West Africa Global Partnership

Finally, Another Update

2009-08-13T20:28:00.005-05:00

The blog has been silent for too long! It isn't that nothing is happening. For now, we want to make you aware of the next opportunity to go to West Africa. We have a group leaving November 6 and returning November 15. If you are interested in joining this group, please leave a comment or stop by our table Sunday, August 16, in the concourse.

Here are a few shots from our most recent trip.

Update from Guinea

2009-02-26T22:33:00.002-06:00

Sorry we haven't updated this week. The team made it to the field. We've heard from them several times and had thought to post a link to their blogs, but for security reasons, we cannot do that from here.

So to recap quickly, the team has had many opportunities to share Christ with the Maninka people this week. Our core value, flexibility, has been exercised as the team dealt with vehicle problems and had to adjust an entire day as a result. As is usually the case, God had some divinely planned encounters for the team in that time of flexibility.

We've not had an update from the village visits yesterday and today, but will update more fully with the stories as soon as we are able.

Thank you for your prayers. Please continue. The team leaves for the 12-hour drive back to the city in the morning and will be flying out of West Africa some time Saturday evening.

Prayer Needed!!!!

2009-02-20T09:50:00.004-06:00

A LifePoint team leaves TODAY for West Africa! Below is a prayer card with some specific prayer points. (Click on the picture to enlarge and/or print) Please be in prayer for our team, our partners, and the Maninka over the next 10 days specifically! We'll try to update as we have communications with them!

Thank you for partnering with us through prayer to impact West Africa!!!!!

Praying for Future Leaders

2009-01-04T22:57:00.007-06:00

Happy New Year from our West Africa Team!

Below are three recent prayer requests regarding university students for multiple people groups in West Africa. As you pray, please remember our team leaving on Feb. 20th. They will most likely have an opportunity to spend time at the local university. Pray God uses their presence and their words in a mighty way with the students they will spend time with. Also pray for discernment and direction as our team continues during this trip to think about long-term strategy and how we might better engage university students in that area.

This is inside a classroom at one of the elementary schools. Approximately 100 students are taught in a room this size.

Reaching the Next Generation of West African Leaders

Few evangelical missions organizations are currently reaching out to university students in West Africa. Pray for unity and guidance as each of these missions organizations seeks the direction that their agency needs to take to reach the next generation of West African leaders. Ask God to call out people who love Him enough to come and share His Truth with university students in Guinea, Senegal, Mali and Niger.

Developing Ministry Among University Students

Strategy and vision for ministry among university students in West Africa are in the initial stages. An IMB missionary began doing research and making contacts in October 2008. Much information is needed, but most importantly, prayer is the key that will help West African students recognize the direction and the plans God has for their lives. Pray for wisdom and discernment for this missionary as facts take on faces and then finally become a focus for the ministry. Praise God for the way in which He is opening doors for the gospel in West African universities.

The "Cream of the Crop"

There are several universities throughout West Africa, but ministry among university students is just beginning in Guinea, Senegal, Mali and Niger. As diverse as the countries themselves, these universities each have their own flavor as they educate the “cream of the crop” of their country. The capital cities of Niamey (Niger) and Bamako (Mali) have the only universities in their country, so students from every people group attend in hopes of getting a job to help support their entire family. Guinea and Senegal have several universities, each with its own specialty. Each of these universities desires a partnership with a university in the United States. Pray that university students in West Africa will realize that their greatest need is not for the wealth or prestige that comes from an education, but for a Savior who offers eternal life.

Bearing Gifts We Travel Afar

2008-12-03T10:18:00.002-06:00

A story and prayer request from our on-the-field Maninka team.

A member of the Maninka team shares, “When we first moved to our city several years ago, I asked a young Maninka woman to explain her understanding of Christmas and its customs. She saw it as a time when we Christians prepared food as a sacrifice and then shared it with our friends as gifts. A worker had once given her baked goods at Christmas and that is how she interpreted the gift, even though the worker had shared the Christmas story with her. Often the message we share is seen through a cultural lens. Please pray that this Christmas season the Maninka team will have many opportunities to share the story of the Savior’s coming and the hope that it brings. As we talk about Christmas with our friends and with university students, pray that our message will be clear and God’s Spirit will speak across cultures.”

