(TOH-kyoh) - The Tokyo Team has several interns arriving the second week of May. They will be helping with university ministry until mid-July. Please pray for them to prepare their hearts for ministry and have safe travels to Japan. Pray for them to be bold witnesses to all those they meet and to share the gospel clearly. Pray that all the students they meet will have open hearts to the truth and will accept Christ.
"Two summer students will be arriving in our city this month! Pray for all the logistics to work out, and pray for them to have a smooth entry as well as favor with officials. Ask the Lord to prepare the way before them. May there be many open doors for ministry, sharing the gospel, and discipling other believers. Pray for their health as they settle into living in this city for the summer."
The Tamoy are a people group of 800-900 people, indigenous to Laos. Their villages are in the Luang Namtha province. Tamoy people are sometimes not recognized by their government as a distinct group, though they are distinct from surrounding ethnic groups. They speak the little-studied language of Mon-Khmer, which is similar to the surrounding Khmu language. They are typically considered animists, but it is believed that there may be some Theravada Buddhist influences within their practices. Because there are no known followers of Jesus within the Tamoy people group, they are considered completely unengaged and unreached with the gospel. Other closely related people groups have been very receptive to the good news of Jesus; however, no effort to share the gospel has focused on the Tamoy people. Please pray that the Father will call harvest workers to witness to the Tamoy people. Also, please pray that the Holy Spirit reveal the goodness of God through dreams, visions, and His creation.
(RYN, RUE-er) - The local church in Germany that was planted by IMB team members hosts a weekly gathering for young people. The older Yezidi teens who attended last year heard the gospel several times but haven't yet decided to follow Jesus and are no longer attending. Please pray that when they are older and can think more freely about religions and worldviews, they will remember what they learned and make a decision for Jesus. (The Yezidis, a Kurdish religious minority, believe in a chief divine being (angel) who they worship. They were targeted by ISIS during 2014 for genocide, and many fled to Germany.) The younger people are continuing to attend the gathering and are asking a lot of good questions. They seem to be searching and genuinely interested in Christianity. Pray for the teens and their families, that their eyes of spiritual understanding will be opened and accept Jesus as the only way, truth, and life and that no one comes the Father except through Jesus. Pray that the seeds planted will remain and produce fruit for God's kingdom.
Saida has had a difficult life and recently has faced a divorce, severe health issues, and a child with behavioral problems. Living as a North African immigrant in Europe, she does not feel like she has many friends whom she can trust. While meeting with some believing friends, she shared that she does not have hope for the future or anything to look forward to in life. She feels stuck in her routine and is having trouble imagining anything changing in her circumstances. The believers shared truth with her and prayed for her, but she is not very interested in spiritual topics right now. Pray for Jesus to meet Saida in the midst of her routine and for her to see the hope and future that He offers to her. Ask the Father to give her awareness of her need for a Savior, and pray that she will have the courage to follow Him in faith.
Please pray for Reese Morgan. While out exploring an unreached people group, he caught a bad case of malaria and had to delay his flights back to his base city. Pray for him to heal and be able to travel soon.
(loo-SAH-kah) - "Thank you for praying for the women who are incarcerated in one of the prisons here in Lusaka, Zambia," writes the Greater Lusaka Area Team. "Several of the women finished serving their sentences and have returned home. Please pray for safety and good health. Pray for these women to surround themselves with godly friends and to find ways to resist temptation when they are in situations that trigger past behaviors with negative consequences. Please lift these women up to the Father, and ask for wisdom and strength as they prepare to find jobs and reconnect with family and friends. Pray that they will seek the Lord in all that they do."
(KIR-giz) - Please lift up some mature believers as they partner with a local fellowship to evaluate the health of that church and also assist them in developing goals and objectives that will address the characteristics of their church that they ascertain to be unhealthy. Also intercede for another fellowship in the same town that, due to persecution or other circumstances, is lacking in leadership. The pastor has invested in many young men to raise them up as leaders, only to see them leave the church and go to the capital city. Pray for encouragement for the pastor and for there to be men who are willing to stay and endure.
