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INTERNET PRAYER REQUESTS
July 22, 2007
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Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for
another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.-James 5:16
Today pray that we would be
prepared for the storms of life that lash out at us. When they become more than we can handle,
thank God for providing a safe haven for us.
have prayer requests, and I have a foreign missions report
that I have forwarded below.
Thank you for praying for
Salvadoran Deaf leader P and his new wife, E. They had a lovely,
Christ-honoring wedding in December, but recently P had to go to his family
doctor due to extreme exhaustion. His doctor warned of a serious possible
health disaster if P does not add some rest to his schedule. Please ask God to
give P the wisdom to schedule his days of teaching in the Deaf school,
attending university classes and teaching Bible classes, while also learning
how to function in a godly marriage and helping his wife develop their family
business. Lift up E to the Lord, asking that she will know how to encourage her
husband and guard his health with patience and kindness. Petition the Holy
Spirit to grant this couple peace and healing, so that they may be an example
of a Christ-centered marriage in front of their Deaf friends and acquaintances.
http://stepleton.blog.com
Almost all Ghanaian young men love
to play soccer and are often found around a soccer field. A student pastor has
been spending a lot of time with young Muslim men playing soccer, using a ball
called the “wordless ball,” which is a very simple but effective evangelism
tool. Some soccer games take place on the campus of the School
of Theology in Ministry. At
halftime and after the game, this young student pastor witnesses to young men
who have followed Islam all their lives. Pray that God will affirm His truths
as they are shared by this student pastor. Ask the Lord to draw these young
Muslim men to Himself.
For the past three years, you have
prayed for the Muslims of Lucknow, India and the
ministry of the Lucknow
team. Prior to the strategy coordinator’s appointment, there was only one
family from another organization focusing on the Muslims in Lucknow. Give thanks to God that
now there are at least five families focusing on this same group, and just this
past month, more have contacted the strategy coordinator, expressing their
desire to reach out to these Muslims. This increased activity is a direct
result of your consistent prayers. God is going to do something great among the
Muslims of the state and you, as an intercessor, will be honored for the role
you are playing. Keep holding the ropes--the glory of God is too great to keep
to ourselves! http://www.Lucknow4Jesus.org
During the dark days leading up to the American Revolution, many cried
out to God to aid our fledgling nation in this conflict. These words appeared in the Boston Gazette in
1768. "If an army should be sent to
reduce us to slavery, we will put our lives in our hands and cry to the Judge
of all the earth. Behold,
how they come to cast us out of this possession which Thou hast given us to
inherit. Help us, Lord, our God, for we
rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go against this multitude."
I John 5:18-20
We know that whosoever
is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten
of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth
in wickedness. And we know that the Son
of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that
is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true God, and eternal life.
MARANATHA!
++++++++++++ PRAYER REQUESTS++++++++++++
++++++++++++FOREIGN
MISSIONS REPORT++++++++++++
I exhort
therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in
authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
honesty. For this is good and acceptable
in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all
men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.-I Timothy 2:1-4
WORLD LEADERS.
Please pray today for President Paul Kagame of Rwanda
(central Africa, east of Democratic
Republic of the Congo).
NON-URBAN HAITIANS OF HAITI
(HAY-shuns). Music permeates all of Haitian culture. That’s why the annual
music camp held near the southern town of Les Cayes each summer is such an
exciting time. What new Bible story songs will be written this year? How will
God use these new songs? Storyers teach the songs
along with the stories in several locations throughout Haiti.
Radio stations, like Radio Tabernacle in Cape
Haitien,
play the story songs. Cassettes have even been given to taxi drivers to play as
they drive. The music reaches ears that are otherwise closed to God’s Word.
