accept Your son Jesus as their Savior, and quickly be called to evangelize the Mien of the world. Father, I pray that you would bind spiritual forces away from those that are being called to you, and that there would be growth in the church there, in numbers and in wisdom. I ask that you would continue to open the eyes and the hearts of those that don't know You; that they would be drawn to You and that they would desire to know You. Send workers to share Your word with them, and allow them to see the spiritual forces that are at work all around them.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Mien of Laos

2010-01-03T18:00:00.000+07:00

Lord, You continue to work in all areas of the world, and we pray for the people here that are becoming aware of You. Lord, I pray that you will overcome obstacles for the Mien people in Laos, that Your workers would be refreshed and renewed. I ask that You would open the hearts and eyes of the people here that need to know You, and that you would draw them into Your arms by Your power and might. I ask Lord that You would do warfare for the hearts and minds of these people, and that those that are working with them would have their faith increased to go to battle with You as their leader, Lord and King.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Mien of China

2010-01-02T18:00:00.001+07:00

God, you created the Mien of China to love and serve You. Call them to Your side, and do whatever You need to do to for them to hear You calling them to You. I ask Lord that you would send believers there to work with them, to share the gospel, to create relationships with them. I ask that You would provide for the needs of those that go to serve You there, and that you would open doors to work within the framework of this country. I pray Lord that you would increase the workers by 10 fold, and that as believers are added to Your family, that You would give them a passion to spread the gospel among their own people, there and around the world.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Unity Among Mien Christians

2010-01-01T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father, as you have called us to be "brothers and sisters in Christ", I ask that you would call the Mien believers to a place of peace and unity among each other. I pray Father that the spiritual forces that are always at work to cause discord, would be bound and cast far away from those that belong to you. Lord, allow them to live in peaceful manners, and intercede in situations that might be creating greed, discord, pride, and replace their emotions with Your qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control (the fruit of the Spirit). I pray Lord that the Mien Christians will seek these characters as ways to grow in You, and that they will spur each other on to greater displays of them. I am reminded Lord of the song that we sing, "and they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they'll know we are Christians by our love..." so Father, create opportunities for them to show and encourage love, Your PERFECT love, in their relationships with each other, and that this love will create unity in every aspect of their daily life.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: Holiness in MIen Christians

2009-12-31T18:00:00.001+07:00

Lord we ask that you would call the Mien Christians to live a pure and holy life. I ask that You would bind the spiritual forces of darkness and cast them far from these people. I pray Lord that they would have a passion stirred within them to spend time with You in prayer and studying, and that they would feel Your peace at work in their lives; that this peace would draw them back into fellowship with You and that they would stand and life lives of holiness. Father, let others see that there is something different about them, that Your peace and joy are shining through them! Draw others to the believers as they live lives of holiness.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: A Church Planting Movement

2009-12-30T18:00:00.001+07:00

Father we ask that you would bind up the spiritual forces that are working to hold back the church planting movement among the Mien people. I pray that the governments will see that Christianity is a benefit to their people, and that there would be doors opened wide to allow churches to take root. Father, do whatever is needed to open doors of opportunity for the Mien Christian people to gather and meet, and increase the groups that are able to meet, both in number and in spiritual wisdom. Infect their hearts to spread these churches to other areas, and let their be an epidemic of churches planted among the people. Lord, let those that are meeting in safe places, even in the U.S., become passionate to see churches planted in their homelands, and let them raise up support in prayer and finances to keep this work going.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: God will Raise up Mien Evangelists

2009-12-29T18:00:00.001+07:00

Dear God, thank you for those that you have sent to work with the Mien people around the globe. Thank you that you have been sending workers to share the gospel, and Father, we ask that you would stir in these believers' hearts the passion to take it to those around them. Lord, I know that for some it will take GREAT courage, great faith, and that they will need to be equipped in many ways - but Lord, you know these needs and we ask You to fill them! I ask that you would even cause people who have left their homelands to return home to share the Good News of your son Jesus! Lord, allow them to have their needs met financially, and that their families would encourage them to step out in faith and become evangelists - no matter what the cost! Father, give them a passion for Your Word, and open doors for them to share! Protect them, watch over them and their families, and let them FEEL You doing battle spiritually on behalf of them.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: God will Give the Mien Dreams