It seems there is no end in sight to this rain. Would you pray for the people of Kenya? Since the flooding began, over 220 people have lost their lives. Pray also for refugees living in Kenya; when the flooding hits them, they have no other place to go, and many are forced to stay in unsafe conditions. Pray that through these uncertain days, many would put their hope in Christ.
(kahm-PAH-lah) - A Sudanese woman swathed in black sits across a tea tray from you, smiling widely at your warm welcome. Aching for someone to listen, with very little prompting, she shares her story with you: She is a journalist who had to flee her home in Sudan because of attacks in response to her reporting on wartime atrocities. She pulls a smartphone from her purse--her only connection to family members spread across three or more countries--and shows you pictures of the acid burns that she suffered. But the help she wants is for her daughter. "She has become a Christian, and our people are trying to kill her here in Kampala." The conversation continues, and later she shares that she has read the Book of Matthew herself and loved what it said. You agree to call her soon to arrange to meet up again. Unfortunately, stories like hers are common among the Sudanese refugees arriving daily in Uganda. Will you pray for them? Pray for gentle arrivals and a warm welcome from believers. Pray that the love of God shown to them during this difficult transition will draw them to the hope and peace they can find only through Jesus.
(boh-guh-TAH) - The Indigenous Team Bogota writes: "Social workers and healthcare professionals provide various healthcare services to the displaced indigenous living in Bogota. Most are compassionate and care about the wellbeing of the indigenous people. However, these workers struggle with the same language and cultural barriers that we do. Pray that these workers will see the value of working alongside our team to help with the physical needs of the indigenous people. Pray that they will understand that our primary motivation is sharing the love of Jesus, and ask that they will not try to hinder us from proclaiming God's Word. Pray that we will have opportunities to share the gospel with these social workers and healthcare professionals."
Victor and Madeline Hawthorne, ministry leaders in Southeast Asia, heard unpleasant news about a Deaf Southeast Asian partner in a neighboring country. Their family traveled on Christmas Day to investigate the truth of the allegations. Christmas plans were interrupted, but God made it clear that they were all to go. Madeline was thankful to see how well Victor worked with everyone and to learn her way around. While it seemed wasteful for their whole family to go, it ended up being a sweet time for them to explore new places and serve together. In January, their student volunteer needed to renew a visa, and all planned options had closed except for a teammate and Madeline joining him on the visa run--to that neighboring country! Although Madeline hadn't planned to travel either month, God knew and had prepared her for the second trip. While there, they met with several Deaf attending a hearing church and also with about 20 Deaf who spent hours asking questions, trying to quench their thirst for the truth. They desire to start a Bible study in their heart language, so teammates are working on connecting them with local Deaf believers. Praise God for unexpected travels and blessings!
Pray for street vendors who set up shop in the same places every day to sell their goods. Ask the Lord to put Christians in their path who are willing to share the gospel with them and show them the love of Christ in daily life. Pray for street vendors all throughout the city to become disciples and disciple-makers so that the gospel will spread throughout the City of Soldiers.
Pray for a new worker in Paris as she partners with a local Chinese church to start a new young adult ministry. Pray that this ministry will bring the reality of Jesus Christ to the 600,000 Chinese now living in Paris. Many of these Chinese are young people who, for the first time in their lives, have the opportunity to freely come to church and learn about the grace of God. Ask the Lord to bless this ministry of outreach to those who desperately need to hear the good news of Jesus.
(SHEE-ah) - Farouk surrendered his heart to Jesus, and he has a desire to be an active, faithful servant to the Lord. However, he suffers from a disease that leaves him confined to a wheelchair. Although mentally sharp, his body often leaves him fatigued and in pain. His eyesight is not what it used to be, and his words do not always come out clearly. He struggles with not feeling useful in God's kingdom. Pray for Farouk to be encouraged and not to lose heart. For though his "outer self is wasting away," pray that his inner self will be "renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16 ESV). Pray, also, that Farouk will understand and believe that God has a special purpose for him and that through his weaknesses, Christ is magnified.