Miao/Hmong UPG

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This month's prayers for the Miao/Hmong:

Pray for lost Miao/Hmong to hunger for Christ. Pray He will make Himself known to them, that He will give them dreams and visions inviting them into His loving arms, and they will meet Christians who will share with them the Good News.
The Miao speak more than 80 languages, many of which are yet unwritten and have no Scripture portions. Pray He will make a way for all to hear the Word of God preached in their own language. Pray that when they hear they will know this is Truth, and will forsake all other gods to put their faith in Christ alone.
Pray for protection over our Miao brothers and sisters in China undergoing heavy surveillance, threats and persecution. Pray they will stand strong in the Lord and remain faithful, that their faith and love will increase all the more, and God will open up opportunities for them to share His love with the lost.
Pray for Christians meeting in secret to celebrate Christ's birth, that He will be a Shield around them and hide their gatherings from those who wish to do them harm. Pray He will meet them in deep and meaningful ways, encouraging and empowering them for difficult days ahead.
Pray He will bless believers so abundantly they will also share abundantly with their lost neighbors and His love will flow so powerfully through them, the lost will be drawn to Him like moths to a flame.
Pray for Miao believers who are new to the faith and don't yet know enough or have Scripture to read in order to grow. Pray Christ will disciple them in very real and powerful ways, and connect them with strong believers and underground churches who will love them and train them up in the faith.
Pray God will give current oppressive government leaders such powerful encounters with Love they will fall to their knees in repentance and choose salvation. Pray they will open the way for the unreached peoples in their country to hear the good news of Christ.
Pray for persecuted Hmong believers in China,Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, that God will protect them, provide for all their needs, increase their faith and love, and use them powerfully to share His good news with the lost.
Pray for Hmong Christians in Thailand, that He will grow the church and call out from them missionaries who will cross borders to take His light into Miao regions cut off from the Gospel.
Pray for His Kingdom to come among all the Miao/Hmong of every tribe and language.

Powerful prayers to release the Hmong-Miao from darkness into light:

For more than 4,000 years, the Miao-Hmong have lived and died in fear of evil spirits. Although some have heard the Good News in recent years, still millions are dying without any knowledge of the One Who died that they might have life.

Almighty God, we ask You now to awaken the Miao from spiritual sleep.
Give them a hunger to know You. Lift the veil from their eyes, unstop their ears and unblock their hearts, so they will see You as You truly are, hear Your voice calling them to Yourself, and open wide their hearts to receive You.
Awaken Your church, Lord, to pray fervently, give abundantly, and share boldly until every Miao person has had the chance to know Your love and salvation.

To contact us for more information on how you can give, pray or go to help the Miao know Christ's love, click the button below:

MiaoUPG@gmail.com

Millions of Miao-Hmong have never heard Jesus' name and know nothing of the Living Water He offers them. Their hearts have been like dry, cracked ground in need of His softening touch. Pray every barrier keeping them from God's love will be torn down, so the seeds of His Gospel will take root in their hearts and grow unto salvation.

Lord, flood the lives of the Miao with Your love and truth. May they taste and see that You are good.
Whatever barriers have kept the Miao from receiving You, tear those down, O Lord. Cleanse the land, destroy the idols, show up the enemy for the liar he is. Be so great and powerful no one can deny that You alone are God.
Open the floodgates of Your Spirit and pour out Your mercy upon the Miao. Heal them, transform them, draw them so close to You that everyone around them will long for You too.

In the 1950s China shut its doors to outsiders and to missionary work, cutting off millions of Miao from ever hearing the name of Jesus. Today, laws restricting the spread of the Gospel are still enforced, and persecution of Hmong-Miao Christians persists in China, as well as in the neighboring countries of Vietnam and Laos.

Lord, open the way for believers to freely live in every Miao area and spread Your Good News.
Give Christians favor with government officials and protect them and their families from surveillance, persecution and harm.
Smooth the path for Your Word to be translated into every Miao language and dialect and made available to every person and home until all have heard the Good News .

In addition to government restrictions against missionary work, the Miao-Hmong have also been cut off from the Good News due to language barriers. In many villages, few can speak the native language of the country where they live, and even their own more than 80 Miao languages are varied and mutually unintelligible.

Lord, don't let the Hmong-Miao die without You. Provide for every person the opportunity to hear and understand clearly Your Good News.
Open the way for Your Word to be translated into every Miao language and dialect, recorded in audio form, and distributed to every person and home in their heart language.
Raise up Christians who will learn the Miao languages of those who have no witness among them.

If you want to know more about how you can be a part of reaching the Miao for Christ, write MiaoUPG@gmail.com.

In some Miao areas where the Miao live, languages and dialects vary vastly from one village to the next and high mountains make it difficult to travel between. Many of these languages are unresearched and unwritten, with no portions of Scripture available to them.

Lord, raise up those who will research the different Miao languages and dialects, putting them into written form, and make a point of entry for Your Good News to be preached and Your Word to be translated.
In so many tribes, not even one believer exists who speaks that language and can tell them the Good News. Make a way where there seems to be no way for every Miao person to hear and understand the truth.
As young people go to the cities to find jobs and learn other languages, bring into their paths Christians who will show them Your love. Convict the Miao of Your truth so they will carry it back to their home villages and churches will be planted there.

In recent years, Christians in Miao-Hmong areas of several countries in Asia have suffered heavy surveillance and persecution. Many have been arrested and/or forced to leave. Others have been tortured for their faith.

Lord, protect believers in Miao-Hmong areas from harm. Give them favor with neighbors and government officials. Make them a light in the darkness pointing all to You.
Shine Your love so brightly through every Christian that others around them, especially those in power, will see them as a blessing to society rather than a threat.
When believers are arrested or questioned, speak through them, Lord, by the power of Your Spirit. Perform miracles to show that You are God. Turn the hearts of those against You to be for You instead. And open the way for all ofYour people to worship You freely.

Almost every Miao home has a television and a DVD player. In the evenings after a long day of working in the fields, families gather around the TV to relax. Pray restrictions against Christian evangelistic tools will be lifted and the Good News will be spread via television and other media.

Lord, openly broadcast programs like the "Jesus" film and other movies that show Your love over the television, and tune Miao hearts in to watch, listen, understand and give their lives to You.
Make a way for Your Word to be preached in every Miao language and dialect, recorded and distributed in every Miao home.
Give Miao hearts such a hunger for You that every time they hear Your name, they will yearn to know You more.

A Miao woman in eastern Guizhou stuffs leaves full of rice for a festival, while the television plays in the background.

Pray true stories from the Bible and testimonies about God's love, provision and healing will become the talk of the town as Miao people meet together in homes, at work and in the market places.

Pray that whenever they mention God's name, His Spirit will come upon them and they will feel His presence and be long to know Him.

Pray that those who seek Him will find salvation in Christ.

Many of the Miao live in such hard-to-get-to places that even if the Good News could be preached in their language, trekking to every home would be a difficult task.

Lord, please raise up young people with adventurous hearts to take the Good News where it's never been before.
Don't let even one more Miao person die without the chance to hear Your name and know of Your love.
Make Your name so famous among the Miao that they will travel far and wide to find You. Bring into their paths those who can share the Good News with them in a way they can easily understand.

Because of the one-child policy in China, today there are an estimated 24-30 million more men than women in that country. Just last year, a young Hmong Christian woman was abducted in a neighboring country and smuggled into China to be sold as a bride. Christians prayed for her and worked together to intervene, and she was returned to her family before the wedding . But kidnappings like these are becoming more and more commonplace.

Father, please keep watch over every Hmong-Miao woman and child and shield them from kidnappers, sex traffickers, slave traders and anyone else who would mean them harm.
Make a way for those who are held captive to escape or be released. Expose their captors to those with power who will bring an end to their evil deeds, preventing others from such abuse.
Rebuild the lives and hearts of abused Hmong-Miao women. Replace their fear with faith and heal them, Lord. Use them in powerful ways to love and counsel others who have been abused.

The Miao are animists, venerating ancestral spirits and demons they believe inhabit such places as mountains, bridges, doorways and trees. If they do not appease the spirits at the proper times and in the proper ways, they fear illness, harm or even death will come to a family member.

As a result, Miao Christians who do not perform the traditional animistic rituals expected of them will often greatly offend family members and experience dissension and persecution.

Lord, please give the Miao courage to lay down their spirit worship and follow You alone. Give them such a hunger for You that they will no longer fear what the demons will do, but they will fear the Lord.
Show them that Your love and power are greater than any demon. Set them free, O Lord, and draw them to Yourself. May they worship You as the One True God and know the peace that comes from fearing You alone.
Give Christians courage and wisdom to know how not to give in to pressure but to stand strong in their faith as they worship You alone. Do this in such a way that their love, joy and peace are so evident, their lost family members will long for Your love to set them free from fear.

Venerating the spirits is a family affair for the Miao-Hmong. Children and grandchildren are expected to participate in such ceremonies as cleaning the graves of their ancestors and offering them proper sacrifices during festivals and other gatherings.

An eldest son refusing to perform the required rituals at his father's funeral, for example, would be scorned as disrespectful, even hateful.

Lord, shine Your love so fully through Miao Christians that family members will feel drawn to Your light like moths to a flame.
In Miao families that have treated a Christian family member with reproach for not sacrificing to demons, open their hearts to welcome him/her back in.
Give Miao Christians courage to withstand the pressure to return to demon veneration, and use them as a bold witness to bring whole families and villages to faith in You.

The Miao have lived in fear of evil spirits so long that when they hear about a God Who loves them and wants to set them free, some eagerly accept Him.

But without the Bible in their own language and without any church nearby where they can be encouraged by other believers who speak their language, they often give in to the pressure from their family and neighbors to return to demon worship.

Lord, please bring entire families and villages to faith in You all at once.
Plant a healthy, multiplying church grounded in truth, love, purity and passion for You in every Miao village, town and community.
Provide a way for believers to gather together as one body, worshipping You and encouraging each other in the faith, even in the midst of persecution.

When a Miao person is sick, the family will usually call in a shaman to communicate with the spirit world and then tell family members which rituals must be performed to "call" the spirit back to the body so the person will be healed.

Frustrate the efforts of Miao shamans so people will lose faith in the rituals and seek the One True Healer. Give every shaman a hunger for You, burning all their fetishes and leading entire villages to the truth.
Place the urgent thought in every Miao mind to cry out to You, O Lord, for healing rather than to seek a shaman. Answer them, Lord, when they call to You. Heal the sick. Raise the dead. Perform so many mighty miracles there will be no doubt in their minds Who is the Powerful One.
May Christians be the ones considered wise in every Miao community, and may the trade of shamanism die out completely.

When Miao Christian parents pray for a sick child and God doesn't heal as fast as they expect Him to, the extended family may pressure them to return to the old ways. They may even go so far as to call in a shaman to perform rituals over a child without permission from the parents.

Miao who perform animistic rituals and seek out shamans or mediums to communicate with the spirit world and to foretell the future open wide the door for the enemy to speak to them and oppress their family. Some of the effects of this oppression include schizophrenia, freak accidents, mysterious illnesses, murderous or suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, nightmares and demonic visitations.

When believers cry out to You, Lord, for healing, answer them. Show Yourself so powerful that everyone around them will forsake demon veneration to worship You alone. Give Christians courage, faith and wisdom to not give in to family pressure regarding shamans, mediums and venerating spirits.
Show Christians how to renounce animistic rituals performed by their forefathers or themselves and give them courage to break off the curses that have long held their families in bondage to the enemy.
Shut the door to the enemy's influence and set families free from schizophrenia, panic attacks, illnesses and the spirit of death. Fill their hearts and homes with love, peace, joy, life and hope.

The Miao-Hmong have no difficulty believing in the spirit realm. Most have had experiences with demons, whether in nightmares or through some other manifestation. So a God of love who is more powerful than demons is most definitely "Good News."

