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.

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.

I talked to my Imam friend. He’s struggling emotionally due to several problems–people not coming to the mosque, his 5 year immigration process on hold, his son not able to get financial aid to attend college as a non-citizen, etc. I read God’s Word with him and prayed for him. He became emotional and said that was precious to him and just what he needed. He told me he’s reading Detrick Bonhoeffer’s “The Cost of Discipleship”, which he loves. But he’s so down (depressed) he doesn’t have the strength to discuss it. I was able to talk to him about the power of Jesus over evil spirits and the need to choose God over the fear of man because these are issues my son is facing. I have been open with him about my son’s struggles. Please keep praying for my imam friend.

Mo, a new Algerian believer, got baptised on August 9th in Montreal. Please pray for him in his new faith. Pray for both growth and new life.

Pray for more opportunities to share the gospel with International Students in Lakewood, California during this season of Covid restrictions. Pray we will be encouragers and a light that attracts them to Jesus

Pray for S. in Foz do Iguaçu, with the borders of Argentina and Paraguay closed, the challenges are greater as immigrants have a lot of limitations to work and to get help in Brazil.
Pray that God will continue to involve the Brazilian churches to be ministering among refugees and immigrants.

We praise God for a lot of relationships that have been made in this last month. Finally it seems that people are out and meeting each other.
Pray for the follow up to the meeting held August 7 with the head of the Somali association here in Rochester. Please pray that there could be good lasting cooperation and building of meaningful  relationships.

Praise: 2 Moroccans and 2 Algerians are (Lord willing) going to be baptized in the next few weeks.
Pray for these four individuals: M. (Algerian, 30s), G. (Algerian, 30s), N. (Moroccan, 50s) and S. (Moroccan, 50s). They are very new in their faith. Please pray for grace to stand in the midst of persecution (earthly and spiritual), their integration into local churches, and sanctification.

Praise: This morning we got a request for two Arabic Bibles. A husband and wife have requested an Arabic Bible, from al-Hayat.tv, that came to me. I just contacted them and they are excited for the Bible. Pray that this would lead to a Bible study with this couple.

Pray for connections with hearts who are seeking, for openness in conversations, and hearing well with mask challenges. “Lord, make hearts tender to be receptive to the Gospel.”
Pray for the opportunity to be a part in the opening of the community center in Strasbourg the last 2 weeks of August. Pray that I will be an encouragement and help as ME’s team launches this new outreach. “Lord, be honored and magnified and made known in this community center.”

Pray for A, a Somali cousin who is considering giving his life to Christ. May the Lord continue drawing A to Himself.

Please lift up N & L in Toronto as they start a weekly Bible study with 3 Sikh men who recently came to the Lord. N. led one to Christ through an evangelistic social media ad in the first weeks of the covid crisis.
Pray for B & C in Winnipeg. They have practically adopted an 18-year-old Somali who was severely traumatized by the war in his homeland. Pray that this young man’s heart would soften to the Gospel as he spends time with B & C and their kids, and as B. joins his Somali soccer team.
G & K in Montreal have just completed the Bridges video series on Muslim evangelism with 22 French Canadians. Fifteen of the grads have made new North African friends, and 5 have already given away Arabic Bibles. Pray for much fruit among these new Québécois evangelists.

Praise that several people whom we have formed relationships with through the garden are interested in having extended outings together. We are planning trips to botanical gardens and parks with walking trails and lakes.
There has been a large surge of Covid cases in Noel, especially among the diaspora communities. Pray that the Lord would protect these who are ill from serious complications and that He would use this virus to draw many in these communities to Himself.

Please pray for four men from the local refugee community who I am meeting with one to one for English Language classes. All of them appear resistant in some way to the Gospel but at the same time they are open about the needs in their lives.
Please pray for the city of Leicester which is one of the most multicultural cities in the UK. The various communities include a large number of people from North Africa and the Horn. The area has been hit hard by Covid, currently around 1 in 10 of all the new UK cases are from the Leicester area. Pray in particular for the churches and those involved in outreach and community work in the city to have an open door for effective ministry.

