Praise God for the growth in faith among the Makhuwa Nahara! One local believer has been convicted to tear off the amulets that his superstitious family members placed on his child, who has been sick. He told missionaries there, “I will not fear the spirits in the name of Jesus.” Lift up this man of faith and his family, that the Lord would bring healing and blessing beyond measure, and that many more would trust in our Healer God. Lift up another Christ-follower who has been leading a group of seeking “cousins” from the majority religion. They meet weekly, and there are altogether about 10 men and women studying scripture together in order to understand more about “Isa al Masih”. Ask for the Holy Spirit to guide them into repentance, deliverance, and freedom in the Lord Jesus.

Praise the Lord for a meeting some missionaries in the area were able to have with a group of  Muslim leaders. This group was expelled from their country due to their peaceful stance which is contrary to the majority religion there. The missionaries felt guided by the Holy Spirit and with compassion towards these devoted ones to engage with them.  Pray that this group of cousins would realize that the source of the peace they seek, the desire to provide aid to the poor, and  their pursuit of spirituality is all driven by the tenets of God, and that only a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ will fulfill them.

Pray for these people, whose animistic and folk Islamic practices keep them separated from God. Ask the One True God to give them insight to see the hopelessness of this idolatry, and to reveal to them that the Son of God has come to give them eternal life (I John 5:20-21). There are Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) amongst the Nahara; they are using the local radio to bring the Gospel across the region. Ask our Sovereign God to open the ears and hearts of many Nahara, and that they would abandon Islam and exchange their old lives for new ones in Christ.

In our area, the fallout from recent cyclones continues to wreak havoc: about 20% of people’s houses were down and cases of dysentery and malaria rife. Further down the coast and inland the damage was more extensive with large areas flattened and several deaths. All over people are living in small teepees of grass and plastic tarpaulins.

Also, pray for the radio ministry: recent Muslim converts to Christ, baptized last year, have taken to the air waves! They are receiving training from myself, Ali and local radio technicians and mastering the sound keyboard and most importantly the art of doing interviews and taking the word of Christ into the villages. Please continue to pray for the radio work and the growth of the Gospel among its listeners.

Join us in fervent prayer for the Nahara- that they would hear and believe. That we would boldly believe and declare the message of the cross. That the Muslim Nahara would leave their fetishes and receive the freedom of the Gospel. Also, a cyclone hit our area and many homes are down. With the increased rain, malaria is rampant and omicron-flu is present in force. These challenges come at a time when fields need tilling and care is at its peak; without this people go hungry. Many people have lost their crops due to flooding. Pray that the people of this region will pull through this challenging time, that we will stand strong with them, and that the gospel of Christ will ultimately triumph and bring life to this region.

Pray for Nahara students and teachers to push through with literacy. May these new readers read the newly translated Bible!
Many of the believers are still bound up by fear of evil spirits and intrinsically believe evil is of God. Knowing that Jesus has power over evil and can set people free is a journey. Please pray that the forces of evil so present among the Nahara would flee as people find freedom in Christ.

Some believers have started a communal garden. First attempt was flooded. Their second attempt yielded mixed results: Things went well until harvest time, then two members came and did a quick “pre-harvest”! Several others were so upset they stopped going to the discipleship meetings. Others have continued with discipleship but are no longer growing vegetables. Please pray that all hurts and gripes will be put on the table in order to start afresh. There is nothing romantic about farming or discipleship; the reality is a messy business!

Ali is doing well as a radio announcer and sharing the gospel but is still growing in his faith. We are praying for Muslims who have come to faith in Christ to join the team and help evangelize the Nahara. Ask that such people would come to the fore in the ministry here.

Sharing stories of Jesus with the ladies at the literacy school has been a major breakthrough from seven years ago when people simply spat on the ground and walked away! We asked Ali to come and share on Fridays as his language and culture is so much stronger. The first few meetings were well attended but slowly they have diminished to just one Christian mama and her two children. There are many reasons for this but essentially it will take time to develop trust. Pray that the day will come when some of the students will take a step of faith and get baptized even though this may be costly!

The Nahara, living on the northern coast of Mozambique, are mostly fisherman. Their life and identity are strongly connected to the sea, the shore, and fishing. Knowledge of weather conditions, tide, good fishing ground, piloting canoes, and using nets brings in good catches as well as pride in their work. Pray that the hold of folk Islam, animism and traditional rituals such as ancestor worship would be broken. Pray that those Nahara who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour would become fishers of men; pray that Christ himself, who calmed the wind and the sea, would bring his peace and love to many hearts.

Covid-19 has sadly halted many things. This includes literacy classes in the villages. Please pray that God would raise up the right people to become teachers who will take on the vision of reading the Bible in their native language. Thankfully, the radio broadcasts have continued to run smoothly. However, Nelson (one of the announcers), needs to relocate to a new piece of land due to a dispute. Please ask for guidance in this matter and that God will provide additional ways to sustain his family. May the team soldier on with power and strength which comes from above.

Please pray for Papa M and his family. That the seeds of faith would grow in them. Pray that the church under the tree would grow and reach many Muslims and that those who have started to attend the meetings will remain strong in the Lord. As people like Papa M overcome their fear of the spirits, may the light in their hearts draw many in the community closer to freedom in Christ.

One of the believers from Memba and another Makhuwa Pastor have been helping to translate radio messages from a Christian program. These will be used to make up a book on God’s plan of redemption. It is a bridge book that helps new readers to understand the Bible. Please pray for this translation team. They suffer much to be outspoken believers.

One valuable skill that the recent short-term team brought was experience in “Farming God’s Way”. They shared their insights and the “secret” to abundant crops. This coastal region is beset with poor soil and even poorer farming methods. Pray that the new skills and methods would take root among the people and that their hearts would prove to be good soil for the gospel to take root in.

Praise God for the eyeglasses which have been donated and for the training of how to test eyesight. 700 bibles were also donated.. ask that with their new, improved vision, people would be eager to read these words and have the eyes of their hearts opened. Lift up the plan to start holding a weekly eye clinic, a place where the gospel will also be able to be shared amongst those who wouldn’t otherwise want to attend a gathering.

Literacy classes have been going well in Nacala, with three new students coming last week. A small team of workers are offering literacy classes, farming training, and a children’s class as they learn some of the Makhuwa language and seek to understand the culture better. Ask for good relationships and for trust to be built. Ask for seeds of truth to be communicated in a loving and sensitive way.

In the district of Mozambique Island, God is at work. This week, 2 more young men came to faith in Jesus. We are hearing of others working with Makuwa Nahara people who are seeing great fruit. Men, women and children coming to Jesus. Our district is the religious center of the Makuwa Nahara people. We are praying fervently for whole families to come to faith in Jesus. Right now, we have only male believers.

The Makhuwa Nahara worship the ancestors and rely a lot on witchdoctors. There are believers in the area where they live (Northern Mozambique). These believers have a similar language and come from a similar culture. Pray that these believers would not stay in their churches but reach out to proclaim Christ. Pray that the Makhuwa Nahara would know their true Saviour.

The Makhuwa Nahara worship the ancestors and rely a lot on witchdoctors. There are believers in the area where they live(Northern Mozambique) These believers have a similar language and come from a similar culture.. Pray that these believers would not stay in their churches but reach out to proclaim Christ. Pray that the Makhuwa nahara would know their true Saviour.