Here’s an update from our School in Naliel. Today we have 205 students and the number keeps increasing daily. Pupils are arriving from different areas, some from far away. This started after WFP started supporting the feeding of students with 2 meals a day, and news spread all over that our school teachers are committed. What amazes us is seeing kids from Laarim, Didinga, and Jiye people, who are enemies to Toposa. Seeing their children sitting in one class, sharing a room and food is such a great picture of peace reconciliation that we want to see them become heralds of peace to their parents. Pray with us for that! Pray also for God’s provision for dormitories, mattresses and blankets to house all the students.
Pastors and elders meeting together
Pastors and elders of multiple local churches among the Rendille and Samburu continue to meet to read and study God’s Word and how it practically lives out in the church. This past week, 5 of those men gathered to learn how to study the Bible (hermeneutics) and are moving on to expository preaching through a curriculum called SOMA. Pray for these men as they sharpen each other. Pray for their spiritual growth, the growth of their families, and the growth of healthy churches in Northern Kenya.
1 Corinthians 3:6–7 (ESV): 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Independence Day
This Wednesday the people of Madagascar celebrate Independence from France. Please pray that during this time of celebration as families return to their village or come into towns to celebrate, that Christians would carry the light of the gospel with them and have opportunities to share the hope and joy that they have in Christ who has truly set them free.
Feast of Sacrifice
The Eid al-Adha (the ‘feast of sacrifice’, when Muslims remember Abraham sacrificing a ram in place of his son) was celebrated last weekend. Many meaningful conversations were had around the subject of sacrifice. Pray that as these seeds were planted, they would find good soil and many follow up conversations would take place.
Literacy program graduation
This marks the end of our 2023/2024 literacy program. Yesterday, we celebrated the conclusion of a year of study. Two hundred children were taught about Christ, learned to read and write in their own language, and were fed daily!
Pray with us that the knowledge of Christ will transform their hearts and that literacy will change their futures.
The next 200 children start studying in September 2024!
Pray for grace to believe
We thank the Lord for home fellowships and that more Muslim youths are attending. Pray that the Lord will draw them to Himself as they listen to Word.
Pray for grace as we do home visitations. Pray that people will come to know Him.
Convinced to return
We’d appreciate prayer for Asha, one of only a handful of baptized Alagwa believers, who has now returned to Islam. She comes from a background of a lot of demonization and occult involvement as well as mental illness. While I was on home assignment, her condition worsened, and her family convinced her to return to Islam. Please pray that this is not the end of her story! Pray for her to remember Jesus and hunger afresh for him.
Solar system hit
One month ago the solar system of our office, the controller, and inverter were damaged and burned by a lightning strike. Please pray we can get it repaired or replaced. This equipment is very important to our translation work.
Plans to reach more
Pray for Mrs F’s spiritual growth and for her family to receive Christ. Pray for her growing awareness of her faith, people in her community know she is a believer which causes mixed reactions. Please pray for the plans to meet with her this week to encourage her and discuss reaching more K people with the Gospel.
Believing Families
I had one of the believing wives come and spend the day with me on Friday and had some great study, worship and scripture memory time together. Pray that the believing family units may grow together!
It’s all so fragile, but so exciting to finally see these signs of growth in the body of Christ here in O-land! Keep praying! And don’t forget about good Security – every day is a day of God‘s grace here – we praise Him for it and pray for more!
Free printing!
I am in contact with a printer who offered to print the translated Gospel of Luke, Acts, and the Bible stories, free of charge. They also want to ship it to Madagascar for us. Praise God for this provision! However, it is a challenge to figure out how to ship them without having to pay bribes at customs. Pray for wisdom and favor.
Prisoners
Pray the God of hope will fill the prisoners and their families with all joy and peace as they trust in Him, so that they would overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13)
Pray the judge and other officials would have no peace and would be troubled by the Holy Spirit until they repent and free the Lord’s loved ones.
Loved and Valued
Pray for an upcoming gathering to hear about needs of the Saharawi community so we can consider if/how we can meet them. Please pray for clear communication, appropriate expectations and that the Saharawii people in the city would feel loved and valued.
In jail
Recently one of our brothers was put in jail. The way forward is controversial. Wisdom, courage, and rescue are needed. Pray for him to remain steadfast and ask Father to comfort his wife and kids.
Revival
Pray for community transformation amongst the Toposa. We have seen revival again among the believers despite their hard time during this hunger season. (Some of the areas haven’t received rains and they have not planted.) We praise God for the training centre that is ongoing in Nawyapak region. Pray for the construction team and the ownership of the centre by believers.
Youth discipleship
Please pray for some new initiatives for discipleship among the youth at church. Pray that the ideas will be well received and that God may give all of us a hunger to grow in our relationship with him. Pray that the youth of the church may be an “example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
Obeying and teaching others
Pray for Nyang’atom South Sudan believers. They are obeying and even teaching their neigbouring community the Gospel. Pray for provision of water in this area.
Conference
Nine Fulani believers and I attended a Fulani conference recently. We were encouraged to be strong and grow in faith despite persecutions. Pray for the local church to grow in love, unity, and forgiveness.
Teachers
Sister Theresa was able to mobilize the community to make 10,000 bricks for the school building. Seven teachers from Shuwaia just graduated from our Education Teach to Reach program April 19. Pray for the school building project and these newly trained teachers to be a blessing to the community and a light set on a hill.
Heartbroken
Diaspora in Ontario: Pray for our local Christian friends from the Horn. Particularly for H who has been attending church faithfully with us for a long time. Our church is disbanding due to declining membership, and H is heartbroken at losing that fellowship. Pray that we and he will find another church soon where he can grow and be blessed. Please pray for his siblings who were raised in a Christian home but have left their former love.