Please pray for many local youth who have requested bikes from our bike ministry. Please pray that contacts made repairing, donating, and lending bikes will lead to further conversations about our Hope in Jesus.
Please pray for young Somali Christians who are struggling with addictions,. I have once again been allowed to visit one in jail – he is facing serious charges. Please pray that words of repentance may turn to a heart of repentance and a new life in Jesus.

Pray for the 2 in- home English classes in Bloomfield Hills. Pray we can sow gospel seeds in these new relationships. We have 6 in-home classes going.
Please pray for opportunities to come together for the Jr/Sr High kids to serve at a thrift shop alongside youth group kids this summer. Please pray for a soccer coordinator for the last week of July too. We are hoping to have a tournament for this same group of kids.
Praise Jesus for food delivery opportunity during this time of uncertainty. Please pray that it will lead to new relationships for our team of volunteers. As we try to be the hands and feet of Jesus, may we proclaim God’s good news.

Pray for ongoing opportunities to speak into the lives of our Muslim friends. Some are struggling with cancer and others have the COVID virus now.
Pray that God will open up hearts to the Good News during this time of fear and uncertainty.

We have started meeting face to face in small settings for ESL classes and faith discussions.
Last week I met up with two of the Somali youth religious leaders to discuss faith. We are thankful for the opportunity to share truth. They are asking for a follow up meeting. Pray that the Lord would continue convicting them of their need of the Savior.

Praise for some recent opportunities to share the full Truth with island friends. Pray for the Spirit to open their hearts to Himself with constant reminders of His Word spoken to them.
Pray for direction in ministry for these summer months and onward. Pray for relationships with hearts who are seeking, openness for conversation and for ability to hear well with the mask challenges.

Pray for our Ethiopian friends and colleagues, W&K, who just lost the baby they eagerly anticipated arriving later this summer. They are now walking through their grief, so we delayed our launching of the Zoom family Bible studies for several of their Ethiopian church families. But they are eager to begin very soon. Pray for wisdom to do it well, and as partners with them.

Please pray for Rose, a friend in the Middle East that I have been studying off and on with by text. Her daughter was just diagnosed with autism, and she’s really struggling with what that means for her daughter. Please pray that God would guide our conversations and open her eyes to Jesus.
We hope to open our community center July 31! Please pray that the two inspections happen quickly and without problem, that our sign would be approved, and that we would be able to finish everything that needs to be done by opening day. Pray this will be a safe place where people feel welcome and free to explore and find Truth.

Please pray for opportunities for spiritual conversations with a Libyan neighbor. She will be moving to Indiana mid-July. I don’t think she has ever heard the gospel. It is on my heart to share this with her before she moves. Please pray that God will move in a very clear way to allow this to happen.
Please pray that God will provide an international neighbor to move in when my Libyan neighbor leaves.

We had a 4th of July picnic and invited friends from North Africa. Pray for the people who came the we would have good follow-up conversations.
I met a young guy from Morocco who is a neighbor. Pray for his heart to be open to hearing truth. And for times to hang out with him.

Please pray for continued opportunities to share the gospel with International Students in small groups in Lakewoord, CA. Pray that the campground site we reserved for our annual camping trip in August with students will open up or that we would find an good alternative option.

Pray for our friend K. from Syria who is struggling with leukemia- it got worse during Ramadan. Please pray that God will open his heart to the Gospel. He is very religious.
Pray for open hearts as the team passes out Trader Joe bread- that their Muslim friends will find Jesus to be their Bread of Life.

We rejoice at the profession of faith of Ali6 and his baptism 3 weeks ago. Through Scripture reading and discussions during ESL, he accepted the Lord and soon after decided to be baptized. Pray for his growth in the Lord.
We have had zoom Bible study with a Somali couple in the LA area and two young Somali men in central France. We are encouraged by their desire to grow in their faith.

Pray specifically for two families we have been visiting for a while, that the language barrier will no longer be a problem as they learn French quickly and that they will understand the grace Jesus has for them.
Pray also for the international students we are befriending, there are quite a few wanting to read the Bible with us in the upcoming days.

Our Ethiopian friends desperately want help for the children in their Oromo Church. These kids are caught between cultures–church services use their parents’ tribal language and focus on sensational topics, not real Bible teaching; and the kids meanwhile are growing up in an English-speaking Western culture. We are concerned for the biblically illiterate parents as well. We need wisdom how to make connections, how to truly help…from the outside.

