Greetings from Arusha. We are so thankful to God that we had a wonderful time together training 32 trainees from Sandawe, Datooga, Nyaturu, Masai and Iraqw unreached people groups. We thank God for his provision. We were able to teach ‘The Gospels and Introduction to the Bible’. We thank God that Nassa Theological College has confirmed they will accept our training, now every training will be credited from NTC. Please pray for more and more pastors, evangelists, and lay leaders to be trained and that each unreached people group will soon have a reproducing, indigenous, Christ-centered church.

Please pray for the new church plant at Kambi ya Simba, Lake Eyasi. The Jobaji local church (the AICT church near the Hadzabe), is planting a church this week. They began an Evangelism campaign since last Sunday and will continue till next Sunday. It’s been reported that 23 people have decided to follow Jesus so far! The people group in that area are Datooga and Iraqw. This outreach is a result of the Indigenous leaders’ training and Global Disciples. This will be now a third generation from the original Olpiro Church!

Please pray that the Datooga believers will continue to share the gospel and the recordings of the Scripture stories throughout the tribe, and that these shepherds will come to know Jesus the Good Shepherd. Pray that each Datooga church can plant another one in 2019.

The Datooga believers are faithfully taking the Word of God to many villages and shepherds’ camps where people still need Christ. New churches are being planted. New leaders are emerging and being trained, and Bible stories are being translated and recorded. Please pray that the Datooga churches will deepen in their understanding of the Scriptures and that the Lord will keep them Christ-centered and strong even as they multiply.

“May the Datooga people come to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep.”

Praise God for a new Datooga church that has begun at Gidamilanda! Pray for their growth and multiplication. Six Datooga and three people from other tribes have become believers recently. Praise the Lord.

The Datooga have several churches that are flourishing, and people within them who want to plant new churches and reach into areas of the Datooga that are still without the gospel. Please pray for the Holy Spirit to speed the process of planting a reproducing, indigenous, Christ-centered Datooga church.

Continue to pray that the Datooga Christians who are cooperating to craft and record Bible stories will not only complete the set they are working on, but will also continue to teach Scripture this way. Pray that the recordings will be widely spread throughout this nomadic tribe, and that many will put their faith in the Good Shepherd as they listen to them while herding their sheep. We now have one young believer who has already shared the stories amongst his family and neighbours and has had some positive response to their content.

Please pray that the Datooga will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. Pray that many will hear the recordings of His stories and that it will become part of Datooga culture to tell them over and over at night as these nomadic shepherds rest. Over the last year more Datooga are expressing an interest in hearing more about Jesus and some have made a profession of faith. Pray they continue to grow in their faith and have courage to share what they have heard with others in their communities.

With the rains imminent, the coming months mean that most Datooga are back in the homesteads during the evenings because the grazing and water are much closer to home. Pray for opportunities for the believers to visit and share recorded Bible stories in the homesteads and for the Holy Spirit to soften hearts and open ears to hear the truth. Pray that these times will be filled with people asking questions and reflecting on what they hear. Pray to for those sharing the stories that they may be filled with wisdom from the Lord as to how best to lead the discussions and answer the questions that might arise.

On Feb 3, 2018 you prayed for this request: “Please pray that the Datooga will soon have the Bible story set recorded and complete, and that those recordings will multiply and spread far and wide as shepherds and their families share them with others. Pray that many Datooga will come to know Jesus, the Good Shepherd.” And God answered this way: “A story set of short 4 minutes stories from creation to Ascension was crafted, recorded and in a format that could be listened to in various locations. 7 local radios with memory cards containing the complete set were distributed via the Evangelists to use in their local churches and communities. There is a small team of Datooga believers familiar with the crafting and recording process who have the technology available to record more stories as they are needed.” Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord that the Datooga are beginning to hear more and more of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Please pray that they will come to Him in faith as the Shepherd and Guardian of their souls.

Praise the Lord for rains falling in Kenya and Tanzania after a long drought. Please pray that as the Datooga animals enjoy the green grass, their shepherds will ponder the wonder that Jesus is the good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. Pray that many will turn in faith to Him.

Please pray that the Datooga will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. Pray that many will hear the recordings of His stories and that it will become part of Datooga culture to tell them over and over at night as these nomadic shepherds rest.

Please pray that the Datooga will soon have the Bible story set recorded and complete, and that those recordings will multiply and spread far and wide as shepherds and their families share them with others. Pray that many Datooga will come to know Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

Please pray that the Datooga Christians who are cooperating to craft and record Bible stories will not only complete the set they are working on, but also will continue to teach Scripture this way. Pray that the recordings will be widely spread throughout this nomadic tribe, and that many will put their faith in the Good Shepherd as they listen to them while herding their sheep.

Pray that the Datooga, whose main work is livestock, will recognise and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as their good shepherd, who laid down His life for the sheep.

Because the Datooga are pastoralists, during seasons of drought they move their animals to other grazing areas. It is hard, therefore, for people to study the Bible consistently over many months. Pray for those who are producing recordings of Bible stories, that even when the pastoralists move, they may continue to hear and grow in their knowledge of the Word of God.

“May the Datooga people come to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep.”

