Please pray that the Borana people will realise the blood of Christ was shed to redeem them from their futile way of life inherited from their forefathers. Pray that they will fully appreciate the great sacrifice their Redeemer paid and will put their faith in Him.
Jesus set them free
Pray that the Alagwa will be set free from their fears to follow Christ. He is the one who came to deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Pray He will do that for the Alagwa.
Discipleship training
Please pray for the discipleship training among the M. More and more believers are asking to attend, from more and more villages. Pray for the Lord to greatly work in that meeting the last week of November, unifying them in their Christian love for one another and making them vibrant witnesses and disciple-makers among their own people.
Wisdom to match zeal
A young man meets today with experienced translators to discuss how to translate the Word into his dialect. Pray for patience to match his zeal and that he will be able to work well with others. Also ask that the Word would continue to amaze and delight his soul…often he will stop to say, ‘God is talking’ or ‘I love Jesus so much.’
Our Newest Member
Praise God for the salvation of a Swahili man who came to church to seek healing. He had limped into our marriage seminar the day before and then returned the next day for our church service to ask for healing prayer for his crippled foot. After the church finished praying for him at the end of the service, he said he also wanted to give his life to Jesus – so right then and there the body led him in a prayer of repentance and acceptance of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Praise God! Please continue to pray for his physical healing and for the church to lovingly enfold our newest member into the body.
Children
Give thanks for the number of children who attend church in Ohilang village each Sunday. Pray that the stories they hear in Sunday School may impact their hearts and lives for the glory of God. Pray for someone local to step in to help and learn about leading Sunday school. Pray for strength for these young hearts against opposition from Catholic leaders in Iboni village discouraging children from coming to Sunday School.
Ready To Answer
Pray for Christians living among the Nyamwezi that they will have the right attitude, the right answer, and not be surprised by the nature of questions from those seeking answers about Christianity. Praise God for hearts that are wanting to draw near to the Truth and an openness to hear about His Word. Pray that those seeking would believe. Pray that those sharing the Gospel will be adequately prepared with knowledge and understanding about our hope in Christ. May we “always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you for a reason regarding the hope that is in you, yet answer with gentleness and reverence.” 1 Peter 3:15
Two Former Students Ponder Possibilities
Please pray for two of my Muslim former students who met with me yesterday. Abdullahi and Elias. I’m in touch with them both off and on. Yesterday I asked them why they refused to become Christians. They said they didn’t know. One asked me why they should become Christians – in an honest and polite way. We had a good conversation. They have been in Christian schools and know God’s word. Another said that he didn’t see any difference between the Koran and the Bible. We had some good talks. Pray that God will work in their hearts. I believe they are open – but maybe not too serious about what part God plays in their lives.
A Vivid Witness Displayed Through A Wedding
Praise God for a timely, effective marriage seminar hosted by our local church which was attended by both singles and married! At the closing of the seminar day, a young new believer and his girlfriend chose that time to confess and repent before the body of Christ for sin they had entered into. This is radically counter- cultural! The following Sunday they announced before their loving church family their desire to be married in a covenant before God and with their Church family as witnesses! Praise God for the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ who is helping them to now plan their wedding! Pray their wedding and marriage will be a vivid witness to the Swahili of Christ’s redeeming love for the church!
Strength in the Body
Pray for growth of the Lopit church leaders as they meet together every other month. May they be encouraged and emboldened as they share the work that is happening in different villages and may they bless one another by holding each another accountable in their individual walks with the Lord.
Loving the Word
There is a lot of testing and translation of the Word happening at the moment – with both believers and non believers alike. Pray that as islanders read and listen to God’s word it would be as sweet as honey to them drawing them back for more and more. Pray that it would be like blows of a hammer shattering pride and other strongholds in their hearts. Pray that it would pierce their hearts like a double edged sword. Pray that no islander would walk away from an encounter with God’s word unchanged!
Break their Bonds, Lord
Please continue to pray for the Alagwa! Pray that God will break their bonds, crush the strongholds that Satan has over them, and usher them into walking in freedom with Jesus.
Bible Study Update
This week the portion of the Word shared in the discovery Bible studies, (DBS), was the story of Job, and what was happening behind the scenes.
Here are a few responses from the participants:
“Sometimes we speak out in anger and say things we shouldn’t say…then we should apologize like Job did.”
