Wolof of Mauritania

Wolof of Mauritania 

The Wolof are a West African people mostly found in Senegal. However, over 230,000 Wolof live in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, a country on the northern border of Senegal. It is illegal to share the gospel openly in Mauritania. Evangelism is prohibited by law. The Wolof in Mauritania are considered inferior to the "white Arabs" who live among them.

Pray:
· for God to raise up Wolof believers in Senegal who are willing to live among the Wolof in Mauritania in hopes of sharing the gospel despite the law restrictions.

· that in a land that is a desert, both physically and spiritually, God would allow the Wolof to discover the water of life: Jesus.

· that God would allow those who are seeking Him to be bold despite the persecution and possible death they may face upon their acceptance of the gospel.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19 ESV)

Ngongo People of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Pray for the Ngongo of DRC 

There are approximately 200,000 speakers of the Ngongo language in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They live in the very fertile lands and forests of central DRC. Like many of the people groups around them, many Ngongo are nominally Roman Catholic, although syncretism with African traditional religion is common. There is no written Scripture in their language, but last year a group of six committed Christians began putting stories from the Bible into their language to be shared orally. These six have recruited and trained 25 others to join in their work.

Pray:
-that those who are putting God’s Word into their heart language would remain faithful to the Scriptures.

-that they will remember the importance of what they are doing and not become discouraged by setbacks.

-that those who claim the name of Christ would cling to faith in Him alone for salvation and leave their animistic beliefs and practices behind.

“And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2, ESV) 

Mango people of Chad

Mango of Chad 

The Mango people live in the Logone Oriental region of southern Chad. They are farmers by trade, cultivating such crops as millet, corn, peanuts, cotton and mangos. Although Scripture is available in the Mango language, the literacy rate among the population is extremely low, and few schools exist in their area. The practice of ethnic religions is very strong. There is no known Christian engagement among the Mango and they are considered unreached (less than 2 percent evangelical Christian).

Pray:
-for a Christian witness to be raised up to share the love of Jesus with the Mango people.

-that the Mango of Chad would humble themselves before the Lord and turn from their sins so that they may be forgiven and receive the gift of salvation.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV)

Mwanga People of Zambia

Mwanga People of Zambia 

 

The Mwanga people live in northern Zambia along the borders with Tanzania. Their language is Nyamwanga. The Mwanga have a population of more than 200,000, and over 160,000 live in Zambia. They are agriculturalists who grow millet, peanuts, beans and maize. They also have cattle, sheep and goats. Most Mwanga belong to churches such as the United Church of Zambia, the Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses or Seventh-day Adventists. They have been exposed to Christianity for many years, but they continue to live in their traditional ways, practicing ancestor worship and ceremonies. The Mwanga are very religious but without Christ in their lives.


Pray:

-that believers living among the Mwanga will share the gospel boldly and in a culturally sensitive way.

-that people of influence will be open to the gospel and to the Lord’s servants.

-that Mwanga believers will cut all ties with occult and animistic beliefs.

 

“But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29, ESV)

Muslims of South Africa

Muslims of South Africa 

Islam is dramatically growing in numbers and influence throughout South Africa. The number of mosques, madrassas and Muslim schools increases annually. Influence is also increased through Muslims holding political office. As is typical in Islam, most South African Muslims are ardent followers of Muhammad and are unwilling to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many churches in South Africa are unwilling to engage Muslims due to fear or lack of understanding.


Pray:


-that God will raise up the South African church with a desire to see Muslims in their communities saved.


-for workers as they seek to effectively engage closed Muslim communities.


-For those Muslims who come to faith and experience severe persecution from their family and community. Ask the Lord to give them strength to endure and boldness to proclaim the gospel in the midst of persecution.


-that the Holy Spirit will work in the lives of Muslim peoples of South Africa, and that many will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“… Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ …” (Colossians 4:3)

The Kutu People of Tanzania

 The Kutu People of Tanzania

 
The Kutu people live on the foothills of the Uluguru mountains in the Morogoro region. They are subsistence farmers growing mainly rice and maize. They are difficult to reach due to poor road conditions, especially during the rainy season. It is a common practice to give their girls in marriage at the age of 15. The Kutu follow Islam as well as various forms of pagan worship. There are a few Lutheran churches in the area, but only 2 to 3 percent of Kutu are known to be evangelical. In recent years, the JESUS Film was completed in the Kutu language.

