A number of Christmas parties/meals/coffees/breakfasts have already happened across our city with another full week of them this week. Please pray for seeds that were planted and for wisdom this week as we seek to share of the “Love that came to save us!”
New seekers
There are reports from several cities of workers being approached by new seekers who are asking questions and who are willing to meet to read the word. May the Light shine and the Word speak and may the seeds sown have opportunity to grow!
Diaspora in Detroit
Christmas Outreaches – Pray for the many different Christmas outreaches across the region. May they be effective at communicating the good news of great hope that is found in the newborn Messiah King! Pray for the 45 gift bags we plan to take to 45 homes. May Christ be shown and proclaimed in all these visits. Pray for outreaches every Saturday in December. May God speak and draw many to Himself.
Diaspora in Florida
Please pray for our ongoing relationships with our imam friends: H, S, and A. 5. May the Lord open their eyes to the Truth.
Pray for opportunities to share the gospel with Muslim friends during the Christmas season.
Understanding, wisdom, and truth
There are several churches in the regional capital of Ft. Dauphin/ Tolagnaro, as well as others scattered amongst the villages. Even so, the call to bring the gospel to “every tribe, nation and tongue” has not been well-heeded, and though many Antanosy may have been to church or heard about God, there are many who mix what they’ve heard with their animistic practices. This, along with the fact that the majority of this area is quite remote and difficult to access, has created an obstacle for these people. But we know that no obstacle is too great, no area on earth that is impenetrable for Almighty God to bring His Light. Pray for the Antanosy, that the Lord would reveal his truth to them, that he would show them that his power is greater than any power they see in their rituals and traditions. Pray that he would bring understanding, wisdom and truth, through Jesus Christ and through his Holy Word.
Diaspora in Bristol, UK
Praise God for a regular group of Somali women coming to my weekly English class. Pray for them.
· Praise that a local school with 98% Muslim children has agreed to let a group of us into the school to explain the Christmas story. Pray for the Lord to speak through us.
· Pray for opportunities to share the Christmas story in the Friday conversation club. May the Lord grant faith to many.
mercy and forgiveness
Please pray for the integrity of the believers. This past week one of the church leaders stole some money and then lied about it. When confronted, he repented, made restitution, and thanked those who confronted him for not letting him get away with it. Thank God for His mercy and forgiveness and the example that is in this culture. Pray that believers would be strong in God’s word and hold each other to a higher standard.
Gospel conversations
Pray for all the opportunities to witness at the hospital, that God would grant us great wisdom in how to share and for God to open the doors for gospel conversations.
Pray for a woman who sat with us for a few hours wanting to hear all about Jesus. She was very interested and asked many questions. She is working at the hospital, so there are opportunities for follow-up.
Diaspora in Minnesota
Pray for good connections throughout the Christmas season.
· Pray for a Somali family of 8 that is arrived in town last Saturday, Dec 3rd. We have a team set up to welcome them. Pray for friendship to develop and that the Lord would open their hearts to the gospel.
· Pray for relationships in Afghan community to continue to grow.
Bible Study
We have been transitioning to having local members take turns in leading the Bible study, even in our absence. As we go for holiday we are trusting God that the Bible study will continue. Please pray. We are also trusting God to give us wisdom on how to help these people find churches (for those who don’t have any affiliation with a church) and encourage all of them to be consistent members of the Bible study.
Diaspora in Portland
Praise for our International Thanksgiving dinner where we had people from over 12 countries. For half a dozen or so, it was their very first Thanksgiving in America. Pray that the friendships started will blossom and grow into fruit.
Advent
As we enter this season of advent and ‘waiting’, we reflected yesterday on how not only are we now waiting for the Messiah’s return while celebrating that He came, we are also waiting in expectation for Him to pour out His Spirit on our city and open hearts to the knowledge that He has come! Please pray with us as we seek ways to intentionally share Truth this month, that we would find those who are genuinely waiting to know our Emmanuel.
Diaspora in Georgia
Father, please open the hearts of our African friends, help them say yes to our invitations to activities and church during December, and may they understand the Christmas story. Lord, we are calling to you, remembering that you promised to answer us and show us great and mighty things we don’t know.
Meet together
Continue to pray with us for a growing desire among island brothers and sisters to meet regularly to study and grow together, and to make it a priority. One new brother has yet to find another islander willing to make the time to study with him, so he is only interacting regularly with expat workers. The i3 sisters weren’t been able to find a day and location to have their normal monthly gathering for November. Pray they meet in December!
Diaspora in UK
We praise God for the opportunities to serve among the nations through English and Sewing classes and Homework club. Please pray that the Christmas presentations (Dec 6, 12, 15) will be well attended and produce great spiritual harvest.
