The Lahu are a people group found in mainland South–East Asia, with an estimated 50,000 residing in northern Thailand. They mainly dwell among the highlands, close to the border with Myanmar, and are considered one of six hill tribes in this region.
Buddhism was introduced to the Lahu in the late 17th century and subsequently became widely adopted, with a number of animist practices also being prevalent among some Lahu groups.
The Christian faith was introduced at a later date and by God’s grace the gospel continues to spread today. Around 30% of the largest Lahu group in Thailand – the Lahu Na – would identify as Christian, with an estimated 7% of this people group being evangelical believers. One challenge facing the Lahu people, however, has been access to God’s Word in their heart language, hampering work to grow the church in breadth and depth.
As many as 80% of Lahu believers do not have a Bible of their own. Many are poor and without help, they would never be able to get hold of a Bible. At the beginning of the year, our partners began preparations to supply Lahu groups in Thailand with as many as 25,000 copies of God’s Word, along with a hymnal for worship.
One Lahu pastor who collected some of these Bibles for his congregation was overflowing with thankfulness, and said, “I love the Word of God. I honour and obey His Word and He changes me. I want to thank God for the Bibles that He has given to all of us, so that we can know His salvation and know His instructions about how to walk in our daily lives.”
What a privilege it is to help bring God’s Word to those eagerly waiting to receive it!
How to pray
- Pray that God’s Word would continue to reach the Lahu people, helping them grow in maturity.
- Pray that the Lahu church would continue to grow as more turn away from Buddhist and animist beliefs and towards the Lord.
- Lift up the smaller Lahu Nyi and Lahu Shi people groups, among whom there are very few believers, and pray that the gospel would spread rapidly among them.