The enemy’s voice was definitely so clear: stop this Arabic-speaking community group- otherwise you will be hurt! But God’s sweet and soft voice encouraged us to keep trusting HIM and to keep doing it.
Things have gotten harder as we go on.
Our financial situation, being on the edge of depression, lack of sleep, things breaking, conflict, nightmares, threats-especially to our baby!
These have made us more on our knees and spiritually aware that the enemy is fighting and God is working for His glory. Still, sometimes, we have fear and thoughts that we just need to leave.
We know that in Islam I am an infidel and that by Islamic law I should be killed just because I am a convert and that my daughter is unclean.
I am not saying that this will happen and I am not afraid, but I also know that the mosque and its people aren’t happy with us. We definitely need more prayers. We feel discouraged and guilty that I am hurting the very people I love. Please pray for us.
Psalm 63:1
Pray that the Toposa community would one day be able to say “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)
Jesus video
Please pray urgently for the completion of the recording of the Jesus Video in M this week. There were some delays initially and the recording team only has a week to be there. Pray that God powerfully uses this video to help M people come to faith in Christ.
Repent!
Pray for all the listeners who heard the message to repent this weekend. They were told, ‘If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and will heal their land.’ You have a choice today to choose the blessing of obedience to God or the curse of obedience to Satan.” Pray they will be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
wanting freedom
Two Arab colleagues are quite frustrated with the lack of freedom they experience, especially as women. One asked about Jesus’ view of women. She also said she’d like to study the Word. Pray for her Tuesday as we plan to read the story of the woman at the well. Ask that she and those like her would see how precious she is to Jesus and receive living water.
We Grieve Differently
Our elderly mother recently went home to Jesus. We thank God for her godly example. Her death, though sorrowful, also filled us with such peace and joy in knowing she is where her treasure was laid. The local body of Christ has surrounded us with loving compassion. And our neighbors are watching! We mourn radically different from them. We have assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ! They fear that Allah will not accept their good deeds. We praise God for the open doors He has given us to testify to the hope and salvation there is in Jesus Christ. We know our mom is rejoicing in heaven that the seeds of the gospel are being planted from her life and death in Jesus Christ. Now please pray these seeds would bear the fruit of salvation in Christ that endures!
Music seminar
February 21-25 a music seminar is being held in Dukana, Northern Kenya, to which over 100 Gaabra, Daasanach, Borana, Rendille and Samburu church members will attend. This is a seminar to teach people to compose scripture- based songs in their own languages and cultural styles. Pray for God’s provision for the seminar, safety in travel over difficult roads, His blessing and inspiration for the song writers, and unity in fellowship.
Guide them to Truth
One woman was confused by a ‘pastor’ who did not speak the truth online. Pray for all those who are looking online, that they will discern truth from lies, and that those posting the Word and songs and answers will be walking in the light of the Spirit.
Planting Season
Soon the Ik will celebrate ‘Itowes’- a holiday to celebrate the upcoming planting season with the worship of various spirits to help them in the next year. Please pray that the Ik see that the One True God has power over all the spirits of the world; that they see God alone as their provider of rain, sun, and a good harvest at the end of the year, not the spirits they worship. Pray they soon accept God as the Lord and Savior of their lives.
Attracted to God’s Word
Please pray that the Rendille people will not be deceived or swayed by the new teachings of Islam, but will instead be attracted to the truth of God’s Word. Pray that their hearts will be hungry to know the truth, and that God’s truth will set them free.
A Mother and Her Children
Pray for a S. Asian woman who is very influential in her family to become convinced that Jesus Christ truly is the only way to God. Pray that she will realise that all her good works will not save her. Pray for her to come to Christ in faith, and that her children who have become very interested in the way of salvation will feel great freedom to come to Christ as well.
Purposefully Sharing
Because so many of our team are purposefully sharing the gospel with their Digo neighbors through stories or language lesson, let’s pray that the hearts are prepared by the Holy Spirit. May the Digo people have sleepless nights where Jehovah visits them and shows himself real.
Pray for a church in Northern Samburu land
From a Samburu pastor: Pray the Lord will open up doors to plant a church in Baragoi, Samburu. This area has been a battle ground of cattle rustling between the Turkana, the Samburu and the Pokot tribes of Northern Kenya.
