March 2000
United praying in God's will is powerful.
Some years ago friends of ours who lived near a river were in
danger of being flooded by rising waters. They were work¬
ing hard to sandbag their home, but there were only the two of
them. As soon as word of their situation reached our church, a
large group of us instantly put on work clothes and went to
help them. When the first of us arrived, our friends were visi¬
bly fatigued and near despair. As carload after carload of us fel¬
low behevers arrived and immediately went to work, a trans¬
formation occurred that we could see in their faces. Suddenly,
there was hope. The onslaught might actually be held back. In
the end, it was, and a new day dawned for them as the waters
gave up and then retreated.
The Bible clearly states that when this earthly period of
history is over there will be believers from "every tribe" stand¬
ing in His presence. One of these tribes is the Tonga people of
Zambia, and a missionary team in that African nation is en¬
deavoring to take the great news of salvation to the 1.2 million
Tonga people there. The enemy doesn't want that, though, and
he is trying to drown out the evangelistic efforts of this little
team. Today, March 1, is a call to arms. It is a day of prayer for
the Tonga, and as we roll up our sleeves and link arms in
prayer, the enemy will retreat, and a new day of light and life
will dawn among the Tonga.
Hallelujah!
Randy Sprinkle, Director
International Prayer Strategy Office
1 ZAMBIA (south central Africa). Missionaries
Mike and Lori McDaniel, who serve among the Tonga people,
write: "Pray for 50 church leaders and pastors who will be gather¬
ing in April 2000 in Livingstone, Zambia, for a Pioneer Evangelism
Conference, where they will learn to independently go out and
start new churches. Pray that they will sense a personal responsi¬
bility of winning their lost families and communities to Christ."
2 LAST FRONTIER. In January you prayed for Chris¬
tians in a Last Frontier nation whose names, addresses and
phone numbers were published in a magazine article. Rejoice as
you remember Joseph's words to his brothers: "Y ou intended to
harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now
being done, the saving of many lives" (Gen. 50: 20, NIV). This re¬
port comes from workers in that nation: "We learned recently that
one woman has come into the Light because she read the article in
the magazine and was able to contact one of those whose ministry
was exposed. Praise God for His faithfulness! Pray that this new
believer will be firmly rooted in His Word and be salt and light to
those around her."
3 GUYANA (northern South America).
Missionaries Paul and Janet Rohde have traveled, collected
information and interviewed people concerning their target people
group. They request prayer as they make a recommendation
regarding the reaching of Amerindians of Guyana. Pray that Paul
and Janet will clearly discern God's will.
VENEZUELA (northern South America).
Missionary Carol Brown and and a team of Venezuelan Baptists
minister among goat-herder families. Pray that God's Spirit will
work through the use of "storying" (chronological Bible telling) to
the families. Cell groups (home-based congregations) have begun
among the goat herders. Ask God to equip the believers to become
self-supporting with their own music and affordable place of wor¬
ship. Pray also for the salvation of the non-beheving goat herder
families who are persecuting believers.
4 ROMANIA (eastern Europe). Baptist represent¬
ative Karen Pearce, who serves in Bucharest, is rejoicing that
her neighbor accepted Christ. She writes: "We praise God for the
relationship He has given us and for her salvation. She is studying
God's Word and learning how to apply principles from it to her
life. Please pray for her, as her husband is not a believer and is not
supportive of her new life. Because he is also not motivated to find
a good job, they desperately need money for family support."
Karen asks you to pray that God will bless this neighbor as she
"serves the Lord and her husband with joy and believes Him for
all her needs. Pray that God will give me wisdom and sensitivity
as I disciple her from His Word."
5 PHILIPPINES (southeast Asia). Baptist repre¬
sentatives Philip and Nancy Griggs began a new church start
last year in Cagayan de Oro City, in northern Mindanao. As cell-
group Bible study groups were begun and as leaders were trained,
they moved to another larger location. In the fall, the Griggses and
their co-laborers began a new approach for reaching the lost in the
city — "Worship at the Mall" concerts, which were conducted in
the center of the city's largest shopping mall. Several thousand
enthusiastically attended and have asked for more. Pray for the
Griggses as they continue monthly "Worship at the Mall" concerts.
Pray that the lost people will be drawn to this event and that many
will also be willing to join small group Bible studies, where they
will come to understand their need for a Savior, Jesus Christ.
