Go West Africa Prayer Requests

"Personalizing" Missions

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:46:14 -0500

An SBC church member wrote: “I feel like we are family...my parents and I speak like you are part of our extended family ever since you were visiting in our church and especially after every email we receive. I am involved with the youth and every Wednesday night I give a ‘Missions Moment’...many times throughout the year my ‘Missions Moment’ is giving our youth an update on what is going on in Senegal with the Sereer....I frequently use quotes from your emails and also share pictures. We continue to update a ‘book’ that we have of your emails that is kept at the front of our auditorium (near the piano) so our church family can see what is going on in your lives.” “Personalization” is the term used for what missionaries do when making contact with churches while on stateside assignment. Please pray for missionaries Travis and Kimberley and their children, as they will be “personalizing” their work among the Sereer-Sine while in the United States in October through January. Pray that their time will be fruitful so that many others may be impacted by what God is doing and join the young woman quoted above on the prayer team for the Sereer-Sine Team.

- Sereer Sine of Senegal

Anticipating a Great Harvest

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:42:58 -0500

The distribution of relief food to seven villages ended at the beginning of July. Now the black-eyed peas that were distributed have just come up. Please pray that when the people begin to harvest their peas, they will recognize how God has provided for them. Pray that they will read the Scriptures that they were given and listen to the cassettes of the Book of John over and over until God’s Word pierces their heart and they believe the Truth they have received. Pray that they will come to know Jesus as the Bread of Life and turn to Him to forgive them, accept them, and show them His way.

- Wolof of Senegal

Showing Interest

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:41:03 -0500

Two Wolof team members were surprised when EHM came up and asked, “When are you going to share with us?” EHM is an important man in the village, brother to the chief and also brother to the imam (religious leader), so they never thought he would be interested in the chronological Bible stories they were sharing each week with a group of women. “Is he serious?” they wondered. Soon, these missionaries will return to begin a new set of stories with the women. Please pray that they will find out that EHM is indeed serious and sincerely has a desire to learn about God’s Truth. Pray that other men, too, will be impacted by his example and join with him. Pray that this whole village will open their hearts as the Holy Spirit moves among them in a mighty way, and that many will receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

- Wolof of Senegal

Wanting to Understand

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:33:12 -0500

Gingerly holding the Sereer-Sine translation of the Holy Bible and gently turning the pages, M nodded in agreement when asked if she could read Sereer-Sine. Kimberley, a missionary who lives in her neighborhood, had learned that in her younger years, before she had a house full of children, she had been trained in Sereer-Sine literacy and had also trained others how to read. M continued, “Yes, I can read it, but I need someone to help me understand it well. Can you teach me?” Swallowing the lump forming in her throat, Kimberley answered, “I’m still learning your language, but I can study the Bible in my own language. As I get more fluent in Sereer, I would be very happy to teach you what I can.” You prayed for M last year as she grieved the sudden loss of her husband, leaving her to care for their eight children. She has heard and seen the testimony of Kimberley’s family, as Kimberley and her older children have been very transparent about their faith in Christ. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to draw M to Himself, and pray that, like Lydia from the Book of Acts, her whole household will have an opportunity to hear and respond by placing their faith in Jesus.

- Sereer Sine of Senegal

Strategic Follow-Up

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:23:04 -0500

The Lebou Team asks: “Please be in prayer as we begin to do follow up from the summer student volunteers. We know that many Senegalese have questions about the lives of the students, about their prayers, and about the Book that they read. Some of the students even left copies of the New Testament in their host homes. Pray that God will show us where He is already at work, so that we might join Him there.”

- Lebou of Senegal

A Time of Transition

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:19:20 -0500

Please be in prayer for one of the couples on the Lebou Team. They will be finishing up their two-year term in October, and they have been discipling the believers over the past two years. It is very important in this culture to say a proper goodbye. You must visit and take gifts to those who have been important to you while you were here. Pray that those who believe will be encouraged as these friends leave. Pray for those who have been listening from a distance. All want to know why the Americans have come to the village so often. Pray that the believers in all the villages will be bold about what they believe and that they will take up the work and spread the gospel. Pray for the Lebou Team in this transitional time.

- Lebou of Senegal

Ministering at the "House of Prayer"

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:32:17 -0500

A Lebou Team member writes: “We arrived at the House of Prayer today, and one of the believers began to tell us what happened before we got there. A little baby from the village had been sick. The family of this child was one of the first families we met when we began coming to this village, but we hadn’t seen this family in a while. The parents told an older sibling to take the baby down to the House of Prayer and stay for a while so that the baby could have some peace. Please continue to pray for this ministry. People realize that God has blessed this house, but we want them to know the whole truth about Jesus and the blessing that they can receive when they know Him personally.”

