NAME December 2012
1. ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (A-dis AH-bah-bah) - Thank you so much for praying for the people of Addis Ababa! The Father has been doing some amazing things. People have made a commitment to follow Jesus, and groups have multiplied! Would you please pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to draw Orthodox peoples and Muslim peoples in this city to Himself? Would you ask that the new believers will be bold to share their faith with others so that groups can continue to form and multiply? Would you pray that as happened in the Book of Acts, daily people will be added to the number of those following Jesus in the city of Addis Ababa?
2. AMHARA OF ETHIOPIA (ahm-HAR-ah) - Please ask God to work mightily in the hearts and minds of some Amhara neighbors, approximately eight families, and bring them to salvation. Intercede for the believing couple in the neighborhood to share the Gospel clearly with them. Pray for families to be born again, be hungry for God’s Word, and share the life-giving truth with others. Ask for small groups to form as these neighbors are discipled. Pray that God will stop Satan from blinding these people or causing them to fear change, and ask Him to stop Satan from discouraging the believers or causing fear in witnessing. Pray for a mighty movement of the Holy Spirit to sweep through this neighborhood!
3. ARAB PEOPLES OF CENTRAL UNITED KINGDOM - Most people in England tend to “hibernate” in the winter months. With cold, wet weather and limited daylight hours (8:30 a.m. through 4:00 p.m.), who can blame them? Pray for believers this special month as Jesus’ birth is celebrated. Pray for access into homes and long stretches of time in which the nativity film can be shown to families and the true meaning of Christmas shared with them. Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare hearts for His message of hope so that more brothers and sisters can be welcomed into God’s kingdom. Pray for believers to boldly ask people if they want to follow Jesus. Ask God to raise up more laborers for the harvest to come and serve Him in Central England.
4. ARAB PEOPLES OF CENTRAL UNITED KINGDOM - Please pray for a group oft Arab Muslim women who gather in each other’s homes every Saturday night. Right before the Sacrificing Eid (a holiday), J, a believer, had a colleague draw a beautiful henna pattern on her hand. Within that pattern were symbols that served as a reminder of God’s Story from “Creation to Christ.” S, an Arab Muslim, asked about J’s henna and asked to hear the story. All five women present heard the story to some degree (amid children interrupting), and in the end, S told J that she felt like she should read the Bible for herself. She was offered one in her language and English, but she said she could find it online. Pray for J and others as they return and follow up with S. Pray for H, another adult sister from this family who was gifted with a New Testament about six months ago. Lift up this group of women who all share wide family ties, asking that their households will come to faith in Jesus all together.
5. DRUZE OF THE LEVANT (drooz) - Please pray for a group of believers as they learn a new story in Arabic that they hope will cause the Druze to grapple with the question, “Where are my sins now, and how will I get rid of them?” Pray that they will be able to present the story clearly and that the Druze will wrestle with the fact that they have no one to take away their sins. Ask the Father to begin working, even now, in the heart of a “person of peace” (Luke 10:6) who will hear the story, accept the Son’s sacrifice, and gladly share this Good News with his family.
6. GULF ARAB BEDOUIN (BED-oo-in) - Gold, frankincense and myrrh . . . traded by Bedouin Arabs since ancient times, the odor of burning frankincense is a common scent wafting through homes and marketplaces even today. Pray that the “aroma of Jesus” will permeate these homes and gathering places where Jesus’ birth is not yet celebrated. Pray that hardened hearts will be softened to receive the greatest gift of all, salvation through faith In Jesus.
7. GURAGE OF ETHIOPIA (goo-ra-gay) - Praise God that some rural believers are meeting together for worship, encouragement and prayer, and also are learning Bible stories that they can keep in their hearts. These oral truths can be shared easily with family and neighbors. After they hear a story, they answer three simple questions: “What does this story say? What does it tell us about God? Is there something here for us to obey?” In this way, they are being discipled and taught truth that they can use to lead others. Please ask the Holy Spirit to guide and inspire them. Pray that they will grow in the truth and knowledge of God the Father and Jesus.
8. ISHELHAYN BERBERS OF NORTHERN AFRICA (ISH-el-haine) - Please lift up the local believers who are facing a variety of challenges. One family of believers has a daughter who is requiring multiple heart surgeries. Pray that their faith will grow as a result of this trial.
9. ISRAELI JEWS OF ISRAEL - Please pray for the Potter’s Wheel Camps in December. The camps are open to all children in the country and provide opportunities for them to learn stories, crafts and music. Lift up the young counselors, asking that they will become stronger in their faith as they teach the younger ones what they know. Pray for all aspects of the camps, as well as for the kitchen workers, the staff on hand to clean, the teachers and the musicians. Ask the Holy Spirit to hover over the camps and touch the hearts of the parents and children who attend.
