November 2004

Monday, November 1 -- Please pray for Charity as she is back in the States after spending 2 years working with the Zerma people. Pray for her as she goes through readjusting to American life and culture. Pray that God would be very real and near to her today, and that she would constantly trust and rely on Him. Pray for her family as she moves back home with them and for direction for her future.

Tuesday, November 2 -- Mark and Deanna will be traveling from October 20 through November 8th. Their children, Jeremy and Stephanie, are staying in Niamey so that they can remain in school. Pray for travel mercies for Mark and Deanna and for protection for the kids.

Wednesday, November 3 --Please continue to pray for the Mobile Center. We have been able to re-do the cloth charts to be used for the village presentations. We have also been able to prepare several of the books, and have been trying them out! Pray that the Words will "bear fruit".

Thursday, November 4 -- Muslims around the world are observing the month of Ramadan by fasting each day during the daylight hours. Pray that God would reveal himself to the Zerma during this time, even while they say their prayers at the Mosque. Pray that as they experience hunger and thirst, they would recognize that Jesus is the bread of life and the living water. Pray that they would come to know the true path to salvation through Jesus Christ.

Friday, November 5 -- Pray for a family who is trying to deal with solar panels, a generator that is too small, and get moved into their home. Nothing has worked smoothly on the move, and Mark Ledlow is unavailable this week to help fix things.

Saturday, November 6 -- I (Don Bolls) met Mohammed during our work with the Mobile Center. One day while planting in his field he paused as we visited and I prayed for him and his crop. Grasshoppers had recently ravaged one of his fields. Pray for Mohammed to come to know Christ as Savior. He leaves home every year for an extended time to work in another country.

Sunday, November 7 -- From Faith:
PRAYER REQUESTS: "O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come." Ps. 65:2
I have begun to close up my ministry here by showing the "Jesus Film" to three villages. There has been a great response, and there is no doubt that the Lord will bring a mighty harvest from this. For example, a once resistant Muslim teacher, after watching the film, stated, "This is the truth. I want to read the Bible." Another man biked several miles to come and see it in another village after seeing it for the first time in his own village the night before. In one village, a group of men agreed that this was the truth and wanted to follow the Jesus path after seeing the Jesus film the week before.

Monday, November 8 -- Just as in olden America and still today in rural America, November is a happy time. So it is also in Niger, as fields of millet, okra, peanuts, peas and other crops will be on the way to harvest. Families and neighbors gather together in bringing in and storing food for the coming year. It will also be a sad time as many face a bad harvest and prospects of a difficult coming year in search of food. Pray for these families and neighbors and especially the few Christians as they live out their lives in difficult situations.

Tuesday, November 9 -- Pray for the Cains as they visit with and get to know their neighbors. Pray for them to have opportunities to share Christ. Pray also for the spiritual growth of Phil and Kimberly, that they would maintain daily time with the Lord in prayer and reading His word, and that they would walk in a manner worthy of their calling in humility, gentleness, patience and showing forbearance for one another. (Eph. 4:1-2)

Wednesday, November 10 -- "The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest." Ps. 86:12 Please pray that the Spirit will continue to work on the hearts of the people of these villages and bring a mighty harvest, for we know his Word does not go out in vain.

Thursday, November 11 -- Only God knows the true heart. Please pray for the many Zerma people who have heard the gospel. For the most part there seems to be no outward action or expression of acceptance of Christ as Lord and Savior. Pray that hearts will be softened to His Love and Grace.

Friday, November 12 -- Please pray for Aissa and Hawa in Waru. During a last visit there, Charity (who is now in America) was able to share about Jesus with these two women! Praise God for these opportunities! Pray that their interest in spiritual things will not fade, but that God would reveal Himself to them in dreams, visions, and through any Christians they may encounter. Do not grow weary in praying for the women of Waru just because Charity is no longer in Niger! God responds to our prayers and does not need us to do His work! He alone draws people to Himself!

Saturday, November 13 -- The Zerma people are a very proud people (as are many of us). Their pride often stands as a barrier between them and Christ. Pray that God would bring to the Zerma a spirit of humility which results in repentance and trust in Christ alone for salvation.

Sunday, November 14 -- "So shall my Word be, which goes forth from my mouth. It will not return to me empty without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the manner for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) As the Word continues to spread among the Zerma through radio, audio cassettes, the Jesus film, and personal evangelism, pray that the way would be opened up for every Zerma person to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel. Pray that as they hear it, it would take root in their hearts and compel them to seek the truth and further understanding. Pray that Christians would understand the importance of being doers of the Word and not merely hearers only.