2009-12-28T18:00:00.001+07:00

Father, as the Mien people are sleeping around the globe tonight, I pray that spiritual warfare would be done on their part. I ask Lord, that you would give the Mien people dreams and visions of You; showing you to love them, to protect them, that they need to have a relationship with You. Father, would you bind up the evil spirits that are controlling their lives and hearts and minds? Allow the Mien people to see through their dreams, that this is going on around them, and give them boldness to speak out in faith to silence and bind up these evil spirits.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

MB: God to Open the Hearts of the Mien

2009-12-27T18:00:00.002+07:00

Dear Lord, as you awaken the people of Mien descent, I pray that you will also awaken their hearts and minds. I pray that they would become compassionate people, and that you would begin to work within them in ways that they don't understand - but that they will accept. We ask that You would create a stirring in their hearts to be curious about who You are, and what You are all about, and that Your name would be heard and sought out. Create a desire in their hearts, not only to know about You, but to know You. I pray for the Mien believers around the globe to begin to have a stirring within them to want to share the Good News with their brothers and sisters around the globe; that they will want to partner in spreading the gospel, and that their hearts would not rest until they take steps to seek ways to do so; That these people would be future workers in this outreach.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Guest Prayer Warrior for the Mien: MB

2009-12-26T18:05:00.002+07:00

I have invited a number of people to do "25 Prayers for the Mien" following the list of prayer requests on the right hand side of this blog. The first is MB. MB is someone who believes in the power of prayer and believes in missions to the unreached. She has personally given of herself to the mission field and understands that what we are attempting can only be successful with God's leading and by his power.

So, for the next 25 days MB will be leading us in praying for the Mien of Southeast Asia. Please join us in these prayers, and leave your prayers in the comments of the most recent post. You do not have to be a member or sign up for anything in order to leave a prayer for the Mien on this blog.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

NOT a Virtual Shrine

2009-12-26T18:00:00.000+07:00

This blog is not a virtual shrine. By that I mean, if you decide to write your prayer and post it here versus praying in your heart to God without logging it on the blog, I don't believe one way is a more effective or better prayer than the other.

This blog is not a shrine--all it is is a reminder to pray. All it is is encouragement to one another to pray for the Mien.

Some believe there are "holy places" in the world. These are shrines. Usually they are associated with some event mentioned in the Bible. For example, the place where many believe Christ rose from the dead has been made into a shrine. Many go to that location to pray because they believe that somehow God hears them better when they pray at that place. They feel miracles are more likely to happen and that prayers are more effective. They think that lighting a candle is a way to pray, much like Tibetan Buddhists think that spinning a wheel offers up multiple prayers.

While we might not be so superstitious, many of us still think going into a church building (the room we even call a "sanctuary") means we're entering a "holy place" and that our prayers are heard by God when we pray from that location. It's like we think a sin committed in a church building is somehow "worse" than a sin committed at home.

What we have is a false dichotomy between the secular and the sacred. But God is not bound. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. That means that it is all sacred. It all belongs to him, and he is everywhere. To believe in shrines and relics is to bring animistic values into Christianity.

So, please write your prayers for the Mien on this blog. Please DO NOT think that those prayers are somehow more effective than prayers that are not logged.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Merry Christmas to the Mien

2009-12-25T18:00:00.002+07:00

Merry Christmas to the Mien!

How I want you all to know that many, many years ago a baby was born for you. This baby came into this world, in part, to bring you life--to bring you out of darkness and into the light. This baby grew up and was crucified on a cross--his perfect life was sacrificed to pay the penalty of your sin. All the sin of the Mien people was laid upon him. Yet he was glad to take it. Because he knows that the Mien are God's lost children who he wants to bring home to the Father. God is your Father, Mien nation, and Jesus is your Savior! May all of you worship the King--the baby born in a barn many, many years ago--and know your Father who longs for you to come home to him.

