Reports flooded in yesterday of yet another attack on a village in Northern Mozambique, where over 50 houses were burned and one person beheaded. The Mwani from this area are upset that those claiming their same faith could do such things. This has led to a questioning of their core beliefs. Pray that God would raise up the usually-timid believers to speak boldly about Jesus. Pray that seed would fall on good soil hearts, that the Mwani might know the one who truly is the “Way, the Truth, and the Life!”

An extremist group has been attacking villages in Northern Mozambique since November. Pray for the traumatized villagers as they seek refuge in Mocimboa town. Pray for believers there as they reach out to them. Today friends are delivering aid. Pray for their safety along the road. Pray that what the Evil One means for harm, the Lord will mean for good- to bring about the salvation of many!

Northern Mozambique holds 9 unreached people groups–that we know about. One of them, the Mwani, live in the northern-most port city and provincial capital. God has been raising up workers for the past few decades now, to reach out to the Mwani. Most recently, he has strategically placed two new families into Mwani areas in the city. The Mwani populate two of the poorest, most congested, areas of the town. So bad are the conditions that all supplies are hand carried–there are no roads! When it rains, many lose their belongings in the torrents which rush down the mountain-slope into their valley. Pray that these Mwani would turn to the only true anchor of souls–Jesus!

Praise the Lord, we have heard of 160 new believers among the Mwani, stretching from Ibo, Pangane and down to Pemba! 50 of them have been baptised.

Praise the Lord for the strengthening of the Mwani church in Pangane, a decade after the TIMO team. Praise the Lord for the seed that was sown then is now being reaped.

Praise the Lord for the Koti Church, a recently reached UPG, who have taken it upon themselves to reach the Mwani with the gospel. Pray for the Lord’s strengthening among these Koti brothers who are willing to leave their island to preach the good news to those who have not yet heard.

Praise God that a twenty six year old Muslim man named ‘D’ has been listening to the Gospel story with much interest and an open heart! Pray that he will turn to Christ and be able to bear the discouragement from family and the community. Thank God that he was invited to study the word by his friend ‘B’ who is a disciple from the same community. Pray that disciple ‘B’ will invite more people into a study of the word.

Praise the Lord there has been a recent 2 day conference held in Pemba for 10 leaders of the small churches established in Northern Mozambique. it was a good time of worship, fellowship and encouragement.

Mr V. Iman of biggest mosque in our village had bought two copies of the Good News and we had been praying for an opportunity to share with him when he emailed us to tell us about the birth of his daughter. We were able to share the gospel with him. Pray that he responds to what he knows is true.

Let us thank God for the Mwani believer, B, who had began to drink (whom we prayed for sometimes back). He has recovered from this problem and is now standing well in the faith. Now let us pray that he will take the same faith and start sharing with others.

Praise God for other Mwani believers who are turning to God through the ministry of several missionaries working among the Mwani. Pray too that each one of them will learn the art of becoming fishers of men.

Pray too that the Lord will give us people with open hearts to share the Gospel with this month. We are going out each day to share the Gospel with people.

Mwani; thank God for some conversions which have been reported among the Mwani in the last two months through the ministries of different organizations in the region. We pray that these new disciples will gain the heart and passion to share the same message with others in the community.
We pray also for the success of the two Radio ministries among the Mwani. Pray specifically that the missionaries will get face to face contacts with keen listeners that the listeners may believe. Pray too that the presenters on these programs may have the wisdom in choosing the right stories in the right order and that they may answer the resulting questions wisely.
Makwe; the team of four missionaries here have began to visit one of the villages each week (every Friday); they shared the Gospel with several people these two last weeks. Pray that they will find an open door to talk to many more people, that those who hear will believe, and that there will be lasting fruit. We pray specifically for them to find the man or family of peace in this community.

