March 2004
... Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the
Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they
crucified him, and with him two others— one on each side
and Jesus in the middle (John 19:17-18, NIV).
i SARAM ACCAN OF SURINAME (sair-ah-
I MAH-can). They come with their oil lamps lit and
with hushed voices that grow louder as they approach the
simple wooden house. Groups of four and five come in.
The children sit on the floor. The older men and women
have brought their carved wooden stools with them and
surround the children. Soon the house is full, with people
standing at the doors and windows. The singing begins.
You should see the joy on the faces of the children as they
sing the Saramaccan worship songs, the eagerness as they
hear the great stories of the Bible, their earnest prayers.
These children represent the next generations of the church
among the Saramaccans. The Saramaccan team asks you to
read Psalm 78:1-7, and pray that those verses will become
:he future of the Saramaccan church.
2HRADEC KRALOVE, CZECH REPUBLIC
(HRA-dets CRAWL-oh-vay). Pray for the man
with whom Baptist representative Harold Johnson meets
every week. He and his wife came over for an evening meal,
and his wife commented that she was glad he had an oppor¬
tunity to spend time with a Christian family. After giving
him a Bible, Harold challenged him to read the book of John.
Each week they discuss a Bible story and how it relates to
life today. The man understands Jesus to be an historical fig¬
ure. Pray that he will know Jesus as “Savior and Lord."
3KABYLE BERBER OF ALGERIA AND
FRANCE (kuh-BEEL BER-ber). Many Kabyles
have been touched by the radio and television broadcast
ministry presented in the Kabyle language. According to
the television broadcast team: "Encouraging mail has been
received from viewers. We praise the Lord for the impact
Channel North Africa has on North Africa." However, the
team reports that they have started receiving threatening,
anonymous telephone calls. The team members say they
"are aware of the danger but also confident in the Lord to
not be intimidated." Please pray for each member of this
broadcast team and their work in Algeria. Pray for their
safety and continued dedication to sharing the gospel
through this powerful ministry.
4 SUZHOU, CHINA (soo-JOH). "When we first
met A and P, they seemed most excited just about
meeting and talking with some foreigners. After we shared
with them the good news of Jesus Christ, they were even
more excited about God's plan for their lives. They told us
they had heard of Christianity and always wanted to learn
more, but had no one to teach them. They are now part of
God's family and learning more and more for themselves
as they study their Bible. Please pray God will continue to
bear fruit in the lives of these new believers and that a new
church will be formed through their relationships."
5GUAJIBO OF VENEZUELA (gwa-HEE-bo).
Another two-day intensive Bible study began in
Village M. The morning sessions opened a whole new
dimension to the power of prayer. At the end of the first
session, J stood and spoke. During the previous week, J
attended a family gathering where the local witch doctor
was called in. The trial of J's faith came when he questioned
the witch doctor's authority. Fear fell upon the family. As J
began to read from his Bible, "If two of you shall agree," R
stood. She, too, lived in fear of the power of the witch doc¬
tor. Pastors and deacons gathered around these two, recog¬
nizing the burden clearly and knowing the cost. They com¬
mitted themselves in prayer to J and R. Pray that
understanding will become believing and believing will
become acceptance that God is in control.
6 BURYAT OF RUSSIA (BOO-ree-aht). The
Buryat Team writes: "The Lord gave us an opportunity
to begin a Bible study in a village where we had used
chronological Bible storying. The Lord used His Word to
touch hearts and lives in this village. In fact, one girl
prayed a prayer of repentance. However, the girl moved to
the city, and we have lost contact with her. Ask the Lord to
perfect what He has begun in this girl's heart. Ask Him to
protect her from the enemy so that the seed will not be
snatched away. Ask the Lord to continue to work in the
lives of folks in this village so that they would have the
hope and joy that only the Lord Jesus can give. Finally, ask
the Lord to provide contact with the girl again so that she
can have fellowship with other believers. She is His child
and He loves her."
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made
a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the
cross (Col. 2:15, NIV).
7 MOROCCO (Northern Africa and Middle
East). Islam allows men to have more than one wife
and allows a man to divorce his wife simply by verbally
