Pray for Asia

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of SIL's work in the Philippines, SIL Philippines has published a biography of Dr. Richard "Dick" S. Pittman. Dick Pittman was the initiator of SIL's work in many countries throughout Asia and the Pacific. His vision for language development among minority peoples brought recognition in the Ramon Magsaysay Award awarded to SIL in 1973. Dr. Pittman also initiated the Ethnologue, a comprehensive volume that catalogs all the known living languages in the world today. Praise God that Dr. Pittman's vision continues today in the work of many Asians who care deeply about Asia's languages and cultures.

Praise God for the progress that has been made on the manual for preparing for a Participatory Methods for Engaging Communities (PMEC) workshop. Pray that over the next few days, through the end of May, the editor would get key parts added to it so she can use it in North Dakota when they teach the PMEC workshop as a nine-week course starting June 4. This workshop trains people to facilitate discussions which promote local ownership of literacy and translation projects by getting community involvement in the early stages.

Pray for the planning of the Third National Conference of the Foundation of Mission Discipleship by Papuans (YMP3*) to be held in Manokwari, Papua, November 21-25, 2013. Pray that the Lord meet all the needs and give wisdom to the participants, staff and YMP3 members involved.

*Yayasan Misi Penginjilan Pemuridan

Pray for the Love that Cares Consultation (KKYP) being held by the Indonesia People Network, which will be held September 24-27. Pray for the preparation and planning meetings. Pray for wisdom, intelligence, unity of heart and God's guidance for all the committees involved with this event.

One organization is planning a partnership workshop to help local supported staff improve their financial situations. Pray for the preparations, and for Mr. Rio Sibarani of Interserve who will be the facilitator for this event. Ask for safe travels to and from the training site.

Pray for preparations for the OneStory advanced workshop being held in late May and early June. This workshop is the second of several for translators being equipped as facilitators for an oral biblical storying project. Ask God for clear communication by the trainers and good understanding by the trainees.

Pray for the Phonetics class which will run from May 20 to June 14. This course will train the students to recognize, write, and pronounce various language sounds correctly. Pray that the course will run smoothly, and that the participants can apply what they have learned when it is finished. Ask God to provide native speakers of another language. They will make good practice possible during the two-day practicum period.

Pray for those attending the Recording and Media Preparation Workshop in mid-May. This will provide an opportunity for training in recording OneStory materials from Bible storying projects. Pray for good understanding, as the training will be in English, which is a second language for most of the learners. Ask the Lord for good communication between the coaches and participants so the training goes smoothly.

Pray for a student at a seminary in Southeast Asia, who would like to do an internship with the local Bible translation team in 2014. Pray for wisdom for those who will be his trainers and mentors. Ask God to prepare his heart and mind for learning through this experience.

Thank God for the ethnography class given to some Asian Bible translators in May. Ask God to give them wisdom in how to use this new understanding to improve their skills in translation through analyzing the local culture.