The brothers here have a great need for a teacher. They know the best Teacher and the Great Shepherd, but need some men to come and walk alongside of them. Please ask for this provision.
Announcement
Recently the mosques made a city-wide announcement, that made local news as well, stating that they’re aware of Christian activity in the city. Activity from the young people! NOT the foreigners!
We rejoice that they made the claim themselves that S brothers do exist (no longer can they say “to be S is to be a Muslim”), the brothers that often feel isolated and alone now know that they’re not alone and that there’s many of them, and that it’s spreading from within.
And we ask for our brothers to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves as they wrestle with how to respond to this announcement, which also stated that the authorities will be doing what they can to prevent this. And that our brothers will stand firm and let this encouragement spur them on to keep expanding.
May this announcement also cause others to question and seek.
Post cyclone
Please continue to pray for the Ndau who have been affected by the cyclone Idai in our area. Many lost family, their homes and their fields. Pray for them as they rebuild their homes and for the World Food Program to continue bringing food until they can harvest again early next year. Pray for our team as we help them -for strength and wisdom in who to help. May we use every opportunity to spread the Good News and for the folks to see Jesus in us.
Diaspora in USA
Pray for the unreached Somali communities across the USA. There are an estimated 60,000 Somali people living in the Seattle – Tacoma, WA area. This is the second largest community in the US. There is a small group who are focused on outreach to the Somali people. Pray for continued conversations about partnership to reach the Somali’s of Seattle.
Walls Fall Down
A Muslim S. Asian family has been listening to their Christian friends share the gospel and Scripture for over three years, yet they still have not believed in Jesus. Their friends feel discouraged at the lack of responsiveness. Please pray that as the Lord made the walls of Jericho fall down as Israel faithfully walked around the city, He will also cause the walls of resistance to Jesus fall down in this family.
May God make a way
Please ask the Lord to pave the way for authorities to grant permission for an outreach to the village of Mangasta. The outreach is planned as part of a Global Disciples seminar. 10 days of outreach are planned for later this month. Also pray for Immanuel and his wife who are experiencing marriage difficulties. This is the couple who had expressed a desire to to serve the Lord by moving to Mangasta to be a witness in that village. Thirdly, the village leadership of Mangasta donated land to A.I.C.T. a few years ago for the purpose of building a church. But since nothing has been done with the land, there is now a problem as someone has encroached on some of the land. Please pray that this issue will be resolved. It seems this village is under attack as the Church makes an effort to have an impact on this Muslim stronghold.
Joyful and Praise-Filled Singing
This Easter, local churches from several denominations gathered in town to publicly celebrate the resurrection of Jesus together! We estimate that over 200 people were in attendance, both Christians and Muslims who came to watch. There was joyful and praise-filled singing by the choirs, children reciting verses they had learned in Sunday school, and money was even raised to help a regional school for children with disabilities. What a witness to our Muslim neighbors and friends to see Christians gathering and celebrating Jesus together despite differences of denomination! We are praising Jesus for what He was doing in our midst on Sunday and praying that He uses it to draw our Muslim neighbors closer to Himself so that they too might know the joy and hope of His resurrection that His people celebrated together on Sunday! Thank You, Jesus, for what You have done for us!
Diaspora in Florida
Pray for Muslim leaders to be willing to meet with us and for us to be able to speak spiritual truths into their lives.
Cyclone report
Volcano island was the hardest hit by the recent cyclone. There are many trees and power & phone lines down, lots of houses that lost roofs or collapsed in the storm, especially near the north of the island. Clean up started right away and the capital has been filled with the smoke of burning debris for the last several days. People are most concerned about the food –much of the staple cooking bananas and breadfruit – was destroyed. Please ask for workers to discern how best to help. We are thankful that there were few deaths or serious injuries and that the flooding that had been predicted did not happen. Our friend KC lost his belongings when his house collapsed, but he was unhurt and is in good spirits. Please ask that as people enter the fasting month after a year of extraordinary events, they will be asking deeper questions and will come to God with searching hearts.
