28 February 2002

 

Dear Faithful Ones,

 

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. – Isaiah 6:3

 

Have you considered recently the holiness of God?  It is a mind-boggling concept.  A holy God, One who is absolutely pure.  In Him is found no deceit; in Him is found no contradiction; in Him is found no sin; in Him is found nothing less than perfection; in Him is our security.  And all of this available to those of us who are full of deceit, contradictions, sin, and imperfections.  How can it be?  It goes back to the very beginning… In the beginning, God…

 

This is where this month’s prayer update will focus.  Mandinkas have a very limited understanding of personal accountability; they agree that God created them, but since He did, everything they do which is displeasing to Him is forgivable since they are followers of Islam.  Pray daily that their eyes, ears, and hearts will be opened to the Truth.

 

“Pray” for this fictitious family of Bakary, his wives, his children, and his parents.  Pray that those of us on the field will be found faithful, available and obedient to what the Lord has asked of us; pray for those God is calling out to work among the MNK.

 

Bakary, the head of the family (early 50s)

Fatou, Bakary’s first wife (early 40s) and her children (Adama, Hawa, Kadi, Sali, Mariyama, Fatou, Ibrima)

Binta, Bakary’s second wife (mid 30s) and her children (Lamin, Modou, Tida, Alieu, Isatou)

Kadi, Bakary’s third wife (early 20s) and her children (Ebou, Nyima, Alhaji)

Lamin, Bakary’s elderly father (mid 70s)

Sali, Lamin’s only surviving wife, birthmother of Bakary

Toubob, what MNKs call white westerners

 

It is with sadness that we celebrate the end of Beth Heyer’s two-year term with us among the MNK.  We thank God for her, for her witness, and for her faithfulness.  Pray for Beth as she continues to follow the Lord in lifestyle obedience.

 

The third bi-monthly prayer awareness video has been sent to our participating partners.  If you would like to begin receiving these, please let me know by email.  In addition, we have a few promotional materials we would like to share with our prayer partners.  If you are interested in receiving any of these, please send me your snail-mail address.  As always, I thank you for the privilege of working alongside you among the MNK.

 

Your sister on the MNK field,

 

MNK Update March 2002

 

Fri, Mar 1:    For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. – Romans 15:4  This is the same verse as on the first day of February’s update.  But this embodies the crux of our prayer for the MNK.  Everything in Scripture was written to teach us, not confuse us.  Scripture is our guidebook.  Pray that the Mandinka will become hungry for the Book of Truth and seek their answers from it, and not from man.

 

Sat, Mar 2:    In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. – Genesis 1:1  Do you know what the Muslim concept of creation is?  As Bakary considers the words he heard on the radio last Thursday, he wonders about creation.  There is so much he doesn’t understand; why does this weekly broadcast intrigue him so?  Pray that as Bakary considers the words of these teachings from the Bible, he will find the Truth in the Holy God of Creation.

 

Sun, Mar 3:    Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. – Genesis 1:2  Bakary wonders about this concept of God “hovering” over anything.  He has seen buzzards hovering over dead carcasses; he has seen mothers hover over their children; he has seen sheep care for their lambs.  But the idea of God hovering and caring in like manner is a strange concept to him.  Pray that Bakary will begin to see that mankind has many of the same characteristics attributed to God, and that this is NOT an abomination, but rather an indication that we are His creation.

 

Mon, Mar 4:    And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light…and there was evening and there was morning – the first day. – Genesis 1:3-5  The first day…how could God create and separate the light from the darkness in one day?  How long was this day?  Bakary heard Fatou and the other women repeat comments they heard from the men in the village about this strange idea.  As a man, Bakary has been exposed to more discussions like this than his wives, yet even he is still puzzled.  He finds it strange that Fatou is even interested in these things, being just a woman.  Is it good for a woman to listen to these false teachings?  Pray for the radio broadcasts to be heard with open hearts by men and women.

 

Tue, Mar 5:    And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water”…God called the expanse “sky.”  And there was evening, and there was morning – the second day. – Genesis 1:6-8  As a small child, Fatou remembers seeing the ocean for the first time.  It was so large…it just kept going and going…and it was salty…so different from the river water she lived near.  But what does it mean to “separate water from water”?  This is indeed confusing to her; do they mean separating the ocean from the river?  Pray for Fatou to be able to listen and learn concepts outside her Mandinka knowledge base.

