We are currently seeking to translate some discipleship materials into Ngakarimojong. Please pray for the three young men who are involved in the translation, and for wisdom in who to ask to review the materials. Please pray that these materials will be a means for growth for many.
Bara Children’s Program
In the Pandemic year, with little resources, God has grown our children’s ministry to over 700 children who come every Saturday and Wednesday. We were afraid of not having enough support, but God proved Himself faithful, and, by His grace, He has provided for us. We estimate that between 15 to 20% of the children are Bara.
Pray that the children will have their hearts open to the Gospel and become a new generation of believers among their people.
Diaspora in Calif, USA
Our church is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for International Students on Nov. 20. Pray for 50 students to attend and for their hearts to be open to hearing the gospel message that will be presented.
Trust
Many people come to us for advise and help concerning their health. We are not doctors, but we can help them pretty often. We have been able to help young mothers with breast infections, young children with severe worm infection and Malaria. This was not the first thing we were thinking about when we came to Madagascar, but apparently the Lord decided differently. A good thing too! Because the people usually have difficulty trusting foreigners, but they trust us. This makes it so much easier for us to share the Gospel. Praise God and pray that many will put their trust in the Lord Jesus.
Diaspora in Portland
I have an older friend who is returning to Morocco for an extended stay. Please pray for her heart to
“grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses
knowledge” (Eph 3:18) and for wisdom to continue to share this message with her. May God do a mighty work in her heart. We have shared with her many times.
We are planning to have our next door neighbor and adult daughters over for coffee sometime
during the week. Please pray for good connections, and that God will use this time to soften their hearts toward Jesus. The mother is a very influential woman in the Muslim community and at times has warned people to be careful of those Jesus followers.
Needing help
Please keep Gabbra land in prayer. Tribal conflict in the midst of severe drought has left us in worse condition than usual. Grazing is gone so animals are hardly surviving and raiders have been steeling what is left which has caused revenge and road attacks, which is also causing traders to refuse to travel because fear, resulting in communities without food even if they have money to buy it. The food relief project managers have not been able to find food to buy to feed the hungry masses.
We desperately need prayers for rain, peace, provision for the poor, wisdom as we spread the word of God and especially that people humble themselves to the Almighty Power of Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Mini survey
Please pray for a mini survey trip we are taking this week. An Alagwa seeker has asked us a number of times to come and build a church in his village because he-and some other believers/church goers there- walk a long way to attend services on Sundays. (He is thinking about a physical building; we are focusing on a body of believers being established there.) We are hoping to go with an Alagwa Christian who has just finished a bible college course and has a vision to church plant. May God give us wisdom and good connections with both the Alagwa seeker and the believers where he is. May that seeker surrender his whole life to Jesus and lead the rest of his extended family to Jesus too.
Bible story sets
Steve and Gina were encouraged by the enthusiastic response from the participants at the Bible Storying Workshop last month. We thank God for the five different language groups that were represented (Juba Arabic, Latuko, Tennet, Pari and Didinga), and the groups of 3-4 men and women who worked faithfully all week long to practice putting Bible stories into their heart language. Pray for these men and women who expressed a strong desire to see stories from God’s Word put into the language of their people, to commit themselves to meeting together to create a story set that speaks to needs of their people. Pray that the stories they craft will be shared with the thousands of people from these tribes who have no other access to God’s Word.
Film ministry
Please pray for fruit from Odilo’s Luke Film ministry. He recently showed the Luke film in the village of Sanzawa this past weekend. Pray the Spirit will continue to speak to people as they think about the film.
Diaspora in Minnesota
* Pray for our ESL class that just started last week. Pray for sustainability and for good connections to be made within the immigrant community.
• Praise God we have had so many churches and people step up to volunteer with Afghan refugees who are coming to our city. Pray the Lord will open their hearts to the gospel.
• Continue to pray for Mr. A. Pray the Lord will speak to him as he reads the book about Jesus that he was given by the 95 year old man who attends our church and who prayed for him.
• Pray for increased connections and unique ways to connect with Somalis over the holiday season.
Looking for that Book
Yesterday after class, my partner was discussing the story of the flood and other stories with Far**, a Som** student. Using a Som.** Bible that she had, she was able to get Far.** to read the story for himself.
Today, my colleague was not in and I saw Far** searching for something in our bags. When I asked him what he was looking for, he said that my colleague had promised to leave that Book behind for him to read. I promised him that I would bring it for him tomorrow and ensure my colleague is in.
