Pray for Banjarmasin

I live in Banjarmasin — the “city of a thousand rivers.” Life here flows with the water. At dawn, the floating markets come alive — women in small boats selling fruit, vegetables, and flowers as the mist rises over the Martapura River. Wooden houses stand on stilts above the tide, and children laugh as they jump from the docks into the brown current below. The air is thick with humidity, the scent of clove cigarettes, and the sound of prayer echoing from the mosques.

My people, the Banjar, are deeply rooted in Islam. Faith is woven into our speech, our hospitality, and our traditions. Every day, I see devotion — men gathering to pray, families reciting verses together, young people memorizing the Qur’an. Yet beneath that devotion, I sense a quiet ache — a longing for peace that rituals cannot bring. I know that ache because I once carried it too, until I met Jesus, the One who brings living water to the thirsty soul.

To follow Him here means walking carefully. Faith in Christ is not understood. Conversations about Him must happen quietly, often in whispers or through friendship lived out over years. Yet God is at work — in dreams, in kindness, in the way believers love without fear. I believe the rivers that have carried trade and culture through Banjarmasin for centuries will one day carry the Good News of Jesus, flowing from heart to heart until the whole region is filled with His glory.