Daily prayers
Diaspora
Praise the Lord for the following encouragement for some of our diaspora workers. A lovely letter was received from the Headmistress of the school attended by the children whose mums have come to the ‘Kids Matter’ parenting course. The aim of the course is to help the mums (nearly all of whom come from North Africa) work through the challenges of parenting kids who are being schooled in a completely different cultural setting to that of the family home. The Headmistress said: ‘It means so much to all of us at the school that you have given your time and energy to help make a real difference to these families. We believe that all these initiatives are strengthening the parents and children to live their family life with more love and understanding for one another.’
Diaspora
Praise the Lord for His continued provision of volunteers and students for the Women’s English and Sewing classes amongst the African Diaspora in Cardiff. Please pray for additional volunteers in order to restart the childcare program for pre-school aged children of ladies who attend the English classes. Last month they started a new coffee/tea time following the English Classes to deepen a sense of community, enabling ladies to meet other teachers and students while using English. Pray for wisdom as they continue to develop a suitable curriculum for both English and Sewing classes, incorporating opportunities for spiritual discussion. Pray for spiritual fruit among those who attend the English and Sewing classes.
Jurgen and Katja Hofmann
Jurgen and Katja Hofmann serve in Madagascar, reaching out to the Tanala people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jurgen visited the village of Tsiombivohitra for years to teach and preach Bible stories. When he visited, he was told that there were only two young people who believed in Jesus and this couple was looked down on because they did not participate in traditional ancestor worship. Sometime last year, the sown seed seemed to take root. First, the young couple came to the village of Maroamboka on Sunday mornings to seek the Lord with the believers in the Lutheran Church there. Then they took about 20 more people from Tsiombivohitra with them! The believers are slowly becoming the majority in the village and as they are having to travel seven km to church, they have arranged for a sister congregation to begin in their village. Praise the Lord for this fruit.
Alan and Pauline Jordan
Alan and Pauline Jordan serve with the Africa Inland Church in Nanyuki in the county of Laikipia, northern Kenya. Praise the Lord for enthusiastic students. A group of 9 studying “Hermeneutics; Bible interpretation and study methods” needed to attend lessons nearly every day. “We asked for prayer that they would attend – they did and even came more than they said they would. Praise God!” Pray that what they are learning would help them and others to make Jesus known and follow him.
Pablo
Pablo* serves in West Africa, where he continues to use English teaching as a door-opener for developing relationships for the gospel. Pray for Pablo as he encourages brothers who have taken up their cross to follow Jesus at great cost. One was violently attacked after being baptised (though the two events don’t appear to be directly connected). Another has been cut off from family and has received various threats. Another is to be baptised shortly, having moved from another country and lost everything. *Name changed for security reasons
Africa’s unreached
Today, hundreds of Africa’s unique ethnic people groups remain unreached – that’s over 300 million people with no viable witness to the good news. Africa Inland Mission serves, equips, and mobilizes churches and believers from the global Church to advance the gospel among Africans who have the least opportunity to hear about Jesus. Pray that the Lord will build his church.
The Alagwa People of Tanzania
Pray for the Alagwa people of Tanzania. The Alagwa are a Cushitic group, who migrated south from the horn of Africa. Although they are called Muslims, their beliefs and practices are strongly steeped in their traditional ways of life. A translator who has been causing a lot of trouble for gospel workers started a new volley of attacks in December. She continues to do everything in her power to get the local Pastor and an AIM worker out of the Alagwa area. Please pray against these concerted efforts to stop the translation work.
Simon and Miriam Desborough
Simon and Miriam Desborough are serving in Antananarivo, Madagascar, mobilising Malagasy Christians for God’s mission. They are rejoicing that the AIM International Council have given them the green light to become an official mobilising committee and that they have several Malagasy missionaries raring to be brought into full AIM membership and go. Pray for wisdom in implementing this well and particularly for raising finances to send Malagasy missionaries when latest figures suggest that Madagascar is the poorest country in the world, with 80.3% of Malagasy living in poverty at $2.15 a day.
Rex and Ruby
Rex and Ruby* have served in a variety of different creative access locations, seeking to share the gospel with those who have yet to hear it. There have been discouragements in their teams in recent months: one professing believer is not currently meeting with other local believers after they were secretly recording them for several months; another has recanted their faith in Jesus and moved back home with parents. Alongside this, in each of the team locations, people have come to faith in the last few months or have expressed a renewed willingness to read the Word. Please ask for wisdom in discipling those who decide to follow Jesus and perseverance as some profess faith and then seem to fall away. *Names changed for security reasons
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