Diaspora in Quebec: I was discouraged after four of the five women canceled to meet together for dinner and a Bible discussion. However, God had a plan. Ma’ felt more open to talk since she was the only Muslim there. After reading the Beatitudes together, she confided to the Christian women that she sees a lot of hypocrisy in Islam and sees beauty in Christianity. We were able to share more about Jesus with her. Pray for her journey to Christ.
Include neighbors
Pray for creative ways to include our Muslim neighbors in our Christmas celebrations. Pray for opportunities and boldness to speak of good news of great joy for all people.
Christmas party
Diaspora in Michigan: Pray for our Christmas outreach: We’ll have a party for about 15 Afghan families December 14th and will be bringing Christmas bags to about 45 Arab families. Each bag has a book explaining Christmas. May our friends feel loved and know Jesus more!
Leaving alcohol
One of the men whom we have been discipling has been struggling with alcohol. A few weeks ago on Sunday, he stood up during the service and said he had decided to leave alcohol. Pray for Oswaha that he will be fully delivered from the addiction of alcohol and grow in faith.
Gospel of John movie
Diaspora in Georgia: Praise the Lord for the growing interest my ESL students are showing in the person of Jesus. Pray for a showing of the first half of the gospel of John movie on December 13. Pray that they will place their faith in Jesus as their Savior.
Praise the Lord that Aya’ wants to meet for individual Bible study starting in January.
Spanish lessons
Praise for a successful session of Spanish classes! When given their participation certificates, one lady said it was the first certificate she had ever received. Pray it is a testimony of a God who values and sees her.
Share the Hope
Diaspora in Oregon: We are thankful that one of the ladies from our DBS was baptized a week ago. What an amazing testimony of God’s grace using many people in her life.
We are thankful to hear of another lady who came to Christ through the witness of our volunteers.
Pray for many opportunities to share the Hope we have in Christ this holiday season.
DBS
Pray for the DBS (Discovery Bible Study) group of ladies that was started a week ago. It’s tricky to do the study in French and island language at the same time. Pray for wisdom, open hearts, and the right people to come.
Need rain!
The rain has not kept up here and the farmers are having to decide soon to plant their grain or not. Our friend Hank planted grain last weekend. We told him we are asking the father to send rain and give his family favor. May the rain come and bless this dry and weary land but only if that’s what will soften their hearts to the Son!
Dreams and visions
As Christians around the world enter the Christmas season, pray for dreams and visions among the Rangi that would lead them toward the King of all Kings.
Why we celebrate
Diaspora in Wales: Pray for the Women’s English and Sewing class teams as they have the opportunity to explain the reason why we celebrate Christmas (Dec 9 & 10). Pray for ears to hear and hearts open to believe.
Making cookies
I’ll be having Iris and her kids over sometime soon to visit and bake cookies. May our time be full of things that open their eyes to the Son and his goodness and truth!
Christmas party
Diaspora in Germany: Pray for our Christmas party tomorrow evening. Over 70 people have signed up to come! Pray for all the last minute preparations and for everyone to come with open hearts prepared to hear news of great joy!
Lead him to the Truth
Diaspora in France: Ishmael*, a young man from Central Africa, asked if he could borrow our children’s French storybook Bible to read the stories of the Bible. His studies in France are finished now and he will soon return to his home country where he would be in trouble if it was known he was reading a Bible! As our time with him is short, pray with us the Lord will lead him to the Truth very soon!
Celebrate the coming of Emmanuel
As we head into the festive month, pray that we would have opportunities to share the
good news of Emmanuel, God with us. Ask for wisdom as we consider how to celebrate with local believers across the islands.
Last stage cancer
Pray for a young lady, W, who is coming home from the government hospital on palliative care with a last stage, painful cancer. Pray that W will receive Jesus as her Savior, and for God‘s comfort, grace and peace to help her, her family and us through this hard time.
Present Christmas story
Diaspora in England: Pray for wisdom as we present the Christmas story to our English classes.
Pray for the distribution of up to 50 Scripture calendars to our Muslim contacts in the city. Pray the word would speak to seeking hearts.
Trouble
The translator who has been causing a lot of trouble for us has started a new volley of attacks this month. She continues to do everything in her power to get Pastor Petro and me out of the Alagwa area. Please pray against these concerted efforts to stop the translation work.
Pray for rain
Please pray for rain! The Ndau are sustenance farmers and last year their crops were burnt from the lack of rain. Everyone has planted already, and it’s only rained once. We are praying but everyone is very scared about how we are going to survive.
Bible stories
Pray for the pastors being trained in Bible storying. There are now 16 listening group leaders and 22 Bible stories in the Didinga language. The 16 trained pastors want to train 2 more pastors. Pray these Bible stories will reach into the hearts of the Didinga and they will believe them.
Grant them new life
Pray for Ali, Ab’ Bakar, Khal’, Adam and Att’, men from the gym who attend regularly and hear the gospel. Pray the Holy Spirit would grant them new life in Christ!
Four Evangelism Training Centers
Pray for the launching of four centers for equipping church members in effective ways for reaching the unreached in Tabora region and to minister freedom from the bonds of Islam. These will be at Kigoma, Katavi, Nzega, and Tabora. There are four series of trainings planned for 2025 with three trainers. Pray for Nyamwezi to be free from the yoke of Islam, for those who have lived as non-Muslims but under Islamic dominance, and for those who have come to Christ out of a Muslim background.
