Life Through Faith

Please pray for the Holy Spirit to bring life to the Zigua through faith in Jesus Christ. Pray that they will be delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. Pray that they will realize there is no forgiveness of sins apart from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us. Pray for the Lord to strengthen and encourage the Tanzanian Christians who live among the Zigua and seek to disciple them.

Like Nicodemus

Pray that the Zigua Muslims will seek out Christians during Ramadan to ask them to explain the reason for the hope that is in them. Pray that there will be many like Nicodemus who could not rest until he had talked to Jesus. Pray that when they hear about how to be born again, they will understand and enter into the kingdom of God.

Encouraged and Supported

Pray that Andrew and Eunice, who share the gospel and make disciples among the Zigua, will be encouraged and supported in that work. Pray for many Christians to rise up and focus on the Zigua people and their great need for salvation. Pray for the Lord to strengthen the Zigua Christians and make them bold witnesses for Christ. Pray for a reproducing, indigenous, Christ-centered church among the Zigua people.

Steadfast

Please pray that the Christian pastor and his wife who are currently sharing Christ among the Zigua will be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that their labor is not in vain in the Lord.

He Led Worship for the First Time!

We heard that the first Zigua believer led worship in church for the first time after much encouragement. There are many Zigua who tell the Tanzanian missionaries that they want to go to church, but they are scared. Pray for courage. Please also pray for financial support and encouragement for those missionaries, as their sending church has not been sending much for them.

Hunger and Thirst

Please pray for those who have sown in tears among the Zigua to reap a great harvest in joy. Pray for the Zigua to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Pray that Jesus will show them that He became sin for them so they could become the righteousness of God in Him. Pray they will come to Jesus for their hunger to be filled.

Brave Souls

Praise the Lord for the Zigua people, who are beginning to soften to the gospel. Pray that the Lord will raise up some brave souls who will lead the others in rejecting Islam and clinging to Christ. Pray for the Good Shepherd to minister to them, leading them into His fold and keeping them safe in His hand.

A Man Named Andrew

An evangelist named Andrew is still faithfully working among the Zigua. He is in a course that will lead to his ordination as a pastor in a couple weeks which will mean he can provide the Lord’s Supper and baptize Zigua believers! Pray for him!

Focus on Jesus

Pray for a Christian couple who are sharing the gospel among the Zigua people. Pray that through them many Zigua will come to know Christ and become His faithful disciples and followers. Pray that many churches can be started among the Zigua people, and that they will leave behind their former religion and ways. Pray that all their focus will be on the Lord Jesus Christ.

One Small School

Tanzania is one of the few countries in the world that has kept its schools open, and among the Zigua one small Christian school is holding forth the word of life in a Muslim community. Pray for many families to come to faith in Jesus the Christ through the influence and instruction of that school and the Tanzanian believers who run it.

Confess Christ Openly

Pray that the Lord will sustain and encourage the few Christians who still live among the Zigua and continue trying to share the gospel with them. Pray for the believers who have hidden their faith to confess Christ openly. Pray for the salvation of those who have been listening to the Word of God and sending their children to the Christian school.

All They Need

The Zigua need Jesus. There are a few believers among them, and a few evangelists and missionaries from other tribes. They need the Scriptures in their language, and they need to have freedom from Islam. Pray for the Holy Spirit to have mercy on the Zigua and provide all they need to receive the Savior and grow in Him.

Grieving

In two villages, Zigua people are grieving because their Christian friends who lived among them for three years and were sharing the stories of Jesus have now returned to their own countries. Please pray that all those who have heard the gospel will put their faith in Christ, and that they will keep in touch with their friends who had to leave.

Leaving the Old Ways

The Zigua have been Muslim for many years, but these days they are beginning to leave that old way behind and learn about Christ and His salvation. Pray that those who have come to faith in Him will share the good Word with others and that their evident joy and peace and freedom will convince those who are still undecided.

Foundation

An old man came by this morning and we told him we would pray for him. He told us that the foundation to life is faith in Jesus! He’s been listening to an audio Bible for some time.

Fearing God more than man

Pray for Dr. R. Six weeks ago she was convinced that Islam was true and that she would never ever change from following Allah and his prophet Mohamed. Yesterday, she brought up spiritual things again. “I want to be a Christian. I believe that Jesus is Lord and I’ve found more peace in Him than in Mohamed, but I want to go to Europe to become a Christian where people won’t laugh at me. If I become a Christian here people will point their finger at me and say I’ve been lost.” Please pray that Dr. R fears God more than man. Pray for abundant peace in her heart as she figures out what it means to follow Jesus. Pray she continues to seek truth. Pray Jesus speaks directly to her heart the things she needs to hear. Praise Him for what He’s doing!