Pray that the Lord of harvest would bring the laborers to this field that is so ripe.
Pray the Lord would open up our eyes to realize that mission and evangelism is our primary call as Christians.
Pray the Lord would build mission- oriented churches and church leaders in Northern Kenya.
Pray for Humble Hearts
“…But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord…” (Zephaniah 3:11-13)
In every people group, pride is a destructive stronghold which keeps people from looking to God. The Karimojong are no exception. But the people of God will have humble hearts! Please pray that God will humble the hearts of the Karimojong, so that they turn to Him and make Him their refuge instead of anything else! Pray that the Lord of hosts will conquer every stronghold of pride in hearts and in the land of Karamoja.
Surrender to God’s Loving Control
Pray for Nyamwezi to surrender to God’s loving control. Pray for Christians for boldness in giving an invitation to respond to Christ whenever sharing theological truths. Pray for non-believers to understand the Gospel, “Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised again on the third day.” (1 Cor. 15:4) Pray for understanding that only God could do that for us. Pray that those who understand and believe these truths would offer their lives to Jesus, that they would allow Christ to change them in any way He wants. Pray for recognition of sin, no reluctance in confessing sin, and giving lives over to authority under Christ.
Intensified Illness
There are seasons of intensified illness & death here on the coast and we are in one of them now. There have been many funerals & hospitalizations & we have faced cases of malaria, nasty infections, and painful flare ups of chronic illness. Pray we would not grow weary in doing good and that God would fortify our bodies and hearts as we comfort the sick and mourning even in our own weakness. Pray as we show the loving compassion of Christ and share the hope we have in Christ with our dear neighbors, they would lay hold of the Hope of Salvation!
Sharing his heart
Missionary Jean-Baptiste and his family escaped on foot from their home in Central African Republic last summer when their town was attacked by militants. Thank God for protecting them as they traveled many miles, many on foot, and are now located in Banda, DRC. Pray that he will be able to share his vision for the Mbororo with Congolese Christians so that they will reach out to the nomads in their area.
Pastors mentoring program
We believe mainstream pastors and African church leaders in Canada have a lot to learn from each other, and from each others’ churches. In Toronto this winter we are launching a pastoral mentoring network that we pray will encourage the African leaders and strengthen their congregations, as well as give a vision to mainstream churches for Diaspora ministry. Please pray for God’s blessing.
May she see the beauty of the Spirit
A woman and her sister came to the international church with questions. She’s writing a paper on the Holy Spirit. Pray that those who disciple her would be clear and that she would see the beauty of the Spirit of God breathing life throughout history and be drawn to the Spirit of Christ… and become one who hears His Spirit testify to her spirit that she is a child of God
Gospel is the power of God
Ask that the Somali believers would not be ashamed of the gospel but would remember and know it is the power of God for salvation to all who believe. Pray that each would know who to declare the gospel to and for the courage to obey.
A Year of Decisions
Please pray that in 2018 many Rangi who have been listening to the Word of God will choose to put their faith in Christ and confess Him openly. Pray that some of these will be influential leaders in the tribe, and that their example will encourage fearful people to be bold.
Pray for a Spirit of Hunger and Thirst among the Karimojong
Join in praying that the soul/heart hunger and thirst would garner more of the focus of these dependent people than any other hunger or thirst. That they would come to know Jesus as the Living Bread, as Living water.
John 6:35 when Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.”
And pray 2 Cor. 3:16 – When one turns to the Lord the veil is removed.
Abundant Life
Please pray that the Zaramo people will recognise that all the things they have been seeking to try to fill the emptiness in their hearts and lives are useless, and that they will hear the invitation of Christ to come to Him for abundant life.
Regathering
After a season in which many family members were scattered and staying in other parts of the city, suddenly a S. Asian family has all returned to their original home. They seem to be hungry for spiritual truth. This is the family where the grandfather received an Arabic Bible. Please pray with us that the whole family, like Lydia’s in Acts 16, would turn to faith in Christ.
Literacy Boosted
Praise God for a new donation towards the literacy program, enabling it to continue. May God continue to use this program as a way for His word and truth to enter many traditional Rendille hearts. As people learn to read, may they learn to know the Living Word of God.
