May 2004

Saturday, May 1, 2004 -- Pray for Phil Cain, who had to have surgery on his hand last month after an accident with a power saw. Healing is going well; pray for protection from infection and complete recovery.

Sunday, May 2, 2004 -- Some of you have given French Bibles for the work here. Pray that the words will "come alive" to the people as they read them.

Monday, May 3, 2004 -- "They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness" (Ps. 82:5) Please pray for the Zerma people. Satan has absolutely blinded their eyes and they walk in absolute darkness. Pray that God would strip the blinders from their eyes so they may see that He alone is God and their is no salvation apart from His Son.

Tuesday, May 4 -- Read Luke 1:38. Pray that we will all submit to our Father with humility and awe that He would use even us to fulfill his plans for the Zerma people.

Wednesday, May 5 -- It's not uncommon, when speaking to Zerma Muslims about Christ, to hear them say that Jesus did not die on the cross. Don Bolls was visiting with a man in the village of Guesse recently who insisted on this. Pray that he and others would come to understand that forgiveness of sin can only be found in Christ. Pray that they would be convicted of their sin and need of a Savior.

Thursday, May 6 -- Thank you for praying for Harouna who fell out of a tree. He is better but not nearly back to normal. He gave up on modern medicine and went for more traditional help from a man who is called a fetisher. Pray with us as we work in situations like this. Many believe in fetishism and it is a big part of religious and daily life.

Friday, May 7 -- Read Luke 3:6. Pray that all mankind will see God's salvation.

Saturday, May 8 --(From Faith) -- "And I will most gladly spend and be spent for the sake of your souls" (2 Cor. 12:15) Well, hot season is here again, and it is a doozy, as always. I find it hard to even breathe at times, much less work and ride around to villages in the heat of the day (this is the only time woman rest, therefore the only time I can actually sit and talk with them.). But with so little time left in my term, I don't have time to wait for the heat to die down and start my ministry up again. Therefore pray that I will have the perseverance to go out each day to villages and share the gospel with these women. Pray that the Lord takes care of my body and that I will have energy to do the work that is before me.

Sunday, May 9 -- As the farmers prepare their fields for planting, pray that this year would bring adequate rainfall and abundant crops. Pray that God would prepare the soil of their hearts to receive his word.

Monday, May 10 -- Read Luke 4:14. Pray that the news about Jesus will spread throughout the whole countryside.

Tuesday, May 11 -- Please continue to pray for the Mobile Center that Don and Teresa are taking to various villages. After 15 trips and saturation of various health, hygiene, safety , as well as sewing classes sprinkled with Bible Stories, the Gospel was presented through Storying from creation to ascension then the Jesus video was seen. Pray that they would remember the things that were taught and they would call upon Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Wednesday, May 12 -- Pray for Stephanie Ledlow today; it is her birthday and she turns 16. Pray that the Lord will protect her and guide her steps as she makes decisions regarding her schooling and her future.

Thursday, May 13 -- Many people are preparing their fields for the rains that should begin in a month or two. Pray that the Lord would also prepare their hearts as they have heard the Truth. Pray that the seeds that were planted will yield harvest in their lives.

Friday, May 14-- "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." (Ps. 82:3,4) Pray for Hawa, a 15-yr-old Fulani girl, who has often been retreating to Faith's house after being severely beaten by her husband. Usually, after staying at Faith's compound for a few week, Hawa's parents come and take her back, forcing her to return to her abusive husband's village. There is no way for her to get out of this situation unless her parents pay her husband back the bride price with which he purchased her for. The problem is, the amount of money is far more than they can afford, so Hawa is forced to return to her husband, where he sends her to sleep with the cows. However, her most recent attempt of running away led to her nearly being buried alive by her family after they beat her so badly she was unconscious and thrown behind the house while they dug her grave. When she came to, they hid her until she had regained her strength. At this time, she returned to Faith's compound, bruises covering her body, trying to find a refuge of any sort. Pray for Faith to have wisdom as she trys to deal with this situation. She reports, "I am confident that God will use this in a HUGE way to show his glory and love to this young girl, and she will see her worth in the eyes of her Maker. Pray that I will have wisdom in dealing with this situation (it is hard to keep my Western mindset under control and work within the boundaries of their culture) Pray also for her and her family, that they may have the courage to stand against any opposition they might face in removing her from this situation. Pray that above all, God will be glorified in this whole thing!!!"

