Kaylee, who lives in a capital city, is very interested in the gospel and wants to believe in Christ. However, fear of being rejected by her family and fear of angering other Hindus is keeping her from submitting to Jesus' lordship. Pray that her heart will be softened and that she will put her full faith in Jesus.

Persian peoples don't culturally celebrate the new year on January 1; instead, they celebrate it on the first day of spring. And they sure do know how to celebrate! For two weeks this month, Persian peoples in the Western diaspora and around the world will be having family gatherings, reading traditional poetry, eating, dancing, jumping over fire, and generally enjoying the hope that a new year brings. This time of year is also traditionally a fantastic time for followers of Christ to reach out to them with the hope of the gospel. Please pray for the efforts to share the good news of new life In Jesus that will be made during these weeks. Pray for the volunteer teams that will be traveling to the Western diaspora to reach out to Persians. Ask the Lord to prepare the hearts of people to hear about His love.

(mah-LOO-koo) - Two local men have come to faith recently and are being discipled by national believers, including a fellow new believer. Pray for these men as they gather to study the Word, pray together, and obey the commands of Christ. Also, pray for those who will hear the gospel through the faithfulness of these new believers.

Pray for the missionaries on the Madagascar Team, as well as the Malagasy believers and others, who are engaging the southeastern part of Madagascar with evangelism, discipleship, church planting, and leadership development. This region is home to several of the island's people groups, including the Tanala (pronounced tah-NAH-lah). Pray for preparations being made for the Tanala Church to continue worshiping and growing and thriving while the full-time International Mission Board family is on stateside assignment in the fall. Pray also for the families of the churches to grow in faithfulness, including in their marriages and parenting. The team hopes to focus some teachings on these topics throughout this year. Please also intercede for youth and children in this region, the future generation, to begin to change patterns of generational unfaithfulness--specifically in the area of marriage. The Madagascar Team will welcome a two-month student team from the United States during June and July. This student team will focus on ministry to the youth and children, including "True Love Waits" teachings. Pray for these ministries to be fruitful.

The leaders of the Bible Institute of the People by the Water are excited to have a number of new students this year! Pray for the students as they study and as they meet weekly in Life Groups. Ask that the students will be discipled through these groups. Pray, also, that they will encourage, inspire, and spur one another on, as "iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17 ESV).

"Thank you for your prayers; God is answering them!" missionary explorer D.G. Anthony said. "Today, we found a community and were welcomed in! After, we shared our testimony and the story of the gospel, we received a positive response, and a few people accepted Christ! Praise God for those who are new to the kingdom. We also want to praise Him for our new brother who shared the gospel with his wife and parents. He is planning to get baptized soon! Please pray for boldness and for God's presence to comfort both him and his wife. We are discipling them this week as they join us on our journey, and we hope to start a church in their community soon. Please pray for all the people who have heard the gospel, for those who have received prayer for healing , and for our new brothers and sisters as they follow Christ. Praise the Lord! We are filled with awe and gratitude toward Him. We have a good, good Father. Please continue to pray with us for the Lord to call many out of darkness into His marvelous light. All praise to God Most High!"

(die-AS-puh-ruh) - Jewish people in an unlikely country were befriended by a group of Muslims, who even protected them from an attack. The Muslims surrounded them in a circle, and now they are guarding them as they worship on the Sabbath. Please pray that all over the world, people will come together to help not only the Jewish people, who certainly need friendship, but also the other groups of people who hold no malice and want to live in peace. Pray for the continued protection of the Jewish people and the kind Muslim people who may be persecuted for their actions. Pray that both Jews and Muslims will hear the gospel and follow the Savior "who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4).

"A Dr. Naylor Preach and Heal through Medicine project is bearing fruit in Sub-Saharan Africa! Praise the Lord for His provision of resources to help a hospital in Africa reequip the operating room and intensive care units. This equipment donation has strengthened our partnership with this hospital and enabled our cross-cultural workers there to extend training for reaching the lost to the hospital staff and students studying at the hospital."

(BAH-mah) - Please pray for Darion, a national partner working to plant new churches in Mandalay. He is also a doctor and has his hands full running a one-man clinic for local people. This is heavy work as malnutrition, high blood pressure, and diabetes are rampant among the local population. Though the work is hard, God is using Darion and his family. Several of their Buddhist neighbors are meeting weekly to learn about Jesus and the Bible. They have met numerous times and are continuing to learn new Bible stories regularly. They are interested in what they are learning but are still counting the cost of following Jesus. Pray that God will draw them to Himself and start a church in Darion's neighborhood. Pray also for encouragement for Darion and his wife, that they will continue to faithfully share and teach, even as no one has accepted Christ yet.

(BANG-ah-lohr) - Bangalore Baptist Hospital has more than 750 trainees enrolled in multiple academic training programs, including allied health courses, post-graduate medical education, the nursing institute, and chaplaincy training. In March, graduation ceremonies are scheduled for those completing their study. Pray for all the graduates to take the professional skills they have learned and the spiritual values they have gained into the workplace.

For a year, Beth has shared the gospel many times with Dr. Henry. The good doctor came to work overseas from Europe for a year. He is a self-proclaimed agnostic, but after hearing that Beth was a Christian, he would always steer the conversation to religion. They had great conversations, and on a couple of occasions, he jokingly said that Beth had converted him to Protestantism. He was amazed when she shared that she prays to God and hears Him answer her. When she shared her hope for eternity, he was also amazed and commented that his girlfriend is scared about what happens after life. Dr. Henry recently moved back to Europe, but on Beth's last appointment told her he would always remember her family, who were the only people he felt comfortable talking to about religious things. Beth encouraged Dr. Henry to download a free Bible app and find the version in his heart language so he could read the Bible for himself. Pray that the Holy Spirit opens Dr. Henry's eyes to the truth of who God is and draws him to surrender his life to Christ.