Alan (who we have been praying for for over 12 years) is now a senior government official. He still identifies as a “cousin” but in the past, through a Muslim Background Believer (MBB) who he worked with, has encountered Jesus and knows about his saving grace. Pray that Alan chooses to follow Jesus unswervingly & grows stronger in the knowledge and love of God.
Light
In Matthew 5:14-16, speaking to His disciples, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” His light is in every one of His followers. Please ask that every follower, whether a local or foreigner, would let their light shine brightly, in word and in deed, so that those lost in darkness in North Africa would see the light and be drawn to the “true Light” (John 1:9).
Wanting to get married
There are several unmarried brothers who really want to get married. We are pleading with them to not marry unbelievers but they feel like their options are so limited. We long to see God establish marriages where both know Him and can be heirs together in the grace of Jesus.
Praise the Lord
In church we had a good time of sharing the good news during in the Christmas celebration. Our neighbors came to join us and see what Christmas is all about. More than 100 people celebrated with us in Likawage, among them were six new believers.
Strong believers
David and Tessa have been blessed by their times with Khalifa and Nateote, both strong believers who love Jesus! Pray for Nateote to grow in her understanding of the Word as Tessa does Discovery Bible Studies with her. And pray that as Nateote and Khalifa grow in their knowledge of the Word, they would “become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which [they] shine as stars in the universe as [they] hold out the Word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16), and for many more in Cauwa to become true followers of Jesus.
Asking questions
Praise God for opportunities to share the Christmas story. Particularly pray for four men who came with many questions to an English club, so many that they ended up staying an extra 30 minutes to ask them all. Pray that their curiosity would grow not lessen and they would find answers in Jesus Christ.
Drought is dire
The drought in northern Kenya has been very hard for everyone to go through. Most of the families have lost their herds, many people are sick, some mothers passed away after giving birth from being so weak.
The missionaries are having to deal with several types of requests and it’s been overwhelming to all of us. Please pray that God gives us wisdom and grace to communicate how and when we can or cannot help.
Pray for rain, may our Lord be gracious to us and bring life back to this area.
Cleanse from fear
Please cleanse your children from fear. Let them each stand in the day of suffering and refuse to deny Jesus’ name. May they pray at all times on all occasions with thanksgiving and live in your indescribable peace.
New term
Praise God for a good turnout to interviews at the center. 18 new students were accepted. Currently, there are 13 men and 5 women in Superior 1 (Old Testament class) and 13 men in Superior 2 (NT class). Classes started this week. Pray specifically for the 13 men in the NT class who will hear many truths this term. Pray they will have their eyes opened to THE truth and that God would supply the courage and humility needed for them to follow him. Pray against the enemy snatching away any seeds. Pray for God to make hearts of good soil.
Miracle!
We have a new island brother! Our partners have been praying and sharing with this man for years. He recently had surgery and they went and prayed for him. During the night, he was awakened by a bright light. The next day, he was completely healed- body restored and even the incision marks were gone! He talked to brother D, who challenged him to give his life to Jesus. He did! But then he told D that he was worried what his family would think. Brother D told him, “Don’t worry. Your aunt [the new sister from last week] has also put her trust in Jesus. So you are together.”
How the Lord provides! May these two grow together and bring their whole family to the Lord.
Young family
Pray for energy, peace and joy as Don and Linda and their new baby return to their outreach ministry here among the O. It’s currently a challenging environment with the hot season, though many hearts seem to be warmed with an openness to the gospel. Pray for response to the gospel and much lasting fruit!
Diaspora in Florida
Pray for us to continue to meet and build new relationships with North Africans.
Regina
Pray for Regina, the third wife of Lukua. She has been a big help to Tessa in language learning because of their shared ability to speak Juba Arabic. Pray that as they spend time together, Regina would have a growing desire to follow the Lord. She has a knowledge of God but has yet to walk in the new life that is found in Him. Pray that the temptations of alcohol and tribal beliefs would not blind her to her need for a Savior, and she would be “redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to [her] from [her] forefathers” (1 Peter 1:18).
Diaspora in DC
Our friend S is seeking a job in the new year. Pray God will guide her steps and allow a schedule that allows us to begin a weekly Bible study like she has asked for. English Classes begin in late January. Please pray for wisdom in balancing childcare for our students and offering the classes that meet the majority of student needs…along with building deep relationships to explore and understand gospel truths together.
Huge Need
During a free morning, several of us went to survey another village called Mtoni. About 6000 people located right on the Ocean. Hard to get to for sure, but very, very needy for the Gospel. No church present or Outreach happening. Village leaders (Muslim) invited us to come and were ready to offer us land. My heart goes out to such places. Saw lots of kids running between the coconut palms and wondered when they would get the chance to hear about Jesus’s love for them. Please pray as the team here thinks what our response is to this huge need. We so lack laborers to go.
Diaspora in Atlanta
Pray in January the Lord will keep deepening relationships with our friends, and open further doors for ministry to them, especially Scripture engagement and connecting them to local churches.
Glory of Christ shown
The church is made of straw, but, in spite of the simplicity of the place, Christ’s Glory was shown today, when 5 old Bara ladies renounced their past ways and were baptized.
What a glorious moment in this remote rural area of south Madagascar.
New study
We are starting a book study with 1 follower, 1 new believer, 1 seeker. Ask that the words of 1Peter would be used to enrich, quicken, strengthen, convict, inspire, and draw these dear ones close.