Jesus Film in New Village!

Pray for the village of Kisangasa where we will be showing the Jesus Film for the first time. As we went out to invite people today, they seemed excited and ready to come on Friday night. Pray that hearts are prepared before hand. Pray the Holy Spirit falls and moves in the hearts of our friends and neighbors. This is a village that is devout in their Islamic beliefs and almost the entire village attends Islamic class everyday. Please pray for freedom from bondage and that where the movie is shown would be holy ground.

The S family

Pray for the S. family. The bibi (grandmother) in this family has professed Christ and the mama and granddaughter are open to hearing more about Jesus. There has been little fruit in the life of the bibi since her confession. Pray for God to grab ahold of the hearts of this family! Pray that the Gospel would be made clear and that they would count the cost of following Jesus and see that He is worth it. The village members have also been bothering bibi saying she only wants to go to church to ask for money. Pray for her protection during persecution. Pray for increased wisdom for our team as we continue to disciple.

Lost and Found

A young man who had professed Christ has been missing. He was planning to be baptized a couple of months ago. He went missing the day he was to be baptized. Two of us ran into him 2 days ago and he said that his uncle is sick in Dar and he had to go suddenly to see him. Pray that he remains strong in his faith and that nothing would hinder him from following Jesus whole heartedly. Pray that he will want to be discipled.

Awareness of Sin

Pray for the entire community as a whole to understand their sin before the holy God. So often we have conversations ending with our neighbors thinking they are pretty good people and that they are able to pay for their “minuscule” sins without a Savior. Pray that God would make individuals aware of their standing before Him and that He would then lead them to the Cross. Jesus came not for the healthy, but for the sick.

A Grandma brought into the Kingdom!

Praise Jesus for the work He is doing in one of the grandmas in our village. This past Sunday, she decided to make Jesus her personal Savior! Please pray she grows in understanding fully the Gospel of Christ. Pray that she will be rooted in truth and grace and will be a light in her household and community. Pray the Lord helps us disciple her in her new walk with Jesus.

Baptism

Please pray for two new Zigua believers. We built a baptismal after their interest in being baptized. However, when the day came for them to be baptized, neither one showed up and we haven’t heard from them since. Pray that they would fear God more than man! Pray that Jesus would make clear to them the meaning of baptism and would increased their desire to be part of it.

Believers’ house burned

Our Zigua believers’ house burned to the ground yesterday. Most of their belongings are now ashes and they are forced to sleep in a small banda until a new house is build. Pray for Emanueli and his family. Pray for their encouragement and Emanueli would have many opportunities to share truth with his neighbors. Pray that this tragedy would be used for God’s glory.

Emanueli’s grandson was upset that his school clothes had burned. Yesterday we prayed with him that God would provide new school clothes for him. Today the clothes were found on their clothesline! His grandma had forgotten she washed his clothes yesterday and hung them out to dry before the fire. God’s so good.

Turn to Life

Pray for the Zigua people in Miono as our team will be showing the Jesus Film on Saturday night. Pray that the Holy Spirit makes clear the Gospel of Christ and that many turn from their sin to Life.

A new believer!

Praise the Lord for M.! He found some of our teammates the other day and said, “I need to be a Christian. Something deep in my heart moves when I hear Christian songs or speakers. I know that this is truth.” After confirming that this was truly his desire, we stood over him and prayed as he made Jesus the Lord of his life. Pray that he would be encouraged in his new faith and would tell others about life in Christ! Pray this would be the start of a move of God among the Zigua people.

So close

Pray for Baba J. Over the past few weeks he has brought up multiple conversations about Jesus. His questions are evidence that he is seeking truth. One of our teammates shared about the sweetness of Jesus and the look in his eyes was evidence that God is doing something in his heart. Pray that he will understand the Gospel clearly and that it would be personal for him. Pray against fear and that he would see the cost of following Jesus and know that He is worth it.

Curiousity

Recently we have been able to have many conversations with our neighbors Baba and Mama J. Especially Baba J has been engaged and curious about the Christian religion and about Jesus. Pray that God causes him to understand the plan of salvation and that the Gospel is also for him personally. Pray against the lies of Satan and that he would see the Truth.

Protect O Lord!

This morning some of our teammates found what appears to be witchcraft outside of their house as well as the houses of their neighbors. Pray for protection for our team and our neighbors from forces of evil. Pray for the people practicing the witchcraft to be convicted of sin and for Jesus to move powerfully in their lives.

