Pray that God would move in the hearts of the Zigua. Many have been interested in hearing more about Christ lately. Pray that His word would be planted in good soil. Pray against the lies of Satan and the fear of other religions.
Translation meeting
Today and tomorrow the members of the unit who are involved in translation are meeting together to make plans and decisions! Pray for a great spirit of thankfulness and celebration for all the work that has been done. Pray for clarity of communication and thought in our discussions. Pray that we would be guided by the Spirit in all the decisions and plans we make.
Servants for Children’s Ministry
Pray for children ministry workers. We need the Lord to bring more servants to this field to help. Pray also that God will prepare the children’s hearts to receive Christ.
Continuing to Rely on Jesus
Praise God for the Alagwa woman baptised a few months back. Despite having come from a hugely demonic background, she is continuing to follow Jesus and rely on him. Please pray for her as she continues to be discipled. Please pray for protection and – Ephesians 3, 17-8- a deepening understanding of how much God loves her.
Persistently loving
Pray for S. Asians who have Christian friends to be drawn to faith in Christ through the persistent love of their friends. Pray that Christ’s perfect love pouring out on them will calm their fears and will convince them that Jesus is trustworthy and that He is worth any sacrifice. Pray that they will be bold as they confess their faith in Him to their families and friends.
May new believers be rooted in the truth
Last night a Berber woman said that her brother is also ‘in Christ’ and another friend too. When asked what he believes she said, ‘Well, he downloaded the Word on his phone.’ In this land where believers are persecuted, there is no reason to pretend to be Christian… and this man was shot and wounded because of the Word on his phone… but pray that each one who declares allegiance to Jesus will be rooted in the true gospel and that no false doctrine would take root. Ask that new believers would abide in Jesus.
Soft hearts
Pray that the Kachipo will have soft hearts when the Gospel is preached to them, and that they will believe in the Son and have eternal life (John 3:36)
Open doors through friendship
Pray that two Christian families’ friendships in the village will open opportunities of introducing people to Christ and that the Holy Spirit would move their Nyamwezi neighbours along the path to belief in Christ as Savior.
Her Child Is Sick
Pray for a Somali woman who has a sick child in a Christian hospital. She is considering the claims of Christ and watching the behaviour of the Christians there. Pray that they will love her well and that through this crisis she will put her faith in Jesus Christ as her God and Saviour.
Singing Songs of Praise Together
Praise God for a Gabbra church where believers from several different tribes who have traditionally been enemies joined together for a workshop to learn to compose praise songs to the Lord in their traditional kinds of music. Pray that the believers will be filled with the Spirit and keep composing songs to the Lord, and pray that each one will work hard to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Jesus answered her prayer for revelation
A young woman was afraid that believing in Jesus would make God angry… and asked for revelation. That night Jesus came to her in a dream smiling and joyful. She wrote another local believer on FB: I have embraced Jesus but I don’t know much yet and have no one to study with. Praise Jesus for his merciful revelations and ask that this young woman and others like her would receive fellowship and discipleship.
Open the eyes
Since the creation of the world, God has been drawing people, including the Toposa, to Himself. Ask God to open the eyes of the Toposa so that they would see God’s handiwork and turn to Him.
Rain, fields, and maize
We received alarming news this morning:
From Joachim-the river has come up and most of his field is under water. (Dombe/Sambanje)
From Matteus-his field is so water logged that the wind blew his maize over and it is lying flat in the mud. Some of it is starting to rot. (Makumba)
This is indicative of many fields. If the rain continues there will be hunger again this year. Please keep everyone in prayer.
Blessings,
Jinx & Dawn
A Whole Family? Lord, let it be so!
One of our dear friends here has been having dreams which point to the Truths of Scripture. While her journey toward Jesus seems to be moving a bit faster, we have also seen growth in each member of her household. To see that God is responding to our prayer that He would draw entire families to Himself rather than just individuals is so encouraging. Please pray for many families to come to know Him together, and especially for S’s family, that as the Lord completes the work He has started in her, He would also be working in the hearts of her parents, siblings, and grandmother.
Marriage retreat for the Mahafaly
As new Mahafaly believers have come to Christ, they’re committed to submitting to God’s Word in their marriages. They have many questions! They also face challenges as God’s teaching on marriage conflicts with their culture in many cases. Please pray for our team as we plan and host a marriage retreat for our church leaders and their wives in April. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give the leaders His vision for their marriages and homes.
Meal in USA mosque
In the middle of March, 50 believers will sit down with 50 Muslims for a meal in the mosque. The believers desire to build relationships with the Muslims they meet. Pray for God’s peace to conquer fear in the believers and wisdom in their approach to dialogue. Pray for open hearts and a willingness to pursue a relationships with the Muslims.
