March 2001
In a Muslim village in Africa, the people are dying.
Some are dying of AIDS, but more tragically, all are
dying of sin. A missionary couple lives there, and
they have been praying for and befriending the peo¬
ple of this village. One day a friend brought two others
to meet them. As the conversation developed, the guests
began to sense that these foreigners were somehow
spiritually special. Questions and answers flowed, and
the conversation led to testimony of the nearness of God
to those who seek and respond to Him. Then, one of the
visitors asked, "Are you a Muslim?"
On the surface, this would not seem to be an unusual
question, but the way this question is worded in the lan¬
guage of the people there is unique. To ask if someone
is a Muslim is to literally ask, "Do you pray?"
To be Muslim is to pray: faithfully, five times every
day and once each year for an entire month with daily
fasting.
Could we not as Christians learn a great deal from
the Muslims of the world at just this point? Paul said,
"Devote yourselves to prayer" (Col. 4:2a, NIV). If prayer
so characterized Christians' lives, there would be no
need to inquire if they are Christians; their prayers
would answer the question before it was asked.
May it be so!
Randy Sprinkle, Director
Prayer Strategy Office
1 THAILAND (southeast Asia). This month, 15
Bible-school students will be going to help in evange¬
lism efforts for one week during their school-break period.
They will be ministering at Baan Ngop with one of the
Baptist representative families; at Baan Wang Tao, where
the Baptist Rural Life Center is located; and at Baan Kaa,
which is a village with marginal interest in Christianity,
located about 30 miles south of Nan city. Please ask God to
open hearts in preparation for hearing His message. Also,
ask God to be with the students as they prepare what He is
leading them to do through this evangelism effort.
2CHUABO OF MOZAMBIQUE (chew-
WAH-boh). Missionaries John and Wanne Dina
write: "Pray for the church of Nanunho. It is a new church,
and most of the members are women. Pray that a leader
will come forth to carry on with the work. Pray that more
men will be saved. In this culture, men are the ones who
take the leadership role, and when a church does not have
many men, there is a gap in the leadership of the church."
3 NETHERLANDS (northwestern Europe).
The Netherlands team continues to see an increase in
cult group activity in the refugee centers. Please ask the
Holy Spirit to empower the refugees to discern truth from
error, and pray for Christian refugees to proclaim the Light
of Truth over the deception of these cults. Please continue
to pray that the ways of the enemy will be thwarted.
4 MESTIZOS OF ECUADOR (mes-TEE-zohs).
Missionaries serving on the Mestizo Cities team write:
"A man accepted Christ at the Bible study at his sister's home
in Riobamba. He is an alcoholic and had been separated
from his wife. The next Sunday morning he brought her to
church, and she accepted Christ, too! She's moving back
home, and they're going to live in the neighborhood where
the Bible study meets. His desire to drink has been replaced
by a deep hunger for God's Word. He's a truck driver but
is looking for a new job so he'll have more time to study
the Bible. Pray for both of them as they grow in their faith."
5 DHAKA (DHAH-kah), BANGLADESH. Dhaka
is known as the "City of Mosques," as it is home to
more than 7,000 mosques. It has a population of roughly 10
million and is about 90 percent Muslim. Less than one of
every thousand are evangelical believers. Dhaka is third in
the world in population density and first in the world in
lead pollution. Dhaka is one of the more responsive areas
in the Muslim world, making it a strategic key for the
Muslim world as well. Bangla is the language spoken in
Dhaka, although a few in the upper-educated classes can
also speak EngUsh. Rikshawallahs and garment-factory
workers are two of the largest segments of society. Stu¬
dents are also prevalent. Poverty is rampant; disasters such
as flooding are common, and most of the people are illiter¬
ate. A common Muslimani Bangla Bible has recently been
made available. The JESUS film, chronological Bible "story-
ing" and discipleship materials are also available. Pray for
the evangelization of the people of Dhaka.
6 KENYA (eastern Africa). Praise God for the
way He has opened doors and led Baptist personnel to
a new ministry on the coast of Kenya! An opportunity has
been given to teach at an agricultural institute and to disci¬
ple students there. Pray that God will use this to reach out
to the many people groups that are in bondage of another
major religion along the coast of Kenya.
