August 2003

Dear Devoted Partners,

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” – Lamentations 3:22-24

This verse epitomizes the difference between believers and non-believers: regardless of circumstances, our hope lies in God’s sovereignty. In good times and difficult ones, we rest in God’s faithfulness and willingness to handle every situation. In our weaknesses and fears, God is able to demonstrate His strength and compassion. For an MNK, difficult times are dealt with in solitude and resignation…God has ordained our way of life…we must simply struggle through it and He will reward us in Paradise… MNKs come close to believing God causes them to suffer, and enjoys it! Oh, for the day when they will see the Truth!

This month we are using just one verse for an entire week’s worth of prayer requests. We have tried to portray multiple scenarios that occur throughout the rainy season (June through October). Included in each week are prayer requests for different segments of MNK society: men, women, children, old women, religious leaders, and missionaries.

We are grateful to God for the arrival of all seven of the new missionaries; they are all currently engaged in language study and are committed to sharing Christ with the MNK. Please pray for them as they study language and culture, and as they live in temporary situations until such time as they are able to relocate to their permanent places of ministry.

Continue to pray for the new MNK believer. He isn’t coming around as much as we had hoped, and he hasn’t been to worship for two weeks. Rainy season makes it difficult to hold to specific schedules; you must work when the weather allows. We have gone to see him several times and he seems okay; pray for God’s Spirit to protect him from Satan’s lies. Continue to pray for our colleagues on stateside assignment, our families near and far, the complete healing of my shoulder, and yes, for our son…he continues in the thick of things in Iraq. We will be participating in a regional spiritual retreat from July 23-31...hence the reason you are receiving this early! Please pray that we will be refreshed and encouraged by the teachings and sessions.

If you have questions or comments, please let me know; my job is to communicate the needs of the MNK so that you can pray for effectively. By the way, the monthly updates are posted on our website; if you would prefer to look them up yourself rather than receiving it by e-mail, please let me know.

Your sister on the MNK field,

MNK Update August 2003

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul – then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. – Deuteronomy 11:13-19

Fri, Aug 1: The MNK still till the ground with non-mechanized technology. Men and boys manually clear, plant, weed and plow peanut, corn, and millet fields. Women work rice fields, along with small pepper and vegetable plots in their back yards. Old women are responsible for the nursing of the young rice stalks. Basically, any unused piece of ground is tilled and planted during the rainy season. Pray for the 1.3 million MNK as they struggle to survive this rainy season; pray their hearts would desire God as much as their bodies crave food.

Sat, Aug 2: In early June, MNK young men and boys were sent out to the fields to begin the process of clearing off the dried grass and trash that had accumulated over the last nine months. Day after day are spent doubled over at the waist working with hand tools. The age-old struggle of man against nature cycles around again. Pray for MNK young men to desire to know God; pray for MNK boys to follow Godly men.

Sun, Aug 3: While the boys are clearing the fields, MNK men begin checking their draught animal plows and seeders. They find broken handles, broken mechanisms, missing parts, etc; they remember they loaned a piece of equipment to a neighbor, or a neighbor comes to collect his plow. It is the same struggle year after year, repairing rusty metal equipment after eight month’s worth of neglect. As MNK men examine their tools, pray that God’s spirit will enlighten them with truth; pray they will learn to use the tool of prayer – communication with God – faithfully.

Mon, Aug 4: As the rainy season work begins, the old women are concerned about the safety of their family members. Scorpions, centipedes, and snakes, hiding under rocks and in weeds, are all hazards encountered while clearing fields by hand. The old women buy ju-jus (amulets) to protect their daughters, sons, and grandchildren. Pray that MNK old women will distinguish the difference between trusting in God and His Holy Word and trusting in man-made charms.

Tue, Aug 5: For women, rainy season represents months of hard work, planting their personal gardens, as well as the communal rice fields. For pregnant and nursing women, this takes a toll on their health, and the health of their children. Pray for MNK women as they balance their responsibilities as mothers and as female members of the communal MNK society.

Wed, Aug 6: Young girls perfect many of their mother’s skills during the rainy season. They become responsible for cooking the mid-day meal, taking care of the toddlers, and washing clothes. Pray for these young girls to desire to become godly women, not just efficient workers.

