Please pray for a form 4 Muslim student at Tirrim Secondary School. After our Spiritual Emphasis weekend, lots of students were asking for Bibles (because we gave some out as rewards). Students were told that anyone could have a Bible if they did some memory work first. So far this past week 8 kids have said their memory work and earned a Bible. Among these 8 was this student ‘Henry’. When asked why he wanted a Bible, he said he wanted to compare it with the Koran. Pray Henry will hear God speaking as he read his Bible.
Pray for Fruit
S. is like many Islanders who have had the truth laid out before them in incredible ways, and yet still reject it – or rather still reject Him. This is a reminder that people are spiritually blind and need Jesus to open their eyes. We can plant a seed, we can water, but it is only Him who makes the seed grow! Please pray that the word planted in this man’s life, and others like him, would grow and bear fruit.
Right people to come
Pray God will send the right people to go into the Didinga Hills and proclaim the Gospel to those who have not yet heard the good news of Jesus.
Young Toposa believer
Pray for E., a young Toposa believer who wants to spread the Gospel with his community. Pray that he will continue to grow in his faith and walk with Christ as he seeks to live a life based on the Truth of Bible.
Pray for growth
In a village just outside of Kwale town, there is a Digo church which has been around for several years. There are plenty of kids and Mamas who attend the church and a handful of men, but it is the same people every week. Pray that the Digo Christians would be bold in inviting their neighbors, and that Jesus would convict the husbands of the women who already attend. We want to see that church grow, and their influence be spread all over that village and beyond!!
Pray for good soil
Please pray for the Karimojong living in Rupa. Two outreach Bible studies currently take place every Saturday afternoon, and have been met with some welcome, some mild interest, as well as outright hostility. Please pray for these precious souls to receive the good news in hearts of good soil. Please pray especially for the Bible stories being shared with the children of Rupa at the same time, whose hearts are equally as hard as the adults. All desperately need Jesus.
Watching Youtube Videos
Please pray for a young S. Asian woman who is watching Youtube videos that encourage her to stay strong in Islam. She continues to cling to her religion although she has often heard the gospel, as do her parents. Perhaps she clings to Islam because she is hearing the soft invitation of Jesus Christ in her heart. Pray that she and her whole family will become disillusioned with their religion and will see Jesus in all His glory and give their allegiance and hearts to Him.
Sakalava Scriptures
The former team made great strides in translations of several books of Scripture into the Sakalava dialect but the work ended as there was a lack of people able to help. Please pray for us to find new people skilled in English who will be interested in translating the Bible into Sakalava. With those identified, the team would be able to get the translation project up and running again.
Open hearts
Praise Jesus for increasingly open hearts asking for truth. Ask especially for the veil to be completely lifted from the minds of four women who are actively studying the Word. Two acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. All recognize that Jesus died on the cross as the Lamb of God. Some are not certain that this brings salvation. One wants to believe Islam is also true because of loved ones who have died. One isn’t certain she should surrender her will to the Lord. Ask for complete breakthrough.
Treasure ready for distribution
On team day, we dedicated 80 Treasures, loaded and ready to give away. This is a huge milestone that required many hours of Bible story crafting, translation and recording, editing, and choosing/adding memory verses for each one. In addition, almost 200 chapters of scripture were recorded by various Laarim readers. Also 21 original Laarim songs were carefully recorded and included. Despite its small size the Treasure has a speaker that is easy for a group of 20 people to hear well. We are pleased. Now we are planning and praying for the right people to give them to. We consider these to be 80 little digital missionaries to take the Word of God to the Laarim in ways we cannot. Please pray for many Laarim to hear the Word and respond in faith.
Neighbors
Remember the Karana-Gujarati of Madagascar. Pray that their Malagasy neighbors who love Jesus will reach out to them with the love of Christ. Pray for the KM and BT families.
