The Penesak are located in the south-central part of the island of Sumatra, very close to the Komering, who are o­ne of the major groups in the region. Historically, the Penesak were probably a people of coastal Borneo who expanded into Sumatra as a result of their trading and seafaring way of life. Their culture has been strongly influenced by other peoples, including the Siamese, Javanese, and Sumatrans. Their language, also called Penesak, is a member of the Austronesian language family.

Like the Komering, the Penesak are a rural people, living in villages of 50 to 1,000 people. Much of the country is covered by jungle, but the villages are located along the coasts, rivers, and roadways. Within their villages, the Penesak build their houses o­n stilts raised four to eight feet off the ground. Farming is the primary occupation of the Penesak. Rubber is the main cash crop, but coffee and rice are also grown. Wet-rice plots are worked by hoeing, or by plowing with oxen or water buffalo. Since most of the people make their living from farming, major ceremonies are usually held after the harvest. These events include marriages, circumcisions, and hair cutting rituals. Every family in the village participates in such activities because of their strong community feelings. Each Penesak family tries to have its own separate home, although newlywed couples may temporarily live with his or her parents, but they prefer to have their own home as soon as possible.

The Penesak are 99% Sunni Muslims, and o­nly 1% of them profess to be Christian.

The Penesak do not have any Christian resources in their own language, and no missions agencies are currently targeting them. Intercession and pioneer missions works must be undertaken to reach the Penesak with the Gospel.

PRAYER POINTS

• Ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers who can minister to the Penesak in culturally relevant ways.
• Pray that the Bible and the Jesus film will soon be made available to the Penesak.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of the Penesak towards Christians so that they will be receptive to the Gospel.
• Ask God to strengthen, embolden, and protect the few Penesak believers.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Penesak bound.
• Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the soil through worship and intercession.
• Pray that strong local churches will be raised up among the Penesak.