Merry Christmas!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

On My Heart--New Mien Believers

2009-12-24T18:00:00.003+07:00

As I consider the Mien in Southeast Asia and all that we've prayed for... As I consider all that we are doing and working for... As I consider the situation the Mien live in and the particular obstacles and issues... It is new Mien believers that are on my heart.

I believe with all my heart that God is working among the Mien of Southeast Asia. I have seen him do miracles, and I have seen many people come to him and put their faith in him. But I have also seen something very disturbing after Mien people become Christians... Certain powers rush in to swoop them up. What are those powers? They are three-fold:

1) The culture and world around them. It tells new Mien believers to not forget their old life and to remain interested in their old lifestyle.

2) The government. It tells new Mien believers they have accepted a foreign religion and that they can't evangelize or do much of anything or they will be put in prison. It scares them into unfruitfulness.

3) The church. The official church will try to sign-up and take credit for any new believers. Then they will indoctrinate them, not only in the Bible, but in church policy that is certainly suspect. They will make them suspicious of any other Christians other then those in the official church, will institutionalize their worship and draw clergy/laity divisions, and they will teach them a dependency-mindset that makes them interested in getting outside funds from foreign Christians.

Of the three, the latter is the most damaging. It causes Mien believers to be completely unfruitful while allowing them to think they are doing all they can and should do in being a Christian.

So, Lord, I pray for new Mien believers. Give them wisdom. Give them discernment from an early age. Help them to have strong faith that they never water down. Inspire them to serve you in spite of what anyone says. Bring to them good shepherds who will not try to control them, but will empower them to bear much fruit for you. May the Mien people rise up and worship you!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Purity of Devotion

2009-12-23T18:00:00.002+07:00

Dear God, I know from experience how discouraging life and faith can be in Southeast Asia. I know that as we strive to walk in your path there is little encouragement to stay faithful. When we see those we once considered strong falling around us and turning their backs on you we feel like giving up. When we see people let their faith and love grow cold, so do we. We are vulnerable when our love has grown cold. So I ask you, Father, in your mercy, to ignite a fire in us--in the Mien Christians in Southeast Asia and in those of us who work with them. Help us to have white-hot faith and purity in our devotion to you. May we not get side-tracked. May the worries of this life never pull us away from the mission. May we never forget how you called us to Jesus--to know him and to make him known. May we remain focused and determined to overcome anything that would pull us away. May the Mien of Southeast Asia know you!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Platforms for Access to the Mien

2009-12-22T18:00:00.002+07:00

Lord Jesus, the Mien live in many different places, scattered among the mountains of China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. It is difficult to get to them, and impossible to get to all of them at once. Consequently, those who work with the Mien will have to access Mien in different locations in different ways. This is true for both foreign missionaries and Mien Christians who want to reach out beyond the cluster of villages they come from. Because China, Laos and Vietnam are communist countries, the authorities will not allow Christian evangelists travel with freedom for very long. Therefore, platforms are needed in order to work with and among the Mien; and a number of different platforms are needed. We ask that you will provide a way for all those with a pure heart who want to work with the Mien to do so, and have continual access to them. In particular, give us creative ideas to do agriculture and promote the planting of sustainable perennial crops among them. May these platforms prove effective as we use them to ease the authorities concerns about us, build relationships with the Mien in these remote places, and share with them the Good Message about Jesus.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Spiritual Strongholds/Animism

2009-12-21T18:00:00.003+07:00

Father God, we know that the majority of the Mien in Southeast Asia are held in darkness--in the authority of Satan's kingdom. We know that Satan's grip on the Mien are at many different levels. These include ignorance of your gospel, entanglement in sin, commitment to tradition, fear of authorities, misunderstandings about you and your people, involvement in spirit worship (animism) and lies that they believe about you and what it means to be your follower. Father God, we pray that you smash these strongholds. Demolish them with the power of your truth and love. Raise up prophets from without and from within to demolish these barriers so that people will be released from the power of Satan and come into the Kingdom of Light. May the Mien learn to fear you more than they fear the spirits. May they see that, unlike the spirits, you love them and want to bless them in every way if they turn to you.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Sexual Temptation

