Continue to pray that fear not rule and that as people suffer for the sake of Jesus, they will not deny him.
Gospel of Luke
Praise the Lord that the first printing of the Gospel of Luke in Antanala has been completed, and that work on the book of Acts has begun. Pray that as the Antanala read and hear God’s word in their own language, it would take root in their hearts. Pray that they would find eternal freedom from their deep-rooted fears by putting their trust in Christ as their Savior.
Opposition
An Antakarana believer walked 4 hours to attend a fellowship group in a far-off village. Pray for wisdom as plans are being made to visit this man’s village to see about gathering the few believers there for fellowship. Ask for God’s wisdom to bring unity through their common ties to Christ. Pray against the attacks of the enemy, which are in full swing in this Muslim community: the village headman is now forbidding the teaching of Bible stories (previously permitted). Pray that this situation would give further opportunity to share the gospel, and that the Lord would keep the door for witness and discipleship open on this Little Island. Please also lift up P & F, Malagasy missionaries working amongst the Antakarana: they receive little support which isn’t enough to meet their personal needs, so pray for abundant provision from Jehovah Jireh.
God at work!
There is talk that the Muslims in town do not want to be Muslim any more and there is no explanation they can give as to why!
Gideon is talking to an older Rangi Muslim. He acted interested in the Bible and who Jesus is. He went and bought a Bible and has asked Gideon to help him understand it. Praise God for how He is working. Pray He draws many to Himself.
A local man goes into ministry!
Praise God that D, from a local village, is being ordained into ministry by one of the churches. Pray he would be a testimony to God’s power as he serves the church and his community. Pray that his wider family and friends would ask questions and be open to hearing more about the gospel.
Suffering Greatly
A South Asian Muslim mother is suffering extreme loneliness and depression. Her husband lost his job and is in poor health. He is often unkind in how he talks to her. Their only daughter is a preschool teacher whose income goes to cover rent. The mother is asking for Bible stories to be sent daily to her through her phone. Please pray that she will call out to Jesus and discover that He is truly a strong and sufficient Savior.
Newborns
Praise God for answering prayer on “Clove Island,” giving boldness and compassion to local believers, which has led to more Islanders accepting Christ as their Lord and Savior! Pray for the brothers and sisters there to be led by the Holy Spirit in discipling these “newborns” and in intentionally meeting and modelling what it looks like to be a Follower there. Pray that the local body would start more regular fellowship times. Pray that they would continue to develop their own unique, culturally appropriate ways to fellowship in and follow Christ.
Perseverance and grace
Ask for perseverance and grace for believing spouses. And for courage/wisdom/trust to know how to meet together for fellowship.
Sick with Covid
A South Asian Muslim family have gone to be near their in-laws who are sick in the hospital with Covid. They have heard the gospel repeatedly and received Christian literature and Bibles. The fear is that the family will have much interpersonal conflict if the in-laws pass away. There are many inheritance issues to settle. Pray that the Lord will speak to them during this time of heightened stress and anxiety, showing them that Islam is a false way and that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
Reading the Word
The Muslim watchman at a friend’s house asked very directly for a Bible, as he has time to read. The first Bible we took he could not read, because of the small print. We took a big print Bible to him tonight and he was very grateful. We pray that God’s Word will not return void, but bring enlightenment and real revelation of JESUS HIS Savior.
Lamb of God
Pray that as believers get ready to celebrate the Eid next month, they will reject the spirit of Islam, identify with Jesus and boldly tell their friends/family about the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Kidnapping
In the news for the last two weeks there are reports about S@mali girls and children being kidnapped, and abused or murdered if ransom is not paid. One of the girls was kidnapped in the capital, with serious injuries, but now thankfully she has been rescued by policemen. However, there are still some girls missing. Please pray for them.
This news makes our students and other S@malis living in the neighbourhood very frightened. May God protect them and pray the kidnapping gang will be arrested soon.
Shining Out with the Word of Life!
Praise God for new church plants that are growing! One church hosted a Vacation Bible School with 57 local children attending, another church plant has grown to 23 adults attending plus children, another church plant is praising God for four local leaders who have stepped up to oversee church affairs. And these new churches are reaching out to neighboring areas, beginning Bible studies groups and more churches. Pray that these village churches will stand strong, evangelize in their surrounding areas, and the Holy Spirit will lead men and women yet unsaved to repentance and salvation.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 1 Peter 2:3
New opportunities
Praise the Lord that despite having to leave ministry amongst the Mwani of Pemba, Rachel has made connections with several Mwani in Nampula! Pray for boldness and open doors to share the gospel with these new friends, who have had seeds sown in the past by others like Steve E. Pray for continued eagerness for these Mwani to study the gospel in their heart language with Rachel, that as they hear more about the Living God they would accept his free invitation into the Kingdom!