Praise God for a very encouraging response to the gift bags we delivered to 16 graduating international students in California. Pray that we would be able to connect with students over the summer months. They are eager to go hiking, surfing and camping! Pray for the seeds that have been sown to bear fruit in their lives.

Pray for us as we work to maintain connections with Muslim friends during this time of COVID19.

Pray for the food outreach in Philidelphia to bring new relationships with Muslim families. Pray that there will be some good contacts with people who are sincerely seeking a relationship with God.

Praise for recent phone calls from island women after a long absence in Marseille. Pray for timely visits and conversations to spur them on the path of knowing Jesus personally.
Pray for direction in ministry for these months ahead, negotiating the challenges of masks and peoples’ continued anxiety regarding the virus, sometimes distancing people even further. Pray for ears to hear well, both physically and spiritually.
Pray for relationships to deepen and wisdom in opportunities to share the Good News with neighbors and islanders; for spoken words to point clearly to the hope and joy of life in Christ.

I sent a copy of Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus to a Muslim friend as a Ramadan gift. He hasn’t replied. He and I spent two and a half hours in a friendly argument about the credibility of the Bible and Christianity last year. Please pray that he would be curious enough to read the book.

Thank God for the continued participation of Muslim ladies in the weekly Zoom English lessons based around Bible stories; pray for a spiritual hunger as we explore the book of Ruth.
We praise God for the way He has unified the International Women’s Sewing Group volunteers through weekly Zoom prayer times and opportunities to sew for medical personnel.

Praise God that people’s hearts are being touched by the love of God shining through Pamoja volunteers. Seeds are being planted. Pray for a great Harvest!
Pray that God will give me just the right questions to ask and words to share -words that will open hearts to Jesus.
Pray that this will be a great time for all of the Portland team to develop deeper relationships with people in their community and for continued opportunities to share the lasting hope we have in Jesus.

Pray the Lord will open hearts and give me opportunity to speak truth to my Muslim and Sikh friends. I have been bold with my faith, but many have a, “That is good for you” mentality. Pray for conviction of sin and longing to know God.
Pray for the many summer outreach plans that people in the Diaspora Region have. May God show us favor and allow those to happen. Picnics, camps, and soccer tournaments are all great avenues to share truth. May they take place as planned.

Praise for Bible stories being shared over Zoom as part of the English lesson with women from
the “Friends” group. Pray for a spiritual hunger and realization of their need to accept Jesus as their Saviour.

Pray that our students will continue online ESL classes during Ramadan. This has
provided a great way to stay connected with them. Pray God will soften their hearts and they will seek after Truth.
Pray that as a team we can continue to find creative ways to share hope during this time
of COVID-19 “sheltering in place”. Praise for the technology that is allowing us to stay connected with our friends during this time.

Pray for good conversations by phone with islanders during this month of Ramadan. Pray for a dissatisfaction with Islam and a longing to know God personally.
Plead for those islanders  who are sick, for their hearts to turn to Jesus, and for some, even with
their last breaths to remember any truth they have heard and respond in trust.

Please pray for S & E, our Iranian Christian friends living near Portland. They long to be in
ministry. As he recently prayed and fasted about God’s will, he suddenly lost his IT job. Pray for
wisdom to encourage them as they seek the Lord’s direction.
Please pray for our Ethiopian evangelist friend who told us a few days ago, he is finding unusual
opportunities to talk about the Lord with Muslim friends and relatives struggling with fears and
uncertainties.

Give thanks that despite the current restrictions we have been able to find churches in Bristol,
Southampton and Portsmouth to welcome refugee families who moved from Croydon
into their areas over the last six weeks. In each case within a day of their arrival, Christians were
there to welcome them and help with the practicalities of moving into a new home. Pray for these refugee families to be open to friendship and hearing the Gospel.

Please pray for the youth of our community. Two more were sentenced to life
imprisonment last week for murder. The youth here hold life cheaply. Please pray that
we will have the opportunity to share with the youth how much Jesus values them, and
how much he values all others as well.