Pray for M., an elementary school teacher here who started having strange and severe health issues which caused him to stop teaching . Pray for his healing and also for wisdom for the school administrators, who are looking for another teacher to replace him.
Senegalese friends
Diaspora in Brazil: Praise God for the Senegalese people I have contact with playing soccer. Ask that God will continue to grow these relationships and open up spiritual conversations.
My wife requests prayer for Marie, a Senegalese woman she has recently become friends with. Pray for opportunities to be a blessing.
Very kind to me
Diaspora in Texas: When I was visiting folks at an immigrant/refugee apartment complex, I met a Som man named H. and his family of 10. They invited me and some world relief volunteers in and were very kind. The adults in the family need jobs. Pray for wisdom on how to develop an authentic relationship with this family. And pray they can get jobs.
Unity
Lord, we cry out to you for unity in your body. Bring about reconciliation, forgiveness, healing, trust and love in the longstanding rift we see in your church here. Bring your unity into families too, we ask that struggling husbands and wives would, in your strength and power, forgive and learn to trust one another, to love each other as you love us. We pray for this unity in strained parent-child relationships and among siblings also. Jesus, unity was on your heart when you prayed for us on the night you were betrayed, and we pray that you would bring the unity you asked the Father for to our Plateau and across these islands.
Church meeting
Pray for the Fulani fellowship of believers that is meeting together every Sunday in D-town. Praise God for the unity of this group – pray that they would be faithful in meeting and that they would truly be the Body of Christ to one another. Pray that this fellowship would be a blessing and encouragement to the other MBB’s in D-town who still feel isolated. Pray that, if the Lord would so desire, this group becomes the foundation for a MBB church.
Local testimonies
We have started a new project this year, in partnership with GNPI (Good News Production International). A new tool to proclaim the Gospel. We are producing local testimonies, stories of faith, redemption, and transformation told by those local believers.
These testimonies have been broadcast in villages, followed by the Jesus Film. What a great strategy to reach the people. When locals stand up to testify about Christ, there is power, identification, and response.
We don’t trust in the strategy, but our hope is that God, will change hearts in listening to the Bara people testifying to the Bara about Christ.
Seeking advice
Diaspora in Brazil: We thank God for the students we have contact with, who seek us for advice and mentoring, please pray for their growth and for God’s provision for their needs.
Pray for new Muslim students to come and be open to talk with us.
Bible MP3
We are walking the villages, meeting with Muslims and giving them MP3 Bible recordings. Instead of just handing them out, we want to initiate more conversation. Like this: “Do you not find that no matter how much you go to Mosque, fast, and pray, you still do that which you know Allah has forbidden you?” They all say, “Yes that is so!” The Christian will often answer in the same way BUT will often also say, “but it is not as bad as it used to be.” Prov. 4:18 says, “But the path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” The difference between the Muslim and Christian is there is the daily renewing hope of the cross. So the trajectory of the Christian is different to that of the world, slowly but surely the body of death is losing the battle. Interesting that the people here say, Muslims and Christians both sin but the Christians less so. Pray for our conversations to bring light.
Stateless
Pray for the Karana across Madagascar who are stateless because their forefathers
came from different parts of the world without the correct documents.
There are about 10 million people in the world who do not possess citizenship of
any country. Pray that this group will become citizens of the Kingdom of
Heaven.
Pray that God will open doors for the church to share the Gospel and their lives with
the small Karana community in Fianarantsoa.
Sharing about our hope
Diaspora in Wales: Pray for opportunities to share about our Hope in Jesus and for receptive hearts (especially during Coffee/Tea time, Conversation Class, Sewing Class Devotional followed by Snack Time). Pray for curious and open hearts to respond well.
Experience God
Pray for the Ndengereko people to experience God powerfully at work in their lives that they would not fear rejection from their community and that they would come under His Lordship. Ask for God to raise up bold Christian witnesses among the Ndengereko so that many would know His love for them and that He is the true Way. Pray for an AIM outreach team slated to begin among them this spring.
Easter Sunday
Tomorrow the International Church is planning an Easter celebration for all believers on i1, locals and expats. There is history and division between fellowship groups. We pray that this may be an opportunity for all of us to come together as one body and set aside past disagreements. We ask for humble hearts and a spirit of forgiveness that will lead us to unity and bring glory to our Lord, and a joyful celebration of our risen Lord!
Church grow in faith and zeal
Pray for the church in Tuum town that they will grow in their faith and love for the Lord and that they will want to speak of the gospel to the Neem people. (The church is entirely people from southern tribes and there is often little friendship with Muslims because of antagonism in the past and because the local Muslims may often treat southerners unjustly, e.g. charging them more in the market than they charge locals.)
Training center
The discipleship training center building is under way, and we hope to have the construction finished by August and begin trainings in September. Pray for blessing on this project- both the practical building of the center and its use to be a blessing to the entire people group and beyond! Praise God the Matumbi translation of the New Testament has also just been finished by PBT and we are planning to have the dedication ceremony at the new training center in October!
