"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth," (Acts 1:8, ESV). Every Christian has a testimony of God's saving grace in their lives, and it is a joy to share that witness with others. Missionaries have said "yes" to God's invitation to spread that good news across the globe. For 175 years, God has worked through IMB missionaries to reach unengaged people groups and disciple new believers. In the linked video, David Brady said, "We are not called to horde the gospel but to herald it far and wide. We are not called to stockpile the gospel but to send it forth to those in darkness that they may see the light of Jesus Christ and live!" Intercede for missionaries to be filled with the Spirit and to declare their faith with boldness. Pray for missionary teams to grow in unity so that, by their love, the people they serve will know that the believers are Christ's disciples. Take time today to share your gospel witness with a friend.
As COVID-19 numbers continue to rise and fall in the country of Togo, please pray that the virus will not spread among the people. Pray also for the West African Baptist Advanced School of Theology (ESBTAO) and the Pastors' School as they make decisions about reopening their schools. Pray that the seminary and the school will be able either to conduct classes online or open the campuses to the students and faculty.
Please pray for the university students, young adults, and young professionals of Seoul, South Korea. Sadly, very few of them claim to have faith in Jesus. They have been pressured to focus on studying and competing for good jobs. They strive to be beautiful and financially comfortable in order to succeed in their society. Pray for these young people to realize the ultimate emptiness of chasing after these things, and to develop a hunger for truth. Ask God to open their hearts and minds to the gospel so they can experience the true satisfaction and joy that is found in a relationship through Jesus.
(rahj-uh-STAHN) - Give thanks to God for a group of believers in a remote desert region of Rajasthan! They believed and followed the Lord two years ago and have, since then, been faithfully sharing the gospel story and mentoring the next generations of disciple makers. What began with this one family quickly multiplied to 11 families in their village. Then those families began to share and multiply generationally. Last year, one couple prayerfully decided that as itinerant farm laborers, they could "exit" this harvest field and move their family to a new area where no one had the opportunity to hear the good news. These two and their older daughters shared faithfully, and again, disciples began multiplying. Today, just two years later, what began with this one family in one remote village has now spread into more than 40 villages in a 100-kilometer radius and multiplied to more than 150 families to the ninth generation. This multiplying network of believers is currently sharing the gospel story in about 400 evangelistic in-home Bible studies. Praise God for His lovingkindness toward this family! May He continue to bless the work of their hands! Please pray for this work of God to continue spreading throughout their district and beyond.
"It's been really hard since the coronavirus to start new relationships, and most of the friendships that we had are gone because so many have left Berlin," a member of the Germany East Team said. "Please pray that we can start and develop new relationships with lost Germans. Ask God to give us the boldness to share the gospel with them."
(PEH-dee) - "Thank you for taking the time to lift up the Pedi in prayer! Please continue to pray, as in-country restrictions caused by COVID-19 seem to be easing up a bit. Ask God to use this time in world history to draw many Pedi to Himself. Pray for Pedi Christians in South Africa to have opportunities to share Christ with family members, friends, and other nonbelievers Petition for encouragement and perseverance for Pedi churches and church leaders. It appears that international travel may not open up for teams to go to South Africa until 2021. Pray for the momentum of the work to continue without outside help. Lift up the staff at the medical clinics in the villages where most of the people receive their medical care. Pray that Pedi schools will be able to reopen safely as soon as possible."
(YEH-muh-nee) - Arwa* worked for a nonprofit organization for several years and became close friends with the directors and their families. When war came to her country, they had to leave. Arwa kept the office open for a while, but eventually, it closed, and she no longer had work. Please pray for Arwa and her family. Pray that they will be able to get jobs. Arwa watched the lives that her bosses led and witnessed their integrity and kindness to others. She had spiritual conversations with their families over meals at her house. Pray that she will continue to think about those talks. Pray that the Spirit will work in her life and that she will accept Jesus as her Savior. (*name changed)
Mary* is a first-year Central Asian college student. Recently, she went for a walk with a believing friend and immediately started confiding in her about the difficulties she was facing in her life. She expressed how sad and unloved she felt, and then Mary added, "Inside, I feel so much jealousy, pride, and evil." The believer told her, "I know it hurts when other people hurt us, but it hurts just as much to bear those things in our heart. Jesus can take away our jealously, pride, and evil and make us new." Then she gave Mary a copy of the Word and invited her to read it with her. Mary hasn't given a response yet, but please pray that she will desire a new life found in Jesus. (*name changed)
(kwah-luh LUM-pur) - Meeting people and developing deep relationships amid the busyness of the urban environment is a challenge. With the global coronavirus pandemic, there is a "new normal" in Kuala Lumpur: social distancing, face masks, sports and gyms and group gatherings forbidden or restricted, and temperature checks in every store and mall. Meeting new people has become increasingly difficult. Please pray for believers to have wisdom in meeting new people and forming new relationships. Pray that the "new normal" for the believers will include reaching out and meeting people of other faiths to share the gospel and make disciples of Jesus Christ.
(CARE-ah-muh-jong) - "When our son was a year and a half old," writes a Karamojong Team member, "he was diagnosed with childhood epilepsy and put on daily medicine. He is now 4 years old, and God has healed him! God is using his story as a testimony to the people in Kaabong. Praise Him! Through a 'divine appointment,' we were connected with a reputable Christian mental health officer here in our town. We are now partnering with him to open a Mental Health Clinic for the surrounding villages. Pray for wisdom to work out all the logistics involved with this endeavor. Pray for discernment to know how to incorporate other aspects of ministry, as well."
Pray for Nathan* and his wife Anne,* Brazilian missionaries who have served over 20 years in Italy, making disciples and planting churches. As Nathan has walked through open doors, he won a drug addict to the Lord and discipled the man. Today he pastors of one of the churches that Nathan started. Nathan also was interviewed by an atheist university student who was doing a research paper on the evangelical church. As a result of many conversations, that atheist accepted Jesus into his heart and today is a professor and a Christian apologist. Two people, two lives changed by the power of God through a Brazilian missionary's faithful witness. Pray for the nation of Italy to be reached with the good news of Jesus Christ. (*names changed)
Most of the 70 million Deaf people around the world have never seen Jesus' name signed in their language and are considered to be some of the least evangelized people. There are at least 16 million Deaf in South Asia. Believers have seen recent evidence of God drawing Deaf people in Hyderabad, India, to Himself. One church there held a special party for Deaf friends last Christmas and continues to follow up with those interested in knowing more about Jesus. In another group, a Deaf believer has expressed a desire to take the next step of obedience in baptism. Praise the Lord for what He is doing among the Deaf in Hyderabad and beyond!