Time
Please pray for 3 MBB’s (M* background believers) that God may give them time so that we can share our lives and walk together. They are busy trying to balance their work and travels and time to connect with us. Pray that God may give them time for fellowship and friendship with our team.
Set them free!
Please continue to pray for breakthrough amongst a few Alagwa believers who need healing from hurt in their past. May God continue to heal them and set them free.
A Broad Fellowship
Pray for the Ndengereko Christians to have contact with Matumbi and Swahili Bantu believers in Christ, and that as they begin to see how broad the fellowship of the Body of Christ is, they will be strengthened to proclaim the gospel to their neighbors and families.
Walking in Him
Please pray that those M believers who have received Jesus Christ by faith will walk in Him, being rooted and grounded in love, filled with all wisdom and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might according to His glorious power, full of faithfulness and perseverance.
Planting
The rains have fallen and the Laarim have been planting gardens. This is the season the men and boys return home from the cattle camps to help with cultivation. Pray the Holy Spirit would move mightily in this season, that both spiritually and physically “the Lord will indeed give what is good, and [their] land will yield its harvest” (Psalm 85:12).
Medical Outreaches
Pray for a second mobile medical outreach happening June 19th, a joint effort with medically trained local believers and missionaries. Pray that this service to the community’s poor, sick, and those hurting would honor God and be a faithful witness of the love of Christ. May those being screened and cared for know that as they are physically cared them, God is also concerned for their spiritual state. May the community know as we offer care for all, so too, Christ welcomes all to come to Him in prayer concerning their physical and spiritual state. Pray that believers will invite unbelievers into relationship with Christ. Pray that local believers will be encouraged through the outreach.
Joyfully praising God
On a recent outreach the following happened…
“Next to the last night of the Jesus film showing, this elderly islamic man was touched by all that he was hearing and seeing. When the time came for praying to receive Jesus, he boldly walked forward, got on his knees and prayed for forgiveness of his sins and confessed Jesus as Lord! Pray for the local church leadership there, especially Mzee Deos, the elder that will be mentoring this new believer. Not very often do you see such openness and boldness. (This was in front of about 150 people.) The next morning for worship service, he was there, joyfully praising God!
Wonderful news!
Praise God for a Tanzania believer who has been working among the Ndengereko people and has seen some fruit and has started several house churches! Also one of the guys on our team has a farm in the Ndengereko area and this past year has felt called to start reaching the Ndengereko people where his farm is. Several Ndengereko have since come to Christ and he helped them start to meet regularly and will continue to disciple and train them to make disciples. Pray for these new believers to grow strong in the Lord and share the good things God has done for them.
Bibi Z
One day Bibi Z came to my porch while I was reading an action Bible in Swahili to the kids. She wanted to read some and asked if I could teach her. Several weeks later when she was here, she asked to see the Bible again. Megan was here and was able to discuss with her Genesis and we played the first chapter of Genesis in Rangi. She asked if she could listen to more later so I downloaded the app on my phone. I gave her the swahili book of John and she started reading before she went back home. Pray that there would be conviction in her heart that Jesus is the only way to the Father. Pray for the Holy Spirit to soften her heart and prepare her for the coming conversations.
New students!
Moh*, one of our very good friends and a man of peace, asked if we could start an English class for 6 students. This was an answer to prayer that God bring the students back to class!
We accepted and thanked God for this new class. Our first meeting to meet the excited students and introduce the class was last week. Four students (2 guys and 2 ladies) came. We agreed on a plan to have 3 classes per week starting this week. Please pray that God will lead us to connect to their hearts as we teach and share our lives with them.
Joy in Serving Together
Pray for coordination and cooperation and wisdom for those missionaries, evangelists and pastors who are living among the Digo people, that the Holy Spirit will give them great effectiveness in evangelism and that He will give them joy in serving together.
My friend Z
Please pray for my new friend Z. A Hindu friend of ours introduced us to Z and her family. At the time Z’a father-in-law was very sick, and our Hindu friend took us to Z’s house saying, “These people will pray for your father in the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Jesus!” How interesting that the Lord used our Hindu friend as a person of peace to open the door into this Muz family. Z welcomed us and was happy for us to pray for her father-in-law. Her father-in-law improved, and we thanked the Lord for that. A few weeks later, however, her father-in-law declined again…and soon after passed away. We went to visit Z a couple of days ago and shared the 2 Kingdoms story with her. She listened well and shared that she had learned some about Jesus in high school. She is now very lonely as she has been putting all of her time and energy into caring for her father-in-law while her husband works and kids are at school. Pray that in this time of loneliness, she would seek and find Jesus. Pray that we would know how to lovingly care for her and point her to Him!
