Please pray for an Alagwa believer whose husband (not a believer) is moving to divorce her. Please join his wife in praying for her husband’s heart to be changed, for him to follow Jesus. Pray too that she would lean on Jesus and continue to trust him. That God would use these hard times to cause growth in her.
He Reached Out to Reconnect
We were concerned that our Somali language teacher was getting rather quiet and saying he was busy. We prayed for God to reconnect us and last night he sent a text to find out how we are doing! … and wants to resume the language classes. We praise God for answering our prayer and reconnecting us with our friend. Sometime back we presented this brother with a Somali Bible and we pray that God will give us opportunities to delve into His Word with him. We also thank God for the leadership, guitar, and computer classes which are going very well. They have really connected us with these Somali friends.
One Bold Man
Praise God for the way an Alagwa church elder is growing in his boldness to witness and teach. May God continue to encourage him and give him strength and courage.
The God who Heals
We have had opportunities to share concerning God – the One who Heals – and about prayer.
The LORD intervened with healing – answering our prayers for a critical covid patient!
Ask for many more miraculous encounters for these people with Jesus.
Ask that many will see His power at work, first-hand, in our community.
Ask that the encounters will bring them to a quest for truth and a significant spiritual crossroad in life.
Prayer for Nyamwezi
May many Nyamwezi receive the gospel from the Christians living among them.
Burning Desire
Please pray for a young Arab Swahili man who keeps pursuing me (I believe he wants to convert me…which is great!) Pray that he would have a burning desire for the Truth and Jesus would reveal Himself. Pray that our conversations about the Kingdom of Light versus darkness would penetrate deep.
A Man Named Andrew
An evangelist named Andrew is still faithfully working among the Zigua. He is in a course that will lead to his ordination as a pastor in a couple weeks which will mean he can provide the Lord’s Supper and baptize Zigua believers! Pray for him!
Taking on the Vision
Covid-19 has sadly halted many things. This includes literacy classes in the villages. Please pray that God would raise up the right people to become teachers who will take on the vision of reading the Bible in their native language. Thankfully, the radio broadcasts have continued to run smoothly. However, Nelson (one of the announcers), needs to relocate to a new piece of land due to a dispute. Please ask for guidance in this matter and that God will provide additional ways to sustain his family. May the team soldier on with power and strength which comes from above.
Prayer for Unity in Outreach
Lord, thank You for the unity You have given the local churches in Kilwa and the vision they have for reaching the unreached villages in the Kilwa district with the Gospel. Please, preserve their unity and keep them united by Your Spirit and protect them from any attacks of the enemy who would seek to cause disunity and conflict. Give them strength to continue in the work You have called them to and help each of Your children in Kilwa to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus. Grant them Your wisdom and may they shine like bright lights in the midst of the darkness, being witnesses for Jesus with their lives and love. In Jesus name and for His glory, amen.
Strength to overcome
Pray for the Fulani believers:
May they grow strong and be good ambassadors to their own people.
May God give them strength to overcome rejection within their own family unit.
Recently a woman believed, and decided to join our fellowship. The following day she was told to reject her new faith or else suffer a divorce. Ask God to help her overcome this challenge. Ask God to open her family members’ eyes to Truth.
Mike’s wife
Pray again for Mike, the O MBB working with Bible translation. He’s had to leave his family behind while he lives a ways away to do his work and be trained. Pray for his wife who has claimed to receive Jesus, but continues to struggle against the persecution of family relationships that want to draw her back and keep her strong in Islam. Pray that God would strengthen her with knowledge and wisdom and depth of intimate relationship with Him – and that she would be a strong disciple of Jesus and also be a disciple who makes more disciples!
Passing the Test
Malagasy missionary Petera has been with a group of students this week to take them to their major exams. These had been delayed because of COVID-19. Most children form Nosy Mitsio can’t pass the assessment but Petera has been tutoring them and sharing Bible stories as well. Pray for favour as they take their tests and that success will lead to more trust and opening of doors to share the gospel.
Partnering
Pray for the partnering process with local churches:
We need wisdom on how to best partner with the local churches.
We desire to love well the different local church workers we invite to partner with us.
May those invited to participate with us, learn together with us – in order to reach out to their own people.
Sharing Boldly
Pray for Zaramo Christians to share the gospel boldly with friends and neighbors who are worried and upset by these uncertain times. Pray for the Lord to provide for Christian families and that as they share with those who are in need, they will also be able to share the Word of God. Pray for those Christians from other tribes who live among the Zaramo to love them well and share the gospel of Christ with them.