Thu, Aug 7: At the beginning of every rainy season, the elders walk around to every compound in the village, praying for the health and prosperity of each family. The health and welfare of the village is their responsibility; if people are sick, it is not important to know what made them sick, but who. Pray for religious elders to seek to have a relationship with the one true God.

I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it. – Isaiah 41:18,20

Fri, Aug 8: Friday is the day of communal, ritual prayer among Muslims; for rural MNKs, it is their traditional “day-off”. While they may go to the mosque on Friday for 20 minutes, they do not hold the day as a day to worship God. Pray for religious leaders among the MNK to demonstrate a lifestyle that desires to worship and honor God every day of the week.

Sat, Aug 9: While working in a peanut field, some MNK men will stop at the prescribed Islamic prayer times. Since they cannot use water to perform their ablutions, they pretend as if they have water and carry out all the same rituals before bowing east. Pray for MNK men to desire to know God over their desire to perform for God.

Sun, Aug 10: As the first blades of grass make their way through the damp ground, the younger children are commissioned to “chase” after the goats and sheep during the day. They are supposed to corral them away from the planted fields and gardens, but in the freshness of the moment, the children are usually just as distracted as the animals. Pray for MNK children to learn to do all things as though they were doing it for God.

Mon, Aug 11: Only old women and young children are left at home today. As one of the girls enters the cookhouse, she is confronted by a black cobra. As she runs screaming from the house, the cobra slithers back into his hole. Pray for the safety of women and young girls as they cook in mud block structures, with thatch roofs and dirt floors.

Tue, Aug 12: The baby was up all night crying and burning with fever. No one in the women’s house got any sleep. The young mother is admonished to take the child to the health center, 8 kilometers (~5 miles), away. Pray for government medical workers among the MNK to be diligent and available during this fragile time of year.

Wed, Aug 13: Missionaries who work among the MNK are faced with multiple requests for money: batteries for a tape player…prescription for a sick child…rice to feed a family…soccer ball for the boys… the list never ends. Pray for those who work among the MNK to have sensitivity and compassion, blended with wisdom, when discerning how and when to offer assistance.

Thu, Aug 14: As time for the radio broadcast draws near, the batteries on the radio die. Harvesting all the flashlights they can find, the village gets it running, only to hear static. Lightening hit the tower at the radio station last night knocking it out for several weeks. Pray that God’s word will be broadcast weekly; pray that MNKs will desire to listen to this program.

Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil? When he has leveled the surface does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field? His God instructs him and teaches him the right way. – Isaiah 28:23-26

Fri, Aug 15: Older boys guide the donkeys as their fathers walk behind the plow. They will plow one field at a time; after that, they will walk the same distances again, this time seeding the fields with peanuts. As these MNK boys work, pray that God will astonish them by the way one small peanut becomes an entire plant!

Sat, Aug 16: The MNK aren’t the only ones affected by disease during the rainy season. Diarrhea, malaria, and skin rashes plague Toubabs as well. Due to limited access to medical care, those who work among the MNK often must medically treat themselves – and their children. Pray that God will place a hedge of protection around those who work among the MNK; pray they will be healthy and strong.

Sun, Aug 17: The young boys collect whatever loose firewood they find during the week. Then one night, the elders call them all together, light the fire, and spend the evening teaching them – about their ancestors, Qu’ranic verses, and how to behave as men in MNK society. Pray for these elders to teach the truth about God; pray they will teach the boys to desire to know God.

Mon, Aug 18: For the past month, while the women have been out hoeing the ground in the rice fields, the old women have been nursing the rice plants near the village. The time has come for transplanting the rice. Pray for these old women who continue to work hard regardless of age or ailment.

Tue, Aug 19: Heavy wind accompanied the rain last night. Part of the thatch (grass) roof on the women’s house blew off. Not only did the women and their belongings get wet, but now the men must spend the day trying to repair it before it rains again. Thatch roofing material is in short supply during the rainy season. Pray for MNK men to seek God during this busy time of year.

Wed, Aug 20: The young men, weary from weeks of hard work in the fields, organize a soccer match with a neighboring village for this afternoon. They work extra hard to clear a field for the match which was left fallow this year. Pray for MNK young men as they desire to be more than just rural subsistence farmers; pray they will desire to know God above all else.

