Category: Africa

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

1. Notice the tops of the pictured fence bars, designed to discourage would-be prowlers. Unfortunately, Kimberley has very high levels of both property and violent crimes. Residential theft is often linked to someone who knows the family. Pray for the Lord to save a thief this month out of the dominion of the biggest thief (John 10:10).

2. Kimberley is known for its historical diamond mines, including a deep, hand-dug one named “Big Hole.” Pray for a worker at the Kimberley Mine Museum to discover the greatest treasure of all: “the exceeding riches of His grace” (Eph. 2:7).

3. Pray for someone in Kimberley whose name is the same as your middle name to come to be known by the same most important moniker you have: Christian.

John 1:12

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

1. Assamakka is a small desert town in the north of Niger, and the only official crossing point between the two countries of Niger and Algeria (wikipedia). Pray for someone making that border crossing today to also make the border crossing from being under the domain of sin into the Son’s kingdom of light.
2. The temperature today in Assamakka will reach 89°. Pray for 89 people there to hear the message of the gospel before the end of the year.
3. Pray for a camel owner in Assamakka to hear one of the stories in the Bible that mentions camels, and be intrigued to find out more about the God of the Bible.

John 17:17

This post was originally published on March 14, 2022. Today’s high temperature is 77°. In deciding what location to repost today, Assamakka stood out because of our prayers for Kevin Rideout. His last known location (obtained from his cell phone data an hour after he was kidnapped) was about 53 miles north of Niamey (Niger’s capital). Assamakka is northeast of that location, and only God knows if he has been there in the last three months. Hebrews 13:3 tells us not to forget those who are suffering for Christ. We must continue to pray for the entire situation.

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Saint Pierre.

1. Pray for the gardener tending the above flowerbed to meet the Master Gardener Who created the wonders of photosynthesis.
2. The ocean can be seen in the background of the above picture, and Saint Pierre has 400 sites for fishing/pleasure boats. Pray for a set of brothers who fish together to become brothers in Christ, and fish for men.
3. Reunion is owned by France, and is due east of Madagascar. Saint Pierre’s mayor, Michel Fontaine, is serving from 2020-2026. Pray for his / his family’s salvation.

Psalm 24

This post was originally published on February 1, 2022.

Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the harvestfield of Bobo-Dioulasso.

1. Pray for this mosque to become a seedbed for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and pray for protection for new believers.
2. Burkina Faso means “land of honest men.” Pray for this statement to characterize families who walk with Jesus.
3. Burkina Faso has a high illiteracy rate, but literacy rates are rising. Pray for students learning to read to be enthralled with the greatest Book of all time.

John 14:1-6

This post was originally published on January 5, 2022.

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

1. Pray for truck drivers of this German based freight company to hear a Christian song on the radio along their route that will stick with them.
2. Guinea-Bissau is known for its wildlife, including salt-water hippos. Pray for workers at the Orango Islands National Park to recognize the genius of the Designer of the hippos, and want to know Him more.
3. Bissau is the country’s capital, so pray for its government leaders to exercise integrity today in their decisions, seeking the enablement of the only truly holy and just Lord to do so.

Revelation 4:11

This post was originally published on January 12, 2022.

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

1. Pray for the gardener who works at this location to hear about the one true God who planted the first garden.
2. Antsirabe has hot springs and is a “spa town” (Wikipedia). Pray for God to give resiliency to people at spas today taking a break from the pressures of life.
3. Pray for the city’s rickshaw drivers to meet the One Who can carry their burdens free of charge.

John 4:23

This post was originally published on December 9, 2021.

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.