We’re celebrating a new Sister… heard yesterday that a friend of Roza’s who she met in April, gave her life to Jesus on Christmas day! Pray for Roza as she walks with this new Sister and that as this Sister ‘comes off the mountain top’ over these next weeks, that her joy would be rooted in the Light and Life from the King of kings!

Continued concerns over Covid mean our usual big Xmas parties aren’t happening this year, but many tea times are instead. The smaller context actually makes it easier to have spiritual conversations and many in our group are using the character of Joseph in the coming of Jesus to talk about how God talks to us, obedience, and Immanuel/God with us. Ask for courage in these conversations and receptiveness to the Word.

There are still a handful of new believers (less than a year old) who experienced death of a near family member and continue to doubt the goodness and love of God. Please ask that they run to Jesus instead of from Him in their grief, that they keep abiding, reading the words from God, repenting, believing.

There are new believers who are doubting, shrinking back, writing publicly that they no longer follow Jesus because of fear/family pressure/or because of disappointed expectations of what God “should have done.” Pray that as believers share with others, they would disciple them faithfully and that each one would be rooted and built up in Christ, strengthened in the faith.

There continues to be sorrow and doubt in the lives of believers who have experienced the loss of family members. Pray that they will believe the goodness and justice of God even in deep sorrow or difficult trials.

As Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha (the Festival of the Sacrifice) by sacrificing a lamb or other animal this week to remember Abraham’s sacrifice, pray they will hear of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Ask the Lord to remove the veil that blinds so many Muslims to the truth of the Gospel.

Continue to pray that fear not rule and that as people suffer for the sake of Jesus, they will not deny him.

Pray that as believers get ready to celebrate the Eid next month, they will reject the spirit of Islam, identify with Jesus and boldly tell their friends/family about the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

May there be no cracks of unlove and unforgiveness in the foundation of the fledgling church. May each believer relentlessly pursue reconciliation, truth and love because of the gospel. May they greet each other sincerely with grace and peace and live in this truth.

Please ask that God would increase the faith of believers who are being persecuted or grieving. Several have said, ‘If God cared and was powerful, he would have stepped in.’ One wrote: ‘God is not useful.’ Please pray that each see that God is not expected to obey us (even if our orders are framed in prayer) or our definition of good. Ask that each one know the true goodness of God and surrender to His higher better way despite suffering.

Praise Jesus for the growing faith of several sisters and their mom. Ask for their three brothers to also believe and for men and women to be able to gather in their home to worship Jesus.

Several women have spoken about a ritual done over them as young girls inviting a spirit to protect them from men. Please ask for deliverance and for this evil ritual to be broken.

Praise Jesus for a group of Berber women who are praying daily together during the month of Ramadan. Pray for others to be brought in to this sweet time.

One young woman felt like God was asking her and others to go to a center for the blind to pray for healing and to speak the light of Jesus. Right now the only book in Braille they have is the koran and this Berber believer said, ‘Someone needs to tell them the truth.’ But the trips have been rescheduled several times partially because of fear in another sister’s heart. Ask that each be delivered from fear and that God provide miraculous sight.

A young believer (less than a year) has been sharing the gospel with a mother and her five daughters who live next door. She gave them her only copy of the Word and goes often to talk with them. She said, ‘I’m discipling, right?’ So grateful for her obedience and praying that each one who believes will speak the Word of God to their neighbors.

Covid restrictions have led many people to spend much more time online. Many are “stumbling” upon Truth, which is causing them to ask questions. Pray the Lord will lead all of us believers to find the true seekers (not those who just want to debate) who desire to learn Truth.

Two young women feel that God is not answering their prayers. They are caught in abusive households and pray for escape. Ask that each will know they are set free by truth, that their families can be changed by the power of Christ, that we can love those who hurt us. And may the church have compassion and wisdom to know how to help and stand with them.

Please ask that new believers who are proclaiming and seeing fruit will be discipled well and disciple well… will teach to obey all Jesus commanded… will abide in the vine.

Two new believers in the south and one more asking of Christ. Hallelujah! Pray for the Amazigh sisters who are sharing the gospel boldly. One just sent Matthew 5-7 online and feels that the one seeking is close to believing. May each one be fruitful.

Two of the brothers who don’t yet believe have been softer and listening to their sister testify. Ask for their salvation… and for the extended family from the mountains that often comes and hears. May they bring the gospel back to their mountain homes.

Today one of the local brothers has arranged a Christmas celebration at an office building. About 25 local believers have said they’ll come… bringing food to share. Ask for love and grace and courage. Many haven’t met before. Two, including the one inviting had fevers yesterday. Ask for healing.

As boldness increases in the lives of some, family members fear for their lives. Praise Jesus for these who declare freely that they follow Jesus and that they would give up their lives before denying him. But pray for fearful moms and sisters who try to change the subject as they boldly proclaim. May the Spirit of fear cripple this church no longer. May love overcome the fear of shaming family or death.