Bible stories
Bible stories continue to be translated into the Mahafaly dialect, and these stories are being shared throughout the area villages by both global and local missionaries. There is a radio station which broadcasts these stories, and when Covid hit, the stories were aired more frequently. This reminds us that the Word of the Lord will not go out void, that his Word is “alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Pray that the darkness, the ignorance, and the blindness would indeed be penetrated, and that many Mahafaly would proclaim Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Church dedicated
Praise the Lord for his faithfulness to the Ndau people, and for the dedication of a church in Espungabera earlier this year. He has used the body of Christ to build this church over the years, and it’s been an international effort that’s reflected the unity within the Kingdom of God. Pray that God blesses this community and that they would trust and obey him to continue the growth of the body. And pray for all of us believers: for victory over the enemy and his schemes, for energy and strength every day, and for practical needs to be met such as working vehicles, peaceful home lives, and provision of daily necessities.
Common vision for 2023
This Tuesday (6 Dec) we will meet with our partners who work among the Bara. We need wisdom to develop strategies for 2023. We want to evangelize the Bara but also disciple and mobilize the churches to do evangelism and discipleship.
Pray for this meeting, for the partners and for resources. Please pray for our 6 sponsored evangelists: pastor Emanoel, Zoromana, Rema, Jelly, Elodry, and pastor Erik, that God give them grace for the work among the Bara and may they be fruitful.
Farming
Bobby went to a village and helped some friends with their farm and he was able to take a friend with him. He reconnected 3 out of the 4 guys he took to a farming training that was held a few months ago. They had a wonderful time getting back together. Lots of laughing and story telling. Pray that these guys will continue to get together and help each other out. They are a mix of Christians and Muslims. Pray the love of Christ will show through these times together.
Devoted Muslims
Praise the Lord for a meeting some missionaries in the area were able to have with a group of Muslim leaders. This group was expelled from their country due to their peaceful stance which is contrary to the majority religion there. The missionaries felt guided by the Holy Spirit and with compassion towards these devoted ones to engage with them. Pray that this group of cousins would realize that the source of the peace they seek, the desire to provide aid to the poor, and their pursuit of spirituality is all driven by the tenets of God, and that only a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ will fulfill them.
Bible stories in henna
Kaci has connected well with Rose, a Toposa woman who lives in the compound next-door. She shares the gospel with Rose and the other women as she does henna, weaving in Bible stories and Jesus’ parables into the designs. Rose asked Kaci to put the Audio Bible in Toposa on her phone. Pray for God to save her and her family through the hearing of His Word.
More than a Prophet!
Pray that the Nyamwezi would see the real reason for this season. Pray that they may see Jesus as more than a prophet, more than a man, but God who has come to save them, born of the Virgin Mary and living in our world to be that perfect sacrifice on our behalf. Ask the Lord of the Harvest that they would accept Him as Savior and Lord, and have the courage to join a local body of believers.
Healing
Pray for Lokolong, the young Laarim believer. He had a serious seizure back in May, and since then has continued to experience symptoms. With the help of a missionary doctor, they believe he has neural brucellosis – a disease common among cattle keeping people in South Sudan. IV treatment was started immediately and has since moved to oral antibiotics for another 9 weeks! We thank God for improvement and ask prayer that this young man will be completely healed. Pray that in all this, Lokolong’s faith will continue to deepen and that he will cling to the Lord. Pray he would understand that “a righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19).
Church planting
Pray for us as we prepare to have some conversations with the organization here, some local church leaders, and our team about church planting. Pray for a fruitful conversations and unity of vision.
Continue to pray for God’s kingdom to come. We are praying and fasting this week for a breakthrough and for wisdom and discernment for us to know God’s will and plan.
Winter clothes
A local brother, on his own initiative, has launched an effort to help the street kids of his city. He has identified 25 children for whom He plans to provide “winter” clothing (coat, shoes, trousers and long sleeve shirt). Even though he has lost his teaching position due to his faith, he sees that there are those in greater need than himself. We see the work of the HS in his life! Ask that Father would provide for him and for the ‘least of these’. Ask that our brother would boldly and wisely follow Jesus’ example of Word and Deed.
Needing help
Southern Madagascar, including the Antandroy territory, is experiencing drought, the lasting effects of recent cyclones, as well as inflation, all of which contribute to dire food insecurity. It’s a heart-wrenching, severe crisis for the people there. As the Antandroy struggle to survive, pray that the Lord would reveal himself through his good providence and provision to them. Pray that, although they are in a remote and barren land, that Jehovah Roi, “The God Who Sees” will look upon them in mercy and compassion, and that many Antandroy would realize that the Lord God is with them and cares for them, and that he is not distant or inactive as their beliefs dictate. Ask our Savior to raise up believers who would heed his call to bring the gospel to this difficult area!