The Word of God on Audio Players
Praise God for the many Alagwa who are excited to get the word of God on audio players. In one extended family now has the word of God playing in the 2 married sons’ houses as well as the parents. Praise God a believing wife is now listening with her husband who isn’t following Jesus yet.
Praise God too for an old man who has been quite firm in his Muslim beliefs. He heard the gospel recently and today came for an audio player. He said that he really wants to get back to God. When someone said they knew he would find God because the Bible says those who seek will find, he said wistfully if I could find God, that would be so good. Please pray for this man, that he would know the God who loves him and gave everything to save him.
So close
Pray for Baba J. Over the past few weeks he has brought up multiple conversations about Jesus. His questions are evidence that he is seeking truth. One of our teammates shared about the sweetness of Jesus and the look in his eyes was evidence that God is doing something in his heart. Pray that he will understand the Gospel clearly and that it would be personal for him. Pray against fear and that he would see the cost of following Jesus and know that He is worth it.
Diaspora in Portland
Another like-minded refugee ministry in Portland asked if I would story at their Easter celebration on Good Friday. So I again did the story of the “Thief on the Cross.” A group of maybe 60 refugees from Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Jordan, Afghanistan, etc. listened in complete silence as I storied from Luke 23. Surprisingly, in the discussion time after, they did not seem to push back on the truth of Jesus’ crucifixion, but interacted well. I had several Luke/Acts Arabic-English booklets, and they all disappeared. A Palestinian man told me he would read the whole thing! The director of the ESL program said they would follow up the story with discussion in their classes the next week.
So we were thankful for the opportunities to sow the seed of God’s Word in cooperation with others who are modeling God’s love and truth to our immigrant friends! – RH
Its a battle
Continue to pray against the attack of Satan in attempting to divide and discourage Mama & Baba S. They have worked so hard & sacrificed so much to try to make a better life for their family. A giant python got into their chicken coup and ate 7 chickens before he was killed. For them, this is a huge discouraging loss. Pray they would see this as a sign that they are doing something honorable & Satan only wants to discourage & keep them trapped in the extreme poverty. Pray the Lord would use this to draw Mama S deeper into faith & prayer with Him & this would lead Baba S to seek the Savior! What Satan has meant for evil, may the Lord turn to good.
Hearing at last!
In Beono village the king has been waiting for more than 1.5 years to hear the Bible stories! I started going there last December and am already discussing the implication of accepting Jesus. The king, Iaban’i Velotia (father of Velotia), said last Thursday that he believes in Jesus now! He is accompanied almost every week by the president of the Fokontany (deputy mayor), Iaban’i Dimby. Both men constantly discuss the implications in between the stories. They see it as their responsibility to take note of the Bible and possibly forwarding the message to rest of the village.
Diaspora in Canada
• Pray for our Thursday evening barber shop and men’s club visits – warmly received most of the time, hotly occasionally. Pray for open hearts and souls.
• Please pray specifically for I who is a Som. Christian spiraling ever deeper into addictions, that God would grab him and deliver him.
• Pray for N who was close to confessing Jesus, but has since backed away. Pray for her to come to really know Jesus.
• Pray again for F family whose Som M dad wants to take his kids to Africa against their will. Their mother who died was a Christian, and the kids do not want to go back.
School Children, Church Plots, and Rain
From a Rangi evangelist: “I thank the Lord that in His mercy we were able to teach 57 school children this year. Please pray for those families that have a hard time paying school fees. Please also pray about this: there is a Methodist church that wants to give us property so we can use it for outreach ministry. Of course we’ll need funds to build a building. Lastly, please pray for rain. The farms here are very dry and people are hungry. Thank you for your prayers.”
50 watch JF!
Saturday night a group of about 50 people gathered to watch the Jesus film in the Antakarana dialect. For most of them this was their first time to listen to the complete story. Pray that the Gospel story will open their desire to hear more and to choose the freedom that comes in Christ Jesus.
