Amelia serves in West Africa, sharing the gospel with those in a region that is very opposed to the message of Jesus Christ. Her team leaders have recently left, and they are not the only ones. At a recent prayer weekend, there was a collective intake of breath when it was announced that one African couple who have been there for 17 years would be leaving. In the last two years, 19 long-term workers have left, with half of them having been there more than ten years. At the same time, new people are coming in (Amelia included), so it’s definitely a season of change. Pray that they would have eyes to see what God is doing and that in the midst of goodbyes and hellos, they would keep remembering that this is God’s work, not theirs, that he has good plans for this country and for his people there, whether they are staying or going.

Amelia* serves in West Africa, sharing the gospel with those in a region that is very opposed to the message of Jesus Christ. Marriage and divorce are topics that come up repeatedly: her friend was married at 12 and had her daughter at 13, while her friend’s older sister has been married and divorced five times, with children from three different fathers. While the former is now much less common – and her youngest sister has made it all the way to university without getting married, the latter is not seen as unusual. Maybe five times is at the upper end, but it’s not something that would necessarily cause surprise. On the other hand, to be a never married woman in her mid-40s, that is a strange thing! And while Amelia’s language still limits the depth of conversation, it’s an easy jumping off point into things of faith, and a number of things she has said are repeated by her friends to new people when she meets them. Pray that the strangeness of what they hear would linger and prompt a desire for more and better than what they currently know.

* Name changed for security reasons

Amelia* serves in West Africa, sharing the gospel with those in a region that is very opposed to the message of Jesus Christ. She has recently been learning from her language teacher about the influential Griot (musicians/singers) status group – this is a hereditary caste-like group who serve as oral historians, poets, musicians and praise singers. Though considered to be of low status, they wield a lot of power through their ability to praise or shame through song. She has heard stories about policemen stopping cars for traffic infringements, but on hearing the family name, quickly letting them go (or as one story goes, even paying them to drive on) after they recognised a Griot family name. Please join Amelia in praying for the redemption of music from being a weapon wielded for money or power, or for the praising of individuals or families. Pray instead for a release of worship that unites people and stirs hearts as they turn to look at Jesus. Ask the Lord to raise up writers and singers of worship songs.

*Name changed for security reasons