 

Wed, Mar 6:    And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.  Let the land produce vegetation.”  And it was so.  And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening and there was morning – the third day. – Genesis 1:9-13  As Fatou and the other women listen to the radio, they heard this verse just after the news.  It made them start thinking about the earth’s vegetation…about the vegetable garden they tend in the dry season.  They started talking about the upcoming rainy season and the workload.  God called it good.  It doesn’t “feel” good when your work is more akin to a constant battle.  Pray for Mandinkas to recognize God’s creation as an extension of Himself, and that all He created was created in perfection.

 

Thu, Mar 7:    And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky…” God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night.  He also made the stars.  And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening, and there was morning – the fourth day. – Genesis 1:14-19  It seems nearly impossible to grasp, that God could create the sun and the moon and all the stars AFTER He created the earth.  To a mind not schooled in critical thinking, these concepts are quite incredible.  Yet the Mandinka have the opportunity every day to examine and interact with creation, up close and personal!  Fatou, Kadi and Binta are completely astonished when they try to fathom a world prior to the creation of the sun, the moon, and the stars.  Yet, as Muslims, their entire religious calendar follows the cycle of the moon, what Scripture calls the lesser light.  Pray for Bakary as the head of his household to come to terms with God’s amazing creation, and to lead his family to discover the path of Truth. 

 

Fri, Mar 8:    God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems,…and every winged bird…And God saw that it was good.  God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”  And there was evening, and there was morning – the fifth day. – Genesis 1:20-23  Even the children understood this verse as they heard it on the radio yesterday.  God created every fish of the waters and every bird of the air.  The children started thinking about all the different kinds of birds they see every day…pigeons, fire finches, cordon bleus, starlings, pied crows, ground hornbills.  Did God really stop and think about each one as He created them, or did He just wave his hands?  Pray that the MNK would consider not just that God created, but that He continues to participate in creation and therefore in our everyday lives. 

 

Sat, Mar 9:    And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds:  livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals…”  And it was so.  And God saw that it was good.  – Genesis 1:24-25  Bakary watched a scorpion move across his floor as he listened to this verse.  Did God really create every creature, including scorpions?  Just then Kadi came in with her youngest child and began screaming at Bakary to kill the scorpion.  Bakary, jolted back to reality by his third and youngest wife, jumped up and smashed the scorpion with his flip-flop.  He thought about what he had just done.  Islam encourages MNKs not to kill anything if it is not necessary.  Pray for Bakary as he struggles to acknowledge the wonder of every portion of God’s creation, not in a mystical fashion, but in reverence to the Holy Creator.

 

Sun, Mar 10:    And God saw that it was good…and God saw that it was good…and God saw that it was good… -- Genesis 1:2,10,12,18,21,25  Mandinkas are quick to say something is good because they don’t wish to contradict someone else or they don’t wish to create conflict.  Even if they really don’t think something is good, they will say it is to keep peace.  Yet listening this week to the radio spots, Bakary is hearing God call His creation good quite frequently.  Is all creation good?  Was the snake found in the women’s latrine good?  Was the wild cat that snuck into the chicken house good?  Are mosquitoes good?  Pray for Bakary as he struggles with this concept of good in the face of his daily, earthly, apparently not-so-good circumstances.

 

Mon, Mar 11:    Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. – Genesis 1:26  When Bakary went to town yesterday, he heard people talking about the one-minute spots, about this creation story and this plural God.  For a Muslim MNK this verse proves the Islamic belief  that Christians are not monotheistic, but tri-theistic.  Islam is the only true religion.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to open Bakary’s ears and heart as he listens to Scripture; pray that he will not be hindered by the expression of Truth, but that he will be able to absorb the Truth.

