Paving the Way

Pray for resolution of a land issue in Mangasta village in order to pave the way for outreach there. Also, pray for Sandawe lay leaders who have been trained at the Indigenous believers seminar at Engedi, that the Lord would call them in new ways to use their gifts for discipleship and the gospel.

Breakthrough Prayer for the Sandawe

“Father, may the believers be so united that the Sandawe see and become convinced that You sent Jesus Your Son into the world, and that You love them as You love Jesus.”

To Plant a Church in the Town called “Salvation.”

A new initiative to plant a church in Ukombozi (“salvation”) has begun among the Sandawe. The village seems to be a mix of Nyaturu and Sandawe peoples.Pray for unity for the team of believers, and for safety and good health as they share the gospel door to door. Pray for open hearts and that the Lord would save those He’s been drawing by His Holy Spirit. Pray also that the rains won’t hinder the outreach.

Found

Saidi, an MMB for whom we prayed, went off the radar for over a year. He has resurfaced and is growing in Christ. A Tanzanian pastor who had mentored him but had lost touch, was telling his story in church one Sunday and that very afternoon, Saidi called him. The pastor has been able to resume mentoring him and Saidi is feeling supported by the church as well. There is no church in his local area so this is important for him to belong to a body of Believers.

In Order to Go Forward in Mangasta

The village leaders are very welcoming, but one village elder who used to own the land that was given to the church has said he wants 2 acres back. Pray for wisdom for the church to graciously resolve this issue. The village leaders want there to be peace and resolution between the church and this particular person before an outreach is done. Pray that the way we handle this will be used by the Lord to show His love and compassion. Pray also for Pastor Musa. Because Pastor Musa worked many years in a town near to Mangasta, he would love to be part of the church-planting outreach because many people from that area know him. Pray for all the outreach team’s schedules to come together well.

Lord, Open The Town Of Mangasta

Thank you for praying for the disciple-making training seminar among Sandawe Christians! I’ve been in touch with Pastor Musa and Seseja, and they said the seminar itself finished really well. We still haven’t gotten permission yet from Mangasta village leadership to do an evangelistic outreach in this key, strategic town. Pray that we’d be able to build good relationships with the Mangasta leadership. Pray that a land issue would be resolved amiably. Keep praying for the Lord’s timing, and for Him to remove barriers for the outreach so that we can take the good news of God’s love and salvation in Christ to the people of Mangasta.

Poor harvest

Please pray for the Sandawe people as most are anticipating a poor harvest this year. The rains were sporadic and not enough to produce well. Ask that provision will be made for their physical needs and that this will be an opportunity for them to see God at work, the One True God who is LORD over all things.

May God make a way

Please ask the Lord to pave the way for authorities to grant permission for an outreach to the village of Mangasta. The outreach is planned as part of a Global Disciples seminar. 10 days of outreach are planned for later this month. Also pray for Immanuel and his wife who are experiencing marriage difficulties. This is the couple who had expressed a desire to to serve the Lord by moving to Mangasta to be a witness in that village. Thirdly, the village leadership of Mangasta donated land to A.I.C.T. a few years ago for the purpose of building a church. But since nothing has been done with the land, there is now a problem as someone has encroached on some of the land. Please pray that this issue will be resolved. It seems this village is under attack as the Church makes an effort to have an impact on this Muslim stronghold.

Listening to the Word

Odilo continues to do listening group seminars throughout the area in which he trains people how to ask questions as they listen to scripture on the solar mega voice players. Please ask the LORD to keep him safe as he travels by motorcycle and ask that hearts will be receptive toward God’s Word as the Sandawe people listen in their heart language.

Listening to the Word

Odilo continues to do listening group seminars throughout the area in which he trains people how to ask questions as they listen to scripture on the solar mega voice players. Please ask the LORD to keep him safe as he travels by motorcycle and ask that hearts will be receptive toward God’s Word as the Sandawe people listen in their heart language.

Seminar training in DBS

Please pray for Odilo as he leads a Bible Listening Group Seminar to train people in DBS using the audio players with Kisandawe Scriptures. He’s leading a seminar in Farkwa tomorrow and another in Takwa on Friday.

May outreach in Mangasta

Praise God, Sandawe pastors and leaders met in Motto, TZ on 17 March. The leaders agreed to an outreach in Mangasta village in mid-May. This is an answer to our prayer for Mangasta village. Pray for a mid-May evangelism outreach in Mangasta, TZ. Pray for a Sandawe church to be planted there.

Sent Ones

Please continue to pray for Ima, Gabrieli and Deo, young men who have been sent to 3 different small congregations in Usandawe to give leadership. While they are not far from home, they are away from family and friends and starting in a new place. Please pray that they will adjust well to new surroundings, find friends and support and that they will stand firm in their faith as they face difficult situations. Please pray that they will be filled with the Holy Spirit as they disciple Believers and witness to those who do not yet know Christ.

Moving to Mangasta

Please ask that the Christian family who wants to move to Mangasta to be a witness there will be able to make this move soon and they will have good support from the body of Christ as they will be the only evangelical Christians amongst an almost 100% Muslim community. May the LORD bless them and keep them and make His face to shine upon them and give them peace.

