July 2007
The greatest need among the 1,600 different people
groups in West Africa is a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. More than half of the people
groups in West Africa are unreached by the Gospel and
almost 25 percent have no evangelical Christian witness.
Slightly more than 50 percent of the population is Muslim
and less than 6 percent is evangelical Christian. Most
West Africans, including many who claim Islam or
Christianity, practice African Traditional Religion (rever¬
ence of ancestral spirits and the belief that spirits inhabit
most natural objects).
This year many people groups throughout West
Africa are hearing a clear presentation of the Gospel for
the first time. Though many have had a reputation for
being resistant to the Gospel, God is obviously at work
among them. Please pray fervently and persistently, ask¬
ing God to call additional laborers to share the Gospel
message. Continue to pray for IMB missionaries, teams of
volunteers from Baptist churches in the USA, and West
African believers who are sharing a Christian witness.
Ask God to give clear direction to individuals and
churches that are seeking His will as they explore possi¬
ble avenues of mission service in the West Africa Region.
Pray that those whom God is calling to be His witnesses
in West Africa will be obedient.
For more information, visit gowestafrica.org.
Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news
of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among
the nations, His wonders among all peoples (Psalm 96:2-3,
NKJV).
П
IDAKSAHAK OF MALI, WEST AFRICA (ee-DAH-sah-hak).
“The Idaksahak people are a two and a half-day journey
over difficult roads from the capital city of Bamako. There
once was a glimmer of light and one man became the first
Idaksahak believer. Shortly afterward, the missionary couple
who had brought the Gospel message was called back to
their own country, leaving him with no discipleship. Four
years have passed. How much longer will the Idaksahak
have to wait? Pray that God's chosen servants will accept the
challenge to go the extra distance to be the light among the
Idaksahak, a people wandering in the desert.
SOUTH KOREA. M, a Nepalese student at a university in
Seoul, South Korea, became a Christian through the wit¬
ness of an IMB missionary more than a year ago. He lost his
social standing when he became a believer and also angered
his father. M says that his father, a Hindu teacher at a uni¬
versity in Nepal, is now open to hearing more about
Christianity. Pray that M's father will receive the truth.
TAGDAL OF NIGER, WEST AFRICA (tag-DAL). The
40,000 Tagdal live in a relatively concentrated area in
Niger marked by baked mud houses, hand-made goatskin
tents, ferocious wind, red dust and relentless heat. The
Tagdal have little hope in life, and Islam is a cornerstone of
their culture. Many Tagdal only speak their own heart lan¬
guage. Because of this, there is promise that the ongoing
Bible translation project will open doors to the Gospel.
Pray that the Bible translation project in the Tagdal lan¬
guage will soon be completed; ask God to draw the Tagdal
people to His Word.
TORGUT MONGOLS OF ASIA. The Torgut Mongols
(tore-GUT), about 210,000 people, live in a huge area of
mountains, deserts and plateaus, ranging from eastern
Qinghai province to the border of Kazakhstan in Xinjiang
province. They are either Tibetan Buddhists or atheistic in
their beliefs. They are very poor and seen as the least of the
minorities in their area. Only the New Testament has been
translated into their heart language. There are approxi¬
mately 20 Torgut believers, and they face persecution both
from their families and the community. Please pray for the
evangelization of the Torgut Mongols.
a KANURI OF NIGERIA, NIGER, CHAD AND
CAMEROON, WEST AFRICA (Kah-NUH-ree). Tall, dark
and dignified, the Kanuri people have been Muslim for
1,000 years. This people group has several subgroups total¬
ing more than 4 million people, with fewer than 100 known
Kanuri Christians. The "JESUS" film and New Testament
are available in the Yerwa Kanuri dialect, and biblical trans¬
lation work is being done in the Manga dialect as well.
Living in such a desert region, their greatest physical need is
water. The local leaders throughout the kingdom are impor¬
tant, and can be crucial to the spread of the Gospel. Pray that
each of these leaders will be a man of peace and accept the
prince of peace; pray that entire households and villages will
come to Christ and encourage each other in the face of possi¬
ble religious persecution.
UZBEKS OF UZBEKISTAN IN CENTRAL ASIA (OOZ-
bek). Workers among the Uzbeks in neighboring south-
