October 2006

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5-6

Sunday, October 1, 2006 - ANSWER: Please continue to pray for the crops. October is the end of rainy season and it will be a little wait till the harvest. The rains have been good this year, and we are very thankful. Praise the Lord for hearing and answering our prayers.

Monday, October 2, 2006 - Pray that we and our Zerma brothers and sisters in Christ would be BOLD in sharing our faith with Muslims.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006 – Pray for the thousands of Muslims that will participate in Ramadan - a month long fast. Pray they will find the truth in Christ. This year Ramadan begins on September 23rd and will end on October 22nd. Fasting is obligatory for every Muslim who has reached puberty except those who are traveling or ill or for nursing mothers. However, those who are exempted for these reasons are expected to “make up” the days of fasting they missed sometime before the next month of fasting. Fasting means to abstain from eating, drinking (even water) and sexual activity during the hours the sun shines every day during the month of Ramadan. This fasting is supposed to direct the Muslim’s mind toward God and make him or her more mindful of the need to obey God’s decrees. Pray the discussions that take place will lead many to truly seek eternal life in Christ. Pray for new believers to stand firm during this time.

Wednesday, October 4, 2006 – The "Kids Clubs" that Kimberly Cain has started are going well. Ask God to work in the hearts of the Zerma children as they listen to Bible stories. Praise God for the mothers who have come and heard the Bible stories with their children. Our prayer is that God would draw entire families to Himself.

Thursday, October 5, 2006- ANSWER: Thank you for praying for Ben and the other believers that have been riding in taxis throughout Niamey and sharing their testimonies. Ben has begun to meet with several of these men on Saturday mornings because they are ready to go deeper in their study of God’s Word. In September, 2 of them gave their lives to Christ. Pray that many more will follow and that this will be the beginning of a new church.

Friday, October 6, 2006 – A Kollo believer “U” wants a divorce from her husband who has been away for almost 2 years. She is also struggling to pray and to stand firm in her faith in Christ. Ask God to strengthen her with supernatural power, wisdom and perseverance.

Saturday, October 7, 2006 - October is harvest month in Niger. We thank God for the rain he sent this summer and ask you to pray that He would reward the efforts of the farmers with enough of a harvest to meet their families' needs. Pray that God would draw the Zerma to Himself so that there might also be a great spiritual harvest. Pray that the Lord would send laborers into this harvest field.

Sunday, October 8, 2006 -The time of fasting is upon the Muslim world. It is a time when the people are especially sensitive to spiritual things and seeking the truth. Ask God to reveal Himself to the Zerma people in dreams and visions, showing them that Jesus is the true road leading to God. Pray for ‘Du’ and ‘Amy’, who know that Jesus is true, and now must count the cost. Ask God to give the believers strength to stand, and especially the new believers in Kollo. Ask God to make ‘U’, ‘Ous’, ‘Zan’, and ‘Sou’ the foundation of the church in Kollo, with Jesus Christ as their Cornerstone.

Monday, October 9, 2006 – ANSWER: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers! I don’t know about the peck but we have another barrel or about 300 lbs. of pepper mash from the Niger Pepper project. That makes a total of 2 barrels. It took about 6 years before we got the first barrel and about 6 months to get the next one. That’s a – “Praise the Lord!”

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 - No sooner than we had the 2nd barrel of peppers in the Niger Pepper project than we had a huge rain that flooded out and killed about half of the pepper crop. It has really been frustrating for all involved. Please pray that the God of the flood and also the God of the harvest will lead the people in the next step involved with this project.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 - Pray for the church in Goudel that God will give wisdom to the pastor and his wife as they lead. Pray for wisdom on when to begin reconstructing the building that has collapsed.

Thursday, October 12, 2006 – The things that make God dear to us are not as much His great big blessings as the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us. He knows every detail of our individual lives." - Oswald Chambers As you contemplate these words think about the Zerma people and so many of them lost, hungry and sick. They are not always on the ‘front page’ of our thoughts but God knows every detail of their lives.

Friday, October 13, 2006 – Today is Cindy Sustar’s birthday. Pray that God will give her insight into the Zerma Culture and that God will give her the right words in Zerma while sharing with women.

Saturday, October 14, 2006 – ANSWER: Praise God that the Blacks have remained healthy. Pray for the Blacks as they travel to the states this month to see family.