2009-12-20T18:00:00.003+07:00

Dear Lord, sexual sin is very prevalent among the Mien of Southeast Asia. In particular, young boys and girls have sex with each other before marriage. Girls become pregnant and young men have to get married at the ages of 15, 16 and 17 to take responsibility for their actions. Adultery is common. And some of the girls become prostitutes in the city. Lord, our hearts are broken for the Mien. Help the Mien to see how extra-marital sex hurts them. Please raise up Mien in each village who are bold enough to speak to this issue and call for sexual purity. Lord, help Mien Christians see the importance of sexual purity. Help them to understand that you see everything that happens in secret--and that those things matter just as much as what is done in the open. May those who have stumbled confess and repent, and then get back up knowing they are forgiven by your grace! May the Mien dedicate themselves to holiness in you!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Lies of Satan that Mien Believe

2009-12-19T18:00:00.000+07:00

Father God, you are the truth! Yet many people are stuck in darkness because they believe a lie--they believe something that isn't true. For the Mien in Southeast Asia, there are many lies that come straight from Satan that are keeping the Mien out of your kingdom. Many believe in the power of the spirits to help them live and find what they want in life. Many believe that it isn't worth it to follow you if they have to give up certain things. Many believe they will be automatically ridiculed or persecuted if they put their faith in you. Many believe that worshiping you is accepting a foreign religion. There are countless lies that keep Mien people from falling into your arms. Lord, we ask that you remove these lies. Remove these doubts. Help us to know how to demolish strongholds of thinking by speaking the truth. May the truth of your gospel come to the Mien people of Southeast Asia. May they turn in mass to you and devote themselves to you!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in he comments.

Temptations Mien Face

2009-12-18T18:00:00.002+07:00

Dear Lord, your model prayer teaches us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation." There are many temptations Mien in Southeast Asia face. These include gambling, greed, stealing, lying, adultery, premarital sex, drunkeness, using drugs, being lazy, jealousy, speaking unkindly, going along with the crowd, etc. We pray that you will help Mien believers to resist temptation and to stand strong. We pray that you will lead them away from temptation and help them to overcome when they walk right into it. Even though many may laugh at or ridicule them, help Mien believers choose to be different from others who plunge right into sin. And for Mien non-believers, please help them see the wickedness of sin so that they would immediately repent, turn to you, and seek to overcome temptation. May your name be praised!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Those Who Suffer

2009-12-17T05:22:00.002+07:00

Lord, we know there are Mien believers in Southeast Asia who have suffered because of their faith and witness in you. There have been those who have been kicked out of the house. Some have been disowned. Many have been ridiculed. Some have been arrested, persecuted and put into prison. Father God, we praise you for the faith of these men and women who love you enough to suffer for you! We praise you for their faith that allows them to take a stand for you! We praise you for their faith that produces perseverance and that they are not backsliding when many would. We ask that you would give them more strength. We ask that you would give them more boldness. We ask that you will encourage their hearts that their plight is not forgotten and that their pain is not in vain. May their example help convince other Mien who are on the fence. May their boldness convict those who are doing the persecuting to fear you and repent. May their blood be the seed of the church among the unreached Mien!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Faith and Boldness in Witness

2009-12-16T05:31:00.002+07:00

Father God, we ask that you give Mien believers faith to follow you, obey you and to answer your call to them. We believe there are Mien people scattered among the wider population that your Spirit is now speaking to. As they seek you, help them to step out in faith and do the "crazy" thing you are asking. Give them boldness to overcome shyness, overcome embarrassment of what their neighbors, friends and relatives with them, and to overcome fear of what the authorities might do to them. Motivate them to share about you boldly. Inspire them to love people radically. Transform their lives with your love, forgiveness and power so that they will be continually burdened to bring others to you. May these things happen in the power of your name, Jesus.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Governments Where the Mien Live

