Jesus film being shown again

We’ve started again, after a few months during the rainy season, showing the Jesus Film. Please pray that the film works in the hearts of Bara people, and the church of believers who watch may be strengthened, and the Bara saved.
There are many villages we want to go to. Pastor Emanoela, from Lutheran church, our partner, has taken on the task, he is going to show the Jesus film as well. Pray for him also.

Jesus be glorified!

We have received many invitations to come to villages to broadcast the Jesus Film. Could you please pray that the name of Jesus remain glorious in the hearts of these people when they watch the Jesus Film? Can you pray also for those that have already watched the Film, that the Holy Spirit will remind them about Christ and his perfect sacrifice, his love and also the condemnation that will follow those who don’t believe in Him? Pray that God enlightens many hearts to the truth of the Gospel.

Missions Conference in Bara lands

Please join us in praying for the Missions Conference which will be held July 5-7 2019. We expect 100 evangelists from the Lutheran church to come. We will be talking about the Glory of Jesus in Missions, The Work of an Evangelist, The mission of God, and Strategies to Evangelism – Story Tellers. It will be three days of intense work and learning. Pray for the local Pastors that will be involved: Pr. Emanoela; Pr. Tolotra. Pr. Haja and Pr. Tomoeira (a Bara pastor). Please pray for those who will come, that they may be awakened by the Holy Spirit towards the evangelization of Bara and that they use the new learning and strategies. Pray for revival and for hearts to burn for the salvation of the Bara!

Bara Jesus Film

We showed the Jesus film and the number of non-Christians who watched was great. I think that more than 200 came to watch the film in Bara language. Our prayer request is that God envisions His church here in Bara areas and makes the Christians bold to share about Christ, especially with those who watched the film.

Friendship with Demons

We asked a Bara believer why is it that the Bara People are so attached to Troba and Doany [two demons that control every aspect of Bara society]. ‘Because they are Friends!’, he answered me. The Bara have a relation of friendship with those demons [they call them “the ancestors”]. Bara people beg them for blessings, and the demons ask for sacrifices to not harm them. In some rituals, the witchdoctor will sing: “Come friends, come friends, stay with us…” What a deep deep spiritual prison! Could you please pray that the Bara will find out how those demons really have deceived them, and how bad they really are instead of being ‘friends’? Pray also that God may shine his Glory in the midst of them, showing that the One True Friend we have is Jesus Christ.

May the wind of Grace blow!

Please pray for an awakening and revival among the Christians that live around Bara lands. Pray that God would blow the wind of grace and the Holy Spirit would change hearts, minds and behaviors. (We have a widespread and dangerous nominalism among those who go to the church, and this is a barrier to Bara coming to Christ as well.)

Harvest by His Power.

In the Village of Marolima, southern Madagascar, in the middle of the mountains, many have turned their backs on their religious beliefs and have become followers of Jesus Christ!
One man’s wife and son became sick. His wife was possessed by demons. They did everything the witchdoctor said. They gave many cows in sacrifice to one of the evil spirits that command their village. Nothing happened. So he went to a doctor in town. Nothing happened. He thought “The last chance is the church”.  But he was Bara. Bara don’t pray to the god of the white people. At last he ends up in the church in Betroka and asks for help. The pastor prayed. His wife was set free from the demons and was healed!
They became Christians and another 100 followed them! The church of Jesus Christ is being built in this village. Praise God!

Good soil

The Bara people of southern Madagascar have been hearing the gospel through the Jesus film and one on one discipleship initiatives. Several evangelists are reaching out far and wide amongst the Bara. Praise God for His moving amongst the Bara! Pray that God will continue to move and prepare Bara hearts, like good soil to plant God’s word and see fruit spring up.

Rain, Crops and Malaria

We are in the rainy season in Bara lands. That means: A lot of rain, plantations growing, food, water to drink, but also, malaria. Malaria kills people in the South. Children are the most affected. Because of Bara rituals, they usually don’t go to the hospital. And 90% of Bara villages don’t have access to health care. In most cases the hospital is hours from the village. Another problem is the corruption (fake medicine, high price of injections) among doctors… So, please, pray for this time, that God protects people from Malaria and also that they discover in Jesus Christ, the help in time of need.

Christ being formed in them

We have seen some Bara people coming to Christ in a miraculous way. Could you pray for them that they will grow in faith and in the desire to know more the Lord Jesus? Pray that the Holy Spirit will help them not fall into syncretism or some kind of misunderstanding of the Message of the Gospel.