Thu, Aug 21: The sun has been extremely intense this day as the women worked in the rice field. As they continued into the late afternoon, the horizon offered dark clouds and perhaps a respite from the heat. But as the storm approached, they realized not only were they going to be soaked by a torrential downpour, but the risk of being struck by lightening was also real. Pray for MNK women who work in dangerous conditions; pray that God will fill their hearts with a joy and peace that comes only from knowing Him.

The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings? O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord, and your faithfulness surrounds you. – Psalm 89:5,6,8

Fri, Aug 22: The girls are washing clothes this morning; the sun is out and it looks like it will be a nice day. By the lunchtime, they are just hanging the things over fences and on the ground to dry. In the early afternoon dark clouds spot the horizon; soon the heavens open and the clean-nearly-dry laundry is brought inside and put away. In this hot and humid climate, ringworm and other funguses abound. Pray for the health of young children; scratching typically leads to secondary bacterial infections that quickly become severe and debilitating, sometimes overnight.

Sat, Aug 23: Weeding is the most backbreaking work of the farming season. All day is spent bent over working with a short-handled hoe. The MNK work in groups…men work with men…women work with women…older boys work with older boys…girls take care of the children and bring water. Peer pressure is tremendous to not stop, to not take a break, to not slow down. Pray God will break into this society and enable men, women, and children to hear the truth of the Gospel.

Sun, Aug 24: The stores of food are nearly depleted. There is no more rice or millet from last year; there is precious little money to buy a bag of rice in town. This is the hungry time of year…the time between the end of what was stored, and the harvesting of the crops. For a father, it can be dreadful time. Pray for MNK men to believe that God’s care extends into their everyday lives and family, and beyond.

Mon, Aug 25: Fire, even in the rainy season, is a constant conceal for villagers who live in thatch roof houses and sleep on straw mattresses. One of the young children played with matches this morning. When the women came in from the fields, they found a mattress, mosquito net, and a bucket full of clothes completely destroyed; fortunately there were only frightened children and minor burns to deal with. Pray for the women who will now rush to buy even more powerful jujus to protect their children; obviously the ones they already had protected them.

Tue, Aug 26: As new missionaries come to live among the MNK, they are faced with a plethora of questions. How do you relate to this totally different culture? How do you go about making friendships? How do you share the Gospel? To whom? Where? When? Pray for new workers among the MNK to be sensitive to the guiding of God’s Holy Spirit in making these kinds of decisions.

Wed, Aug 27: During the rainy season, Wednesday is added to the traditional Friday as a day-off. This enables MNK men and women to stay close to home, take care of household responsibilities, as well as have a slight respite from the rigors of peanut and rice fieldwork. This is also a good day for visiting during the rainy season. Pray for opportunities to share the Gospel during this otherwise difficult time of the year.

Thu, Aug 28: MNKs with mental difficulties are not hidden away, but nor are they given medical treatment. They innocuously roam around the community, an ignored and invisible part of society. Determining the source of their mental illness is challenging; given the general fragility of life, this segment of society is given a very low priority. Pray for those who are mentally ill, those who have fried their brains through the use of drugs, and those who are tortured by Satan to find health and peace in Christ Jesus.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. – Psalm 95:6-7

Fri, Aug 29: M. is a new believer in a town with no other MNK believers. This can lead to frustration and loneliness within this communal society. At this point, George’s only association with other believers is with Toubob who lead him to Christ. Pray for the Holy Spirit to fill new believer’s lives so that they are able to stand – alone if need be – firmly for Christ.

Sat, Aug 30: F. became a believer through a medical ministry as those who worked in the clinic shared the Gospel with her. When she was found to be HIV positive; her husband left her with 3 young children to care for; her family has also cast her out. Pray that the growing number of HIV-positive MNK will have the opportunity to hear the Gospel; pray for wisdom and strength among those who work with this segment of the MNK.

Sun, Aug 31: A. became a believer when he was 15. Now 20 years later, he is disillusioned. He has been praying God would send him a believing wife for many years, but still he is single. The pressure from his family is becoming unbearable, and he is turning his back on his faith. Pray for believers who, because of societal pressures, must marry and have children, yet hold the conviction God intends for them to marry believing partners.