Pray for restoration and revival
Thank you for your prayers for the church in Jiye. We’re grateful to God that Elia and Akileo were able to divert their route to support the local leaders and the church community in Kassengor, Jiye, following their evacuation from the recent attack in Blue Nile, Sudan. We also extend our deep appreciation to AIM Air for facilitating their safe evacuation.
Please join us in praying that the Holy Spirit would move powerfully through Elia and Akileo to bring healing, restoration, and revival to the Jiye church. There remain significant challenges within the community, and we trust God for deep transformation.
Easter outreach
Diaspora in Michigan: Pray for the Easter outreach the 19th in partnership with a local church. May the good news be heard and accepted by many!
Ask the Lord for discernment and provision to help 13 newly arrived families in partnership with Samaritas. May they feel welcomed and loved.
Holy Week
During Holy Week, pray with us for opportunities to share the reason for the hope we have, and the wonderful truth of Easter. Many Muslims believe that Jesus did not die but was replaced on the Cross by someone else. Ask for us to have wisdom how to answer their questions. May the Cross not be a stumbling block but a sign of the perfect love and justice of God dealing with our sin.
Pray against fear in the local body. Pray for holiness and repentance that they might shine as lights in the midst of this culture. Pray for island believers to be filled with joy this week leading up to Easter. May they be unable to be silent about the hope they have found in Jesus.
Sentence
The prisoners were sentenced on Tuesday- the expat was given 15 years and the local men were given 8 years, and the woman was given 3 years. The 2 years they’ve already served are included in the sentences. We grieve the harsh sentence for these believers and their families. Please keep praying for our dear believers, for their families, and for the Libyan church to be fearless and faithful. Move Holy Spirit. Father, anoint your children with the resurrection power of Jesus and hope in His redemption.
People coming to faith
Pray for reliable motorcycle transport for Pastor John Kashu who has a Jesus Film backpack Kit and has been visiting villages in the Mau forest, and more recently some Dorobo groups along the Ewaso Nyiro River in the Samburu area. Praise God that wherever he visits and shows the film, there are people coming to faith in Christ.
Alagwa Pentecost
Father, give the Alagwa a new heart and put a new spirit in them; remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Jesus, bind and tear down the demonic strongholds of utilitarianism, pluralism, passivity, Islam, and group conformity; by the power of your broken body and poured out blood, bring these walls down. Spirit, breathe upon them and pour out an Alagwa Pentecost that these dead bones might live, that all the dead hopes, years of tears, and “No’s” of the Evil One may give birth to your greater “Yes”, your better resurrection, your bigger Passover! In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Fragile movement
God is pouring out his blessings of amazing rains in our village, may they be a sign of the abundance of his Holy Spirit being poured out to Grow and draw more and more to himself! The Ramadan season was tough, and 4 local followers seem to have lost interest. Pray they will come back! Our meeting with ‘Timothy’ last night was so encouraging! He reports a group of nine who met together for study and prayer just a couple nights ago, as well as being called to 2 farther away places to “come and teach us more!” Also one more brand new NB! How we need your prayers to continue and grow – that this fragile fragile movement may also continue and grow!
Verdict (again)
Please pray for the believers in jail for their faith to stand strong. Tomorrow is their scheduled verdict. Pray the Lord would prevail upon the judge to “Let My people go!” Pray for the unconditional release of all the believers.
Driving lessons
Diaspora in Minnesota: Pray for some new S relationships to develop well. Lib’, Han’ and Jih’ are all related and I am teaching them to drive. Pray that I find good ways to connect with them through driving and beyond.
Karana businesses
The community of Karana businesspeople in Tana, the capital, have a huge influence on the economy of Madagascar. Some say up to 60% of the economy is controlled by them. Pray that they will encounter the living God in whose image they are made, who loves them and desires them to be reconciled to Him.
Pray for Malagasy believers in their top & middle management to show Christ in their words, actions and work ethic. Pray that they will take every opportunity to point their employers to Christ.
A way in the desert
Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”
Lord, please do a new thing and make streams in the desert where the Amazigh and Saharawi of North Africa can taste from the fount of Living Water, find that only you satisfy, and have peace for their souls. Bless our work in the diaspora, use us to be gracious hosts for these people, bring them to understand the Truth, and allow them to carry this life changing Truth back to their home communities.
end of conflict
Pray for an end to the conflicts in the Cape Delgado area, where most of the Mwanis live, and for the strengthening of believers in that region.
Spread along family lines
Diaspora in Georgia: Pray that those friends our team is meeting with will introduce us to all the members of their families, so that our friendships will multiply and spread along family lines. Praise the Lord for Lila and Aya’s clear profession of faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Pray they will grow and their families will come to Christ as well.