Training for Sunday School Teachers
On this Wednesday, June 27th, delegates from all four churches on the Ik ridge will be meeting together for a second training as Sunday School teachers. This time the focus will be on the New Testament and each church will be given a book of bible stories already translated into the local language. Pray that all the churches participate and learn a lot. Pray that they understand and find the resources they are given helpful and put them to use. Pray that those attending continue to have a deep desire to train the next generation in Christian living.
Diaspora in UK
Church-based outreach teams in UK are yet to pick up despite some interest. Pray that UK churches will priorize outreach to diaspora peoples around their churches.
A couple from Canada will help with a 4-week research of Unreached People Groups in key UK cities from mid-July to mid-August. Pray for the necessary contacts to be made and some logistical hitches to be overcome.
Courage despite fear
Pray for the young man and his friend who asked for and received the Word from a local believer. Praise Jesus for increased courage. This brother had previously been very afraid and the last time he gave out the Word, the man was connected to the militias and threatened his life repeatedly. This time, the man who received the Word is excitedly reading. Ask for new life and continued increased boldness of witness!
Convinced
Please pray that the Rendille people will see the lives of their Christian friends and family and be convinced that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Pray that the Rendille will not succumb to the influence of Islam, but will instead share the gospel with the Muslim teachers who have been sent to convert them.
A blind man’s ministry
Yesterday Logue came by again. He is the blind man who became a believer about one year ago. We had asked him to come to record the new worship songs he has created. With him was Lokio a teenager who leads him around and Thomas another new believer. I took the opportunity to do a discipleship lesson with them. Using the story of the Baptism of Jesus we discussed baptism. I learned that Lokio had become a believer under Logue’s influence. I asked Logue how many others he had led to faith. He thought a bit before replying “Eighteen people.” He went on to say that he gathers together children and others in his village and gives his testimony, sings songs and shares in fellowship with them. He stated thanksgiving for his blindness as, “it keeps me from cattle raiding which has killed so many of my age mates.” Pray for Logue and his ministry.
Up and coming leaders
We are so thankful for some of the younger members of one of the local churches who are coming up in leadership. Pray for this new generation of leaders that “their love would abound still more and more in real knowledge and discernment, so that they may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ”.
Diaspora in Portland
Important conversations are happening… ESL strawberry-picking field trip; Eritrean Iftar meal; Somali graduation. Fellowship with believers has been rich… at our international prayer gathering, Eritrean Church, and an Ethiopian home. And there are ESL end-of-year celebrations and a field trip to a farm in Trout Lake, and a month of preaching, and more, just around the corner. Pray for God-ordained opportunities, and the right words from our mouths.
Families coming to the Lord!
Some complete families have recently turned to Christ on the islands! Pray that these new believers would cling to the Word of God and to each other. Pray for courage to share the good things God has done for them.
Kids program
Sarah and Kelsey run an after school program for kids. They have finished the Bible stories in the Old Testament, and have just now started the New Testament with the story of Jesus’ birth. Pray that the kids truly take in the stories and see how Jesus transforms lives.
Opposition
A teammate was recently invited to show the Jesus film in a local Digo village and about 45 people showed up. 30 minutes into the movie a man came and demanded it be turned off, when that didnt happen he threatened to destroy the video equipment with his vehicle. At that point the movie was put away and everyone went home. Pray that this incident won’t keep people from returning the next time the movie is shown, or discourage the new Digo Christians as they move forward in their faith.
Diaspora in UK
Pray for the Outreach to Somali people in Cardiff, UK. Outreach remains at a very initial stage and so we are praying for more openings to share the gospel.
encouraging survey
A recent survey of the Antakarana in Madagascar is very encouraging. Pray for workers, especially Malagasy to join the work of evangelism and discipleship so that a church planting movement would catch fire and blaze across the Antakarana.
