*The devil is working over- time to discourage our brothers and sisters from our favorite people group (Somalis). We’re experiencing a lot of division, alienation, family issues, grief, depression, addictions, and disunity. Please pray for a major revival and that our disunity may become true Christian community, eager for discipleship, growth, Christian maturity and real fellowship.
* Please pray also for deeper connection with our open or seeking Somali friends, even in the midst of our ongoing lockdown.
Run to Jesus
Ask for courage for Arab believers to speak to their families of Jesus, to believe that there is new family in Christ, to willingly follow Jesus even in the valley of the shadow of death. Many have died recently. May believers run to Jesus in their grief.
Another light
We have prayed for God to move in the hearts of Lopit believers, to return to their people to be proclaimers of the gospel among their own. God has raised up a Lopit family who have recently returned to their village, after being in Kenyan refugee camps for years, with a calling to share Christ with their people! Pray for this family to stand firm in the faith and bear much fruit for the glory of God’s kingdom among the Lopit.
Hearing and believing
Pray for the Didinga, who are hearing Bible stories from the team, to understand truth and what it means for their lives. Pray for a growing desire to hear more and understand better the message of the gospel. Continue to lift up Victor and his household, that they will be true followers of Jesus. Pray for Lino to grow in his shepherding of the new believers. Pray for every child and youth who have heard the gospel to believe and be transformed.
Satisfaction
This week I got a message from a Mslim friend. I had invited her to hear a series of recorded stories on the gospel of John. She refused, then said, “I am listening to these Youtube videos that help me learn Quranic Arabic.” How to answer? I did not want to scold her. She is hungry for spiritual nourishment, and still hoping her religion will satisfy. Finally I reflected back, “You want to learn more Quranic Arabic.” She answered, “To understand the divine word better and this professor explains it so well.” Now what? I wrote, “I am glad you seek understanding. I like having you for my friend. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” She answered, “That’s why we click together.” Please pray with me that the Lord will reveal that the satisfaction she seeks, that hunger she feels, will not be satisfied through her religion. Pray that she will one day find that all her hunger and thirst for righteousness is satisfied in Jesus Christ.
Diaspora in Florida
* Our bi-weekly meetings with our Imam friend, AB., has been put on hold for undetermined amount of time. Pray we can reconnect soon.
* D’s close friend, Imam Sh., also has not been available to meet in the last several weeks. Pray we can reconnect soon.
Light and Truth
Pray for schools among the Laarim to be places of light and truth. Pray for Morris, a Laarim teacher and catechist at one of the schools, that his love and knowledge of the Lord would grow. Pray for Celestian, the head teacher at another school, that as he meets with Noblesse to study God’s Word, he will hear Wisdom’s call: “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me” (Proverbs 8:17).
Needing to stand firm
Continue to ask for believers to stand firm in the battle, to not deny Jesus, to love him more than family, more than life. A few have been shaken… some because of lack of roots…some because they are lone stalks not gathered in sheaves…. ask for gathering, for discipleship.
Protection
There has been much intercommunal tension and fighting in Lopit near villages that our team is working in. They are not fearful for themselves; rather their concern is for their friends in these villages. Pray for the believers in Lopit to trust God’s promise to “guard the course of the just and protect the way of his faithful ones” (Proverbs 2:8).
Diaspora in Portland
Please pray for a couple of children. One is a grade school Iraqi boy with a dad who is avidly reading God’s Word! Another is our “assistant” for the Ethiopian Bible Class last year, a middle school gal with a heart for God.
Pray for a friend, Abl, to come to Christ with his whole family.
We would love to see Abl’s grade school son have a chance to go to a local Christian school. (Most immigrants have no idea how the public schools wish to shape their children’s values and worldview!)
We are also checking out possibilities for Lw to attend a Christian school.
Pray for continued conversations and deep connections with a Muslim family who moved across town.
We gave a Bible to a friend/student recently, he is reading it and SW is trying to talk to him more one-on-one.