This year’s music camp is being held the week starting July 21. Pray for the
six volunteers from Oklahoma who
will be joining the Haitian volunteer teachers, and pray for the students,
asking that their efforts will be blessed and the music they create will bear
fruit for God’s glory. http://www.macregion.org
SAN
MIGUEL DE ALLENDE AND GUANAJUATO CITY
IN GUANAJUATO, MEXICO
(wahn-uh-WHAH-toh). The congregation of Cristo Roca
Eterna Baptist
Church in San Miguel de Allende has recently acquired a new meeting place. Members
of the church have been working hard to clean up the facilities and equip them
for meetings. An area that used to be a car garage is being transformed into a
youth center for teens to hang out, sing and study God’s Word. When volunteers
cleaned the place and washed the floor of the garage, they discovered a
pentagram and satanic symbols painted on the floor in black paint. Pray that
the powers of darkness would be dispelled from this place that is now dedicated
to serving our Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that many young people would be
receptive to God’s message of salvation and that people would be transformed, discipled, and sent out to love and serve a lost world. http://www.macregion.org
ECUADOR MESTIZO
SIERRA CITIES (mes-TEE-soh). A
volunteer team from Louisiana
will be working in Riobamba
on July 21-25. They will teach English on different levels and hope to reach
600 people. Every person that attends will hear the Gospel. Pray that God will
use this outreach to bring people to Himself, and that new Bible studies and
churches will begin as a result. http://www.byhisgrace.cc/ecuadorcitiesteam
FORTALEZA,
BRAZIL (for-tah-LAY-zah). Please pray for L and M, Fortaleza
Urban Team members, as they plant the Capua Church
in a nearby city. Pray for M as she implements her project for a church
planting class called “Gospel Kids”, in which she is reaching 30 children with
gospel narratives, using puppets, karaoke and a club-type environment to win
and disciple these kids and their families.
URUGUAYAN CRIOLLO OF URUGUAY (oo-doo-GWA-shan cree-OH-shoh).
Uruguayans on Mission is the
direction that God is leading. The drama/singing group, “Tiempo
Nuevo”, unashamedly shares the Gospel through its drama/musical presentations.
This group will be in Juan Lacaze with Earl Quick and
the new outreach groups on July 20. Pray as Earl prepares his outreach team for
an evangelistic experience to reach others within their contact groups who haven’t
made decisions for Christ.
HUNGARIANS OF EASTERN HUNGARY. The
small Baptist church in Puspokladany will be holding
a sports camp during the week of July 21-26. Please pray that the Lord will use
this camp to form new relationships with lost people in the community as well
as strengthening ongoing friendships from past projects. Pray, also, that it
will be an encouragement to the eight-member church as they serve as salt and
light in this town of 17,000. http://www.hope4ehu.com
PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY,
RUSSIAN FEDERATION (PK) (pe-tro-PAV-lovsk kam-CHAT-skiy).
From July 22-31, youth from across Kamchatka
will come together for a Wilderness Camp. They and several Team
PK members, nationals and volunteers will camp at
the base of two volcanoes outside of Petropavlovsk.
Activities throughout the camp will include daily opportunities for Bible study
and worship, as well as exploring nature, rock climbing, and hiking to the top
of a volcano. Pray that all the necessary details will come together--location,
weather, supplies, volunteers, etc. Pray especially for the youth who will
attend; they will be from various backgrounds, ranging from “church kids” to
children from the local orphanage. Pray that the Lord will draw these youth to
Himself, that they will see God’s love through the staff and the surrounding
nature, and that they will respond to God’s call.
BASQUE OF WESTERN EUROPE (bahsk). A prospective Basque Team member has applied for a
legal document that will be needed for a visa to live in Basque Country. Pray
that the document will arrive in a miraculously short period of time. Begin to
pray now for the influence that this team member will have when he meets
Basques who need Jesus. http://www.STANDintheGAP.info
NAFUSA BERBERS OF NORTH AFRICA (nah-FOO-sah). Pray for Christian media that is being broadcast into
an area that is home to many Nafusa Berbers. Pray for
the spreading of the gospel and for good biblical teaching to be presented.
HAUSA OF WEST AFRICA (HOW-suh). “Praise God for answered prayer! Salama Baptist
Church responded positively to
their pastor’s proposal by adopting the Hausa people group and agreeing to
partner with the Hausa Team in reaching those in the urban areas of our city.
Pray for wisdom and clear direction in providing effective training, helping
with strategy, and giving encouragement as we work together.”
MOSSI OF COTE D’IVOIRE (MOH-see).
Mike and Heather McAfee report: “We are continuing to learn more French. Thank
you so much for your prayers on our behalf. We are still use chronological
Bible storying with a few groups of patient people.