More Workers Needed
Pray for more workers to come among the Toposa; one missionary said, “come quickly the time is now.” Pray that God would guide the right people, whether expats or nationals, to reach out to the lost Toposa.
Update on healing story
There is a stirring of God’s Spirit among the Mbororo around Namagana as a result of the young man who had been brought to the Health Center at Doruma dying. He was prayed over in Jesus’ name by the indigenous missionary team and was healed! As a result both the father and Zacharias, the son, declared belief in Jesus. Muka gave them one of the MP3 players with Fulfulde. They returned to Namagana telling their story and sharing the contents on the MP3 player with others. Muka went to Narpaka a week later and met the local Mbororo chief who was asking if he was the ‘pastor’ who prayed for Zacharias. The chief and whole Mbororo community knew that the boy was as good as dead when he was taken to Doruma and wanted to know more about Jesus. They are wanting, and are willing to buy, more MP3 players. Pray for many to believe!
Diaspora in Wisconsin
• We were told that there is a new MBB in our little town. Praise the Lord with us for this. Pray he would grow strong in the Lord and be a courageous witness.
• Recently on a trip to France, I had the privilege to meet up with a Som. MBB who came to know the Lord there. I was able to get him into a local fellowship and gave him a Bible. His excitement for God’s Word and fellowship with other believers was so refreshing. Pray for this brother that his papers would come through and as he learns French he would settle as a strong witness for the Lord.
Light to shine
After showing the JESUS video in an outlying village, the people gave an invitation to begin a Discovery Bible Study on their compound. Praise God for this opportunity, and pray for the Light to illuminate the multigenerational darkness enshrouding this village.
Diaspora in Philadelphia
Pray for Y, an Algerian gentleman who has been meeting with various team members and who is open to learning about following Jesus. May God grant him faith!
Please continue to pray for our ESL ministry and that there would be clear chances for our students to hear and respond to the gospel.
Good goodbyes
Several team members are preparing to leave the islands. Please pray for many opportunities to sit with people and share Father’s faithfulness, and the hope and assurance that can be found in Him alone. Please pray that Dad would prepare hearts and open the way for these discussions. Pray for the right words and for open eyes and hearts to truly hear. Pray especially for ‘mum’- Mama Mark and Baba S to believe the truth they’ve heard.
Pray also for the cyclone that is due to hit the islands today! Pray for mercy and protection.
Listening to the Word
Odilo continues to do listening group seminars throughout the area in which he trains people how to ask questions as they listen to scripture on the solar mega voice players. Please ask the LORD to keep him safe as he travels by motorcycle and ask that hearts will be receptive toward God’s Word as the Sandawe people listen in their heart language.
Under Stress
Please pray for a number of seekers whose family units and also relationships within the family are under attack. Pray for protection for the families and for God’s spirit to bring peace. Please also pray that those seeking Jesus would not be distracted but continue to seek him and give him their whole lives.
The king knows the King!
Tsiombivohitra village has a young king (Germain). He and his wife believe in Jesus now. The practical side of things is a bit harder for them as they are expected to teach the traditions of the ancestors to the people. Aspects of these traditions are just plain wrong. They realise this and are thinking how to go about this. Pray for the Lord’s discernment for them.
New Church!
Praise God the beginning of a church is being planted in our village after generations who once resisted any church presence! A local believer, who has completed studies away at Bible college & is supplementing his income through work at our non profit, has been appointed to begin Sunday worship service in a classroom at the local secondary school with new local believers who are able to stand and join in this way. The majority of us long term outside believers will remain at our neighboring church so the new body can develop naturally it’s own indigenous identify as the body of Christ while receiving love & encouragement from us in the larger body of Christ. Pray for the Lord to build his church, his kingdom on the Swahili coast!
Needing mercy
Several of the elderly people on Nosy Mitsio have reached an age where they are sickly and a few have died. Pray that they will truly listen to the Gospel message being shared with them. May the Lord show them His mercy.
Diaspora in Minnesota
Pray that our Somali friends would have questions, that they would question Islam and become curious about Christianity.
