Just as the new Laarim team houses are completed, so major conflict disrupts the teams arrival in the Boya Hills. These people ae eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new people who are coming to live among them. May the Laarim people be open to the good news that they bring, may they welcome the team into their lives as much as the team long to be welcomed. May many come to know salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for team and their leaders as they prepare to come in soon.
Update on The Toposa of South Sudan
South Sudan is experiencing so much turmoil, as conflict continues to be the main topic on everyone’s mind. Hunger follows shortly behind, and although we have asked for prayer for this before, it is now even more of an issue for the people of SS, including the Toposa. Please pray.
Update on The Nyang’atom of Southern Sudan
Just to bring this people group before our Lord is a task we take seriously. The whole country is experiencing heavy rainfall at the moment, and we know that this area gets cut off with its slippery black cotton soil roads. So please pray for them, that food would still get through to them and hunger would not be an issue for them this year.
Update on The Lopit of South Sudan
Praise God that some AIM/AIC missionaries are returning to the Lopit. They were so very warmly welcomed back, it was a great encouragement to witness. But please pray for the Lopit as they are experiencing greater hunger than ever before. Many want to, or have, left for the refugee camps in either Kenya or Uganda mainly due to starvation rather than the terrible conflict in the country at this time. Please pray for those left behind, that they would turn to God and be saved. That they would put their trust and hope in Him.
Update on The Didinga of South Sudan
With the country of South Sudan in such turmoil and suffering at this time, after the breakout of violence again in the capital city, Juba, the Didinga people also suffer. Their suffering is mainly that of hunger (as in many parts of SS). They are sufficiently isolated so as not to face the danger as many other places are. Pray that their crops will bring in a great harvest that enable them to not only survive, but to be able to share their harvest with those who have little to none. Pray that even in all this unsettling turmoil, many would turn to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Update on The Sandawe of Tanzania
There does not seem to be much of a change taking place in our broken local church. Please pray for healing, forgiveness and reconciliation to take place in the hearts of the people. We have heard several messages on this and we know God’s Spirit is at work. Please continue to pray toward this end. We will be receiving a new pastor in the near future so please pray for him and his family. Also pray for the other pastor and his family as they will be moving on to a new location as well. They have been here for more than ten years.
Update on The South Asians of East Africa
My young neighbour texted me, “Can you come today instead of tomorrow? I’m leaving for Tanzania tomorrow.” She and her brother are going to live with their father, since their mother, here in Kenya, has been diagnosed with MS. Her parents divorced years ago, and she’s lived with her mom until now. This will mean a huge change for her, possible further indoctrination in their Islamic faith. Please pray that this afternoon’s visit with her will allow me to share again with her how much Jesus loves her, that He died for her sins and rose again, and that it is His righteousness alone that can make us fit for heaven. Pray for wisdom about whether to give her some Christian literature to take with her, along with another small gift to please a teenage girl’s heart. Please pray for the Lord to craft the visit in such a way that only those family members who are open to the gospel will be with us, and for great freedom both for me and for them to share what’s in our hearts. Thank you for your prayers!
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
I read this verse with someone in the village today and found it to be a great way into discussing how we can be cleansed…
James 4:8-“… cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” There is something that people must do to obey God’s order to cleanse our hearts. Pray that the Rangi recognize it is Jesus’ blood that cleanses us from all sin.
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
2 Corinthians 2:5-11- Pray that a church among the Rangi would not be ignorant of the schemes of the Devil to bring disunity, but instead that present and future Rangi believers would choose forgiveness, and that they would choose the laying down of themselves in the interests of unity, so that in doing so, they would thwart the schemes of the devil! This is always easier said than done, so pray that supernaturally, Rangi believers would have a gift for seeking true unity.
Update on The Datooga of Tanzania
It seems there is a deep fear of cultural erosion if changes come among the Datooga. This makes them reluctant to listen to the gospel and receive it. Please pray that Christ’s perfect love will cast out all fear, and that it will become clear that whatever changes Jesus would bring would be to their advantage. Please pray that the Datooga will be willing to endure whatever persecution and hardships may be required in order to follow Jesus.
