THE WORK FOR CHRIST IS NOT IN VAIN: THE HOPE WINS

by | Dec 3, 2016

“…the people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the shadow of death, the light has shone…” (Isaiah 9:2)

A witchdoctor converted to Jesus Christ a few weeks ago in one of the Bara villages! Many of the Bara people, and the Malasos (thieves whom we are praying for conversion), saw the transformation that took place in this witchdoctor’s life and also gave their lives to Jesus Christ. At least 140 Bara were baptized!

God is working. The harvest is plentiful. Lift up your eyes.

Could you please pray and praise the name of the Lord? He hasn’t stopped working, and HE WILL accomplish his mission. Blessed be the Name of The Lord.

From the Koran to the Bible

by | Dec 2, 2016

Pray for a young woman who hopes to attend Bible school. Two years ago her family came to Christ out of Islam. No longer does she study the Koran. Pray for the Lord to encourage her faith by providing what she needs and opening the doors for her to study God’s Word.

Sorrow upon sorrow

by | Dec 2, 2016

“Faith” sat with tears at our table again. She was on her way to the dentist and had her phone stolen; then she got a call from her husband’s employer that her husband was taken by the militia. He had been kidnapped in the past for a paltry ransom; this time he was suspected of being a terrorist and held for two days. No money was required. Her brother had an argument with her father and left for Italy on the boat, illegally. She apologized for her tears and said, “Praise God. In all things we praise God.” Please ask Jesus to reveal to her who it is that she is fighting to praise! He is the living water that satisfies! Years ago now, we read John 4 together. She has the Word in her home, but does not know to turn to Jesus there. We receive these sorrows in surrender, begging that they will bring her to her knees before Jesus.

Needed: A Man After God’s Own Heart

by | Dec 1, 2016

A group of MBBs (Muslim background believers) have been meeting for about a year, growing together without formal church leadership or involvement. The national church wants to send a pastor to them… please pray about this. There is concern that a person will be sent to them who is not sensitive to the MBB situation and who will actually discourage growth and force conformity to unfamiliar forms and practices. Please pray that the Lord would provide a pastor with a heart like His own, one who understands and loves MBBs and who will be a great asset to them in their spiritual growth.

Trained Pastors needed for the Ik

by | Dec 1, 2016

Although there are 4 churches planted along the Ik ridge, there are no trained pastors to lead them. On some Sundays, the small churches are filled to capacity, and other Sundays, only children show up. Despite the lack of trained leadership, those who come to the service still spend time in worship, praise, and prayer, even if only children are there. If there is a sermon, it is usually preached in Icetod, but many times the scripture, prayers, and songs are in other languages such as English, Karamajong, or Swahili, and most of the people in attendance don’t fully understand (or understand at all) what they are saying or singing. Pray that the Lord raises up leaders among the Ik who desire to be trained as pastors or leaders in the churches. And pray that God fills the churches with people who desire to know more about who Jesus is and what he has done for them, that they desire to turn from their sin and to the one true God.

Crossing Cultures for Jesus

by | Nov 30, 2016

Pray that the local churches in the Ndengereko villages are convicted and equipped to speak boldly about their faith to their Muslim neighbors who are the local Ndengereko people. The churches are filled with people from other tribes, that have been sent to work in those places. We pray that they would see the Great Commission is for them. We pray that the Ndengereko believers would also have the courage to stand boldly, publicly acknowledging faith in Christ as their Savior.

Sowing Seeds

by | Nov 30, 2016

Pray for Nyamwezi farmers as planting season begins now. The first rains have come, a reason to give praise back to the Lord of the Harvest! Nyamwezi people are largely agriculturalists, so every able bodied person takes to the fields now to plant. Some lack seed to plant as yields from last year were short and all of the harvest crop was used to feed their families. Other seeds were destroyed by weavels or worms. Now people must find ways to purchase still viable seed in the market as well as hoes. During this season, pray for spirtual seed as it is sowed in many ways throughout the Tabora Region. Pray for the ground to be fertile where spiritual seeds are sown. Pray that spiritual seeds will take root.

Can you tell me what you believe about Jesus?

by | Nov 29, 2016

“Naiomi” has just been invited to come to our home this Saturday (Dec 3). Pray that she will have the courage to come and that embers of her interest in Jesus would be blown by His Spirit into full light! When we met unexpectedly a week and a half ago as our children played at the park, she told me that she was curious by nature and that she had read some of the New Testament and prophets online and had watched the Jesus film too. She specifically asked, “Can you tell me what you believe about Jesus? Do you have an Arabic NT that I could see and read?” I told her that I did and asked if she would like to read it together and she said that she would! She is free only Fridays and Saturdays, so please pray that she would not be kept from studying the Word of Jesus!

tortured for his faith

by | Nov 29, 2016

Please pray for a young man who was arrested a second time because he is a believer. They are holding him in a psychiatric prison and torturing him to make him recant. Please pray he would know God’s presence and sufficient grace to endure and that God would rebuke his captors.

