The Dates of Ramadan

“to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.” (Acts 26:18, NLT)

This year most of the countries in the world will start their Ramadan (the fasting month) on August 1-30, 2011. The dates of Ramadan always change every year, here’s why:

The dates for Ramadan are established according to the Islamic lunar calendar of 354 days. Starting 11 days earlier each year, it takes about 33 years for the Islam calendar to go through all the seasons.

Because of the changing nature of the Islamic year the 2011 booklet is actually our 20th edition. There have been 20 Islamic lunar years since the beginning of “30 Days” in March 1993. This is the year 1432 of the Islamic lunar calendar.

(C) 30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World

Our Muslim friends will use this whole month to meditate their Al-quran, ask forgiveness for their sins, and longing for the Way, The Truth and the Life – the guidance to the right path, which only can be found through Isa Almasih. There’s one website that provides all information and knowledge about Isa and Islam, you can visit their website here. All you need to know you can find them on that website.

Would you join me to pray for the Muslims in the world this month?

 

Injil dan Budaya

Pada hari ke-4 dalam 40 Hari Mengasihi Bangsa Dalam Doa ini, kita belajar bahwa hubungan antara Injil dan Budaya. Kedua elemen ini tidak dapat dipisahkan. Dalam kehidupan seseorang, kemanapun dia pergi, atau dimanapun dia tinggal, budaya pribadi tidak dapat dipisahkan. Budaya dapat dikembangkan mungkin, tapi ditidak dapat dirubah.

Cara hidup seseorang dipengaruhi oleh budayanya sendiri. Tuhan menciptakan budaya dan menjadikan bagian hidup manusia ciptaan-Nya untuk menghormati dan menyembah-Nya, sebagai Sang Pencipta, tetapi karen korupsi dosa dalam hidup manusia, budaya pun tercemar dan dibengkokkan oleh pengaruh Iblis. Tapi Allah tidak kalah akal, Allah menyediakan jalan untuk menembus manusia, termasuk budaya, lewat pengorbanan Kristus di Kayu Salib. Rencana Allah adalah segala suku, budaya, bahasa, dan bahasa akan berdiri di hadapan tahta-Nya yang kudus untuk menyembah-Nya.

Well-Nourished

They are waiting for the whole Bible to be translated

 

A Quechua Bible translator of Peru stated, “Getting our spiritual food from the Spanish Bible is like trying to eat soup with a fork. We can get a little taste, but cannot get nourished. Using the Quechua Scriptures is like eating soup with a spoon—we can really get well-nourished.”

Lives are spiritually transformed as a result of understanding God’s Word in a language that speaks to the heart!

~ Quoted from Wycliffe Pray Today, July 6th, 2011

Prayer & Mission

“Climbing Higher” is one of the books that I’ve been reading lately. It’s an inspiration for the Cross-Cultural Church Planter by Roger Dixon. Roger and his Wife, Jan have been involved in evangelism and church planting among the Muslims for more than 40 years. The whole family moved to Indonesia in 1964 and studied extensive culture study for four years. They worked among the one of the largest unreached people group in Indonesia.

The book inspires, motives and encourages me so much in this preparation times. We are planning to do mission work in one of these Muslim majority countries. Be honest, I am struggling, spiritually and emotionally. It’s not only me and myself that will go, but now the whole family. It’s not only me that need to prepare myself, but also the whole family.

I found this statement change my perspective of prayer and be a prayer support to others and I hope it will change yours, too.

Malay of Indonesia

Malay of Indonesia

The Malay people (2,370,000 people) are believed to have originated in Borneo and then expanded outwards into Sumatra and other regions, including Indonesia. These people were descendants of Austronesian-speakers who migrated from the Philippines and originally from Taiwan. Malays practiced Buddhism, Hinduism, and their native Animism before converting to Islam in the 15th century.