Traditionally at the end of the day Datooga families will gather in their homesteads and share the news of the day or tell stories before retiring for the night. Currently a small group of believers are working on a Chronological Bible Story set, crafting Bible stories in the Datooga language. This project aims to have the stories accessible to the Datooga in their heart language. Pray for those involved in the project – for those involved in crafting of the stories – that they reflect God’s message of salvation in a way that engages with the Datooga people. Also pray for a desire in the hearts of the Datooga people to be willing to listen to the stories and to respond to the gospel message- may they know God’s love for them.

Pray that as the Datooga follow their flocks and herds, they will learn about Jesus, the good shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep. Pray that those who can read will regularly share Scripture with those who can’t.

Please pray that Datooga believers will continue to read Scripture and share stories from the Bible with their friends whenever they are not busy with their sheep. Pray that they will grow in their desire to know Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and to belong to His flock and be in His fold.

Many Datooga do not read or write. This limits their ability to learn the Scriptures. Pray that the Lord will bring opportunities for believers to become literate, and that recordings of the stories of God’s Word will spread widely through the tribe.

Pray for the Datooga evangelists and pastors who live in very rugged conditions while trying to share Christ with the unsaved and teach believers how to walk with Christ. Pray that the Lord will provide for their families and that He will sustain and encourage them by bringing many people to faith in Christ.

Lord may the Datooga come to know you as their personal Saviour and Good Shepherd in their lives, understanding the love and care you have for them individually.

Pray for those Datooga new in their faith that they will not be choked by the pressures of life; pray that they can draw strength from the Son of Man; and pray that as they mature in faith they can themselves draw others into fellowship with Jesus.

Please be lifting in prayer the Datooga people of Tanzania. Traditionally at the end of the day Datooga families will gather in their homesteads and share the news of the day or tell stories before retiring for the night. Currently a small group of believers are working on a Chronological Bible Story set, crafting Bible stories in the Datooga language. This project aims to have the stories accessible to the Datooga in their heart language. Pray for those involved in the project – for those involved in crafting of the stories – that they reflect God’s message of Salvation in a way that engages with the Datooga people. Also pray for a desire in the hearts of the Datooga people to be willing to listen to the stories and to respond to the Gospel message. May it speak into their lives and may they know God’s love for them.

Praise the Lord for progress in the Datooga storying project. Pray that by the end of 2017 all the stories in the “set” will be translated, checked for accuracy, and recorded. Pray that many will come to know the Lord because they listen to the Word of God.

Pray for nine Datooga who were recently baptised. May the adults, teen, and children all grow in Christ. The baptism was carried out under very difficult conditions due to drought. Praise the Lord that they were not afraid of public scorn. May others follow their example.

Please pray for the Holy Spirit to raise up more Datooga evangelists to reach the Datooga people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for many men and women who would have a vision of the Lord and such a sense of privilege in knowing Him that when He calls for volunteers, they would answer, “Send me!”

Praise the Lord that the Datooga evangelist and his wife are enthusiastically helping to translate and craft Bible stories. Pray for the Lord to supply a whole team of people who will want to help with the project because they are so interested in the Scripture. Pray that as the Lord builds a team to craft and record stories, He will prompt them to tell the stories at home and to friends. Pray that even before the stories are recorded, they will already have been widely told. Pray for people to receive them with interest and spiritual insight.

As we spend more time in the Datooga communities, we see the people caring for their livestock of goats, sheep and cows – taking them to find pasture, carrying the new born lamb or goat in their arms if the distance is too great for them to walk, looking out for predators, taking them to find water, searching the bushes for ones gone astray or lost; it is a reminder of David’s Psalm 23 The Lord is my Shepherd, and also of Jesus saying He is the Good Shepherd. As the Datooga herd their animals may they come to know Jesus as their own Good Shepherd and know he cares for each of them.

Give praise and thanks to God for the continuing work, crafting Bible stories into the local Datooga language; give thanks for the enthusiasm of all those involved in this project and for the progress that is being made, as well as for the good team spirit that is developing. Please pray for continued wisdom in the selection of vernacular vocabulary so the richness of God’s plan for redemption can shine through the stories as they are retold. Please pray for the next stage of the project – the finding of Datooga believers who can critically listen to the translated stories and check for accuracy in the vocabulary used. Pray that these stories will be received by open ears and hearts among the Datooga.

A missionary and his wife are spending ten days in a Datooga village, preparing Bible stories in the Datooga language. Pray for the evangelist and his wife as they help translate and craft Bible stories in Datooga. May they grow in boldness and have creativity in using opportunities to share the stories informally with their neighbors.

Please pray that during this dry season the brief opportunities we have to interact with the Datooga in the community will be times where by His Spirit we will have the words to encourage to them. The days are long and hard for those herding animals, so please pray that they will start to know they do not need to trust on their own strength but have a Heavenly Father who loves them and knows their individual needs.

The Datooga have a ceremony for the cleansing of serious sins that involves the slaughter of a sheep and ‘washing’ of the guilty in its blood, resulting, they believe, in the person’s being purified or “reborn.” Please pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to them that all of us have committed sin, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world by His blood, and by faith in Him a person can be born again to eternal life.

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.

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.

Pray for a Christian preschool in a Datooga area that the children and their parents will, through the compassion and teaching, learn of the love of the Lord for them.

Pray that the project to provide goats to pastors and evangelists will help them provide for their families and spiritually enrich their relationships.