prayer

Uniting our hearts in

Choosing Faith
life is very heavy
God continues
for me, andto use TWR
STORY OF
there are times
Women ofwhen I feel I
Hope to impact
can’t handle it
women’s lives
anymore.”around the world.
Recently, our team in
As Sumarni praised God
Southeast Asia received
for the Women of Hopea testimony from a
program she shared,
listener of the Women“I felt blessed andof Hope program instrengthened, and I know
Indonesia.
now that I must remainstrong in faith and not
Sumarni* wrote, “I amgive in to despair.” Shein a difficult situation.
also discovered that
My husband left me
no matter what she
and my children, which
experiences in life, she
happens every time wemust continue to have
have marital problems.
hope in Jesus, who will
This time he has notalways provide strength
returned. Honestly, as
and guidance. Shea woman, I feel very
added that she not only
tired of dealing withreceived spiritual help
his behavior. Moreover,from the program but
I also have to work
also learned importantto support our young
practical healthchildren, and of course,
information that was
I have to take care ofuseful to her.
them. The burden ofhope* Not her real nameAfterlistening
to Women of
Hope, Sumarni realizedthat God is working out
a plan in her life throughthe difficulties.
She said, “God also wants
to refine and improve mycharacter so I can be abetter woman, wife andmother. I must learn toreflect on the things I
need to improve.”
She wants to workon building goodcommunication with her
husband so that theirmarriage and family willbe blessed by God.
Sumarni ended by saying,“I am truly grateful tolisten to this program. I
believe many women are
blessed, just like me.”– Maribeth Hynnes Stevens,
TWR Women of Hope volunteer

SUSIE PEKWITH TEAMLEADERSIN ASIAMAY-JUNE 2024
INSIDE
Lifting up womenof Asia in prayer
Create abetter future

Helping women
through regional
challenges

Embracing hopefrom Director Susie Pek

Set apart for
God in holiness
What does being“holy” mean?

Hope & healingin Jesus to womenpray
WITH USMay
1. Father, provide Christianhusbands for believing Chinese
women so that they will notgive in to parental pressure andchoose a partner outside thefaith. Strengthen these womento say no to sex outside ofmarriage. (Heb. 13:4)
2. Lord, protect womenin Afghanistan who facepersecution and violence intheir own homes. (Isa. 41:10)
3. God, may women in
Myanmar have increased
access to health services,
thereby improving maternal
health and decreasing infantmortality. (Jer. 17:14)
4. Father, bring many people
into Japanese churches andenable them to maintain theunity of the Spirit, speak thetruth in love and mature into
being like Christ. (Eph. 4:1-16)
5. God, we pray foraccess to clean water in rural
India. Provide good healthand strength to women as
they secure water for theirhouseholds and livestock.
(3 John 1:2)
6. Lord, help husbands andwives in Singapore to be able
to afford having children
and to share caregiving
responsibilities. (Gen. 1:28)

Photos via TWR Women of Hope teams

7. God, we pray that young
people in South Korea would
follow the relationshipprinciples you communicatedthrough the Bible and get
married rather than settle forliving together. (Matt. 19:4-6)
8. Lord, bring culturalchange that will stop marriage
practices harmful to females inPakistan. May honor killings,
bride-price payments and theselling of daughters to become
servants disappear into
history. (Ps. 7:1-2)
9. Father, guide our Southeast
Asia team as they plan toproduce the Women of Hopeprogram and bring the gospelof Jesus Christ in the Malay
language this year. (Ps. 96:3)
10. Strengthen marriages
in Mongolia, Lord. Protect,provide for and comfort single
mothers who bear the heavy
burdens of family life due todivorce. (Ps. 68:5)
11. God, may women in
Nepal have more educational
opportunities to enable themto develop the skills necessary
for personal and professional
growth. (Prov. 16:16)
12. Father, strengthen andprotect women in Cambodia
as they face spiritual battles.
May they stand firm in theirfaith and grow in obedience toyour Word. (Ps. 28:7)
13. Lord, guide our Indonesianteam as they produce the
Women of Hope program.

