Go West Africa Prayer Requests

Rainy Season - A Critical Time

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:44:21 -0500

“The rainy season has begun in southeastern Mali, and the majority of the Senufo Supyire people are subsistence farmers. There is much work to be done to get the crops planted, and it requires that most family members work out in the field every day right now. When our Senufo Supyire Team asks people how we can pray for them, believers and nonbelievers alike ask that we pray for a good rainy season so that their harvests can be bountiful and provide enough food for their families for next year. Please join us in praying that God will send sufficient amounts of rain to provide for good harvests and that the Senufo Supyire people will give glory to God alone for providing for their needs.”

- Senufo, Supyire of Mali

Your Prayers - God's Answers

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:42:12 -0500

“In September 2008, you prayed for our journeyman, Mitch, who was arriving in Bamako for a two-year commitment to service with the Bambara Team. You specifically asked that he would ‘learn many useful things.’ Join us in giving thanks that Mitch has quickly gained skill in the Bambara language and has learned to tell Bible stories in Bambara. He enjoys the culture here and has many Bambara friends in the city and in the bush. He is developing leadership skills as he heads up the Farming God’s Way project. He has never done this type of farming work before, but he is learning through self-study and is doing fine! He has been able to recruit two young men to work as volunteers with him in the farming project. He is also growing in his ability to disciple leaders in the villages. We are thankful that a few health problems have been short-circuited. Mitch has much prayer support from home and had a great visit with his mother back in March. God is using Mitch among the Bambara! We rejoice at the great work that God is doing through Mitch and other journeymen, both male and female!” http://www.gobambara.org/

- Bambara of Mali

A Need for Indigenous Leaders

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:22:16 -0500

As church partners from the United States and missionaries have shared the gospel, God has established churches in multiple villages in the rural areas surrounding Bamako. While some growth has occurred, the need for indigenous leaders is apparent. Please pray for the leadership of these young churches. Ask God to work in the lives of Bambara men and women so they will become examples of what it means to be a follower of Christ in a Malian village. Pray for boldness to witness and discipline to pray and to learn more about God’s Word. Pray that the fruit of the Spirit will be manifested in godly leaders who can shepherd these rural churches. Help them to have such a dynamic relationship with the Father that their lives will be filled to overflowing with the evidence of God’s presence. Ask that they will be able to resist the fiery darts of the evil one and that they will demonstrate faith and perseverance in hard times. Also pray for the missionaries and partner churches who visit these believers regularly to be given the wisdom they need to know how to encourage and to challenge the leaders. http://www.gobambara.org/

- Bambara of Mali

Standing in the Gap

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:20:24 -0500

The Fulbe Futa Team asks: “Strategically, where does God want us to be working? The Fulbe are all over the world. In West Africa, there are large numbers in Sierra Leone, Guinea, The Gambia and Senegal. We need to find ways to reach them. Prayerwalkers, medical teams, trekkers, and Scripture distributers all have a role to play. Our people have been chosen to be one of the 10 unreached or unengaged people groups in our cluster to be emphasized, with the hope that the Lord will call churches and individuals to covenant to ‘stand in the gap’ for the Fulbe Futa Jalon people. The intention is to pave the way in prayer by asking God to give strategy, workers and a harvest. Please ask the Lord if He is calling you to be a part of this emphasis. Pray also for all the Fulbe who will hear because of these people standing in the gap for them.” http://www.fulbefouta.com/

- Fulbe Fouta of Guinea

Highs and Lows

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:18:49 -0500

“The men have been good about getting together on Saturday nights for the men’s group for which you have been praying,” writes the Fulbe Futa Team. “Recently we shared about Ishmael and the sign of the covenant. We started at 6 p.m. as usual and talked about spiritual issues until everyone arrived around 7:30. We then studied the lesson for another hour and a half. That was not enough, and the men wanted to review it again on Sunday morning. So we met again on Sunday morning for about two hours. The highlight for me was that when Mr. D repeated the story, he filled in some details that he could only have known if he had already read the story. He added what God said about Ishmael, that he would be against everyone and everyone would be against him. We had only covered the part of how God had said that he would be a wild donkey of a man. This is exciting for the men’s group; however, the women’s group that you have been praying for is hurting a bit. One has left for another village. Another has acted immorally in town. The evil one does not want them to live a victorious life. Please pray for the Lord’s direction and guidance as we work with these two groups. Pray from Colossians 3 for them: ‘May they set their minds on what is above, not on what is on earth. May their lives be hidden in the Lord.’” http://www.fulbefouta.com/