Lord, come to the Miao with such a demonstration of Your power that they will know and believe You alone are God.
Show up the enemy for the fraud he is. Whenever the Miao are affected somehow by a demon, rescue them from that encounter in sucha way that they know it was You Who saved them.
Give the Miao-Hmong dreams and visions of You. Draw them to Yourself, even in places where they have had no way to hear Your name.

Some officials over Miao areas bless those under their care, while others are corrupt, accepting bribes and oppressing those who don't pay them. Because most laws in China are not clearly written, they can be interpreted in a variety of ways. As a result, Christians are persecuted severely in some areas, while in others they are tolerated, even welcomed.

Merciful Father, replace oppressive or corrupt officials in Miao areas with wise, loving leaders who will bless the Miao.
Give officials in Miao areas a hunger to know You and courage to believe the truth. Shine Your love to them so brightly through Christians that they will see them as upstanding citizens and tell others to follow their example.
Place into leadership positions persons of peace who will open the doors for Your Gospel to be preached freely in Miao areas.

In Miao areas where few have heard the Good News, those who have believed struggle to grow in their faith because there is no church near them. They have never seen the Gospel lived out day-to-day and have no Bible to help them grow.

Lord, make strong, healthy, multiplying churches grounded in faith, truth, purity and love spring up in every Miao area so fast that the government will not be able to stop what You're doing.
Give believers a hunger to gather together; and when they do, meet them in such powerful ways that they can't wait to meet together again.
Don't leave believers alone. Draw them together with other believers.Make a way for churches to be planted in every Miao language and village so believers can grow in community.

Culture has changed drastically in recent years, as thousands of Miao have found it easier and more profitable to seek work in the cities than to farm the steep mountain slopes. As a result, villages are emptying of all but the elderly and the young children.

As the Miao move to the cities and face the challenge of finding work and learning language, open their hearts wide to You, O Lord, so when they hear of You they will know You are their Safe Place.
Arrange encounters for each Miao in the cities to meet Christians who will share with them the Good News.
As the Miao hear about You, Lord, make the Good News play over and over in their minds, drawing their hearts to You.

Parents who go off to work in the cities often leave their children in the villages to be raised by aging grandparents or send them off to boarding schools even as young as six or seven years old. In some towns, over a hundred such elementary school children may sleep together on the floor of an empty building with only one teacher watching over them at night.

Father God, please watch over the children and keep them safe from harm and abuse. Place a shield of protection around each one so that every plan of the enemy against them will be thwarted. Give them a hunger for You and make a way for them to hear Your Good News and be saved.
Be a Father to children who feel abandoned or unloved. Meet them in their dreams and show them Who You are. Guide them to Yourself, wrap them in Your arms and heal their wounds.
Bring Christian teachers to Miao schools to love them and share with them Your truth. Use these Christians in powerful ways to make a positive difference in the atmosphere of the schools, and give them favor to freely speak openly about You.

For centuries Miao families have raised their children to work the land together in community. But today, with so many Miao leaving the villages to seek their fortune in the cities, family ties are strained and broken.

Lord, draw Christians together in marriage, and shine Your love so brightly that those all around them will see the difference You make in their family relationships and long for You.
Raise up Christian families to walk in unity and wholeness. Bless them abundantly and make them generous in blessing others. Raise up their children to be healthy, happy, beloved, kind, wise and filled with Your Spirit. May others be drawn to You through their love and joy.
Provide trainings on marriage and parenting for both the lost and the saved, and draw whole families to Yourself.

In many areas where the Miao-Hmong live, Christians are so few that believers have difficulty finding someone to marry who loves God.

Lord, by Your mighty hand that can do all things, place Christians together as couples who will love You and serve You all the days of their lives.
For those Miao Christians who are yoked with unbelievers, we ask You, Lord, to give their spouses a hunger for You and open their hearts to receive You. Make Christians a witness to their unbelieving husbands and wives, and give them wisdom in every situation to know how to love in the power of Your Spirit, especially in difficult situations.
Build Miao Christian marriages strong in faith, unwavering in love, and flowing with grace. Give them courage to pray together, worship together and read the Word together daily. Use them to open their homes to their neighbors, inviting them into Your love and sharing with them Your truth.

With the change in Miao culture of so many seeking fortunes in the cities, most family arguments center around money these days. But money can't fill the void in their hearts.

Lord, please give the Miao a hunger for You. Frustrate them in their efforts to find fulfillment in money or earthly comforts. Let them see that You are the only One Who satisfies.
Touch Miao families and individuals with the power of Your love and heal every broken heart. Bind them together with the one quest of seeking You and finding You.
Love the Miao so openly, Lord, they will welcome You into their families. Plant churches in the homes of every Christian family all throughout Miao-Hmong villages and communities.

As Miao believers begin to walk in freedom and in love, those around them are surprised at the change in their lives. For example, when a young person offered to carry an elderly Miao woman's heavy load for her, she wept saying, "Why would you do that? No one's ever done anything like that for me."

Lord, transform believers' hearts with Your love such that everyone around them will be drawn to You.
Show Miao believers kindnesses You want to do through them to touch those around them and draw the lost to Your light and love.
Bless Miao believers abundantly, providing for all their needs and more, so they will also bless abundantly everyone around them.

Recently, God led a group of believers to hike all day to a village that had never heard His name before. No one invited them in, but they were able to share with one elderly woman at the end of her life, and she chose to accept Christ.

As the Christians hiked out of the village all night to return to town to look for a place to stay, they marveled at how passionately the Lord loved that woman and pursued her, for He had led them all that way just to pull her into heaven before she died.

Lord, please make the way where there seems to be no way for every Miao person to hear Your Good News and accept You as Savior before it's too late.
Don't let even one more Miao person die without the knowledge of You. Bring Christians to them to share the Good News. Meet them in their dreams. Do whatever it takes, Lord, but make a way for them to know You.
Death has always been scary for the Miao, but You have made a way for them to have eternal life. May Your perfect love cast out all their fear and replace it with faith.

Miao young people are under constant pressure to do what their parents force them to, including marrying the person their parents choose, taking the job their parents desire, and performing rituals to appease the spirits. To disobey is dishonoring and causes much dissension in the family.

Lord, please give Christians favor with their parents. Bless them financially and with a happy marriage, and use them as a powerful witness, shining Your love so brightly that their lost family members will long for You too.
Whenever Christians must disobey their parents because what they are ordered to do is contrary to Your Word and Your will, please give them just the words to speak, open their parents' hearts to listen and understand, and bring forth Your good through that situation.
Give Miao Christians the courage to obey You no matter the cost, and to be so full of love that the hearts of those around them will melt and any dissension the enemy had planned will dissipate. Bless Christians abundantly whenever they obey You, so everyone around them will have a change of heart. Mend broken relationships, Lord, and give believers favor with everyone in their family.

In most Miao areas, life is filled with the stresses of poverty, heartache, illness, hard labor and difficult circumstances. Alcoholism and its accompanying violence and other abuses are a serious problem in many households.

Healer of the broken, please heal Miao hearts and set them free. Bind together all the broken places and make something new and beautiful out of every difficult situation.
Protect children and wives from abuse. Set the Miao free from alcoholism and depression. Make a way where there seems to be no way for the poor to have plenty and the lost to find You.
Place Your Spirit in every Miao home to lead men and women to bless each other and their families; and provide for all their needs as You draw them to Yourself.

Toiling the steep mountain slopes isn't easy for the Miao. Some must travel several miles over rough terrain to find water and then carry it back to their villages. Others don't have enough blankets or clothes to keep them warm during the harsh winters.

Lord, lift up the downtrodden, those who are tired of the daily toils of life. Share with them Your Good News and set them free from pain, hopelessness, depression and fear.
Use Christians to abundantly bless those in need with food, clothing, medicine and other provisions. May the lost feel Your love for them and long to love You back.
Heal the sick, Lord. Raise the dead. Revive the weary. By Your mighty hand, have mercy on the Miao and rescue them. Lift them up to rise over every trial on eagles' wings. Teach them that they can do all things through Christ Who strengthens them.

A Miao grandmother in Guizhou takes a rest on her long walk home from gathering greens. Up until recent years, it was normal in Miao culture for the eldest son and his wife to care for his aging parents who lived with them. But with so many Miao working in the cities these days, the elderly are often left to struggle alone in the villages with no one to care for them when they are too weak to care for themselves.

Ask God to watch over them and comfort them with His love, drawing them to Himself.

In many Miao areas where Christians are few, persecution is great. Just about the time believers grow strong in faith and begin leading Bible studies, they are often arrested and threatened to either stop sharing Christ or leave the area. As a result, churches seldom have a chance to grow strong before they dissipate.

Pray God will grow every believer strong in faith, love, and truth, and bold in witness. May Christian churches sprout up so fast and healthy that they survive every enemy blow and strengthen and multiply all the more.
Pray that for every church closed because of persecution 100 more will open.
Pray Christians' love and faith will be so loud and strong that the lost all around them will flock to their churches, and gatherings will spring up in homes in every village and Miao community. May Your Spirit move so dramatically and powerfully nothing will be able to stop Your kingdom coming to every Miao.

In the darkest of Miao areas, where few have ever heard about Jesus, growing in faith is a challenge. With no Bible in their language and no regular gathering of believers to study more about Jesus, Christians are in need of trained leaders strong in faith to disciple them and grow healthy, multiplying churches.

Lord, raise up Miao Christian leaders strong in love, faith and truth to share Christ with the lost, disciple new believers and grow churches.
Protect each of these leaders and their families from all surveillance, persecution and harm, and give them favor with government officials and with the communities where they are sharing Christ.
Grow every believer strong in their faith, with roots that go deep in Your love. Fill them with Your Spirit and power as they share Your love with the lost around them. Bind believers together in unity, love, purity, humility, selflessness, worship and joy. May they be one body with You as the Head, using all their many gifts to shine Your light to the darkness all around them.

What will it take for every one of the more than 12 million Miao-Hmong worldwide to hear Jesus' name and know of His great love? How will the Bible be translated into all of their more than 80 languages and dialects?

Lord, call out Your people to pray for a great movement of Your Spirit among all Miao. Have mercy on the lost and make a way for them to be saved.
Call out churches and individuals throughout the world to give of their resources so the Miao will have the chance to hear about Christ and have a Bible in each of their own heart languages.
Call out Miao Christians to become pastors and evangelists, planting churches among every last Miao tribe. Call out other believers, as well, from throughout China and other countries to obey God's call to share His love with the Miao.
May His kingdom come to every tribe and tongue!

To receive regular prayer updates on the Miao-Hmong, to make a donation, or to find out other ways you can be involved, write MiaoUPG@gmail.com.

Crippled and despised by the other Miao in her village who saw her deformity as a curse from the demons, Amely just wanted to end her sad life. Who would ever love her, much less marry her? And how would she find work? She couldn't labor in the fields and no business would ever hire her.

But as Amely lay on the city streets begging, one day a Christian woman passed by and told her, "God loves you."

It was Amely's first time to hear His name and the words made no sense to her. But as the days and weeks passed by, so did more Christians. One by one, they showed her God's love, took her to church, led her to Christ, and even helped her get a prosthetic leg.

Now Amely is still poor and rejected by those who don't know Christ, but in His body she has found love. And through His love she freely loves others. When her Miao neighbors curse her, she smiles at them and blesses them. Many have come to faith through her invitation.

Lord, so many Miao have never heard Your name, much less the comforting words, "God loves you." Place them in the path of Christians who can share with them Your Good News.
Thank You for saving Amely, for pulling her to the city so she could meet Christians who could lead her to You. Now her life is rich through Your love, and she has made others rich with Your love, as well. Please bless her and grow her faith. Provide for all her family's needs and empower them by Your Spirit as they share with others.