Pray that we will continue to improve in our language skills.” mhmcafee95@yahoo.com
SUSU OF GUINEA (SOO-soo). K, one of the “Radicals” (short-term Brazilian
missionaries), recently experienced a very bad asthma attack, and it was
extremely difficult for her teammates to locate a generator in the village for
her to plug in her nebulizer. Since then, through a
special gift, a small generator has been purchased for them to use as needed.
Pray that they will continue to see God’s hand of provision in their lives, and
that He will guard their health. They are an hour’s drive off the road, and
taxis are not always available. Pray that God will continue to meet their every
need, and ask that they will be strong witnesses for Him in all circumstances.
WOLOF OF SENEGAL AND
THE GAMBIA (WUHL-uf). A. claims to want to follow
Jesus, but she seems confused about who He is. “Christians believe that God has
a Son. God is One. He cannot have a Son,” said A.’s skeptical friend. “No,” A. responded, “she says that
Jesus is not God’s Son.” “Did I just hear her right?” thought the missionary,
unsure of her language skills in Wolof, but not wanting to start a heated
discussion with the skeptic. Privately, the missionary asked A. to clarify, and
was dismayed to find that she had heard correctly. “Let’s go back over this,”
the missionary suggested, and so they reviewed who Jesus the Son (not son) is.
Uncertain about this “new” understanding, A. went back to who Isa (Jesus) is in the Quran.
“After all,” she responded, “You know your Holy Book,
but not the Quran, which is from God, too, don’t you
think?” Please pray that the Holy Spirit will tell A. exactly who Jesus is.
Pray that A. will not be intimidated by the attacks of the many skeptics around
her. Pray that she will understand, too, that following Jesus is not a matter
of exchanging one set of religious rules (the Five Pillars of Islam) for
another (confession to a holy man, taking communion, good works to pay for the
bad things we do). Pray that the missionary will be clear in her communication
and not cause confusion for A., but will be a vessel of the Holy Spirit in all
of their discussions.
CHURCH PLANTING
IN ZIMBABWE. Church planting in rural Zimbabwe
can take some interesting twists. When volunteers from Mississippi
were sharing the gospel in one rural village, a young expectant mother was
eager to receive them. The only problem was that she was in labor! But she was
so happy to see them that she got up off her bed, dressed, and came to visit
with them. Finally her mother persuaded her to return to her bed, and within
three hours she had delivered her first baby, a girl, whom she named after one
of the volunteers! The wife of the volunteer team leader had sent a stack of
baby girl clothes that their own little one had outgrown, so some of the
clothes were given to this new mother along with a baby blanket. The baby’s
grandmother expressed deep gratitude, because they did not have money to buy
clothes for this new little one. Pray for these and other rural Christians who
are living in extreme destitution, but still love the Lord and receive
graciously those whom the Lord sends to minister to them.
HANDS ON:
CENTRAL, EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA (CESA). Bonnie Doughtie writes
from South Africa:
“Give thanks for the successful time the ‘Hands On’ team had here in Cape
Town. Several young adults came to the Lord from the witness of these young
people in the downtown area of the city. They had an impact on that area and
set up a young adult ministry called IMPACT to meet on Tuesday nights. Pray for
this ministry to keep going, for leadership for the ministry since the ‘Hands
On’ team has gone back to the United States, and for the Cape Town Baptist
Church to ‘catch the vision’ and go with it in all kinds of support and
encouragement.” http://www.hands-on-africa.com
NAMIBIA.
Please be in prayer for a missionary couple as they seek the Lord’s guidance in
transferring to Namibia
to work. Pray that all the logistics of the move will fall into place. Pray
that they will be granted entrance into the country and that the government
will see the need for mission work in Namibia
and grant them visas and work permits. The ultimate goal is for them to train
workers who can then impact the unreached people
groups of Namibia.
Please pray for this couple, and please pray for the unreached
peoples of Namibia.
PORT
ELIZABETH, SOUTH AFRICA.
The price of petrol has just gone up another 50 cents per liter. Depending on
the conversion rate, this is approximately five dollars per gallon. The price
of food has continued to rise as well. The poor here in Port
Elizabeth have little to no excess money to work with,
so when petrol costs increase and it leads to increased bus and mini-taxi
fares, along with higher food prices, they simply “cut back” by eating less.