Desperate situation
The water situation now in Jiye land is very desperate and need urgent prayers. The disciples have been sending many messages to missionaries for help especially about the lack of water. This has been caused by a dry season with temps up to 47 degrees (116 F) during the day. Encouragingly, the disciples are still keeping the groups and churches going even at this hard time.
Missionary Elia and other two Toposa leaders are heading there to strengthen the groups and leaders for 3 months from 1st April until June. We hope to receive rains by June in order to have a mass baptism of Jiye believers.
Needing help
Please pray for ladies who are possessed by demons: their names are Husina, Elizabeth, and Mama Sarah.
Also pray for girls who have been struggling with school needs: Mwanahawa, Rahama and Tunu. The church has stepped in to help them. The big need is that the school day has been extended so they do not have time to go home for lunch, so the church is providing that & some of their supplies so that they can continue in school. Pray that their eyes would be opened to spiritual help and not just the physical.
Diaspora in Washington
* We praise Jesus that 2 of the 3 men are studying God’s Word from the Bible. Father, make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. John 17:17
* We praise Jesus for a brother from Africa who is leading a Bible study for our Arabic speaking friends. Lord, thank you for sending workers to your field. Matthew 9:38
* We praise Jesus for many friends joining in with women’s evening conversation class and Saturday morning mommy-and-me time. Lord, keep us declaring your glory and your marvelous works among our friends. Psalm 96:3
Gospel seeds
Pray for *Mark, a kind, gentle, and smart young man. For 10 months he regularly turned up for DBS. He seemed genuinely to be seeking truth and had many deep insights as we studied creation to Christ and the first 10 chapters of John. Pray that God would cultivate and grow the many seeds that were sewn in what seemed like fertile soil and that God’s word would accomplish all that God purposed it and not return empty. Isaiah 55:11
Diaspora in Portland
My precious neighbor and friend moved with her family back to Libya this week. Pray that God would continue to work in the hearts of her, her husband and children and that the seeds planted will grow and that God will bring other followers of Jesus into their lives.
Asking for sight
One young woman felt like God was asking her and others to go to a center for the blind to pray for healing and to speak the light of Jesus. Right now the only book in Braille they have is the koran and this Berber believer said, ‘Someone needs to tell them the truth.’ But the trips have been rescheduled several times partially because of fear in another sister’s heart. Ask that each be delivered from fear and that God provide miraculous sight.
Transformation
As more and more Laarim come to faith in Jesus, pray for truly transformed lives. Pray that this transformation would lead to peace between the Laarim and the Toposa who are stuck in the cycle of cattle raiding and revenge killing. Pray for youth aged boys, especially, to resist the pressure to follow their age mates, and to understand, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Proverbs 4:18-19).
Diaspora in Rochester, MI
* Pray for Mr. A. He and I have been having some great gospel conversations. Pray that Jesus will draw him in.
* Pray that I can connect with more volunteers from churches. We want to have more people connect with refugees.
Lord have mercy.
The weeks are passing and our dear ones are still detained. Please ask that they see His Goodness and Faithfulness and know liberty in their souls, as well as bodies.
Diaspora in Philadelphia
Pray for the Arabic church in South Jersey to grow strong in faith and witness.
Pray for hospitality ministry and weekly meetings with Algerian and Moroccan Berber friends. Pray for seeds of the Gospel to take root in fertile soil.
Luka and Umjuma
Last month we were privileged to be a part of sending out South Sudanese missionaries, Luka and Umjuma. It was wonderful to see the church in Torit take steps to send missionaries, we were encouraged and so were Luka and Umjuma. We praise God that they and their children (all seven that they care for!) are settling in well, thriving under Robert and Carol’s leading/mentoring, and even starting to gather the believers in Iboni together for Sunday worship. Pray for a good start to a fruitful ministry. Ask the Lord to build His church in Iboni.