Lord, we have chased after our selfish desires, allowing ourselves to be distracted from You by busyness, worry, hopelessness and so many other idols. We are in a battle, Father, for the enemy wants our very lives, marriages, futures, hearts, children. Please end this war. Teach us to surrender to You completely so we can befree. Flood us with Your love, power and victory. Make us more than conquerors, for You have already overcome the enemy. Why do we listen to His lies and let Him take our thoughts captive, rather than believing Your truth and handing our thoughts over to You to become Yours? Forgive us of our sin, Father. Free us from Satan's lies. Help us speak comfort to others who are hurting. Use us to lead them into Your arms, so they, too, will be free. Speak comfort to the Miao, Lord. Cry out to her that her warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that her Savior has now come.

Throughout their more than 4000-year history, the Miao have been at war. With no knowledge of the Savior, most Miao/Hmong have lived as slaves to sin and fear of evil spirits. If the proper sacrifices and offerings are not given at the right time and in the right way, they expect sickness, tragedy and even death.

But Satan has not been their only enemy. The Miao have also suffered slavery, slaughter, war and hardship at the hands of ruling tribes and warlords who considered them barbarians. To escape persecution, they fled from the more fertile lands of central China to the mountainous Southwest region and neighboring countries. But even high on the steep slopes, war and tragedy followed them up until the 20th century.

After the Vietnam War, White and Blue Hmong in Laos and Vietnam fled as refugees to Allied countries such as the United States, where churches provided for their needs and shared Christ's love with them. As a result of that exodus, today hundreds of thousands of White and Blue Hmong believe in Jesus.

Lord, thank You for rescuing many White and Blue Hmong from sin, death, darkness and even war; and giving them new life, freedom, joy and peace through Christ. Please raise up from among these believers those who will answer Your call to the nearly 80 Miao languages that have never heard the Good News.
Open up the hearts of lost Miao to hunger for Your truth and peace, so that when they hear Your Good News, they will receive it with joy. Set them free, O God, from the chains of fear, sin and death. Rescue them from the battle that rages for their souls. Send forth Your Word and heal them (Psalm 107). May they surrender to You and be free.

In ancient times, rocks had to be removed and roads smoothed in order for a king to visit a village. Today so many lost Miao have never been visited by someone who can share with them about the King Who loves them and wants to free them from their sin. O King of Glory, make a way where there seems to be no way for them to know You. Remove the barriers, make straight paths for lost Miao to get to You. Call out believers who will be willing to learn Miao-Hmong languages and take Your Word to them in a way they can easily understand. Raise up Christians to be a voice crying out to the wilderness of dry and thirsty Miao hearts, "Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God." May this be the year the King visits every Miao heart and home.

"Do you know Who made these mountains?" a Christian asked a Miao girl, gesturing toward the forested slopes that rose all around.

"No. They've just always been here," she replied. The young mother had left her baby in the village with her teenage husband so she could seek work in the city. But now the God Who pursued her had brought her into the path of a Christian who shared with her about His love.

"If there's a God like that, then I want to know Him. I want to love Him back," said the Miao girl. "But I think maybe my village must not be very important, because we've never heard this news before."

Lord, still so many Miao-Hmong have never heard Your name before. Tear down every barrier. Make a way where there seems to be no way for Your Word to reach every village and every heart. Bring Christians into their paths to share with them.
Demonstrate Your love extravagantly to lost Miao. Give them such a hunger for You that when they hear Your Good News, they will spread wide their arms to love You back.

Lord, please raise every valley in our lives and bring low every mountain that prevents us from deeper depths with You. Make straight every crooked area in our hearts and smooth out the rough places. But even as we want more of You, we recognize that so many Miao have never had the chance to meet You. Please tear down the barriers that have loomed like mountains before them, and raise up every deep valley that has kept them from seeing You. Make straight the path for them to get to You, O Lord their God.

Because of the encounter with the teenage girl (See story on May 3), the Christian who shared with her was moved with compassion for this hidden village. And since then, several believers have returned to share the Good News. But the Miao-Hmong in that area are extremely poor and only a handful can speak a language other than their own native dialect, which few outsiders know.

No Bible or other Christian materials exist in their language; and even if such were available, the villagers would need to learn to write before they could read and understand it.

Lord, open up a way for those villages that are hidden to be found by Christians who can share with them Your Good News in a way they can easily understand.
Provide a way for audio Christian recordings with a clear Gospel message to be made in every Miao-Hmong tongue, and protect those who translate, record and distribute Your Word from any harm, persecution or surveillance.

Several Miao-Hmong tribes are particularly hidden from the Gospel, such as dialects and languages among the Eastern Xiangxi Miao, the Southern Qiandong Miao, the Eastern Qiandong Miao, the Luobohe Miao, the Huishui Miao, the Mashan Miao, the Guiyang Miao, and some other smaller groups.

Among the above tribes, many cannot speak Chinese, the language of the country where they live, so unless someone shares with them in their own language, how will they understand?

Lord, call out Christians with hearts full of love and a willingness to learn a new language and do whatever it takes for Your Good News to get to the Miao-Hmong who have never heard.
Prepare the hearts of these unreached to long for You so that when they hear about Your love, they will receive You with open arms. Open a way for a church-planting movement to happen among each of these languages.

As a Christian hiked through the mountains in Guizhou Province, China, he came upon a Miao man working in the fields. When he asked him if he had ever heard about Jesus, the farmer replied,

"I don't know Him. Does He live in my village?"

Father, so many thousands, even millions of Miao have never heard Your name. Give them dreams and visions of You even now, before Your message of truth comes in. Make a way for them to know the One Who loves them and created them for Your glory. Give them a hunger for truth. May they travel far and wide in search of You and find You, O God of Truth. Place Christians in their paths to tell them the Good News, and plant a church in every Miao-Hmong village.
May that man and every Miao-Hmong man soon say with certainty , "Jesus lives in my village!"

Father, as beautiful as You have made the flowers, they live but only a brief moment on this earth. We also are here today and gone tomorrow. Breathe on us, Lord, so that the fragrance of Your love will spread throughout the nations. Don't let us get caught up in things that are for our own comfort or glory, but turn our eyes to the lost millions, that we will pray, give and go so that they will have a chance at eternity. Even this moment, so many Miao-Hmong are dying without You. Send us, Lord, or show us how we can make a difference in their lives, so they can have the opportunity to hear. (For information on how you can go, give or pray for the Miao, write miao@gmail.com.)

The former Miao doctor sat crumpled up in his bed, unable to move most of his body or speak clearly. He had suffered a debilitating stroke several years ago that removed every hope of a normal life.

But his bedridden condition made him desperate for healing and for meaning in life. So when believers shared the Good News with him and his wife, they readily believed.

But in their desperation, they have also chosen to pray to the spirits, just in case God doesn't come through and bless them with healing and riches.

Lord, through this man's illness, you opened up a way for him and his wife to hear Your Good News. But so many other Miao are on their deathbeds without any chance to experience Your love. Bring to them Christians who will spread Your fragrance in sweet ways they cannot deny, so they will not fade away without first receiving You as Savior.
O One True God, it is so difficult for the Miao-Hmong to understand that You alone are God, that You alone are the answer to all their questions, needs, wants and desires. Please plant Your truth deep in their hearts. Help Miao believers fully understand the treasure of Christ. Give them courage to lay down their idols and worship You alone. Set them free from spirit worship, O God of Love.

Lord, we spend so much time working for things that don't last, reaching for goals that are only a brief dot in the history of this fading world. Very little of what we spend our energy on today will be of any importance tomorrow. But, You, O God, are Eternal. Your love is everlasting. And in place of death, You give us life. Please help us fix our eyes on You and work for eternal things that will never fade away. Help us place greatest importance on loving others and drawing closer to You. Matthew 22:37-40. Let us live and speak Your Word daily, for Your name, Jesus, is the Word, and You are eternal. What You say and Who You are will never change. But even as we pray this, we recognize that millions of Miao are dying without the Word translated into their languages and without any chance at eternity with You. What would You ask me to do, God, to help open the doors for them to know You? (To find out how you can be involved in reaching the Miao-Hmong for Christ, write miaoupg@gmail.com.)

More than 100 years ago, missionaries came to work in the mountains of Southwest China, where A-Hmao (also called Big Flowery Miao) came in contact with them and heard the Good News.

The fame of the God of Love the missionaries preached about spread for miles around, and soon hundreds of A-Hmao made the long trek over the mountains to hear the Good News. Thousands came to faith, and even today approximately 80 percent of A-Hmao are believers.

The Bible has been translated into their Farwestern Hmong language, and churches abound throughout their villages.

Lord, Your Word has brought eternity to the hearts of the A-Hmao. We praise You for this! Grow their churches strong in faith and love, and raise up many A-Hmao believers with a heart for the lost to brave the language barriers and distance from their homes to take Your Good News to those who have never heard.
Make a way for Your Word to become available in audio form to every Miao-Hmong person in their own language and dialect. Don't let them continue onlyworking for things that will fade away, but like the A-Hmao, draw them into Your love so they can build treasures in heaven that will never pass away.

Lord of the Harvest, raise up Christians with a calling to brave the high mountains, the many difficulties and barriers to the Miao coming to know You, and shout Your words of truth to the lost. In many places where the Miao-Hmong live, there is danger of persecution. Please comfort believers and give them courage to speak without fear and in the power of Your Holy Spirit, so the lost will know about the God Who loves them and sent His Son to die for them so they can be saved. For every believer persecuted, may ten more Miao come to faith in You!

While the A-Hmao turned to Christ by the thousands in western Guizhou and Yunnan provinces in China around the turn of the 20th century (see story on May 8), missionaries who shared with the Miao in eastern Guizhou were met with opposition so severe that no laborers remained in the area longer than a year or two.

In fact, two foreign missionaries and one Miao evangelist were martyred in the early 1900s. Little fruit is visible today of their labor. Overgrown with vegetable vines and weeds, their graves lie tucked away in a the backyard of a Miao family that still venerates spirits.

Lord, so many lost Miao-Hmong live in spiritually oppressive areas where neighbors, families, and governments persecute those who choose to believe in You. Please break through the darkness with Your light so every Miao will see You as You truly are and receive Your love and truth with arms open wide.
Raise up Christians with a vision to reach the lost and a heart to brave hardship and oppression in order to take Your Good News to the Miao. Open the hearts of lost Miao-Hmong to receive You, and give the bearers of Good News favor with all who meet them.

Lord, come to the Miao-Hmong, for millions have long been lost without You. Come with a strong hand to tear down the altars to false gods, and build Your throne in the hearts of every Miao. Rule over us, O Sovereign God, and as we surrender to You, use us to pray, to give, to go and to further Your work among the Miao-Hmong. Don't let us lose sight of the Prize, for You, O Lord, are our Reward. Hebrews 12:1-3. Whenever we obey You, we draw closer to You and enjoy You all the more; and when the Miao come to faith in You, then that is Your reward, for that is a work only You can do. Only You can move a heart and save a soul. Our job is to love You and the people You created for Your own. Matthew 22:37-40.

Gadda came from a long family line of mediums, but when she realized the demons had chosen her to become the next village shaman, she refused.

The ensuing demonic oppression made her violent, incoherent and uncontrollable. Her in-laws had to tie her up to protect both her and themselves.

In the midst of the chaos, loving Christians fought for her life, slept with her to make sure she didn't kill herself, fed her, sang praise songs to her, prayed for her, commanded the evil spirits to go and shared Christ's love with her.

Only when they were with her did she experience some peace. She even joined them in singing praise songs, and sometimes entered their conversations, speaking somewhat coherently. But her in-laws continued to bring shamans in to chant over her, and each time they did, she returned to her former state.

Gadda's family eventually forced her husband to divorce her, extracting a high sum of money from him; then they married her off to someone else far away for a large bride price. But this time Gadda didn't make it through. She died last year without ever finding freedom.

