Please pray for our Rangi friend. He asked us for a Bible a while back. He is a Muslim man, but has been coming to our home often to read the Bible together and ask questions. Our discussions have been deep and significant and he is open. Please pray for this man as he searches for the truth. Pray he would find the TRUTH in Jesus and he would turn to follow Him. Pray for courage for this man, as he is a respected teacher of his religion in our village.
Update on The Borana of Kenya
It is a delight for us to hear and see Borana believers walking in the truth; to see them practicing and speaking the truth. It is a delight to see them take the initiative in organizing, supporting and launching plans for outreach to their own people. This local group of Christians had taken the initiative to organize buying Bibles for those who need them but do not have access to them. The goal was to give 216 Bibles away. I was ‘jumping for joy’ to see these Christians initiate, organize, carry out and support the plan by themselves. I know some of these people. Some can easily afford to do what they did; others are doing it at a great sacrifice. Praise The Lord, for all those different kinds who pledged and then gave! Pray that these Bibles would be read and begin changing the lives and hearts of those reading them to follow Jesus!
Update on The Antakarana of Madagascar
Nosy Mitsio has had strong east winds for over 2 weeks now that are causing trouble for transport and everyone’s livelihood. The people believe it’s the result of a broken ancestral taboo (hanging an octopus wrongly while drying it) and they will meet next Tuesday to discuss the perpetrator and try to appease the ancestors. Please pray for the winds to let up and people’s lives to resume. Pray for God to reveal himself to the Antakarana people, freeing them from fear of ancestral taboos and the social discord of placing blame. Pray that they would know the Creator who revealed himself to our eyes: Jesus.
Update on The Sakalava of Madagascar
The story of Creation and the Fall from the Bible have been read and performed in a drama in our villages, accompanied by songs, all in the local language. Recently, discussions were focused on how God’s good world went bad. Pray for open hearts and good discussions as the team continues to interact with their neighbours. We can see some interest growing.
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
Please pray for Saumu. She is a young lady studying nursing and is from our area. She accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior while at secondary school, but has been under many physical and spiritual attacks in nursing school. She told one of the pastors from that area, “I have decided to live as a Muslim again, although I have not denied Christ yet, for I know that He saved me.” Her family is pressuring her to return to the Muslim faith and she is very confused, as she knows the TRUTH of Jesus, yet is conflicted with what her family is telling her about the Bible and Christians. Please pray for Saumu, and for her to seek Jesus fully in this time of uncertainty and confusion in her life and that her heart would truly surrender to Him.
Update on The Dorobo of Kenya
On a recent trip, we met up with a young Dorobo man, Daniel, who is a believer and helping run some small churches in the area. He is full of humility and faith, and desires to go to Bible school. Some funds were promised to sponsor him to Bible college along with another Dorobo man Joseph and a Maasai man from the Loibon’s family named George. All three will start college in September. Pray with us that God would provide their Bible college tuition costs for three years. The church and local pastors will handle their transport to school and their room and board at the school. Pray to the Lord to make a way possible for these three men to receive the training they desire and further their ability to share Jesus with those unreached in the areas they live.
Update on The Borana of Kenya
Ali is a young man who lives near a church and occasionally came to a Sunday service. The Pastor started a Bible study for young men in the neighborhood and invited Ali to attend. Ali came and within six months he understood that Jesus was offering him forgiveness of sins, fellowship with God and a home in heaven. Ali has decided to receive Jesus as his Savior and the joy of the Lord now fills his heart.Pray for Ali and his new life in Jesus!
Update on The Mahafaly of Madagascar
The IMB has seen 4 Mahafaly churches planted in villages south of Tulear, southwestern Madagascar. Please pray for the continued development of those groups of believers and that they may be encouraged to multiply their fellowships.
Update on The Tanala of Madagascar
The Tanala survey has been postponed to 22 – 26 September. Please keep Sylvestre (InterVarsity) and Rodrigo (AIM) in prayer as they travel through and visit with people from several Tanala villages around Ikongo.
Update on The Antanosy of Madagascar
We have the opportunity to visit Fort Dauphin (the main Antanosy town) during the first week of November. Our prayer is that from this we will have more complete survey data on the Tanosy people group and also develop some contacts whom we can connect with for a future survey of the Tanosy villages around Fort Dauphin.