Diaspora in Hong Kong
* S’s friend B died last month and she is seeking for the meaning of life. I visited S and talked about death and the future. Pray for the relationship to continue to develop and the Spirit to open her heart to commit her life to JC.
* Last week, two churches explored whether they will engage with diaspora ministry among African M. Pray for more churches to serve among unreached people in this area.
* Pray for my two Pakistani friends: H has arrhythmia and has to wait for the examination and operation, but recently her problem has gotten serious. Please pray for God’s guidance and healing. S’s husband got a mental illness after coming back from hajj a few years ago. He always beats his wife and refuses to see the doctor. Please pray for God’s protection on this family.
Be the Light!
Praise God for a new church plant led by a recent Nyamwezi Bible student graduate! Pray for ten believers who were baptized in this church to be effective witnesses of the Gospel to their neighbors, most of whom do not know the Lord. Pray that the Holy Spirit will help them to grow in their faith, not standing out for their own sake, but so that those who live around them will be drawn to follow Christ. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16)
Discipling
A young believer (less than a year) has been sharing the gospel with a mother and her five daughters who live next door. She gave them her only copy of the Word and goes often to talk with them. She said, ‘I’m discipling, right?’ So grateful for her obedience and praying that each one who believes will speak the Word of God to their neighbors.
A Mwani church is born!
This is the testimony of Brother S., one of the first converts among the Mwanis, on a visit we made to a refugee resettlement camp with about 15,000 people. On the way to the camp, we were praying and had a fair amount of fear of how these Mwani refugees would receive us. When we arrived, we asked for permission from the government representative to be able to enter and he told us that we should talk to the camp leader, a man we already knew. This man is a Muslim who years and years ago had prevented the name of Christ from being announced in his village… When we arrived to talk at the camp, we said “we have no bread to offer, but we want to talk about an eternal hope that is Insa Almasihi” and to our surprise (and little faith), this Islamic chief said that we can have full access to the refugee camp to share Jesus Christ. He said that those who want to learn about Insa and follow him are free to do so. It is incredible to see God using the most difficult circumstances, including a war, so that His name can be known and glorified among those who have never heard of Jesus. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!” (Rom. 11:36) We remain involved in discipling and evangelizing these refugees. We continue to deliver humanitarian aid (food, construction of houses, etc.), provide basic health care and distribute Audio Bibles. It has been a privilege to organize Bible studies which has allowed relationships to be built and flourish. Amidst all this, and through the utter grace of God, a Mwani church has been born!
Workshop
This week Troy leads a cattle-care workshop near Kapoeta for Toposa believers. Mark Keter, a Kenyan missionary among the Toposa, is bringing his disciples from different villages for a month-long training in various aspects of ministry, including veterinary work. Pray that God will use this training to further equip the Toposa believers for every good work they have been called to. Pray for Troy and Mark and all their planning for this week/month: “May [the Lord] give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed” (Psalm 20:4).
Mark’s training
Our young Latuko friend, Charles, is spending this week with Mark in Kapoeta for further training in Discovery Bible Study and discipleship. It is wonderful to see an older, mature believer like Mark reach out to a young man like Charles to encourage him in ministry and outreach. As Mark trains his Toposa disciples and Charles, pray he will “encourage the young men to be self-controlled,” and that in everything Mark would “set them an example by doing what is good” (Titus 2:6-7).
Four Tribes
Pastors and evangelists from Gabra, Samburu, Rendille, and Turkana are coming to the March module (1st ~ 26th) at Northern Bible Training Center. May the Lord grant the students good health and give them understanding of the word of God, and may they apply it to their lives. May God provide their families’ needs and protect them while the students are here to learn God’s word.
Prayer requests
Please pray with us for:
1. The disciples to receive training
2. Outreach to new villages
3. Provision of school, healthcare, and water
Disciples
Pray for the upcoming Harvest team- we have two Malagasy men who will be trained and discipled for two months here on Nosy Mitsio. Also, pray for the new local school teacher. He is Antakarana and a believer! Pray we can find time in his busy schedule to disciple him.
