Thanksgiving Weekend

If you want to know what "a few of our nearly 5,000 missionaries... do for Thanksgiving, what they miss most about Thanksgiving in the U.S. and how you can pray for them during the holidays" and during the Lottie Moon Christmas Season, then take time this weekend to read the many short stories shared at THANKSGIVING THROUGH THE EYES OF IMB MISSIONARIES.*
*http://www.commissionstories.com/stories/view/thanksgiving-through-the-eyes-of-imb-missionaries1 .

November 28, 2013

A thank you from IMB workers among Sub-Saharan African Peoples to our supporters, our partners who enable us to do what God has called us to do in His harvest field:  “We thank OUR God every time we remember you.  In all our prayers for all of you, we always pray with joy BECAUSE of your PARTNERSHIP in the gospel” (Philippians 1:3-5).
Added thanks:  The moms of these two animated kids are the cooks at a Baptist Bible School in Sub-Saharan Africa, which means their sons are already hearing the gospel!

November 27, 2013

Shared by AFRICA STORIES during their Week of Thankfulness:  "Jerry was able to dig two wells for a village in South Sudan, which resulted in the apprehensive villagers trusting him. We praise God for letting us be a part of His plan for the people in that village.” 
For more words of gratitude from IMB missionaries during this Week of Thankfulness, visit https://www.facebook.com/africastories .

November 26, 2013

Why are IMB missionaries in Sub-Saharan Africa thankful for Southern Baptists? Because thanks to the support of Southern Baptists they get to share the Gospel with the 2,826 people groups in the 65 countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, which STILL includes more than 1,762 People Groups with a population of less than 2% evangelical Christians.

EXPLORE Priority People Groups of Sub-Saharan Africa - http://subsaharanafricanpeoples.imb.org/explore/sub/priority-people-groups .

November 25, 2013

As you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, know that your missionaries are also very thankful for your prayers, as shared last week by a worker in Zambia: “We made it safely to Lusaka!!! Ran off the road by one big truck and 3 goats barely escaped death... But we are here! Thank you all for praying!”

November 24, 2013

Good News from Durban, South Africa, shared via FB* by worker supported by the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering: “Obedient in baptism. Naydene, from Tuesday night's Cell Group, was baptized this past Sunday at a pool in their housing complex. Cell Group families attended… with fellowship afterwards.”

*DUET – Durban Prayer Network - https://www.facebook.com/groups/397108007046775/

November 23, 2013

"Because of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, I am able to drive about 10 miles outside the city and meet with adults who have never had the chance to go to school. I get to teach them to read which grants many opportunities to share with them about Jesus. Mary P., Malawi ."  For more THANKS TO LOTTIE MOON stories, visit https://www.facebook.com/ZambeziClusterPrayerNeeds.

November 22, 2103

Praise shared this week by a worker in West Africa supported by the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering: “Two new brothers literally came out of nowhere to talk to us. It was so obvious that God was calling them out of darkness. After sharing with them they quickly believed and their eternities are now forever changed!”

November 21, 2013

“That’s just … exciting discipleship… to watch someone grow from being just a ‘churchy’ background kind of person to… being committed to obey even the call to go and be a witness among another people.” Take a few moments to read the testimony of a worker helping Kenyan students share their faith; an awesome view of how God is at work among Sub-Saharan African Peoples thanks to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering at http://www.commissionstories.com/africa/stories/view/southern-baptists-help-kenyan-students-share-their-faith!

November 20, 2013

Why give to this year’s Lottie Moon Christmas Offering?  BECAUSE “more than half the world’s people groups are still unreached and people are dying every day without ever having heard the Gospel.”  In Sub-Saharan Africa, of the 2,826 people groups, more than 1,700 are still among the unreached! 

For more quick information on why and how to give to Lottie, check out http://www.imb.org/main/lottie-moon/details.asp?StoryID=11952&LanguageID=1709.

November 19, 2013

Claim Psalm 5:11 today for God’s workers whose hearts’ desire is to live Psalm 96:1-3, to “Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation… declare his glory among the nations”? Pray that they will find gladness as they take refuge in him and a renewed joy as they sense the protection he spreads over them.  

November 17, 2013

Report from the Songhai of West Africa:  “While discipling a believer in his village, a man from a neighbouring village passed by… a God ordained moment as this man had been waiting to hear our message for years!  He quickly believed.  As our other believer talked to him about baptism one day, he said, ‘Could I do that now?’  He was baptized and is growing in his faith.”

November 16, 2013

Photographer: A Missionary Kid who has just begun kindergarten in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Her dad’s comment:  “She captured this beautiful pic of the sun rising over our town on the way to school… before spontaneously bursting into song singing ‘How Great is Our God!’”

November 15, 2013

What do two pastors who embraced an Unengaged, Unreached People Group in West Africa tell others who want to embrace a people group?  “’Just go.’ Identify a UUPG, take a vision trip and… ask God if this is where He wants you to be. But buckle up… this journey will change you forever.”  Reading their testimony* may also change you forever!  

* http://www.commissionstories.com/africa/stories/view/pastors-partner-to-embrace-unengaged-unreached-people-group

November 14, 2013

SSAPeoples November Prayer Emphasis: The main sources of income of the Shila, who live in Zambia along Lake Mweru, is fishing and farming. Will you claim Mark 1:17 and Luke 10:2 for this people? Pray that those God is calling to be fishers of men and workers in His harvest field among the Shila will respond.

November 13, 2013

Update from the workers you prayed for Nov 4th as they moved to work among the Yao people of Mozambique: “We made it! Thanks for lifting us up to our mighty God who created this beautiful mountain that stands in our back yard. We don't have electricity but we have internet through cell phone towers. Gotta love it!”  