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
Pray for the servants of God who work in hard places among the Rangi. May God give them strength and help them not get discouraged and give up. For example, pray for those who work in Kondoa, Kwamtoro, Busi, Kinyasi, Pahi, Gumbu, Moto, Magambua, and Kwamadebe. God bless you.
Update on The Rendille of Kenya
Pray for the leadership in the Rendille town of Korr as they think about what stance the church schools should take regarding Muslim students. The leadership has taken a strong stand against students leaving school to attend traditional pagan rites and practices, but the Muslims have been treated differently. Students have been allowed to go to the mosque on Fridays for worship and they have been allowed to attend religious festivals. These policies are now being revisited. Pray that insight from above will be given and there will be unity of spirit in what God would like to see practiced. Along these lines, pray for the Muslim students in the high school as they are being confronted with God’s truth on a daily basis. Pray for the seed of God’s Word to penetrate and take root. It is very difficult for a Muslim to break loose from the tight community holds of their religion.
Update on The Rangi of Tanzania
F and I continue on, and he loves what we study. I’ve recently started having him teach ME through a book we’ve already read… trying to prepare him to continue with self-study once my imminent departure time arrives. It’s a struggle. Pray for God to give this man supernatural understanding and assistance to “put the pieces together. ” Here is a specific prayer request for F. We had an extended conversation about God’s gift of Grace being cleansing in Jesus, and how Islam has no cleansing (and that, no, fasting does nothing to erase sins). He was really thoughtful and asked my advice. I showed him a video of a Muslim who came to Jesus after a series of dreams, and told him that my advice was to follow Jesus to be cleansed. Pray for him to continue think on this!
Update on The Nyamwezi of Tanzania
Thank you for praying! A local official has taken us to two local schools. A Christian school sent $200 for a desk campaign, and this has meant so much to the villagers, as well as giving us an open door to the community. Most of the teachers are not from the area, and many are Christians who have an open door to reaching these kids. Pray for opportunities to meet with teachers who are like minded and want to take the Gospel door to door as they make home visits to their students. Pray for wisdom to develop a good long-term strategy.
Update on The Antakarana of Madagascar
TIMO team members recently traveled with a group of men to a nearby island (north of Nosy Mitsio), to chop logs to make repairs on the local school. It’s an island with many exceptional taboos, due to ancient ancestors buried there. The team members wanted to share a Bible story with that group of men there, but were told it was taboo to speak of Jesus/God on that island. Breaking the taboo was said to result in getting deathly ill and unable to leave the island. It provided the team members a good opportunity to share more about Jesus/God and how he’s more powerful than any dead ancestor, taboo, or possessing spirit and that when we trust in him we have nothing to fear. No curse or illness followed and the work trip was completed smoothly… something for the men of Nosy Mitsio to think about. Please keep praying that the Antakarana people will have an opportunity to see God’s power in action, that they will be able to relate the Bible stories they’re hearing to the life-changing realities of Jesus that will free them from fear/oppression.
From this moment on, my heart belongs to Jesus – A Testimony
As a result of your prayers, here is a testimony of conversion to Jesus:
During a Bible study about 1John chapter 1, we read, “God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.”
After fellowship, a lady in her 60’s came to the missionary and said: -” Pray for me! I want to be free from all bad spirits that keep disturbing me. I want to be saved; I want to belong to Jesus!”
As the missionary was praying, the lady repeated every word declaring Jesus as her Savior. After the prayer she said: -“From this moment on, my heart belongs to only one… Jesus Christ!”
Praise Jesus for her life and please pray that she remains faithful to the Lord. May the blood of Jesus protect her when she faces spiritual battles.
Gabbra children learning Bible stories
Many Gabbra children are learning Bible stories and songs for the first time. Pray they go deep in their hearts. Pray this generation teaches the next one. Pray their parents will gladly let the children attend Bible classes.
Update on The Gabbra of Kenya
As a result of your prayers, here is a testimony of conversion to Jesus:
During a Bible study about 1John chapter 1, we read, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.”
After fellowship, a lady on her 60’s came to the missionary and said: -Pray for me! I want to be free from all bad spirits that keep disturbing me. I want to be saved; I want to belong to Jesus!
As the missionary was praying, the lady repeated every word declaring Jesus as her Savior. After the prayer she said: -“From this moment on, my heart belongs to only one… Jesus Christ!”