“When we are disciplining our children, they may get angry with us and even hit back at us, but we are disciplining them for their own good to train them.”
“When bad things happen, we should not accuse God for them. Rather we should do good and trust God.”
Please be praying that the DBS continue to be fruitful and those present would have clear understanding and changed hearts where needed.
Free Indeed
May the Spirit penetrate the hearts of the Ndengereko, bringing them into adoption, freeing them from being slaves to bondage, setting them free from fear, and allowing them to cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Storying
The church leaders, after completing a storying workshop a few months ago, have been working their way through the Bible stories and connecting these to the good news of salvation in Christ as they teach in church on Sundays. Pray that they may learn more of God’s sovereign rule as they prepare and that they may be faithful in this teaching task.
May God’s Word Not Return Void
Pray God’s Word will do what He says it will do among the Borana- penetrate the hearts of the believers and NOT return void among the Borana people.
An Evangelist Continues
We thank Jesus for the good rainy season in the Gabbra land after a long and hard drought season! Pray for the Gabbra evangelist and his wife as they continue the ministry during the missionaries’ home assignment. May they be encouraged by the grace of God and see much fruit for their labor.
Equipped
Praise God for an effective “Theology in Farming” seminar for our staff and coastal pastors! The coastal pastors, who heard some of the concepts and principles taught for the very first time, especially felt deeply encouraged and equipped with an effective tool to bridge the gospel through farming in the Swahili communities they are trying to reach! Now pray they would diligently apply these principles and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as they go to the Swahili!
Storying with a Family
A young Christian woman is going through the Bible story set with her neighbours Mama and Baba S. It is the first time of storying with a family unit who are not believers, where both the husband and wife are committed to learning the stories. Pray that God will use this MIGHTILY in this family’s life! Baba S, in other circumstances, quietly observes and reflects on a new way of doing things, and then one day makes the plunge. Pray that he will make the plunge into faith in Christ.
May God Do A Miracle
S is a wonderful young lady who, together with her husband, has been given understanding of a lot of the Gospel. She has experienced the love of believers, and yet has not expressed any desire to become a believer herself. Please ask that the Lord would really do a miracle and move in both her and her husband.
Evangelizing Together
One of the four local churches on the Ik ridge has been actively evangelizing and organizing another fellowship in the neighboring village of Tulutul. Praise God for their desire to do outreach and share the love and grace of Christ! But there is already a church of a differing denomination meeting in Tulutul. Pray that all the churches on the Ik ridge can work together in evangelizing and discipling as one body of Christ.
Evangelist training
Thank you for praying for the training. Please pray for the 60 Evangelists from the Malagasy Lutheran Church and 1 Pastor from Assembly of God Church that were taught new strategies of Evangelism towards Bara People. They were taught in Farming in God’s Way Program and Story -Tellers Program, and were given the Bara language Bible in audio form.
Please pray that God will burden their hearts for Bara People, and they will share boldly about Jesus.
Historic Training
November 27-Dec 1, about thirty M believers from five villages will come together for the first time to receive training in discipleship. Some have never met before. Please pray for there to be deep unity among these believers and for the Holy Spirit to give them the vision for reaching their own people, together. Pray for a movement of disciples making disciples among the M.
Hunger
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6
A common Karimojong greeting is “Akorro,” which means “hunger,” even if they have just finished a plate of food. And yet, while their spirits starve, they have no hunger for Jesus or desire to know more about Him if He won’t give them health and wealth. Please pray for God to bless the Karimojong by pouring out His Spirit of hunger and thirst for righteousness! Please pray that they will have the hunger and thirst to then eat the Living Bread that came down from heaven, and drink the water from which they will never be thirsty again and which wells up to eternal life.
A Powerful Gospel
Islam is targeting the Rendille for conversion, trying to turn them from their tradition of spiritism. But many Rendille are Christians, and are sharing the gospel with their friends and neighbours. Pray that the power of the gospel will win the victory in the hearts and minds of the Rendille.
The Good Shepherd
Pray that the Datooga, whose main work is livestock, will recognise and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as their good shepherd, who laid down His life for the sheep.
Two Young Men
At the home of the national pastor, two young Alagwa men came to ask their questions. Is Jesus really God? How can God be a human being? If a person’s sins are washed away by His blood when they trust in Him, what happens when they sin again? Do they once again “have sin”? For over an hour the Christians answered and shared Scripture. Please pray for the salvation of these two young men, and that their families will also embrace Christ.