Farmers Needed

2008-11-17T13:10:00.003-06:00

A certain village suffered greatly due to a lack of food among those who lived there. A farmer who lived in the village was prepared, because he had brought new seed from his father’s village many miles away. There was even plenty of available land surrounding the village. However, the farmer was only one man. He could not sow enough seed by himself to eventually feed all the villagers. Though the villagers were hungry, they did not understand the importance of what the farmer was trying to do. The farmer had even sent word to his father’s village that he needed help. Yet, because his father’s village had already begun harvesting a good crop, they did not grasp the urgency of the farmer’s request. They planned on sending a few farmers, but not until they finished their own work.

This parable illustrates the challenge that faces missionaries among the Maninka people in one area. Village upon village fills the landscape of this region, yet presently there is only one IMB couple trying to plant seeds in a vast area. Thank God for four new villages that were recently visited by a volunteer team from Tennessee who was able to present copies of Genesis and Luke in the local language to the village elders in addition to helping missionaries share the story of Christ. Pray for wisdom as they plan on how to proceed in working with these villages and following up on these visits, and pray for more “farmers” to come and share the task.

This was a recent prayer request found at www.gowestafrica.org from the Maninka Team of West Africa.

Please pray as our team for the February trip is being put together. Pray for more "farmers" to catch the vision for these four new villages.

Cardboard Testimonies

2008-11-06T14:59:00.002-06:00

Be sure to turn up the sound...By The Tree's song "Your Beloved" is playing!

Special Focus Prayer Items for November 2008

2008-11-05T10:19:00.002-06:00

These requests come from our West Africa Regional Prayer Advocate. Thank you for joining us in prayer over this region of the world.

God Opens More Doors
God continues to pour out his blessing on a new strategic ministry to distribute Bible stories in an oral format to truck drivers in West Africa. The missionary who is heading up this project gives another amazing report of how God is at work: “What a wonderful time when eight African brothers in Christ and four missionary colleagues met together, working for five days into the night to learn Bible stories and craft them into a format that can be retold in an understandable way. You prayed that an accurate telling of these stories would be recorded on tape for the truck driver ministry, and this prayer was answered. You prayed that the vision could be captured and here is the response of one African brother: ‘...Madame, we were going to surprise you, but since you asked...When we returned to Togo, we met together again. We've found several contacts at the ports...We're meeting again to divide the work, and we've been given one hour of free air time on the local radio every Tuesday. We're going to tell the stories and ask the questions in three different languages! The listeners can call in while we are at the radio station. We also have another number they can call when we're not on the air. Please pray for us as we meet and choose our stories...’ May God receive all the glory! Pray that the truck drivers will begin to spread the Gospel throughout this region of the world.”

“Multi-tasking” for God
Business Facilitators are responsible for many logistics such as housing and transportation so that other missionaries can have more time to share the gospel. This fall, three business facilitators attended a church planting conference with several of their missionary colleagues. God showed these business facilitators how to be involved in church planting while continuing their office work. Ask the Lord to give business facilitators in West Africa wisdom to know how to manage their time so that they can accomplish their business-related tasks and also share the gospel with unreached people groups.

Being Accountable
More and more West Africans are discovering that they can lead a chronological Bible storying group and are taking this responsibility seriously. After a missionary couple introduced the concept of keeping track of the Bible Stories that are shared with others, one believer created his own accountability system. As he walked from the first chronological Bible storying workshop one Friday to the second workshop that was held on Monday, he made marks to indicate the stories that he shared and how many people had listened. Then he explained this simple method to the participants in the Monday group. As you pray for West African believers who continue to spread The Word, remember that we are all accountable for sharing Christ with others!

A Child Shall Lead Them. . .
A positive attitude is vital on the mission field, especially in areas with limited amenities. Living in basic conditions over an extended period of time can wear on the body, mind, and spirit. A new missionary couple shares this recent experience about their four-year-old son: “Last week became unexpectedly difficult when the weather was hot and the electricity spent more time off than on. One evening the electricity turned off and Lucas, the ever-optimist, shouted, ‘YES! No electricity! Can we have our glow sticks now?’ Not much could dampen his spirit except when the electricity turned back on about 15 minutes later. Lucas looked about ready to cry. We quickly assured him that we could still turn off all the lights and continue playing "Hide the Glow Stick." Pray that missionaries and “missionary kids” living in West Africa will exhibit a positive attitude as they face challenges in their daily lives.

