Weekly Prayer Focus: Roads Unengaged

The Songhai are spread mostly across 3 countries (Niger, Mali & a small portion of Burkina Faso) while also being found in "Exodus" cities (places they go to find work) like Accra, Ghana & even Indianapolis, IN! Being spread so far & wide & only having a small percentage of believers, there are tons of places that are unreached & where Songhai have never heard the name of Jesus.

In Niger alone, we have found that the Songhai are most populated on 7 stretches of roads (& by "roads", I mean roads that have anywhere from 12-50 villages on them & are hundreds of miles long). As a Songhai team & with our partnering churches, we have "engaged" 5 of these roads. That means that we have shared the Gospel in a few of the villages along the road &, therefore, the Gospel has been introduced (mostly for the first time) somewhere along that specific road. We still, though, have 2 full stretches of roads (thousands of Songhai in dozens of villages) that have never heard.

Please pray for us as a Songhai team & our partnering church, Living Hope, as they seek to engage these roads for the first time next month. Pray for safety in traveling (as many of these roads are "rough") & aloe the health of the team as they'll be camping out. Pray also for the many Songhai that will hear of salvation in Christ alone for the very first time. Pray for openness to the Gospel (open ears, open minds, open hearts) & that many will find freedom in His sacrifice for their sins. Pray that many will believe in the Truth & choose to follow it.

newest member of the Songhai team

We would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Songhai team ...

John Cole Vincent Phillips

born August 28

12:12 pm

Dakar, Senegal

8 lbs 14 oz

20.5 in long

Thank you for all your prayers for this boy! He is healthy & we are in love!

Weekly Prayer Focus: Boumba

Boumba is a village on the Road to Gaya. It has been "engaged" with the Gospel & some have chosen to follow Christ in this village. While we would love to be able to disciple these men on a weekly basis, due to the distance of this village from where we live, we are unable to do so. These men have an audio recording of the New Testament & have been instructed in how to meet together, pray & study the Word.

However, as is pertinent with any new believer anywhere in the world, discipleship is critical. While we know it is next to impossible for us as a Songhai team to be there on a consistent basis, we know that there are believers in Niamey that would love to fulfill this calling on their lives to invest in & disciple new believers. Would you please pray with us for God to call forth such a mature believer to join our national partner team & commit to discipline these men in Boumba?

Please also pray for these believers as they continue to meet & study the Word together, that they would stand strong in the face of persecution, continue to meet & grow in their knowledge of the Word & remain unified as a body of believers. Pray that they would encourage one another & that they would make

Weekly Prayer Focus: Rainy Season & Crops

The rains started a little later this year than normal. But since beginning in late June, they have come often & steady. All of our believers are sustenance farmers, which means they grow enough food to feed their family for an entire year. They do not farm for profit, only for their own consumption. And they grow one crop - millet. The rainy season must be good to ensure that they have a good harvest & to ensure that they have enough food to last them an entire year.

Please pray for the rains to continue to come steadily throughout the remainder of the season which should end around mid-October. Pray that God would bless the work of the hands of His children & our Songhai believers would have abundant crops to provide for their families. Pray also that God would protect their crops from diseases that normally infiltrate crops through insects.

Weekly Prayer Focus: Believers in Dargol

Over the course of the last several years, there has been ministry efforts in & around the village of Dargol. While many seeds were planted, only a small amount of fruit was sown. And among that fruit, there was very little growth. While there have been believers there for a few years, they had made little headway into beginning a church.

However, over the last few months, we have seen the Lord do some amazing things in this village. They have grown in their faith & in their numbers & they are finally on the verge of becoming a church.

Pray for these believers as they meet weekly to study the Word & take the necessary steps to planting a church in their village. Pray that they would remain unified, grow in their knowledge of the Word, seek to apply His truth to their lives daily & would be a vital, flourishing church. Pray that they would be the hands & feet of Christ to their neighbors by serving others but also being bold in their witness. Pray that the Lord would add many to their numbers as they declare His Gospel to those that have never heard.

Weekly Prayer Focus: Night of Power

The "Night of Power" is "believed to be the night when the Quran was first revealed. ... This night being of historical significance, Muslims should worship as much as they can on this night. It is also believed to be the night when God decides the destiny of everyone." (taken from wikipedia)

As the definition above indicates, this night is very significant in the month of Ramadan. This night is not known on the calendar ahead of time but is expected to fall during the last 10 days of Ramadan.  It is a night that many Muslims will be seeking a direct word from God. Pray that many Songhai, who have yet to believe, will hear from the One True God. As they seek out Allah, pray they will find Yahweh instead.

Update on village "LA"

A few weeks ago, we asked y'all to pray for village "LA" where there were new believers. This village has been an amazing bright spot among Songhai villages. Eight men have decided to follow Jesus and are currently meeting weekly for discipleship.  However, lately the village has been growing in hostility towards their new faith.

We told them on the front end that this would be a hard road and they are seeing it for themselves now firsthand.  They have stood strong thus far until today.  As we met today I noticed a considerable number of our guys weren't there.  While this is rainy season and men are working, it seemed odd.  I asked the guys there what was going on and they told me that for 3 straight days there have been Islamic preachers who were sent from Niamey to come preach in "LA".  The subject of their preaching:  chastising these new believers.

Now, imagine if you can what these men are going through.  They are about 2 months into their new faith. They've already been shunned by family and friends and now a group of men are going around the village with bullhorns announcing that these men have become worse than pagans and shaming them to the world!  It is indeed a tough road.

Pray for them to remain strong.  I read with them Peter's response to Jesus in John 6 after the 5000 have abandoned him.  Peter's wonderful response was, "Where else would we go - you alone have the words of life."  The men lit up and said, "That's us, we've found the best thing no matter what it's cost us."