Any news would be good news

by | Nov 28, 2016

The Kachipo are on our hearts and in our prayers, but so little information is getting through to us for prayer updates. The Lord knows them and loves them. Pray He would send laborers into this harvest field.

Sin and shame

by | Nov 28, 2016

A few weeks ago, she sat with me looking through my daughter’s wedding pictures and told me, “I would never let my sons marry someone who is not a Berber or someone who is not fair-skinned.” We spoke of marriage as a covenant before God, about the importance of the heart vs. outward appearance, about loving as Christ loves his church but she just shook her head. Then this last week as we sat together, she told me that her son had married secretly – a darker-skinned Arab who cannot read or write, and who is not respectful. She had found out about the marriage a week before her first grandson was born. The new daughter-in-law and baby were being sent away the day I arrived for tea. There was such hurt in every face. Pray that in these prejudices and disrespect, each would feel the weight of their sin. Pray that they would see the beauty of grace and call on the Name of Jesus. Ask for the miracle of healing through repentance.

An Evangelist’s Wife and Daughter

by | Nov 27, 2016

A Tanzanian evangelist’s wife will return to the M after a year away. Pray for a warm welcome back from her friends in the community and that she will have many opportunities to share her faith. Pray for the Lord to provide a good education for their young daughter who does not have a very good school to attend in the village. Pray that the evangelist and his wife will have all their needs provided and will see many people come to faith in Christ through their witness. Ask the Lord to build His church among the M.

It’s abuzz!

by | Nov 27, 2016

The Laarim villages where missionaries live and minister are all abuzz as the new missionary team return from ABO and resettle. Pray the excitement would continue and that people would be curious to know the reason for the hope they have and their motivation to leave home and live among them.The joy of a few new believers is such a great encouragement to them all, words are difficult to describe the wonder of the grace of our God we hold so dear. Please pray especially for the new believers; but also for the new team members as culture shock and sickness take their toll.

Praying for hearts of gratitude

by | Nov 26, 2016

Isaiah 51:3 -The Lord will comfort Israel again and have pity on her ruins. Her desert will blossom like Eden, her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found there. Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

Please join me in praying that as God’s Word takes root in the lives of those He calls in Karamoja, that a spirit of thankfulness will permeate this region and change it’s spiritual makeup to have thanksgiving to God and as a foundation gratitude for His mercy.

Families to come

by | Nov 26, 2016

Praise God for a recent wife of a persecuted believer also receiving Jesus’ gift! Pray that M & H will stand firm together against all the schemes of the enemy, and that the persecutions bound to come will strengthen their relationship with Jesus. May they grow in their faith and knowledge, and also teach their children the truths of God’s grace through Jesus!

Cattle raiding

by | Nov 25, 2016

As the start of the dry season is upon us, please pray that the constant raiding and killing would stop,  and not increase as it usually does at this time of the year. Pray that the gospel would penetrate deeply into hearts to change the Toposa from the inside out.

A Worshipping Widow Begs for Healing

by | Nov 25, 2016

Pray for the believers who are being ignored or are facing opposition from their own people because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Recently, a widow that was an Ayanna worshipper (a spirit of darkness) confessed Jesus as her only Savior and Love of her life. She has eye problems and is constantly praying for Jesus’ healing. Some of her neighbors have said to her: “Stop praying to this God. Jesus is not able to heal you; turn back to Ayanna.” Her answer is always the same… “I believe Jesus is able!” Pray for this lady and for many other believers who are being pushed to leave their faith in Christ. May the Holy Spirit strengthen their faith and may God reveal Himself miraculously among them, so others might declare that there is no one else but Jesus. Pray for the healing of people’s bodies and souls.

End of season woes

by | Nov 24, 2016

This has not been a good rainy season for majority of the country, and this area is no exception. The dry season seems to have arrived way too soon for most. Please pray that those who are able to harvest at this time, are able to store enough to last the given time before the next rains arrive to grow more crops. But above all, may we constantly pray that the gospel would continue to reach the Nyang’atom people in spirit and truth.

A Grandmother Asks For Prayer

by | Nov 24, 2016

On the way home from a prayer walk, E was invited in to pray for an elderly sick Bibi (grandmother) we know. Bibi Chai enthusiastically responded as E prayed in the Savior’s name for His healing comfort over her. But Bibi doesn’t know the Savior yet. E offered to come share the Story of God with Bibi as she rests in bed. Pray the family would agree to have her come and share.

