Called to More

Great things in store this year — News below!

As I climbed the worn stone staircase toward the temple’s chedi structure, a shimmering golden Buddha image sat cross-legged, shaded under an awning with flowers gently offered in front of it and places for candles and incense at each knee. To my right, other statues of monks and the Buddha were sprinkled through a wooded area of the temple grounds.

At the top of the steps, I paused to watch a mother walk her four-year-old son around the chedi, a traditional act of making merit to earn good karma. I admit that after serving in Thailand for twelve years, I am so accustomed to the sight of temples, statues, and shrines that I don’t pay much attention to them most of the time. But when I see people practicing their Buddhist ways and teaching their children, I am cut to the heart. Traditions practiced for generations are being passed down to the youngest ones in the Buddhist world—they grow up knowing nothing else.

Most of my friends call themselves Buddhist and do Buddhist practices occasionally. Some of my friends are philosophical Buddhists who try to follow the Buddha’s teachings and be good people. Some of my friends are strict in their religious fervor, making offerings at temples for every holiday and special event. Some of my friends are superstitious and hold local animistic beliefs as part of their Buddhist tradition.

No matter how my friends live out their Buddhism, they are all alike in one way: they don’t know Jesus. I cannot change people’s minds, and I cannot remove a false belief system that has 2,300-year roots in this part of the world. But God can intervene! So we pray and intercede for people in the Buddhist world, asking for His kingdom to come and His will to be done in every heart.

- Lauren

News from Change The Map

If you have been praying and fasting with us for many years, thank you! If you have recently joined the CTM community, thank you too! We believe God is calling CTM to more—more people praying for the Buddhist world, more ways to engage prayer, more workers sent to the Buddhist world, and more resources for people to pray for and reach Buddhists.

Watch for a new email format next month! You will see links for a podcast, video, or written prayer theme. We will also change CTM prayer days to every Monday, to help people establish a weekly rhythm of prayer for the Buddhist world.

In anticipation of these changes, we humbly ask for your prayer this month.