- Lebou of Senegal

Allergic to Millet

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:28:43 -0500

Pray for Kanesa Snow, an International Service Corps worker in K-town, Niger, during the month of September. She has developed an allergy to millet, which is the main crop here. Millet is growing everywhere in K-town, and the harvest will be in September and October, so millet will be in the air. Ask God to put a hedge of protection around her and protect her health, preventing serious reaction.

- Zerma of Niger

Sharing the Word with Women

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:26:11 -0500

Thank you for praying for the volunteers who came in June. They had many opportunities to pray for the Fulakunda and to share God’s Word. During their visit, God gave them the opportunity to join Him in His work. One Fulakunda woman trusted in God’s free gift offered to her. Please pray for her as she grows as a new child in Christ. Because of the obedience of this team, there will be two women’s groups started in September. Please pray for these groups, asking that the women will understand the Word of God. Many of them will be hearing for the first time. Pray also for the missionaries presenting His Word. Pray that they will have clarity of thought and speech, and that nothing will hinder them from sharing God’s Word with these Fulakunda women.

- Fulakunda of Senegal

Making Progress

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:24:20 -0500

“Hello, how are you?” “Fine, and you?” “What is your name?” “My name is D.” “And you are with Peace Corps?” “No. I work with Mission Baptiste.” “What is your work here?” “I am learning Pulaar so that I can teach the women here the Word of God.” “You speak Pulaar very well.” “I have just learned to tell a story from God’s Word in Pulaar. Would you like to hear it?” “Yes, I would.” Pray for the two journeymen working among the Fulakunda. They are still in language study and are doing well. Many opportunities, like the example above, have come their way. Pray that they will speak clearly and will take the opportunities that God gives them. Pray for the Fulakunda who hear God’s Word as the journeymen share with them. Pray that they will want to hear more and that they will accept God’s free gift.

- Fulakunda of Senegal

The Impact of a Brother's Example

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:21:17 -0500

AB had a dream in which he saw Jesus in the sky, beckoning for AB to come to Him and be saved. AB then excitedly turned to call his friend to come with him and woke up. After watching his older Christian brother, Dr. A, lovingly debate many Muslims who had come to reconvert him to Islam, 22-year-old AB decided to read the Bible for himself. Once he finished the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, AB was sure that he, too, wanted to follow Jesus. After his baptism in early August, AB gave the missionaries his 10 most urgent prayer requests. They write: “He asked that we pray for him to grow in God and his faith, for God to let him be a preacher and share the gospel with many people, and for his mother, his five siblings and their wives, his best friend and his favorite teacher to come to Christ when he shares with them. Dr. A asks that we pray for AB to be discipled and grow quickly in the Lord so that he can withstand the persecution that will surely come from his family once they know he is a Christian. When Dr. A became a believer at age 16, their father tried to kill him with an axe. Pray also for Y, who began personally discipling AB in August.”

- Manga Kanuri of Nigeria

True Seekers

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:12:53 -0500

A KKF Team member writes: “Since the middle of June, I have been working with six Kano Katsina Fulbe leaders, teaching them ‘Creation to Christ.’ This past Friday, M and I visited M’s village for a wedding. We took cassettes to share with seekers, and also planned to use the ‘Creation to Christ’ presentation. We shared with many people during the day and were laughed at a lot. Nobody accepted the way of Jesus. That night we were in a Fulbe hut resting, and a knock sounded on the door. Three men were there and wanted to know more about what we had shared earlier in the day. We invited them in and shared ‘Creation to Christ’ with them again. After asking some questions, all three said that they wanted to follow the way of Jesus. They prayed, confessed their sin, and accepted Jesus as Savior. We praise God for these new believers. We both came home rejoicing with the news and planned follow-up visits for discipleship. We told the new believers that they should find someone else to share the story with. Awesome! Pray for N, S, and B, asking that they will grow in their faith and share it with others.”

- Kano Katsina Fulbe of Nigeria

Carrying Out the Vision

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:09:20 -0500

“Last month, one of our KKF Team members shared about the volunteer team that came for a vision trip. We asked you to pray that God would bring together just the right people for the team and begin to work out the details for the trip. We praise God that He has already started to answer that request. One doctor and three nurses are already planning to come sometime early next year. Now begins all the detail work of travel, passports, visas, vaccinations, getting medicines together, providing accommodations and transportation and translators in Nigeria, and many other details. Please pray that God will allow all of these things to fall into place, and ask for His complete direction and guidance.”

