December, 2012 Prayer Requests

Stores filling your mailbox and inbox with promises of Christmas deals. Brightly lit Santas and snowmen clinging to the street lights as you drive through town. Children and grandchildren filling your ears with their requests for under the tree. Christmas songs flooding the radio air waves. With all these signs of the season surrounding us, it would be hard to escape Christmas even if we wanted to. In Beng villages it is much different. Many have never even heard of Christmas. Can you even imagine that? Never hearing of Christmas? More importantly, many have never heard of the Jesus that we celebrate at Christmas. Let's pray that many Beng would hear of Jesus and accept His invitation to relationship. Pray that this year and each year, more and more Beng would be celebrating Christmas with us.

November, 2012 Prayer Requests

As our country is abuzz with talk of politics this week, let's take a minute to pray for the country where the Beng live, Cote d'Ivoire. Though the Beng are removed geographically from the Ivorian center of government and commerce, Abidjan, the decisions made there can affect the lives of the Beng. The condition of the Beng schools, roads, and water pumps and the prices of the coffee and chocolate that the Beng grow are tied to government actions. Just as we desire the leaders of our own country to be wise, just, and compassionate, let's pray that the leaders in Cote d'Ivoire would have wisdom, justice, and compassion as well. Pray that they would put the needs of their countrymen above their own and uphold honesty and integrity in political dealings.

October, 2012 Prayer Requests

Yesterday I took my oldest son to the pediatrician for a check-up. On these visits, I often thank God for the access that our family has to medical care. I think of so many of the African mothers I met who had to watch their children suffer through illness, powerless to help them in any way. There was no doctor in their village. They didn't have the money necessary to get them to a doctor and pay for any needed medications. So we may say, "Send money to Africa. Send doctors. Help them!" Well, it's not quite so simple. I am reading a book at the moment. It's by an anthropologist and her husband who lived among the Beng to study their culture and beliefs. The husband often treated people who would come to them with injuries or illnesses. He tells of a neighbor who came to him with a gash on his hand that had become infected. He washed and dressed the wound and sent the man on his way, telling him to keep it clean. The man returned each day to have the dressing changed, and each day he came with a dirty bandage. "[The author] began to lecture him again about proper bandage cleanliness. Jean translated Kouassikro's reply. "He wants to know why." "Because," I said, but then stopped. How to explain bacteria? "Well," I started again with Jean's help, "there are these little animals, so tiny that you can't see them without a..." I paused: what would "microscope" mean to Kouassikro? "Without a special machine. But these little creatures are so dangerous they can kill you if you don't keep your wound clean." I watched Kouassikro's face slowly harden into a deeper and deeper skepticism. "Little animals?" "Yes. Very, very tiny ones." Clearly this was one of the most ridiculous stories he'd ever been told, but as I was kind enough to give him medicine, Kouassikro nodded politely, thanked me again, and returned to his compound. How could I blame him? Murderous, infintesimally small animals and special detection machines sounded implausible even to me." (from Parallel Worlds, by Alma Gottlieb and Phillip Graham) You see what I mean? It's complicated. We can't always just rush in with our Western methods and medicines and expect those of other cultures to wholeheartedly accept the knowledge we have to offer. The Beng usually correlate sickness with spirits and/or witchcraft. When they are ill, it's because they have angered the spirits of the earth or because someone has bewitched them. It's what their parents have told them. And their parents' parents. And their parents' parents' parents. I start to think about this and get so overwhelmed by the needs of the Beng- physical and spiritual. But then I am reminded of Matthew 19:26. "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God, everything is possible." So pray with me this month for the Beng. Pray that God would bring physical and spiritual healing to this precious people that live half a world away. Thanks for praying.

September, 2012 Prayer requests

I was reading an article today about a seminary in another part of Africa that is training church leaders in sound Biblical doctrine. One of the students commented on how common it is in their country to hear incorrect theology preached because pastors and leaders have not had adequate training. I thought about how most Beng Christians have not had access to Bible classes and prayed that God would lead them to a correct understanding of His Word. Then it hit me... not only do Beng Christians not have access to Bible classes, they don't even have access to a Bible in their language. Imagine your life as a believer in Christ without having God's Word to live by. Can you even imagine it? A few books of the Bible and various other portions of Scripture have been translated into the Beng language, but much remains to be done before the Beng have a complete Old and New Testament in their language. Let's pray this month that some day Beng Christians will have access to the entire Word of God in their heart language.

August, 2012 Prayer Requests

About half of the Beng follow traditional religious beliefs, largely animistic. About half follow a major world religion (though they often mix in animistic beliefs as well). This world religion is in the midst of its holy month, in which adherents spend the day fasting. It would be hard enough to go without food and water all day, but take into account the fact that most Beng spend all day working in the fields, carrying water, and/ or preparing food, and this month becomes an especially grueling one. Pray that, in the midst of the physical weakness they experience during this time, they would be aware of their spiritual weakness as well, seeking God in new and fresh ways. Pray that God would speak to them. Pray also that Beng Christians would be used by God to show love and grace to their friends and family members during this time. Pray that they would have wisdom to know when to share the truth with words and when to share through deeds. Pray that they would stand strong in the face of persecution (such as alienation from friends and family) they may face this month.

