Pray for Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Western Africa
In your mind, picture the life of this typical 7-year-old African girl: "This morning after I ate my bread, I washed the pots and pans, swept inside our hut, and carried my baby sister on my back. If I were a boy, I would be going to school. Since I am just a girl, I must learn all I can about being a wife and mother, since I already have a promised husband I will marry when I am 13. My mother has given birth to five children, all girls. My father is still not happy and talks about taking a second wife. My mother says it is very important for him to have a son who will carry on the family name. Well, I must run now and get my head scarf, since it is prayer time. My father leads the prayer and says words that I don't understand since it is not my language. I just watch my mother and bow as she does."
Pray for young girls to hear about Jesus and His love for them. Pray for believing mothers to be faithful in teaching their children Bible stories and in modeling how they can talk to Jesus. Ask that at an early age, these girls will have hearts that seek after truth. Give thanks for radio broadcasts of "the Jesus Way" in local languages, and pray that by hearing these, children will begin to know the truth about Jesus and question traditional ways.
Nyengo of Zambia
The black mamba is not black. Its name comes from the black color inside its mouth. The mamba is one of the most poisonous snakes in Africa, and if you have seen the inside of its mouth and lived, you have a good story to tell. Mamba translated into the local language is "nyengo." This is also the name of the people group who lives northwest of Kalabo, Zambia. There are 27,000 Nyengo living around the Nyengo Plain. They make a subsistence living by growing rice in the plain, fishing, and being migratory workers in the sugar cane fields of southern Zambia. As a people, they received the name "Nyengo" because the area is heavily populated with black mambas. Pray for this unengaged people group. Pray Luke 11:9, "... ask and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you," asking that they will seek and find eternal life. God desires a true and good relationship with the Nyengo people. Pray that they will turn away from worshiping their ancestral spirits and living in fear of them. Luke 11:11 says, "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?" The Nyengo know the difference between a fish and a snake. Pray that they will hear God's Word and know the difference between the lies of Satan and the truth of the Gospel. http://www.k2cluster.blogspot.com/
B People of Guinea
Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church of Jax, Ill., works with the B people of Guinea. "The country has been closed to our return since the fall of 2009. Our prayer request is that the political unrest will be settled and the country will be opened to visitors again. Intercede especially for the B village leadership. When we are able to return and share the Gospel, they will be having the leaders come and hear our message and decide whether they will follow their ancestors or follow God. Pray for God's timing for our return, and ask that their hearts will have been prepared to hear the Gospel and respond to follow our Lord. Pray that God will make it clear to those who are to make the next trip." http://www.imbafrica.org/engagingchurch/
Khassonke of Mali
The Khassonke (pronounced kah-SONE-kay) of Mali, who are of Fulani (Peul) origin, have taken up farming and adopted a blend of the surrounding languages. It is said that the Khassonke love to sing. Sadly, not even 0.5 percent of the 170,000 population is Christian. The fact that they live in the place that is known as having the hottest average temperatures in the world makes it even more difficult for others to want to come and share the Gospel message. Ask the Lord to send out laborers from among the Malian believers to go to the uncomfortable places, for the eternal comfort of those He is calling. Pray for the salvation of the Khassonke so that their voices may be heard around the throne, singing praises to the King of kings. prayerthreads@imb.org
Bozo of Mali
"Our new believing brothers had been without sleep for almost 24 hours when we decided to stop the teaching for the night," writes a missionary working among the Bozo people of Mali. "We prepared to close the night by praying together, when suddenly one man spoke up and said, ‘We love Jesus, and there is nothing that would make us leave "the Jesus Road." But we have to tell you something. We are scared. Those who follow another religion are strong here, and they are involved in every aspect of life. To be a Christian means that they will not accept us as part of the community and they will not help us if we are in need. They threaten that they will not help in our funerals and will just leave our bodies for the animals. They also say that if we need help getting food, then we should not have followed the Jesus Road. We want to be strong, but we do not know how to be strong. Please tell us how to be strong.' For our brothers and sisters in D-village, within two weeks of believing, persecution had already arrived, and it will only get worse. For Malians, community is life. People need each other to survive and function in their daily lives. Please pray for them as they learn to live and stand strong in a biblical way."
Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
A missionary working in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (also called Ivory Coast), writes: "Please pray for a few new chronological Bible storying groups. As we gather those who are interested and show them how Scripture lays out the plan of redemption, pray for the Spirit's work in the hearts of the hearers. One group has been asking about baptism, and the leading voice behind the other group has visions of forming a church. Pray for these young groups, asking that God will be honored with their obedience to Him and that we will lead them in a way that is true to His Word. Pray, too, that their fervor will not abate, but that their spark of enthusiasm will be fanned into a flame that can set the city ‘on fire' for God." mhmcafee95@yahoo.com
Digo of Kenya and Tanzania
The Digo (pronounced DEE-goh) are a people group of approximately 500,000 living along the southern coast of Kenya, downward to the northern coast of Tanzania. They are part of a larger group known as the Mijikenda. The Digo are a Muslim people, and claim that "to be a Digo is to be Muslim." Although 99.5 percent consider themselves to be Muslim, animism and witchcraft may have a greater influence on them. Witchdoctors are consulted regularly, and blood sacrifices are very significant. Most Digo live on small farms and produce little more than enough for survival. Their homes are made of sticks and mud with a thatched roof. Floors are dirt, but are kept swept clean. As the head of family units, elderly men are highly respected and are very influential in their villages. Most women do not read, and the literacy rate among the Digo is approximately 50 percent. Portions of the Old Testament have been translated into the Digo language, and the New Testament in Digo was finished in 2007. There are some tapes of Gospel recordings available in their language, featuring evangelistic presentations and stories and songs done in a traditional Digo style, as is the JESUS film. There are churches in the Digo area, but few Digo attend these churches. There are also many mosques, and these are better attended.
Over the past months, a Digo Team member and a local partner have continued to enter the village of M to share the Gospel message each week. They have been going door to door, searching for those who want to learn the truth of Christ. Others are making decisions, and that is a huge answer to prayer. Recently a young man heard the Gospel and decided to follow Christ. Pray that his mother will hear and make the same decision. Continue to remember this area. To decide to follow Christ is a big decision. Bigger still is the decision that they must make to stand firm in the face of persecution. One of the first women who made a decision to follow Christ has already been told by her father that she is no longer able to meet and study. In this culture, a father's word has authority over their children despite their age. Please remember her, asking that she will grow in faith and boldness. Others who have made decisions have been relocated to other areas for work. There is a stronghold of "religion" over faith in the village of M, and it has been difficult to cultivate a community of believers. Pray for believers to meet together and encourage one another.
Western Fulani of Niger
John 14:16 (HCSB) says, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever." To Muslim Fulani, the "Counselor" spoken of in this verse is Muhammad. Christians recognize that Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit. Pray for Western Niger Fulani men in the village of F who struggle with the meaning of this verse. These Fulani men have heard the truth with their ears and are struggling to believe with their hearts. Ask God to reveal Truth to them and draw these men to Himself. kriggs@gowestafrica.org
Students in Lesotho
An alarming response from the lowlands of Lesotho: 96 out of every 100 youth are sexually active with more than 10 different partners before marriage. This was the general consensus of more than 300 student teachers attending a recent presentation of "True Love Waits" (an abstinence program) at the Lesotho College of Education (LCE). Pray that God will raise up student leaders who are committed to Christ and His message of purity to begin a "True Love Waits" movement on the LCE campus. Intercede for Cindi Melvin, a missionary serving in Lesotho, as she seeks to lead, train and encourage committed student teachers to use "True Love Waits" with youth in their future classrooms. http://www.basotho.org/
YL People of Mali
Even as God is providing resources for the discipleship of believers in several villages in Mali with whom First Baptist Church of Keller, Texas, has been working since 2007, He is leading the church into a new pocket of YL villages where the Holy Spirit has been preparing the soil for still more churches. "Our prayer requests are for: 1) Discipleship of believers: Pray specifically for A, a missionary who speaks the language of the YL people and who is seeking God's will in committing several days a month to discipleship in the ‘border villages' of the YL. Ask God to direct us in partnership with and support of one another. 2) Emergent church leadership: Pray that strong church leadership will emerge in these border villages as the Holy Spirit continues to draw more YL to walk on ‘the Jesus Road.' 3) Guidance in expanding outreach: Pray that God will direct our church's resources (time and money) in reaching into a new group of YL villages, deeper in country, with the Gospel." http://www.imbafrica.org/engagingchurch/
Wolof of Senegal and The Gambia
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18, KJV). The Wolof (WUHL-uf) women are paralyzed by a fear of evil spirits, which they think are all around them. They believe that God is too distant and too great to be concerned about their personal problems, and that supernatural knowledge helps them settle the problems of daily living here on earth. They reduce God to a genie (spirit) whom they invoke to satisfy their desires; in the end, they become a slave to this genie (spirit) because of fear. A missionary writes: "Recently one of our Wolof Team members found a neighbor in the courtyard who had just given birth to a baby. Both mother and child were on the ground in the sand, in need of medical attention, but members of the household and other neighbors would not touch her because they were afraid of evil spirits. With the help of God and a younger woman, the missionary was able to get the mother and baby to the hospital without the loss of either life. Pray that the Wolof women will see the perfect love of God, and how much He is concerned about them, through His Son, Jesus."
Bamako, Mali
As you go through Bamako neighborhoods, children are playing everywhere; smiles and laughter seem to be mandatory. Then you notice those with reddish, almost orange hair. Their skin is dry and ashen. These children suffer from malnutrition. In this culture, the children are the last to eat. At dinnertime, the family meal--a large basin of millet, "to" (pronounced "toe") or rice topped with a sauce of vegetables, and meat, if they have it--is prepared. The bowl is served outside in the family compound, which is also home to the goats, sheep and chickens that run free and the flies that swarm. The adult men and women eat (separately) by sitting around the bowl, with each one dipping in with their right hand, selecting from the portion directly in front of them. Onion, tomato and cabbage are common toppers. If there is meat, they pinch off a piece, and then scoot the rest towards their neighbor. The youngest children are the last to eat--of what's left. Pray for the rains and crops to sustain life so that even the youngest children will have food to eat. Pray that the rains will replenish the groundwater that fills the wells. Amid the hunger and many other problems, Malians need to hear the message of hope--the only hope, Jesus Christ. Ask the Lord to bless those who hear with the gift of faith, and pray that He will have a great harvest here. Ask Him to raise up local leaders to multiply the work.
Dakar, Senegal
When God closes a door and we are faced with disappointment and a feeling of failure, we need to ask God for His eyes to see what is really happening. Missionaries had an open door to a private university last year, working with English classes. Many students were hearing the Good News through volunteer teams that were coming throughout the year. A few students spread rumors that all the Americans wanted to do was to force them to change their religion, so the students asked the missionaries not to come back. The student president, M, knew the missionaries' hearts and was disappointed with his fellow students. Several weeks later, M's father, SH, had an opportunity to work in an English-language country but needed to improve his English skills. M called a missionary and asked him to help his father. The missionary began meeting with SH two to three times a week, using the Bible and Bible stories to help SH's English. At first SH would introduce the missionary as his English teacher, but soon that changed to his Bible teacher. Over a six-month period, SH heard the Good News and the message of the Bible. He was amazed and said that he had never heard anything like it before in his life. Pray that SH will continue to study God's Word and that it will change his life. Praise God that one closed door was not the end, but an opening to another opportunity.
Senufo Supyire of Mali
"Can you help me find a good Christian wife?" This question was posed to missionaries on the Senufo Supyire Team by a young believer. His family is ready to proceed with marriage arrangements for him, but he does not want to be married to an unbeliever and his family does not understand. There are not many Senufo Supyire believers, and the number of unmarried Senufo Supyire believers is even fewer. Please pray that these young believers will be able to find a spouse who shares their faith in Christ and that the families involved will be understanding and not try to hurry the process or force their children to be unequally yoked with a non-Christian.
Wassulu of Mali, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire
The Sahel is a vast, transitional region between the desert and tropical regions of northern Africa, but the Sahara Desert has continued to slowly encroach upon the Sahel's northern boundary. Year after year, the Wassulu (WAH-soo-loo) Team has asked you to pray for the rains that are so desperately needed among the Wassulu and their neighbors in the Sahel. Without the rains, there will be less food to store for the next dry season, as well as fewer fresh items to enjoy immediately. This is critical, as the supply of last year's dried grains is quickly dwindling. Please pray today for regular rains to fall in the Sahel in order that the Wassulu may be physically sustained and live to hear the Gospel of Christ! wassuluprayeradvocates@gmail.com
Jola-Fonyi of Senegal and The Gambia
It is difficult for Jola-Fonyi (JOH-luh-FOH-nyee) believers to step out and tell others they have left their traditional beliefs and now are following Jesus. Many are afraid of being ostracized from family and community and are even afraid of losing their spouse, children and home. They are willing to be secret believers but are too afraid to evangelize or let others know what they believe. Pray that God will give them the faith to step out and follow Jesus openly and to share the Gospel with their friends and family. http://www.jola-fonyi.org/
Cape Town, South Africa
New Crossroads Baptist Church strives to feed the people of their township every week. Each Wednesday, three catering-sized soup pots feed more than 120 people. As they enter the church, they are fed spiritually as well. The women who prepare the soup share the Gospel and sing prayers over the soup and the people being fed. As a result of all this prayer, the concern shown by the women of the church and missionary, as well as your prayers for this ministry, people are asking spiritual questions. Several weeks ago, a Bible study was begun for young women of the community who wanted to know more about God and His Word. Now 10 people, both men and women, are coming to this Bible study. One woman asked this week if she could bring more women. Please continue to pray for this soup kitchen as it strives to feed the physically and spiritually hungry. Pray for the people who come to the study to accept Christ as their Savior. Lift up Gail as she prepares for this Bible study and as she teaches and answers questions. Intercede for the people of New Crossroads Baptist Church, asking that they will be blessed with enough food to feed their families and to give to the soup kitchen each week.