Please pray with us that God will open the heart of Far** as he searches through this treasure, and that he will want to continue reading it.
Two Jumas
One of my village friends named Juma watched the Jesus film with his family a month ago. He told me that Jesus is the Savior, He is the only way to heaven! Please pray for him to thirst for Jesus and His words and find the Living Water.
Another Juma is a Kiswahili language teacher who checks the weekly Bible story. Please pray for him to know Jesus and accept Him as his Savior.
The Way
Pray for Y refugees in the Horn to become disillusioned with Islam and seek ‘people of the book’ to explain the way of righteousness. Pray many will find the Way.
Tanala Luke widely loved
A local deacon from a Lutheran church took some of the newly translated Luke booklets with him when he went to a big meeting about 4 hours drive south from us. There were many Malagasy from other tribes (mostly from southern regions) at the meeting. They recognised the language as Antanala right away. Still, they could understand this translation better than the official Malagasy language. They said that they will save money to buy the Luke booklets and use them in their churches, Bible study groups, and when they go to unreached areas!
Ministry update
Pray for Jie disciples to be obedient to Lord’s command.
Pray for Kasengor town to be accessible during the rainy season.
Thank God for peace between neighboring communities.
Ask God for motorcycle for disciples and solution to water problem.
Pray for group leaders to be faithful.
Pray for God to provide for health facilities in all Jie villages.
Pray for Bible translation project that is to start soon.
Comparison
Recently, we gave A something to read. It is a personal account and comparison of Jesus and Mohamed in our two books. Ask that he will be challenged by what he reads and that the Holy Spirit would open his heart to the Truth.
Diaspora in Portland
• Please pray for our team as we prepare to host various Muslims during the Thanksgiving season.
• Please pray for a Saudi lady, a couple of Egyptian families, and a Libyan family we are engaged with that God will open up their hearts to his Good News.
Grappling
Pray for the women who are grappling with what it might mean to be public about their faith. Pray that they would receive boldness and wisdom from the Holy Spirit. Please pray for their husbands to come to Jesus.
Drought-Pray for humble and wholehearted repentance.
The drought continues – and gets more and more serious here as each day passes without rain! Animals are weak and dying. We pray from 2nd Chronicles 7:13-14 that people really would humble themselves and turn (repent) from their sin, especially that of not receiving God’s gift of grace through Jesus! May there be a spiritual breakthrough here, and may God have mercy to send the rain (physical and spiritual!) Our team is still in the midst of a second distribution of food and this has also brought many opportunities to share. May all the seeds sink in and find that good soil in many hearts!
Nathaniel
Lift up ‘Nathaniel’ who I’ve not seen for some time. Pray he sees the benefit of fellowship with the body. May our Father reveal the hidden things to him.
“Heaven is full of answers to prayer for which no one ever bothered to ask!” b.graham
Following Jesus
Pray for Swahili in Likwage. There is a lady who offered herself to follow Jesus in her heart and mind. She made the decision after receiving healing from Jesus, she encouraged her family to follow Jesus. Pray for more Swahili people of Tanzania to know Jesus.
Stand firm
Continue to pray for the Bible study groups that were meeting with Marlene in Ohilang. While she and Andrea are both on home assignment, pray that these seekers and young believers will keep meeting and stay faithful to Jesus. “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all” (Isaiah 7:9); pray for Itak, Iouru, Aaron, and all the other believers, to stand firm!
Diaspora in Canada
Prayer that as some of my favorite venues open up next week, that a lot of old relationships
will be renewed. Praise for good conversations with several men during a recent visit to my favorite Somali barbershop.
Pray for the Somali men who said they want to meet with me around the backyard fire to follow through.
Pray for F., a 20 yr old Somali girl who is trying to cram 12 years of education into 3, and is struggling
also with laptop issues. She also cares for her disabled Mom. Please pray that her longing for learning
will extend to a longing for Jesus.
Please continue to pray for four young Somali men struggling with addictions, mental illness, and trauma. Please pray for their repentance and reaching out to Jesus.
80,000!
Since 2015, in partnership with Pastor Emanoel, 232 villages have been visited and shown the Jesus Film! We calculate that more than 80,000 Bara has been exposed to the Gospel of Jesus.
The film we use starts in Genesis and goes through the ascension of Jesus, and is in the Bara language.
We still have some more villages to go to.
Please pray that the story of the Gospel will remain in Bara hearts and bear fruit for the Kingdom of Jesus.