NEPAL
TEAM
MEMBERS

Give them wisdom to use newtechnologies to expand thereach of the prayer calendar.
(Prov. 4:6-7)
14. Heavenly Father, give
wisdom to Filipino parents on
how to guide and discipline
stubborn children. (Prov. 1:8-9)
15. We praise you Lord for theopportunity to produce Womenof Hope in the Hmong language
to reach Hmong people living
in Laos, northern Vietnam andThailand. (2 Sam. 22:50)
16. God, may China’s younger
generation embrace you
and receive your protection,
healing and guidance. May
they bring their relational,
employment and other needs
to you. (Matt. 7:7)

graduated from secondary
school and for wives of
pastors. (Rom. 12:2)
22. Father, we pray for those
who have defected from North
Korea to South Korea. Grant
them mercy as they settle into
a new society. (Lev. 19:33-34)
23. Lord, we pray that the
medical system in Pakistan
would change so women would
be included in clinical trials. May
medical care be improved there,
especially for women’s healthissues. (Ps. 139:13-15)
24. God, heal the hearts
andPHOTO VIA
IMB
minds of women in Cambodia
who have experienced trauma
and hardship. Bring thempeace, comfort and emotional
restoration. (Ps. 147:3)

17. Father, may ethnic
minority groups in Afghanistan
receive the gospel and know
they are valuable because
they are created in your image.
(Gen. 1:27)

25. Lord, guide leaders to
improve the health-care system
in Papua New Guinea, which isunderfunded and overwhelmedwith high rates of malaria anddiabetes. (Jer. 33:6)

18. God, enable thegovernment of Myanmar toprotect women so they may
work and live safely amid
rising violence and insecurity.
(Ps. 23:4)

26. Many young Mongolian
girls are having prematurebirths or contracting sexuallytransmitted diseases. Lord,
help them to see your wisdom
in remaining chaste until
marriage. (James 1:14)

19. Lord, may many womenin Japan be saved through the
Women of Hope broadcasts.
Please raise up additional
monthly supporters within
this nation to help fund thisministry. (Isa. 52:7-10)
20. Father, protect womenin India from kidnapping,assault, rape and other cruelacts perpetrated by theirhusbands and husbands’
relatives. (Col. 3:19)
21. God, please bless theeffort to raise funds to begina Bible class in northern
Vietnam for women who have

27. Father, provide
opportunities for womenin Nepal to deepen theirrelationship with you and findsolace in their faith journeys.
(James 4:8)
28. God, enable our Indonesianteam to raise sufficient funds
in the country so they canestablish a follow-up ministry
to provide spiritual guidance toprogram listeners and respondto their needs. (James 1:27)
29. Father, may Filipino
families look to you as theirsovereign provider and guideCreate a better future

W

INDONESIA (ABOVE) AND KOREA (BELOW) TEAM MEMBERS

as they face difficulties inhealth, finances, relationships
and employment. (Prov. 3:6)
30. Father, we pray for
improved health care in Nepal
so women there would haveresources to address both
physical and mental-healthneeds. (Jer. 30:17)
31. As listeners to the Womenof Hope program in Vietnam
are visited by church and layleaders, may they mature in
their relationship with you,
Lord. (Rom. 1:10)

June
1. Lord, the illiteracy rate
in Vietnam is still very high.
We pray that women in thisdeveloping country will havemore opportunities to learn toread and write. (Neh. 8:8)
2. God, we ask that you give
wisdom and discernment
to our ministry team in
Cambodia so they will makegodly decisions. May they love,encourage and support one
another and be a light in theircommunities. (John 13:35)