Lord, through the love of the Christians who ministered to Gadda and her first husband in their time of need, he made the decision to believe in You; but then recanted in order to continue venerating spirits. Now he is married again with children. Please open his heart and his wife's to long for You. Remind him of the love he experienced and the truth he heard, and draw him back into Your arms, bringing his new family with him.
Tear down the influence of shamans in Miao-Hmong villages. Give them dreams and visions of You, speaking to them the truth of Who You are and exposing the lies from the enemy. When they attempt their rituals, don't let them succeed, Lord. Expose their lies and give people a hunger for the truth.

O Good Shepherd, there are still so many sheep You have not brought into Your fold yet. Gather them from every place the Miao-Hmong live. Some who have believed in You have found themselves alone, like scattered sheep without a shepherd — some by persecution, some by work or other circumstances. Whether Your sheep are alone or in a flock with others, please gather them together in Your arms and pour Your love and protection over them. Let them feel You close, hear Your voice and lean in to Your chest to listen to Your heartbeat, so they can walk in sync with You. Gently lead those You are raising up to disciple others. Don't let them stray from the path.

When Hara and her family traveled through a city many years ago, they stayed with a Christian family that shared the Good News with them. But then the two families lost contact soon after.

Ten years later, the Christian mother was prayer walking in a Miao town with other believers, when Hara saw her and ran to embrace her. "You told me about God," she said excitedly. "And all these years I haven't been able to get Him out of my mind. Tell me about Him again."

That day, Hara came to Christ, as her long-lost friend shared with her the Good News.

Six years later, still no church exists in Hara's village; and although her Christian friend visits her to disciple her as often as she can, Hara isn't growing without other believers to live out their faith together with her.

So many believers like Hara are isolated and have never known the joy of growing in regular fellowship together with other believers. Many can't read or write or even speak any language but their Miao dialect, and no Christian materials are available to them. Have mercy on these believers, Father, and shepherd them gently. Your Word says Your sheep hear Your voice (John 10:27), so speak to them, disciple them, and empower them to share the Good News with others around them. Plant a church in each of their villages—a strong, vibrant church founded on Your truth and filled with Your love.
So many young believers, due to persecution or other reasons, have had to move far away from the other Christians who have been discipling them, and often they succumb to temptation and fall away from the faith. Lord, please sustain those who feel alone, and grow them strong in You. Guard them from the pull of the darkness around them, and make them beacons of light, fully armored (Ephesians 6:10-18) and shielded from enemy shemes. For those who have backslidden, remind them of the sweetness of relationship with You and draw them back into right relationship with the One Who loves them.

Lord, You have measured the waters in the hollow of Your hand, and heaven with the span of Your fingers. You have calculated the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains and hills on scales. Nothing is hidden from Your understanding, O Creator God.You know every Miao language and village. You created each person by Your own design for Your glory. Come to each Miao-Hmong in such intimately personal ways that they will know beyond any doubt that You alone are God, opening wide their hearts to receive You.

When a group of latino women came to Joy's village to prayerwalk, she invited them to stay in her home. They couldn't speak her language, but their love was so evident, Joy commented, "I've never met anyone like this before. Why do they love me so much?"

Through a translator, the women shared their testimonies, and Joy exclaimed, "I knew it! For years my brother tried to make me to bow to idols, but it just didn't seem right. Why worship a statue? But this God you speak about is true."

The team of prayer walkers could only stay a few days, but other believers continued to visit her to share more with her, and each time she would ask, "Now, tell me again why those women loved me so much?"

Joy became the first believer in her village .

You loved Joy so much that You hand-picked those women to show her what You look like. You lifted the veil from her eyes so she could see You as You truly are. Lord, please do the same for the millions of Miao who have no opportunity to know You. Guide Christians to their villages who can share the Good News in a way they can easily understand. Lift the veil from their eyes, and spread their hearts wide open to receive You as Savior. May they know the Truth that sets them free!
Joy has continued to love You, but there are no other believers in her village for her to grow together with. Raise up those who will provide a continuing witness in that village, lead others to You,disciple Joy and plant a church there.

Two women had prayer walked all day in a Miao village when they felt God leading them to visit Joy (see story May 12). But the trip to her village would take hours. It was already late in the day, and they hadn't brought anything with them to stay the night in a village. Still, they obeyed the Spirit's urging.

"Oh, you came just in time!" the new believer said when they arrived. "My aunt came to visit me today, and she's looking for Jesus."

A year or so earlier, Joy's aunt had been on her deathbed, so Joy took a Christian friend with her to her aunt's village to pray for her.

God healed the sick woman, and from that time on, she began traveling from village to village looking for a church or a Christian to tell her more about the One Who had healed her; but she found no one.

Now her search had ended. She heard the Good News and believed.

Lord, we often feel weary or unprepared when You ask us to do something. Help us love You and others more than our own comfort.
Thank You for healing Joy's aunt. Thank You for bringing evangelists into her path at just the right time for her to come to You. Please be that intentional with every Miao-Hmong heart. Show them Who You are, Lord. Demonstrate Your power and draw them to Yourself. May the Miao seek You with all their heart and find You.

Lord, only You are Counselor, Healer and Teacher. Only in You is justice, knowledge and understanding. In their distress, comfort the Miao and quiet them with Your love. Guide them and direct them, showing them Your plans for them, for only You can heal their wounds and transform their hearts. Teach the Miao-Hmong Your truth, Lord. Place within them Your Spirit. John 14. May they know You deeply and intimately, so Your truth will set them free. Show Your justice to them, for only You understand their unique difficulties and the oppression they are under. Lift the clouds of darkness from their hearts and minds and set them free to run in the paths of Your light.

Sarahi had spiraled into a deep depression, afraid she would never get married and never find a job. Everywhere she went people gawked at the huge brown spots across her face, calling her ugly. She refused to eat, and her body shrunk so much her friend Melissa barely recognized her.

As the two prayed together, the Holy Spirit reminded them of the circumstances surrounding Sarahi's birth. The third girl born to a family whose culture esteems boys, she had been just one more disappointment, one more mouth to feed, one more daughter who would one day care for her husband’s aging parents but not her own.

As Sarahi prayed, asking the Lord to show her how He sees her and what He thinks about her birth, God spoke to her heart through His Word.

“He says I’m precious, that He created me, that I am His daughter and He delights in me," Sarahi said with excitement. "He’s lifting my head now." Her entire countenance had changed. Her shoulders straightened, her head lifted, and joyful tears gathered in her eyes.

But that wasn't all. Now, the huge brown spots had begun to fade, and within five minutes they were completely gone.

Thank You for healing Sarahi and counseling her with Your Word. Not long after You did that, she married a Christian man who loves her. Now they have a baby and live in an isolated place several hours from other Christians. Please grow them in their faith. Bind their marriage in love and ground them in Your truth. Make them a light in the darkness all around them, Lord. Plant a church in their village.
As personally as You touched and healed Sarahi, please have mercy on each Miao-Hmong. Only You understand their needs and heartaches. Heal them. Fight for them. Transform their hearts. May Your truth conquer every lie and set them free to run after You and enjoy Your love all the days of their lives. May the Miao see how precious they are in Your sight and turn to You.

Joy was returning home from a trip when a woman walked up to her and asked, "Will you please hold my baby for me while I go to the bathroom?"

When the woman never returned, Joy found in the folds of the newborn's blanket some money and a note saying, "I've been watching you, and I've decided you are the one to care for my daughter."

Joy took the little girl home to her village, and she and her husband adopted her. As neighbors dropped by to see their new baby and bring her gifts, Joy told them, "She is a gift from God."

O Lord, no life is a mistake to You. Every child You create is for the purpose of delighting in Your love and bringing You glory. Thank You for this precious life You saved, this gift You gave to Joy. Please save Joy's husband now, Lord, and all of her family and village. Make them a beacon of light to others all around.
Make a way for every orphaned or abandoned Miao child to find a home in You. Care for the little ones, Lord, and show them how precious and beloved they are to You. Place every baby in a home filled with love and acceptance. Protect them and make a way for them to hear Your Good News and believe in You.

Lord, the Miao have long sacrificed animals and given offerings to false gods and ancestral spirits not knowing that You alone are the One True God. You are so holy and mighty that were they to sacrifice every animal in all their lands using all the trees of all their forests as fuel, it would not be enough to honor You. You gave Your only Son as the one perfect sacrifice so we could be saved. Share this Good News with the Miao-Hmong, Lord, and set them free from spirit worship to worship the One True God of Love.

Vita listened with rapt attention to the story from creation to Christ, interrupting often to repeat portions of the story.

“This is truth! I’ve been waiting 70 years to hear this good news!” she exclaimed. Even though her neighbors all worshipped spirits, she had never felt right about it. Now that Vita knew the truth, however, nothing stood in the way of her receiving Christ.

As the visiting Christians prayed with her for healing from pain in her limbs, Vita interrupted them halfway through. “So now’s the time when you’re going to call the shaman in to burn incense, right?” she tested them.

“No,” the Christians assured her. “God is the One Who made your body. He doesn’t need to be fed or appeased. He heals because He loves you.”

“I KNEW it!!!! This IS the truth I’ve been waiting for all my life!” Vita exclaimed. God healed her inside and out, and she danced around the room, moving her arms all around, exclaiming, “I’m healed! God healed me!”

Build Vita's faith deep in You, especially as there is no one in her village to help her grow. Guard over her heart, Lord. Bring her whole family and all her neighbors to You. Plant a vibrant, growing church in their village.
So many Miao sacrifice animals to the spirits simply because they know no other way. Show them the way, Lord. Make a way for every Miao to know that the price has already been paid for their freedom.

Persecution is a reality for Miao-Hmong believers in four of the five Asian countries where they live. Christians are arrested, tortured and even killed for their faith.

Choosing Christ comes at so great a price that when a new believer is baptized, it's not uncommon to ask, "And when the police come to arrest you, confiscate your property and torture your family, will you still remain faithful to Christ?"

Some churches have met in caves, and others who gather in homes have worshipped in silence to hide from authorities. Phones have been bugged, and those found with Christian materials have been fined, arrested or tortured. Several completed Bible translations are not available in audio form yet because anyone who records them could be in grave danger.

Lord, please comfort Miao-Hmong who are persecuted. Wrap them in Your arms and let them feel Your presence. May they walk through each trial with their eyes on You. Calm Miao-Hmong Christians' fears and give them faith to step out in obedience to You no matter the cost, reminding them of the cost You paid for their salvation. For every Christian who is persecuted, bring ten lost Miao to faith.
No barrier is a barrier to You, O Lord, for You can do all things. Make a way where there seems to be no way for the Miao to hear Your Good News. Step over every barrier and show them Your love so Your truth will set them free. Turn every Saul into a Paul, every persecutor into a passionate lover of Christ who opens doors for many more Miao to believe.

Steve, a Miao gang leader, dreamed that a beam of light from heaven lit up a cross lying on a riverbank. Later he had another dream that a tall white angel came to his door to tell him the meaning of the cross.

One morning, his roommate came in holding a cross he had found by the river. "Can I have it?" Steve asked.

Soon after, a knock came at his door, and when he opened it, there stood a tall foreigner.

That day the foreigner shared the meaning of the cross and Steve believed. He led his whole gang to the Lord, as well, and their lives were transformed from harming others to loving themand sharing the Gospel.

But when persecution came, some fled, others hid their faith. Today, this scattered flock is in need of a shepherd.

Lord, we praise You for the conversion of Steve and his gang members. Give them courage, faith and a hunger to meet together and grow. Several strong believers are ready and willing to disciple them. Give them openness to say, "yes."
Be a Shield for every Miao-Hmong believer. Give them courage to withstand every attack and be a light in the darkness. May Your church grow in the midst of persecution, as many more come to You.

Teenage Miao boys above goof around before class in a high school in Guizhou Province, China. Few village children have the privilege of completing middle school, much less high school. But those who do will have the opportunity at a university degree and even a job in the city because they can read and write Chinese.