Monday, November 15 -- Praise God that during several last visits with Ramatou, Charity was able to share Jesus with her! Praise God for giving Charity the words to say and for the time Ramatou just sat and listened. Please pray for her understanding and openness to Jesus. Although Charity is now gone, pray that God would reveal Himself to her in many ways. Pray that Cindy, another Zerma team member, would be able to do follow-up with her and that she could build a good relationship with her to continue planting seeds. Pray that Ramatou would not forget the stories from God's Word that she has heard and that she will realize her need for Jesus.

Tuesday, November 16 -- "When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth." Ps 104:30 Pray that the Lord will send His Spirit to bring new life, create new beings, and renew the face of Niger.

Wednesday, November 17 -- Pray today for Mark and Deanna Ledlow, that they would be encouraged in their work and find fulfillment in the mundane tasks that God sometimes sets before all of us.

Thursday, November 18 -- Model - Assist - Watch - and Leave. These are some goals we would like to reach. As there is so much to do and no way possible for us to share the gospel with the 2.5 million Zerma, pray for us to MAWL! That we would "work ourselves out of here!" Pray that we would be good models, that we would help (and not always do everything for them), then watch others as they share, and then leave them to carry on the gospel. Pray that we would be faithful.

Friday, November 19 -- I was recently asked by one of my friends to sum up my time here in one sentence. There was no question in my mind as I responded, "I am nothing, and God is everything." May ALL glory go to Him. "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory." Ps 115:1. II Cor. 6:3-10, faith

Saturday, November 20 -- The average age of the population of Niger is 15 yrs. Like young people everywhere, these kids face pressures and temptations to sin and yield to peer pressure. Pray that God would move in a mighty way among these young people, that they would come to know Christ and that a fulfilling and abundant life can be had through him. Pray that missionaries and Christian leaders would find ways to share Christ that addresses their particular needs. Pray that out of this generation of young people, God would raise up men and women who will be the means of making Christ known throughout Niger.

Sunday, November 21 -- Pray for the women's prison and the Christians who are there.

Monday, November 22 --Last month, I asked each of you to pray for a Spirit of peace to wash over me concerning going back to the States. Well, he answered those prayers. I am no longer anxious or fearful of the change to come. I have come to the understanding that I should never value a place or a life except my place in heaven and my life in Christ. I am just a foreigner in this world- whether that be in Niger or America. "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." (1Pt 1:17) Please continue to pray for my transition as I prepare to close my ministry here and start my life anew in America. Pray for a mighty portion of God's grace, for His grace IS sufficient! -- Faith

Tuesday, November 23 -- Some of us live in the very warm parts of the United States; it is not too late to plant a chili pepper plant. If you live in the cool parts of the US, plant one in a pot and keep it indoors for the winter. When you see the plant every day, it will remind you to pray for the Pepper Project in Niger and our missionaries.

Wednesday, November 24 -- Thanksgiving is tomorrow: We all have so much to be thankful for, our families, our friends, our Prayer support - and Our Lord, to whom we are thankful to have a story to share - and someone who wants to love us even more than we want to love Him. Thank you Jesus, for loving us so much!

Thursday, Nov. 25--As you thank God today for your many blessings, pray for the Zerma who are lacking in food, clothing, and adequate shelter. Pray that God would meet their physical needs.

Friday, November 26 -- Pray for the Muslim spiritual leaders, that as the apostle Paul was converted on the road to Damascus, they, too, would have a Damascus road experience in which their lives are completely turned around as they give their hearts to Christ.

Saturday, November 27 -- Do you have a computer? If not, try going to the library and then check out www.byhisgrace.com/zerma to see the past to present monthly prayer letters as well as many pictures and how you can better pray for the Zerma people. And while you're at it, please say a prayer for this type of media and the people who work to get it out for the salvation of the Zerma people.

Sunday, November 28 -- December is the month when all Southern Baptists will be asked to give a special offering for International Missions. Pray about your part in giving a special, even sacrificial, gift, so that our missionaries can have every resource that they need on the field, that many will be able to "go and teach all nations."

Monday, November 29 -- Pray for all the missionaries and their attitudes, as so many times they get frustrated with the culture or foreign ways of doing things. Pray that they will all have patience in dealing with the Africans, loving them with a love that comes only from God, so that the gospel will not be hindered.

Tuesday, November 30 --Today is Caroline Cain's 11th birthday. Pray that today will be a special blessing for her. Pray for her and Caleb as they continue homeschool and learn to live in a culture much different than the average American kid experiences.