Likawage is an outreach post where a Timo team is to begin late 2021. There is much to pray for: relationship building, house preparations, and incarnational living by the national team leader. Several people have already responded to the Gospel! Pray for boldness as they witness in this completely Islamic village in southern Tanzania.
Prayer requests
1. Pray for disciples, leaders, and sustainability
2. Pray for the young churches
3. Pray for water in lopyat
4. Pray for peace with neighbors
5. Pray for the outreach in January till March
Good sharing times
Thank God that we are having good sharing times with our friends and building more solid friendship with our students who are in training. Ask God to grant them faith.
Please also remember those who are divorced by their husbands and raising their kids alone with not much income. Pray for God’s mercy.
Life through water and Spirit…
Two youth who are being discipled are asking to be baptized as they continually grow in their relationship and intimacy with Christ. Pray for their spiritual and physical boldness as they align themselves with Christ and declare to the community that they have renounced Ancestral worship, witch-doctors and Shrine practices.
Come and hear
Two of the brothers who don’t yet believe have been softer and listening to their sister testify. Ask for their salvation… and for the extended family from the mountains that often comes and hears. May they bring the gospel back to their mountain homes.
Victory over Death!
Pray for two sisters in Christ who returned to following traditional beliefs about the death of a twin and the necessity to avert impending danger of more evil if certain rituals were not performed. Pray that they would let their faith in Christ grow bigger than their fears and that they would arm themselves with the Word hidden in their heart knowing “the Lord is on my side; I will not fear.” (Ps. 118:6) Heavenly Father, deliver all those who through fear of death subject themselves to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
Ambassadors of the King
Lord, please hear our prayers for those Christians who bring the gospel to the Borana, Rendille, Gabbra, Somali and Samburu. May they spread out their hands to you; may they thirst for you like a parched land. Answer them quickly, LORD, when their spirit fails. Do not hide your face from them or they will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring them word of your unfailing love, for they have put their trust in you. Show them the way they should go, for to you they entrust their life. Rescue them from their enemies, LORD, for they hide themselves in you. Teach them to do your will, for you are their God; may your good Spirit lead them on level ground. For your name’s sake, LORD, preserve their life; in your righteousness, bring them out of trouble. In your unfailing love, silence their enemies, for they are your servants.
Husbands to come to Jesus
Please pray for the spouses of married believers to turn to God. Pray particularly for the husbands of a few secret women believers in one community. Lord, may these men have a hunger to know you!
Protection for Outreach Workers
Pray for the health of missionaries and their families. Plead for God’s protection against chronic illnesses and many other unexplained attacks against His people as they reach out to Somalis with the gospel. Psalm 91: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Pray for the Lord to keep His people under His wings.
Sports and Gospel
Dan and Joel have started a soccer ministry on Sunday evenings in Kimatong, a 6km bike ride from their home in Kali. Pray that as they reach out to the young people through this fun time, there will be many opportunities to share spiritual truths that have eternal value.
Steadfast
Please pray that the Christian pastor and his wife who are currently sharing Christ among the Zigua will be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that their labor is not in vain in the Lord.
New storying group
Chris and Fiona recently had contact with an old Didinga man named Victor. He is a believer and has agreed to a storying group starting on his compound. Pray that neighbors and friends of Victor will come to hear the stories the team share from the Bible each week.
Transferred
Please pray that the Zaramo will be transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son, and through Him receive redemption, the forgiveness of their sins. Pray that they will know the one true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent into the world for them.
Living water
Praise God for a working borehole in Kali, the community Dan and Joel live in among the Laarim. This was an opportunity to work together with Paulo, a Laarim man trained by NGOs to repair boreholes. Pray that Dan and Joel’s service to the community and love for the people would give them many opportunities to keep sharing about Jesus, the “spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).
Courage
The mother of a still secret believer has been receiving readings about the prophecies of Jesus during advent and her daughter overheard her discussing them with her brother. They both agreed that although Islam says Jesus wasn’t crucified… they believe he was. Ask for courage for the daughter to identify with Jesus and share with her family.
