The yearly spiritual washing took place this month. Many go to ask blessing for health and the harvest. Pray that this year many Antakarana will put their trust in the True God and not their ancestral traditions.
Learning to read
Praise God for a group of Fulani MBBs as they gather this week to learn to read and write. Praise God for this opportunity and ask that they can use these new skills in order to deepen their faith as well reach out to others.
Jonah
We’ve been testing a diglot version of Jonah in the local language with Roman and Arabic scripts. We’ve asked people across the island which cover and borders are more acceptable, and many details like fonts and footnotes. We’re now researching good quality printing options. Pray for spiritual impact, and for favour and protection as we release a printed booklet instead of digital media.
Drawing many O.
May God the Father draw and enable many O to come to Jesus in response to all the Gospel seeds that are being sown regularly! John 6:44 & 65
Ashura
Yesterday our community commemorated “Ashura” by enacting the brutal murder of the prophet Mohammed’s grandsons. Pray that our friends and neighbours will discover a God who experienced sacrifice, pain and suffering. A God who will meet them in their pain so that they don’t need to stay in this place of historic pain and suffering, but rather that they can receive healing from one who understands sacrifice.
Hannah
Pray for Hannah, a long-time friend of many different workers, who is dying. Pray that the many words of truth and gospel she has heard over the years will penetrate her heart and God would remove the chains from her heart and lead her to belief as she battles her terminal illness.
New Workers
Praise the Lord for new Christian workers who have arrived to share the good news with the Digo! Pray that they will meet people whose hearts have been prepared by the Holy Spirit to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Pray that many will be saved and discipled through them.
Pastoral Training
Pray for a Nyamwezi evangelist who has been instrumental in beginning new churches. Because of his enthusiasm for the Gospel and obedience to the Word, he has been invited to pastoral training. He has already completed two years of basic Bible training. Now he has gone for several weeks of intense study with 52 others also accepting the call to study to be a pastor. Pray for confirmation if this is the right next path of service for each and for their families, for growing in spiritual formation, and learning practical ministry skills. May their faith in God grow strong and may there be godly discernment in determining at the end of the pastor’s course who among these these men are indeed qualified to lead churches.
Translation update
Bible translation is going on well. I am still leading the team.
Four Gospel drafts are completed and now we’re doing the draft of The book of Acts.
Please pray for wisdom and help of the Holy Spirit to translate well. Pray for the translation team.
Pray for my (John) health. My lungs are weak and I am now using an oxygen concentrator to breath.
Scriptures
“The word of God is living and active” but if it is not available in a form readily understandable to people, it has little effect. Currently there is no scripture published for the Maba although Genesis has been revised and theoretically could be published. John and Matthew Chapters 1-7 were translated 15 yrs ago but never used. Now the one translator believes they should be revised before being used but she only works on Maba 40-50% of her time being involved in translation consultation otherwise. Pray for a miracle that something would change in this situation and more scriptures would become readily available. The literacy rate is about 14 % for adult females in Chad and only 31% for adult males. Obviously audio recordings are very necessary but it can be very time consuming making them.
The Good Shepherd
Please pray that the Datooga will come to know Jesus as their Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. Pray that evangelists, missionaries and pastors will be found who will move to ten key Datooga towns and villages to tabernacle among the people and share the Word of God with them so that in each town and village there will be a reproducing, Christ-centered Datooga church.
Diaspora in Canada
We just finished a camping experience for kids aged 10-13 from the Toronto area. We presented the Gospel through Bible stories from Creation to Christ, pointing them to their need for a Saviour. Pray that the Lord will continue to work in the hearts of the kids who attended – that they may be impacted by the Gospel and see their need for Christ.
August 23-27 we will be in Alberta for Camp Rhino, a children’s camp geared towards Muslim children. Pray that many Muslim kids will attend, and that they will hear the Gospel and respond to the Saviour. Pray that all the logistical things will be taken care of before the camp.
Much Unity
Please pray for much unity among Samburu churches, and that those areas of Samburu people where the gospel has not yet penetrated will receive the light of Christ. Pray that the Samburu churches will send evangelists and pastors to live in areas that still need the gospel.
Diaspora in Minnesota
* Pray for a deepening of relationships at one of our local mosques. (We have a group of ten people who met there recently to begin relationships.)
* Mr. A was able to share some deep stuff with me the other night. It was a blessing to be trusted to hear some of his stories. Pray that we can continue to connect and that I can point him to Jesus.
* Continue to pray for the Congolese family as they adjust to life in America. Pray for more volunteers to welcome new refugees who are coming into our city.
A Healing in Jesus’ Name
A Muslim S. Asian woman recently saw Jesus heal her elderly parents from the coronavirus. In the past she has said she wants to know whether Islam or Christianity is the truth. However, even when she sees evident answers to prayer in Jesus’ name, and reads Scripture that directly contradicts Muslim beliefs, she clings to her religion. Because she clings so devotedly, her family follows her. Everyone seems reluctant to let the others down by following Jesus. Please pray for a breakthrough.