Pray God will bring Christians into the path of every Miao young person to introduce them to the God of love. Pray the present generation of youth will hunger to read Your Word. For only You can satisfy their deepest longings and save them from sin and death. Only You can give them true joy and worth.

Merida and several new believers in her village just couldn't leave their old practices.

“When I tried to tell my family we should just pray to God and not the spirits, they got angry," Merida explained. "So when my son got sick, I called in the shaman. He told us to tie red bands on his hand and foot and put an expensive silver necklace with a silver idol on it around his neck to protect him from the demons.”

Many Miao-Hmong who come to Christ, like Merida, are so excited to hear about the God Who loves them and sets them free from sin, fear and death that they happily choose to believe in Him. But if He doesn't answer a prayer fast enough, those new believers often return to the shaman.

Break off the bonds of spirit worship from every Miao-Hmong, Father. Lift the veil from their hearts and minds so they will see You clearly as You truly are and worship only You. Set them free from the curses and death they are bound to by demon worship and let them experience the riches of Your grace and freedom.
Give Miao believers the courage to forsake all other gods and worship You alone, Lord. Cancel every right the enemy feels he has to harm those who have chosen You, and fight for them. Be their Strength, their Shield and their Fortress. When they pray to You, answer them quickly. Heal the sick, raise the dead, give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf and mute. Let all the Miao see that You are God alone.

New believer Veronica dreamed a demon chased her. "I was so afraid. Then a voice said, 'Don't be afraid. I have come to save you.' It was God, Jesus, the One you told us about," she said to the Christians who had been trying to convince Merida and the other new believers to stop venerating spirits. "I heard Him say to the demon, 'Go,' and it was gone. I felt a peace like I've never felt before!"

As she shared her dream with the other new believers in her village, even Merida changed her mind. She and the other believers cut the amulets off of their children and chose to worship God alone.

Thank You Lord for setting Veronica, Merida, the other believers in that village and their children free from the bonds the enemy had used to keep them captive. Help them now to grow strong in their faith, to choose to follow only You, and to raise their children in faith and freedom.
Thank You for the miraculous way You came to Veronica in her dream to show her the truth. For many Miao-Hmong, it will take a miracle for them to truly see Who You are. Please don't hold back, Sovereign God. Display Your majesty and beauty and power. Come to them in dreams and visions so the truth of Who You are will go deep into their hearts and take root there, even in places where no one has had a chance to hear Your Good News. Break the curse of death over the Miao, Lord, and release them to life in Christ. Give the Miao-Hmong courage to destroy their amulets and altars and follow only You.

Southern Qiandong Miao enjoy lunch together in a village in southeastern Guizhou Province. Most of the 740,000 Southern Qiandong Miao have never heard God's name, much less Jesus'. Their villages are high in the mountains, and their many dialects have yet to be researched and written.

Pray for the transformational power of God's love to pour through their hearts like a mighty flood. May those who have never heard because no one has ever told them now know beyond any doubt that God is love and He sent His Son to die for them so that they could be saved.

Amely's Miao neighbors accused her of being demon-cursed and said evil things to her because of her handicap. But this time, instead of being angry or afraid, she smiled and said kind words in return.

"Why are you so different?" they asked.

As she told them about meeting Jesus in the city, one man said, "I need to meet this Jesus!" In fact, within a week or so, Luke made the long journey hundreds of miles to find Him. Amely introduced him to Christians who shared the Good News with him and he believed. When they later visited him in the village, twelve more Miao came to faith.

Lord, we thank You for the demonstration of Your power in Amely. You filled her with peace, joy and love, where once there was sorrow, anger and fear. Grow Luke and the other new believers strong in their faith. Plant a multiplying church in that village, founded on truth and love.
Whenever a Miao-Hmong person comes to You, please transform them so miraculously that others see You in them andare drawn to You too.

Oh, God, You are so great and mighty, You are enthroned above the circle of the earth. Its inhabitants are like grasshoppers at your feet. You stretch out the heavens like a curtain, like a tent to dwell in. Who can compare to Your beauty? Day after day You show Yourself to the nations, and yet the Miao have not understood Who You are. Please show them, Lord. As they look into the heavens and see the stars, the handiwork You have made, give them a hunger to know You, the One Who created them. Gather them up into Your arms from all the nations and places where they have fled, and make them one in Your love.

Because so many Miao-Hmong have never heard God's name, when believers share with them, they begin with the creation story:

"Long before there was anything, Most High God existed. He is more powerful than any demons, governments, ancestors, gods or idols. There is only one God, and He is the Most High God, powerful above all, Creator of the heavens and the earth..."

Many Miao stories tell of a Creator God who formed man from the dust and woman from his bone. They also tell of a great flood that covered the earth, and of a man and woman who made a boat and survived the flood, becoming the Miao nation.

Stories like these are Gospel bridges God has already placed in their culture to open their hearts to HIm.

Lord, please give Christians wisdom as they tell the stories about You to speak in a way that the Miao can easily understand. Open up the hearts of those who hear to say, "Yes! That's truth!" and believe.
Call out more believers who will share the Good News that the Most High God, Who created all the heavens and the earth and every Miao person, loves them and sent His Son to die for them so they can be saved. Give Miao-Hmong everywhere a hunger for the truth that sets them free.

O Lord, You bring the princes of the earth to nothing. You, Great Judge, are higher than the judges of the earth . The enemy thinks he has claimed the lands of the Miao-Hmong as his, for long have they appeased him with their blood sacrifices. But with one Sacrifice, You, Jesus, covered over all their sins and made a way for them to reconcile with the Most High God. Defeat all your enemies who try to hold back this truth from lost Miao. Make a way for every man, woman and child to know Your truth so You will set them free!

From the creation story, those who share Christ with the Miao tell the story of Adam and Eve, who walked in joyful relationship with God, but then disobeyed and were banished from the garden, made to toil the land, a labor the Miao understand all too well.

"Because sin deserves death," the story continues, "God set up a system of sacrifices, so His people could repent of their sin and kill an animal in their place." This the Miao also understand, for they have a custom of placing their sin on a dog and killing it.

"Even though people offered sacrifices, they did not repent. God still loved them, however, and so He provided a way through His Son Jesus, Who became the one perfect Sacrifice, paying for our sins once and for all..."

Through Your death, Jesus, You triumphed over death, paying for our sins so we could have eternal life. Please make this Gospel message clear to every Miao person.
Lord, You alone are Judge, and You have chosen to wash our sins away if we believe in You. May the Miao believe in You and be saved, from the least of them to the greatest. May they all worship You in spirit and in truth.

Lord, man is here and then gone. Those in authority come and go, and governments pass away. False teachings and cults will come to nothing. But You, O Lord, are eternal. Your steadfast love lasts forever. When governments and people rise up against believers to persecute them or lead them astray, blow upon them like stubble, like a whirlwind casting danger far away from Your precious lambs. Rescue those close to Your heart and show them Your love and favor. May those who persecute them see Your care and protection and fear You, long for You and be saved.

Not only is persecution of believers a concern in most areas where the Miao-Hmong live, but cults are also a problem.

Some promote false teachings and legalism, such as God will not hear your prayers unless you kneel, say a certain phrase each time you pray, or limit your rice intake. Whole Miao villages have been known to give away all their possessions at the urging of false teachers, and then sit on a mountainside waiting for Jesus' return.

But other cults like Eastern Lightning are even more dangerous. They infiltrate underground churches, pretending to be believers, and then discredit pastors by kidnapping them, drugging them, and then taking photos of them sleeping with a woman other than their wife. Or they might stage a false healing so that church members will follow them instead of the pastor. They might even lure believers to a "training" where they kidnap them, drug them and brainwash them.

Lord, without a Bible in so many Miao-Hmong languages, it is easy for them to be pulled away from the truth. Please make a way for them to know Your whole truth and stand on it, so they will not give in to Satan's tricks and lies.
Please protect pastors and other believers from false doctrine, kidnappings and other tricks of cults that seek to steal Your sheep. Expose every lie and every liar, Lord, and bring down those who seek to set up a lie over what You say. For only what You say, Lord, is truth. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.

The Miao know there is an afterlife. But for them, it is a scary one. They believe their spirit will go to a place where they will still need food, money and possessions, just like on earth, only they will also have to battle monsters and demons.

Family members are required to give food offerings and burn paper money and incense for the deceased, for they fear their ancestors' anger if they don't. And some shamans will go into a trance to connect with the spirit world on behalf of a family.

When believers share the story from creation to Christ with lost Miao, it is Jesus' love and miracles, His resurrection, and the sacrifice paid for our sins that touches Miao hearts most to make them want to believe in Him.

Thank You for the bridge, Lord, that the Miao already believe that the spirit world exists. They already know there is an afterlife, they just don't know that there is an alternative of heaven. Please reveal Yourself to them and give to each Miao person the gift of an eternity with You.
Whenever Miao-Hmong people attend a funeral, please speak to them, Lord. In their anguish and fear, open a way for them to know the truth that sets them free.

A small village with a Buddhist temple in it became a "ghost" town, when its Han Chinese residents abandoned it in fear of evil spirits. Plagued with nightmares, strange happenings, demonic appearances, freak accidents, illnesses, and deaths, the villagers had fled for their lives and never returned.

But a group of A-Hmao believers moved in several years later, cleansed the temple, built a church, and established a happy, loving community in that village. "We're not afraid of demons. We believe in Jesus," explained an elder.

Christians in another location donated several goats to the village for an animal husbandry project, and in less than a year the flock had multiplied to more than 80. "We are blessed, for God is with us," said the elder.

Lord, only You can restore life to what once was death. As Miao-Hmong people turn to You, teach them to die to their old way of life and to come alive in You. Galatians 2:20. Clean out their hearts and their homes, and bless them, O Lord. May all their neighbors marvel at Your love, protection and favor, and long to know You.
Be a shining light in the darkness all around Miao-Hmong Christians. Use them to draw all peoples to You. Grow them in love, truth and the power of Your Spirit's leading. Set them free from every sin and stronghold that binds them so they can be used by You to also set others free.

Aglaya was abandoned by her mother and raised by an abusive family. After she became a believer, her parents tried to force her to marry a man of their choice, but she refused, holding out for the man of God's choice.

When a wonderful Christian man fell in love with her and asked for her hand in marriage, Aglaya's parents threatened to cut them out of the family and to chop off the couple's legs if they ever returned home.

But Aglaya's husband encouraged her not to be afraid, that together they would show her family God's love and win their favor. Several months later, through the power of love, God turned the family's heart around and now they are reunited.

Lord, please soften the hearts of Aglaya's family to hunger and thirst for You. Save them, so they also can know the joy and peace that come from a life filled with God's love.
Many other Miao-Hmong believers face persecution and threats from family members who stand against their decision to follow Christ and marry a believer. Please give every Christian the courage to love their families and obey You. Bring to them Christian spouses who will build God-centered families and be a beacon of light in the darkness, drawing many more Miao-Hmong into Your kingdom.

"I don't want to waste God's grace," a former backslidden Miao Christian said, as he turned his heart around to follow God once more.

When he was a teenager, a Christian couple took him into their family, telling him about Jesus. But the many rules imposed on him in their house overwhelmed him. He found it impossible to obey his new parents perfectly, and so gave in to sin.

But God's love and grace pulled him back years later, as other Christians mentored him daily, pouring into him God's love and teaching him that this Christian walk is about relationship, not rules.

Each time he came to them with a problem, rather than giving him advice, they invited him to pray and ask God what He says about the situation. The Lord consistently answered him with scripture and instructions to walk through his trials in victory through love and forgiveness. And this young Christian realized for the first time that he was never meant to obey good rules in his own power, but to surrender to God, enjoy His love, and be led by His Spirit to do the good works prepared for him by God.

Now, grace flows through him to others, and many have come to faith through Christ's love in him.

