A group of MBBs (Muslim background believers) have been meeting for about a year, growing together without formal church leadership or involvement. The national church wants to send a pastor to them… please pray about this. There is concern that a person will be sent to them who is not sensitive to the MBB situation and who will actually discourage growth and force conformity to unfamiliar forms and practices. Please pray that the Lord would provide a pastor with a heart like His own, one who understands and loves MBBs and who will be a great asset to them in their spiritual growth.

Please pray that Rangi Muslims and Roman Catholics would be drawn by GOD to seek out believing, evangelical Christians in the area and to believe their message of salvation!

Praise God for this request from a Rangi evangelist, “Pray for Yusuph, Vero, Petro, July, and Ramadan who want to learn the Bible with me. Thank you and be blessed.” Ask God to open their hearts to the truth of the Bible.

Please lift up Baba S, an evangelist working with the Rangi. He works in a difficult area, where Catholics and Muslims are mixed together. The Catholic contingent in this area is nominal and plagued by alcoholism. Previous evangelical work in the area did some damage, and Baba S is left with a difficult situation trying to reach out to the people. Please pray for him to have great wisdom in sharing and sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit in making decisions about the ministry there.

Please pray for M. He is a highly respected Islamic teacher in the area. Ask that God would give him a dream or vision, so he could believe the things he has heard, and have clarity about what he reads in the Bible. Ask that this man would then have a freeing effect on others around him who are also (more secretly) open to Jesus.

Would you pray for Mama J to have the joy of the Lord, despite her desperate poverty. She seems to truly trust the Lord, pray she would tell others what the Lord has done for her. And pray that her small business would be profitable and that she would be able to keep it going.

A Rangi believer visited the village of Busi Sept. 5th and showed the Rangi Jesus Film. Pray for the salvation of Aziza, Mohamed and Adinani who saw it. He continues to show the Rangi Jesus film in other Rangi villages. He drives his motorcycle and uses his motorcycle battery to power the film.

This man has gone to 2 workshops about farming God’s way. He was so blessed by the training that on Sept. 15. he sent this whatsapp: “I am happy; today I taught my first class on farming God’s way at Msalato Theological College. I will continue on Friday. This is a class of pastors. They will teach what they’ve learned wherever they go. The Lord is very gracious to us. I praise him.”

Recently he messaged: “Thank you for asking how I am doing. I am doing well but have no one for accountability.” Pray that God would give him another Christian to have fellowship with.

Please pray for Yusuf, who has put his faith in Jesus but is having financial difficulties. Please also pray for Vero, because he longs to go to study at a Bible school. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s power to work in all of the Busi and Kondoa area. May God richly bless you all for praying.

Please pray that God will be seen by the people of the town of Busi, so they will know Christ. Pray that they will accept, believe, and trust the Word of God completely, especially those with whom the evangelist has begun to share the Word of God.

I thank God last weekend was a good one because we were able to gather together with other believers, to praise and serve the Lord together. I also praise Him that two of my Muslim friends want to meet with me to study God’s Word. So please let’s pray that the Lord will help me have opportunity and time to meet with them.

There are places among the Rangi where the gospel of Jesus Christ has not yet reached. I would also ask you to pray that we agree together to pray and ask the Lord to work. Thank you, and God bless you for praying.

There are about 10 new Rangi believers living in Kon– (Largest town among the Rangi). They meet each week to pray and read God’s word. This group is extremely fragile; following Jesus is so new. Pray for their spiritual growth and for them to cling to truth.

The Jesus Film in Rangi is about to be finished. Already the recordings are finished, only the final editing. This distribution of this film can help in proclaiming God’s truth among the Rangi. Many have simple video players on their mobile phones.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mama S and Mama M love hearing the stories of God and Man. They totally get into it, really hearing and listening and interacting. Recently when we heard the story of promises made regarding a king who would come with a kingdom with no end, Mama S (somewhat quieter, but clearly absorbing everything) piped in, “That’s God. He’s the only one with an unending kingdom.” Yes! Pray that she would hold on to that truth, and yet would be able to absorb the truth of God being born as man, as we continue in the stories. Please pray for a supernatural touch for these sister-wives.

Pray that the missionaries and evangelical believers among the Rangi would have a witness that glorifies Christ and shows who He really is. Pray that no matter what mistakes the believers make, no matter how different they are, no matter how often they don’t get it right, the Lord would overrule all of that and bring people to faith in Christ. Praise the Lord for the Catholic-background believers who are eagerly sharing Christ. Pray that many more from both Catholic and Muslim backgrounds would put their faith in Christ alone as their Saviour and as their God.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty may become rich.” The Rangi are as materialistic as anyone else- having less does not mean that they have less of a desire for “more” than anyone else does. In fact, a lot of people really dream of how good life must be with “stuff” or with “much.” Pray for workers to have chances to share that one of the wonderful things about Christ is that he became poor for the sake of others. And pray for workers to have the chance to witness and be as Christ- to truly become poor so that the Rangi might be rich in him.

Pray for radical Rangi Muslims, completely devoted to their faith, to be given a radical encounter with our Lord. And pray that they would be like Paul, willing to sacrifice everything to be obedient to that call.

Pray for Rangi children to ask questions and be discontent with the Islamic answers they receive at the madrasa, religious school. Pray they would have a hunger for Gos and truth their religious education won’t fill. Pray for them to have courage to seek answers. Pray for them to seek answers from Christians as the observe their example and hear their witness.

