Education is a really difficult challenge for any believing family. All local schools teach and enforce the dominate faith. If the children of believers do not participate they are ostracized and even endangered. Homeschooling is not a cultural norm and many parents are not educated enough to teach. Pray for creative solutions that allow these kids to both be educated and know truth.
Pray they find Hope
Pray for the women in our community, many are economically challenged in the midst of family breakdowns. Pray that they will find hope in the Lord.
Pray for the upcoming Youth camp in December, for all the logistics and provision.
Pray for courage
Pray for Mama S, with whom I have been studying the Word for years. She seems more spiritually hungry than ever before, expressing her felt need for reconciliation with God. Pray for courage for her to lay hold of the one she knows can save her. And for her husband to get the same hunger.
Young men
We have had a busy month working alongside men in the farms and getting more opportunities to share the gospel. There is a group of five young men who came to request seeds from us and after we gave them, they have kept coming. We have been sharing the gospel with them. We are going to have a field day and would love to visit other demonstration plots with them. It is our prayer that they will see the power of the Lord and desire to follow Christ.
Opportunities
We’ve all had opportunities to share spiritual truth with friends and neighbors. Pray these seeds that have been planted would grow. Some receive the word quite receptively… others not so much! Pray for wisdom in knowing how to share and the language ability to be able to do so. Pray specifically for Zain’, Zar’ and Moub’ and Ab’, who are all hearing a lot of spiritual truth in our language lessons. Zar’ and Moub’ are married to each other so we’d love to see them come to faith together!
Mark distribution
I’m thankful for your prayers for the consultation of the book of Luke. It was very successful.
This week the hard copy of the book of Mark and audio recording is ready for people both South Sudan 🇸🇸 and Ethiopia 🇪🇹.
Please pray for the health of the Bible translation team.
Released
A local brother spent some months this summer in jail. Praise the Lord for his release. Ask for strength and wisdom as he and his family seek to remain in relationship with their tribal structures.
Trauma and mental illness
Pray for the mental health of our S students and population. The rate of trauma and mental illness resulting from unidentified trauma and experiences is very high among the S people. We have had several incidences among our students and within families of our community lately, and it is a real struggle. Education about mental illness is not valued and many do not understand what is happening or how best to help. Pray for our center as we navigate how to come alongside the community in this endeavor. Pray for open doors and conversation to be open and honest about these issues (which will hopefully lead to more gospel conversations).
Still has questions
Diaspora in France: One young university researcher, Mr. Lee, is interested in the Bible and knowing more about Jesus. He has already achieved “a lot of success” according to the world, yet he still has unanswered questions about life. As we continue to meet with him, pray the Holy Spirit will open his heart to believe!
Less resistance
Pray for my work with mentally ill patients. Surprisingly high numbers of patients are coming considering it’s the rainy season and people are busy planting. Pray for a paper to be signed by Minister of Health to authorise medications coming from Kenya. I’ve been waiting almost two months. Pray for grace and discernment talking with local people of Good News. There seems less resistance although still present. Pray for hearts seeking truth and hope.
Translation work
Translation teams are hard at work across the islands. Each island has its own language and the Word needs to be translated into each language to make it easy and comfortable to use. We praise the Lord for every person who has helped translate the Word into island languages so far.
Each island has a portion of the Word printed, and more available on phone apps.
Please ask the Father to encourage and protect our translators, and use His Word to
bring many to salvation.
Caring for and sharing with
Pray for our ministry at the hospital, especially for the seeds that have been sown to take root, and for the few people still at the hospital we are caring for and sharing with- Lea’, Yu’uf, Abdul’, Ali, Kadi’ and others.
Important conversations
For the S here in our city to come to know Jesus. The curriculum at our center is gospel centered, and there are many stories and verses within the lessons which lead to good, difficult conversations with our S students. Please pray for continued openness to these stories, and for the right students to hear the message behind the lessons. Pray for boldness and wisdom for our teachers and staff involved in teaching to have these important conversations with the S.
Do a mighty work Lord!
• Pray for the Jesus film to penetrate hard hearts.
• Pray for continued discipleship in the church with two young men.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work amongst the Kanembu people.
New schemes
Outside madarasa teachers have been brought in and are teaching the children so diligently and forcefully. They are also starting new classes for the women to be instructed in Islam. Pray against these new tactics to strengthen Islam. And pray specifically for the new believers’ families to realize what is happening and hunger, instead, for God’s word, and grow spiritually in Christ.
Update on trial
The hearing did not happen on Tuesday. It’s been postponed until 3rd September. Reason given was that not all the defendants were brought to the court and the hearing cannot happen if one of the defendants is missing. Pray for encouragement for the prisoners and their families after this disappointment. Pray the Lord will trouble the judge until he lets His people free.
Healing
Diaspora in DC: Pray for A. He is undergoing treatment for a cancerous tumor in his brain. Pray for miraculous and complete healing of his body in Jesus’ name.
Disciples who make disciples
Some local believers have been reaching out to vulnerable women in our town. Today they began training these women in how to make raffia crafts as an alternative income to prostitution. Please pray for these women as they learn from and walk with believers, that they would become disciples who make disciples!
Students
Pray for students who have completed classes to continue pondering what they have learned and that many would pursue truth.
Pray for God to prepare students for new classes starting in September and for wisdom during the interviews (August 26th) as to who is ready to join the upper-level classes.
Children coming
Diaspora in Hong Kong: Children’s Bible Class: Praise the Lord that five Muslim children, with open hearts, are taking an advanced Bible literacy course to learn about the Son’s story. Pray for them and their families to come to the Lord.