Update on The Antandroy of Madagascar
After the survey in July, we have learned that 2 Tandroy women from the village of Encampement have been meeting with the Malagasy pastor from the main town, who accompanied us on the survey. They have since accepted Christ as their Savior and have begun meeting regularly in a “cell group” with the other Tandroy believer around the SUCOMA sugar cane plantation. Our hope is to see this cell group of 3 women continue to multiply throughout the area.
Update on The Borana of Kenya
A young man, a senior in High School who had attended church all of his life, gave his life to the Lord at the weekly Bible Study. He said, ”I now truly understand what it means that my sins are really forgiven, that Jesus died to pay my debt that I couldn’t pay…I am free I feel like soaring to the heavens”. Please pray for this young man to continue to grow in his faith and share Jesus with those around him.
Update on The Borana of Kenya
C is a Muslim woman in town. Her younger brother came for a visit and he had recently become a Christian. He talked with C about Jesus and pleaded with her to give her life to Jesus. C refused. At night, C had a dream of a man in white and he told her to read John 3:16. She awoke, not understanding the dream. She slept again and had the exact same dream again with the man telling her to read John 3:16. The next morning C told her brother about the dreams. Her brother said that John 3:16 is a verse in the Bible. He found the verse, read it and C committed her life to Jesus and chose to follow Him.
Update on The Zaramo of Tanzania
Pray for the Zaramo children – many are seeing and hearing the truth for the first time and are
realizing they’ve been told something very different all their lives by their parents, yet are hesitant to make a stand. Pray for a new generation of Zaramo who will be courageous and stand up for the truth. Pray for boldness for these kids to tell their parents what they’ve learned and what they know.
Update on The Lopit of South Sudan
The TIMO team living among the Lopit have just returned from their time out. Please pray that those they live amongst would welcome them back and want to know more about what it is that brings them back and keeps them living there with them.
Update on The Kacipo of South Sudan
News of many people dying of an unknown disease among the Kacipo is filtering out. Please pray for tentative investigations to get some medical doctors to be able to go there to investigate the reason for so many deaths and then to have the capacity to get medicines in to prevent more losses of life.
Update on The Lokwa of South Sudan
The rains this season are strong and causing the already terrible road structure to become impassable in this area. This results in basic foods not being able to reach their destinations timely. Pray for the Lokwa, that they would be just as hungry for Gods Word as they are for physical food.
Update on The Toposa of South Sudan
God is partnering those called to reach the Toposa. United under Jesus Christ, with one goal – sharing the good news of Salvation in Christ. Pray for the workshop on storying the Bible ongoing at present. That eyes and hearts would be opened, even among those attending the course.
Update on The Laarim of South Sudan
There is a strong possibility of more workers prepared to form a team to reach the Laarim with the wonderful news of salvation in Christ. Please pray for this to become a reality. How we long for more workers to reach this unreached people.
Update on The Didinga of South Sudan
The rainy season has arrived fiercely. The Didinga are ploughing and planting wheat and beans furiously to catch this good rainy season. The maize crop is still to be harvested, and the fear is that much of it may be damaged by the heavy rains. But mainly the Didinga are unreached with the gospel, Jesus, who is the living water and who reigns in few Didinga lives. Pray for them to have hearts longing to hear of this wonderful Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Update on The Mwani of Mozambique
“The fuel for fear is ignorance”. Many Mwani do not understand the details of their own belief. They blindly follow due to the fear instilled into them. Pray for wisdom in engaging them to think deeper into their own beliefs so that the contradictions can be brought to light and the truth of the gospel revealed.
Update on The Kacipo of South Sudan
The bible tells us what we need to know about divine things and the way of salvation, but how can the Kacipo hear if no one goes to tell them this message? Please pray for workers, more and more, to make themselves available to go and tell this people about Jesus.
Update on The Lopit of South Sudan
Eph 4:18 tells us that because of sin, people’s hearts are hardened against the message of Gods Word. Please pray for wisdom in seeing a breakthrough for reaching these people with the precious message of freedom and salvation in Jesus Christ.
Update on The Lokwa of South Sudan
God often grants His grace in response to the prayers of His faithful. That being true, please pray for this people who live in darkness. That they would see the Light of Christ and be saved.
Update on The Toposa of South Sudan
There has been a lot of discourse between numerous mission organizations who have a heart to work together to reach the Toposa. Please pray that this new and encouraging attempt would come to fruition and that God in His grace, would use this to reach many for Him.
Update on The Laarim of South Sudan
Two youngsters were baptized by Pastor Joshua recently after having been discipled for a while. Please pray for these two, that what they did in public is a reflection of what is happening in their hearts. That they would continue to grow and bring glory to God in their lives.
