Greetings to you in the name of Jesus!

I remember the first time that I saw a mother teaching her small child to bow down before an idol. It was a hot tropical day in northern Thailand. I had come to a Buddhist temple to learn what goes on there.  

At the entrance, four monks chanted a monotone prayer in unison for a small crowd kneeling down respectively before them. A bigger crowd sitting in the center section leaned forward as an old monk threw holy water over them while chanting incantations for protection.

But what struck me the most was what I saw next. At the back of the temple stood a 6-foot tall golden image of a long-dead and venerated monk. As I watched, a mother lit some incense and put it in a bowl at the base of the statue.

Then she sat down beside her toddler and showed him how to bow his head and raise his hands while she prayed under her breath. The child dutifully did everything his mother taught, looking somewhat fearfully at the intimidating image before him.

My heart broke that day as I witnessed a small child taught to worship idols. I thought to myself, “How can these people have any hope of knowing the true God of creation if no one tells them?” It was at that moment that God placed a burden for Buddhists on my heart.

God has also given MRN a burden for the unreached peoples of the world, 500 million of whom live within Buddhist cultures. We are developing national leaders who can potentially become key influencers within their societies. We are training new workers whom God has called to leave their homes and commit to a foreign land.

We are also calling Christ-followers everywhere to pray. This month, please join us in these specific prayers:

• Pray that God will soften the hearts of Buddhists so that they will be receptive to the Good News of Jesus.

• Ask God to open doors for Christians to enter Buddhist lands and be the light of Christ.

• Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ who live among Buddhists, that God would bless the work of their hands and make them good neighbors.

• Ask God to raise up the next generation of workers, willing to take the light of Christ to ALL the world.

• Pray that the growing number of Western peoples who are looking to Buddhism to meet their spiritual hunger will find their meaning in the love of Jesus.

We are grateful to be partnering in prayer with you.