Hunger season
We received an urgent request for help from Jacinta, a Kenyan missionary working among the Laarim in the village of Fara Sika. She is recently returned from a break in Kenya and has found the situation in the area dire due to food shortages. We were able to send her some food, but there will be more needs as dry season (often referred to as “hunger season” here in South Sudan) is upon us. Pray for Jacinta’s faith to grow as she trusts her daily needs to the Lord, and He faithfully provides everything she needs. Pray for mercy for the people she lives among.
Pray Earnestly
A local evangelist was sent from one church to start another church. As he started the new church, he shared the Gospel in other areas and was welcomed by a person of peace in three other villages. Another church has begun with 8 households, and a house church in another village, and more people are coming to Christ, praise God! His desire is to care well for these new believers, to let them grow spiritually with sound teaching, but finds it a struggle to care well for all the new believers. After traveling to one village, he goes to the second village, leaves again, goes to the third location, then leaves again, returns and repeats the circuit as often as he can, leaving those he’s taught to continue teaching others. The believers in the new church are looking to see who from among themselves can also be equipped and sent as church leaders to serve in the new places. Please pray for the spiritual growth of new Christians and for more Gospel carriers discipled who will go teach in the villages. “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
Diaspora in Florida
I had a cooking class with 5 Muslim women and 7 Christian women on Saturday. A Muslim
woman taught us how to make pita bread with hummus. In coming Saturdays, I am having sewing
classes, more cooking classes, and an international fashion show. Pray for opportunities to share the good news and for ears to hear!
• In November we plan to meet with Muslim leaders to pray with them and share the good news of a
God of love. Pray especially as we hope to introduce a pastor to the Imam who is building a mosque right next to his church.
Lord is working!
The Lord is working in the lives of many in the different villages around Nosybe and we praise Him! However, as we all know, when the Lord is working, Satan tries to hinder. Please pray for the Lord to protect His children. He is all powerful and the forces of evil must submit to Him.
Diaspora in Hong Kong
A North African Muslim teenager has been lost for a month. Please pray that he will be found.
H is an asylum seeker and will be released from the jail in December. She is a Muslim but she wants to go to church. Pray for her to find a suitable church.
AS’s husband abused her in the past and now she is under verbal abuse. Pray for her husband to be willing to receive treatment for his mental illness.
Riots
The riots and protests on the island have significantly increased this past month. So much so that a few neighborhoods have closed all businesses and schools. The mayor has said that there’s not much the police can do to stop the gangs. Please pray for peace, security and for change of hearts.
Diaspora in Europe
Pray for fruitful discipleship with seekers and new believers in the international student ministries in the cities of Nante, La Rochelle and Strasbourg, France. Ask that the Lord will lead us and guide us to those whose hearts are receptive to hear the Gospel news.
Mercy
Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into this harvest field. Ask God to show His mercy to the Tuareg.
Full armor
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6 v 12
Pray against the principalities and powers still holding many Alagwa hearts captive. Pray for breakthroughs. May the believers put on the full armor of God and take their stand!
Open doors
Thank God for new disciples from lotimor.
Pray for God to open doors for them to reach the Kachipo Suri, their most unreached neighbor.
Pray for God to provide means of transport to reach remote locations.
Christian teacher
Pray for the local Antakarana believer on Nosy Mitsio and his family. He is a teacher at the school. He is bold in his faith and some are very critical of this. Pray for spiritual protection and strength for him and his family. Pray many will listen to the message he shares and believe.
Come together
Pray for our ongoing discussions regarding working together with a local Fulani Body. May His hand lead us to them, or they come to us. May there be fruit from our discussions.
“Prayer lays hold of God’s plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are given the privilege of being the channels of the Holy Spirit’s prayer .” – E. Elliot
Seminar
Pray for a Bible training seminar that is happening right now in Magambua village, bringing church leaders from across Usandawe for fellowship and learning.
Grow strong
Pray for Y believers in the Horn to grow strong in their faith and share the good things God has done for them with others.
Needing healing
Mzee Hamisi is suffering from tuberculosis. We continually visit him and sing hymns together and pray together in the name of Jesus with his wife. Please pray for him and his family to come to Jesus and for Mzee Hamisi’s health.
Praise and prayers
Thank God for the discipleship groups in Kauto plateau that have multiplied well.
Give thanks for the obedience in the lives of the disciples.
Pray for God’s provision as rains have failed this season.
Give thanks for peace between neighboring communities.
Pray for Shamans to know God.
Pray for a Bible translation project that is to start soon.