Added blessing of living in a house provided by LOTTIE MOON:  We have officially been woken up in the middle of the night by monkeys playing on the roof.

November 12, 2013

From Cape Town, South Africa: Another great day! One of our refugee men came for his first TEE (Theological Education by Extension) lesson. He had read for weeks so my husband taught 3 weeks in 1 day. The man said he learned more than he knew … He is excited… keep praying … Life is hard when you are a refugee.

November 11, 2013

When a disaster occurs in our world, do you want to help, but not know how to pray or what to do? One trusted source for guidance is IMB Connecting. Prayer nudges for those affected by Typhoon Haiyan and info on how you can donate towards the disaster response can be found at “Southern Baptists begin relief efforts”  at  http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?StoryID=12555&LanguageID=1709#.UoA_1_msim5.

November 10, 2013

ANSWERED PRAYER: On March 20-23 and April 3, you prayed for a missionary baby who was very sick, requiring medical evacuation to the States. This update shared last week by Grady’s Mom is long, but if you prayed for him and his family, you will want to read of this miracle!

"Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion." Psalm 103:2-4
Grady will be one year old this week. And what a year it has been! I've come to this birthday with mixed feelings, honestly. Joy for his life and rejoicing over the fact that he is here with us. But every so often, I feel a tug at my heart as I remember the other children's first birthdays and sense the depth of difference. However, the Master has begun to fade these 'tuggings' as we've watched Grady come alive this last week. Smiles, goofy (and I mean tongue hanging out GOOFY) grins, chuckles, happy gurgles, coos and a whole bunch of toe-grabbing-roly-poly-wiggles have filled our house in spite of his recent illnesses.
And then, if that was not enough, God Himself met me at the cardiology clinic yesterday to give us Grady's very own birthday present. Healing. His heart is completely better. No explanation. Healed. The myopathy (thickening of the walls of the heart) was just not there. His last 3 heart scans had shown progressive thickening, but yesterday's scan showed a healthy heart. We'd heard that his heart was not as bad as we thought in April, but it turned out that while some things were better, we were almost immediately hit with more heart troubles after that news. But this is different according to his doctors. This is a 'normal' heart replacing a 'bad' heart. As proof, the clinic dropped us from the 2-3 month follow up schedule and said they would see us in 6-12 months from now!
My broken-hearted boy, who we were told only 6 months ago needed a heart transplant but wasn't eligible, who we were told could leave us at any time and we needed to prepare ourselves for the inevitable, our boy today got all but a clean bill of health from his cardiology team. Now how's that for a Mighty God and a very happy happy happy birthday?!?!?!

November 9, 2013

From worker in Zambia: “Love this part of church here! After the service, everyone files out and shakes each person’s hand. When you reach the end of the line... You join the line until you have greeted each person in attendance. The choir sings during all of this and is the last to go through the line… it takes a while... but greetings are that important here!”

November 8, 2013

Two flat tires, a busted shock, 23 hours on the road – Journey by car to their new ‘home’.  Semi-camping, 30 minutes of electricity a day, and sleeping on mattresses on the floor – Living arrangements for a while.  Joy and excitement – Young missionary couple's feelings as they begin living among and learning the language of ‘their’ Unreached People in South Sudan! 

November 7, 2013

From worker in West Africa: Three ingredients for a great time of discipleship: the Word, Nescafé, & an eager disciple! This guy showed up 45 min early to our planned time which, for Niger standards, is like showing up to church 3 days early!

November 5, 2013

Did you pray last Tuesday for the volunteers arriving to engage the Ci people (chee) of BENIN?  They arrived with ALL their luggage without incident– a true praise!  And thanks to your prayers, rain and a dead truck battery only slightly delayed their beginning their work! More updates coming!

November 6, 2013

Worker in West Africa's report of his Detour/Blessing Journey to the Bush: Last week did not go as planned. Roadblocks everywhere we tried to go. Always so humbled by God's sovereign hand. Unplanned visits to unplanned villages saw the first believers to ever emerge from 3 different villages!

November 4, 2013

From new workers: TODAY! We !will! be! moving! to! Mapudje! our! permanent! location! in!northern! Mozambique!  We! will! be! working! with! the! Yao! people! spreading! the! good! news! up! there! and! praying! the! Lord! will! bring! An! awakening! to! the! lost.!!!

November 3, 2013

More than 1.5 million followers of Hinduism are celebrating Diwali, the Festival of Lights, in Sub-Saharan Africa this weekend.  As they worship many gods and celebrate with special gifts and meals, will you pray that they will come to claim the greatest gift, the one who is “the light of the world” (John 8:12).

November 2, 2013

SSAPeoples November Prayer Emphasis: Workers are needed to fill the request for missionaries to live among and share the Gospel with the SHILA of Zambia… population of 74,500… sub-group of the Taabwa people in Zambia, along Lake Mweru (northern province)… primary religion is  ethnic religion (African Traditional Religion).

November 1, 2013

You prayed yesterday for committed workers in the harvest field among the Maasai of the Handeni area in northeast Tanzania, for missionaries, volunteers OR EVEN Maasai? Pray especially that the Olomaiyana Baptist Church, the only known Baptist Maasai church in the Handeni area, will shine like stars in their area, holding out the Word of Life (Philippians 2:15).

NOTE: The Handeni are getting two days of coverage BECAUSE the worker in Tanzania sharing this story had internet problems and couldn't upload this photo in time for yesterday's nudge - but this photo was worth the wait and will definitely encourage prayers for their people!!!