Read and Hear the Word of God
Please pray that the Ndengereko will read the Word of God and hear it from Christians of other tribes who live around them. Pray that the testimony of those who saw, heard, and handled the Word of Life will speak powerfully in their hearts to convince them the testimony is true. Pray that they will come into fellowship with Jesus and His people.
Zeal
“They have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge.” This is also a description of the Digo people. Please pray that as they have zealously clung to Islam, in the future they will have a reputation for being zealous for Jesus.
The Place of Jesus
Praise the Lord for thousands from the Toposa tribe who are coming to the Lord. James Lokuuda, who returned there in 2007 after attaining his MA in theology and also training as a translator, writes: ‘In 2018 there was an explosion of God’s Word spreading beyond our efforts. At this time there is grounding and true believers who have tasted the goodness of the Lord and his salvation. 2 weeks ago I went to the place where we had a mission in the 80s-known as Kalokupe- that place has been renamed by the believers as KAAYESU, meaning THE PLACE OF JESUS.’ Please pray for Lokuuda and the challenge of discipling the multitude of believers. A solar radio station and solar radios would be of great benefit to teach the mainly illiterate Toposa.
Training Evangelists
Please continue to pray for Pastor Emmanuel as he recruits and trains evangelists to live in ten key Datooga towns in order to share the gospel and make disciples among them. Pray for the Datooga people to have a hunger and eagerness to learn God’s Word, and that the entrance of the Word will bring light.
Needing Salvation
Pray for Joseph, that Jesus would save his soul and set him free from the bondage of alcohol. Pray that Jesus would heal him from the trauma in his life so that he would become a testimony in his community of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Fellowship
Pray for the Borana that they will believe the testimony of the Word of Life, and that they will have fellowship with the Father, with His Son Jesus Christ, and with all others who also believe in Him.
Good Soil
Pray for people of peace in the Laarim communities of Ngarahac and Lotopocho where Noblesse is seeking to spread the seeds of the gospel. Pray for men and women in these communities who “hear the word and understand it… [and] produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 13:23).
Acknowledge God
Pray for the church leadership, that they would trust in God with all their hearts and not lean on their own understanding. May they acknowledge you, God, in all their ways. Give them boldness as they lead.
A new opportunity
An opportunity has arisen for some of our team to move to a new village to work alongside the church there. Please pray for God’s clear leading as they seek his direction.
God’s Spirit Gives Life
Elijah prayed first. Then Elijah stretched himself on the widow’s dead son three times, and God’s Spirit restored life to the boy. Pray that South Asians will come into contact with believers who love them, and that by the power of the Holy Spirit they will be brought to life in Jesus.
2021 Goals
Praise God John is better and is headed home with an oxygen concentrator. He asks for prayer that the team members who spend Christmas in their home village Mewun will clearly share Christ with their people.
Please pray for the team’s 2021 goals:
Revise the gospels of Matthew, Luke and John (they’ve already finished Mark)
Get all 4 gospels printed for distribution among the Suri
Produce the Jesus film in their language: Suri (Kaçipo-Balesi)
Pray against polygamy
Pray against polygamy, both among the older people and this new generation, who are following the steps of their ancestors and ending up in premature marriages.
Pray for the grandmothers and wise women who are responsible for the premature marriages in continuation of the traditions of the ancestors.
Pray for the few true Christians who battle against these cultural practices and find the pressure against them and their families huge.
Pray that God would raise up healthy churches, true churches without these cultural practices mixed in and churches committed to the Word of God.
Way Forward
Pray for wisdom for the way forward with the ministry that has started in Mahiria. Pray for Chris and Leno (a Didinga believer) as they look to discipling the five who gave their lives to Jesus. And pray for wisdom about the way forward to reach others in the community of Mahiria (which is several hours from where the team lives in Nagishot).
Filled with hope
Lord, we pray that the eyes of the heart of Alagwa believers may be enlightened in order that they may know the hope to which you have called them, the riches of your glorious inheritance in your holy people.
May your people amongst the Alagwa be filled with hope in you today. May they know you more.
Diaspora in Florida
Pray for open hearts and open schedules for our imam friends. We are working on the Abrahamic Faith Study Bible. Pray for us to decide on the right platform to use (digital or print? Which app if digital?) And pray that our imam friends will be excited to study with us.