Lord, please remind Miao Christians that You have not grown weary of them, that their difficulties are not too much for You. Come to them in deep, intimate ways, and show them what You say about each of their circumstances.
Grow this believer strong in You, and use him to mentor many Miao believers to also walk as one with You. Build a multiplying Miao church that is founded on deep intimacy with You. May the Miao love You with all their hearts, and love others through Your love. Matthew 22:37-40.

God has raised up local believers and others from far away to live in unreached Miao-Hmong areas and share Christ. But they face illnesses, injuries, nightmares, dissension, oppression, surveillance, persecution and so many other difficulties. Many feel alone, discouraged, weary. They want to give up.

One Christian said, "Every night I pack my bags and say, 'I'm quitting! No more!' But then during the night, God realigns my thoughts with His and reminds me to be 100 percent where He has me until He tells me to leave."

Lord, please lift up every downcast heart. Give Christians living in Miao areas the courage and strength to keep on doing what You've called them to do. Empower them to lead many to You and to disciple believers. Make a way for a strong, healthy church to be planted within reach of every Miao village.
Protect Christians in Miao areas from harm. Deepen their faith and intimacy with You. When they ask You questions, Lord, let them hear Your voice. Answer them clearly. Flow Your Spirit through them in love, so they don't feel they have to do this on their own, but trust that You will do this work of bringing the Miao to You, because this is Your work, not anything a person can do.

Jehoshua's faith was vibrant. Every time he opened the Word and read from it, the words seemed to come alive. Many other young people rallied around him, joining the Bible studies he led and coming to Christ through his gentle manner and wisdom.

He also led his girlfriend to Christ, and she, too, became a strong witness for Christ. Together, they led Bible studies and helped Miao Christians grow in their faith.

But Jehoshua hid his sins, and in the darkness of those secrets, he fell farther and farther away from Christ and from his godly relationships. At last, he gave in to the temptations and walked away from the faith, believing God could never use such a sinner.

Lord, do whatever it takes to bring Jehoshua back to You. Christians have shown him Your love and grace, but he hasn't believed it's true. Turn him away from the trap of sin and draw him back from darkness to light.
Protect every Miao-Hmong believer from the trap of sin and temptation. Let them see how precious and beloved they are, so they will never want to walk away from You. Help believers hand their weaknesses and failings over to You, Lord, for Your strength is made perfect in our weakness. Help us to turn those failings into an opportunity to grow all the more in You. May we not be double-minded, but may we love You and serve You with all our heart and mind and soul and strength.

The task to reach more than 12 million Miao for Christ is a daunting one for the few Christians God has called to pray for them, live among them, learn their many languages and see His kingdom come to them.

Who will pray for them? Who will go? Who will give so others can go? Who will care about the millions dying in darkness with no chance to see the light of Christ?

Lord, we admit that this task is impossible without You. You alone can turn a nation around to run after You. You alone can change a heart. You alone can raise up workers for the Miao-Hmong fields You are preparing to hear Your Good News. We trust in You. We wait on You. And we say, "Here am I. Send me." Take us to the ends of the earth, if that's what it takes, Lord. For we are Yours, and Your glory is our heart's greatest desire.
Don't let us grow weary in praying, in loving the lost, in sharing Your Good News. Don't let us lie down in front of a barrier as it defeats us. Lift us up to see every circumstance and person through Your eyes. May we soar over obstacles on Your wings and pull the lost up into Your arms with us.

A Basha Miao woman in Southeastern Guizhou carries night soil to the fields.

The village was once a place where young children played, older children cared for the oxen and ducks, and parents worked side-by-side in the fields. In fact, only ten years ago, if you asked a Miao teenager in the city what kind of man she would want to marry, she might have said, "a farmer, because his heart is kind."

But today, the villages are emptying as more and more Miao seek work in the cities, hoping for a better life. Only the elderly remain to work the fields, and young children are growing up without their parents, who have left them in the villages hoping to make money in the city.

Lord, we ask You to place in Miao hearts a hunger for You.
When they run to the cities to find work, may they find You, O Sovereign God. Place Christians in their paths who will show them Your love and share with them the Good News.
Provide for each Miao child a protector who will love them and care for them. Make a way for them to know their Great Protector Who loves them.

Taking a job in a factory far away, Briony's parents left her to raise her younger brother when she was only a child herself. With no parental guidance available, she grew up not understanding right from wrong.

Now that Briony has met Christ, God has become her Father, and she has chosen a life of loving others and caring for the sick. But still so many Miao children in China and other countries are growing up on their own, without a chance to know their Heavenly Father who loves them and has planned a bright future full of hope for them.

Lord, we ask You to place a shield of protection around Miao children as they assume responsibility too early in life.
Even now, plant in their hearts a hunger for You so that when they hear Your Good News, they will believe and be saved.
Transform the hearts of young people by the power of Your love. Make a way to restore purity and peace to every heart through an intimate relationship with You.

A Hmong girl in Laos carries her little brother on her back, watching over him as her parents work.

Children in a Miao primary school in Southwest China.

A little Miao boy flashed a black-toothed grin at his elementary school teacher.

"Their parents give them money for food, but they use it to buy candy," Joseph said, shaking his head. "I just don't know what to do for all these children. More than 130 come to school from villages in the surrounding mountains. But their homes are so far away, they must stay here at night. We each take turns watching over them, but there are just too many of them for us to give all of them the guidance children need. What they really need is their parents."

Lord, we thank You for the opportunity many Miao children have to go to school. Teach them right from wrong, keep them healthy, and watch over them with tender care until they have the chance to know You as Father.
Bring to Joseph's mind the stories he's heard about You. Give him and other teachers in Miao areas a desire for You and open their hearts to receive You as Savior.
Assign Your angels, Father, to watch over Miao children and keep them safe from harm or abuse. Send them Christian teachers to love them into Your arms. Bring Your Word to them in a way they can easily understand.

In many areas where the Miao live, it is against the law to teach children about God.

Tina, a Miao Christian teacher in a middle school, has been warned by authorities several times against speaking about God to her students. "But they can't stop me from loving. And if anyone asks me why my life is filled with such joy and peace, I will tell them what Christ has done for me."

Lord, call out Your servants to serve as teachers in Miao schools, so they can pray for the students and love them into Your arms.
Give Christian teachers in Miao areas favor with authorities, and open up doors for them to freely share Your love. Protect them from surveillance, persecution and harm.
Make a way for every Miao child to hear about the Father Who loves them and wants to have an intimate relationship with them.

A-Hmao children play in a village in central Yunnan.

Huishui Miao kids go for a ride in central Guizhou.

"Very few Miao children grow up truly feeling loved," said a Miao believer. "Their parents yell at them and beat them and call them stupid, and then leave them all alone in the village while they go to the city to work. So many children do good things and study hard trying to gain their parents' approval. They hope for a new pair of shoes or some other gift that might show appreciation or love, but they never get it. Parents feel awkward showing love, even when the love is there."

Lord, please shield children against verbal and physical abuse. When parents are angry, grab their arms and hold them back from hitting. Rescue the children, Father, and gather them into Your protective arms.
Teach Miao parents how to show love to their children. Remind them of how much they needed love when they were little, and give them kind hearts and gentle hands.
Wrap Your arms around every child and talk to them, Lord, even though they don't yet know Who You are. Let them feel Your love, as You remove the weight of rejection and abandonment from off their shoulders. Give them dreams and visions to point them to Your truth.

Visitors to a Miao village are often welcomed in with wine offered from flasks made of hollowed-out water buffalo horns. Over dinner, yet more wine is served, along with much laughter and boisterous singing. Each time the host toasts a bowl full of wine, everyone must drink all the wine in their own bowls, and then he refills them again. To refuse to drink is impolite. In fact, everyone is expected to get drunk.

Because drinking together is a sign of friendship in Miao culture, it is difficult to avoid alcoholism. The Miao are in desperate need of Living Water, for Jesus is the only One Who can satisfy their true thirst.

Lord, open Miao hearts to desire You more than the welcome of men. Draw them to Yourself so they can be filled with Your Holy Spirit, not drunk on wine.
Please guard over wives and children when others around them are drunk. Protect the innocent from physical, verbal and sexual abuse.
Transform whole Miao villages such that believers who don't drink are known as the ones with loving marriages and productive, joy-filled lives. May everyone around them lay down their wine to drink of the Living Water.

A Ghaoxong woman in Hunan offers wine to a visiting guest.

A young Miao boy kisses his baby brother.

In most Miao areas, a baby boy is considered a special blessing, for it is the eldest son who will care for his aging parents one day and perform the proper rituals over their graves when they die.

Daughters often marry men from other villages, which means moving away from home and then caring for her husband's parents and family, rather than her own.

If a poor family has more than one child, they may save money up for the boy to go to school so he can provide well for his parents, but the daughter may have to wait for her education or not get one at all. As a result, many Miao women cannot read, write or speak the language of the country where they live.

Lord, please make a way for Miao girls who feel undervalued and underprivileged to know the One who created them, sees them, loves them, and values them so deeply He gave His Son to die for them.
Open up possibilities for Miao girls from poor families to get a good education and to hear the Good News that they are treasured.
Bring young Miao men to faith in You, so they can love their wives and raise their children to know the God of Love.

Gadda's husband worked long and hard in order to marry her, for in Miao culture, a bridegroom must pay a large sum to the bride's family in order to win her hand in marriage.

Shortly after they married, however, she miscarried one baby and then suffered from schizophrenia at the birth of her second. Eager to make money off her hardships, her family sued her husband for divorce, and then married her to another man for yet another bride price.

Call the Miao to be Your bride, for You love them and have already paid the ultimate price for them to be Yours.
Make a way for every heart to see the fullness of Your love and long for intimacy with You.
Lord, both Gadda and her first husband tasted of Your love when believers ministered to them in their time of need. But now they have moved on to start new families. Don't let them forget Your Good News. Draw them to You. Save them, O Lord, by Your mercy. And heal Gadda of her schizophrenia.

A Northern Qiandong Miao couple on their wedding day near Huangping, Guizhou.

A young man plays the lusheng to win the heart of a Miao girl during a festival in Chong'an, Guizhou.

In some Miao areas, a woman cannot get married unless she has silver to adorn her, and the more the better.

Heavy, intricate headpieces, necklaces and other ornaments are passed down from mother to eldest daughter. As a result, a family with several daughters may plunge into poverty to buy a set of silver for the younger ones.

During special festivals, Miao girls wear their shiny silver and intricate embroidery to dance and sing, as boys from other villages look on, scanning them for a potential bride. Once a youth has chosen a girl he likes, he might play his lusheng (a bamboo wind instrument) to gain her favor.

Lord, make a way for all the Miao to know that You are the One who loves them and adorns them as the betrothed of the King of Kings.
Show Miao young people the riches of an intimate relationship with You.
Adorn Your bride, O God. Make every believer shine with Your love, peace and joy brighter than silver or gold. May everyone around them see Your beauty and Your glory and long for You.

For a Miao woman, the day begins before daybreak, washing her face and fixing her hair in an elaborate style, decorated with combs, flowers, cloth or silver, depending on her village's custom. After feeding the pigs and other livestock, she may hike up steep mountain slopes to the fields to plant rice or other crops, sometimes with a baby on her back. And at harvest time, she may make many trips to and from the fields each day with heavy loads. On market days, she dresses up in her hand-embroidered clothes to walk the many miles to town to sell her vegetables or animals and meet people from other villages.

Lord, let Miao women feel You calling them beloved, beautiful and treasured. Open up their hearts to receive Your unending love.
May they seek You and find You, as they look for You in earnest.
Reveal Yourself to Miao women who are hurting and lonely. There is no escape for hardship in this life, but You have promised us peace and Your presence through the pain. Please make a way for every Miao woman to know the joy of intimacy with You, so they can soar over every trial riding on Your Eagle's wings.