Praise Jesus for her life and please pray that she remains faithful to the Lord. May the blood of Jesus protect her when she faces spiritual battles.
Update on The O of East Africa
Col 1:13-14 is so wonderful for presenting the Gospel to the O. The realization of the two kingdoms, the kingdom of darkness, and the fear of Satan and all his evil spirits is so obvious and engrained in peoples’ lives here. To be rescued from it all is truly desired – it’s GOOD NEWS! Now we pray they realize, believe and accept that it’s Jesus who is the Rescuer and Redeemer! Tonight is the planned continuation of the Bible study group at ‘Sid’s’ place (first time after Ramadan ended) – pray that God’s Word will continue to go forth and be received with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction!
Update on The Digo of Kenya and Tanzania
Thank you again for your encouraging prayers! As a result of the prayer request we sent about Grace, there were a few people who donated money to her and she was able to go on her trip!! She is currently in Uganda with her YWAM group!
Please be in prayer for the local Digo church in Kwale, it has recently gone through some difficult times with leadership. Ask that they will always seek God first and not let this situation cause a rift in the “baby” church.
Update on The Datooga of Tanzania
Pray for those who have had contact with the gospel, that their ears and hearts will be open to receive the Word. Pray for opportunities to come alongside and share further. There are three evangelists whose neighbors are hearing the gospel from them who have not yet put their faith in Christ. Pray that through shared daily life activities they come into relationship with the Savior.
Update on The Samburu of Kenya
In one area of Samburu, a small group of women meet under a tree on Sundays to sing their praises to Jesus and pray together. A few teenage girls who trust in Jesus participate as well. None of the women can read or write. This week (July12-17th) a Samburu Pastor will be visiting this area, visiting in homes, and preaching at the Sunday gathering. Pray that through his visit God will bring encouragement to the few believers. Pray that he will be able to speak with men who have shown interest in the gospel and that God may draw them to put their trust in Jesus.
Pray for churches that are engaging the Ndengereko
Rejoice that there are 3 local churches engaging the Ndengereko in one village. Pray for their market evangelism campaigns, that they would glorify God and draw the seekers to them. Pray for unity in the churches. One church in particular is struggling with internal conflicts that have the potential to divide the church.
Pray for blessings over the Ndengereko
Would you pray Psalm 67 with us over the Ndengereko… (words changed for prayer)
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among the Ndengereko. Let the Ndengereko praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the Ndengereko be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the Ndengereko with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the Ndengereko praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!
Pray for truth to be revealed among the Nyamwezi
Pray that despite blindness of Islam, misunderstandings about Christ’s atoning work would be made clear. Pray that the Nyamwezi would believe God’s promises and place their faith in Jesus Christ. Pray that those who come to Christ would be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:17- “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”
Prayers over Ramadan
Ramadan Day 28. Pray that God’s Word would be more readily available and read. The Nyamwezi have a strong oral tradition and keen ability to memorize detailed stories. Praise God that a group called Faith Comes By Hearing has the material needed to start recording Nyamwezi audio Bibles. Pray that the New Testament audio recordings will be well comprehended and distributed.
Only a few days remain before the end of Ramadan. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in bringing people to Christ.
Mr. V – Pray for a heart open to the gospel
Mr V. Iman of biggest mosque in our village had bought two copies of the Good News and we had been praying for an opportunity to share with him when he emailed us to tell us about the birth of his daughter. We were able to share the gospel with him. Pray that he responds to what he knows is true.
Standing Well in the Faith
Let us thank God for the Mwani believer, B, who had began to drink (whom we prayed for sometimes back). He has recovered from this problem and is now standing well in the faith. Now let us pray that he will take the same faith and start sharing with others.
Praise God for other Mwani believers who are turning to God through the ministry of several missionaries working among the Mwani. Pray too that each one of them will learn the art of becoming fishers of men.
Pray too that the Lord will give us people with open hearts to share the Gospel with this month. We are going out each day to share the Gospel with people.
Pray for spiritual growth
As we continue to struggle to hear any news from among this people group, let us continue to pray for them. Knowing that God has not left them, even if there are so few missionary or church workers among them. Pray that they would continue to grow spiritually and know our God in ways we will one day be astounded to hear about.