Prayer Requests
-Pray for God to bless those who are actively recording Scripture portions in the Kutu language. 
-Ask Him to help Kutu believers to tell His story well, so that His truths will be made known.
-Pray for God’s Word to fall on listening ears so that the Kutu will be drawn to the one who gives life.

 My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. (Psalm 78:1)

As a deer pants for the water.....

Psalm 42-44 CSB

“As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God?... The LORD will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night—a prayer to the God of my life.” 42:1-2, 8

There is a direct correlation between how much effort we put into seeking God and how much of His presence we enjoy. Of course, if you are in Christ He is with you always and will never leave you nor forsake you. Additionally, as a believer one has the Holy Spirit and you have all the fullness of the Holy Spirit in you; that is all that you will ever have available. Yet, there are times in our lives when Jesus feels far away and other times when we can sense His palpable presence right there with us. The question is not how can you get more of Jesus; instead, the question is how can you become more aware of His presence with you.

The Psalmist likens his desire to know God face to face to a deer that is longing (some versions say panting) for flowing streams of water. Do you thirst for God the way you thirst for water when you are parched and dry? Do you focus on satisfying that thirst through His word and prayer and through solitude time with Him? Thirsting after God and slaking that thirst in the ways God prescribes is the secret to enjoying His presence. He is always there, but you become aware of His presence and you focus on it; then it consumes you. The Psalmist described God’s presence by Him sending His faithful love by day and giving us a song in our heart in the night. The more you are aware of Him and the more focus you place on Him day in and day out, the more you sense His faithful love and presence in your life.

One book that made a profound impression on me as a young believer was titled Practicing the Presence of God. It was written long ago by a monk simply named “Brother Lawrence.” In that little book, brother Lawrence says, “In order to know God, we must often think of Him; and when we come to love Him, we shall then also think of Him often, for our heart will be with our treasure. We should establish ourselves in a sense of God’s presence by continually conversing with Him. There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God.” This is what the Psalmist was getting at when he speaks about his longing for God. Brother Lawrence tried to do everything in his life, even the most minute detail, out of an abiding sense of Love for God. What if everything you did simply to show love to God and what if every minute of your day was a continual conversation with Him?

Blessings in Christ,

Kevin W. Rodgers

An exciting testimony

Each week I have been going to a nearby hospital to pray for the patients and share the gospel when the opportunity arises.  Each week I would talk to Moses who is one of the security guards and share as much of the gospel as I could in a short time before he had to do work.  The second week there I left a tract with him to read and said I would ask him about it the next week.  When we arrived on the 3rd week he asked his security team if he could take a break and talk to me.  We went over to the side and I asked him if he had read the tract.  He proceeded to tell me that he had found a man selling bibles on the road and he bought one and had been reading it.  He had read the tract and asked me a few questions.  When I asked him if he wanted to repent of his sins and follow Christ, he said “yes!”  Right there to the side of the hospital he prayed to receive Christ.  Immediately after, he asked me to teach him how to share with others about Jesus.  He wanted to learn so that he could tell others about Jesus like I had told him.  He said that I (along with my partner) should make a plan to go to his house to talk to his family and neighbors.  We told him we would make a plan to do that after the coronavirus was over.  The next week we went back just to drop off some follow up material for him.  I gave him 3 lessons to do and said that he could write me with questions.  Then last week, I took 4 more lessons for him to complete.  As I was about to leave he ran and got his first 3 lessons which were completed for me to see.  I told him it looked good and I was proud of him for completing it.  I handed it back to him and he said, “aren’t you going to take it with you and check it to make sure I answered correctly?”  I love his enthusiasm!  Also, after he got saved I was in church and they asked for visitors to come up to the front like they usually do.  I was looking down and then I heard his voice say, ”my names is Moses, and I’m born again….”  I was so excited!! I had not known he was there until that moment.