VoF - Cracking the Egg

2008-10-30T10:59:00.004-05:00

Voices of the Faithful (VoF) is a moving 366-day devotional for men and women from Beth Moore and the International Mission Board. It features true stories of courage, inspiration, and God's faithfulness, written by hundreds of missionaries. There are 38 West Africa specific prayer letters that we will begin to share on this blog. Though God has lead us to partner among the Maninka, some of these devos will reference other people groups and places in West Africa. Please read and then pray for West Africa and for the Maninka. Think of the potential movement of the Holy Spirit generated by God's People joining together in a singular purpose!

Cracking the egg

“This sin will become for you like a high wall, cracked and bulging, that collapses suddenly, in an instant. It will break in pieces like pottery.”
Isaiah 30:13–14a (NIV)

Throughout the Bible, names of people and places held great meaning and significance. Who would imagine that same concept would be found in Mali (MAL-ee) with the Dunn people. The name Dunn translates as “egg.” If my name meant “egg,” I’m not sure I would be thrilled, but these people are happy about their name. For many months, this love for being called “egg” was a mystery to me.

From the moment I entered the village, the people were friendly yet cautious. Being the first American in the village, they were just as curious about me as I was of them. They did, however, allow me to work in the fields with them, although they thought my hands were too soft.

Finally, after months of working and talking together, one of them trusted me enough to reveal the significance of their name. One can tell an egg is an egg from the outside, but he has no idea what is inside until he cracks it. No one really knows what is hiding inside the shell.

This definition has proved true in my experience. The people seem friendly, but I still don’t know what is in their hearts and minds.

The exciting part of this journey is that the egg is beginning to crack! May the shell continue to crack by the love of Jesus.

God showed me to ask, what is the egg in my life? What am I trying to hide from the world or from God? Eggs were created to be cracked and used.
—Lori, West Africa

Father, thank You that You are bringing the gospel to the Dunn people group of Mali, West Africa. Continue to “crack the shell” so that Your Word can penetrate inside their hearts. May I examine myself today to see what I am trying to hide from You or others. Amen.

Our Next Trip

2008-10-17T12:34:00.003-05:00

We have our dates set for our next trip--February 20-March 1, 2009. These are somewhat flexible depending on our travel arrangements. We'll start training soon, so if you are interested in going, please let us know!!

Following the Jesus Path

2008-10-03T19:18:00.003-05:00

Many West Africans who embrace the Christian faith for the first time will often say they are leaving their old ways to follow “the Jesus Path.” Below is a story found in the newest issue of the Go West Africa Magazine about one of our Maninka friends.

*Name changed

"Abdou* couldn't really communicate with the new IMB missionaries who hired him to watch their house on the weekends.

They had just moved to Guinea and were still learning the language, but Abdou* knew they would soon be teaching about the man named Jesus he had heard about in the village years ago.

As the missionaries improved their Maninka language skills, Abdou* studied with them. One day while sitting on the porch of their home, he read through a booklet they gave him called "Saraka Ko", loosely translated as "Sacrifice Business".

He knows the sacrifice business of his people. They sacrifice live animals to appease the spirits. But this booklet explained about how God already sent the final sacrifice for everyone.

He called to his missionary friend inside the house and shared his new revelation.

"We don't need to perform a sacrifice anymore, do we?" Abdou* said, answering his own question. Later, he put his full faith in Christ and was baptized.

Now, in his pursuit to bring his people to the Truth, Abdou* joins the missionaries every week as they visit outside villages to teach the Word. In the meantime, Abdou's* family is presenting him young ladies to marry. He knows he's of the age for a Maninka man to take a wife -- but he's holding out for a believer."

Please join us as we continue to pray for Abdou*. Pray that his relationship with the Lord will continue to grow. Pray that he will find continued peace in the One who was sacrificed for him. Pray for his future wife.

Flavors of West Africa

2008-09-23T10:12:00.005-05:00

Please join us this Friday evening at 6:30pm as we share some West Africa customs, stories and pictures of our past trips this year and what we are looking forward to in the future. Most importantly, we will intercede through prayer for the people of West Africa and our mission partners living and serving among the Maninka.

Coffee, hot chocolate, and a variety of chocolate surprises will be served.