 

Tue, Mar 12:    So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  The Lord formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.  – Genesis 1:27; 2:7  Unlike most Westerners, Mandinkas have no difficulty with the fact that God is responsible for creation.  What Bakary cannot accept is that we are created in the image of God; that we are a reflection of God, dim though that reflection may be at times.  Also difficult to accept is the fact that men and women are equal in the eyes of God…neither gender is exalted…neither gender is depreciated...that both have equal access to God.  Binta wonders what Bakary thinks of this verse; she wonders how this can be…  Pray for Mandinka men and women to concede that there are aspects of Creation and of God that cannot be adequately explained to the human mind; pray for them to listen and learn in faith.

 

Wed, Mar 13:    God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.  And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day. – Genesis 1:31  The radio presenter strongly emphasized the word very in this verse.  Remembering other programs, Bakary recalled that after every other day of creation, God announced that it was good.  But after creating man and woman, He announced that it was very good.  Why would a Holy, Perfect God announce the creation of man and woman as very good?  Pray for the hearts of MNKs to hear the Holy Spirit speaking through these words written so long ago, about a God who is still relevant and active in Creation.

 

Thu, Mar 14:    By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.  And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. – Genesis 2:2-3  Christians hold Sundays as “holy”.  Many attend church, but then the rest of the day is just like any other day of the week, especially in western society.  Jews hold Saturdays as “holy”.  Many attend synagogue Friday night, but few still hold Saturday as their “Sabbath”.  Mandinkas hold Friday afternoons as “holy”.  They tend to not work in their fields, but they by no means hold the day as sacred.  What was the purpose of God blessing the seventh day and making it holy?  Pray for Christians, Jews, and Muslims worldwide to understand the true meaning of the Sabbath as we seek to grasp the holiness of God’s character.

 

Fri, Mar 15:    Now the Lord had planted a garden in the east.  The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. – Genesis 2:8,15  God gave man the responsibility of caring for the garden.  For Bakary, these verses are alluding to the fact that we are, indeed, God’s slaves; after all, that is what being a Muslim is all about – complete submission to God, his slave, if you will.  It is puzzling to Bakary how some verses of the Bible match verses from the Qu’ran, and others are so distinctly different.  Can they both be true?  Pray for Bakary’s innate desire for God to urge him to find the Truth by searching Scripture.  Pray for Scripture to be available to Bakary and every MNK in a form they can either read or listen to, and understand.

 

Sat, Mar 16:    And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. – Genesis 2:16-17  Bakary is reassured.  Here is another verse that confirms only Muslims have the correct understanding.  Christians contend that God is only good, that there is no evil in Him.  But these verses state clearly that God created good and evil.  This cements the concept that if God created evil, He must forgive it since it is ultimately His fault anyway!  Pray that Bakary will not be reassured falsely of the meaning of these verses.  God created a choice…man chose…man continues to choose…God continues to seek after us, after Bakary. 

 

Sun, Mar 17:    The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him.”.  Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. – Genesis 2:18-22   Fatou remembers how the radio announcer said that God created man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him.  But now she hears that God made woman from the man’s rib.  Why did God do that?  If God had created men and women as equals, He would have created us in the same way.  But He didn’t.  He made woman from man.  Fatou remembers her mother teaching her as a child never to completely trust men, including her future husband.  Is this teaching implying that women are beneath men in God’s creation?  For a Mandinka woman, there is nothing strange in that idea.  Pray for Fatou to grasp not only her place in creation and life, but her personal value to God as His creation.

 

Mon, Mar 18:    The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” – Genesis 2:23  In a Mandinka marriage, partners remain fiercely loyal to their parents.  Men are sons first, husbands second.  Women are daughters first, wives second.  It is as if they stand not face-to-face in unity, but back-to-back ready to return “home” at the first provocation.  The woman is taken away from her family, and she is to adopt her husband’s parents are her own, but her greatest loyalty always remains to her mother.  Pray that Mandinkas will see the creation of the institution of marriage as God’s plan for creating unity. 

 

Tue, Mar 19:    For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. – Genesis 2:24  Now THIS is certainly a strange idea.  How can a man leave his parents?  Is he not responsible for taking care of them in their old age?  Bakary wonders how his father, Lamin, feels when he hears this verse.  Is Islam the only religion that provides for the aged?  And how can Bakary be one flesh with his wives?  There are three of them…if they each new his innermost secrets, they would have power over him.  No, no, no.  Every fiber of his Mandinka being tells Bakary that this concept is NOT the right one.  He would never make himself vulnerable to a woman...  Pray for Mandinka men to see that the concept of marriage began at creation, for the mutual benefit and strengthening of both the man and the woman.