Saturday, May 15 -- Hamadou and Faith are still traveling to the surrounding villiages, and between the two of them, they have entered into over 15 new villages to share the gospel. But that is only a tiny minute number of the ones that have never heard of Jesus Christ before. Pray that other Christians will get the vision of taking the gospel to their own people and proclaiming the good tidings with boldness and urgency. Also pray for the villages that are now being touched. May God begin to soften their hearts and make them responsive to the message of Truth we are sharing with them.

Sunday, May 16 -- Please continue to pray for a village chief we have asked prayer for previously. He has had a Bible several years and reads it. He has also had much contact with Christianity and highly respects and admires much of the Christian lifestyle. Yet he is seemingly hesitant to take that leap of faith in Christ. Pray that power and position not cloud his heart to the truth in Christ.

Monday, May 17 -- Read Luke 5:26 -- Pray that the Zerma people will be amazed by God's works and praise Him alone. Pray that they would see that He is the one who does remarkable things.

Tuesday, May 18 -- After a long absence I (Don) remade contact with a man nicknamed" Sweetie". Sweetie is somewhat of an unusual Zerma person. Setting him apart from the norm is that he is Christian. He also has some very strong personality traits. And many would say he has a questionable walk with Christ but long ago he helped open an area of work that God has blessed. Pray that Sweetie would yield to God's control and be all that he can be for kingdom work.

Wednesday, May 19 -- Pray the missionaries' ability to communicate. Pray that they would have insight and understanding into the culture and language of the Zerma in order to share the gospel, disciple believers, and train leaders effectively.

Thursday, May 20 -- Pray for Mark and Deanna Ledlow. Mark is the business manager for the IMB in Niger, and the number of missionaries has grown so that he is much busier than he used to be. While he is grateful for the missionaries and all the mission teams, he is not able to be in the field with the Zerma people as much as he was. Pray that God will multiply his time and his talents.

Friday, May 21 -- Pray for Salifou as he compares passages in the Koran to verses in the Bible. Pray that the light of God's truth would shine forth and that Salifou would be open and receptive to receiving it.

Saturday, May 22 -- Read Luke 5:6-8. Pray that when the harvest comes we will be overwhelmed with humility in the face of God's awesome blessing.

Sunday, May 23 -- Please pray for Zongo. About 9 months ago she apparently had a stroke in one of her eyes, causing what looks like a huge cataract. The other eye was injured and she lost sight in it a few years ago. Her spirits have been up and down as perhaps she can have an operation - but can find no one to go and stay with her. She has been having some problems with her husband who will not even enter the house that Christians built for her after her home was destroyed by fire. Please pray that she will be able to go to Niamey and get the operation and
that she will be able to see again. She claims to be a Christian - pray that this time will be a time of dependence on God and a time to draw close to Him.

Monday, May 24 -- Read Luke 2:17. Pray that as the Zerma people hear about Jesus, that they will spread the word concerning what has been told them about Him.

Tuesday, May 25 -- Pray for Emmanuel, who is a Christian. He is from the Gorma tribe, which is a slave tribe. They are looked down upon by most of the tribes in this area. The small village he lives in has 16 people living in it. This village is called Bangiti and is over 100 miles from Niamey, but this area is open to the Gospel. They have a small church which the church members built themselves from tree branches,and grass stalks for the roof. They have logs as benches that are held off the ground by forked branches that are dug into the ground.

Wednesday, May 26 -- Pray for a church planting movement to take place among the Zerma--pray for the churches and fellowships/Bible study groups, that God would give them a vision and equip them to plant reproducing churches.

Thursday, May 27 -- Deanna's neighbor and friend Ayssa, is still searching. Continue to pray for her. Planting and watering is a full-time job in our area. As the hearts of our missionaries get weary, your prayers encourage.

Friday, May 28 -- The estimates are that 66% of the Zerma people have not had the opportunity to hear the Gospel. The Zerma people are agriculturists; pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send workers, who will "lift up (their) eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest."

Saturday, May 29 -- Pray for God to show the Bolls the next village He wants them to minister to through the Mobile Center. Pray for safety as they travel and that the Word would become real to all who listen. Pray that they would not only remember the various classes taught but they would come to know Jesus as their Redeemer.

Sunday, May 30 -- Prayer Request:"Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers; their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs." (Ps. 141:5)

Monday, May 31 -- Pray that nothing will keep the missionaries from having a quality quiet time each day. Pray that their lives would be characterized by prayer and faith.