The people group we are praying today is the people of Kaur.

The Kaur are one of the original peoples of Bengkulu Province. They were originally from Bintuhan in the South Kaur district of South Bengkulu, but today many live in the North Kaur district. The Trans-Sumatra highway passes through Bintuhan, the district capital of South Kaur. The Kaur speak their own language, which is part of the Malay language cluster. Most Kaur villages are located in groups along the banks of small rivers in this area. The Kaur area lies adjacent to that of the Seraway and Besemah peoples. Geographically, the Kaur may be divided into two subgroups. Those who live in the South Kaur district are normally called Bintuhan. Their dialect is greatly influenced by the Lampung dialect. Those who live in the North Kaur district have been influenced by the Besemah people. (source: Joshua Project)

There are at least 49,000 people speak the Kaur Language (source: Joshua Project). They are one of the people groups who do not have one single verse in their language. They do not have any access to God’s word, neither audio nor written. Bible Translation is needed for these people. They need to hear and know that our mighty God also speaks their language and love them.

They need to know that we also care.

Would you join me to pray for them today? Spend 5 minute today to pray and ask God to make way for His church to go and send people to reach out to the people of Kaur. Ask God to provide ways for these people to be able to hear about Him and his great love for them.

Thank you for praying! He hears you and will answers your pray for these precious people.

Today focus group to pray is Pekal People.

The Pekal live along the southwest shores of Sumatra, the sixth largest island in the world. They live in the North Bengkulu Regency. To the west their area is bordered by the Indian Ocean, while to the east are the Bukit Barisan Mountains. The Pekal are often called the Ketahun because many live in Ketahun District. The main highway in western Sumatra that connects Lampung Province to the city of Padang passes through the Pekal area. The Pekal language is part of the Malay language cluster and is used for everyday interaction. The Minangkabau language has influenced the current Pekal language spoken by people today. (source: Joshua Project).

The language Pekal is spoken by about 38,000 people. They do not have any verse in their language. Bible translation is needed for these people. They need to hear the goodness and love of our God who love them. That our mighty God also speaks their language.

Would you join me just for 5 minutes to pray for the people of Pekal and their need of God’s word available in their language?

Today’s Focus UPG is the people of Belitung. They live

The Belitung live on Belitung Island in Bangka-Belitung Province. The Belitung call themselves Urang Belitong. The Belitung language is a branch of the Malay language cluster. A distinctive feature of their language is that it does not have the letter ‘h’ and that they use the letter ‘e’ (as in the vowel in the word ‘bet’) at the end of words that normally end with an ‘a’. For example hujan (rain) becomes ujan, putih (white) becomes pute, and apa (what) becomes ape. Another distinctive feature is that they use derived terms from two or more words. For example, hendak kemana (where do you want to go) becomes nakmane. This is similar to Bangka language, but Bangka uses the phoneme /e/, which is similar to the “a” in the English word ‘mate’.

The Belitung island is considered important because of its tin mines. Many earn their livelihood from mining tin and kaolin (a soft white clay essential in the manufacturing of china and porcelain). Others work as traders, fishermen, boat builders, iron smiths or office workers. Only a small part of the land is suitable for rice cultivation. Planting rice is usually done with slash-and burn farming techniques. Besides dry rice farming, they also plant corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, and banana trees. Other crops include rubber, pepper, cloves, and coconut. The handicraft industries developed by the Belitung are porcelain, ceramic, and rattan crafts. The traditional Belitung house is built on wooden supports with bark walls and roofs of sago palm leaves. They also build temporary villages near the jungle to be used during the harvest. Currently, the traditional homes have begun to be replaced with homes made of brick and concrete. These homes are built on the ground rather than off the ground, due to increasingly restrictive regulations on forest logging. The ancestry of the Belitung can be traced through the line of either the father or the mother. A village is formed by a group of families, called a keleka. The keleka is led by a traditional chief and his assistants and has its own regulations. The religious leader is a shaman who leads the religious ceremonies of the village.

Besides Islam, many Belitung also believe in animism and superstitions. These beliefs are focused on seeking protection through magic by either appeasing or controlling both good and bad spirits. This can be seen in their ceremonies for working the rice fields, fishing, and weddings. They still believe in magical forces that inhabit sacred places. They also have many taboos. One of these can be seen in how they believe tin must be mined. They believe that tin is a ‘hot’ object and guarded by a spirit. If the miner is not Belitung, he will not be successful.

They need guidance to develop their job skills. The small industries that already exist, such as handicrafts and ironworking, need more professional management so that they can achieve greater success. They need help to develop alternative sources of income, as the tin reserves are being depleted and mining it has taken a toll on the environment.

(Source: Joshua Project)

Would you spend just 5 minutes today asking God to lead in prayer for them?>