The Makhuwa Nahara of Mozambique
Scripture: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Pray the Nahara would hear this good news and believe.
Population: 323,000
Location: Northern coastal Mozambique
History: Arab influence a century ago
Culture: The Nahara are a subgroup of the Makhuwa, which is the largest ethnic group in Mozambique comprising 40% of the population. They are fishermen. Modern education is not valued and illiteracy is very high.
Religion: Folk Islam and ancestor worship
Latest Prayer Updates:
Translation efforts for the sake of the Good News
Makhuwa Nahara of Mozambique: The Nahara are 500,000 people living just off the beach along 500 km (311 mi) of coastline. So, dialect differences are accentuated by distance; “to judge” in our area means “to dish” further south, “mountain of God” in the northern dialect means “mountain rock” in ours, and so the list goes on. Every story and parable translated needs to be double checked by listening groups, not just for bridge words and phrases, but also for comprehension of the meaning and main themes of scripture. Groups are led by reviewers who are not just checkers but also bearers of the Gospel. Some arrived for training today and others tomorrow. Please pray for them and the translators as they learn the scriptures to take to their communities.
Love That Overcomes Rejection
Makhuwa Nahara of Mozambique: After seeing B. distribute Heart of Man booklets, his uncle—a respected village imam—stopped speaking to him. Yet B. continued to respond with Christ’s love. When the opportunity arose, he helped rebuild his uncle’s mosque. Though B. does not attend mosque meetings, the imam now quietly joins B.’s discipleship groups and listens from the edges.
PRAY that God will use B.’s faithful love to draw the imam’s heart toward Jesus. Ask the Lord to soften his heart, deepen his curiosity, and open a clear path for him to encounter the Savior. Pray also for others watching this relationship—that they, too, would see that Christ’s love is patient, courageous, and stronger than fear or rejection.