 

Wed, Mar 20:    The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. – Genesis 2:25  Bakary has never been naked before his wives in the light.  Neither have his wives ever been naked before him.  This is clearly a characteristic of western society.  Bakary remembers the first time he saw Toubobs from Europe on the beach…their lack of clothing was extraordinary to him.  Their legs were completely uncovered…he was shocked.  “How can I ever be naked in front of a woman and NOT feel shame or embarrassment?”  The Bible lesson further explained that this lack of shame had to do with having nothing to hide from one another or from God.  But Bakary knows he has plenty to hide from God.  If God really knew all that he thought…  Pray that Bakary and all MNKs will come to understand that God does know all we think and feel, and that He stands ready with love and forgiveness.

 

Thu, Mar 21:    Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. – Genesis 3:1a  Snakes…Mandinka men hate snakes…Mandinka women hate snakes…Mandinka children hate snakes.  Sometimes a foreigner will tell Fatou or Kadi or Binta not to be afraid of snakes, as they are a part of God’s creation, and man is superior to snakes.  But that Toubob has never seen what an untreated snakebite does to someone.  Fatou’s brother was bitten on the foot when he was a child; he lost several toes to infection and nearly died.  Kadi’s aunt was working in the rice field when she saw a deadly snake; she died of fright.  Binta’s uncle put his hand into a bag and was bitten by a very venomous snake; he died within 2 days a very ugly, painful death.  Sheep, goats, cattle, horses all die from snakebites.  Indeed, the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals…  Pray that the Mandinka will not live in fear of any aspect of God’s creation; rather that they will live in awe and wonder of their Creator and Sustainer.

 

Fri, Mar 22:    The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” – Genesis 3:1b  The next several verses more closely resemble the Qu’ran since they depict an animal speaking, and therefore allude to unnatural occurrences.  Yet Mandinkas miss the point that this serpent is really Satan in disguise.  Unfortunately, so did Eve.  Awa, as she is called in Mandinka, was tempted by the question, “Did God really say…”.  The Bible records the instruction as given to Adam directly by God, and Adam passed the information on to his wife.  Yet, when the serpent comes along, he changed it; but the change is less than subtle.  It is the absolute opposite of God’s instruction recorded in Genesis 2:16b.  How could Awa have been so gullible?  How can we be so easily led astray by Satan’s lies?  Pray that the MNK will come to see the lies they have lived with for hundreds of years are not of God; pray that their hearts and minds will be opened to the Holy One.

 

Sat, Mar 23:    The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” – Genesis 3:2-3  Embellishment.  There isn’t a word in Mandinka that adequately describes what Awa did here in falsely recounting God’s instruction to her and her husband…except the word translated “to lie”!  She lied.  Yet to the Mandinka mindset, she didn’t really lie, she simply expressed more completely what God intended.  We all do it every day.  But for the educated world, we can look back at original sources (a letter, an article, the Bible) to find what is actually written.  The Mandinka do not have that privilege.  For one, the entire Bible is not translated into Mandinka.  Second, 85% of MNKs are unable to read the Roman script.  Pray that as the Word is shared with MNKs, it will be shared accurately and completely, with no cultural bias.  Pray also for the production of the Bible in Arabic script.

 

Sun, Mar 24:    "You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:4-5  Oh the struggle the translator is having with this verse.  As a MNK Muslim, he knows the Qu’ran and traditional MNK thought on this matter.  Yet he is employed to make use of his knowledge of both English and MNK to put Scripture into Mandinka.  Puzzled by this verse, he contemplates its meaning.  Satan told Awa that God feared her knowing Him, feared her becoming like Him, feared her knowing good and evil.  Is that true?  How was the serpent able to put himself between Awa and God?  Pray for those who translate the Scriptures to experience the complete Truths of God, and recognize the complete lies of Satan.  Pray for the MNK who listen to the brief radio spots to be able to grasp the Truth.