Lopit is ‘Abuna’

by | Nov 23, 2016

‘All is well’ in the Lopit region, as the title indicates. Bible studies are well underway among the men folk in a few villages around the Iboni area, we praise God for this news as these men eagerly await their study time each week. Relationships are being built and built up, again we just praise God for this happening – its all about HIM!!! Pray and praise our Almighty God!

Dorobo leaders prayer conference

by | Nov 23, 2016

Twenty-four Dorobo pastors and church leaders came to Naivasha for a three day prayer conference from October 3-6. Since some of them had moved to other church denominations, we hadn’t seen some of them for years. They all came together with one accord and we had two full afternoons of prayer as well as teaching each morning on the challenges of church leadership, taught by Pastor Godfrey Ng’ang’a of the AIC Naivasha. We gathered a lot of information on the growth in the different areas where we had started preaching points back in the 1990s. In some areas, more than 50% of the Dorobo are believers and attending church! Other places the growth has been slower, but even there most areas have at least 10% who are believers and attend church. All of them said the seed had been planted in the 1990s. I was amazed and humbled. At the retreat we planned a number of church visits to encourage the pastors and believers, and we will show the Jesus film at a number of these churches as part of our visits. The pastors asked prayers especially for the older men in many villages who are still bound to their old ways of heavy drinking. Pray also for the planning of another prayer conference, scheduled for mid-March 2017.

Step up

by | Nov 22, 2016

The Lokwa continue to struggle with little communication coming from the area. The church leaders seem to have stepped up and run the church with no pastor. Please pray for the people to not only remain rooted and abiding in Christ, but reaching out to others with the message of salvation.

Finding the true path to God

by | Nov 22, 2016

Pray for the four new believers to grow in their understanding of the scriptures and have courage to share what they’ve experienced with others. Pray their families would believe. Pray for those who are listening to the scriptures to believe. The chief recently shared that he had prayed and asked God to show him the true path. That night he had a dream and God showed him the way of Jesus was the true path to God. Pray that many more would have similar dreams!

Excitement in Nagishot

by | Nov 21, 2016

Ask God to open doors for fruitful ministry among the Didinga. This past weekend saw the long anticipated missionaries arriving in Nagishot, after a period of not having any on the ground for over a year. Pray the people would not only welcome them, help them settle and learn language, but be open to hearing the good news they bring. The new arrivals are working with a young pastor. Pray for unity and great team work.

Building

by | Nov 21, 2016

Praise the Lord the Tanala elders of the area have welcomed the idea of the Hoffman family coming to live in their midst to share the gospel. Pray for the Lord to prepare hearts to hear and believe the good news of God’s salvation. Pray for the Hoffmans as they begin building their new house in the Tanala area. Pray for the logistics- building materials like cement and tin are hard to get and the roads are treacherous in the rainy season.

The Church as a Light in a Muslim community

by | Nov 18, 2016

Pray for the church in Ruaruke. The Lord continues to bless them with marriages, births, a working well, and community projects starting up. Pray that they would be a light and that they would use these blessings to bless their neighbors.

Grace to believe

by | Nov 18, 2016

“Samuel” is a quiet thoughtful man. He comes with a group of young men to talk with my husband about what he believes about Jesus. He is disillusioned with Islam and would not really call himself a Muslim, but he doesn’t align himself with any other religion either. Sometimes he asks to talk one-on-one, with more serious questions that he doesn’t want the others to hear. Pray that he would surrender to Jesus, that he would not be drawn into philosophy for philosophy’s sake, but that he would receive the simple gift of child-like faith and believe.

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

by | Nov 17, 2016

Please pray for those Alagwa who are living in fear of the consequences of following Jesus. Please pray that they would know the love of God which casts out fear. Please pray that their eyes would be opened to know that Jesus is worth the cost of being rejected by family and community. Ask Jesus to give them courage.

What Does Jesus Mean To You?

by | Nov 17, 2016

Praise God for the eleven leaders in a mosque and others who viewed the Jesus Film! Pray that they would respond to the call of Jesus, as Lord and Savior. Pray they would desire further conversations about Christ. One man stood afterwards and said, “I am 83 years old and have never heard this story. Thank you for sharing it with us.” Ask God for a hunger and thirst for the truth and for the atmosphere of openess to continue.

Desperate Drought

by | Nov 16, 2016

“I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink”. Mt. 25:35
Before the church service started, members of some families approached the missionaries with the following request: “It’s been a long drought season and all water we had in the village is gone, there is not even water to drink; the priority is the small children and pregnant ladies. We have purchased water several times and the money is also all gone. We are thirsty.”
Pray that God may send us rain in abundance. May this community see the love and care of God through His provision. Pray that this time of struggle draws the Christians closer to Him, and may the non-believers start to seek our mighty God, realizing that He is our living water.

Transformed to Serve the Gospel

by | Nov 16, 2016

A family has come to Christ through the witness of missionaries in their area. They have invited unsaved family members and friends to attend a Christian outreach concert on Saturday night, where they hope those people will hear the gospel. Pray for encouragement as they share Christ with the people they love.

Live a life pleasing to the Lord

by | Nov 15, 2016

 

Please pray for the believers who are living among the Swahili people to keep their conduct honorable as we are called to in 1 Peter 2:12 so that they would see our good deeds and glorify God. Pray that the local believers would be given a new hope and passion to see their neighbors come to know the Truth, and the courage to reach out with a grace-filled boldness.

A Witchdoctor’s Dilemma

by | Nov 15, 2016

Pray for one family in which many members are secretly seeking Jesus. Pray especially for one who has been a practising witchdoctor. Whilst she is eager to hear God’s word and understand it, please pray that she would be open about being a witchdoctor, repent and allow Jesus to cleanse and fully heal her.

Sharing Christ with Children

by | Nov 15, 2016

Please pray for an open door for a missionary to share Christ with Sandawe children. Pray for loving connections, opportunities to share Bible stories, and language facility. Ask God to bring many of these children into His kingdom.

The Word Becomes the Main Event

by | Nov 14, 2016

The D family listened eagerly to the overview account of the Bible and the first day of creation. It was obvious that the snacks and conversation in the first half hour were simply preliminary to this “main event.” They made a few comments, asked a couple of questions, observed a point or two that was similar to the Koran. At the end they were eager for prayer for the needs of various members of the family. This week they are expecting lesson 2 on Thursday, and it’s obvious they plan for the Bible study to be an ongoing event. Praise God for the opportunity to meet with the whole family in their home. Praise God for their openness and interest. Please pray for the Spirit to enlighten their eyes and take away any fears, so the light of the gospel can shine in their hearts and the whole family will be saved.

Pray for relationships in Ampasindava

by | Nov 14, 2016

Please pray for relationships in the village of Ampasindava on Nosy Mitsio. An older lady with no known relatives has recently moved to this village, after claiming the royal ancestors directed her here through a dream. Many people on Nosy Mitsio think she’s been exiled from the mainland and that she’s a witch who curses people, yet most are afraid to interfere with what may be the work of the ancestors bringing her here. Relationships in the village of Ampasindava are already being strained, as this lady has been blamed for some recent sicknesses and spiritual oppressions, and people in the village are divided on whether or not she should be blamed for it (which is causing them to break relationships with each other). Please pray that the team leaders living in this village would be led by the Holy Spirit to respond to every person with God’s truths during this time of conflict. Pray especially that this village would know the peace of Jesus, that both their fear and their trust in the ancestors would be destroyed, and that all would be reconciled to God and each other through Jesus our Lord.

Won the Green Card Lottery!

by | Nov 12, 2016

Pray for this Muslim family who leaves December 9th to move to America. They will be living with a Christian family as they look for a job and a home. They have a young son and a baby on the way. They won the “green card lottery” to be able to go, and despite the chaos in their home country all the paperwork went through for passports and visas. They look on it as a miracle and keep saying, “The Lord wants this.” Believing in the Lord’s mighty purposes, I agree with them! Pray that the Lord with continue to draw them and that they will see his mighty acts of grace and truth. They have heard the gospel here and have the written Word of God. Asking for their salvation!!

Love Is Opening Doors for the Gospel

by | Nov 12, 2016

Pray for a South Asian family who are becoming more and more open to the gospel. Visits with their neighbours, missionaries, are frequent and loving. God is opening new opportunities to pray with and for them in their trials. He is healing family members who have serious illnesses. They are listening to the stories of the Bible. Now the whole extended group have requested to hear the Bible stories together at their house. Please pray for the Lord to work mightily through His word and bring the whole family to faith in Christ.

New life!

by | Nov 11, 2016

Praise God for 4 new believers among the Fulani! Pray for them to be bold and tell others what the Lord has done for them. And praise the Lord for the dedication of the scriptures in the Fulani language. May many read it and believe.

Not By Works or Legalism

by | Nov 11, 2016

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:18

Pray against work-based salvation and legalism: Pray that the M will understand that hope for forgiveness and acceptance with God is available only through Jesus’ work on the cross.