3. We praise you, Lord, fordonors and radio signals fromKTWR on distant Guam and80 local stations that enable
millions of Indonesian womento hear the Word of God andbe educated on women’sissues. (2 Cor. 9:6-7)
4. God, we ask for increased
economic opportunities for
women in Nepal, including
fair employment andentrepreneurship, so they may
be financially independent.
(Prov. 31:8-9)
5. Father, may your truth
for marriage relationships
be taught in Mongolia. May
husbands love and respect
their wives, and may wives
respect and submit to theirhusbands. (1 Pet. 3:1-7)
6. Lord, sustain andcomfort single mothers in thePhilippines who are working
hard to provide for the needs oftheir children. (Isa. 41:13)
7. Lord, we pray for womenin Pakistan to be free fromworkplace harassment,
unfavorable working conditions
and low wages, which result inhen you educate awoman, the next
generation benefits. A
well-educated woman isempowered to be a better
mom, make decisions,raise her family’s standardof living, create jobs andchange society. Every
woman has the right to an
education. Unfortunately,
millions of women in
Asia do not have thisopportunity because ofpoverty, social stigma,
discrimination or lack ofresources.
In South Asia, girls are at
risk of being harassed,
assaulted, abducted or evenmurdered while travelingto school, and they are
not safe inside the school.
As a result, many females
drop out of school when
they approach puberty.
Girls who live a long way
from school are especiallyvulnerable; the longer they
have to travel to school, andthe more remote the region,
the greater the risk.
In Southeast Asia, many
women have no skills,
do not read or write, andlive below the poverty
line. They must work to
support their families
but do not have manyoccupational choices –mainly working as foodsellers, farm laborers andlocal maids with very low
salaries. These women do
not know how to care for
their families or know theimportance of nutrition,
hygiene and education for
their children.
Through Women of Hopewomen listen to God’s

Word in their heartlanguages and learn how
to overcome barriers ofhopelessness, fear andpoverty. Our teams help
women through vocational
training programs that
equip women withsewing, handicrafts andagriculture skills, enablingthem to generate income
and improve their living
conditions. Literacy classes,
health-care awarenessworkshops and counselingservices also empower
women to make informed
decisions for themselves
and their families.
Meanwhile, in Northeast
Asia, women have manyeducational opportunities.
Even in Mongolia, women's
education levels are muchhigher than men's, yetthere are still problems. As awoman's level of education
increases, her perception ofgender conflict with men insociety becomes stronger,
with single womenexperiencing the greatest
conflict. So TWR Womenof Hope in Northeast
Asia wants to help each
person live harmoniously
according to the will ofGod, who created men andwomen in his image. We
want to encourage women
to embrace God’s design ofmarriage and family.
Please pray that withthe help of Women of
Hope, women in Asia canovercome challenges andcreate a better future forthemselves, their families
and communities. May
their faith in Jesus Christ
grow stronger each day.

Paulina Wulansari

Regional Coordinator for Southeast Asia

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OUR VIRTUAL

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ofhope.org/events

their being unable to remain in
their jobs. (Prov. 22:2)
8. Father, we pray for North
Korean students who became
Christians while studying
abroad. Please keep them safe
as they return home and use
them to transform North Korea.
(Josh. 1:9)
9. God, give wisdom to the
Papua New Guinea government
as it combats violence andinstability. May it protect
women against assault, which
has been increasing. (Prov. 2:6)
10. Lord, protect and provide
for families in Myanmar
affected by ongoing military
conflicts and frequent natural
disasters. (Nahum 1:7)
11. God, bring change tothe conditions in India that
contribute not only to a higher
school dropout rate but also ahigher death rate for girls thanboys. (Prov. 18:15)
12. Father, a great majorityof Japanese do not believe
in you but embrace the godsof Shintoism. Cause a great
revival of repentance and faiththroughout Japan. (Isa. 45:5-6)

13. God, transform humanhearts to bring about change
in Malaysian law. May childmarriage and gender violenceend and equal pay beestablished for all. (Phil. 2:13)

21. As food prices rise sharply
in Indonesia, poor families
struggle to buy food. God,
please provide for their dailyneeds so these families do notgo hungry! (Phil. 4:19)

14. Lord, we ask that femalesin Afghanistan who have beenbanned from having jobs,
attending school and entering
public facilities will have theirrights restored. (Gen. 16:13)

22. Lord, as infertility is amajor issue for Pakistani
women, please bless them withchildren. May girl babies becelebrated and not be seen as
a burden. (Ps. 127:3)

15. Almost 20% of the people
in China are age 60 or over.
Father, we pray for the mental
health and well-being of older
women in China. (Ps. 42:11)

23. Father, amid the dramaticincrease in dating violencein South Korea, may men
learn to respect women andhave their anger and violent
tendencies transformed byyour Word. (2 Cor. 5:7)