Regardless
A S. Asian Muslim woman claims she just wants to know what pleases God and what is the truth, regardless of what her society or family or peers say. Please pray that she may be sincere in that desire, and that as she seeks God she will find Him through faith in Christ, as she seeks with her whole heart.
Diaspora in Canada
We have had a wonderful response to our offer of free bikes to neighbourhood kids, both of kids and young adults seeking bikes, and churches donating them. This has developed into friendship and an informal faith study (not yet Bible study but getting there) with several Somali young men who meet with me at least 3 times a week. Pray that this will grow both in size and depth.
Pray for several Somali Christian friends who are experiencing stress during this COVID crisis. Please pray for them to look to the Lord, and for us to minister to them in Spirit and in truth.
Diaspora in Portland
Praise God, I was able to share the story of Ruth with my Libyan neighbor before she moved, emphasizing the truth that God is always with us even when we think He has abandoned us. I was also able to share with her the hope that I have as a Christian that when I die I will be with Him for eternity. Pray for more conversations about the Lord as I continue to have contact with her.
Pray with us for who God wants to have move into the now vacant apartment.
Pray for wisdom on what our ESL program should look like for the fall and for an adequate number of like-minded volunteers who desire to “bring lasting HOPE” to so many lost in darkness.
God will make a way, where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see. He will make a way….!
First Love
In the name of the Lord Jesus, we ask that older Arab believers would humbly repent of
*silence because of fear,
*an unwillingness to risk discipling young believers
*choosing isolation over fellowship
Please refresh their first love and overwhelm them with a passion to disciple and be discipled.
Focus on Jesus
Pray for a Christian couple who are sharing the gospel among the Zigua people. Pray that through them many Zigua will come to know Christ and become His faithful disciples and followers. Pray that many churches can be started among the Zigua people, and that they will leave behind their former religion and ways. Pray that all their focus will be on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Diaspora in Detroit
Praise God for the new ministry of food distribution. Pray we would be able to meet physical needs in a God honoring way AND step into the relational space to share God’s good truth. We serve about 20 families a week right now. With C19 stuff shutting down group events for the kids, pray our team would be able to find ways to connect not only with the adults, but kids of the families too.
On Sunday August 30th we are planning a back to school picnic. Please pray for many to attend and for wisdom for us as we decide what and whom to include and exclude for our event.
Praise God for an in-home ESL program we just started with 5 new ladies.
Sharing our lives
Thess 2:8 “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well”.
This verse has been on our hearts.
We have seen opportunities for sharing our lives among the people, who are open in unprecedented ways. He is doing a new thing!
Ask for light and truth to go forth through these open doors He is granting.
Ask for deepening friendships among these people.
Discipleship training
“Aug” and two of the Catalyst Team leaders will be facilitating a discipleship training this week in another “M” village. This will be the first time for these local Catalyst leaders to lead a training. Several of the new discipleship groups that have been meeting in other villages will be coming. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to fall upon this group and raise up more “M” workers to reach the “M” people this generation.
Diaspora in UK
There are still a lot of restrictions in place here regarding meeting people inside buildings, but we are free to meet people outside. As a result, and with the warm weather, my diary is more or less full. We give thanks for this. Pray for fruitful conversations.
Urgent prayer alarm
There has been another persecution at Nabois church. When people were gathered, youths came in and they beat the believers mercilessly. One of the disciples has run 15km to escape. Please pray for healing and strength for the believers and for conviction of sin for the youth.
Growing Up
Pray for the M people who know Jesus Christ as their Savior to be growing in their knowledge of God’s Word as they meet together. May they love and care for one another. May they share the gospel widely with their friends and families and neighbors. May the Lord raise up many disciples among the M people!
Diaspora in UK
Praise: good participation from the 2 ladies who attend the Zoom English class where we use Bible stories in our lessons
Praise: several ladies from the International women’s sewing group joined our 1st ever Zoom online sewing time.
Praise: the weekly international student Bible study time has had 5-10 participants joining the Zoom time with many of them back in their home country.
Pray that there would be spiritual fruit from all of these activities .