Pray also for one family whose daughter married a Muslim and who have refused all contact with her since. Pray that she’ll be restored to Jesus and her family.
Alpha course
We are doing a version of the Alpha course with some interested islanders. So far 8 islanders (both men and women) have been faithfully coming. Pray that this course would bear fruit in their lives and that they would share what they are learning with others.
Truth
Diaspora in Ontario: I met Omar, a Muslim high schooler originally from Pakistan/India, during street evangelism. Coincidentally we met twice at different street intersections over the last 3 months. Omar questions why we don’t believe Islam is the truth. Pray that Omar will be open to reading the true word of God, the Bible.
Translation team needed
We thank God for what’s happening in Jiye-land. Pray for Simon Amoni and Loumwa, the Jiye leaders, sharing the gospel in the community. Pray for an Oral Bible translation team that is needed to have the gospel in their heart language. Ask the Lord to call people to this task. Keep praying for the salvation of many in this community.
Summer study
Diaspora in Georgia: Pray for the Lord to keep bringing a Pakistani neighbor to study English (and Bible!) with me on Fridays this summer. Pray the Lord would grant her faith to believe.
Trial update
Thank you so much for praying for those who went to court yesterday. I know that God is so delighted to hear his children praying in unity, remembering those in prison, choosing to identify with those who are suffering. The court refused the lawyer’s request to release them and set a new court day for August 13. Pray for those in prison, for their families, for the believers outside of prison, to be still and wait on the Lord in hope. May He lift up their heads and give them peace.
Growth
Pray for growth in wisdom, knowledge and depth of personal intimate relationship with Jesus for the believers! Pray for husbands and wives to become strong disciples of Jesus together and wisely share the Light by word and deed with their loved ones!
Summer Day Camp
Diaspora in Quebec: Praise- We have a youth team helping us lead a week- long day camp this summer for North African kids ages 5-12, August 19-23. As we will be openly sharing Bible stories with the children throughout the week, Muslim families will, apart from God, be very wary of sending their kids. We are praying for 35 kids, from families that God is already at work in, to join us, majority being from North African families. Please pray along with us!
Pray for peace
Pray for peace between the Toposa and Murle. After a mass killing by some Murle, the Toposa have closed the road and no cars can go to Boma. Pray for peace.
Bible studies
Diaspora in Hong Kong: We will start weekly women’s Injil classes in two centres. Pray that God will prepare the hearts of the participants and lead them to Him.
Praise that L, an Ugandan Muslim lady, has found a church to attend for bible study regularly on Friday and weekend evenings. Meanwhile, we still meet with her on a weekly basis. Pray for God’s guidance in her life, and pray she has a pure heart to pursue Jesus.
Trial
Pray for the believers standing trial for their faith tomorrow. They have been in prison for over a year. Pray for the peace of God to overflow in their hearts and give them courage to honor Him and stand firm. Pray the Lord would cause the judge to have favor on them and release them. May the Lord’s presence be tangible in the courtroom so that the believers are comforted and the Muslims are afraid.
Kairos
Praise God for the Kairos course which recently ran in Moroto. Seven participants graduated and many people from different churches attended the graduation. We are hoping to have a gathering this coming month to draw together participants from this and the previous course. The purpose is to continue encouraging one another as we implement what we learnt into our every day lives. Please pray for this gathering, and for God’s desire for all nations to know him to grow in our hearts too.
“Bible speaks to me”
Diaspora in Quebec: Praise God for Dani’, an Egyptian (Muslim background) student who has been studying the Bible with me for several months. She has said now multiple times how the Bible seems to speak specifically to her, and to circumstances she is facing daily. Pray for her that she would fully understand the gospel, her sin and need to repent.
Summer ministry
Diaspora in California: Pray for summer activities with International students. We hope to have a bible study with some of the ladies. Pray the students come to know God’s grace and salvation. Specifically pray for salvation for Thomas and Chris.
Pray also for Sam, a student from India, who was baptized but then went through much persecution, including being cut off financially by his family. He has decided to continue to pursue reading his Bible and is being discipled by one of our volunteers. Pray for his faith to grow strong and his witness to be bold.
Chief ill
Our village chief is very ill. He recently had to have his leg amputated. I have taken him to the hospital several times for treatment. He is getting weaker and weaker. Pray for his physical and spiritual healing.
Parenting class
Diaspora in England: Praise that the latest parenting course went well. We had 6 Som’ women and 2 Sudanese women participate. And we had a chance to share our faith with them. Pray for continued contact with these women and that they would ponder the truth they heard.
Emerging church leaders!
Praise God for the training of 74 lay-pastors and church leaders in Tabora! We could not ask for a more motivated, engaged, and enthusiastic group of men and women. Praise God for the generosity of a US partner church that provided a Swahili African Study Bible to those who have been faithfully attending and participating. There was a lot of rejoicing as they received these Bibles! Pray for these disciples as they apply what they learn, teach others, and persevere to complete their Bible certificate program.
Walk in step
Pray for brothers to find and keep work. Pray they would be an example of the Way of JC and walk in step with the Holy Spirit.
Console and share
Diaspora in Brazil: Pray for discernment in the deeper faith conversations that are arising as a result of the death of one of the African students last month. Pray for wisdom in how to console as well as share the truth of our Savior in these moments.
The river is full
There is a community (Lokitelakapes village) we started sharing bible stories with. Since the heavy rain started, we haven’t been able to go because the river is full. Praise God for the constant rain. Pray that God will provide ways and times that we can still be able to share with them.
New mosque contact
Diaspora in Minnesota: Praise for a meeting at a new Somali mosque yesterday. It was a first at this mosque and we brought a group of Somalis and Christians together to meet. Pray for good connections and followup.