Prayer requests
Please pray with us for:
1. The disciples’ training in March
2. The disciples’ spiritual growth
3. The disciples’ outreaches in March
Heart for their people
Pray for Steven and Harmony, local believers who were wounded by the Body years ago and retreated from ministry, but are now taking tentative steps to re-engage. Pray for this family, and others like them, to have a heart for reaching their own people.
Pray for God to open the eyes of our teacher
At the end of today’s Som* language class, our teacher shared at length how he has been listening to Genesis on audio and how it compares to the Qur’an. He quoted their book which says that those in doubt should ask those who read the Taurat and Gospel (Injil) before them (that is Christians). He also said that a Muslim who does not believe in Jesus or the stories of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, is not a true Muslim!
Let us pray for him that God may open his inner eyes, ears and heart as he listens to the audio and reads the Scriptures, … and as we seek God’s help to share more with him regarding the Way, the Truth and the Life. He already has the Bible in Arabic and Som.*
Diaspora in France
* Praise God, we’ve been able to restart French classes and homework help. We currently have 15-20 students from 6 countries in the French classes, and we’ve matched many of them with language partners in our church. Pray for the Lord to open our students’ hearts to Truth.
* There’s news of potential new restrictions on March 6. Many of us are already struggling with the 6pm curfew. Please pray for patience and renewed creativity and focus.
* The French government has started the process to institute a law geared towards fighting radical Islam, which will affect Evangelical churches as well, with implications for missionary work in France. A government leader also highlighted the Evangelical church as a serious threat, although that statement was later withdrawn. Please pray for wisdom for both government leadership, and that the Evangelical church would grow in faith and love regardless of what happens.
Stand firm
Pray for *Euodia our dear sister in Lord! She converted to Islam years ago but was baptized in 2019 during DBS and for 18 months was discipled by our team members. We appreciate her boldness in sharing her own faith with Muslim friends. In the last few months with no team members on location she has struggled. Pray that her faith be strengthened and she will have courage to stand firm no matter what the circumstances. Phil 4:1
Translators
Pray for the translators as they continue to work on the gospel of John. Pray that the Muslim translators would understand who Jesus truly is as they grapple with the work of translation and that the Christian translators also would grow in the depth of their understanding of and love for Jesus.
Diaspora in Portland
* Please continue to pray for our friend Mr. A. He is doing much better spiritually and emotionally. His wife has agreed to give him a second chance and is willing to come to the U.S. and see how things work out. He is applying for a visa and will be returning to Algeria to help her fill out the paperwork and come to the U.S. Please pray that God will open her heart to Jesus as she is not a believer.
* Please pray that S. and M. from Somalia will come to know the Lord. They are part of our Discovery bible Study.
* Pray for health and strength and wisdom for our team as we reach out to the diaspora community.
Needing rain and workers
We got about 2.5 inches of rain Monday morning. People were able to collect some water, and they are very happy for that. Please pray that this is just the start of more rain.
There are many villages in Gabbra land with open doors for the Gospel. However the workers are few. As the Lord has taught us to pray for more workers to His harvest, we would appreciate you joining us for more passionate, bold and equipped workers to engage reaching the nomadic and other people in the desert and mountains of Northern Kenya.
Prayer
“Oh Lord, enlighten the eyes of many O hearts and draw them to come to Jesus and to become His strong disciples who will make more disciples! In Jesus powerful name, amen.”
Oh Church, arise!
“And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.” Eph 2 v22
Please pray for the church as it continues to struggle. Pray especially for restored relationships between some members and for a vision to be the body of Christ together in their community for the glory of God.
Pray for one family who have understood the good news of Jesus for some time but are not yet ready to follow him. Their children are struggling with multiple demonic attacks – please pray that they will turn to Jesus for help, the only one who has the power to set them free.