Heart of stone

Most weeks Saa. M comes to our teammates’ house to debate about our different religions. He is against seeing Jesus as anything but a servant of God. Many weeks he stays for hours trying to convince us of our being mistaken. Pray for God to take his heart of stone and give him a heart of flesh. Pray Jesus would make Himself undeniable to Saa M.

Doesn’t want to be alone

One of our team members asked a village lady, “Where are you at with Jesus? Do you want to follow Him?” She answered that she wants to follow Jesus, but she doesn’t want to be alone. Pray that her entire family would come to Christ. She also said that other people will come, it will just take time and she will be sharing the good words about Jesus with her family and friends. Pray that many would hear and respond to truth.

No Water

Pray for the village of Miono and surrounding areas. The water has been cut for the better part of 5 or 6 weeks. People are starting to be admitted to the hospital for lack of clean drinking water. Pray that the issue with the water pump will be resolved soon! Ask the Lord to intervene and glorify His name among the people!

Two Paths

H. had an interest in following Christ some months ago and then faded from asking questions or pursuing a Christian path. Recently he came to meet with one of our team members and to talk about Christ. He then came to church with our team this week and shared his testimony about how God has helped him in his business. Pray that Jesus will speak directly to H. in a way he will understand. Pray for more and more conversations about God’s plan, the Cross and the truth of the Gospel. Pray that H. and his entire family would choose to follow Christ.

Kindergarten open!

Pray for the kindergarten starting in one of our villages today. After much work, frustration, prayer and teamwork, there are 22 students starting kindergarten today. Pray for good communication between the 3 teachers. Pray that the students will begin, even today, to understand God’s love for them. Pray this school will be a city on a hill in a dark land.

Big Turnout

On Christmas Eve we showed the Jesus film and 50 people attended. We had 250+ at our Christmas party where a feast of rice and goat meet were shared after the singing a newly created indigenous Zigua song, and the sharing of the gospel in sermon form. After it was done one of our friends approached Andrew who had done the preaching and indicated that he had been given a lot to think on and that he wanted prayer. So let’s pray for Baba L. Also pray for his wife who we believe is making tentative progress towards believing in Jesus. She privately declares that Jesus is God’s Son but doesn’t feel courageous enough to follow him publicly… alone. Wouldn’t it be great if they could do it together?

You prayed…He answered

On May 10, 2018, you prayed for this request: “Please pray for the Zigua to come to faith in Christ through the testimony and friendship of the Christians who live among them. Pray that they will leave behind any trust they have placed in Islam or witchcraft, and that the Zigua will know Him and walk in the power of His resurrection.” Here is how God answered: “Two of our team members’ friends are affirming the goodness and correctness of the Bible. One of them has said she wants to follow Jesus but is scared to do it openly and alone. She asked us to pray that her family would become Jesus followers too.” Praise the Lord.

Christmas celebration

Pray for the Christmas celebration among the Zigua today. We want the Holy Spirit to move among us at the celebration. We want Him to have His way. Pray for the Spirit of God to fall on our gathering and move hearts close to Him. Pray for Him to make the Gospel clear and undeniable truth to our friends and neighbors.

You prayed…He answered

On August 1 you prayed for this request: “Please pray for young people who have started coming to church with us. A mix of boys and girls ranging from 10-15 years old. Pray they will be changed by the Word that they hear. Pray that Jesus would be their Savior. Pray they would find truth.” Now, praise the Lord! “Two of these kids have put their faith in Jesus and one of the girl’s parents are showing interest as well, which is exciting!” Thank you for praying.

You prayed…He answered

On Apr 19, 2018 you prayed for this request: “Please continue to pray for the new Zigua believer. He was evangelized by the only Zigua believer in our church and claims Matthew as his new Christian name. Pray against the fear of persecution. Pray that he would be rooted in the Lord Jesus. Pray that others would see the change in him and desire also to know the Lord.” Here is God’s answer: “we are seeing growth happen in his weekly discipleship meetings!” Praise the Lord.

6 children saved!

Praise the Lord and pray for the 6 kids that went forward in church to make Jesus their personal savior. Pray that they will continue to grow in their faith in Jesus. Pray for their protection from Satan and persecution. Pray for our team as we go forward as to how to disciple them well. May His word be planted in good soil.

Writing a Christmas song

One of our team members is working with her village chairperson to write a Zigua Christmas song for our Christmas celebration with our neighbors. Pray for wisdom for the song writers. Pray that this song would sink deep into the hearts of the Zigua and glorify God.