We have begun having a Sunday meeting in the local language with some of the local believers. Our hope is to inspire the local believers to meet regularly for fellowship, singing, prayer, and study. But the believers struggle to come consistently. Pray for the Lord to encourage, inspire, and create excitement over regularly meeting together. Pray too for us to be willing to make changes to better adapt to our island setting.

Pray for ‘Uhaju’, a new brother who is desperate for fellowship with other islanders. Attempts to connect him with other island brothers have not led to him being able to study regularly with anyone yet, which is what he really wants and needs.

Things with the gangs are getting way worse. Someone was killed near our neighbourhood recently. We are waiting to hear what the prefecture will do about it. Things are escalating a lot quicker than people thought. Please pray for peace and for the government to be wise in knowing how to handle the situation and prevent any further increase in violence. Pray this crisis would lead people to call out to the Prince of Peace!

Pray for the many islanders who are currently applying for different university programs in Madagascar: for success and for opportunities to meet children of the light who will be testimonies to them. Pray particularly for JJ and Z who are focussed on reaching the Islander diaspora living in Madagascar.

Please pray for two local brothers Z and C who have had the police come looking for them at the house several times this week. Word got to the authorities that they (and others) are following Jesus, but each time they have come to the house a friend in the police has warned them. Pray that the Holy Spirit would enable these men to live free of fear and stay strong in their faith.

Pray for all those who are reading or have read God’s word in the past. In the last month many people downloaded a text and audio app of the book of Exodus, and just today a worker on another team told me about a student who (in the midst of the teacher’s explanation about baptism to an English class), quoted John the Baptist’s words about how the one who would come after him would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire! He must be reading from the app.  Pray that as seekers and believers read God’s word they would meet the Living Word and be transformed!

Pray for the monthly women’s gathering set to happen this week. Pray for open hearts to learn and increasing growth in understanding of the Word.

We are hoping to start up a church leadership training program. Please pray for discernment for us as we move forward with this new adventure. Pray for our hearts to be in tune with the Holy Spirit and may He raise up godly, committed leaders who will inspire their fellow brothers and sisters to grow deeper in their faith. Pray that the Spirit would provide lots of opportunities for those involved with the training to be bold and put into practice what they are learning.

Pray for a local believer who is struggling with her two teenage daughters. Pray that God would give her patience, wisdom and ability to forgive. Pray that the Spirit would draw these girls back to him and protect them from those who might do them harm.

Pra!se God for the news shared by a local brother about how he keeps hearing about islanders who are coming to faith overseas – but are too afraid to share their faith with others. The other day he was in a taxi with someone who was back from their studies in a nearby country where they study at a Catholic college – he was quick to assure others in the taxi that he was still a Muslim. However, he ended up getting out of the car at the same time as D and told him that he was actually a believer! Pray for courage for these new believers to meet with others and share the good things God has done for them with their family and friends.

Pray for the family of new believers (Ma ‘Aisha’ and daughters) as they learn what it means to follow Jesus. We recently studied the story of Mary and Martha and they were taken with the idea of what it means to spend time ‘at the feet of Jesus’. Pray that they would experience a growing relationship with Jesus as they spend time in the word and prayer.

Pray for those who have believed this year and have been baptized. Ask that they would have a hunger for the Word and for spiritual growth, that they would mature and that their transformation would be a testimony to their community.

We have printed the book of Jonah in the local language in Arabic script. This makes Scripture accessible to those who have never learned to read an alphabet other than the Arabic alphabet. When I gave the book of Jonah to Mama Levi, she absolutely loved it and we read the whole book in one sitting. Then I was completely surprised when she asked if I had any books about Jesus. Pray for Mama Levi’s heart to be open as she reads and re-reads the book of Jonah. May the Holy Spirit reveal truth to her through this story. Pray for the opportunity to give Mama Levi the book of Mark and pray for her to have eyes to see and ears to hear. Pray for the many islanders who have read Arabic words this Ramadan, and not understood what they read, to hunger for truth. Pray for our team as we continue to distribute Jonah and for the translation team as they continue to get more books ready to be printed.