Keep on asking, seeking & knocking
Hk sat right next to me for the showing of the Jesus film at her extended family home compound. She leaned forward to hear every word most of the night, until half way through when her father in law pronounced that he was tired and said we should finish another time. The next night he said we couldn’t come back because the community didn’t like it. Pray against Hk’s fear, and her father in law’s fear and all the fear in our people of what others think and would do to them if they receive or even show too much interest in Jesus. Pray for opportunities to disciple Hk, and for the Holy Spirit to convict and pierce the hearts of 5 ‘men of peace’ across our area to get the DMM started.
Needing boldness
Believers that used to meet and encourage each other are now not meeting because of persecution, people leaving, and fear. Ask that God would embolden His children and that they would have fellowship with one another.
Mozambique Island Update
In the district of Mozambique Island, God is at work. This week, 2 more young men came to faith in Jesus. We are hearing of others working with Makuwa Nahara people who are seeing great fruit. Men, women and children coming to Jesus. Our district is the religious center of the Makuwa Nahara people. We are praying fervently for whole families to come to faith in Jesus. Right now, we have only male believers.
Purity, Truth and Glory
Pray for the Zigua to become very disillusioned with Islam and with spiritism or witchcraft, and be drawn to the purity, truth and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Open to Friendship
A young Somali woman is open to friendship, but her Christian friend has not yet found a way to share the gospel. Pray that she will confide in her Christian friend and ask for prayer, as well as an explanation for the hope that is in her.
Treasure the Word
Praise God for two new brothers in Christ, who have come to faith out of Islam this week! One is an older man who has been examining the Scriptures for over a year. Pray that in his new found faith he would have zeal to share his decision with others. Pray that he and his whole household would follow Jesus, and that the Word of God would nourish and encourage them. The other new believer is a young man, whose friend has been witnessing to him for many years. He told his friend this week, “I want to receive Christ as my Savior”. His father and brother have also come out of Islam. Pray these three would have influence on the mother, who has yet to receive Jesus. Pray this young man would be as Job, treasuring “the words of His mouth more than my necessary food,” (Job 23:12).
Believing the beatitudes
One young woman sent pictures of the beatitudes asking for explanations. Together with a sister in Jesus, a believing Berber brother wrote back with personal examples of mourning, being comforted, of being persecuted and blessed. Pray that the Berbers scattered around the world would continue to minister to each other in love.
Bribes and Threats
A young Sandawe man has resisted both bribes and threats from his extended family who are trying to turn him from his decision to follow Christ. Pray that he will continue to stand firm and that the Lord will use him to be a leader as many observe his example.
Deeper and Deeper
Pray that the Borana believers will grow deeper and deeper in their unity and in their spiritual maturity in Christ, and that they will share the gospel to the farthest corners of the Borana tribal homelands. Pray that through their brave witness many will be liberated from Islam and freed to serve Christ.
Logistics
Please pray for the logistical hurdles to be overcome for a M family to begin regularly studying the Bible together. The husband and wife work very long hours and finding a time to meet with them is difficult.
Persistently Praying
The S. Asian family for whose salvation we have consistently been praying are in a time of many transitions, family fractures, and disharmony. Stress and unhappiness abound. Yet they have not yet turned to Christ for salvation and answers to their problems. Please continue to ask, seek and knock even more persistently for the Lord to save each member of this extended family!
Filled with compassion
The house of a recently orphaned teenager burnt down. A new believer was filled with compassion and shared her clothes, dishes… and also the Word with her. A brother in Jesus wrote a song about God as Father to be sung for her. Ask that the believers would continue to speak the Word as they minister in love.
Strategic training
Please join us in prayer. Today we will have 3 Farming God’s Way training and 1 Story-Tellers Training: Evangelism strategies. We are receiving 24 Evangelists, 6 Pastors and 22 Bible Teachers from different parts of Southern Madagascar. They are from Lutheran Church and work in Bara area. Our desire is that the Lord will help them to look beyond towards the Unreached Bara people and use the stories as well as Farming to reach out to Bara people. May God grant us grace to teach well and grace to the 5 Malagasy Co-workers we have: Pr. Emanoella, Pastor Haja, Pastor Tolotra, Justine and Armand. They will also teach. Thank you.