A Southwestern Huishui Miao grandmother kisses a baby in an elaborately embroidered carrier.

A Huishui Miao man harvests and beats rice together with his wife near Dalong, Guizhou.

In Miao homes it is rude not to eat every grain of rice in one's bowl, for the saying is, "Every grain of rice is a bead of sweat on a man's brow."

Village life is harsh for Miao men, who work long hours in the hot sun planting rice, then replanting the seedlings, then replanting them yet again. Once harvest comes, they must gather in the sheaves of rice and beat them to loosen the kernels. Then the stalks must be tied together as fodder for the animals.

During harvest, Miao men often build shelters at the edge of their fields to watch over them so no one will steal what they have worked so hard for.

Lord, as men work in the fields, may they wonder about the Creator of the mountains and sky all around them. When they seek You, may they find You, as they look for You in earnest.
Give Miao men a hunger for You, and make a way for Your Good News to reach every heart.
Raise up Miao Christian men to be leaders of love, loving their families and neighbors into Your Kingdom, and planting churches in their homes. May they become harvesters of souls and watchmen over Your church.

Status and money are an ever-increasing focus of most Miao lives today. Even in poor villages, neighbors compare their possessions. Who has the newest house? The biggest fields? The most pigs? Whose son makes the most money?

Poor people are looked down upon, even cursed. And huge houses with many rooms stand vacant, looming over the village as if to say, "I have more than you," while their owners live far away in the city.

Gone are the days when neighbors chatted around the fire with each other in the evenings like family. Now, most relationships, both inside and outside the family, are tense with jealousy and bickering.

Lord, so many Miao who have become rich now know that money can't buy happiness, for more is never enough. They're greedy and angry, and their families are ripped apart. Please, Lord, have compassion on them and save them. Bring them the Good News in a way they can easily understand, and draw them to Yourself. May they lay down their idols of materialism and money and turn to the Living God, for You alone can satisfy.

Money and gold on display at a Miao wedding in China.

A Hmong Sao woman sells snacks through the barred window to her shop in a village in southern Yunnan.

When Nisana met Christians passing through her village, she begged them, "Come to my house. I want to know this Most High God." Soon after, both she and her husband prayed to receive Christ.

But they never tore down the altar to the spirits in their home. When believers asked her why, she said God didn't make her rich like she thought He would, so she's still praying to the spirits.

Lord, please tear down the altar to materialism in Miao hearts. May they seek You, not for what You can give them, but just because You are the God of Love, the God Most High, and the only One worthy of worship.
We ask You for a change of heart and mind for Nisana, that she will tear down her altars to false gods and worship You alone. Show her Your love in such radical ways she will understand Who You truly are and fall in love with You.
Heal Nisana's bed-ridden husband, Lord, and do it in such a way that they know beyond any doubt it was You.

"When I was a child, we took care of the family ducks," explained a Miao believer. "We'd take them to the river and then we'd all go swimming. But life in the village isn't like that anymore. All the relationships are strained and broken because no one is happy. They all want something they can't have, not even realizing that Jesus is what they really need.

"When outsiders visit the village, they often say, 'Oh, it's so beautiful! The people must be happy here.' It may seem like a quiet life, but it's not. People have so many worries and desires. We're not peaceful anymore because people are always jealous and comparing. You can see how the fields grow weeds and thorns instead of vegetables, because people hate life in the village."

Lord, please restore peace to Miao villages and relationships. Show them what true love is and draw them to Yourself.
Make Miao believers shine so brightly with Your love that everyone around them can see You in them and long to know the God that brings peace and joy.
Fill Miao believers so full of Your Spirit that they walk in all the fruit of His presence with them-- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. May everyone who comes in contact with them taste and see that You are good.

A Miao womans herds her pigs with a baby on her back near Anshun, Guizhou.

A pig sacrificed to spirits during a Miao funeral.

The Miao believe spirits inhabit such places as mountains, bridges, wells, doorposts and trees. If these demons are not appeased at the proper times and in the proper ways, they fear the demons will punish them, perhaps with sickness, an accident, a fire or even death.

They don't know about God's perfect love that drives out all fear. In fact, most Miao don't even know God's name.

Call out believers to take Your message to the lost Miao, Lord, to love them as You love them and to share with them the truth that will set them free from fear and sin.
Show up the lies that keep Miao people in bondage to evil spirits. Tear down every altar to the enemy built in Miao hearts, and sweep away the lies with Your truth and love.
Show Yourself powerful, O God, in the eyes of all Miao. Heal all their diseases, answer all their prayers, and break the enemy's hold on their lives. May Your Kingdom come among the Miao!

Most Miao believe a person has at least three spirits: one that stays in the home with the family after the person dies, one that stays with the body at the grave, and one that returns to the ancestral home.

When someone is sick, the Miao believe that person's spirit has gone off to "play," and must be called back. The village shaman will then dictate an elaborate ritual the family must perform, which may include killing a chicken, drinking a spider in a cup of water, or sprinkling blood in a special place. In some situations, the shaman may even go into a trance, entering the spirit world to fight monsters and call the soul back.

Lord, set the Miao free from their fear of spirits, and create a new spirit in them, one that fears the Lord alone.
Give the Miao dreams and visions to show them Who You are, so that when Your Word reaches them, they will accept You with open arms.
Please make the efforts of the shamans fail, and give the Miao a hunger to cry out to a Higher Power.

A Miao shaman in Guizhou rests in front of a village altar, while a hen unknowingly wanders near the place she may soon be sacrificed.

Complicated signs and other items to ward off evil spirits decorate a Miao home in Danzhai, Guizhou.

Many Miao tribes believe a spirit inhabits the largest tree at a crossroads just outside their village. They often offer sacrifices and burn incense and paper money at an altar at the base of that tree to request the spirit to bless their village and their families.

The Miao also often paste red signs upon their doorposts to ward off evil spirits from their homes and invite blessings. Sometimes a mirror is posted just above the door with the hope that the demons will see their own reflections and run away scared, leaving the inhabitants of the household alone.

Lord, at the first Passover, lamb's blood was spread upon the doorposts so the spirit of death would not touch Your people. Jesus became that sacrificial Lamb Who paid the ultimate price so we could be free from death. But so many Miao don't know. Please make a way for them to hear the Good News and accept Your salvation. Have mercy on them, God. May death pass them over until they have an opportunity to receive eternal life.

Nearly every Miao home has a family altar, where they burn incense and paper money for the ancestors. They believe that the need for money, possessions and food doesn't end with death because the departed soul enters the netherworld, a dangerous place where monsters must be fought and other hardships will be faced.

To provide for their ancestors what they need in the afterlife, families often make paper houses or paper horses at funerals and burn paper money or incense. At meals, especially during special occasions, a bowl with food is set out for the ancestral spirits, and wine is spilled out onto the floor as an offering. A family may even set the departed person's shoes out near his seat at the table to make his spirit feel at home.

Lord, tear down the altars in people's minds, hearts and homes. Replace their fear of death with a longing for heaven. Then show them the way to get there through Christ.
Have mercy on the Miao, Lord, for they don't know about Your love and freedom. Make a way for Your message to reach every heart.
Raise up believers with a heart for the Miao, who will go to their villages and share with them the Good News that they can live forever in a place free from pain, difficulty and want.

A Miao coffin hidden in a cave near Guiyang in central Guizhou.

A visiting Christian from another country prays over a Miao village, asking the Lord of the Harvest for laborers.

The Miao number more than 12 million and speak more than 80 languages. So, even though some churches exist among the Big Flowery Miao, the Small Flowery Miao, the White Hmong, the Blue Hmong, the Horned Miao, and the Sinicized Miao, still most Miao tribes have yet to hear the Good News. Many have no Bible in their language, and some have no Christian witness at all among them.

One Miao believer said, "Times are changing, as people are becoming more and more dissatisfied with life. The Miao have always had an emptiness inside, but now they feel it all the more. They're looking for something to fill all their longings, and they'll never find it until they find Jesus."

Lord, now is the time the fields are white unto harvest. People are so ready for a Savior! But the laborers are few. Please call out more laborers for the fields.
Ground Miao believers strong in their faith, and give them a passion to share Your Good News with their family and neighbors.
Raise up Miao evangelists to take Your Word to those who have never heard and share with them in their own heart language.

The Miao have lived under a cloud of darkness for more than 4000 years without a chance to know the Light of Christ. But at the end of the 19th century, Christian missionaries traveled to the Miao and shared among them.

In some regions, the response was tremendous, with thousands coming to faith in short amounts of time. But among tribes such as the Qiandong Miao, the missionaries were persecuted and martyred.

Thank You, God, for the Christians who gave their lives so that the Miao could hear Your name. Now, please bring forth a mighty harvest in the lands where they labored. May millions of Miao come to Christ where once they were resistant to Your love.
We praise You for the thousands who have come to faith among certain Miao groups, Lord. Grow those churches strong, and give them a vision to cross language barriers into other Miao tribes to share Your Good News.
Protect Christians in Miao areas from persecution and harm, Lord, and anoint them to share Your Good News.

Martyr William Fleming's grave hidden in a vegetable patch in a village in eastern Guizhou.

A waterfall crashes into a river, while people walk along a road beside it, tiny as ants against the majestic landscape near a Laba Miao village in western Guizhou.

Several years ago, prayer walking teams began traveling to spiritually dark Miao areas to bring in the Light of Christ. As they looked into each person's eyes and prayed for God to bring them His Good News, and as they walked through Miao villages asking for His Kingdom to come, slowly the atmosphere began to change.

"Their prayers were like gentle rain watering the dry soil of people's hearts," one believer in a Miao area said. "Before, whenever we tried to plant a Gospel seed, it bounced right off. But now, the seeds are going in deep, and salvation is beginning to spring up from the ground."

Lord, please call out more prayer warriors to spend time on their knees crying out to You for the Miao.
Raise up prayer walkers who will flood Miao lands with Your love and Your light.
Continue to soften hearts in every Miao area, so that when the Gospel seeds are planted, they will grow and bear fruit unto salvation.

Today, in so many areas where Miao people were once resistant to the Gospel, now they are open, receiving the God of Love with joy. Like shoots springing up from the ground, their hearts are vibrant with new life.

But many of these new "shoots" live isolated from other believers. Without a church or a Christian community around them, their faith weakens and grows thin, as their lives gradually mold back into the landscape of the worldly culture around them.

Lord, please bring the Miao to You in community, not just one at a time, but whole households and whole villages.
Disciple these new believers by Your Spirit, Lord. Make a way for those in isolated areas to have access to Your Word and to Christians who can encourage them.
Raise up Christian leaders from among the Miao who will stand strong in their faith, in love, in the Truth and in purity, traveling in to every area where believers live and helping them to maturity in Christ.

A Miao man in Guizhou replants rice seedlings so they will grow to maturity.

Missionary Samuel Pollard helped translate the New Testament into the language of the Big Flowery Miao more than 100 years ago. Now the A-Hmao themselves have completed the Old Testament. But still so many Miao languages have no Bible. Pray God will raise up believers with a heart for translation, until every Miao tongue and tribe has a chance to hear the Word.

One of the main reasons why many Miao believers have difficulty growing in the Lord is they don't have a Bible of their own.

Some Miao languages still do not have a writing system. And even if they did have one, the Miao would have to learn to read and write in order to read any Scripture translated into that language.

Radio programs exist in a small number of Farwestern Hmong languages in areas where believers are persecuted harshly by the government. But those programs are often blocked, and the believers producing the programs have undergone many hardships.

Lord, please raise up Miao leaders from every tribe and language to share Your Word and help believers grow.
Make a way for Scripture to be translated into every Miao language and made available to every Miao person in audio form.
Protect all those involved in Bible translation, audio recordings, the Jesus film, and other Christian materials. Hide them from those who would wish to harm them, and grow Your church despite persecution.

