Introduction / History

The Khua language is related to Bru, So and Mangkong. It is part of the Mon-Khmer family of languages.

Ethnic Khua people live in the northern part of Bouarapha District in Khammouan Province of Laos. A larger number of Khua live across the border in central Vietnam, where they are officially counted as a subgroup of the Bru-Van Kieu minority. The remote area inhabited by the Khua is part of the massive Nakai-Nam Theun National Biodiversity Conservation Area

What Are Their Lives Like?

Until recently the Khua produced all their clothing by dyeing fibers made from crushed tree bark. Today there is a growing tendency to wear Western clothes.

What Are Their Beliefs?

A great number of the Hemshin people in Russia follow the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam, due to their Ottoman-influenced roots and which dominates the region. These people depend upon good works and obedience to the ways of Islam to pay the penalty for their sins. They believe that Allah spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. However, the Hanafi school teaches flexibility and the use of reason in interpreting Islamic law. Its wide following shapes the Hemshin's local religious practices and legal traditions.

What Are Their Needs?

Full Bible resources exist in the Turkish and Armenian languages. Workers who appreciate their historical identity and traditions could become Christ's ambassadors to the Hemshins.

Prayer Items

Pray for a movement to Lord Jesus Christ.
Pray the Khua would see they do not have to live in slavery to spirits if they put their trust in Jesus Christ, alone.
Ask God to send Holy Spirit anointed evangelists to specifically focus on the Khua.
Pray heart-felt worship of the King of kings would be heard among all peoples along the Laos-Vietnam mountain ranges.

Scripture Prayers for the Khua in Vietnam.

References

Peoples of Laos, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission.