The overnight was a very encouraging and exciting time! Many people came from surrounding villages and gathered to watch the Jesus film, pray and worship. Please pray that those who came will continue to reflect on, and be impacted by, all they saw, heard and experienced.
Namalia
Tessa gives thanks to God for the beginning of real friendships with several young ladies and women in the community. She has started to connect in particular with an older girl named Namalia who has been patient and willing to come alongside Tessa as she learns language and builds relationships among the Laarim. As she spends time with Namalia and the other young ladies on that compound, and shares the truth of God’s Word with these girls, pray they would desire to know Christ and the depth of His love, not just have fun socializing with a kawaja (foreigner).
Breakthrough
Praise God that a young believer, Uf, has been talking with his friends about his newfound faith. Another young couple professes to have also taken the gift, and another young man as well! Pray that each of these would become strong disciples who will also make more disciples! Pray that Uf and the others would keep growing and sharing!
New students
Pray for interviews happening Jan 3 to accept new students to our Superior 1 classes. Pray that God would bring the students who are ripe for the harvest and ready to hear.
Luke
J and Z and their team walked around the university to share some sweets with the islanders for Christmas. They were able to share the good news with many and handed out gospel of Luke booklets to 3 different students. Please pray for these students to engage with Scripture and be touched by the truth.
Young seeker
Pray for a young seeker in Masenya and the brother who is encouraging and discipling him. His family is not happy with him, so pray for growth, protection, and wisdom to know how to follow Christ in that situation.
Emmanuel
Please pray that the Saharawi people in Jerez would see Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us, and would worship Him as Lord.
Christmas story
Pray for all who have had the opportunity and will continue to have the opportunity in the coming days to hear about Christmas and the One whose birth we celebrate. Pray for an understanding of the story and may it bring joy and an a desire to share the story with others. Pray for all the believers here on this little island (islanders, team, expats) to be continually emboldened to share about the hope we have in Jesus. May islanders’ hearts be softened toward the Lord and may His light shine into their lives this Christmas season.
Overnight
An overnight of prayer and worship to welcome in the new year will be taking place in a village where there is a new church plant. Please pray that all who come will be touched by the Good News, and grow in their relationship with Jesus. Please pray for safety and protection over this time.
Outreach
December has been a month of evangelism! Various activities have been planned for some villages in the north of the island (that is a section of the island that has been allotted to our church). The other churches will be handling the other sections of the island. Please pray for these activities that they will have a mighty impact on our desperately needy island. Once again violence has broken out with school buses being stoned, houses and shops being burned. Pray the Lord will use the unrest and the frustration fueling it to show people another way.
Outreach opposition
I would appreciate your prayers for the coming 4 days as we head to a village called Masaninga. There’s no church yet, but the FPCT would like to start discipleship and worship together there. I feel in my spirit much opposition from the evil one. Please pray for boldness and confidence in Christ.
Stand strong
Pray for the Datooga believers to stand strong in the Lord and share the good things God has done for them with others.
Identity in Christ
The Ik are a marginalized people in Uganda. Pray for the small groups of believers to relish their identity in Christ and walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
The Name glorified
Pray for the Gospel to continue to spread throughout M-land and beyond to other tribes that the Name of Jesus would be glorified among the peoples of Tanzania.
Seekers
Pray for people who were once seekers to seek again, those who once read the Word to read again, those who once met together to study to meet again. Ask the Lord to stir hearts to seek Him.
outreach
Please pray for the outreach that J&Z continue to initiate weekly, that many doors continue to open as they try to find people of peace. Pray for the good news to be shared and for opportunities to love and serve islanders here in Madagascar.
Emmanuel
Please pray for a breakthrough among Somali that many would believe that Jesus is Emmanuel.
Fall on your knees
As we continue our celebration of Christmas this weekend, pray that many in our city would fall on their knees and receive the gift of Heaven. Please pray for the many seeds that are sown to find good soil and bear much fruit.
Christmas
Pray that the Christmas cards, gift baskets, and other gifts and invitations would be well received and good conversations would ensue. As we celebrate the Light of the World, may many see the Light and be drawn to Him.
Diaspora in Florida
· Pray for good connections with North Africans in the Florida area. That hearts would be receptive and that we would connect with “a man or woman of peace” that will enable us to meet those with soft hearts.
New team for Maba
Give thanks for the arrival of three new workers (plus two children) to work amongst the Maba. Pray for them as they learn language and culture and settle in. Pray for much fruit from their presence here. A fifth person will be with us, we hope, in the new year. He is learning French (needed to work alongside the church here.)
Pray that we can use this Christmas season wisely to talk of the special gift of God in a way which attracts many to want to know more.
needing reconciliation
Please pray for M, an elderly man who has frequently come around looking for work or to sell things to feed himself. More recently he has enjoyed the Gospel of John and several books by Christian apologists and comes with questions such as “Why do Christians say that Jesus is God?” or “Why do Christians celebrate Jesus’ death?” Last month he tried to deceive us and when confronted acknowledged what he had done and promised to make it right. Now he seems somewhat embarrassed to come around to visit. Pray for him – that our relationship would be restored, but more importantly, that he would be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus.
Death threat
Urgent prayer request just received from a wife of an MBB. (Both husband and wife live in Nairobi.)
She has informed a colleague that her husband’s uncle has arrived in town from the USA and is on a mission to eliminate him.
The uncle says that his nephew is embarrassing the community for forsaking their faith.
Pray for God’s intervention, for strength to stand strong and a peace of mind for the family.
May this uncle know Jesus and may Jesus be born in his heart during this season.
Blindly following
Pray specifically for the women here. Many of them know nothing of their religion. When I ask basic questions, they tell me to ask their sons who go to qaranic school because they don’t know. Many just blindly follow because that is what they are supposed to do. Pray for hearts to be curious and want to know about a God who came for them and wants to know them.
Diaspora in Washington
· We praise God for a successful Thanksgiving feast at all three English sites where we shared Psalm 100 and praised God together!
· Many students are experiencing sickness; but many are turning to us and asking for prayer. May God provide healing and may they understand that complete healing comes only through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Portable church
Rev Lule is the missions director for the CECA-20 denomination in DR Congo. One of his dreams is to plant a “portable” church among the Mbororo nomads in DR Congo, Central Africa Republic and Chad. He wonders how the Lord will answer this prayer. Let’s pray with Rev Lule and the CECA-20 for a worker who will travel with the Mbororo to plant a church with them.
Christmas party update
There were over 50 people at the holiday gathering. It was a good time of fellowship and there was a mini tari (drumming & singing group), singing praise songs in traditional island rhythm. Pray that connections made there would continue to grow and deepen that the body might be strong and united. Pray for those that didn’t come, that if there is conflict that it would be resolved. Pray also for a number of smaller holiday gatherings happening this week, that good news would be proclaimed, heard and understood.
Show her the true way
We have worked through the first story set (creation to new creation) with Ma Fae. She loves the stories, but still sees Jesus as just a prophet, given power for a time by God but not worthy of worship. She has asked God to show her the true way. Please pray that God would answer her prayer and show her the truth of who Jesus is, even that He would visit her in a dream or vision.
Thirst for the word
Three ladies have expressed a desire to follow Christ. One, “Faye” has certainly understood the gospel but doesn’t seem to see the need to continue learning. Living with her extended family, it is difficult to get her alone but I did recently have opportunity to read from John 15 with her. Her sister ‘Ruth’ seems to understand increasingly, enjoys watching the God Story and hearing John’s gospel in Maba even when she has visitors. She is growing in understanding. Praise God! A third, ‘Jane’ has very little knowledge and I have hardly seen her in several months because she has been busy working in her fields (even sleeping there). Pray for all of them to have a great thirst to hear from God’s word and that we can meet regularly together.
Pray that they might be fully committed to Jesus and experience the joy which surpasses all understanding.
Dental training
Pray for two local brothers who will be participating in dental training in Bitkine, that they would be able to learn good tools for supporting their families and open doors to better serve and share with their communities.
Job
Praise God that He provided a job for S just as we had prayed. Please pray she sees this as a provision from His loving hands and that we can still spend time together regularly even though her schedule is now fuller.
Diaspora in France
Please pray that our relationships with Muslim friends would deepen and that Christ would be glorified as conversations turn towards spiritual things. Pray the Lord would open many hearts to the gospel. Especially as we near Christmas, please pray for creativity and wisdom in connecting with new and old friends, and for opportunities to share the glorious news of Jesus!
Christmas gathering
Pray for a large holiday gathering of local brothers and sisters and expats today. Pray that it would help strengthen the island body and encourage everyone who attends to share the story and good news of Jesus’s birth!
Fellowship
Love and Tessa have been going out to Karamorok on Wednesdays to connect with young women who had previously been discipled by Angelo before he left for nursing training. The women are hungry for fellowship with other believers and for growth in their relationship with Jesus. Please pray for these relationships to grow over the next weeks and months as Love and Tessa eagerly work on learning language so they can communicate more truths from God’s Word with these ladies. And pray that “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…will be filled!” (Matthew 5:6).
Church growing
The church is growing. The Gospel is pushing back the darkness surrounding the Bara people. And new disciples are coming.
In partnership with the local church, a Bara church was born in the village of Matsinzo. It started small but today there are almost 180 Bara coming to learn about Jesus! Pray for these disciples to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Diaspora in Finland
We have used Al-Massira series at church as a discipleship tool for those who are already believers, as well as inviting others. We are finishing first 12-episode series, with many people involved in discussions. A Georgian man accepted Christ. We also had 3 Kurdish Muslims…one of them is very interested and has attended many of the episodes and is really seeking answers. Pray that he will come to accept the Lord.
· Last night, we started the 2nd Al-Massira group immediately after a food give away at church. Of the 12-14 people who stayed, many were refugees from Ukraine, one man from Ghana, and even a few Finns. Pray that those who came last night, will continue coming and that this will be a tool for relationship building. And pray the Lord uses these videos to impact people.
Youth
Praise God for moving in the lives of area youth, who form three youth groups who attended a national conference in August. Pray that those impacted would be on fire for Jesus, that they would be triumphant in Him over any physical, emotional or spiritual challenges that they face; pray that these young Ndau wouldn’t be able to withhold all that God has done for them, and share Jesus with their families and communities.
6th Somali Heritage Week
This weekend the Somali Cultural Centre in Eastleigh, Nairobi is holding their 6th annual activities week to tell their stories using arts, book fair, story telling, cultural performances, Somali plays, art & craft exhibition, etc …
Please pray that we will be able to use this opportunity to connect and network with old and new friends and make appointments to engage with them at the venue or at a later date. We pray for boldness to engage with clarity from the Word and ask for God’s wisdom, guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Christmas opportunities
Praise that the Jesus film was just completed in the local language! Pray we can get a copy soon and that we have opportunities to share the good news with neighbors and friends via the film. Pray for opportunities to share truths as Christmas is approaching.
Week of prayer and fasting follow-up
After our week of prayer and fasting, the tough situations are the same for now and darkness around seems even bigger ! Our enemy doesn’t like to see us on our knees so he tries to discourage us. But the Lord reminded me that my part is to be faithful.
Please continue to pray for perseverance, wisdom, discernment, patience and boldness.