A Rangi man by the name of Kij– is influential in every part of the ministry. He is a SIL translator for the Bible, who gives Chronological Bible story seminars on his off time. He is the voice of Jesus in the Jesus Film. He has a passion for reaching his own people and is extremely gifted at evangelism. He is an entrepreneur. Satan has to hate what he is doing, please pray for his PROTECTION!!!! He has often gotten sick during final consultant checks on Rangi scripture.

The Rangi have a tradition that is super close to the sacrifice of redemption. If one person does some sort of major offense against another, they will kill a sheep to “heal the body/flesh.” Pray that the Rangi would understand in a deep way how this relates to our need to have OUR flesh healed with God because we have wronged him.

Pray “ahead” that for future Rangi believers, they would be like the apostles in Acts 5- not afraid of the threats or punishments of others, but that they would be prepared to be open and bold.

Please pray that the Rangi would understand that accepting Jesus as a prophet doesn’t mean that they have accepted Jesus for who He really is, and in fact they dishonor Him by seeing Him as less than He claimed to be. Pray for the few who have enough understanding to choose to trust Him as God and Savior to appreciate and take to heart the parable of the seeds that fell on different soils, that there is danger in being a type of soil that does not bear fruit. Pray that they would be the kind of people who bear thirty, sixty and a hundredfold.

Pray for A, who has some physical problems and really is struggling to provide for her family, that the Lord will heal her and provide for her needs in such a way that her trust in Him grows. Pray for Mama J, a believer of a different tribe, who is struggling with the same. Please also lift up J, her teenage son, who seems to be making poor life choices right now. Pray that he will become Jesus’ obedient disciple.

Please pray that Rangi leaders of the community begin to follow Jesus, and their decision will open the door for others who are, frankly, scared. Please pray that the Rangi will understand the seriousness of sin, and that sin cannot be erased by doing a lot of good deeds. This seems to be the biggest barrier to Christ-centered, reproducing churches among them.

Praise the Lord that a Rangi gentleman who has been studying the Bible with a local missionary is loving and understanding more and more as they study the Bible together. They have both been challenged by the Scripture. Pray for ongoing growth.

Family is a huge power here- fear of family, and fear of being pushed out of family. Family is your insurance, health care, stability, help in difficult times, etc. A friend of mine who has decided to follow Jesus told me recently that she could no longer follow Jesus… why? Because upon telling her father that Jesus’ power cast demons out of her, and that she now wants to follow Him, she was forbidden. And more than being forbidden, she was threatened with beating and is fearing witchcraft against her. Please pray for this friend- that she would find the courage to follow him anyway, and that Jesus would protect her. Please also pray for her father. He is a hard man and strong in his Islamic faith.

“Oh, it would never be possible for me to follow Jesus,” said a dear, elderly friend of mine. She loves hearing the words of God. She loves the story of Jesus, and frankly, I think she believes it. But you know what she is scared of? Dirtying her family line, people thinking she is deceived, being abandoned by those near to her… Please pray for Bebe to have a dream of revelation of the truth of Jesus, and understanding that the price she would pray would be worth it. Pray for her to have courage and trust that Jesus would care for her.

As we think ahead for what a body of believers would look like here, pray with us! Pray that God would be raising up leaders now, that he would be preparing people to be courageous, that he would already be breaking down in people this idea of religion as “law,” etc. A lot of leaps in understanding need to be made, but God did them in us who are already believers, and he can do it in the Rangi too. Please ask for wisdom and unity for those who are reaching the Rangi together.

Please lift up a local believer who will be giving a seminar to M’s starting this next week. Please ask for the attendees to have good understanding and to see the differences between what they’ve heard about J and what is true about J in the Book. Please ask for the believer giving the seminar to be blessed by the HS with wisdom to share and answer difficult questions!

Psalm 26: 8-9, 12-14 “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way…Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” Please pray these verses for the Rangi and ask that the Lord would humble their hearts and would speak to those who truly fear him.

Please pray for three Rangi shop owners who have recently begun to be engaged by workers in their area. As is typical, one is mostly argumentative and is fierce in defending the things he has been taught, without giving much more examination to them. The other two are more open! Please pray for them to be really hearing and thinking. Also, please pray for the possibility of hosting a seminar on Islam and Chrstianity in Rangi land- there is a Christian expert that may be willing to come and give the seminar!

Ramadan Day 27
Pray for the local school, run by the Tanzanian church, as it struggles with serious debt left by a previous caretaker. Please ask that the school would be a light, and that girls would come to know Jesus through it!

“Islamic cultures tend to establish people of high status as authorities, whereas the authority in Western culture is reason itself.” Nabeel Qureshi “Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus”

This is certainly true here, and it is played out every day in how the Rangi view religion. They are essentially indoctrinated into certain beliefs about their religion and other religions, and, simply put, often those beliefs are selective and/or untrue. But how to get a person to question his/her beliefs? It’s nearly impossible, considering that they simply take what they are taught as truth. With this as their background, and without significant resources to actually investigate what they’ve been taught even if they wanted to, few objectively question their faith. Yet another reason to pray for dreams and visions!
Also, please lift up M. and M.A, two Rangi who recently accepted an invitation to spend 4 days studying through the bible chronologically. This is HUGE!! Pray that the gospel they heard will cause them spiritual turmoil (in relation to what they believe) and will take root!!

Ramadan Day 11
Pray for Mr M., a teacher for the local religion, who has been meeting weekly with Patrick, a Tanzanian evangelist, to study the book of Acts. Also lift up Patrick as he guides M. through the book. May the Spirit speak powerfully through the word and give Mr M courage to believe!