April 2003

April 1 -- In February, Teresa's mom had heart surgery. Sometime the middle of March she is due for another operation - they found a golf ball-sized mass on her thyroid. Please pray for Teresa's mom, Dean Cameron, and her husband, Wallace.

April 2 -- James will be in Niger for Pepper business. Pray that James will have a productive as well as enjoyable time here doing the business.

April 3 -- Teams are joining together for "Community Health Evangelism vision seminars" for the purpose of bringing the Great Commission and the Great Commandment to heal the sick. Hopefully we will learn how to minister to fellow villagers by teaching disease prevention and health promotion. Please pray for this seminar, that the participants will learn much and be excited and equipped to go to the villages and help.

April 4 -- April is HOT season! Please pray for some relief from the heat.

April 5 -- Garden season is almost finished. Thank the Lord for the many fresh vegetables that brought food as well as income to many. Pray for many Zerma as they will be working in the fields in 115+F. weather. Pray that they might learn to find relief in our Loving Father.

April 6 -- Pray for Teresa and Don Bolls as they will be taking the mobile center out to villages this month.

April 7 -- Pray for the well-baby clinics and health work that will be done this month. Pray that the mothers will learn how to best care for their children and for themselves. Pray for communication skills

April 8 -- Please pray for Charity and the village she will live in for the rest of her time in Niger. Please pray specifically for a friend who will help her with language learning and village living.

April 9 -- Please pray for the Zerma people in the Charity's future village. Please pray that the Lord would be working among them and that they will desire to spend time learning about the Bible through Chronological Bible Storying.

April 10 -- Pray that Zerma Christians would see each day as an opportunity to grow in their faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray that God would give them a hunger to know His Word and hearts that thirst for righteousness.

April 11 -- Pray for those Zerma Christians who are being persecuted and ridiculed for their faith in Christ. Pray that God would grant them perseverance and courage to stand firm in their belief.

April 12 -- While many Zarma Muslims are deeply religious on the outside, they've been blinded spiritually by Satan. Pray that God would give them eyes to see the truth; that He would convict the Zerma people of their sinfulness and show them that forgiveness and eternal life can only be found in Jesus Christ.

April 13 -- Pray that both Zarma believers and missionaries would seek to be transformed daily by the renewing of our minds, that we would prove God's purposes--that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Pray that this would be a shining testimony to those around us.

April 14 -- Pray for the small groups of Zerma Christians who meet together for fellowship, prayer, and sharing the Word. Pray that they would be an encouragement to each other, building each other up and supporting each other, exercising their spiritual gifts and confessing their sins to each other. Pray that these relationships would grow through the grace of God and serve as a witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ.

April 15 -- Pray for the government leaders of Niger, that God would grant them wisdom as they govern. Pray that they would maintain an atmosphere of religious freedom in Niger. Pray that they would come to know Christ.

April 16 -- One of the frustrations we experience as missionaries is that Zerma Christians come to depend on us for their needs, both physical and spiritual, rather than God. Pray that God would give us wisdom and discernment when confronted with those needs, and pray that Zerma believers would learn to depend on God for their needs, as One who can do much more than we can think or imagine.

April 17 -- Many Zerma believers are hurting today--some are sick, some are hungry, some are facing uncertain futures, some are experiencing hurt and rejection. Pray today that these would know the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding.

April 18 -- Pray that God would give the Zerma believers a vision for reaching the lost with the Gospel.

April 19 -- Pray that we all would be able to translate that vision into action; evangelizing, discipling, and planting churches among the Zerma people.

April 20 -- Pray for Mark and Deanna Ledlow as they start packing crates for their return to Niger, that they would have wisdom about items to take and that everything would be provided.

April 21 -- Pray for the Ledlow's home church, Emmanuel Baptist Church of Tucson, AZ, that they would be responsive to the need to furnish materials and supplies for the Ledlow's return.

April 22 -- Pray for Jeremy and Stephanie Ledlow. School is almost out and they will be leaving friends, baseball, and cheerleading behind.

April 23 -- Rick Leavitt will be deep in preparations for the Ledlow's return. Pray for his physical health and stamina as he faces working in the heat of approaching summer.

April 24 -- Pray daily for the Muslim people of Niger. The Muslims of Niger remain closely linked to the rest of the Islamic world. Islamic reform movements are very apparent in Niger today. Pray that the hearts of the Muslim people would be open to the moving of the Holy Spirit.

April 25 -- Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Muslims through dreams and visions.

April 26 -- Pray that Christian broadcasts and the Jesus film will soon be made available in the Zarma language.

April 27 -- Eighty per cent of the Zerma profess to be Muslim, although their Islamic beliefs have been somewhat intermingled with animism (belief that non-human objects have spirits). Intercede on their behalf that they will see the Holy Spirit working in their lives.

April 28 -- The Zerma who inhabit the Niger and Chad basins, live largely by agriculture. They raise millet, rice, corn, peanuts and cotton. Pray for Mark Ledlow as he uses his experience gardening and landscaping background to minister to the Zerma. Pray that God would give him the right words to speak on a daily basis.

April 29 -- Pray for Jeremy Ledlow, who will be finishing high school during the next two years. Pray that he will have wisdom in seeking God's will for his future and God's direction for his schooling.

April 30 -- Deanna Ledlow will be dealing with resettling her household and beginning to build a new home in Niger. Pray for her safety and strength.

God is good, all the time!