Sudan’s woes
On 28th October, the UN Secretary General listed Sudan’s woes: 25 million people needing aid, 750,000 starving, thousands of civilians killed (some, including 27th Oct en masse), unspeakable atrocities, widespread rape and sexual assaults, disease, a collapsed health system, 11 million people displaced. The SAF and the RSF forces are escalating military action, and outside powers are fueling the fire. He prioritised: ceasefires to allow peace negotiations, stronger measures to protect civilians (but “conditions do not exist” for deployment of a UN force); and uninterrupted humanitarian access (but only 56% of needed funds is in hand). Pray for God’s mercy on this suffering nation, for needed aid to get through, and an end of the war.
Small study groups
Pastor Daude had amazing opportunities to see how the Lord is using a local missionary to create a space and to be involved with Makhuwa Nahara. Small study groups have been created to share the gospel. The local people do not feel comfortable to be involved with traditional local church but they have been faithful to attend these groups and learn about Jesus. Please pray for them.
Christmas parties
Pray for God’s work in students’ hearts who just graduated or have just completed Superior 1 and are planning to take Superior 2 in January.
Pray for the Christmas parties the first week of December for the women’s English Clubs (upper and lower levels).
Pray for more women to take classes, come to interviews, and participate in higher level classes.
Clinics and classes
Pray specifically for the upcoming week which will begin an eye glasses clinic and a level 1 English class at the cultural center. Both platforms are opportunities to serve the community with a practical need while building relationships.
Youth Camp
The Youth Camp starts on Sunday 1st to 8th December 2024. Here are few prayer requests:
1. Pray for the success of our Annual youth camp next week as far as logistics are concerned.
2. Pray for those preparing to attend for safety as they travel.
3. Pray that many Youth will have an encounter with Christ and that transformation will continue.
Pray for Abe and Abdullah
There are fewer members of the team around owing to my home assignment and the harvest season, which means that it is not easy to follow up and disciple people. Pray for Abe, a blind older man who was listening to the word with me. He has a solar powered audio player which he seems to be enjoying. “Abdullah” borrowed it from him for a few days and said it was truth! I supplied another for him but left before I could find out whether he took it. Pray for them both that the truth will touch their hearts. Nobody was prepared to follow up with Abe because he lives too far away.
Christmas party
Diaspora in Finland: I just invited my friend to our new international fellowship’s “What is Christmas really about?” party. Please pray she will be brave and come. I have also invited some other classmates. It is this Sunday. Please pray for God to send those that need to hear the message.
More songs of praise
We want to see more songs of praise written in local island languages! Ask for local
believers to have the inspiration and confidence to write songs, and for wisdom in finding people to produce and record them for others to enjoy and be inspired by.
Feel His presence
Thank the Lord for the 4 Saharawi ladies who are coming consistently to Spanish classes. May they feel the presence of Jesus and come to know Him as Savior.
Recanted
Diaspora in Quebec: Pray for the small group with North African women that started meeting again on Saturday October 19th. Sandrine and her colleagues need the help of the Holy Spirit to have wisdom, peace and love. Pray for Dana, a student, who made a profession of faith but ultimately recanted, caught in religious pluralism. May the Lord show her that He is the only way, the truth and the life. Pray for the homework help project that is being set up for children in a church neighborhood.
Rain
It’s the rainy season now and we’ve had a few good days of rain. May the Father send even more rain to help fill the reservoirs and his Holy Spirit to rain on the hard soil of their souls. ‘Lead us to the ones who are ready to hear and follow oh Lord!’
Point people to Jesus
Pray for a new English class which should start up this month taught by two team members. Pray for the right students to come and that God would use teaching English to point people to Jesus.
Pray for protection
Praise the Father again for the release of the local brother who was in jail. Pray as he integrates back into society. Ask for God’s protection for him and all the believers.
Ask the Lord of the harvest for more laborers to fill in the different opportunities in the country, especially teaching English.
Literacy
Literacy – with the Bible translation more readily available, we are seeing more of a desire in people to learn how to read. Pray this would actually take root! And as people read the Word, they would believe it.
Arrested!
Rachel has been arrested! The order came from authorities on the big island. She was arrested because of a video she publicized on Facebook of her sharing about sin according to the New Testament. The police have said that this action is illegal. They say that Rachel is free to follow Jesus, but she isn’t allowed to publically proclaim this. She has to stay overnight at the gendarmerie. Tomorrow morning, she will go before the justice, and they will decide what her punishment will be. Please pray.
Needing repentance
Diaspora in Ontario: A Christian man with alcohol problems whose Muslim wife has kicked him out, is not returning my calls. Pray for reconnection and repentance.
One Christian family is sadly divided. Pray for reconciliation efforts to be made and accepted.
Jesus Film
A group of Fulani brothers recently came to our village to broadcast the Jesus Film. Thank the Lord for all the people who were able to see the film and listen to Brother M share the good news. Pray for the impact in their lives, that God makes what has been sown grow. Also grateful that there was no technical incident.
Studying
Pray for friends of team member T. ‘Muki’ has been studying with T for a while, and now his son ‘Mtsa’ is regularly coming with him. T gave him a set of Bible storybooks in the local language – ask that the stories would impact him and point him to J. An old friend of T’s, ‘Bako’, overheard the group praying together – ask for God to soften his heart.