Read the Word

Missionaries have been selling Bibles to local Believers at a reduced rate for the past couple of years and have had to restock time and time again. People are eager to have Bibles in their hands. But other than in school, picking up a book to read just because you want to read, is not a usual practice. There simply aren’t books available to read for leisure and many Tanzanians only have a 3rd grade education. In a recent church service, the preacher was encouraging the Believers to read their Bibles. Yes, they bring them to church and read them during the service but please ask the LORD to give His people such a hunger for His Word, that they will read daily and that they will teach their children to do the same. His Word is alive and active! This would be a major shift in the current culture and one that will have life changing impact.

Being sent!

We give thanks for three Sandawe men who are being sent from one of the local congregations to give leadership to three other congregations. One of the recent prayer requests for the Sandawe was for leadership so this is an answer to that prayer! Praise the LORD. Funds are available for them to go to a short Bible school training course. Please pray that they will have an opportunity to attend this course which is divided into 2 three months sessions in a town on the other side of the country.

Pray for Esther

Just saw Evangelist Ndaki today from Wairo. He told me they recently had a Muslim Sandawe woman from Madandaa (where the new church plant is) come running to the Wairo church one week ago to ask for help to be delivered from demons. They prayed for her, the Lord drove out the demons and she was delivered, and accepted Christ as her Savior and Lord, praise Jesus! She stayed with Ndaki’s family for discipleship and was baptized yesterday along with 10 other new believers. Her new name is Esther. Pray for Esther as she returns home to her husband who is not saved, but thrilled that his wife has recovered. Pray this would be huge witness for the gospel in Madandaa. Pray for protection from the Muslim leaders who are not happy that she left Islam. Pray for her growth as she studies God’s word via both a Swahili Bible and Megavoice player with six books of the Bible translated in to Kisandawe.

The harvest needs workers!

As always at this time of year, when the rains come, we pray for a good harvest of crops for the Sandawe people. And we continue to pray for more workers for the harvest, especially in terms of pastors and evangelists. We are excited that new churches are being planted but they need mature Believers to give leadership. Let’s give thanks that several evangelists are being trained and sent out!

Sunny Sundays needed!

We are so thankful that a large city church is giving generously for a house to be built for a Sandawe evangelist in the village of Tumbelo. The church there is fairly new and is small but growing. The evangelist has completed 3 months of a 6 month training course in which he did very well. Pray for Kristofer, this young man, who continues to be passionate about Jesus, is growing in maturity and becoming more confident in his role. His parents have made a profession of faith but it creates an interesting dynamic between parents and son and they have not been attending services. Please pray for them. Also, plans are in place for the house to be built for Kristofer but there is not yet a church building. And it’s the rainy season. Pray for sunny Sundays! The Believers meet outside.

You prayed…He answered

On Apr 21, 2018 you prayed for this request: “Please pray that the Sandawe will come to faith in Christ. A number of faithful believers are purposefully sharing the gospel in areas where He is not yet known. Pray that the Lord will work mightily to bring Sandawe people to Himself.” And God answered: “A group of pastors and evangelists conducted a 10 day seminar in an area where people are setting up homes after having been forced to leave a wildlife reserve area. These people are not Sandawe but many from the church in Wairo, some of whom are Sandawe, participated in the outreach. They had an opportunity to learn from the leaders how to share their faith as they visited with these refugees.” Praise the Lord.

You prayed…He answered

On May 3, 2018 you prayed for this request: “Pray that the Church among the Sandawe will grow both in numbers and in maturity. Ask the LORD to give wisdom, perseverance and compassion to church leaders and missionaries.” And God answered: “A young Sandawe evangelist, Kristoffer, has completed half of a six month Bible School course. He will be taking over the preaching for a tiny new seedling church in Tumbelo. As a result of a recent outreach in Tumbelo, there are 12 new believers, including the parents and sister of Kristoffer.” Praise the Lord!

You prayed…He answered

On Jun 13, 2018 you prayed for this request: “Two different local churches are hosting kids camps over the next two weeks. Please pray that the teachers would be full of joy and have wisdom as they teach these precious children. Pray that the children would learn more about Jesus and if they are already Believers, that they would know Him better and love Him more through the camp ministry. And for those that don’t yet know Him, ask that the children would be so drawn to Christ, that He would be irresistible to them.” And God answered: “A local missionary and a visiting student joined each camp group for one afternoon to play games. It was hilarious and delightful. Even the adults got into the fun. Children seldom have opportunity for play so this gave them a chance to enjoy play in this way and to laugh together. Isn’t laughter a wonderful gift from God!” Praise the Lord.

Harvest time

The rainy season is coming once again. We ask, as always, not only for a harvest that will provide food and material needs for the coming year, but we pray for a spiritual harvest among the Sandawe people. Pray that Believers will be bold in sharing their faith with their neighbors, that they will not be ashamed of the gospel. We need more workers for the harvest but our prayer is that those workers would be other Sandawe Christians, that local churches would flourish and grow and that new churches would be planted.