- Kano Katsina Fulbe of Niger

Power and Passion

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:04:44 -0500

Pray for the Zerma believers in and around Ouallam, K-town and Niamey. Ask God to strengthen them in the power of His might and give them a burning a desire to live out His Word. Ask God to give them a hunger for His Word and to share His Word with friends and family members.

- Zerma of Niger

Growing Stronger in the Lord

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:59:51 -0500

“The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one” (Psalm 28:8, NIV). Pray specifically today for the Wassulu believers who have come to Christ within the last year, asking God to call out strong and stable leaders among them. Ask the Lord to draw them to Himself continually, so that they will find strength in Him alone. Additionally, the Wassulu Team will be working with a volunteer group from Georgia and Texas in October. Begin praying today for the people whom they will encounter and work among as they share the gospel with the Wassulu in Mali.

- Wassulu of Mali

A Testimony of Persecution

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:33:57 -0500

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12, NIV). Persecuted believer MNY can now claim that verse as he sees how God has begun working among his people, the Wassulu. MNY, who moved to New York City several years ago to flee persecution, will be headed to Georgia (U.S.A.) in early October, where he will be one of three special guests at a conference on the persecuted church. The Wassulu Team asks you to begin praying specifically for MNY as he prepares for this incredible opportunity to share his personal testimony of persecution and how God has worked in his life. He will also be challenging the attendees to become actively involved in praying for the Wassulu as well as traveling to West Africa to take the gospel to them.

- Wassulu of Mali

Advancing on the "Jesus Road"

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:38:35 -0500

Continue to pray for J, the first follower of Jesus as he continues to share his faith and testimony with others in the village. Pray for protection, boldness and continual growth. Pray for more opportunities to share with the chief, as he is seeking to follow the “Jesus road.”

- Samogho, Western Duun of Mali

Telling the "Hannah Story"

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:37:07 -0500

A Samogho Team member writes: “Thank you for praying for the volunteer women’s team who came to walk alongside the women of the village. God’s faithfulness to answer your prayers still overwhelms me and makes my heart smile. As you are reading this, the Hannah story is being told by the women in the village. One of our prayers was that the women would hear and understand the stories. Praise God--His Spirit broke down the wall and brought the women to an understanding that God loves them and hears their prayers. Continue to pray that they will be drawn even closer to Him and that they will desire a personal relationship with Him.”

- Samogho, Western Duun of Mali

Open Shutters

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:34:35 -0500

A Fulbe Futa Team member writes: “During the summer, different members of our team went out by foot, by truck or by bike, expanding our efforts with the help of our children (who had a break from school). As the rains came more frequently, our bike excursions turned into more of an ‘extreme mud riding sport.’ One Thursday, our young son looked like a spotted leopard by the time we got home! It had rained while we were at a distant market, so the return trip was muddy. Some mud sprayed from his back tire right up his back. It took a little more effort to get the clothes clean, but we were happy to be able to go to another unreached village with God’s Word. At the local markets around the region, we have found a lot of curiosity and quite a bit of fear. That has made for a few more confrontational encounters. Recently we have identified some of the more outspoken people as ‘shutters,’ because they instill fear in the minds of the curious to prevent them from buying our books. Interestingly, one man who was a ‘shutter’ earlier in the summer picked up a copy of Matthew at a later market--could be the Son is beginning to shine through! Please pray for the ‘shutters’ to be opened wide (or even removed) so that the King of Glory can come in.” www.fulbefouta.com

- Fulbe Fouta of Guinea

Medicine and Missions

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:25:31 -0500

The Fulbe Futa Team writes: “Medical teams are instrumental in meeting the felt needs of the people in our region. The dental team who came out in August was the first one in our town. After a week of pulling teeth, the team returned to the United States, very tired yet fulfilled. Scriptures were purchased. The gospel seed was sown. They knew that many people who had lived with pain were now resting well. This was good. Now the work continues as we, as a team, seek the Lord as to what other medical mission trips He has in store. One of our teammates is a medical doctor who was called into missions. He is now searching for a way to use this God-given skill and years of study for the Lord’s glory while still focusing on the main thing: sharing about the Great Physician who can heal all things, whether that be of the body, mind or soul. Please pray for us as we process this. Pray also for the people who received dental care. Please consider coming out to West Africa on a volunteer trip. Meet our people. Show them our Lord and Savior." www.fulbefouta.com

- Fulbe Fouta of Guinea