One woman and one man are extremely bold. Both are separately proclaiming the gospel to their own families face to face and to strangers online. Over these last few weeks each have rejoiced to see new ones surrendering to Jesus. Pray for continued abiding in the Word, humility and boldness and lasting fruit.

Praise Jesus: the father of the family of believing sisters (the one who has diabetes and kidney failure that you prayed for) confessed that Jesus is Lord God and believes He died and rose to save us! And another sister from the same family living abroad has begun to read the Bible and go to church to pray. Pray for the remaining three brothers to believe and may this be one of many families to follow Jesus together.

Their father is sick with kidney disease and diabetes… and the believing sisters and mom are fasting and praying for his healing so that he has the opportunity to believe. Please ask for growing faith and growing boldness to witness. And like them, ask for each believer to be bold to tell their families.

Holy Father, please give courage to your children to speak to family members about the Lord Jesus. We ask especially that fathers and brothers would be ready to hear and believe the gospel, and that the Islamic fear would be broken.

Our bold new sister has been sharing online and two from other cities have come to Jesus so far. One was threatened by his family but he has stood firm saying nothing can turn him from Jesus. Please pray that these young believers (and those we don’t hear of) would abide in the Word and be deeply grounded and not fear.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for the way you are transforming individuals and families. Thank you for new believers within one family and for their boldness to share with other Berbers online and for new brothers through their witness. May each new believer continue to abide deeply in Jesus, eat the bread of truth, and speak the gospel.

One more sister has believed! It was beautiful to watch her biological sisters pray over her, tears streaming down their faces as she confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord. Please ask for the rest of the family (men included) to believe and may many more families turn to Christ together.

One woman is now meeting with 5 others online and is reading the Word consistently. Another just shared the gospel with a friend online and that friend believed! Please ask that all these online connections would be grounded in the truth of the gospel and ask for increasing consistent discipleship.

Praise Jesus for bold sisters who are telling their family of Christ! Their mom declares Jesus is Lord, but wants the Koran and Mohamed to also fit in somehow. Pray for continued boldness for each believer to testify to the gospel of grace. Ask for fathers and brothers to believe too.

She is still trying to gain a reward by suffering to feed the poor in Ramadan, but she studies daily the truth of Jesus and knows that He is Lord. She prays to him for true faith and sincere repentance. Please ask that she and others who are seeking let go of all the lies of Islam and surrender completely to Jesus and follow Him.

Praise Jesus for some bold sisters who are telling their family of their faith; pray that families would believe. Pray for believers to find believing spouses, for parents to teach their children.

Pray for those who are suffering from PTSD or depression or anxiety because of past or present persecution. Ask that each believer ‘be filled with joy and peace as they believe in the God of hope’ (Rom 15)

So many are willingly receiving passages and reading of the cross and resurrection of Jesus…please ask that hearts would be stirred and unwilling to rest until they recognize the truth of Jesus.

Several of the new believers battle panic attacks and depression. Two have said that when they try to call on Jesus’ name, their tongues feel heavy, unable to move. Please ask for deliverance from fear, from unforgiveness and lies. Ask that each be overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit and be freed by calling on the Name of Jesus in the moments that fears and lies try to rise. Pray that believers would ‘set aside any deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.’

Pray that God would continue to give boldness to his children to speak with their families! A set of sisters keep bringing their mom to hear the gospel and one courageously explained personally the gospel to her mom two days ago and her mom seemed ready to hear more. She said her third sister would believe if she heard, but her oldest believing sister is afraid for her to tell her.
In a separate family, the believing daughter is afraid to tell her family… but she brought a foreigner to share… and the mom wants to study the Word! The daughter also wants to invite a local sister to join in. Praise God for this boldness! May God continue to draw families to Himself!

There has been increasing persecution, imprisonment, threats. Please pray that each believer would not be overcome by evil, but would walk in the authority of the Spirit. Ask that each would be transformed by the Spirit to be bold for witness and filled with praise in sorrow, asking and believing for mighty signs and fruitful lives for their time here on earth.

Praise Jesus for increasing courage!! One recent believer has been afraid to tell anyone in her family, but a few days ago, she shared with her sister. Her sister had already been receiving verses from another local brother online! Two days later, she heard the gospel again and believed!! This newest sister is already boldly praying for family members and said she’s sure her mom is open!! Pray that each believer would love Jesus more than they fear persecution and share with those they know!

One new sister invited a friend to come hear the gospel. He believed last Tuesday and both were baptized Saturday (and an Arab believer too)! Pray for courage to be a witness and for unity among the believers. The Berbers love the Berber songs from Algeria…the Arabs love the songs from Egypt… May they encourage each other and sing together!