10. NORTH AFRICANS IN MADRID, SPAIN - In Madrid, the Kids Club has been without response the last few weeks. Literally, no one showed up, so believers hosting the club ask for prayer for the families that had been faithful participants. Pray that the barriers that keep them from belief will be torn down so that they can have both knowledge of and faith in the Lamb of God. The last story they heard was the birth of Jesus, but they need to hear the stories that follow of His lordship and love for them. Also, please keep in prayer the many North Africans who come to the Baptist churches in search of food and help. Often they are prayed for on the spot and get a chance to hear the message of salvation. Pray that their ears will hear and that their hearts will begin embracing the Truth. Lastly, ask the Father to guide believers to those who are already wanting to follow Him, but who have been hindered up to now. Ask that as He is seeking and searching for hearts that will be completely His, believers will be directed to these individuals in the coming days.
11. NORTH AFRICANS OF BELGIUM - A group of North African women are meeting weekly for a Bible study and have just started going through the Book of Genesis. Please intercede for these women as they study and grow through God’s Word. Also pray for the leader of this study, asking that the Lord will grant him wisdom and patience as he teaches these women.
12. NORTHERN AFRICAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN (NAME) PEOPLES OF NORTH ENGLAND - This month, pray for believers who are moving to a large city in North England to begin sharing specifically with people from Northern Africa and the Middle East. Pray that these believers will have God-appointed encounters with NAME peoples who are receptive to the Gospel and who will become catalysts for a dynamic Gospel movement across that city and region. A bookstall opening soon will offer Christian literature and Bibles in Arabic and other languages. Pray that Gospel seeds will be planted in the hearts of many and that these seeds will take root.
13. NORTHERN AFRICAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN (NAME) PEOPLES OF NORTH ENGLAND - The large cities of North England are home to numerous and diverse Northern African and Middle Eastern peoples, many of whom have come to the region seeking a better life, freedom, or work opportunities. These peoples often face isolation, loneliness and confusion as they seek to adapt to European culture. Such circumstances make many open and receptive to the Gospel message. Please pray for the salvation of the NAME peoples of North England.
14. NORTHERN AFRICAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN UNENGAGED PEOPLES - “Will you marry me?” This famous question precedes an answer of commitment or rejection. It’s not so different from this question: “Are you ready to repent, put your faith in Jesus, and receive the Holy Spirit?” Marriage is a beautiful picture of Jesus and the Church. But what about those who’ve never been “proposed to”? Who are not “engaged”? Who have not been properly “courted”? There are 33 unengaged people groups in North Africa. Of these, seven have populations of 100,000 or more. Practically speaking, this means that nobody is working with them to implement a church-planting strategy. In other words, nobody has a plan to “pop the question” to them. Thankfully, for a few Arab and Berber unengaged people groups and societal segments, their courtship will begin soon. They will be given the opportunity to hear the Good News in their heart language, understand why the Good News is such from their cultural perspective, and respond in faith to that Good News. God has already proven His love; pray for Him to prepare their hearts to say “YES!” to Jesus, lover of their souls. “. . . Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27, HCSB). May it be a beautiful wedding--Jesus and His Bride, the Church in North Africa!
http://prayerthreads.imb.org
15. TIHAMA YEMENI ARABS OF YEMEN (tih-HAH-mah) - Though there are a handful of individuals interested in hearing or reading stories from God’s Word, they are often afraid to reveal this to even their closest of friends or relatives. Since heavy persecution often begins at home, at even the point of interest rather than conversion, those who dare to look at the Truth often hide it. However, when families move together toward Jesus, they are somewhat sheltered and protected from the very forms of persecution they so dread. Pray that those with access to God’s Word will share it with their families, and that whole families together will come to embrace the Son!
http://www.pray4yemen.com/tihamis
16. TUNISIAN ARABS OF SOUTHERN TUNISIA (too-NEE-zhan) - Please lift up a young church in a southern city. They are faced with many problems and fears. Ask the Father to raise up men and woman who will be true leaders, ones not seeking the approval of men but, rather, seeking to please God.
http://www.pray4tunisia.com/
17. TUNISIAN ARABS OF TUNISIA (too-NEE-zhan) - The political situation in Tunisia continues to be unstable. The people who were elected to write a new constitution following the revolution of January 2011 have not finished their work, and there are power struggles among opposing groups. As the economy sputters and the cost of living soars, many Tunisians have become discouraged and angry. Pray that the daily pressures will cause them to seek spiritual peace. Pray for believers to be creative in finding ways to explain the true meaning of Christmas to their friends and neighbors. Pray that Jesus will be lifted up and draw many people into right relationship with Himself as His children. Ask that many Tunisians will come to know the true Prince of Peace. “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
http://www.pray4tunisia.com/
