They are o­ne of the most well-known & interesting people groups in SEA, but few are aware of their existence w/n the country of Laos, although o­ne tourist book does mention them???A very small number of Muslims live in Vientiane, mostly Arab & Indian merchants whose ancestry dates back as far as the 17^th century. This is o­ne of the ancient ethnic groups in SEA. The Cham language is part of the Malayo-Ploynesian branch of the Austronesian language family. It is divided into two varieties, Western Cham & Eastern Cham, w/c enjoy o­nly limited mutual intelligibility.

Today, the remaining Cham survive by farming, fishing, building boats, and light commerce. Bombing, civil war, and war with the Vietnamese have brought an end to the o­nce thriving agricultural economy. The soil is not fertile, but the plains flood every rainy season. This overflow is full of fish while it lasts, and leaves rich alluvial deposits when it recedes. Cham villagers are extremely poor, and their settlements convey a sense of impermanence. Homes are made of split bamboo and are elevated above the ground to protect against flooding. Their diet of fish, rice, and vegetables is adequate, but most other necessities of life are severely lacking. Cham society is matrilineal due to the fact that more men than women were killed between 1975 and 1979, creating a skewed sex ratio. Women now must perform the duties that o­nce belonged to the men.

At the climax of the Champa Empire, two cultural influences predominated: the Hindu culture of India and the Islamic culture of the Malay. Consequently, the Cham practice a distorted version of Shi?ite Islam. A special tradition is the burying of their dead twice. Immediately after death, the person is buried in a temporary grave. After a year has passed, his bones are removed and taken to a permanent place to be buried with his rings.

The Western Cham are a completely unreached people group in Asia. There are handful of known believers among them in Canada & the US, however. There are no Scriptures available in Western Cham.

PRAYER POINTS

• Pray that the missions agencies will be granted God?s wisdom and favor.
• Ask the Lord to call additional long-term laborers who are willing to go and share Christ with the Western Cham.
• Ask God to strengthen, encourage, and protect the few known Western Cham Christians and pray that God will use them to reached their fellow people.
• Pray that God will raise up qualified linguists to translate the Bible into the Western Cham language.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Western Cham bound.
• Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will faithfully stand in the gap and intercede for these precious people.
• Ask the Lord to raise up strong local churches among the Western Cham.
• The Cham in Laos are strong Muslims. Pray that Christ would open their blinded eyes about the truth of God's redemtion and put a hunger in their hearts to know Him.
• Pray that the Christians in Vientiane would share the Gospel with the Cham.
• Pray against the strong religious & cultural barriers that prevent the Cham from considering the Gospel.

links to related information: www.asiaharvest.org , www.joshuaproject.net , http://www.bethanynorth.com/profiles/profile1.html