For some, that means going from two meals a day to one meal a day. If a person
cannot get to work because they do not have the fares to pay, then they simply
will not be able to eat at all. In addition, many do not have jobs. They sit on
the side of the roads and highways, hoping to be picked up to go and do a job
that day! Pray that in these tough times, the God of mercy and hope will
provide for the physical needs of His followers. Pray that eyes will be opened
and that many will come to know Jesus as their personal Savior so they can know
that even if their circumstances are difficult, they can have hope. Please pray
for the missionaries on the Eastern Cape Urban Team as they seek God’s will in
sharing the Good News with people who have little hope in this urban setting.
SHAN DAI OF CHINA,
THAILAND AND LAOS (shawn-DIE).
“The river valley we will highlight this month is the Lily
Valley,” workers write. “This area
is known for its drugs, gambling, prostitution and increase in HIV. Sitting on
the border of Myanmar,
the Dai in this area do not see much hope in this life. They do not know the
meaning of grace and are constantly trying to make merit and appease the
spirits that they fear. There are possibly a few Dai believers here, but many
have fallen away, leaving this area desolate of a gospel witness. Next year a
young international family hopes to move here to spread the love of God to the
Dai in this area. Please pray for a penetrating witness in this river valley,
and for God to break the Dai from their bondage and into the freedom, salvation
and love found only in Christ.”
FUKUOKA,
JAPAN (foo-koo-OH-kah). Nancy Norton with the KFC Team shares the
following story. “One day in the student cafeteria two freshmen girls sat down
beside me. The one next to me had her hair dyed blond, was wearing a totally
black outfit, had 15 holes in each ear, and two tongue piercings.
When we offered her a cartoon story Bible of the life of Jesus, she happily
told me that she knows all about it. Her mother is a Christian, and she has
been to church all her life. When we asked her to share what Jesus means to
her, she said he is at her side all the time. She has not been baptized, and
has not found a church near the university. So, we invited her to house church.
As we work on developing a relationship with this girl, M, please pray that she
would dedicate herself to following Christ, telling her friends about Him, and
become a house church planter on the campus. Pray that she will allow God to
use her in house church and that she will join us as a fellow harvest worker.”
MOKO PEOPLE OF THE PACIFIC RIM
(MOH-koh). H teaches English to junior high and high
school students on Moko
Island. He has traveled some off
the island, giving him a broader world perspective than many of his Moko friends and family. He is married and is the father of
two very energetic little boys. While H is known throughout the island as a
teacher, he is also an avid learner. He has heard the truth of Jesus Christ
many times from full-term and short-term workers on Moko.
Recently H began reading the Bible, expressing to one worker, “If these are
words from God, then I need to read them.” Pray for H as he reads God’s Word,
asking that he and his household will come to know and believe in Jesus, the
living Word.
PHILIPPINES.
In Metro Manila, “Faith Comes By Hearing groups”
recently held a rally. There were 50 pastors who attended and shared
testimonies that each week their listening groups are doubling from family to
family outside their local church as the New Testament CD’s are passed from one
family to the next. Dwight Fern is now tracking 50 churches with listening
groups with the goal of 50 more churches in the coming months. Give thanks that Romans 10:17
is being fulfilled as faith comes from hearing the Word.
SOUTHERN THAI OF THAILAND (tie).
“Driving down a road between the limestone hills of southern Thailand,
we discovered a village hidden there,” writes a member of the Southern Thai
Team. “It has had no access to the gospel. Now, however, a seeker group has
been started in that village. Pray that the villagers will be drawn to the name
of Jesus and believe in Him. Pray that light will come into this hidden
valley.”
CIRCASSIANS OF CENTRAL ASIA
(sir-KAY-shuns). Please pray that the Lord will pour out His Spirit among the Circassians. Young and old alike are known by their tired
faces and often a sarcastic hopelessness toward life. Most eke out a living the
best they can, and look forward to holidays or family celebrations where they
can drink and dance and forget the harsh realities of life for a while. They
are proud of their heritage and traditions, and life revolves around their
families and keeping cultural norms. When asked about religion, they will
respond that they are Muslim, but this answer holds the same heartfelt
conviction as the answer to the question, “What is your ZIP code?” They are
Muslim simply because they are Circassian. Their
traditions and pride hold them captive to a belief system that is little more
than a thin veneer of Islam slapped over decades of forced atheism. Some are
beginning to truly search spiritually, and Islam is the first place they look.