Diaspora in Spain
* Pray for the refugees in our center. One of them, a practicing Muslim, came to our church service last week and received the Word happily. Pray that he would come again and begin to bring others and to begin deeper spiritual conversations in the center.
* Praise for new connections made among the Saharawi community through language classes. Ask the Lord to work in their hearts to hear and believe the gospel.
Training
We are doing training for new believers to prepare them for baptism in Darfur.
There are three new believers so far on this trip!
We started new two home churches in Darfur and one new bible study group in Khartoum. Please pray for them.
Please pray:
1- for security in Darfur
2- for the team
3- for new believers to grow in Christ .
4- for the three new believers facing persecution from their families .
5- This week is disciple- making training which includes Fongoro believers. May these new believers grow in Christ .
Diaspora in Kentucky
* Praise God for opportunities to share the gospel with Somali friends. Please pray that God would grant them repentance and faith and that these friends would desire to read God’s Word.
* Praise God for the one Somali believer we’ve met in our city. Please pray that he would grow in his faith, be bold in evangelism, and join a healthy local church.
* Praise God for our local church and other churches in the city who are reaching out to Somalis. Please pray for open doors into the Somali community and open hearts to the gospel.
One Day
Praise the Lord that He loves the Zaramo people and has sent missionaries and evangelists through the years to live with them and share the gospel. Please pray for those who are believers to keep sharing the Word with others, and that one day every Zaramo will have a church within walking distance of where they live.
Diaspora in Canada
Pray for our summer camps for newcomers. One is a wilderness canoe trip and the other is geared for Muslim youth. Please pray for energy and excitement for the staff and that the youth would experience the one true God through nature, relationships, testimony, and the Holy Spirit.
Life Through Faith
Please pray for the Holy Spirit to bring life to the Zigua through faith in Jesus Christ. Pray that they will be delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. Pray that they will realize there is no forgiveness of sins apart from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us. Pray for the Lord to strengthen and encourage the Tanzanian Christians who live among the Zigua and seek to disciple them.
Diaspora in Noel
* Praise that two trauma healing groups are fully trained. Pray that the Lord will use them to bring healing and hope into their people groups and community.
* Pray for the relationships that are being formed and nurtured in the community garden. There have been many fruitful spiritual conversations in the past month.
* RAISE will be having a garden event on August 15th. We are planning to assemble a shed and benches and harvest, cook, and eat together. There will be activities for the kids as well. Pray for good weather, a good turnout and good connections between our local and diaspora participants.
Miracles, boldness, and the Holy Spirit filling
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your Word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
Acts 4:29-31 NIV
Diaspora in Wisconsin
Our soccer tournament outreach will be held this Saturday, the 14th of August. Pray for the preparations and that we would have good conversations and share Truth. Ask the Lord to open ears and hearts so that many will believe.
Faye
Please pray for ‘Faye’. She confessed Christ about 6 months ago. Discipleship through bible study has been difficult because there are often visitors and she prefers not to read the bible with others present. Added to this, she is still used to people explaining texts to her rather than reflecting for herself. She has some oral bible stories on her phone in her tribal language and some Arabic New Testament but tends to lose her phone. Now is farming season and she is out from morning to night in the fields. I am away on home leave. The one person in the church who speaks enough Arabic to follow up with her has not found her at home. Pray that Pauline can meet with Faye and talk of Christ to her and that Faye will persevere in her faith despite the lack of support and that she will listen to the bible materials which she has and reflect on them. She is the only believer in her village.
Traveling Preachers
Please pray for the Borana people to come to faith in Christ. Pray that those who are Christians would “preach the Word” wherever they travel. Borana people keep livestock and are semi-nomadic. Pray that as Christians circulate through the tribe, they will sing the songs of Jesus, listen to audio Bibles, and share the good news of Jesus’ love and salvation.
Diaspora in Portland
Please pray for divine conversations as we go camping this week with church members and will host several Muslim families at our campsite.
Praise for a great farm trip last Saturday. “S” (a believer from Morocco) was able to really connect with one of the Moroccan men. Please pray that “S” would be able to go deeper spiritually with “Y”.
Praise that “A” got a job. Now he is trying to go back to Algeria and bring his wife to the U.S. Please pray that she will be open and receptive to him. She has cut off communication with all of us now on social media.
Wives
Thomas and Clement continue to persevere and remain faithful to Jesus in the village a couple hours walk from Ohilang. Their wives have been very resistant to the gospel in the past; however, Marlene is starting to see a softening in their hearts toward the Lord. Pray these women will “know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3).
Diaspora in Hong Kong
* I shared with my African M friend S about the Lord’s divine control and it really comforted her. I hope to continue to share with her some Bible verses. Please remember S in your prayers.