Sunday, October 15, 2006 - Pray that our existing churches would have a vision for reaching the Zerma and that they would initiate a church planting movement.

Monday, October 16, 2006 - September has seen some very sick people. Malaria is rampant, more parasites and amoebas due to unclean water and different eating habits. Please continue to pray for health issues.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 – Today is Rachel Sustar’s birthday. Pray that God will continue to open the door for her to share the gospel with her friends. We praise God for her tender heart and eagerness to interact with people.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006 – ANSWER: Praise God that we have completed recording the books of Genesis, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Matthew, Luke, John, Galatians, and 1&2 Peter for the Zarma audio Bible.

Thursday, October 19, 2006 - Pray for Atta and other new believers that their faith would be strengthened and that God would give them a hunger for His word.

Friday, October 20, 2006 – Ask God to direct Cindy and Hassi to the women that are open to hearing about Christ. Currently when they go out to visit about half of the women refuse to let them pray for them and are not interested in the gospel. There are several reasons for this, the main one being that certain people are present that would initiate immediate persecution if they listen to anything about God. However, there are those interested and open to the gospel that God is speaking to, pray that God will lead us to those households and thank Him that His word never returns void. Pray also that we would be sensitive to secret seekers.

Saturday, October 21, 2006 - The Ouallam Sanitation and Hygiene project is basically on hold during the rainy season. Pray for those who have already received their latrines and heard the 'Good News' will not put this knowledge 'on hold'. Pray that God would convince them in their hearts that the truth they have heard and seen about Christ is true.

Sunday, October 22, 2006 - ANSWER: Although Don and Teresa don’t get to Ouallam very often, they are encouraged to see that the church group in Ouallam continues to meet together. Attendance is lower on Sundays than Wednesdays due to the work in the fields – but they continue to meet. Thank you for the prayers for this group.

Monday, October 23, 2006 – Pray for Shad Black as he travels and completes a Zerma hymn composition cassette.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 – Pray for Mark and Deanna Ledlow as they are in the states now helping Stephanie adjust to college life and life in the states. Pray for them as they speak with several groups about what God is doing in Niger. We pray that they have rich family time and time to relax and recharge.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 – Many people are still living in their temporary housing in their fields while cultivating and waiting on the millet to mature. Most have a difficult life in their normal homes but these temporary houses are usually just a straw hut. Many drink water from essentially large mud holes. Please pray that God will protect their health and that they will cry out to Him.

Thursday, October 26, 2006 - ANSWER: Praise God for healing Kanesa who has been plagued with illness since her arrival in Niger. She is currently healthy and feeling good. Praise God also for the new opportunities to share God’s word with people that are truly seeking him. Pray that villages outside Kollo will continue to be open as Brandy and Kanesa visit them and share the hope of the gospel.

Friday, October 27, 2006 - Pray for Melissa Black as she hosts a children’s club in her compound that is teaching Jesus to many of the neighborhood children. Also pray for her as she completes discipleship materials designed to teach the Zerma the meaning of Worship.

Saturday, October 28, 2006 - Pray for ‘Bel’ as she has moved away from Kollo and returned to the town her family lives in. Pray for her to stand strong in her faith in God and not forget the Truth. Ask God to use her to take the Gospel to the people of her town. Pray also for her husband to give his life to Christ so they might serve Him together.

Sunday, October 29, 2006 – Pray for Shad Black as he begins the process of editing the Bible recordings to make a very usable Bible for the millions of illiterate Zerma.

Monday, October 30, 2006 - Pray that God would pour out his Spirit upon the Zerma, convicting them of their lostness and their need for salvation through Christ alone. Pray that God would prepare their hearts to receive His Word.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - Pray that God would anoint His Word as it is broadcasted via radio and TV and as people hear it on audio cassettes.

www.Zermateam.org
www.westafricahut.blogspot.com
www.roseinthewilderness.blogspot.com

Special note: We now have available 4 virtual prayer walks on the Zerma people available. You can obtain a CD with these on it by emailing Cindy Sustar at: Sustar@braveheart.com or by downloading them off the zermateam web site. We also have available a 14 day prayer guide for volunteers preparing to come to Niger. If you or your church would like either of these resources email Cindy Sustar.

Thank you for joining us around the throne of the Most High God.
We look forward to hearing from you.
The Zerma Team