SS missionaries
Luka and Umjuma continue to do well in Lopit and are very much appreciated by the AIM team and the local community. We are so encouraged to hear that when Luka is away, his wife Umjuma leads the weekly bible studies and Sunday morning church services – she is thriving in village life and ministry, and we praise God! They ask prayer for good relationships and for peace among Lopit villages (there has been an escalation of insecurity in the area due to inter-tribal conflict). They also ask prayer for more opportunities to start more DBS groups (Bible study), and for more students to join TEE (Theological Education by Extension). Please join them in their prayers for the Lopit!
Luka is also asking us to pray for his health condition. He has been suffering greatly from a skin disease since he and Umjuma moved to Iboni. There is one medicated cream that seems to help, but it is not easy to obtain. Please pray for healing.
Two Praises and a Prayer
Praise the Lord! Yesterday some tricky issues of power at the Christian radio station were fixed, and now we should have a much clearer transmission of the good news far and wide over the Gabbra. Another huge praise, this Sunday morning at the church in Dukana 60 people came forward desiring to take the next step of public baptism! Please pray for these Gabbra people who are coming out of Islam desiring to become followers of Christ.
Diaspora in Canada
Pray for “A” , a Somali man who lives in Toronto. He’s asking questions about Jesus and the meaning of the “last days”. Pray that the Gospel will become clear in conversations with him.
Also, pray for “Harry”, a believer from Somali background. “Harry” is traveling to Somalia to visit his family. They are eager to win him back to Islam. Pray for strength, courage, and endurance for him when he visits his family this summer.
Jesus Film
Prayers appreciated as we start the voice recordings for the Jesus Film in Alagwaisa next Monday morning. We will spend a week in town with the guys voicing Jesus and the Narrator. The second week we will record the rest of the voices in our location.
Pray for faith
Dan and Joel have now completed sharing the 25 Bible Story set at Chief Angelo’s compound, which tells God’s story from Creation to the Resurrection and Faith. Pray that all who have listened to God’s Truth would “fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness” (Joshua 24:14). May Chief Angelo and his whole family “throw away the…gods that are among [them] and yield [their] hearts to the Lord” (24:23).
Breakthrough prayer
“Father, these O hearts have remained hard and resistant for way too long. Pour out your spirit to convict their hearts and draw them into responding and receiving salvation through Jesus, by your grace, and by their faith, as your gift. Oh how they love gifts! May many O. receive this best gift ever and become your strong disciples! In Jesus name!“
Darkness
Pray for more workers to be sent to the Lopit field. There is darkness here- pray for the Light to shine, for the Lord to give endurance to His people, and for an end to the violence and instability in the region.
Called To Go
Pray for ongoing efforts to place missionary/evangelists in every major Datooga village and town without a church. Pray for the Lord to raise up people who love Jesus Christ and are called by Him to go.
Turn and Be Saved
Pray for a South Asian family that needs Jesus Christ. They are hearing the gospel from believers, and considering whether it is true. Pray that they will turn and be saved.
Considering What to Do
Pray for Borana pastors who are considering how to reach out to a nearby Muslim tribe that speaks their language but has no believers in Christ and no churches. How could they begin? Pray for wisdom to see the way forward.
Diaspora in the UK
Pray for the Somali women and children in Cardiff, England who attend sewing groups and homework clubs. Ask God to open their hearts to the love of Jesus they experience as they hear Bible stories and interact with church volunteers.
Mama S and Mama B
Mama S. has expressed interest in going to the local Bible study with Shara but has yet to come, pray that the Holy Spirit would call her and open her eyes to see Jesus as her Savior and Lord.
Mama B is due to have her baby this week and wants me to pray for her. I am inviting her over today and have written out a prayer in swahili to pray over her. Pray that it will speak to her and touch her heart deeply and for questions to be raised about why we put our trust and hope in Jesus. Pray that through her labor and delivery, God’s light will shine through me and that she would see His love for her.
God’s good work
Praise the Lord for His good work in islanders’ lives and for growing the fellowship here! In the past three months local believers have led 3 more islanders to faith. Praise God for more of the Word being translated, for a set of children’s bible story books, and for new worship songs being written. Pray for God’s blessing on moving back to regular gatherings, for new leaders to be trained, for growth and protection from false teaching, false leaders, and false motivations.
Diaspora in Minnesota
Pray for an Ethiopian man who is experiencing demonic dreams and oppression. His recent conversation with a Christian revealed that he has used the name of Jesus to stop the demonic encounters. However, the demon responds that the Ethiopian doesn’t believe in Jesus, which is true. Pray that the Ethiopian man will understand that he must place his trust in Jesus from the heart and receive salvation so that the demon will leave.