 

Mon, Mar 25:    When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  – Genesis 3:6a  Awa must have been hungry.  Why else would she have eaten that apple?  Binta is trying to console herself with this fact, but the radio broadcast includes the words that Awa saw this as desirable for gaining wisdom.  Mandinka men have always blamed women for their problems.  That’s why men and women remain distant and distrusting of one another.  But Binta knows there are times when Bakary does things that have absolutely nothing to do with her that bring pain and suffering to their family.  And she knows there are times when she does exactly the same thing…  Pray that Binta will come to have a clear understanding that who she is and what she does is known to God and that He is the ultimate source for gaining wisdom.

 

Tue, Mar 26:    She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. – Genesis 3:6b  Here is another clear contradiction with popular Mandinka belief.  Mandinkas believe that while Eve DID eat the apple, Adam did not.  They believe that just as Adam was swallowing the apple, God sent an angel who thrust his fist into Adam’s throat and retrieved the piece of apple; in doing so, the angel left a mark on Adam – now called an Adam’s apple.  Yet Scripture is clear that the woman gave some of the fruit to her husband – who was with her – and he ate it.  The Mandinka have many contradictions to both Islam and their traditional beliefs to deal with as they listen to these radio broadcasts.  Pray that the radio broadcasts will not be hindered from their weekly airing.

 

Wed, Mar 27:    Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. – Genesis 3:7  Bakary is very confused now.  How could both Adam and Awa realize they were naked if only Awa ate the apple?  And why did eating the apple open their eyes to their nakedness?  Bakary has two choices.  He can just ignore what he hears on the radio and not allow this to disturb him, or he can go ask the Toubob he knows who lives in town.  Perhaps he could explain this to him.  Pray for the language skills and knowledge base of all those who live and work among the MNK to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15).

           

Thu, Mar 28:    Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”  He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” – Genesis 3:8-10  Binta is pretty frustrated tonight.  She has been looking for her daughters, Tida and Isatou, for hours.  They were supposed to have the millet pounded and ready for dinner before now.  They went to town early yesterday morning, but said they would return before lunch today.  Now, not only will dinner be late for the entire family, but Bakary is going to be quite angry.  “They think they can hide from me…”  Then Binta starts thinking about the radio lessons.  Is it possible to hide from God?  Did God really have to call out to Adam?  Did He not know where Adam was?  Pray for MNK parents to have revelation from God regarding the similarities in their relationship with their own children and their personal relationship with their heavenly Father.

 

Fri, Mar 29:    And God said, “Who told you that you were naked?  Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”  The man said, “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” – Genesis 3:11-12  According to Scripture, who was in the garden with Adam and Eve?  Only God, and the serpent, Satan.  So God’s question to Adam was really a rhetorical one, since He knew full well what had happened.  And God, ever true to his Holy nature, got right to the heart of the matter…have you eaten?…  Confronted with his sin, Adam did what every human being has done since; he blamed someone else.  In fact, he ultimately blamed God when he said, The woman you put here with me… This is where the Mandinka still stand; they believe they are ultimately not responsible for their actions since it is God who created both them and the situation they find themselves in.  Pray as you remember the death of Christ on the cross this day that the Mandinka will come to see their individual accountability before God.

 

Sat, Mar 30:    Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”  The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” – Genesis 3:13  Just like her husband, Awa blamed someone else.  Adam blamed her; she blamed the serpent (Satan).  Who can Satan blame, God?  The Mandinka tend to blame the West, non-Muslims, slavery, anything and everyone but themselves for the circumstances of their lives.  When a child dies, God did it.  When a crop fails, God did it.  When someone steals something, God wasn’t looking.  This may be one of the most pertinent Scriptures in the entire Bible – What is this you have done?  Pray that as each of us, including the MNK, are confronted by the consequences of our own personal choices, we will desire a closer relationship with the Holy God of Creation.

 

Sun, Mar 31:    For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. – Romans 15:4  Everything recorded in these first three chapters of Genesis is there to give us an accurate picture of man’s own choice in the matter of sin.  Unfortunately, the Mandinkas are not the only people in the world blinded by Satan.  As you celebrate the Risen Savior this day, remember those who live in darkness around the world.  Pray for Mandinkas to be able to celebrate with us not only the Truth of God, but the forgiveness through His only Son.