* We are helping the undergraduate students of a church to have a fun fair with the Diaspora African kids. Last night, they listened to the testimony of an African asylum seeker and were so impressed and encouraged- even though he encountered so many difficulties, he still preaches the gospel in Hong Kong.
* Please pray for our tutorial class and that the church will continue to provide the place to run the class and more Diaspora refugee students will join.
Diaspora in Brazil
Praise God with us for the advancement of work among Senegalese in Tapejara – RS, we had a significant increase of those attending our Portuguese classes. Pray for the Lord to open students’ hearts to the gospel.
Pray for the meetings with church partners early August.
Pray for conversations with the companies that employ the majority of Senegalese. We are looking to open Portuguese classes in their buildings.
Grow in grace
Ezra just came over for a meal to talk about his language teacher training course which starts next week. He’s excited…and a little nervous! It’s his first time to live completely independently from his family (he just completed his 3rd year of uni while living at home) and we’ve connected him to believers in that city (trust doesn’t come easily between believers here). Please ask for good fellowship, growth in character and maturity, and that he’ll grasp these unique opportunities with eagerness.
Women’s Bible study
Marlene has been encouraged by the commitment of Aaron, his wife, and several other women in the village to the twice weekly Bible study she is leading in Ohilang. These mostly illiterate women are learning to discuss what they are learning from God’s Word and how it impacts their life and home. Pray that this Bible study will deeply impact the Ohilang community, as well as other Lopit villages. Pray for the new believers to “live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse [them] of doing wrong, they may see [their] good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us” (1 Peter 2:12).
Diaspora in UK
Pray for the East Midlands August Outreach team July 31st to August 8th. The objective of the team is to help an East Midlands town centre church reach out to and build relationships with the African Diaspora community who are living in their local area.
Pray the afternoon ‘family activity club’ run by the team in a local school will be appreciated by those attending. Events will include crafts, a community art project, Olympic themed mini sports, and an opportunity for the mothers to practice their spoken English.
Pray for the team as they visit local cafes and parks in the late afternoons and early evenings to have good conversations with local people.
Pray for good weather as some activities will be outside.
Diaspora in Canada
* Praise: We are on our fifth week of our kids drop in program “Impact Kids.” We have had an average of 30 kids come every week ; half of which are from North African Muslim families. Every week these kids get to play games, make a craft, learn an English lesson but most importantly they have heard 5 bible stories all pointing towards a “Rescuer” (Jesus) that is coming.
* Prayer: Please pray for our final summer Impact Kids on August 7th. We are planning a carnival event for the kids and their families where our final story of Christ’s death, resurrection, and forgiveness of sins will be shared. Please pray that God would send the families that are truly open to the gospel and that many lives would be changed as they hear the hope we have in Christ. Please also pray that God would provide enough volunteers to carry out the event effectively.
Tourism
Praise and pray for the tourism business which the team have launched. Ask the Lord to guide them as they recruit local guides, businesses, hotels, chose tourist sites, etc. Pray that these connections will develop into good relationships, and for the business to build a good reputation in the community—for the ultimate purpose of many hearing the good news, believing it, and bringing Him glory!
Diaspora in Washington
* Jesus is so faithful! During the month of July our volunteers worked hard with enthusiasm from the Lord. God provided many interactions and gospel conversations among our students’ families with our volunteers. Pray for gospel seeds to sprout and grow!
* Pray for the Lord to send more students and volunteers as we look at offering in-person ESL classes in 3 locations this upcoming year which begins in September. Matthew 9:38
* We praise Jesus for sending us, J., who He has used to extend our reach into more African UPG homes. Jeremiah 16:16. Ask the Lord to open many doors for fruitful ministry.
* Pray that God’s Holy Spirit will open the eyes of the blind that they would see Jesus. John 12:21
Released today!
The court case and verdict was today for our friends in prison in the Horn and they were released! Bless the Lord! Pray for the Lord’s blessing and provision and wisdom what to do next.
Proclamation
Pray that there would be bold proclamation in the Name of the Lord Jesus throughout the town of Kondoa and surrounding villages and that many will believe in the Lord.
Pray that believers in the midst of the Rangi would treasure Christ so much that they would be willing to suffer on His behalf.
Rain!
Rain is essential at this time for the crops. Food is in serious shortage. The Disciplemakers are being blamed for causing the rain to stop. Normally the witchdoctor will ask for some sacrifice to be made to make the rain start.
Please brothers and sisters, kneel before God to pray for us, there is now serious persecution due to rain problem and accusations that it is the Church that is stopping rain.They want to beat the Believers.
Kids’ camp
Please pray for our kids’ camp! The pre-camp with the counselors starts on Thursday August 5th and the children arrive on Sunday August 8th. Pray for open hearts and transformed lives!
