Africa Report

Six of us returned from our most recent trip into Africa. What a week. Many of you know I went to a village in West Africa this past October. On that trip, we baptized 19 new believers. With limited contact with the village, we have not known the strength of the believers we left behind. Well, the Holy Spirit has been at work big time. When we arrived this past week, we asked the believers what they had been doing with their new faith. They gather to worship and pray together and tell stories every Sunday. We asked if they would have a worship time Tuesday evening this week for us to be a part of.

Wow! Did they worship! They sang and danced for 4 hours ending some time after midnight. They have created some worship songs that include the stories we told from God's Word. They dance to all their worship music. It was an experience I will never forget as they did this under the moonlight that night.

They have begun to spread the word of God's love and desire for a relationship with people in other villages. We were asked if we would visit one of these villages with one of the believers from our village ("Chewy"). We did so as we left our first village. We brought greetings to the second village and told stories from God's Word. Five men responded that they would like to become Jesus followers.

I know the men that went with me will agree. This was another unforgettable trip. What a privilege to be used by God to make Him famous to the ends of the earth!

Prayer for Africa

I know many of you will be praying for the group that leaves for Africa this coming Saturday. Here are some specific ways you can be praying.

1. Safe flights and smooth passes through customs at all points
2. Safe travel to and from the villages with no vehicle problems (i.e. flat tires, engine problems, etc.)
3. Restful nights so our bodies can be replenished for each day of sharing in the village
4. That we know what to say in the village … questions to ask and stories to tell
5. Recall of stories memorized
6. Openness to the stories by others who have not yet chosen to follow Christ
7. That we will be open to and aware of the guidance of the Holy Spirit
8. That our driver and translators will be open to the stories about Christ (we just found out they are not believers)
9. That the believers we found in October will be strong in their faith and will bring new persons to the story telling times
10. That we begin to discover new villages of our people group
11. That we have no delays in travel coming back to the States.