The Rangi New Testament was dedicated this weekend! Translators from the organization SIL started the work in 2006 and finished the huge project this year. What an accomplishment and reason to praise God! Please pray His Word will plant many seeds among the Rangi.
Growing in passion
Pray for H, a MBB from our community who is growing in his passion to share his faith and disciple others.
Trial Sept 3
Pray for the Lord to go before the believers going to trial tomorrow, Sept 3rd. Pray for courage and peace for them to stand strong. Pray for the Lord to trouble the judge and that he would hear and obey the Lord, “Let My people go!”
Pray the trial would not be postponed and all would be released.
Holy Father, these prisoners are your true children. Please give them patient endurance. Purify their hearts from any doubt or fear that the accuser has spoken. Fill them with patience and kindness. May the presence of your Holy Spirit be so clear to each one who sees them. Let sincere love shine from their countenances, for their brothers and sister, for those trying them, for the lawyers, for their oppressors, for Jesus. Remove any thought of speaking self-protecting lies. Let each one faithfully preach the truth. We know that your resurrection power is working in them.
Bring salvation
Praise for many opportunities to share the gospel with a 9 year old S boy this summer. Please pray that Jesus would meet him in a dream and bring salvation to him and his family.
Community leader
Pray for T., one of the community leaders in the village. Pray for wisdom as he leads the Rangi people, and that he would show “genuine concern for their welfare” (see Phil. 2:20).
Booklets
I am in the middle of arranging the shipping of 6000 booklets of translated scripture to Madagascar.
Already some key persons in the Antanala area voiced their eagerness to receive them. Pray for these booklets to reach them! And as people read them, may the Lord grant them faith to believe.
Famine
This year has been a really tough one. Many people were out of grain for many months and managed, with a lot of difficulties, to feed their families. Many slept hungry and children cried out of hunger. Thankfully this rainy season was good and the new crops is almost ripe. Please ask the Creator to protect the crops until the harvest is finished.
Add daily
Pray for the fellowship that the Lord will add daily those who are being saved.
Thank the Lord for the youth program, we are seeing transformation in many lives. Pray for believers to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
Successful training
Praise for a successful meeting and training of the Antakarana believers from Nosy Mitsio with the Churches in Ambilobe. Pray for continuing partnership in disciple making and ministry to the Antakarana people in the surrounding areas.
Power of God
Pray for the relationships we’ve made in K-district, the students, families, etc. that we will be able to witness the transforming power of God in their lives. Pray for the Lord to make a way for us to return full time to this harvest field.
Work continues
In Betroka, the Jesus Film project is ongoing! Our partners are currently taking a break for church conferences and meetings, but some of them continue to work. Pastor Tomoeira reported that in one village in the south, another witch doctor gave his life to Jesus—but was subsequently expelled from his village. Please pray for him. The Be Fitia School is on vacation but will resume soon. The Children’s Ministry continues with the help of our local partners.
Know His presence
Pray that those persecuted for Jesus would know the presence of Jesus as they wait for the trial on September 3 and that the believers who are not imprisoned would remember their brothers in their suffering, and that they would be bold and courageous to speak the gospel.
See lostness
We would appreciate continued prayers for Asha and Mama H to see their lostness and run back to the Father’s arms. Pray against their loyalty to traditional practices/medicines and family pressures, and pray for loyalty to the actual person of Jesus himself.
Delighting in the stories
Berbers prefer to be called Amazigh. We praise Jesus for the delight many have hearing the stories of Jesus in small cities. We pray that through believers or through apps, the Amazigh will listen carefully to the Word of God, believe it’s true and wholly obey and follow Jesus. We pray for Amazigh believers to carry the word back to their families in the mountains and boldly and faithfully tell the true stories of Jesus (esp to those who don’t have internet or written Scripture that they understand.)
Disabled children
There are high levels of stigma facing children with disabilities, most of them remaining locked in a room in the house, not able to be a part of society. The mother often faces the brunt of this stigma and is even blamed for the child’s disability. Pray for open doors for utilizing local resources and establishing support groups for these moms, demonstrating the love of Jesus and allowing the light of truth to shine.
Distribution
Pray for the distribution of audio listening devices with Scripture in the local language
on them. Pray for wisdom in who to give them to. Pray for the Living Word of God to
transform the lives of islanders as they listen and engage.
Justice to reign
Pray for G., a young woman who is studying to become a teacher. A professor at her college is pressuring the female students into sexual favors to receive better grades. Please pray for darkness to be revealed and justice to reign.
Drought
Lift up our country as it’s been in drought for 6 years now and in our area specifically, most of the farmers didn’t even plant last year because there wasn’t enough rain and reservoirs are very low. Bath houses and car washes have been forced to close for 3 days a week. May the lack of rain and the hard times push people so seek the one who has living water that never dries up!
Stand up!
The word I’m getting today for prayer for the Alagwa is that the Alagwa bride of Jesus would STAND UP. She’s held by so much fear and self pity and demonic baggage and inertia and passivity, but if she would just stand up, all the power needed for breaking these bonds is available to her.
Church decisions
Please continue to pray for the church among which our team works. The church has certain important steps and decisions before it which are:
• the acquisition of land,
• joining one of the denominations present in the country
• put in place one or more leaders of the church, preferably from within them.
Please also pray for a Fulani brother who will help the church in some of these discussions and decisions. May God give him wisdom and endurance.
Translating Mark
Thank you for praying for Jiye. We had a successful training in Kapoeta and the team is now working on the oral translation on the book of Mark. Please pray for each team member:
• Simon Ruma (Anglican church)
• Longe Benjamin (Salt and Light)
• Lia Amukro (AIC)
• John Mark (Catholic)
• Simon Namoni (AIC)
• John (Catholic)
• Popowa Robert (Catholic)
• Jacob Samaki (AIC)
• Daniel Baitte (Salt and Light)
Translation work
Translation work continues. Please pray for a new local translator who joined the project this week. Pray for wisdom to translate well. There are multiple open doors for Bible study with locals. Pray for the Lord to reveal Himself in His Word.
Children’s schooling
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!