The team among the Makwe will be going to surounding villages to share the word with the locals. Pray that God will give them men/women/families of peace in each of the villages. Pray for this witchdoctor whom the missionary challenged towards faith that he may continue listening to the word and believe

Let us thank God for the Mwani believer B who had began to drink (whom we prayed for sometimes back). He has recovered from this problem and is now standing well in the faith. Now let us pray that he will take the same faith and start sharing with others.
Praise God for other Mwani believers who are turning to God through the ministry of several missionaries working among the Mwani. Pray too that each one of them will learn the art of becoming fishers of men.

Pray too that the Lord will give us people with open hearts to share the Gospel with this month. We are going out each day to share the Gospel with people.

One Mwani believer B has begun to drink. It seems this was a habit he had even before believing in the Lord.He is keeping off from our team because of this habit. Pray that the Lord may help him out of this situation and that his wife may not fall back from the faith because of this discouraging habit.

Mr V. Iman of biggest mosque in our village had bought two copies of the Good News and we had been praying for an opportunity to share with him when he emailed us to tell us about the birth of his daughter. We were able to share the gospel with him. Pray that he responds to what he knows is true.

Pray for those who have been listening to the word through the radio program at Mocimboa da Praia to believe the word. We seek that they may go beyond the barriers to believe. Pray particularly for E and M that they may believe and turn to Christ as they listen to the word as response to the questions they raise after listening to the program. Pray also for C as he struggles between turning to Christ and the discouragements from his relatives.

One of the Mwani believers at Mocimboa Da Praia is struggling with his wife. She has been following Jesus for sometime but she has of late been reluctant in her faith. She is drawing away from fellowships without clear reasons. Pray that God will warm her (Mama A) heart towards him again. And that the husband will wisely and patiently walk alongside her in this.

The team in Pemba will be leaving end of November. There are currently no other Western workers coming in for the team to hand the ministry over to. Pray that God will do something awesome among the Mwani, that they will take the Good News and run with it. Pray that the handful of new believers will stand firm in their faith and grow spiritually, producing a crop of 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown.

As the team in Pemba starts wrapping up their time here, pray for long time believer Mr. S, that he will have the encouragement and strength from God to take up the task in discipling the new believers. Currently, we are trying to gather these believers together weekly to worship and read God’s Words together. However, commitment is a big issue. Pray that these new believers will see the importance and have the desire to meet up regularly with other believers.

We continue to see God work within our village. Several have turned their hearts to our Messiah and we witnessed the baptism of one of these new believers. Our desire is to see them come together to worship, pray, and learn God’s Words. Pray for this to happen.

These past 3 weeks we have witnessed amazing things. Four families and four individuals committing to follow our Messiah. We hear the Lord saying, “The harvest has arrived. It is now. Expect and see!” We are awestruck and amazed. This can be nothing short of a movement of God and we have been blessed with the privilege to reap. Pray for obedient followers who will fish for men. This is our desire, to instill this DNA into them. We want disciples who will be fishers of men. Not just that, but to be teachers of things they have learnt from us so that the movement will continue with them.

Ramadan Day 23
Closely related to the Mwani are the islanders of the Indian Ocean. Lift up the Mahorais people (Shimaore and Shibushi) who mostly just fast to fit in with everyone else. Pray that God would break into their apathy, their thoughts, and their dreams and reveal the Way, the Truth and the Life found in Jesus. Job 33:14-18, John 14:6
Pray for the bi-weekly outreach meetings being held to be protected during Ramadan and that those who attend would resist pressure from family and the community to stop attending.

Ramadan Day 7
Many Mwani accept the authority of Jesus, not only to perform miracles but also to forgive and save us from sins as well. However, accepting Him as God Himself is still a great challenge. Pray for a breakthrough.
Pray for the two believers in our city, that they will step up and take ownership of the task to evangelize their own people. Pray that they will catch the vision and be obedient to the Great Commission.

As some people become more receptive to the good news, there are also those who visibly oppose. One of our immediate neighbours is one of them. She has been quite cold, ignoring our greetings and turning away each time she sees us pass by. The bible stories told during Kid’s Club has also raised some comments among the older kids. Pray for reconciliation in relationships where needed and wisdom and boldness to continue to speak the truth.