Burning Questions
Pray for a S. Asian widow who will meet soon with a missionary. May God give her burning questions about spiritual matters and eagerness to ask her friend about those topics. May the Holy Spirit open her understanding to receive spiritual truth. May she put her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
God’s power over idols and spirits
In the village, the church meets at the home of M. For a few days, spirits had been tormenting M’s family and they were unable to sleep. He thought there must be a protective idol in the house. The homeowner admitted an idol had been placed under the floorboard of the house when it was built. Recognizing that it must be removed in order for the church to continue meeting there, M removed the idol and called Adam. They read Acts 17 and Romans 8 together then burned the item. After watching it burn, M prayed, “God, thank you for having power over Satan and his spirits.” Thank God for M’s willingness to look for answers, to obey God’s promptings and Scripture, and follow through even when afraid. Ask for blessings on M’s family and the new church.
Terror
The recent terrorist activity in northern Mozambique is spreading fear and hindering development of plans for discipleship initiatives. Pray for peace! And also for courage to spread the gospel even while the land is troubled.
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.
Rites and rituals
Working among the Ndau we see on a daily basis how Satan is controlling them by fear, rites & rituals and ceremonies. No freedom. We pray for this bondage to be broken and folks to have freedom in Christ. Jesus came so that we could be free….pray for the Holy Spirit to move mightily among them.
Thirst for Truth
Please remember the Karana (Gujarati) of Madagascar. Friday was the end of Ramadan. Please continue to ask that God will place a thirst in their hearts for Truth and the God who is able to truly forgive their sins. Pray for the AK and HJ families.
Diaspora in Portland
Please pray for volunteers that will commit to helping with summer ESL classes to North Africans (starting June 25). Pray for God directed coversations between volunteers and students and that the hearts of the students will be open to hearing the Truth. “What must we do to be doing the works of God? Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom He has sent.'” (John 6:29)
Embrace the Call
Pray for Tanzanians and the Tanzanian Church to embrace the call of the Great Commission to reach all peoples. Pray especially for God to raise up Tanzanians to reach out to the Nyamwezi and live among them. Pray for those who are sensing God’s calling to make this commitment, for enablement, coordination, and research into where to place new teams.
Tirrim schools
Pray for the government to help fund the school in Tirrim. It is the best school in the district, but has need of funding and committed Christian teachers. Pray for God to provide for these needs.
Baptism!
Praise God for 8 family members who were baptised! They each shared a powerful testimony of leaving the darkness and walking in the light. Pray for them to continue to grow strong in the Lord and share their faith with others.
Resources for believers
Pray for Halilu and Zachariah who both made decisions to follow Jesus over a year ago after watching the Jesus Film in CAR. Though we aren’t sure where they now live, God has His eyes on them. Pray that God would send them resources so that they can continue to grow.
PoP
This season of Ramadan has brought a lot of opportunities to have spiritual conversations as we break the fast with friends and neighbors in the evenings. Recently we enjoyed iftar with a family who are certainly people of peace. We spent over an hour talking about our respective beliefs and were able to share that while we could see that the people in this community are very good and kind people, they still had not been transformed by the love of Jesus. The father of the family listened intently to what was shared and even agreed that he should be willing to read the Bible. Please pray for families like these to realize that their striving for their own righteousness is not enough to be reconciled to God and that total transformation is available to them through Jesus.
Source of salvation
As islanders seek to earn their salvation through fasting and extra ritual prayers, pray they would feel the hopelessness of their efforts. Ask God to reveal His grace and mercy to them- that He came to seek and save the lost.
Dream teams Europe
Dream teams are starting next week- June 21. There are about 50 people going to Spain & Malta to proclaim the gospel, do sports camps, build a playground and a myriad of other things. Pray that we will find people of peace with whom we can share the good news. Ask God to go before us and prepare hearts to respond to the Gospel.
Centre for the church
Pray for Magas to be a centre for the church, to be established by E. L., and believers to take the Gospel to the villages surrounding that area.
Camps for kids
Two different local churches are hosting kids camps over the next two weeks. Please pray that the teachers would be full of joy and have wisdom as they teach these precious children. Pray that the children would learn more about Jesus and if they are already Believers, that they would know Him better and love Him more through the camp ministry. And for those that don’t yet know Him, ask that the children would be so drawn to Christ, that He would be irresistible to them.
Gospel movement
Pray that a Gospel movement may come from the Nyang’atom church.