Pray for the ‘belly button’

Please continue to pray for the village of Mangasta. Pray that pastors and evangelists and local Believers will make time to go visit and build relationships there. Islam has only been present in this village for about 10 years, having come as a result of economics/trade. But almost all the villagers are Muslims. And all are Sandawe. It is known as the “belly button” of Usandawe, what we in the west would call the “heart”. Pray that Christ will be made known in Mangasta and that the gospel will spread far and wide from there.

Sandawe evangelist

We are thankful that Kristoffer, a young Sandawe evangelist, just completed the first three months of a six month Bible course. He did very well and will be taking over the preaching in a village called Tumbelo where there is a small seedling church. A recent outreach to Tumbelo resulted in 12 new believers, including Kristoffer’s parents and sister. Please pray that these new believers will come to mid-week meetings for discipleship. So far, only two of them have come.

Solar- powered Jesus Film

Let us give thanks to the LORD for a successful showing of the Jesus film in Kisandawe in a nearby village using a new solar kit. This kit allows Odilo, the evangelist for whom we have often prayed, to carry all of the equipment on his motorcycle, thus being completely independent of missionaries for this ministry. Continue to pray for Odilo as he has several more listening group seminars scheduled.

Longing for believers

Please continue to pray for the village of Mangasta, Tanzania. We long to see a community of Believers there and why not ask God to change this village of 99% Muslims to 100% Christian!

Engaging the Word

Please pray for Odilo and his wife as they lead listening group seminars in which they are training people to ask specific questions when they listen to the solar players with scripture. The idea is for people to engage with God’s word, not merely listen to it. It is essentially training people in inductive Bible Study but the interesting thing is that most of the people who have the players are not Christians. Please ask the Lord to keep Odilo and Mama Happy safe as they travel long distances on a motorcycle and for these seminars to have a far reaching impact for the Kingdom.

Evangelistic outreach

Sometime in August, and evangelistic team from another area of Tanzania will be visiting the village of Mangasta. This village is 100% Sandawe and almost 100% Muslim. The visiting group is called Nuru which means light. This is the first evangelistic outreach to this village though missionaries have been praying for this village for several years. Please pray for the people of Mangasta that they will receive the Light!

Up and coming leaders

We are so thankful for some of the younger members of one of the local churches who are coming up in leadership. Pray for this new generation of leaders that “their love would abound still more and more in real knowledge and discernment, so that they may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ”.

Camps for kids

Two different local churches are hosting kids camps over the next two weeks. Please pray that the teachers would be full of joy and have wisdom as they teach these precious children. Pray that the children would learn more about Jesus and if they are already Believers, that they would know Him better and love Him more through the camp ministry. And for those that don’t yet know Him, ask that the children would be so drawn to Christ, that He would be irresistible to them.

Growth, Please

Pray that the Church among the Sandawe will grow both in numbers and in maturity. Ask the LORD to give wisdom, perseverance and compassion to church leaders and missionaries.

Purposefully Sharing

Please pray that the Sandawe will come to faith in Christ. A number of faithful believers are purposefully sharing the gospel in areas where He is not yet known. Pray that the Lord will work mightily to bring Sandawe people to Himself.

Rain Desperately Needed

We have had a three week stretch without rain. The crops here in Usandawe are at a critical point. Please ask Elohim, God of creation, to send rain again. There is much hunger this year because last year’s harvest was not good. As people hunger for physical sustenance, may they also have a hunger for the one true God.

A Prayer Summit

We give thanks for a special time of prayer for one of the villages in the area which is mostly Islamic. Please pray that the LORD will open doors for ministry in this village and the Sandawe Believers will be filled with a desire to reach out to their neighbors.

No Recollection of that Night

Please continue to pray for Paulo who is in prison for murder which he apparently committed under the influence of demons. We have been told that he has no recollection of that night. He has been reading his Bible. Pray for his mother whom he also attacked that same night. She is well and is the one who keeps in touch with her son and provides for him in prison. She is also spending time in the Word. Ask that both will receive Christ and bear testimony to the Truth.

Sweet Fellowship

Praise God for the Sandawe pastors and evangelists who serve in lonely situations in order to reach their people with the gospel. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give them very sweet fellowship with one another, and that their united efforts will deeply attract other Sandawe to the Saviour, who makes us one.

Bribes and Threats

A young Sandawe man has resisted both bribes and threats from his extended family who are trying to turn him from his decision to follow Christ. Pray that he will continue to stand firm and that the Lord will use him to be a leader as many observe his example.

The King of Glory

Please pray for the Spirit’s work of salvation in people’s hearts in the village of Wairo. A film titled “King of Glory” has been shown in two parts recently. Pray that people will realise Jesus Christ is the King of Glory and will turn to Him for forgiveness of sins and salvation.

Sandawe Breakthrough Prayer

“Father, may the believers be so united that the Sandawe see and become convinced that You sent Jesus Your Son into the world, and that You love them as You love Jesus.”