“O mwezi uoneha!” The cry goes up as people pass the word onto their family and neighbors: “The moon has been sighted!” Ramadan has begun. For Islanders not a drop of water or a crumb of food will pass their lips from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. They will even endeavor to spit out rather than swallow their own saliva. It’s a long and strenuous month as Muslims all over the world seek to please God and earn points with their efforts. Please pray for the 700,000 people who hail from these Islands. Pray that their tomorrow will be different from today through coming to faith in Christ our Lord. Lift up the small but growing number of Island believers across the nation, that they would be protected by the Lord of Hosts as they boldly and courageously proclaim Christ as their Lord and Savior and share how he has transformed their lives.

Pray for a family who was visited by a team member and a local believer and shared Truth with the family. The little 8 year old girl excitedly stated that she would share this story with her dad when he got home. Please keep praying for more and more opportunities to share with this family and for all of them to share in this little girl’s enthusiasm about sharing the Truth about Jesus.

Pray for a great movement among the Body here on Vanilla Island. Pray that the Lord will continue to strengthen the believers through His Word and presence. Many are being encouraged as they get access to more and more scripture in their language. Pray the Lord will use this to grow His small gathering here on the island.

Pray for a great harvest in Madagascar: for all those who are reaching out to islanders to see a great transformation in the hearts of the islanders they love. Pray for many islanders to come to know the Lord.

Pray for upcoming talks about how to move forward with leadership training and development with local islander believers, leaders and co-workers. Pray for wisdom in and guidance to know when to do these meetings, when to start and who to invite to be a part of this training process.

Praise God for the progress of the translation work- they’ve printed the first book in the local language of “Vanilla Island”. Prayer is needed for wisdom in how to distribute it without jeopardizing the work there.

On “Clove Island,” there is a sister whose family had asked her to renounce her faith or face serious consequences. On the day a family member and an religious leader would be coming to see her, their plans were thwarted and they never came. Give thanks that so far there has been no new conflict/meetings; the sister’s faith remains strong and she has talked about having peace.

Praise God for a new believer, who heard to gospel from other local believers! Pray for his protection, growth, and witness.

Pray for a family as they begin studying Bible stories about living in the Kingdom of Light. Ask the Lord to speak to them and grant them faith to believe.

Pray for our relationships with our English students as we have some fun classes going on right now. Pray for friendships to grow and for more than just English to be shared with our new friends.

Pray for the work among the islanders living in Madagascar. Pray for open doors into islanders’ lives and homes and for hearts to be transformed by the word of God.

One of the sisters wants to see the local believers grow in fasting and prayer. She wants everyone to gather for monthly corporate fasting. Ask God to guide them. Pray for unity amongst the body here and they would continue to make meeting together and encouraging one another a priority.

Pray for the healing of a long standing rift between 2 groups of believers here. Praise Father for a small group of sisters (2 families from different groups) who have recently started meeting to read and encourage one another. They live in the same village but neither knew of the others. May they grow in love and trust for one another and pave the way for reconciliation.

Economic woes have led “Mark,” a leader of the body, to leave the island and try to take a clandestine boat to I4. Pray for the Lord to lead, protect, and help Mark to trust Him. Pray for all Island believers who are driven to extreme measures by their poverty. “Donna”, a local believer is threatened by her family who is trying to force her to recant. Ask the Lord to strengthen Donna and all who are persecuted.

The kingdom is growing on the islands, the word is being translated and taught, and the gospel is being shared. Our teams are strong and determined. And yet, we long for breakthroughs, and for strong, stable churches to be planted and multiply.
Believers are plagued by false teaching and division. Ask the Lord to destroy false teaching and drive false teachers away. Ask for true repentance and truth!

Recently, we gave A something to read. It is a personal account and comparison of Jesus and Mohamed in our two books. Ask that he will be challenged by what he reads and that the Holy Spirit would open his heart to the Truth.

The riots and protests on the island have significantly increased this past month. So much so that a few neighborhoods have closed all businesses and schools. The mayor has said that there’s not much the police can do to stop the gangs. Please pray for peace, security and for change of hearts.