We recently witnessed two individuals who told us that they accept Jesus to wash away their sins. Praise the Lord! This is the first step; there is still much teaching work to be done, including the importance of accepting him as God as well. Please pray for these hearts to be soft to the Spirit, and for eyes to be opened to see the full truth. We also give thanks for Mr. A, who had professed the same thing last year. Recently, he was really sick and in the hospital and while visiting, we asked if he was scared (because in the past, he was scared of dying). We were so encouraged when he said, “No, because I know I will go to heaven”. Pray for spiritual growth.

Pray that the Mwani would personally take as a challenge to love their own people by sharing the good news with their own family units. We desperately long to see them reach their own people with the incomparable love of our Lord Jesus.

Christmas is not a day celebrated among the Mwani – in Mozambique, Dec 25 is a national holiday known as ‘FAMILY DAY’. Please pray that the knowledge of the saving plan of the world through Jesus would be made known to them, and that many would come to be part of our big FAMILY in Christ.

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”. – Jesus.
Pray: 1. That the Mwani will see the abundant life they can have in Jesus alone and believe.
2. That the few existing believers will press on in their walk with the Lord and not lose heart, sharing their faith with others.

Report from Patrick who works with the Mwani in Northern Mocambique, Sheepfold Ministries…
23 missionaries are now scatterd among the Mwani.(14 Westerners and 9 Africans) through 6 organisations. There are different ministry approaches…radio,chronological narratives, sports ministry,nursery school and jesus film. there are presently 24 believers scattered from Ibo to Mocimboa. please pray for unity among missionaries. Please pray that God would bring in thousands and that the seed which has been sewn for years may bear fruit.

We have seen the interest of several ladies in hearing bible stories. They have been asking us to share with them each time we visit. As we open up the picture book, they call out to their family and neighbours to join them in hearing the stories. Praise God for this.

This month, we were really encouraged by a bit of fruit that God has allowed us to see blossom in Pemba . We shared the story of Joseph with Mr. A, an opportunity that led him to admit his big concern of having “dreams of dying”. Mr. A acknowledged his need for a Saviour to cleanse his sins. Also, our neighbour, Mrs. S, who had been sick for several weeks, was open to listening to the good news and also acknowledged her desire to be cleansed of her sins. Please pray for both Mr. A and Mrs. S, that the seeds will not be stolen away by the evil one, but will grow well in good soil, without rocks or thorns choking them or preventing them from good growth.

“The fuel for fear is ignorance”. Many Mwani do not understand the details of their own belief. They blindly follow due to the fear instilled into them. Pray for wisdom in engaging them to think deeper into their own beliefs so that the contradictions can be brought to light and the truth of the gospel revealed.

Ramadan Day 27: Pray for Muslim background believers around the world to be encouraged by the Lord. They are sheep among wolves and face opposition, isolation, and overt persecution. Ask God to fill them with the Holy Spirit and joy, and to provide for their needs. Pray their family members and friends will see the Lord in their lives and want to know Him as well.

Ramadan Day 16: Pray for the believers from Muslim backgrounds to be strong and courageous. They face much pressure during Ramadan. Ask God to help them stand firm and hold fast to the Lord.

Pray for more dreams and visions as most of the Mwani are fasting and spending more time in prayer. Pray for God’s mercy to fall on them, that their eyes will be opened and that they will be guided to the truth. Praise God for “O” as he had recently stated that Jesus has indeed resurrected. Pray for wisdom in following up with him.

Ramadan Day 5: “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, or His ear dull that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that He does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:1-2) Ask the Spirit to convict fasting Muslims of their sin and separation from God. Pray many would cry out to God and be saved.

The sense of urgency to share the good news isn’t too strong among the Mwani believers in Pemba. Further, the closeness of the family unit is a struggle. Pray for God’s sanctification work in the lives of these believers, that they can be good witnesses, starting with their own families and then moving out to friends and community.

Praise God for the five bibles that were recently sold to five individuals who were interested in buying one to read. ‘S’ even claimed to have had dreams of angels and “men with light”. Pray for the follow-up with these individuals, that there will be opportunities to share more of the truth with them.