Counting Them Loss
“Whatever things were gain to me, those I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ,” the apostle Paul said. The Swahili Arab are proud of their heritage and pedigree. They are very much like Paul who sought a righteousness through works and trusted in his ethnicity and status to give him spiritual credit. Pray that they will count everything loss for the sake of knowing Christ and being found in Him.
Diaspora in Canada
Praise for about 30 North African ESL students, 10 of whom meet at our church regularly.
Pray for these students – that many will come, and come with open hearts, to our Christmas event (online and in person) where we will share the gospel.
Pray for our Impact Kids, about 12 families who will receive a tin of candy canes, a Christmas card and a children’s Christmas book explaining the gospel.
Pray for Yu., Sa., and Lo. who have begun reading the Bible. Yu. was excited at first, but it
seems as though his wife (who is a more devout Muslim) has scared him and he has had some excuses this past week for not getting together.
Opening for discussion
There is this young Som* who has been learning the guitar with me using YouTube. We have something in common: we both talk a lot. As a result, we cover a wide range of topics.
One day as we talked, he said he would bring me a book as a gift. The title of the book is ”An analytical study of Christianity and Islam — Questions & Answers”. It is written by Muhammad from Saudi.
From a quick review of the book, I noticed that the questions and answers are ‘twisted’ and the writer has tried as much as possible to quote from the Bible.
We want to thank God that this is an opening for discussion and that the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us to the truth. His truth. Please pray with us.
Diaspora in France
Pray for H who has heard the Gospel and is willing to start reading the Bible together. Pray that God will work in her heart.
Pray for wisdom and favor during the Christmas season as we share the Gospel.
Pray for more workers. We need more full-time workers, especially in La Rochelle. Pray that the Lord would send workers into the harvest.
Diaspora in Canada
We are under lockdown in Toronto, but the schools are still open. About half the kids at the local
public school are opting for in home learning but really struggle. Please pray that we will be able to continue to help the kids who can’t use Zoom with their homework, and that as we go we’ll be conduits of Christ in word and in deed.
Please pray for my friend J. who has moved from being hard in his opposition to the Gospel to coming to church (once so far) with me and appreciating prayer.
Pray as well for our Somali Christian friends who are scattered around the city and for divisions to be overcome.
Pray also for deliverance for our Somali Christian friends who struggle with mental illness and addictions, and for me to be an encouragement to them via phone and visits.
Brave women
Please pray for Toposa believers who were savagely beaten for not following their father’s faith (a combination of witchcraft and Catholicism). These young women are facing a hard time because of their faith and for discipling others. Pray for them as they continue to lead discipleship groups at Bakita Catholic Girls’ High School (where they are boarding students) and in their home village.
Diaspora in Malta
Please pray for the South African church here in Malta to have vision and passion to share the Gospel with migrants and Maltese.
Pray for the new leaders that have been raised up: that they would not be discouraged but instead be renewed in His Spirit and remain steadfast. May the Lord open a door for fruitful ministry.
Pray for Unity
We are encouraged by recent conversations with Joshua, the AIC pastor in Chukudum (a village down the mountain from Nagishot), and Pastor Luka of the E-Free church in Torit. These men are starting to talk about partnership between the AIC church in Chukudum and the E-Free Church in Nagishot. Pray that God will strengthen the partnership between the AIM missionaries and the church in South Sudan in these Didinga Hills, so that together they can reach more of the Didinga with the gospel of Christ.
Diaspora in Brazil
Pray for Brazil, the cases of COVID-19 are increasing again where our members are working, therefore, we have started some restrictions again. Pray that our teams, along with volunteers, will continue to manage this situation with God’s guidance.
Pray for all of our refugee and immigrant friends that we are sharing our faith with. Pray that the Lord will put the right words on our lips that will touch their hearts and minds.
Pray that God will bless the Refugee Christmas outreaches that our teams are preparing in different cities.
Taking more leadership
Praise God for how He is building His church among the Laarim! Kleava is a farmer who sought out the Word of God and is applying it to his life. Logemet and Lokorai, two teenagers that Noblesse is mentoring, are taking more leadership among the believers. Pray that God will build his church upon these “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5).