Awesome deeds
Ask God to answer the cries of the Nyang’atom with awesome deeds of righteousness so that they will turn to Him and that others living near and far will hear of His wonders (Psalm 65).
Receiving!
So many seeds have been planted in O land. Pray that God would draw and direct people’s hearts to RESPOND to the Gospel by receiving His Grace in all of it’s Truth!
Psalm 67
Pray that God would be gracious to the Lokwa, and that the Lokwa would turn and put their faith in Him so that all of the surrounding tribes may be blessed through them as they share the Gospel with those around them (Psalm 67).
Discipling MBBs
Pray for a forum to train church workers and missionaries in how to disciple Muslim background believers 9-14 April in Mombasa. Pray for many to come and be well equipped with vision and skills to disciple the many Swahili peoples along the coast. Ask God to bless and provide for all the preparations. Pray for 70 missionary couples to be sent out along the 700 km Kenya coast!
Refuge and Fulfillment
In the middle of a dusty, hot, and dry season, pray that the Kachipo find refuge and fulfillment in the shadow of their Creator (Psalm 36:7)
Rapid language learning
Please pray for a team of Christians who are now living among the Zigua and trying to learn their language. Pray that as they adjust and learn and make friends, God will give them amazing facility for learning the Zigua language and that through that process they can share the gospel with many people who are hungry for a Saviour. Ask the Lord to open many Zigua hearts and grant them faith to believe.
To go or stay?
A new believer who was in Europe attended church for the first time there. He did not understand the language but was overwhelmed with joy and hope in his spirit. He’s now back in North Africa and trying to decide if he wants to move somewhere his 5 kids can have freedom. Ask for wisdom for believers to know when to stay and proclaim truth at home and when to go.
Open Their Eyes Lord
Please pray that God would open many Alagwa eyes to their need to repent and turn to Jesus. Many eyes are blinded to sin, and people feel that somehow they will be ok with God. May they know the true freedom from sin and the joy of being God’s children.
Two Guards
Please pray for the salvation of two Nyamwezi night guards, who have been studying the Bible with a missionary for many months. Pray that they and their families will put their faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him.
Prayer in an Emergency
Mama Bird was scared … her 5 year old son had just thrown up a bowl full of blood when I walked by her home. Immediately I took the boy in my arms & asked if I could pray for him. She had seen effective prayers before in releasing our neighbor’s daughter from demonic bondage, witnessed her neighbor family’s salvation out of Islam, and had been hearing bits and pieces of God’s story. As I prayed, the boy became peaceful and rested in my arms as Mama Bird gathered their things for us to rush him to the hospital. The next day she came back with her recovering son to thank me for the prayer and emergency help. Please keep praying for opportunities to share with our beloved neighbors the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ and pray that they would not only hear, but believe with a faith that endures the persecutions to come.
Rain Desperately Needed
We have had a three week stretch without rain. The crops here in Usandawe are at a critical point. Please ask Elohim, God of creation, to send rain again. There is much hunger this year because last year’s harvest was not good. As people hunger for physical sustenance, may they also have a hunger for the one true God.
Lovely Artist
A young South Asian came to decorate hands with henna in preparation for a Muslim wedding, and saw some Christians who continue to meet with her and her sisters. She is friendly but not yet hungry for God’s Word or anything other than her Islamic religion. Please pray for the Lord to work in her life in such a way that she begins to seek Jesus Christ.
Rendille Muslim Students Need Prayer
Still keep praying for our Rendille Muslim students. One in Form 4 shows much interest but no definite steps yet. I have a new Bible class this year with one Muslim student who shows zero interest. But God can open hearts and minds. Keep praying for His word to break through tough barriers and for me to teach clearly in ways they can understand!
Testimony this weekend
A young man was asked by another local believer who lives abroad to share his story of persecution with a group who prays for North Africa this weekend. Ask that the beauty and power of Jesus would be clear and his testimony used for God’s purposes. Another group is planning to meet to write Arabic worship songs. Ask that each believer would walk in humility and be clean vessels for the Masters use.
Rain and more rain
We are so thankful for the rain and cooler weather. But, it has been raining for more than 10 days now and if it continues will destroy the maize that has been planted. Please pray for good harvests this year.
Unity shows He is God
Pray for Christians who live and share Jesus among the Digo people, that they will be so full of love and unity in Christ that the Digo people will be convinced without a shadow of a doubt that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world, and that He will save them, if they come to Him in faith.
A Prayer Summit
We give thanks for a special time of prayer for one of the villages in the area which is mostly Islamic. Please pray that the LORD will open doors for ministry in this village and the Sandawe Believers will be filled with a desire to reach out to their neighbors.
A Diaspora Christian’s Struggles
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.