16. God, empower the
believers in Singapore toadvance the kingdom of God
and to find their strengthand joy in you even throughdifficulties. Please provide for
their needs. (James 1:2-4)
17. Praise the Lord, many
women in Vietnam now know
Jesus after listening to Womenof Hope and recognize thatthey are precious in his eyes.
(Isa. 43:4)
18. Father, may Filipino
wives and husbands learn
to communicate well tostrengthen their relationships.
Bring deliverance to husbands
who get drunk and protection to
wives who are abused. (Ps. 50:5)
19. Lord, provide safety andprotection from violence anddiscrimination to women in
Nepal. May they find nurturing
relationships that contribute totheir emotional and mental
well-being. (Ps. 91:4)
20. May Mongolian
Christian mothers andgrandmothers be strong intheir faith and witness as
they guide their children andgrandchildren according to
the Bible. (2 Tim. 1:3-5)

24. Lord, grant women in
Cambodia financial stability
through jobs, skills training
and fair wages. Help them tomanage their resources wisely.
(Eccles. 7:12)
25. Father, we seek safety
for women in India who arevulnerable to crime, especiallyin public areas like subways
and deserted roads. (Isa. 25:4)
26. God, help theearthquake victims
in Noto Peninsula,
Japan. Aid thechurches
CAMBODIA& JAPANTEAMMEMBERSin ministering to them physicallyand spiritually so that they may
be saved. (Ps. 121:1-2)
27. We praise you, Lord, for ourpartnership with Wantok RadioLight in Papua New Guinea.
May the Holy Spirit use Womenof Hope programs to strengthen
listeners who struggle withtemptation. (Matt. 26:41)
28. God, bring peaceand healing to women in
Afghanistan who lost family
members and property in the2023 earthquakes. (Phil. 4:7-9)
29. Lord, strengthen andprotect Chinese women who
have experienced physical andemotional violence from theirspouses. May the police stoptreating domestic violence
cases as merely a family matter.
(2 Sam. 22:49)
30. Heavenly Father, pleasebless the plan of the TWR
Women of Hope team in
Malaysia to provide free sanitary
pads to those who can’t afford
them. (Deut. 15:7-8)

hope
EMBRACING

The
Lord isat work“We all, who withunveiled faces
contemplate
the Lord’s
glory, are beingtransformed into
his image withever-increasing
glory, whichcomes fromthe Lord, whois the Spirit.”– 2 COR. 3:18

CONTACT US 			

Susie Pek Global Ministry Director of TWR Women of HopeIn recent years, homerenovation shows havebecome increasingly
popular. Each episodefeatures clients who hirecapable professionals
to find fixer-uppers withthe potential to become
someone's dream house.
Typically, the first partof the show consists ofa search for the righthouse to renovate. Oncethe clients choose theirhome, the contractor
and designer start thearduous work. The teammust keep the renovation
under budget and within
deadline. More often
than not, they are facedwith structural problems
and other unforeseenchallenges, which makethings more interesting!
Watching these shows
is fun. The before-andafter reveal is usuallybreathtaking. And themost common remark
is: “I can’t believe it’s
the same house!” It
always amazes me how
a residence whose future
looks hopeless turns
into what many would
consider a dream house
after going throughsome carefully planned
hard work.

This format can easily
be applied to our lives.
These houses were once
perfect. When they werefirst built, everything
was new and working
properly. Over the years,
however, they deteriorate
for a number of reasons.
Before sin, humankind
was perfect. God created
man and woman in
his likeness. They
were stunning, perfect“houses.” After sin madeits way into the world,
everything changed.
Humankind was nolonger the analog ofperfect houses; worse
yet, the connection to
the builder was broken.
And all the “houses” built
thereafter inherited thesame glitch, which means
we all desperately needsome good remodeling.
The first step in therestoration process ismaking sure the houseis reconnected to its
builder, something thatcan only be carried out
through Christ: “All this isfrom God, who reconciled
us to himself throughChrist” (2 Cor. 5:18a).