When Miao gang leader Steve came to Christ, his life radically changed from anger to joy and from violence to love. Other gang members saw the difference in him and chose Jesus as their own Savior.

That's when the gang took on a new purpose: to share Christ with the lost and spread His love.

But when the police pulled them in for questioning, and their parents and others persecuted them for their faith, fear crept in. Some fled to another city, and those who remained had to find a remote place to hide whenever they joined together to worship God.

Hungry to grow, they began listening to radio broadcasts from a cult. Then another cult came in spreading yet more lies. Afraid and discouraged, the gang lost their passion, broke apart, and no longer read the Bible, even in their own homes.

Lord, please pick these believers up out of the pit. Remind them of Your truth so the lies will be conquered and they can be set free.
Give Steve and the others in his gang a hunger for You that drives them back into the Word to listen to You and to experience once again the peace and joy they had when they walked in intimacy with You.
Lord, so many other believers have also fallen away from the truth due to fear and lies. Have mercy on them, please, and rescue them. Speak Your truth so deep into their hearts, and pour Your love over them so radically, that they remember Who You are and who they are in You, and return to You with all their hearts.

White Hmong men in southern Yunnan.

A demon face painted for a celebration in Jishou, Hunan, looms over a lost Ghaoxong man's head. Pray he will have the chance to hear about the God of love Who casts out all sin and fear.

Jehoshua was a natural leader with a tremendous gift for explaining Scripture. Everyone who knew him loved him, and he led many people to Christ.

But deep down inside, an area of his heart remained hidden, and when at last that sin was exposed, Jehoshua's world came crashing down all around him.

Regret and guilt drove him to drink and to yet more sin. No matter how many believers loved him and reminded him of God's mercy and forgiveness, Jehoshua just couldn't receive His grace.

Lord, the road Jehoshua is on could lead to his death. Please have mercy on him. Forgive him and demonstrate Your forgiveness so openly, pouring Your love over him so abundantly that all he can do is fall at Your feet and wash them with his tears, gratitude and repentance.
Bring Christians into his path to share with his family and friends. Open their hearts to receive You, so they can then help lead Jehoshua back into Your arms.
Lord, so many other Miao believers have also fallen away from You. Be the Great Shepherd. Stretch out Your staff and draw them back into the fold. When they go through hard times and feel weak and broken, pick them up and carry them on Your strong shoulders.

God has begun raising up Miao believers, especially from groups like the A-Hmao and the Gha-Mu, to cross over language barriers and take the Gospel to other peoples around them who have never heard. This vision has stirred the heart of the church to beat with renewed passion.

But churches among other Miao tribes are in need of revival. And in areas where the church is just beginning to emerge, Christians need a hunger to meet together, encourage each other, and grow together as community.

Lord, please raise up Christian leaders to preach Your Word with passion and to live out Your truth with boldness.
Spark revival in every Miao church, renewing hearts and giving them Your vision for what You want to do in their lives and communities.
Give Miao believers a hunger to gather together as church to worship You, to read Your Word, and to grow together in community.

Sinicized Miao gather together in a village in Guizhou.

Miao women in Eastern Guizhou call out to visitors to invite them into their home.

The Miao are a hospitable people, opening their doors to outsiders and inviting them in for dinner and a place to rest.

In fact, in some areas, they might sing a song to beg you to come to their village, and then another to invite you into their homes, and yet another to tell you how happy they are you're there. When you leave, they may sing to plead with you to stay, while pulling on your arms with such force you could find it hard to refuse.

But today, doors are closing more and more because of thieves and cults. In some areas, children have been stolen to sell to families without an heir, causing the Miao to feel wary of outsiders.

Lord, please guard over Miao children, families and villages. Keep evil out, but open doors so that Your love can flow in.
In places where there is distrust, please find a way to connect believers in. Make their love so evident that the Miao will want Jesus.
Make a way where there seems to be no way, for Your Word to enter even through closed doors.
Give the Miao dreams and visions to show them Who You are, so that when they hear Your Good News or meet a believer, they will not be afraid, but will welcome You.

"When we go into a Miao area, we know we're not alone," said one worker. "An army goes with us. People are praying for us, some nearby and some across the ocean.

"Prayer, in fact, is where the battle is won. God could choose to save the Miao all in one night if He desired, because He's God and He can do anything He wants. But because He loves us, He chooses to partner together with us. He often waits to do the big things until we ask Him."

Lord, please fill up the bowls in front of Your altar with the prayers of the saints (Revelation 8). Then mix them with the coals from Your altar and tip them out over the earth. Shake every foundation the Miao believe in and become their Solid Rock.
We ask You for the big things, O God: for the fulfillment of all Your promises, for whole tribes to turn to You, for a church planting movement among every Miao language, and for every heart to believe in You. Plant a vibrant, growing, reproducing church in every Miao village, Lord.
May Your Kingdom come among the Miao!

Huishui Miao women walk through a rice field ripe unto harvest in central Guizhou.

A Huaxi Miao girl looks out to the road that leads to Guiyang City in central Guizhou.

Believers who live in the darkest of Miao areas are often hit with strange illnesses and difficulties. But the main trials they face are weariness, loneliness and discouragement.

It's difficult to invite believers to gather when no one ever shows up. To make a plan with an isolated Christian to travel the many hours to visit him, only to find him not home or too busy. To make dinner for eight guests who said they would come, only to eat alone. To invite a Miao believer into your home to live with you and grow in Christ together with you, only to see that believer fall away soon after moving to another apartment. To pour your life and love into a community, only to be scorned and persecuted.

Lord, please lift up the downtrodden believers in Miao areas. Remind them that You are their reward, not others' responses to them.
You know what it's like, Lord, to love and then be betrayed. Wrap Your arms around Your servants and comfort them. Give them strength to go on when they're too weary to stand.
Some have left families and homes to follow You. Give them back a hundredfold, Lord. Provide for all their needs, make a way for them to connect easily with their families, and guard them from discouragement and harm. Be their Refuge and Strength, their Mighty Tower, their Joy and their Song.

Like any community around the world, Miao relationships are often muddied with dissension, anger, jealousy and betrayal. Parents often try to force their children to marry someone they don't love or take a job they don't want. Sons steal from their fathers or treat their mothers harshly. Mothers dominate and manipulate their daughters to get what they want.

Even in churches, Christians not yet mature in their faith can often judge each other harshly. And even Christian workers can tear each other down rather than building up.

Lord, we ask You to mend broken relationships between sons and fathers, daughters and mothers, friends and brothers, neighbors and others. Step in and speak the words that bring reconciliation, forgiveness and love.
Fix believers' minds on the things that are eternal, so they will take their eyes off others' faults an shortcomings and spend their time loving, building each other up and worshiping You.
Especially in the churches, Lord, mend any broken relationships between leaders or church members. Help hurting believers forgive each other and bless each other. May the Miao church be known for its love.

Friends hold hands at a "Sisters" Festival in Shidong, Guizhou.

May all the Miao join us before Your throne one day, Lord, to lay down all our crowns at Your beautiful feet!

When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, He instructed them to ask for God's Kingdom to come "on earth as it is in heaven."

In heaven there is no sickness, no pain, no sorrow, no betrayals, no one judging you or tearing you down. All those things are of this earth. But love remains, for love is eternal. 1 Corinthians 13.

As you continue praying for the Miao throughout the year, let's ask God to open up heaven above us and rain down His love.

Lord, we ask You to heal the sick, the lame, the blind. To raise the dead. To pour out Your love and usher in Your Kingdom into every Miao home and every Miao heart. We ask for the big things, the things that seem impossible. For nothing is impossible with You, Lord.
Breathe upon Miao lands, Lord, and bring forth life, abundance, joy, hope, love and peace.
Build Your throne in Miao villages and hearts. May Your Kingdom come among the Miao now and forevermore!

Miao/Hmong UPG

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40 Days of Prayer for the Miao-Hmong Volume 1-2

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Powerful prayers to release the Hmong-Miao from darkness into light:

Pray for Spiritual Awakening

Pray for the Floodgates to Open

Pray for the Spread of the Gospel

Pray for His Word in Every Language

Pray for the Hidden Tribes

Pray for Favor to Stay

Pray for Media to Tell God's Truth

Pray for Isolated Villages

Pray for Freedom for the Captives

Pray They Will Lay Down Their Idols

Pray for Favor Within Families

Pray for Whole Families, Villages

Pray for God's Healing

Pray for Stronger Faith

Pray for Revelations of God

Pray They Will Know Him

Pray for Leaders to Bless

Pray for Isolated Christians

Pray for those Who Live in Cities

Pray for the Children

Pray for Unity in Families

Pray for Christian Marriages

Pray Families Will Seek God

Pray Others Will See the Difference

Pray for Those Who Are Dying

Pray for New Life

Pray for Healing for the Broken

Pray for Strength for the Weary

Pray for Christians to Grow

Pray for Miao Christian Leaders

Pray for God's Kingdom to Come

More Prayer for the Hmong-Miao

From the Book of Isaiah

Speak Comfort to the Miao

Isaiah 40:1

Because adequate medical care is not available in most Miao-Hmong rural villages, many like this woman above struggle with blindness, hearing loss, or a debilitating illness or handicap that makes their hard lives all the more difficult.

Who will go to their villages and tell them about the Healer Who longs to comfort them with His love?

Her Warfare Has Ended, Her Iniquity Is Pardoned

Isaiah 40:2

A Hmong woman in Vietnam sells her goods at market with her baby in her lap. Hmong war refugees who came to Christ in the USA began broadcasting the Good News by radio to White and Blue Hmong throughout Southeast Asia in the latter 20th century, and thousands have come to Christ as a result.

Pray God will continue to grow these new believers, ground them in His truth and love, protect them from false doctrine, and plant multiplying churches through their love and witness.

Prepare the Way

Isaiah 40:3

Thousands of Miao-Hmong villages hide among countless mountains like these all across seven provinces in China and five countries in East Asia. Millions of lost Miao-Hmong still have never heard the name of God, much less Jesus.

Who will go to their villages? Who will learn their languages? Who will tell them of the God of Love?

Straighten the Paths to Get to the King

Isaiah 40:4

How will they hear unless someone tells them in their own language?

Reveal Your Glory

Isaiah 40:5

This Central Mashan Miao man may die without ever hearing the name of Jesus.

Who will learn his language? Who will tell him the Good News before it's too late?

Precious in His Sight

Isaiah 40:6

This hidden Huishui Miao village in central Guizhou Province, China, has never heard the Good News.

Pray to the Lord of the Harvest that He will raise up laborers for His fields, that all may know that Jesus saves!

Don't Let Them Die without Christ

Isaiah 40:7

Millions of Miao live and die without ever knowing there is a God Who loves them and offers them eternal life. They are bound by fear, offering blood sacrifices on altars like this one to false gods.

Who will tell them of the One Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life?

The Word in their Hearts Forever

Isaiah 40:8

God gave the A-Hmao a hunger for Him and began a church planting movement among them more than a century ago . What a beautiful picture of what He can do among the millions of Miao-Hmong who speak other languages and who have never heard Jesus' name.

Who will put their languages into a written script? Who will learn those languages and translate the Word so they can know the truth that will set them free?

Behold Your God!

Isaiah 40:9

Chased down by angry Miao more than 100 years ago, three Christians were martyred in the town above in eastern Guizhou. Today, a small church exists there, but few attend, and then only once or twice a year.

Pray for Miao-Hmong Christians throughout Asia who face persecution and imprisonment for their faith, that God will comfort them and give them courage to preach the Good News even in the face of torture and death.

Rule Over the Miao, O Lord of All

Isaiah 40:10

If a shaman gave his life to Christ, it's possible his entire village would follow his lead.

Ask God to release shamans like the Xiangxi Miao man above to know the truth so the truth will set them free. Pray they will use their influence to turn all eyes to the One Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Gather Them Into Your Arms and Feed Them

Isaiah 40:11