Among the young, there is an upswing of conservatism as they search for their
true identity as Circassians. Please pray for these
young people, asking that in their search, they will find Jesus and begin to
seek Him with all their hearts. He says that those who seek Him will find Him.
And pray for the older generation. Only the Lord can soften such hard hearts.
Beg Him to do so, for His glory and for their redemption.
DEVELOPING
LEADERSHIP OF SOUTH ASIA.
At a LEAD (Leadership Equipping and Development) seminar earlier this year in India,
with 35 pastors and lay leaders in attendance, one young pastor took seriously
the presentation of a Bible story, “From Creation to the Church,” that is
designed to help in evangelism. During the week, he presented this story to a
young Hindu worker where the seminar was being held. The worker was moved by
the story and began to ask questions. After the young pastor talked to him, he
realized his need for a relationship with the true God. He came to receive
prayer, and LEAD instructors helped him to understand what he needed to do to
receive Christ. As best he could, the young man put his faith in Jesus. Other
Christians working in the area are following up with him to lead him to a
church where he can have fellowship with other believers and grow in his faith.
The seminar participants received and learned how to disciple a new believer
and to teach other church members how to disciple a new believer during the
week and were eager to put this into practice. Praise God for this one example
of their obedience. http://www.go2southasia.org
MALDIVE ISLANDS.
The second-largest industry in the Maldives
is fishing. Many villagers in the outer islands depend on fishing and
subsistence farming for survival. Pray for God to bring the wealth of the
gospel to the impoverished people of these isolated islands so that many will
come to faith, leading to church-planting movements. http://www.go2southasia.org
RAJASTHANI MUSLIMS OF INDIA (RAH-jah-stahn-ee). In May, you prayed for an injured bicycle
rickshaw driver who was helped by an Indian church planter. The “Good
Samaritan” gesture by the Indian church planter has led this Muslim and his
brother to become followers of Jesus Christ. Praise God! Please pray that as
young disciples, they will be obedient to the ordinances and commands Jesus
taught. Please pray for boldness as witnesses so that they may share their
life-changing stories with others who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. pastormp@gmail.com; http://www.go2southasia.org
FOCUS ON WEST AFRICA:
CARRYING LIVING WATER TO A THIRSTY PEOPLE. “Each has the role the Lord has
given....So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:5b, 7, HCSB). A missionary
in West Africa recently confided, “One afternoon I was
really struggling with not seeing lives changed or a church started in the area
where I lived....Most people here have no idea who
Jesus is, so I guess that makes me a planter. Time was coming to an end and
there was nothing I could check off a list. If someone handed me a card to
record the number of decisions, I wouldn’t have much to write down. People who
water get to see the growth take place, and I was a little jealous. Within
minutes of this mental battle that was quietly taking place, I read some verses
in the third chapter of 1 Corinthians. I then realized that I am so blessed to
have been a part of introducing people to Jesus for the first time, and getting
to know Him more all the while.” Please intercede for missionaries in West
Africa who labor faithfully and diligently in difficult areas, but
are not yet seeing results. Ask the Lord to give these servants strength,
perseverance, and faith to believe that the spiritual harvest will come in His
perfect time. http://www.gowestafrica.org
MUSLIMS: PRAYING BEYOND THE WALL.
An estimated 5 million Kyrgyz identify themselves as Muslims, but their
religious practices are tribal in nature. They trust in shamans and
superstitious practices to protect themselves from the “evil eye.” Visible
evidence of these practices are the talismans worn by children and adults
alike, the prayer cloths tied to trees near spiritually powerful places, and
the ornaments hung in their homes for protection. Pray for the Kyrgyz people to
find freedom from fear through a personal relationship with the Creator of the
universe. Pray for the Spirit of God to visit them, revealing Truth and calling
them to faith. http://btw.imb.org
www.imb.org
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