Consoling families
Opposition seems to be reducing here. Where one team member was banned from visiting a believer, she has now been twice. Meanwhile there have been many deaths recently, some of friends of the team. Pray that in consoling families, we can impart something of God’s love such that people will want to know more of the gospel. Pray that there will be no more deaths from HIV. I can think of 5 people at least who have died without treatment or almost so because of the associated stigma.
Birds keeping children from school
Pray for a solution to the bird problem. Birds are eating the crops, so children are staying home from school to help chase the birds away. Pray for a solution so that children can return to school.
Pray for those who we are sharing the gospel with- that the Lord would open their hearts to receive Jesus Christ.
Meet together
The Vanilla Island believers had a meeting last week with ‘Esther’, a believing leader from Clove Island. She challenged them to be in the Word regularly and to be meeting together regularly. The men and the women split up and each group made plans to meet bi-monthly. Pray that they would follow through on their commitments. Pray too that each one who truly claims the name of Jesus would be transformed by the Good News in such a way that other islanders will see the difference and be drawn to the Lord.
Trial Aug 13th
The prisoners’ trial was postponed to Aug 13. Pray for comfort and courage for the believers as they face the judge. Pray for the judge to be convicted by the Lord and for all the prisoners to be released.
Do the right thing
Pray for resources for S families; our country is very open to refugees and they are welcome (in theory) but it has become difficult for some to receive proper paper work and refugee status to receive all of the benefits they need for their livelihood and families. Food and medical attention specifically are difficult to come by at times. Pray for the government to continue to do the right thing and grant refugee status if they allow S to enter in to the country freely. Pray for organizations to be in the right places and offer assistance as necessary.
Creation to Christ
Diaspora in Alberta: Praise for the ESL Bible study we help with on Mondays that has 21 students attending, primarily from Asia, although a few from the Middle East, Africa and South America. Monday the 12th is the final study where Doug (leader) will tell them about Jesus. It’s a very short study, meant to be a quick Creation to Christ overview and also show us students who are interested in studying the Bible. The majority of Bible study students this summer are women. Pray that I will be able to connect with some of these women before the start of the September semester.
Reaching men and women
Diaspora in Florida: Pray for continued close relationships for me with my imam friends and for God to banish the spirit of deception that keeps them blinded.
My wife’s ministry with Muslim women is flourishing and keeping her and the other volunteers quite busy. Pray for them for strength and creativity. And balancing priorities.
Grow and Share
Pray for more Holy Spirit enlightening of hearts and quickened understanding and growth. These new believers are like newborn babes- they need lots of discipling and growth. Pray for all of the new believers and their families and for the main Timothy2:2 shepherd’s protection from all the schemes of the evil one, and that they all will grow in wisdom, boldness and understanding! Pray they continue to share with their friends and loved ones and bring them to Jesus!
Lost husband
Please pray for Mama P., who just lost her husband to illness. Pray for God’s comfort and provision for her and her young daughters.
New students
Diaspora in Brazil: Pray for the reception of new university students, may there be a man and a woman of peace among non-Christians arriving on campus. Pray for blessing on outreach events to get new students plugged into Bible studies and other programs.
Summer activities
Diaspora in California: Pray for our summer activities with International students. Praise for the Ladies’ Bible study going well. Whatever we do, may the students come to know God’s grace and salvation. Specifically pray for salvation for Thomas and Chris.
Islamic leaders
Pray for Islamic leaders. Pray that the Lord would give them a special revelation of who He is and that they in turn would be able to teach truth that sets men free!
Summer Camp
Diaspora in Germany: Pray for the Injil Summer Camp that will take place near Passau, Germany later this month. Pray for open hearts to understand and respond to the gospel. Pray for Jamal and team as they prepare.
Believing couple
We rejoice with a believing couple on this island who got married this week. The
husband is from this island and it is still rare to have local believers marrying other
believers. (Just last month a Christian leader was married to a Muslim.) May the Lord bless this new marriage and grant it to be an example and light to other local believers as they walk out their singleness/married lives in faithfulness to Jesus.
New believers!
Pray for new believers: Pray for H’bib, that God would calm the anger of his family after he told them he is a believer, help them to listen, and open their own hearts to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for Abo’, a new believer, who has been uncontactable. I fear that something bad has happened. Pray for Cham’ and for his wife, as she considers becoming a believer in Jesus.
Family picnic
Diaspora in Michigan: Please pray for all the details to come together for our family picnic outreach on Friday 8/23, including school supplies to give away and the final funding. Pray that people would come and begin relationships or sign up for a program where they can have regular gospel exposure.
Needs
Pray for educational opportunities for our community. The Ik people are left out in terms of education, leading to under development.
Pray against conflicts imposed on Ik by the neighbors of Dodoth and Turkana of Kenya and Didinga of South Sudan. Pray for peace.
Doing well
On a recent visit, we were encouraged to see the church and its leaders doing well and even sharing and visiting other churches in the Kauto plateau and on the Ethiopian side. Pray for them to continue to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and for the Lord to add to their number day by day those who are being saved.
Hearing scripture
Praise that the 9 yr old S boy staying with me this summer is having opportunities to hear Scripture in Arabic and in Spanish! Please pray for him to have an open heart and open mind.
Still in prison
Pray for those still imprisoned to know the presence of Jesus, the fellowship of his suffering, to declare their unwavering decision to keep following Jesus… (even if in pain or doubt they recanted in the past)… and pray for the court case Aug 13 … for the kingdom of God to advance and Jesus’ name be lifted high and families reunited.
