July, 2013 Prayer requests

This week, as we thank God for the freedom and privileges we enjoy as Americans, let us also remember to pray for those who have less than we do- less freedom, less leisure time, less access to medical care, less formal education, fewer material possessions.

I say this not to make us feel guilty for being Americans or to make us feel bad for what we have.  I think we should enjoy what God has blessed us with and thank Him for it.  But there is more to it than that.  Jesus said "And from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."  (Luke 12:48b).  He wants us to bless others with the blessings He has given us. 

When people hear this, they automatically think of giving financially to those in need, and that is certainly part of it, but we can also bless others by investing our thoughts and prayers in their lives.  I pray that this week we will give a little extra of our time to pray for the Beng and their needs.  You can pray as God leads or maybe scroll back through some past requests and spend some time praying through them.  

Thanks for your prayers. They matter.

June, 2013 Prayer Requests

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of meeting an African bishop and pastor who was visiting the United States. He shared with us about his work there and about his desire to see people know and love God.  Two things struck me about this man. One was his wisdom.  The other was his love.   It was obvious that this man spends time regularly with God.  Wisdom and love this true and apparent can only come from God Himself.

Meeting this dear man renewed my hope for Africa.  He may live and work on the opposite side of the continent from the Beng, but if African churches had leaders like this, surely the Gospel would spread throughout the cities, villages, forests, savannahs, and deserts and throughout the entire continent.  Let's pray this month for the leaders of the churches in Cote d'Ivoire, that God would strengthen their faith and widen their vision.  Pray that they would spend time regularly with God and draw from His strength rather than depending on their own.   Pray that God would grant them wisdom and love.  Pray these things for the leaders of the Beng church in particular.

May, 2013 Prayer Requests

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13

Personally, I have had a really hard year, and I have found that some of the hardest moments were when I felt hopeless.  There were times when I felt like my situation would never change, like God would never answer my prayers, like there was no hope. 

I wonder if Beng Christians sometimes experience hopelessness.  I wonder if they feel sometimes like God has forgotten their people, like life will always be hard, like there will never be more than .4% of the Beng population that knows Jesus.

This verse reminds us that our God is a God of hope.  As we trust in Him, he fills us with His hope, a hope we can't conjure up on our own.  His hope is real, lasting, and based in truth. 

So let's pray this verse for Beng Christians this month:
God of hope, fill the Beng Christians with all joy and peace as they trust in You so that they may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.   Amen.

April, 2013 Prayer Requests

I was talking to a friend today that I hadn't seen in years, and she shared with me her story of God's work in her life. I was reminded of how God is constantly working to show Himself to people and draw them to Himself.  Just as He is working in our midst, He is working in the midst of the Beng people of Cote d'Ivoire. 

Let's pray this month that God would soften the hearts of the Beng and give them open eyes to see Him at work in their lives. Pray that many Beng people would give their lives to Him.

March, 2013 Prayer Requests

I was thinking last week about names. A Bible study I am working through brought up a link between an Old Testament name and a New Testament name and highlighted the significance of names and their meanings. There are so many names in Scripture that remind us of God's attributes and/or God's leading in individuals' lives.

We all have different reasons for naming our children as we do. My husband and I chose our children's names just because we liked them. Others choose to name their children after family members or famous people. People groups in other parts of the world have their own ways of choosing names for their children. There is a people group who live near the Beng people in Cote d'Ivoire called the Baoule. Their custom is to name the child after they day of the week on which he/she was born. Thus, all boys born on Mondays have the same name, and all girls born on Saturdays have the same name, etc. There are 7 names for girls and 7 names for boys. Many Beng people name their children the same way that the Baoule do.

 I like praying for people by name, and I thought it would be a good idea this month to pray for the Beng people by name. Granted, I don't know all of their names, but if we pray through the 14 names, we will be praying for all the Beng people with those names (which would be a good number of them).

 So... for the next week, I challenge you to pray each day for the Beng. On Monday, we will be praying for those born on Monday (named Kouassi and Akissi). On Tuesday for those born on Tuesday, etc.

Here's the list. You can print it out or jot it down and reference it each day this week.

 Monday- Kouassi (male) Akissi (female)
 Tuesday- Kouadio (male) Adjoua (female)
 Wednesday- Konan (male) Amlan (female)
 Thursday- Kouakou (male) Ahou (female)
 Friday- Yao (male) Aya (female)
 Saturday- Koffi (male) Affoue (female)
 Sunday- Kouame (male) Amoin (female)

 Let's cover the Beng people in prayer this week and pray for them by name.

February, 2013 Prayer requests

This month I'd like us to pray for the translation of Scripture into the Beng language. Several books of the Bible were translated into Beng by a missionary 20+ years ago. His work was continued, for a while, by some Beng believers. At this time, the project has been discontinued. Pray that the Scriptures that have been translated would make their way into the hearts and lives of the Beng there. Pray that nonbelievers would be drawn to read it and that God would reveal Himself to them as they do. Pray that believers in Christ would be diligent to read God's Word or have it read to them and that their everyday lives would be transformed by what they read. Pray that somehow, someday the translation of the Bible into the Beng language would continue, and, one day, the entire Bible might be available in the Beng language.

An invitation...

With the new year upon us, I have spent the past couple days reflecting. I’m not really one to make a list of resolutions, but I do see January as a time of reevaluation. What am I doing with my life and why? Does what I am doing matter? Am I making a difference in the world?

Maybe you’ve decided that you are going to change your life or save the world or something like that this year. Or maybe it seems really overwhelming. You can’t see how in the world you are going to start your own charity or write a book or travel the globe this year distributing mosquito nets.

If the latter is where you’re at, then this email is for you. Because my request today may seem really insignificant and, quite frankly, boring… but it’s not. I am convinced that what I am asking you to do this year is hugely important and can make a difference in people’s lives on the other side of the globe. And you don’t even have to leave your own home.

I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s actually quite difficult. It will take time and energy and perseverance. It will require that you live by faith and not by sight.

I’m looking for people to pray. You see, there’s this little people group in the forest in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa. They need to hear about Jesus. That He loves them. That He wants a personal relationship with them. This little people group has captured my heart over the course of the past 12 years, and I am praying that they will capture your heart as well.

We won’t be able to travel there this year and see them and touch them and tell them, but what we can do this year is pray. And that’s got to matter, right? When we are powerless to do anything for them, God is powerful. I believe that if we pour out prayers on behalf of the Beng people this year, God will move in their midst, and it will make an eternal difference.

So will you join me? Will you let your heart be captured by these precious people? Will you spend time each month, week, or day praying for them? Will you live in hopes that you will someday see some of them in heaven?

If you are interested in joining the Beng prayer team and committing to pray regularly for them, send me an email at prayforthebeng@hotmail.com. I’ll send you some background information about the Beng and add you to the monthly prayer email, plus give you some other options if you want to get involved in other ways.