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).
Church building
The Dorobo church start at Ilkilorit, where we dedicated the plot and some building materials in August, now has a structure. The family of Ole Moijoi gave permission for the church to be built on their land. Several of the young people in the family have become believers. Pray for the old man himself to come to a true faith in Christ. I’ve attached a photo of the structure for the new church going up at Ilkilorit in 2020.
Christmas celebration
Today one of the local brothers has arranged a Christmas celebration at an office building. About 25 local believers have said they’ll come… bringing food to share. Ask for love and grace and courage. Many haven’t met before. Two, including the one inviting had fevers yesterday. Ask for healing.
Diaspora in Kentucky
Praise God for opportunities to encourage a believer back in the Horn. Please pray for this brother’s faith and provision as he is struggling to find a job to provide for his family. Praise God that he is sharing the Gospel with his wife. Pray for her salvation.
Praise God for the growing prayer group for Somalis here in Kentucky. Although we had to postpone a special Somali engagement training because of Covid restrictions we will still meet virtually for prayer and encouragement
Persecution
Pray for Osca, a young Toposa man, who has been facing persecution from people in his home village. He is abused and blamed for every problem because he is a believer. Osca is a strong leader that God is using to reach the Toposa. Pray that he will maintain his integrity and faith no matter what he faces.
Diaspora in UK
Indoor socially-distanced activities have relaunched:
– Thanking God that we have relaunched indoor activities for Friends (women’s group) and the girls’ Homework Club (ages 11-18).
– Pray for God’s provision of attendees, for open hearts and health.
Christmas story presentation for Muslim women:
– Pray for friends using 6 weeks of English lessons to read portions from the Bible of the Christmas story.
– Pray for our next Zoom sewing session on the 14th Dec. We will share an Arabic/English presentation about the announcement of Jesus’ birth (Luke 1). Pray for open ears and hearts!
Purify your church Lord
Pray that the Ndau people would have a full understanding of the Word of God and that their lives would be truly transformed in the Light of the Word of God.
Pray that God would destroy the witchcraft in the midst of the culture, including in the lives of Christians.
Pray against the religiousness and syncretism in the Church.
Diaspora in Portland
We have had to close Pamoja English classes till at least the beginning of January. We are switching back to online classes till things open up. Please pray for God- ordained conversations on our zoom meetings.
Please pray for our Sunday house church. S. from Somalia has not come the last couple of times. She is making excuses each time. Please pray that God will give her a hunger and thirst to come and hear from God’s Word. A. from Algeria has been coming regularly and is growing in his faith.
Messiah
In some of our storying groups we have just shared the story of the Messianic prophecies and the Virgin birth of our Saviour. Pray the Lord will increase the Didinga listeners’ understanding and stir their hearts to hunger for more spiritual food and fruit.
Diaspora in France
Praise God for some good conversations over the last week. Please pray that as restrictions in France ease that I can meet with the friends I’ve been having spiritual conversations with.
Pray especially for a new Moroccan friend I met a couple weeks before the recent lockdown. Pray that during this Christmas season I would be able to share the Gospel with her, and that God would give her a soft heart to really hear it.
TEE
We are grateful we have been able to continue doing TEE (Theological Education by Extension) with Thomas and Clement since Robert and Carol have gone on home assignment. Pray for these men to grow in their knowledge of God and His will for their lives, their families, and their communities. Pray that their wives would see Jesus’ love lived out in their husbands and come to believe. Please also pray for Paulo, a Lopit pastor in another village who was doing TEE with Justin. Pray the Lord will provide a means for him to continue in his studies.
Heal John D
John D (young man working with Wycliffe) continues to suffer from poor health and was recently hospitalized in very serious condition. He has suffered much with health problems, the loss of a young child, and recently the loss of his wife. The evil one does not want John D’s tribe to get God’s Word in their own language and come to know Jesus, and seems to be trying one tactic after another to attack John. Pray for this man to know the all-surpassing power that is from God: he is “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:7-9).
Diaspora in Washington
Please join us in prayer for the Mommy & Toddler class launching on Saturday mornings. We ask God to send his Holy Spirit to guide this time and trust His work in the lives of our student’s children. Luke 18:16+17
We praise Jesus! I have been able to connect with a brother in Christ from DRC during the new evening men English conversation classes. Last Tuesday during class, God provided and I used Genesis 1:2 and Luke 1:35 to explain the deity of Christ and pray with N’s family, Please pray for our friend N’s family. Her brother was recently kidnapped and is being held for ransom in her home country. We pray for his safe release and this family to find their ransom already paid by the blood of Jesus. Gen.50:20 and 1 Peter 1:19
Diaspora in Portland
The Ethiopian Youth Bible Club is moving to a natural point of decision, and only the Lord knows which of these dear young people truly understand the Gospel and have personally trusted Jesus. May we have wisdom to work in harmony with God’s Spirit as He invites them to receive His mercy.
Medical training
Angelo, a young Laarim man, has been a faithful member of the team in Kimatong. He recently went for studies in a town near Nairobi, Kenya to become a clinical officer. Although he is already missed by the team and communities where he has been actively leading several groups in oral bible studies and discipleship, we trust that this is the plan of the Lord, and that God will sustain and multiply disciples where Angelo has been ministering. Angelo is eager to finish his studies so that he can return to the Laarim and continue to serve the Lord in his home community. Please pray for Angelo as he adjusts to life in Kenya. Pray the Lord will use him as a witness wherever he is.