Drinking Tea
Three women who need Jesus came to tea. While we were together, we read the account of Jacob’s flight and subsequent marriage to Leah and Rachel. We discussed family dynamics and each woman shared a situation in her family that is painful to her. That gave us an opportunity to pray for the Lord to work in those relationships. Please pray that the women will see answers to prayer and that they will put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Diapora in Florida
After having dinner with M friends, we feel we’ve deepened our relationship and have a clearer understanding of where the husband and wife of the family are spiritually. He’s very confused. She has seen a vision of Jesus that was very significant to her, some years ago. Very importantly, the husband of the family now understands that the Bible was not tampered with in order to hide Islamic teaching. However, he is going to do some research, so I will need to do some too. Ask that God will water the seeds planted and that the evil one will not snatch them away.
Diaspora in Kentucky
Praise: That our house in Louisville is in the perfect location: we bump into Somalis everywhere we go! Pray for building relationships with our Somali neighbors.
Pray for open doors to the Somali community and open hearts to the Gospel. Pray for Mrs. F and Mrs. X.
Redemption and Rain
Pray for all the strategies God has given us to reach the Bara: Children’s ministry, Farming God’s Way, The Jesus Film, Social Relief, Audio Bibles and Training. May God use them to glorify Himself and may support never lack for these projects. Please also pray for our coworkers in the field to be strengthened and emboldened during this time of Covid-19 as food prices have increased and there is a lack of support due to the closing of churches. We also ask for rain. This has been a difficult year. The drought has dried up vegetation and famine has started creeping in. Abundant rain is needed so that the Bara can plant and have food. We are desperate for an overflow of God’s grace in a dry and thirsty land.
Success in Three Villages
Pray that the Sandawe believers and church leaders will continue to share the gospel widely and freely with those who still need Christ. Pray for the three villages that have been identified for church plants, and pray that those who are trying to start churches in those villages will have wonderful success.
Relationship forever
‘Lord Jesus, please continue working in the heart of my good friend and student Mo.
As we studied ‘relationship’ in leadership, he got so excited and asked how we can keep our relationship going forever.
I pray that as we continue to study together with the other students, we will be able to share how this is possible by surrendering our lives to Jesus, and we will all live together forever with Him in heaven.’
Leave Old Things Behind
Pray that a Samburu pastor who is visiting a village with a new church plant will not grow weary in well-doing but persevere and that the men in that village will be converted to Christ. Pray that the areas of Samburu land that do not yet have a gospel witness will soon have evangelists, pastors and missionaries living among them. Pray especially that the Samburu will be willing to leave behind any traditions or practices that are opposed to Christ.
Diaspora in Portland
Yesterday an Algerian man had a very serious conversation with MC about what following Jesus is all about. Today we can praise the Lord that “we can call him our brother in Christ”. Please continue to pray for this man to be grounded in the Word and that his new faith will lead others to the saving knowledge of Jesus.
A Place of Refuge
The city of Pemba has received thousands of refugees and many residents have offered shelter even though they barely have enough room for their own families. We have started meeting with a group of believers committed to helping these families not only with food and clothing, but also with the Gospel- seeking to disciple this group which is predominantly Muslim. Please pray that God would guide this process and that those whom He has brought here would come to know the true Savior.
Courageous
Pray that those believers among the Ndengereko who are being called by God to share the gospel with neighbors and with their families will obey the Holy Spirit, even if they face persecution for Jesus’ sake. Pray that their courageous witness will impress those who see and will convince them that the gospel is true.
Groups of Believers Multiply
Pray that the M believers will continue to study the Word of God. Pray that the groups of believers will multiply. Pray that many who used to follow Islam will soon follow Jesus.
Now His Wife and Son are Sick
Pray for a faithful Rangi evangelist. His father died a couple of weeks ago. His wife and six year old son are now sick. Pray for the Lord to heal his family. Praise the Lord that in the last days before his father passed away, he gave testimony that Jesus was His Savior and Lord. Pray for the evangelist to be encouraged as he works faithfully to share the gospel with the people in his town who are 95% Muslim. May the Lord strengthen and encourage him and his family.
Classes on Leadership
Please pray for classes on leadership which started with 2 Somali college students who have a hunger for information/knowledge. They are close friends. Pray that God may direct the discussion in ways that allow us teachers to talk about God’s leadership and guidance in our own lives, and His saving grace and mercy.
The Hope of the Gospel
Please pray for the Gabbra of Kenya during this time of Covid-19. Public meetings have been greatly restricted, so the believers and new churches are having a hard time meeting. Groups that used to gather to worship the Lord and prepare for baptism have stopped. Pray that there will be creative ways for believers to keep learning the Word of God, meeting together however possible in order to encourage each other and share the gospel with others. Pray for the Gabbra believers to rapidly multiply as they share the hope of the gospel.