- Fulbe Fouta of Guinea

Churches Respond

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:16:24 -0500

Praise God that He is calling out churches to serve among the Jula even in a time when the Jula do not have long-term workers living among them. Ask God to encourage and strengthen these faithful ones. prayforjula@dtccom.net; http://www.passionforJula.com/

- Jula of Burkina Faso

More Workers Needed

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:15:07 -0500

It has been almost a year that the Jula have been without evangelical workers. Pray for God to send workers, national and international, into this harvest field that He is preparing. prayforjula@dtccom.net; http://www.passionforJula.com/

- Jula of Burkina Faso

A True Blessing

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:01:50 -0500

“The ministry carried out in May in Timbuktu, Mali, for which you prayed, was a true blessing to all,” writes the Songhai Team. “A college group distributed more than 500 Gospel cassettes, Scripture portions and DVDs. They witnessed to many in Timbuktu and the surrounding villages. It was a blessing to see these young people sharing their faith in Jesus by their actions and their words. Give thanks for those willing to come and serve, and give thanks that the Gospel message is being shared with the lost. Give thanks that Jesus is still calling the lost to His salvation.” http://seekingthesonghai.net/

- Songhai of Mali

Prayers Needed for an Abundant Harvest

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:57:56 -0500

The rainy season should be well underway during the month of July. Please pray that abundant rain will fall on the Songhai lands, bringing about a wonderful harvest. For years the Songhai have lived in a very difficult situation, never having enough food to feed their families. Evangelism efforts continue among the Songhai on a daily basis. As you pray for rain, pray also that the Lord will rain down His Spirit on this people group, breaking through their hardness of heart and bringing them to a saving knowledge of Jesus, our Lord. http://seekingthesonghai.net/

- Songhai of Niger

Desperately Seeking a Bountiful Harvest

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:02:46 -0500

As many Mandinka prepare for the rainy season, they are busy getting fields ready for planting. Often part of their preparation is visiting a local witchdoctor for spiritual help to protect their fields from harm and to seek intervention for good crop production. Pray for our Lord to cause the Mandinka to realize the futility of placing their faith in these men for their livelihood. Pray that they will encounter the true and living God and place their faith in Him alone. http://www.mandinkapeople.com/

- Mandinka of Senegal

Influencing a Dominant People

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:52:35 -0500

The Hausa are the largest unreached people group across West Africa. Of the 28 to 30 million Hausa, approximately 26 million can be found in northern Nigeria. The Hausa have dominated the Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa and Bauchi states. Islam is the dominant religion and the greatest challenge to the spread of the gospel among them. Presently there is only one IMB couple assigned to reach the Hausa in Nigeria. Pray that God will call out both international and Nigerian missionaries with a heart and passion to work among the Hausa in Nigeria.

- Hausa of Nigeria

Striving Toward Language Proficiency

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:47:13 -0500

“One of the major struggles in working with the Fulani is learning the language. Join us in giving thanks to God for helping us overcome that obstacle. At this time on our Futa Toro Team, all but our two most recent members have passed their level-three language evaluation. Our most recent team members are at level two and level one. Continue to pray as they strive to gain proficiency in this difficult area.”

- Fulbe Futa Toro of Senegal

Pray for the Chief

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:56:43 -0500

You have been interceding for a chief who was able to hear the gospel last month. The Bozo Team asks: “Please pray that the chief of this village will have a heart to receive the gospel, and that we will continue to abide in Christ during this busy month.”