Consultation
AA Consultation will take place from 16th to 20th April. We expect 100 participants: 70 indigenous missionaries working amongst the Muslim UPGs of East Africa Swahili Coast and 30 believers from Muslim background. The theme will be the theology of suffering. It is unfortunate the biggest struggle is to get enough finances for this workshop. Pray that God will provide and that suffering will be understood and embraced from the light of scripture. I thank God we have young missionaries, fully committed to the field, very teachable and passionate about outreach. However, they are under-supported; this may be part of ordained suffering. Pray for them.
The Man under the Mango Tree
A recent team of visitors felt like they had stepped right into Acts 14:24-28 as somewhat like, “Then they passed through TABORA and came to IPULU. And when they had spoken the word in UNYAMA they went down to URAMBO, KICHANGANI & KAPIULA and from there they sailed HOME where they were commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled… And when they arrived and gathered the church together they declared all that God had done with them, and how He had opened a door of FAITH to the Nyamwezi.” We are praising God that open door included answered prayers for a Nyamwezi man under a mango tree who accepted Jesus as His Savior! Bless the Lord He continues to build His church!
Walk in humility
Praise God for strong mature believers who know Scripture and know Jesus and are filled with the Spirit and love to share with boldness. Pray that they continue to walk in humility as they serve the body and that many more would become courageous, loving, proclaiming disciples. One brother said, ‘I want to be just like you (speaking to the mature shepherd) and better!’ The shepherd’s response was an emphatic: “Yes!”
Many seeking Rachel
Pray for wisdom for ‘Rachel’ as she interacts with many islanders seeking knowledge about Jesus. Some want truth, some want to debate, others are looking for financial gain. Pray for discernment as she answers questions and converses with many. Also pray for her son. He seems quite aimless at the moment. He isn’t interested in school, in work, or in helping out around the house. Pray for encouragement and motivation for him. Pray that he would grow in his faith.
Pray for peace in Sudan
Diaspora in Washington DC: Pray for God to help us build stronger relationships with our friends from Sudan. Lord give them strength as they work tirelessly to support family and relatives who are fleeing the terrible war in Sudan. Pray for peace!
Hunger for the word
Pray for an increase in the use of the Bible, especially during the church services. There is a big emphasis on worship and praise but the Bible is not read a lot during the service. We would love to see an increase in the hunger for God’s word in the church, and also in the life of individual followers of Jesus.
Good things
The Lord continues to draw more M’t’mb’ to himself and is raising up more M’ disciple-makers. We have a new member of the catalyst team, a fairly new believer who was reached and is being discipled by another catalyst team member. Through the two of them and their wives there have been 7 M’ recently reached and they are planning to baptize them soon. Pray for them to grow and mature and share with others the good things God has done for them.
All things are possible
We acknowledge, “All things are possible for you, God”. The verdict for the believers in prison is set for April 15. We ask God, ‘Let this cup pass from’ them and let them be released. We long to see families reunited. It has been 2 years. We pray for a courageous growing church in Libya. And we sincerely surrender, ‘Not our will but yours be done.’
Bible studies
Diaspora in France: Pray for deeper relationships and opportunities to share and read the Bible with students who we’ve met.
Pray for those students who will be leaving soon to remember what they’ve seen and heard. Pray for connections with other Christians in the cities where they will be moving to.
Pray for the camp in the Alps 15-20 April. Pray about the challenge to find younger generation Christians willing and available to be part of this outreach.
Multicultural Gospel-centered community
Diaspora in Finland: We are forming a multicultural-Gospel centered community. In our community, we have a regular group attending including Muslim, Buddhists, Hindu, and Catholic.
Our leadership team decided that as we are scheduled to have a service on Easter Sunday, we should share the true meaning of Easter! Pray for this and for people to come, even though it is a long weekend and many people go skiing.
We have had several of the families attending our community to our home for dinner, and a few other leaders have as well. It is great for deeper connections and good relationships. Pray for these deepening relationships.
It is also great some come to us asking about practical help, for example help with Finnish or trying to understand Finnish traffic laws and signs, and sometimes deeper issues than that.
Easter celebration?
Pray for the local body around the capital of our island. They are actually spread out over several towns quite far apart. People are reluctant to travel to meet up as a larger group, maybe due to costs or busy lives. Ask that God would help us know how much to push larger group meetings. There is talk of a large meeting over Easter – if it would encourage the locals, ask that they will be inspired to organise and make it happen!
Opportunities
Diaspora in Hong Kong: We are grateful for the opportunity to invite a Somali man for Bible study in April and for the conversation with his wife. May God guide us in selecting the right materials and timing for the study. Pray the wife will come too.
Please pray for the five Muslim families we are working with closely in April. May they come to know Jesus.
Joy’s marriage
Pray for Joy, an Arab sister in D-town who has now been in the faith for eight years. During Ramadan her husband was being pressured by family once again to divorce her. We’ve heard now that Ramadan is over, an influential family leader is going to be coming to visit them from the capital to deal with this situation. Pray against the Enemy’s plans to destroy Joy’s family. Pray for the Lord to preserve Joy’s marriage and that her husband’s heart would somehow grow even softer to the gospel through this.