God bless you

Evangelist training

Thank you for praying for the training. Please pray for the 60 Evangelists from the Malagasy Lutheran Church and 1 Pastor from Assembly of God Church that were taught new strategies of Evangelism towards Bara People. They were taught in Farming in God’s Way Program and Story -Tellers Program, and were given the Bara language Bible in audio form.
Please pray that God will burden their hearts for Bara People, and they will  share boldly about Jesus.

 

 

Strategic training

Please join us in prayer. Today we will have 3 Farming God’s Way training and 1 Story-Tellers Training: Evangelism strategies. We are receiving 24 Evangelists, 6 Pastors and 22 Bible Teachers from different parts of Southern Madagascar. They are from Lutheran Church and work in Bara area. Our desire is that the Lord will help them to look beyond towards the Unreached Bara people and use the stories as well as Farming to reach out to Bara people. May God grant us grace to teach well and grace to the 5 Malagasy Co-workers we have: Pr. Emanoella, Pastor Haja, Pastor Tolotra, Justine and Armand. They will also teach. Thank you.

We are thirsty!!!!

“Fernando, our people are thirsty. Could you come to our village to broadcast the film Jesus?”
People are becoming tired of their old ways, specially when they see that all the witchcraft they use isn’t able to protect them from evil. Demons keep attacking many Bara villages. Could you pray that God would touch their hearts to turn to Him? That God would manifest his power and love among Bara people so they would leave behind all their witchcraft practices and become followers of Christ?

Syncretism

Syncretism is the mix of religions. We saw many times in the Bible that even Israel practiced this: “… they pray to the Lord, but also sacrificed in the hills…” Could you pray that those Bara that are turning to Christ, will be changed in a such way, that their old religious practices will be thrown aside and only Jesus will be exalted, consulted, and worshiped!

Bara for Christ!!!!!

At least 300 hundred people in the village of Benato and 200 people in the village of Matsiso have watched the Jesus Film this week. Could you please pray that the devil doesn’t take the seeds of the gospel away? And that God uses this ministry to bring people to Himself?

Radio and Stories of God in Bara

It has been 1 year now that we have been broadcasting the stories of God on the local radio. Bara people are used to listening to the radio, so it is a great strategy to reach out to the villages further away. Could you please pray that God uses these stories to speak to the hearts of Bara people? Please, cry out to God for their salvation. God bless you!

Jesus film

Could you join us in prayer that the Film Jesus would awaken the interest in the Bara people to know more about ‘Zañahary’ (The Lord) and His son?
We have shown the film in more then 12 villages. Pray that the Holy Spirit keeps reminding them of the love of God in the cross.

Is there anyone alive in Betroka?

“Is there anyone still living in Betroka?” This was the question that Pastor Emanoela was asked last Friday while in a town far from Betroka.
The cattle thieves are continuing to steal. Could you please pray that the fear of ‘Zañahary’ ( the LORD) come over their hearts? Could you please pray for their conversion? May God have mercy on them! They are the very Bara people we want to reach out with the Gospel.

 

Children for Christ

“Jana, I will tell this story in my village,” said a little Bara girl named Izaiah, when she heard the story of Creation. Could you please pray for the 160 children we have in the Coworkers Children Ministry Program? May God save them and change their hearts so that they become a light in their own families and villages.

Children Ministry

Children are a great strategy for reaching out to people still unreached. We have in our Children Ministry more than 200 children that, every Saturday and Wednesday, come to listen to the Bible Stories. Please pray that those children will be changed by God, and serve as an instrument of sharing the gospel in their own villages and families.

Malasos are still attacking!

The Malasos are Bara men that steal cattle. Armed with guns and ‘protections’ (witchcraft), they are still causing terror in Betroka and surroundings areas. Even the police are afraid of them. Their witchcraft is very powerfull.Just this week they stole more then 120 bulls, leaving behind sadness, anger, and people thirsty for revenge. Those who raised the livestock are getting more and more bitter.
Please pray for those Bara malasos – they are the very Bara we want to reach with the Gospel – that they can see the evil of their actions and feel the weight of sin, and also the beauty of Christ, who alone can change our lives. Pray that the church will engage in the evangelization of them and in the future, by God’s grace, we may see a huge harvest among these thieves.

ReJoice: A new Way is coming

“We are tired of the life we live … we want a new life a new way.” That was the phrase we heard from one leader of a Bara village. The evangelist of a local church has been working among them, and now the fruit is appearing!

We are seeing the work and power of Christ acting in the midst of darkness, bringing light to Bara people! More then 40 people accepted Christ, throwing out their witchcraft. Now we can say, “The land that was in Darkness has seen a great Light!”

The Church of Christ is flourishing in the most distant places among a people that did not know the Savior but now we have the same faith, the same love …. the same Cross!