Pray for the believers among the Nyang’atom
The Kenyan missionary couple who lived and worked among this people group are no longer there, making it difficult to get any updates, but we can pray for the believers who are there. Pray that they found tremendous encouragement as they just celebrated the Easter weekend remembering what Christ has done for them.
Prayers for ‘Sid’ and his community
One of the new Bible study groups is continuing on – set to start meeting again after Ramadan. God has confirmed the truth of the Gospel message shared through 2 healing miracles to the group. Pray that ‘Sid’ and his community will choose to continue listening, will be convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, will RECEIVE God’s grace of Jesus as Savior as well as Healer, and will obey God’s Word and share what they learn with others.
Pray for best strategies among the O communities
Today our multicultural mission team meets to pray specifically about the best strategies for effective outreach into our O communities. Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit for wisdom from above, and God’s clear guidance for each bit of discussion, choice and decisions as we seek to discard unhelpful practices and embrace all the fruitful practices He leads us into.
Pray that the Lord would sustain the Rangi
Plain old material poverty. Inability to feed your family well. No money for school fees. Fields producing little/nothing. No money to pay debts. Broken and hurting and sick bodies. Some of this is due to poor decision making, some to lack of education, some to environmental reasons, some to sickness… and it can be overwhelming. What is the solution to all of this? Some of these needs may have solutions, but nothing is for sure. The only thing for sure is this: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 5:16-18) So pray that the Lord would meet their material needs, but even more, that he would meet their spiritual needs, and would fill them with joy, stamina, and faith even in poverty situations. Specifically, for A and for Mama J, who are both in somewhat dire straits.
Pray for open doors among the Rangi
A Rangi elder in the village of Mwi–was seeking to hear more of God’s word. Upon visiting his village this past Easter we found that he had passed away. His family was in its 40th day of his funeral. Mwi– is a village that is known for witchcraft. When people are in trouble, they travel far to this village seeking a witchdoctor. The local Catholic priests won’t go there because of fear. There is also a popular Islamic training school there, which influences all the surrounding villages. That elder was an open door, and now he’s passed away! Pray for other open doors and new workers to share about Christ there.
Team from Tanzania
There was a team that came from Tanzania to hold some open religious dialogues with the M leaders in palm this month. The talks were peaceful. Let’s pray that some of the Makwe will start doubting what they have been taught and that this will be a bridge for communicating the Lord. Pray for churches in the area to catch a vision to reach out to their Makwe neighbours. Also that the WORD would be rooted deep in their hearts…in good soil!
Business As Mission
The Mozambican couple working among the Makwe are using business as access to the community. This gives them contact with the people and also provides for their needs. The business is struggling and this is affecting them. Pray that God will bless this business.
Pray for healing and medical provisions for the Rendille
The Rendille in their poverty, will often not take a sick person to hospital, because it will cost money. The result is that the person then sometimes gets seriously ill. Then the relatives will use traditional medicines, often with very harmful effects. Cutting out the epiglottis with a razor blade is often done for a sore throat. So is cow dung on a burn. Pray that they will learn to trust the Lord for health, for finances and for all of their lives!
Pray for God to stir the hearts of Rendille men
The church in Korr has 3 church plants in process. All three need Rendille men to come, interested in hearing God’s word. Women and children come, which is good, but we are praying for the heads of the homes to see the importance of knowing Jesus. Pray for these three new baby churches:
a. One in Namarei – it has an evangelist named Joel. He loves God and needs prayer as he leads the services each week
b. One in Nagaan – has people from Korr who go each Sunday to preach – but there is no one who visits and pastors during the week.
c. One in Dubsahai – this group has an appointed evangelist. Many come, but mainly children.
Pray for Angela
We prayed for Angela when her little boy died 3 months ago. She is from the village of the first believers. She has just put her trust in Jesus! Continue to pray for her and that many will be drawn to His light.
Pray for Matis
Five young men, good musicians have said they want to follow Jesus. Matis is one. He just lost his mom. Pray that he would not lose sight of Jesus at this sad time. I would like to take the band to play at a Christian Conference. Pray it would grow their faith.