2009-12-15T06:17:00.002+07:00

Dear Lord,

You know that the majority of the Mien live under the authorities of communist governments, one-party systems that are often filled with corruption. They live in countries that are known for their persecution of Christians. We don't ask that you take all pressure away, but that you give the Mien the strength and courage to follow Jesus even with that pressure. We pray that you give the believers the faith to stand up for you regardless of the cost. We pray that you will cause these governments to learn to fear you. Do mighty things in their midst so that the rulers who oppose you will step back and step out of your way. May you be glorified in their midst. May the Mien nation rise up to worship you, be the best citizens, and be loyal to you, first.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Audio/Bible Recordings

2009-12-14T06:00:00.000+07:00

Lord, you know that many of the Mien in Southeast Asia are not able to read. For many of them to receive the gospel, they will have to hear it. Where there aren't people to share, they may have to listen to it on the radio or on cassette, CD and mp3 players. We pray that you will raise up people to provide the resources for audio recording production and distribution in the Mien language. May a project to record the entire "oral Bible" using chronological storying methods be completed and distributed among the Mien. May you raise up the right people to do this and to support it. May your name be praised among the Mien!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Mien Christian Literature

2009-12-13T18:00:00.002+07:00

Father we have still yet to find one volunteer to partner with us in helping to produce Christian literature for the Mien in Southeast Asia. Lord, there is a big need. Please raise up the right people to help with this. You know who the perfect people are to do this important ministry. May you raise them up to pour themselves into helping to write and translate Bible lessons, discipleship materials, stories, testimonies and the like. May this literature be printed and distributed to the Mien in Southeast Asia so that it is effective in helping them to understand who you are and how they can follow and serve you.

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Mien Bible Distribution

2009-12-12T18:00:00.002+07:00

Lord Jesus, we are so thankful that the Mien finally have the entire Bible in their language. We are thankful that it is available in two Roman scripts, a Lao script and a Thai script. Thank you for providing the translators, equipment and resources to get that job done over the last 30 years. Still, the vast majority of the Mien in Southeast Asia do not have access to your Word. We pray that you will help bring the Mien Bibles in their own language. Provide people to give funds for more printing. Raise up locals and short-term missionaries to deliver Mien Bibles to every last Mien village. May each Mien believer have their own Bible, or ready access to one.

Father, we also pray that the Mien will treasure your Word. May they read the Bible from cover to cover, multiple times. May they hide it in their hearts, let it change their way of thinking, and memorize large portions to guide them in their lives. May your Word be a lamp to their feet and a light to their path!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Mien Christian Radio

2009-12-12T00:10:00.001+07:00

Lord, we lift up the efforts of Mien Radio and their broadcasts to the Mien of Southeast Asia. Their words can go where missionaries and national evangelists cannot. Their words penetrate the darkness even when the authorities try to stop it. So we pray for the men and women who teach on Mien radio and prepare it for broadcast. May their words be effective at communicating the truths of the gospel and about Jesus Christ. May their words cause Mien in Southeast Asia to be curious about God and seek out people who can share the gospel with them. Lord, we pray that Mien radio encourages indigenous house churches among the Mien, local lay leaders and a church planting movement. Help Mien radio to equip Mien listeners not only to believe, but to lead others to Christ and in regular worship and fellowship. Provide all the funds and resources they need to do the highest quality work possible. We thank you for their ministry!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.

Missionaries to the Mien

2009-12-10T22:12:00.002+07:00

Lord, although there are not too many, there are a few full-time missionaries attempting to reach the Mien in Southeast Asia. Indeed, I myself am one. We ask that you will empower us to be effective. Lord, we know that what we are praying for will not be accomplished by our efforts, wisdom or strategies alone. We prepare the horse for battle, but victory lies with you. So, we ask that you would give us victory in the battle. Help us to stay focused. Help us to truly love the Mien people. Give us opportunities to share your Word, train leaders and empower them to plant churches. Lead the right people to us, Lord. May the Mien be at our doorsteps asking to hear the gospel! May this be accomplished by the power of your Spirit!

Please leave your prayer for the Mien in the comments.