Struggling with anxiety
Please pray for the believers who have been struggling- especially for Asha. May they not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present their requests before God. And may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4 v 6-7)
Diaspora in Cardiff, Wales
Join us in thanking God for the women’s English and Sewing class Christmas parties where one of the helpers (MBB) explained that Jesus is the answer to the daily Muslim prayer for a straight path. Pray that these women and their families will seek and find the Way, Truth and Life of Jesus Christ. In the restart of activities this month, we are asking God to turn our eyes upon Jesus. May this be a year of a spiritual hunger and harvest beyond what we can hope for and imagine!
Baptism
Just before Christmas, our local church got to celebrate the baptism of six believers. We’ve had several individuals go through baptism over the course of the last year, but then fall away since then. Please be praying for this group of believers to remain strong in the face of difficulty and pushback from loved ones and the community. Please also pray for us as the local church and leadership, for wisdom on how to explain well the mystery of Christ and the cost of following Him; that we may equip new believers well and help them grow in faithfulness.
New sister
Praise Jesus that in this new year we have a brand new island sister! She has been searching and has interacted with different believers over the years, but only fully understood and made a decision to follow last week. Pray for her that she would grow in understanding and see her heart and life changed by the Spirit. Pray also for her friends and family. We hear that she has others that she wants to hear the good news. May she be the first of a new group!
Meeting with a Sheikh
Please pray for me as I have a meeting this afternoon with Sheikh Ab**.
Pray for God to guide my conversation and give me wisdom to share what He will place in my heart.
Also pray for my protection from the schemes and plans of the enemy. Please pray for God to soften the heart of this friend and make it fertile ground for the seed of the gospel.
Lukua
Pray for Lukua, who at one point made a confession of faith, to truly experience the newness of life in Christ.
God’s Word go forward
Pray that the Holy Spirit will empower each one on our team, and the several new believers, that through us God’s Word may go forward in 2023 with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction!
Diaspora in Toronto
Pray for ongoing fruitful contacts to be made at local men’s venues among our favorite people group. I have a variety of calendars, parable booklets, and scripture portions I give as gifts when visiting. Pray for hearts to be open to receive these items, and to seek Jesus as a result.
Following Jesus
Zipporah has started following Jesus and we are meeting with her weekly to study Creation to Christ to help her understand God’s meta-narrative. Her hunger for God’s word is incredible and her understanding humbling. Her prayer request this week is about her relationship with God: that she would settle on daily practices and routines that facilitate her relationship with God. Her family situation is very sad and she often feels rejected and alone. She is asking that as her relationship with God grows she would feel fully content in being a child of God. Pray she will grow in the fullness of God and will find others who share her testimony.
New believers
Pray for Z, a newer believer who came to faith through some fellow workers here. He has a few other friends he meets with and it seems that some of them have come to faith also! They have recently been learning about baptism, pray that the Spirit would give them the heart of the Ethiopian in Acts 8 when he said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
Dental students
Pray for two believers who have finished dentist training in Bitkine and are now trying to build a business. Pray for their protection and blessing. Pray for good clients, networks, and acceptance in the community.
Outreach
Thank you for your many prayers that we needed for this week’s ministry. We were in the thick of it for sure. On the second evening we were praying over a lady that was demon possessed. After about 10 minutes, she jumped up, grabbed me, looked right in my eyes and told me to go to hell in perfect English. So the battle rages on. We continued praying for her for another 10 minutes or so before she was released. This lady is a traditional Mtumbi person and does not know any English. This village is very very dark. Please pray for Light to come.
Diaspora in Florida
Pray for my Imam friends S. and H. who we recently shared the gospel with. Pray for grace to believe.
And pray for my new friend from Kenya, S, who is excited about getting together.
Diaspora in Hong Kong
Pray for Om D to put her Quran aside and focus on God’s word only. Pray she will go to church as well.
Healing from Fear
Pray for Y. He was called in several times to the intelligence offices and asked questions and was afraid and sent me a text denying Jesus and saying that he was going back to Islam. A few days before Christmas, he came over to our house in repentance asking for forgiveness. Pray for deliverance from fear. Rose also denied Jesus when she was pulled in and questioned. She is now alone and disappointed with the other local believers for not helping her. Elizabeth and Zechariah and kids cut off contact after Rose turned names of local believers into the intelligence officers. Their primary fear is that their children will be taken from them. Please pray for healing from fear and that they would disciple their children and worship Jesus as a family at home.
Diaspora in Minneapolis MN
Pray for deep connections with a new Somali family that arrived in town recently.
Apukay
Please pray for Apukay, a Lopit believer that Marlene and Andrea P. discipled when they lived in Iboni. She has remained faithful to trusting in Jesus as her Savior, even when so many others who made such commitments have fallen away. However, as an illiterate woman in a village that has no church or other believers, it is hard to grow as a Christian. God’s “divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3) – pray the Lord will empower Apukay to live a godly life for Him.
Diaspora in France
Many of our international friends want to meet together in January. Pray that we would be able to finally reconnect deeply with these friends, and that God would guide our conversations for His glory! We have talked about spiritual things with them before. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would open their eyes to Jesus!
The community café reopens after a Christmas break, and both of us plan to volunteer there. Pray for God-given connections with the people He wants us to get to know.
Unbelievable Love
Praise God for his unbelievable love- may many Alagwa truly understand this year that the God who made them loves them unconditionally and wants a relationship with them.
Please pray for the Kwa Madebe church- may all of us grow in love for God, for one another and for those who don’t know Jesus yet. Please pray that as a church we would strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind and live in peace (2 Corinthians 13 v 11).
Diaspora in Long Beach
Praise God for several activities with International Students in December. The gospel was presented during each one. Pray for the message to be stirring in the hearts of the students.
Pray for a skiing trip planned for Jan 6-8—for fun, safety and clear presentation of the gospel.
New Year Overnight
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).