Update on The Didinga of South Sudan
Two young men, Logie and Lokolang are taking Gods Word more seriously, trying to relate what God says to their experiences in life, and generally seeking more knowledge about God. Please pray for these two young men, that they would seek Him with genuine hearts and attempt to live as He asks.
Update on The Antakarana of Madagascar
The Antakarana people believe their ancestors will be “opening the door” again in August. They will have a big ceremony and sacrifice at an important site on mainland Madagascar Aug 14-16. Please pray that God would reveal himself to the Antakarana, that they would know the one who has made himself a sacrifice for them and who never “closes the door” on them, but always draws near.
Update on The Bara of Madagascar
Due to the changes in the Bara area from the instability and outside influences, many Bara are now open to education. Our team is preparing to partner with local people to teach adult literacy in order to help the Bara adjust to these changes and give them the opportunity to read the Scriptures for themselves. Pray that many Bara who not only learn to read and write but also hear and respond to the Good News through this effort. Pray that local people would be passionate and equipped to effectively reach the Bara as well.
Update on The Mahafaly of Madagascar
During a survey to Analaiva, we learned that a significant number of Mahafaly migrant workers are permanently settled around the SUCOMA sugar cane plantation. There is potential to work through a local Biblical Baptist church to reach this group. While there are no Mahafaly believers in the church, the pastor is part Mahafaly and has a heart to reach this people group.
Update on The Tanala of Madagascar
The Tanala preliminary survey will take place 18 – 22 August around Ikongo. Please pray for safety in travel, good church contacts and clarity of vision.
Update on The Antandroy of Madagascar
A survey in Analaiva was conducted in mid-July. The SUCOMA sugar cane plantation has about 2,000 permanent Antandroy workers employed. Along with their families, approximately 6,000 Antandroy people live in the villages surrounding the sugar cane plantation. There is one (1) known evangelical Christian among them. The Madagascar Biblical Baptist Church would like to partner with AIM in seeing simple churches planted in these villages where the Antandroy dialect is used.
Update on The South Asians of Uganda
Today is Eid, the end of Ramadan. Thank you for praying for Muslims during Ramadan. Nothing is impossible with God. He is building His church among all the peoples of the earth.
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
Ramadan Day 30: If the moon is seen tonight, Eid will be tomorrow. Eid is the feast of fast-breaking- the celebration of the end of Ramadan. People will wake up early, dress in their finest, and gather with many others outdoors at a stadium or at a mosque. They’ll come home to enjoy special foods. They’ll say Islam is a religion of peace. “They say, ‘Peace, peace’, but there is no peace” says the Lord (Jer. 6:14). There is no peace with God except through Jesus Christ. Ask God to remove the veil that covers Muslims’ hearts that they may know the true way to peace with God.
Update on The O of East Africa
Ramadan Day 29: Pray for all the African missionaries that are serving in Africa. Pray their churches would support them well and that the Lord would encourage them. Pray many more would be sent out, especially to the Muslim unreached people groups.
Update on The Nyamwezi of Tanzania
Ramadan Day 28: Pray for Muslim women and children around the world who are neglected or abused. Pray they would have an encounter with God like Hagar did and understand that “He is the God who sees” (Gen. 16:13).
Update on The Mwani of Mozambique
Ramadan Day 27: Pray for Muslim background believers around the world to be encouraged by the Lord. They are sheep among wolves and face opposition, isolation, and overt persecution. Ask God to fill them with the Holy Spirit and joy, and to provide for their needs. Pray their family members and friends will see the Lord in their lives and want to know Him as well.
Update on The Mbororo of CAR and Chad
Ramadan Day 26: Tonight is the ‘night of power’ – the holiest night of the year for Muslims. It’s a celebration of the arrival of the Qur’an. Many Muslims will pray all night seeking guidance, revelation, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation. Pray God would answer those prayers! Pray many people would have a supernatural encounter with God tonight.
Update on The Makwe of Mozambique
Ramadan Day 25: When Jesus sees the multitudes of Muslims He is moved with compassion for them, because they are weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. So He says to us, His disciples, “The Harvest truly is plentiful, but the labourers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest.” (from Matt 9:36-38)
Update on The Gujarati of Madagascar
Ramadan Day 24: As ramadan wears on, pray for a deep dissatisfaction with Islam and a seeking after God. “Those who seek Me diligently will find Me.” (Prov. 8:17)