July, 2012

Recently I read an interview with a pastor from a country in the Middle East. His church's vision is that "... the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9). Recognizing that there are many areas of their country that the church can't preach at this time, they are praying that God will declare Himself to the people of their country, including those of other religions. Even though their church can't physically visit people in an effort to reach them, this pastor says, "Jesus, He can reach and visit people in their dreams." When I read this, I immediately thought of the Beng people. Even though there are no outside missionaries in their midst at this time seeking to reach them with the Gospel, Jesus can still reach them. Jesus can and does visit people in their dreams, revealing Himself to them. God's power is not limited by human constraints such as politics or geography. He is at work among the Beng, even as I write this. That thought is so exciting to me. If we never get to visit the Beng in person, we will get to hear about God's glory revealed among them when we get to heaven. So, let's pray this month like this Middle Eastern pastor, that "...the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" and pray specifically that He would reveal Himself to the Beng people and visit them in their dreams.

June, 2012 Prayer Requests

So, what's for dinner tonight? A daily predicament for the average American family. Will it be tacos or pizza? Or hamburgers? But we just had hamburgers on Monday... For most of us, the question of what's for dinner is a matter of choosing something from the bounty that lies in our fridges and pantries. In West Africa, dinner can often be a question of, "Is there anything left for dinner?" And if there is something there, "Is it enough to last us until the next harvest?" Many places in West Africa are experiencing shortages of food this year. Weather conditions and political and social conditions in many West African nations have all contributed to this. Though I don't have any information specific to the Beng people, I would think that there are at least some who are struggling to provide food for their families. Pray with me this month that God would provide the Beng with the food they need. Pray that the Beng would look to the one true God for both physical and spiritual nourishment.

May, 2012 prayer requests

Children are great, aren't they? Such boundless energy, limitless curiosity, and inspiring optimism. When I was in Africa, it was often the children who were the first to come and greet me, flashing their sweet smiles. One of my favorite memories from when I was there was when my friends Amy and Katie were visiting me. We took a trip to Bengland and happened to be there on Palm Sunday. There was a small church in the village of Ouassadougou where we were staying, and they celebrated by parading around the village singing and clapping. The most memorable part was the joy and excitement the children displayed that day. It was contagious. I am asking this month that we pray for Beng children. Pray that their curiosity would lead them to a knowledge of the one true God. Pray that their energy would would be used to live out a life of faith. Pray that their optimism would inspire them to lead their people to follow Jesus.

April, 2012 Requests

Holy Week, this week preceding Easter, is such a special time of year for believers in Christ. I pray that, for you, this would be a time of reflection on Christ's death and sacrifice for us, followed by a time of rejoicing in Christ's resurrection and the new life He gives us.

Pray the same thing for Beng believers, that they would reflect on Christ's death and rejoice in His resurrection. Pray that their faith would be renewed and refreshed through this and that this would result in a passion for reaching other Beng people who don't have a relationship with Jesus.

March, 2012 Prayer Requests

I recently read an article by a missionary serving in West Africa with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA), sharing about how missions in Cote d'Ivoire is coming full-circle. The CMA has been in that country, sharing the Good News of Jesus, since 1930. In 2005, seventy-five years later, the first Ivorian Alliance Missionary was sent out. Today, there are 40 Ivorian couples serving as Alliance missionaries in West Africa. As many foreign missionaries have pulled out of Cote d'Ivoire in the last decade, the Ivorians themselves are now stepping into the role of missionary.

Reading this article really excited me. How wonderful it would be to see more and more Ivorian Christians see themselves as missionaries to their neighbors, their nation, and nations around them. Pray that Beng Christians, who are concentrated in a few of the Beng villages, would be called as missionaries to the other fifteen or so Beng villages that do not have a Christian presence. Pray that they would have the faith and courage to step out of their comfort zones to proclaim the Good News of Christ.

February, 2012

Last month we prayed for village chiefs. This month I thought we could pray for the teachers in Beng schools.

Teachers in Cote d'Ivoire are sent by the government to schools all over the country. They are often sent to places other than their native villages and provinces. This means that they are usually of a different people group than the students they are teaching. Sometimes Christian teachers are sent to M*slim or animist villages, giving them the opportunity to expose people there to beliefs and ideas they may never be exposed to otherwise.

Pray that God would send Christian teachers to Beng schools and that they would have opportunities to introduce Beng children and adults to Christ.

Pray that many Beng children would be able to attend school so that they can learn to read and eventually read the passages of Scripture that have been translated into the Beng language.

January, 2012

I thought we would start off the year by praying for the chiefs of the Beng villages. The chief is often an elderly man, with years of wisdom and experience under his belt. He is highly respected by his fellow villagers and holds a great deal of power and influence.

The chiefs I met when I was in Cote d'Ivoire (which was 10 years ago, so most of them have probably passed away and been replaced by now) were either M*slim or animistic, but were welcoming to me when I came in and asked if I could pray for/with them. I have often thought that if these men could be reached with the Gospel, it would have a ripple effect, and many Beng would come to the Lord as well.

Pray for the Beng village chiefs. Pray that they would truly seek God and have soft hearts that are sensitive to the reality of who He is. Pray that God would send Christians to share the message of the Gospel with them.