Prayer Updates
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Every Saturday we send out five prayer requests to equip you for the coming week.
Prayer Team Update — October 20-24
Salvation Based on Faith Alone in Bolivia
Monday, October 20
Dan and Judy Burke minister among the Chimane people of Bolivia. Praise God that the men in discipleship Class 1 are hearing and understanding that, despite what others have tried to tell them, “salvation is based on our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and nothing else. … During the sharing time Lorgio and Reynaldo [two of the Chimane Class 1 students] expressed their heartfelt desire for the Chimanes in outlying areas to be able to hear this teaching. They really have a burden for the Chimanes that have not had the opportunity to study God’s Word.” Pray that God would provide for the Chimane families’ needs as they face many “economic woes” and that He would use Chimane believers to bring the pure gospel to their people.
Cultural Blunder Leads to Open Doors in Mexico
Tuesday, October 21
Diego and Tammi Morales minister among the Tzeltal people of Mexico. After a scolding from a neighbour for not attending a funeral, (the missionaries were not aware that when someone living within a certain distance of your house passes away, “you are obligated to show up [to their funeral], whether you are friends or not”) Diego and co-worker Vicente went to the place of the funeral. Praise God that “since then, various others have opened up to us and invited us to different occasions. It has opened doors.” Pray for Diego and Tammi as they continue to learn the Tzeltal culture and language and prepare for language evaluations in November.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road in Brazil
Wednesday, October 22
Lindy and Carol Drake, now retired, ministered among the Guanano people of Brazil. “The Guanano outreach continues. Orlando and Leoncio will be teaching on God’s giving of the law. This is always where the rubber meets the road.” Pray that people will not lash out in anger or leave the teaching as their beliefs are challenged by the Truth. “Please pray that the Holy Spirit will work through this teaching to prepare these people for their need of a Saviour.” Leoncio and Orlando are both sick, and on top of that, some people are trying to attack their reputations. “Please pray for their stamina. … Please pray that Satan might not succeed in this nasty attack against them.”
Praise God for a Successful Literacy Kick-off for Kuyu People
Thursday, October 23
Jonathan and Devon Ames minister among the Kuyu people of Papua New Guinea. The team has been able to identify the three main worldview themes of the Kuyu. Praise God that in addition to learning the culture, the team is progressing through language learning, and the men have all tested at capable high, meaning that they can move on to the next phase of church planting — pre-literacy. “Praise for a successful literacy materials construction kick-off.” The team, consultants and Kuyu helpers began creating and illustrating primers and accompanying readers that will be essential in teaching the Kuyu people to read and write in their own language.
How Does a Missionary Decide Where to Minister?
Friday, October 24
In the June issue of the Ethnos Magazine, we wrote about trying to decide where to allocate missionaries in Arctic Canada. That is taking place in Central Africa as well. Christian and Betsy Tshimanga described the why of a people group assessment or PGA: “We are currently doing our own deep dive into understanding how to conduct [a] PGA, and especially how to do [it] well in such a vast country. … Essentially, we are investigating which people groups in [this country] are in the greatest need of church planting efforts. It is an extensive and complex process, including things like looking at what other mission groups or national churches may be doing, how language distinctives and multilingualism impact a people group’s likelihood of encountering the clear gospel message, if a translation of Scripture is available to them and if they are sufficiently literate to read and understand the translation. We want to introduce people to their Creator, His character as displayed through the whole of Scripture, especially through the work of Jesus Christ on earth, and plant churches which will continue to mature through God’s Word. … It is a big task. We are so excited for this next phase, but it is daunting. So, we would ask you to join us in prayer that God’s hand would guide us in each step.”