Christmas Prayers
Part 2 - Accepting God's Greatest Gift

During the month of December, we have many opportunities to share the story of the most awesome Love man has ever known. We proclaim that the way, the truth, and the life is in Him who was born in Bethlehem many years ago. Please pray for several of our dearest friends who have heard the gospel and know the Christmas story by heart, but must now decide what to do with this information. Will they accept or decline the most wonderful invitation in their lives? Pray that we will be faithful "fishers of men" as we enter into a New Year of serving Christ among the Lebou, fishermen of West Africa.

For the past two years, the Old Testament Chronological Bible stories have been shared with the Nafana (pronounced Nah-FAH-nah) people in Cote d'Ivoire so that the folk Islamic people in three villages can hear and understand the gospel. The day before the missionaries* were to begin telling the stories of Jesus, word came to them of border closing and more civil unrest related to the three-year war in that country. They evacuated the next day and are continuing translation of the rest of the New Testament stories. Please pray that God will open the door for the return of the missionaries and the telling of the "rest of the story." Ask God to prepare the hearts of those who hear, and for His Spirit to work powerfully so that many may be saved, and their lives transformed. Pray that His church will be planted among the Nafana.

*Names withheld for security purposes

We were sitting under a tree during Ramadan talking to the village imam. He had already received a copy of the Scripture portions that we give to the elders to show our respect for them. When He said that Jesus did not die, we shared that we believe Jesus Christ is the sacrifice of God, born for the purpose of dying on the cross for the sins of the whole world. Then we proceeded to explain how a sacrifice by nature must die. If it does not die, it is not a sacrifice. He had to think about that. The question of why Jesus came is something the Futa Jalon people seem to be asking these days. Pray that this Christmas the Futa Jalon will understand that God's greatest gift is His Perfect Sacrifice.