 

Encouragement to keep going.

Please pray for encouragement. The evangelists from the Lutheran Church that we work with are afraid of coming back to their own villages because of the insecurity. We have heard many cases of Malasos (Cattle thieves) killing people and causing fear in the villages surrounding Betroka. May God bless the work of those who went out in the Name of Jesus and bring many Malaso ( the very Bara people we want to reach out with the Gospel)  to Christ.

Following Jesus and the test of faith.

Please join us in pray for Zaona and his family. He is a Bara, close friend, and also a brother in Christ. Since he gave his life to Jesus, things haven’t gone well. His wife is trying to get pregnant but she can’t – children are very important in their culture. Some of their family have said that is happening because they are following Jesus.

After one week working very hard in the rice fields, Zaona harvested 3- 50 kg bags  of rice, but one night Zaona had his rice stolen by malasos. Again his family said it is because he is not following the way of the ancestors anymore. Other things have happened as well.

However, Zaona has kept firm in the faith. Please, pray that God grants Zaona and his family grace to face the challenges of following Christ without giving up, also to witness in their village about Jesus, in love, be the good perfume of Christ among his own people.

Community of Morarano

The community of Morarano watched the Jesus Film last Wednesday. Pray that the seeds of the Gospel remain in their hearts and a church be born in this place. More than 90 Bara watched the Life of Jesus. Pray that God protect this people, so involved in witchcraft, that the seeds of truth won’t be stolen by the Devil.

Film Jesus: The seeds are been planted

Please pray that the Jesus Film, shown in the villages of: Ambatomanga, Fandranarivo, Mananove, Ambatomasy, Lanabinda, Bararata, and Beharena, to about 800 people in total (most of them Bara), would continue changing lives and bringing people back to God through the Work of the Cross?

Pray also that God rebukes satan and his demons and prevents them from taking away the seeds of the Gospel sown in those hearts.

 

Fanjanarivo: Salvation belongs to the Lord!

We showed the Jesus film in the village of Fanjanarivo, south of Betroka,  with Pr. Manoela, and Pr. Jean, and we are seeing a harvest. Last week, 10 Bara adults were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Thank God for his amazing work among Bara and for this fruit. Its HIM who loves this people. We ask you to intensify your prayers towards Bara. God will honor our prayers. He will bring many sons and daughters from Bara into His kingdom.

New tools to preach the old message

Because of the bad history between Christianity and Bara people, it’s  difficult to preach the Gospel among them, or to even approach them. Finding new and creative ways to approach and preach the Gospel faithfully is very necessary. Farming God’s Way and Literacy Program, are two open doors to evangelism among Bara.

Recently we gathered 18 Evangelists and a Pastor to train them in these Creative Evangelism Strategies. Both programs went very well, and the trainees appreciated the new tools for evangelism.  Pray that God helps the evangelists and the pastor to use these wonderful tools to reach the areas where Bara people are still Unreached.

children listening

Pray for the big group of children who come every week to hear chronological Bible stories. Pray they would listen well and believe what they hear.

Radio programme

Pray many would listen and respond to the daily radio program which broadcasts the Gospel of Luke, Bible stories, and local believers’ testimonies.

God is at work

“…my Father is still working…”, said Jesus. And He is! This is one of the greats truth Bible tells us. God is still at work.

In the village of Amatomaña, another witchdoctor, name Bera, gave his life to Jesus. He wants to know Jesus better and follow His “lalana” (way).
Please pray that Bera can understand the Gospel and doesn’t fall in any kind of syncretism.

Malaso, Key people to reach the Bara

The amazing and glorious thing about the “Malasos’” conversions is that they are Bara. Hallelujah! They are the very “traditional” Bara people. The 2 Malasos I’ve mentioned in our last prayer request are from villages that didn’t have any Christians before. Hallelujah twice! Now a church is being born!

The Malasos consider themselves to be the original Bara people. They are deeply rooted in Bara worldview, culture and customs. The malasos are the ones who know the deepest, darkest parts of Bara culture. They practice witchcraft. Often they are demon possessed. They make pacts with demons for protection through cow’s blood. So, seeing a Malaso come to faith is a great miracle among Bara UPG.

When one of these malasos, are changed by the Gospel and renounce his lifestyle, culture, and even “the richness and respect” that being a malaso brings, even sometimes being persecuted by the family, becoming very poor, to follow Jesus, indeed, it is the power of the Holy Spirit working in their hearts.

So keep praying for the Malasos. They are the ones who could be the next Pauls, Peters, Jim Elliots, or George Mullers to their own people.