Needing fellowship
Today we went to help with the English class. One of the teachers told me about a new student who is from Somalia. He is a Christian. His parents were Christians in Somalia. His mother was killed in front of him for her faith. He lives now with a house full of employees of the meatpacking plant and they are all Muslim. I had some brief time to talk with him. Please pray for A; he wants to finish his education. He is 23 years old and reached 7th grade. Pray for his spiritual growth.
Grateful
Please pray for the many Gabbra who are expressing an interest in being baptised and are attending church services. They seem very grateful for the famine relief food that was provided to them during last year’s devastating drought. Please pray that they will understand the gospel fully and will grow in Christ.
Maturing
Please pray that the Dorobo will continue to spread the gospel far and wide within their tribe. Some of them have also begun to have a concern to share the gospel with another tribe, the Boni. Please pray that the Dorobo church will continue to mature and begin to send out its own missionaries to other people groups who need Jesus Christ.
Pray for wife to believe
The wife of a newly baptized brother is coming home. Pray for her to surrender to the truth of the gospel. May this be a home where believers can gather!
Gentle and Humble
Please pray for the Ndengereko to be delivered from their sins and come in faith to the Saviour. Pray that the Christians who go to live among them and share the gospel will be protected from harm. Pray that light will penetrate their darkness and they will come to know the Saviour who is “gentle and humble of heart,” and that they will become like Him.
Walk worthy of the Lord
Pray that the elders who have believed will be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding so that they may walk worthy of the Lord, bear fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God.
Feeling Threatened
Praise God for the challenges the church is facing here: a new Mosque attempting to cross over the church property, and boarders trying to build as close to us as possible when they have plenty of space to build elsewhere. Satan is so obviously feeling threatened by God’s Kingdom growing here! Praise God! We are wrestling over how do we, the local church, best enfold & disciple all these new believers who have come out of Islam. Pray for the Lord to continue to build his Kingdom, and preserve & grow his local body here to be a bold, loving witness of the hope & redemption there is in Jesus Christ! May His Kingdom come, may His will be done!
Wooed by Christ’s Love
Please pray for a Muslim S. Asian family. They need the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Various members of the family seem very close to committing themselves to Christ, but others seem resistant. Please pray that even in the hearts of the most resistant members, Christ will break down all the blindness and hardness, and woo them to Himself with His love.
Slow and Steady
Pray for Ihari. This young lady of 14 has been slowly drawing closer to the Lord over the past 4 years. Pray that she might fully trust Him and seek His will in her life. Pray that she may be a witness to her mother, sister and nephews.
Jesus Film showing
This week we will show the Jesus film at the cattle camp. Most of the population is there now. Pray for the Lord to open blind eyes to the truth of the gospel.
No Recollection of that Night
Please continue to pray for Paulo who is in prison for murder which he apparently committed under the influence of demons. We have been told that he has no recollection of that night. He has been reading his Bible. Pray for his mother whom he also attacked that same night. She is well and is the one who keeps in touch with her son and provides for him in prison. She is also spending time in the Word. Ask that both will receive Christ and bear testimony to the Truth.
Noel Somalis
A meatpacking plant in Noel, Missouri employs 500 Somali immigrants. Noel is a small community of less than 2,000 residents. The Somali presence has had an impact on the community. Some local residents have moved away. Somalis have proactively opened businesses and established a mosque in town. They stick closely to their community and don’t mix with the local residents. Pray for the few small churches, that they will unite to proclaim Jesus’ love to the Somalis. Pray for the ESL classes that are offered by Kingdom- minded Christians to immigrants employed at the meatpacking plant.
Unquenchable
Please pray that the Digo will continue to listen as Christians share the good news of Jesus Christ. Pray that they will choose to follow Jesus and leave Islam. Pray that their zeal for Him will be unquenchable.
Recorded and Complete
Please pray that the Datooga will soon have the Bible story set recorded and complete, and that those recordings will multiply and spread far and wide as shepherds and their families share them with others. Pray that many Datooga will come to know Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Decisive Steps
Please pray for one M family who have heard the gospel for almost five years. They deeply love the Bible and Jesus. Please pray that they will confess faith in Christ and be baptised as a family, and that other families will follow their example.
