Category: Africa

This update was posted by Temple Baptist Church at 7:30 Christmas Eve morning:

And they’re off on their last 8 hour flight! They are thankful for seats, but it means it’ll be a tight ride. No extra room to move around.

Pray for continued strength and energy for the adults and pray for calmness for the kids. They should arrive back in VA around 2:30 this afternoon.

Once they get back home, pray for Matt and the boys as they settle in. Pray for good rest and for healing for Matt. Pray for them as they adjust to life without their sweet wife and mommy. Pray for wisdom for Matt as he figures out when to return to Uganda and what his ministry will look like now.

Pray for Alan and Elena Sutphen as they continue the ministry in Uganda. They are traveling back to Soroti for church and then will be traveling to Kampala, the capital, to finish the paperwork for arrangements for Savannah. Pray for strength, energy, safety, and wisdom.

Thank you all for your prayers so far. They have felt the prayers carrying them through these last few days. We know they would appreciate continued prayers.

Matt Gardner sent this message yesterday, and it was shared on his mission board’s (BIMI) Facebook page:

“Thank you for your flood of encouraging texts and emails. This has been the biggest trial of my life, but I can tell that we are constantly before the Throne of Grace. I was just discharged from the hospital. All of my internal injuries have been verified to be non-life threatening. The internal bleeding has stopped, and I am told I will recover fully in the next 4-5 weeks. Many people have asked what they can do to help. First, please pray specifically for baby Mason. He was still nursing and now he is trying to transition right before we fly over 20 hours to get back to America. Second, please pray for all the logistics of getting Savannah back to America to be buried. So many people are working tirelessly to be of assistance, but there is much paperwork and red tape to try to get through. Third, the train annihilated our only vehicle we had. After I grieve and transition to being a single father of 2 small children, I plan to return to Uganda in whatever ministry capacity I’m able to do and continue working for our great Savior’s kingdom in the harvest field. If you’d like to help contribute, I will need a vehicle to be able to do ministry as well as the tasks of life like getting food and water from town. Thank you for all your condolences; I honestly had no idea how many lives my precious wife touched. God has allowed this to happen, and I trust Him fully. ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord’.”

Baptist International Missions, Inc. posted this prayer request on December 19:

Please be in prayer for the family of Matt and Savannah Gardner, BIMI missionaries in Uganda, East Africa.  Today, as the Gardners were traveling on one of the main streets in Kampala, a train crossed the road and hit their vehicle. Savannah went to Heaven instantly. The two sons are completely fine. Matthew sustained internal injuries and is presently in the hospital. Please pray for Matthew to heal quickly, and for the two sons, Jedidiah (age 4) and Mason (1 year old).

December 20 Update from Val Verde Baptist Church:

Matt has improved; they think the internal bleeding has stopped and blood pressure stabilized.
His dad, pastor, and Bro Bohman are heading there tomorrow night to help pack and get them home.
Prayer Requests:
Pray Uganda will grant Mrs. Clapp a visa to enter the country ASAP to help travel with the boys. They are currently unwilling to grant one and it needs to move up the chain of command.
Pray they can pack and get everything moved without any issues.
Pray for Bro. Bohman (BIMI Africa field director) as he stays to complete paperwork at the embassy to secure Savannah’s body to bring back to the States.
Pray Matt suffers no complications and can travel well.

Acts 4:12

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Mekomeseng.

1. Pray for people living along the three roads that converge at Mekomeseng. Pray for the Savior to stop by their homes with a gospel witness, and for them to accept it in faith.
2. Although Mekomeseng doesn’t have much of a presence on the internet, the Lord knows every detail of its residents’ lives. Pray for the most desparate person there to hear about and trust in Him.
3. Pray for the next couple who will be getting married in Mekomeseng to build their home on the Rock of Ages, and for there to be a Biblical church they can attend.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7

This post was originally published on October 16, 2021.

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Dodoma.

1. Pray that every person entering these doors during the next week will also hear clearly how to enter the Door to heaven.
2. Pray for anyone in Dodoma whose birthday is today to also experience the second birth.
3. Pray for students at the Kizota Primary School who enjoy math to hear about the God Who never changes, and is more dependable than the absolute value of numbers.

Psalm 46

This post was originally published on September 29, 2021.

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Mitsamiouli.

1. Pray for three people enjoying the ocean from this spot today to meet the God Who made it and them.
2. Britannica.com states that “the volcanic islands of the Comorian archipelago have been called the ‘perfumed islands’ for their fragrant plant life…” Pray for 2 Corinthians 2:14 to be lived out daily in Mitsamiouli.
3. Pray for the most timid child in town to embrace the Savior Who embraces him/her.

2 Corinthians 2:14

This post was originally published on March 19, 2022.

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Port Louis.

1. Pray for a pedestrian walking past this spot today to also walk in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23).
2. Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius. Pray for a janitor in the government offices to have a heart whiter than snow before God (Isaiah 1:18).
3. Pray for a rider at the Champ de Mars horse racing track to have the ultimate success described in Joshua 1:8.

John 17:3

This post was originally published on March 26, 2022.

Previously on TGP, the Encouragement Children’s Home in Webuye, Kenya, was featured (Webuye, Kenya – Targeted Global Prayer https://share.google/wI29g9xvlVq1SmJ2H).

Urgent prayer is needed for ECH missionay director Katlyn Pollock Amuku. She has developed postpartum eclampsia following her August 7 C-section delivery. She is in a Webuye hospital, where power outages and cold showers are the norm.

As a mom who experienced pre-eclampsia and C-section deliveries in America, I can only imagine the challenges that John and Katlyn face far away from family with limited medical care. Please pray for the Lord to provide all needs, both large and “small.” Thank God, baby Matthew John is doing well.

Three summers ago, TGP did a focused prayer series for believers around the world living in countries with high rates of persecution. Nigeria ranked high on the list of those countries. Unfortunately, multiple organizations report that Nigeria continues to be “the epicentre of targeted violence against the church.”* While once concentrated in the northern Muslim controlled regions of the country, persecution is becoming much more common in Nigeria’s middle and even southern areas.

1. Pray for the Lord to comfort and provide for grieving families who have lost a family member(s) this year due to targeted attacks against Christians.

2. Christian women and girls are often the victims of sexual violence. Pray for the Lord to protect His children from this type of assault.

3. About thirteen percent of Nigerians are Baptist. Baptists traditionally have a very high regard for the Word of God. Pray for the Lord to provide copies of the Bible for Nigerian believers, that they may be strengthened in His hope.

Matthew 21:22

*https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/nigeria/

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Calabar.

1. Pictured above is a memorial statue in the middle of the Mary Slessor Roundabout. This Christian missionary (1848-1915) did much to help the people of Nigeria, including working tirelessly to stop the practice of killing twin babies, whom nationals believed would bring bad luck. Pray for every current set of twins in Calabar to receive a clear presentation of the gospel, and put personal faith in Jesus Christ.

2. Although Mary Slessor was famous, when she made desperate pleas for Christians in Scotland to come help in the work, most of the time there was no response. Sadly, this is often the case today around the world. Pray that in 2025, many Christians will hear and heed the call of God.

3. Calabar has a very strong tourism industry. Pray for an artisan who makes traditional handcrafted items to sell as souvenirs to also realize that the God of the Bible is the Master Craftsman who has made people in His own image. Pray for that artisan to know and walk with the Lord as one of His redeemed workmanship pieces.

Psalm 96:2

This post was originally published on April 27, 2023. Christians in Nigeria are currently facing extreme persecution. Pray for their safety on this Lord’s Day.