 twrwomenofhope@twr.org • 800-456-7897•

Following that comessustained remodeling.
Some malfunctions may
not be so obvious to us.
David was aware of thatand prayed: “Searchme, God, and know myheart; test me and know
my anxious thoughts. See
if there is any offensive
way in me and lead me in
the way everlasting”(Ps. 139:23-24). I wonder
how many times David
prayed that prayer. I
know it is a recurrent
prayer for me as
restoration is a lifelong
process. I realize that all
the breaking, smashing,fixing and changes
that take place during
the renovation are notalways pleasant – somewould say they are rarely
pleasing at all. The result,though, is breathtaking.
“We all, who with unveiled
faces contemplate
the Lord’s glory, arebeing transformed into
his image with everincreasing glory, whichcomes from the Lord, whois the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).
Be encouraged even whenthings in your life are being
smashed and broken:
The Lord is at work.

   @twrwomenofhopehope
A WORD OFW

hat comes
to mindwhen youhear that God wants
you to be “holy”?
I remember ponderingthat question many
years ago and becoming
discouraged. I knew there
was no way I could beholy in my own power,and I wondered if I evenwanted to live a holy
life. If I pursued holiness,would God ask me togive up all the things
that I enjoy?
Sometimes we don’t
understand what God isasking of us. If we don’t
accurately comprehend
what holiness means
to God, we miss out on
joining him on a beautiful
path that brings purpose
and fulfillment to ourlives. Holiness is God’s
path to make us likehimself. It is a process inevery believer’s life that
God initiates but that also
requires our cooperation.
God enables us to obey
him in love, but we mustalso choose to obey andfollow his will. I’m so gladthat I chose to say “Yes” toGod’s invitation to become
like him!
The last few months
we’ve been talking about
embracing a lifestyle ofbrokenness, submission

Set apart for God in holinessand being set apart for
God in holiness. We arebroken when we come tosee our sin through God’seyes. As we deeply grieve
our sin and see what it hasdone to our relationshipwith him, we determine to
not commit that sin again.
We then choose to submit
ourselves to God and yieldeverything we are to him
because we are so gratefulfor how he has forgiven,
loved and saved us.
In this state of gratitude
and love, we choose
to be set apart for God
in holiness. As we
purposefully commit
to keep our lives pureand to seek a life of
intimacy with him, weare committing to God
just as a husband andwife come together in acovenant relationship.
We are preferring God
and choosing him above
all else. In doing so, we
discover that choosing
holiness actually opens
the door to live the lifethat God created us to live!
We begin to understandour purpose in life, findtrue fulfillment and learn
how to use our God-given
gifts. So how do we live
this life of holiness?
We make choices everyday. Are we going to live
this day for God, or are
we going to choose ourown way? To live set
apart for God, he musthave our hearts and our
minds. The apostle Paul

shared, “Set your heartson things above, where
Christ is, seated at theright hand of God. Set
your minds on things
above, not on earthly
things” (Col. 3:1b-2).
He also said, “Don’t
copy the behavior andcustoms of this world,
but let God transformyou into a new personby changing the way
you think” (Rom. 12:2a).
As we daily yield ourhearts and minds to God,
we are being united
with him and he begins
to build his beautiful
characteristics in us. God
will walk us througha process of removing
certain things from ourlives and embracing
others – “since you havetaken off your old selfwith its practices andhave put on the new self,
which is being renewed inknowledge in the imageof its Creator” (Col. 3:9-10).
God gives us the desire
to embrace his godly
qualities and to die to thethings of our flesh.
As we yield to him ourminds and hearts, God
gives us the strength anddiscernment to choose his
godly path. How do welive a life set apart for God
in holiness? By following
God in obedience one
choice at a time.

Lisa HallInternational Prayer Coordinator
for TWR Women of Hope

“Oh, God, show
me more of yourholiness. Showme more of
my sinfulness.
Help me to hate
sin and to loverighteousness
as you do. Grantme a deeper
conviction ofsin and a morethorough spiritof repentance.
And make meholy as you
are holy.”– NANCY LEIGH DEMOSS
in Holiness“But just as hewho called you isholy, so be holyin all you do; for
it is written: ‘Beholy, because I
am holy.’ ”– 1 PETER 1:15-16