Workers Within the Harvest

All across West Africa, individuals are turning from their traditional religious beliefs to embrace the Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Recently many IMB missionaries have voiced a common prayer request – for God to empower West African believers to eagerly accept the responsibility of sharing their Christian faith with others around them. One missionary shared, “If a church planting movement is to sweep through our people group, the (local) believers must be the engine - not Western missionaries... Pray that God would give them the motivation to go and wisdom in their teaching. Pray that a vibrant, reproducing church would spring up in the nearby villages." Another missionary reported, "Currently missionaries are seeking the best methods for discipling these new believers and encouraging them to take ownership in leading their family and friends to Christ. Pray for these believers as they learn how to make this faith their own. Pray for missionaries as they continue to encourage and teach these brothers and sisters in Christ." Join us in praying that God will call out and equip workers from within the harvest in West Africa.

Sarah Haun, West Africa Regional Prayer Advocate

Recently, a young Fulani man in Nigeria accepted Christ after a local Baptist pastor witnessed to him. A month later, this new believer's family learned that he had become a Christian. They burned all his property and took all his bags of grain, leaving him with nothing. The young man began living with a friend who is a member of this Baptist pastor's church. In the days that followed, the pastor was threatened because the Fulani family was looking for their son. One day some of the son's former friends found him and said they would ensure that he reaffirmed his faith in Islam that night. Since the young man's life was threatened, the pastor took him to a secure place where his persecutors could not find him. Two good things have resulted from these events: another Fulani has come to Christ, and a pastor has gained a new understanding of Muslim evangelism. The pastor testified, "God has opened my eyes to see the need to reach Muslims for Christ, and I will lead my church to do that." Pray that this new believer, "A," will grow in his faith and that God will uphold him in difficult times. Pray also that God will give the pastor and his church guidance as they continue to encourage and disciple this new believer, and as they witness to other Muslims in the future.

An IMB worker