Pray for our friends, a believing couple whom we’ve prayed with and for many times. The wife’s mother passed away recently. The mother had once claimed Jesus as Lord in her life but then fell back into old ways afterwards. Before she passed, her daughter prayed with her many times. Pray for hearts in this difficult situation. Soon after this, the husband’s nephew that he cared for passed away as well which was a very hard blow. Pray for emotional healing in this sad time and for Jesus to be so close to this couple and their families right now.

K sells second-hand clothes on the main road. We’ve prayed for various health needs in her family but have not had more spiritual conversations. I recently invited her and her family over. During the visit, she shared how she’d previously travelled abroad for healthcare but was told nothing could be done. But while she was there, she went to pray in a church and was healed! She also shared that she knew the good news about Jesus through my previous team-mates. Please ask for more opportunities to talk about power in Jesus’s name that not only heals but saves.

Pray for a seeker who is from Vanilla Island and came to Madagascar a year ago. He has been exposed much to the Gospel and has a good relationship with those discipling him, often listening to their advice. May the seeds that they continue to sow in his life fall on good soil that he may come to surrender his heart to Jesus.

The mother of a believing couple on one of the islands is very sick. The family is poor and can’t afford to send her to get treatment. Pray for wisdom and provision regarding where to send her for treatment. Pray also for family members as they care for her.
A sister here was recently questioned by her brother about her beliefs. She didn’t deny Jesus and happily welcomed him to her house to discuss more. He didn’t end up going, but they have talked on the phone since then and all seems to be okay. Pray for D’s brother to be saved.

One of the teachers who had stopped studying our Book came to me after class and said that he wanted to resume learning about the things he’d recently heard. So, for the past month, my team leader has met with two of the Arabic teachers, reading the Word and processing through a set of questions designed to help them engage and understand the common themes. Praise Father!
A few weeks ago, one of the teachers confided in me that his wife had had a third miscarriage. I told him that I’d like to meet her and pray for her. Last week, she came to our house. After some small talk, we got to share the good news and she let us pray for her in Jesus’s name. I wasn’t really sure what she thought of it all, but at the end she looked up and expressed how grateful she was. She has never had a friend to discuss meaningful things with or take time to pray over difficult news. Hopefully this is the start of a fruitful friendship. The teacher has told me that he wants me to start studying the Book with his wife. Pray that this might be her desire too!

R is one of our best language helpers. She’s been with us for more than 6 months. We are growing close to her family, but when it comes to spiritual matters, they are quite closed. I once asked for help translating the creation story, but there were parts they wouldn’t discuss or even give me the words for, such as the idea of being ‘created in God’s image’. Please ask for openness.
C hasn’t been around for a couple of weeks due to exams but she came back this week and has continued to ask questions about our Book. We are happy to answer but would like to do a more thorough study with her. As she is under 18, we will be seeking permission from her parents and want to also invite the whole family. Ask for a fruitful time together.

I attended a wedding this week where my good friend’s mom manifested demons. I’ve offered to pray for her mom in Jesus’s name. Her mom has said thank you but refused, stating that they’ve already done prayers and just “don’t know why they won’t leave”. Only Jesus can do it. Pray for an opportunity for her to be delivered from the kingdom of darkness into light!

A few weeks ago, one of the believers was confronted over the phone by her brother about her faith. He was planning on coming to her house to question her. The island body of believers rallied around her in prayer. A rainstorm came which prevented her brother from coming and he has not brought it up since!
Another young believer was confronted about his faith by a family member, who is an imam. He professed his faith boldly and pointed to his changed life as evidence of his new faith. The imam was not upset, but rather asked more questions and seemed interested.
Pray for the believers as they are confronted with questions about their faith. May they stand firm and have discernment to respond wisely.

Pray for D, a local believer who is also a school teacher. Recently on two different occasions students have manifested evil spirits in his classroom. Pray for wisdom and courage for him in knowing how to respond in these situations, and that these students would be set free.

Pray for the local believers who are meeting together. Pray for their times together to be encouraging and unifying. Pray for wisdom and insight in using the Word to grow, and for their love for Jesus, for each other, and for the lost to grow.