urgent prayer request

Just wanted to get word out to our prayer warriors to pray for a new believer in Boubon.  We have a team there this week and yesterday they saw firsthand what we've seen over and over:  His sheep hear His voice.  They were sharing with a group when a guy came up, sat down and said he wanted to believe.  He'd been waiting 14 years to hear this news and he believed and even wanted to be baptized immediately.  Only a few hours passed and word spread around the village about what had happened.  Over the next 12 hours he'd been kicked out of his home, lost his job, and being cursed everywhere he went. 
He, unlike so many Songhai, can read and is devouring Scripture.  He's very eager to learn and obey.  In fact, he was just going to leave the village and go somewhere else when he read the first 6 chapters of Matthew about loving his enemy and being blessed when he's persecuted.  He decided to stay and be a witness to the Gospel. 
We just ask that you would pray for his safety in these next few days especially.  We've seen a real anger in the village over his decision, more intense than what we've seen in the past.  Even today in the village, most people would not greet, much less listen to our team (a very un-Songhai thing).   Pray that he will remain strong in the face of intense persecution.  Also, please pray for us as we try to seek wise ways to help him during this time.