- Bozo of Mali

"Exchanging Ideas"

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:55:02 -0500

Last month you rejoiced with the Bozo Team that the Lord had led them to a village where the chief was open to the “exchanging of ideas.” Give thanks for this latest report: “The chief of the new village has heard the gospel! Members of the volunteer team that came last month were able to share their testimonies, and Billy was able to story the Bible chronologically, from Creation to Christ’s return.”

- Bozo of Mali

"Fishers of Mali"

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:53:06 -0500

The word Bozo (pronounced BOH-zoh) means “house of bamboo.” The life of a Bozo person is interwoven with the rivers of West Africa. These “Fishers of Mali” extend beyond the borders of the country, following the fish as needed and supplementing with farming produce when the waters are low. Most of the Bozo identify with Islam, but see the world with animistic eyes. They have been a difficult people to reach not only physically, but also spiritually. The Bozo cling to the occult powers they are thought to possess. There are approximately 300,000 people spread among the different villages and cities, of which only a handful confess Christianity. Their language includes up to four different Bozo dialects, as well as the Bambara trade language. Though translation is underway, the Bible in any of the four Bozo dialects is still a long time in coming. The gospel cannot wait. Please pray for the evangelization of the Bozo people.

- Bozo of Mali

Glimpses of a Harvest

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:51:29 -0500

“Southside Baptist Church of Lufkin, Texas, engages the SB people in Burkina Faso. Our biggest need for prayer comes in the area of spiritual leadership in the village. A young man, B, has recently been deployed by the local association of pastors to oversee the work in the village. His wife, J, and his three children are with him on the field. Pray that the Lord will bless him with wisdom in leading the work there. We have recently seen the beginnings of the harvest we believe the Lord has for that village and are excited that He has provided this young man to work with the SB people on a permanent basis. We want to thank the Lord for what He has done and what He will do in that village.”

- Burkina Faso

A Long-Term Commitment

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:48:14 -0500

“Bartlett Baptist Church of Bartlett, Tenn., asks you to please pray for D and his family, as they have moved into Karankasso-Vigue to serve as missionaries among the Vigue people of Burkina Faso. The association of churches in Bobo-Dioulasso has commissioned D to serve, and we are so excited that God has answered our prayers to send someone long term among this people.”

- Vigue of Burkina Faso

Training Local Church Leaders

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:46:03 -0500

“The next scheduled trip for First Baptist Church of Powell, Tenn., will be in the last week of July. One of our elders and another brother will travel to Nigeria to lead a teaching/training conference for Nigerian pastors and church leaders. This will be the second time we have done this, and last year it was very well received. Please pray that their visas will be issued in a timely way, pray for their preparation, and pray that our Nigerian brothers will have open hearts and willing spirits to receive the teaching. Continue to pray for the five new believers in the villages.”

- Baptist Convention of Nigeria

Sharing Christ Across Borders

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:43:18 -0500

Give thanks to God as He continues to multiply the work among the Susu in Sierra Leone. Thank God that the local believers in one Susu village have finished building a place of worship and are worshipping there now. Intercede as the Susu believers in Sierra Leone are being trained to share Christ with family and friends. Pray that their influence will cross the country border to the Susu villages in Guinea.

- Susu of Sierra Leone

Workers from the West African Harvest

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:38:45 -0500

The BK people of Nigeria are mostly Islamic, but some still practice African traditional religion. There are approximately 48,000 BK, with less than 50 and probably closer to 20 Christians. There are many BK believers in Benin, but they are afraid to come to Nigeria to minister to their people. There have been past attempts to witness to this people group without much success; some evangelism approaches have been tried but have been virtually ineffective. They are open to the gospel and outsiders, but there has been some persecution. The best way to reach the people is with Nigerian churches, but if this does not work, then a church in the United States would be needed to adopt them. The area is difficult to get to in the rainy season. Pray for the Nigerian believers to be effective in reaching the BK people of Nigeria. prayerplus@imb.org

- Unengaged of Nigeria