Christmas opportunities
As followers of Jesus, the Christmas holiday offers many opportunities to point our dear cousins to the greatest gift ever! Whether it is some simple decorations, a nativity scene, a children’s story book about Christmas or having neighbors and friends for a holiday meal, each of these open doors for questions leading to answers that point to the beautiful Christmas story and true hope it offers. Please pray that we will take the opportunities and represent well His truth. Please pray the Holy Spirit will take those truths and draw our friends and neighbors to Himself.
translation update
The book of Acts is almost finished being translated into Antanala. Chapters 1-20 have been checked. Chapters 21 to 25 are now with Menja to be checked, and we hope to bring the last three chapters to him next time we visit. Praise God for Menja’s hard work checking and pray the Lord will guide him.
Believers need to gather
Pray for scattered believers to gather together to form local churches.
I4: there are believers from different African countries here, a bunch from I3, but very very few from I4. Please pray that the Lord would add to their numbers.
I3: there are many believers here too, but relatively few meet regularly. The Church is here, but there are few churches. Ask that the believers would desire and act to meet together regularly.
I2: the leadership courses have started, attendance is inconsistent. Ask the Lord to give great hearts to the locals to come, and stop things from getting in the way of attending.
I1: pray for unity of the believers.
New leaders
Please pray for the Ndau Christians who are trying to live a life not dependent on their ancestors anymore but on Christ Jesus. Pray they would be strengthened in their faith and witness to other Ndau. Please continue to pray for leaders. Polygamy has such a strong hold, please pray for the new generation of leaders to have a new mindset and a Godly heart to not enter this practice.
Continue to pray for the salvation of the Ndau people. There are still so many who haven’t received the gospel.
Prayer points
We have dedicated this week for prayer and fasting. Please pray for the following prayer points:
1) That God will deliver those who are attacked by spiritual forces of darkness and being threatened to abandon their faith.
2) That the body of Christ will be united to share the good news to the many unreached families across the areas.
3) That there will be fruitful conversations between different parties here on how to reach out to the lost.
4) That the local perception of “help” won’t hinder the spread of good news.
5) That God will prepare those we are specifically mentoring and training for the future of this ministry.
6) That those who want to meet the redeemer in DG community won’t be scared and threatened by the forces of darkness and the local religion.
Aftermath
I have spoken with several Antanala brothers from deep within the district. At the moment, people are going through a very difficult time. The aftermath of the two cyclones are becoming evident now in the form of food shortage. The crops are small and late, there’s very little fruit from the trees, etc. Our brothers told me that mothers are malnourished and cannot feed their children. On top of that, many of the villages can’t be reached by cars, trucks, or even motorbikes because of the condition of the road. The brothers walked more than 100 km to get out of the area. Please ask for God’s mercy.
Prayer and fasting
Our local Fulani church has decided to take this coming week to pray and fast. We invite you to join us. We believe when we unite in prayer and fasting, we will see the darkness recede and the power of God transform lives, heal broken relationships, and restore the broken hearted. We also want to listen to the Lord because we need wisdom and discernment to know how to advance. Please pray with us.
Spirit of wisdom and revelation
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that they may know him better. We pray that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened in order that they may know the hope to which he has called them, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.
Ephesians 1: 17-18
CRE
Y* came into our office and found me with a nephew doing a Bible study.
I had met her before and she had shared that for her secondary school exams, she chose to do CRE (Christian Religious Education) as a subject and she scored an ‘A’. But she did this to pass her exams, as Islamic studies are harder.
Pray that God will open her time to join us and be able to hear God speaking to her heart as we study the Scriptures and pray together.
I was away last week and therefore did not attend a weekly prayer group, but am told that she attended.
Church
The Hurri Hills church is now in the process of becoming officially part of the AIC denomination. Pray for this process of chosing the elders and for the evangelist that is going to be licensed as the local church pastor.
Those are big achievements for the Kingdom of God here and there is a lot of warfare that we have been facing. However, we are rejoicing in God’s marvelous plan for the people He is rescuing for Himself! Pray for wisdom as we continue taking steps to reach out the Gabbra people.
Animistic rituals
In the last several months our team has observed a lot more of the animistic rituals and beliefs that form the foundation of our people groups’ worldviews. Demon worship and tribal rituals are commonplace in our communities, as well as charms and treatments performed by witch doctors. Please pray for wisdom on how to present the gospel – contextualized but uncompromised, and how to shine His light in this dark facet of life here.
Bible translation
Pray for Odilo, who is currently in Dodoma at an SIL training seminar. He is working on the translation of the rest of the Bible into Kisandawe.
Outreach
Pray for upcoming outreach training for Malagasy missionaries coming to reach the villages on Nosy Mitsio. Pray for lodging preparation, for the hearts of the learners, and those in the villages who will see and hear the good news proclaimed. Pray for a fruitful outreach.
Grandmothers
One of our team members is reading Scripture with some of the grandmothers in her neighborhood. One is a well-known local Islamic children’s teacher. Pray for open and receptive hearts. Pray too for regular opportunities for them to get together and read.
