Recently, the Overseas Mission Foundation (OMF) released a booklet detailing daily prayer requests for the churches in Burma. According to OMF, a reason for issuing the booklet was to support the international prayer initiative set for March 2005. The 44-page booklet will feature stories and testimonies of Christians practicing their faith while being under the threat of persecution.

In addition, the booklet will feature testimonies of Buddhist monks who testified about feeling spiritual emptiness in their strictly ordered lives. Currently, the nation of Myanmar boasts a Buddhist majority. According to statistical analysts, about 89 percent of the nation’s current population is Buddhist. Christians, comparatively, only make up 4 percent of the total population.

On its website, the OMF urged believers to pray for Christians facing persecution as well as for the spiritual needs of nonbelievers. As for now, the booklet is available for purchase online.

The Overseas Mission Foundation was founded under the name China Inland Mission in 1865 by famed-missionary Hudson Taylor. The China Inland Mission served China for almost a century through church building and discipleship in the inner provinces in China. Despite having to endure decades of conflict and civil unrest in China, the China Inland Mission stayed in China until the last of its missionaries were pressured to leave in 1951.

The same year, China Inland Missions redirected its focus to world evangelism, leading to the birth of the Overseas Mission Foundation. Since then, OMF has both led and sponsored mission activity all over the world. Even so, OMF continues work in China much like its predecessor.

Currently, the Overseas Mission Foundation has offices in 13 locations including in the United States, Britain, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Switzerland.