Cattle Thieves Coming to Christ

Since April, 2016 when we started praying for the Malasos (cattle thieves that use spiritual evil forces to get power and protection) we have seen three them coming to faith in Christ Jesus. I know that there is a lot more and I know that God loves them as he loves us. One of them is giving his testimony and impacting the life of many here in Betroka.

Could you please pray for them? That they recognize Jesus as the Son of God and only savior? Pray that they would be set free from the power of Darkness.

Nothing is impossible for God.

Thank you for praying!

Bara converted to Jesus

Many people have been impacted and touched by the testimony of Jean Claude, an ex-malaso (cow thief) who converted to Jesus. He left behind the old religion and its practices. He burned his witchcraft and all the tradition medicine that is used in Bara culture.

Jean Claude has been preaching about Jesus since then. However, the struggles and challenges in his Christian journey will come, as it does for everyone.

Could you please pray that God protects this Bara convert and set him free from the traps of the Devil?

May Jean Claude keep growing in faith daily. May God grant him grace to be transformed to the image of Christ ’till the day of Jesus Christ.

Desperate for Rain

Paul said to the people in Listra, that God didn’t leave the peoples without testimony of Himself, but “…He did good by giving you rains from heaven, …” ( Acts 14:17).

The Bara live in a total rural society, and rain is indispensable. Even though we are still in rain season, we are not having enough rain, and that brings problems to the entire country. The crops won’t produce, the herds won’t have enough grass, there will be little water to drink, and the result of this will be financial hardship, more assaults, break- ins, famine, etc.

Please, would you pray for rain? We are in desperate need! I remember Elijah when he prayed for rain and God sent it. I remember Joshua, when the Bible says that “..there isn’t a day like this, when God heard the voice of a man…” God still hears our prayers. He still cares for us. He still answers our prayers.

Could you please cry out to the Creator and sustainer of all things, who give “..rain from heaven…” ?

Going to the Villages, Broadcasting the Jesus Film.

We have started a new project among Bara people this year. We are broadcasting the Film Jesus in Bara language in Bara villages. Please pray that the film will impact their lives, and leave in their hearts the desire to know more about Jesus Christ.

Please pray for the villages of: Ambatomañga, Isoanala,and Manañovy, where we have already shown the film.

Please pray that God will open doors for us to project the film in as many villages as possible.

May God change hearts and that the seeds of the Gospel planted there would flourish.

Is it impossible for Bara to follow Jesus? No!

If the years of little fruit were a discouragement to the missionaries who worked among Bara people, now is time to rejoice! The seeds planted have started to bear fruit and everyone is part of this harvest. Many Bara have come to faith after this malaso and witch doctor become a follower of “Jesosy, Anaky’Ndrianañahary” (Jesus, Son of God), as we posted here previously.

Please pray for him. His name is Jean Claude, and we ask you to pray for his life, security, strength and guidance. May Jesus, through his Holy Spirit, bless and encourage him to continue being a powerful witness of the Gospel. May the Lord protect him against the spiritual forces that operate powerfully among Bara keeping them in bondage. And may Jean’s life shine as a light among his community. Blessed be the Lamb!

THE WORK FOR CHRIST IS NOT IN VAIN: THE HOPE WINS

“…the people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the shadow of death, the light has shone…” (Isaiah 9:2)

A witchdoctor converted to Jesus Christ a few weeks ago in one of the Bara villages! Many of the Bara people, and the Malasos (thieves whom we are praying for conversion), saw the transformation that took place in this witchdoctor’s life and also gave their lives to Jesus Christ. At least 140 Bara were baptized!

God is working. The harvest is plentiful. Lift up your eyes.

Could you please pray and praise the name of the Lord? He hasn’t stopped working, and HE WILL accomplish his mission. Blessed be the Name of The Lord.

Could a thief be converted?

The people of Betroka are being terrorized by thieves, known as ‘Malasos’.   These malasos used to steal only cows, but now they are breaking into houses and stealing everything. They harm people if they don’t find money. People are scared and bitter towards these men. Please pray for the conversion of these thieves. Nothing is impossible to the Lord. Remember the thief on the cross. God loves them. Pray also for the security in Betroka.

A land that God will not forget!

Dear prayer partners, God is at work. He never stops working to accomplish His plan of salvation. The Bara people are included in His plan. By God’s grace alone, there are converted Bara and more being converted. Could you please join us in praying that the Bara who are believers and those who are believing in Jesus would take responsibility to share the gospel with others in words and actions? Pray that the way they act in daily life would demonstrate to others the power of the Gospel to regenerate people. Pray  they live a life worthy of the Gospel.