Pray for our son, H, who’s building strong friendships with several Somali boys at school. H has brought them home for meals. One friend has been asking questions about H’s faith, prayer, and messages in his Christian music. Pray that God will draw him to Himself.
Pray for L&G’s relationship with A’s family, who have suffered severe trials and a tragic death in the family. They have been able to walk with them through the crisis- offering God’s love and Word, support, and practical help.
Listening to the Word
Odilo continues to do listening group seminars throughout the area in which he trains people how to ask questions as they listen to scripture on the solar mega voice players. Please ask the LORD to keep him safe as he travels by motorcycle and ask that hearts will be receptive toward God’s Word as the Sandawe people listen in their heart language.
Under Stress
Please pray for a number of seekers whose family units and also relationships within the family are under attack. Pray for protection for the families and for God’s spirit to bring peace. Please also pray that those seeking Jesus would not be distracted but continue to seek him and give him their whole lives.
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.
A young girl’s testimony
One 8 year old girl, Nawuyo, who accepted the Lord as her Savior and was baptized 6 months ago, has been sharing her new joy in Jesus, and the Bible stories which she is receiving weekly. Through her witness others in the village have also chosen to follow Jesus. Last week another 11 people from her village were baptized. Pray for continued multiplication of believers in this community which is very open to the gospel.
Operation Christmas Child boxes
Please lift the group of believers from other African countries who live in the islands. Many of them will be involved this week in distributing Operation Christmas Child packages on 2 islands. Ask that real fruit will come from their interactions with families in this way. Ask for each person involved to have a strong desire to give the Message as they give the shoe box. Pray that island families will be touched by the love of Christians and will want to know more about Christ’s love that fills them.
Responses to the Gospel
Many Toposa are responding to the Gospel, missionaries are seeing the Spirit work and many are coming to Christ, previously hostile villages are now asking for the church to come and share. In Kapoeta, local disciples are taking the Gospel to numerous villages and continuing to follow up with the local leaders every week, pray that many will coming to saving faith.
Visit
The Chadian pastor involved in the outreach program in a mixed Neem/Chadian Arab village soon after Christmas, asks for prayer as he returns Saturday 20th April to visit the couple who made a commitment to our Saviour during that outreach. Pray also for the teacher in the village school who has been the only believer spending time with the couple up to now because the pastor’s motorbike has needed repair for the last 4 months. Pray that pastor and his church will consider it a priority to get the bike repaired soon so that he can do visits in surrounding villages as he used to do.
Diaspora in Canada
Please pray for the ESL Easter lessons to clearly communicate Jesus today through Wednesday. Two are being held in a public school settings with a Somali audience and another one is being held in a church, mainly an agnostic Chinese audience.
Pray also for SF meeting with I., his aunt, and the public housing management. Unfortunately I. received an eviction notice this week. Please pray that God will get his attention, and that he will be delivered from his addiction and become the ambassador of Jesus he claims he wants to be.
Lastly please pray for connections with the local mosque. A local church is exploring a connection with them via dialogue and SF is approaching the mosque leadership this week when he goes to visit Friday for the afternoon prayer time. Pray for an open door to share our Good Friday Good News with the leadership there.
Diaspora in Portland
• Please pray for meaningful spiritual conversations with diaspora neighbors and students at P House.
• With Easter this month pray for opportunities to share why this is our most important celebration of the year.
Walking in darkness
The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. Isaiah 9:2
Many here are walking in darkness. Please pray that the light of the Good News would shine into communities, homes and hearts. Praise God that the darkness cannot overcome his light! (John 1:5)
Answers to Prayer for the Sick
Our team has several friends that have dealt with, or currently are dealing with, sicknesses in their families. As individual teammates have prayed for these dear friends who have yet to know Jesus, let’s be praying that they come to see the power and love of Jesus through these prayers! May they see that Jesus is a God who cares for them personally, hears our prayers to Him, and answers! May God open their eyes to see His gracious answers to prayers in Jesus name so that they may know the power of the name of Jesus and believe that He truly is God.
