Biem New Testament Dedication
Brandon and Rachel Buser minister among the Biem people of Papua New Guinea. The Biem New Testament has been printed, and the Biem church will have a dedication on June 18. “Do pray for the Biem Church, that will take the lead in this event. They are very excited … with a tinge of anxiousness too, I think. With delegates from the entire Biem-speaking world set to be present, they know the opportunity is huge. One brother said, ‘God must get a big name from what happens that day. That is the biggest thing. And we must speak out the “good talk” (gospel) clearly.’”
Preparing the Soil
Micah and Laura Myers minister among the Lembena people of Papua New Guinea. They hope that after language evaluations in July, they will be done with official culture and language acquisition in time to have a literacy kick-off in August. “Pray for our plans, that we would be letting God lead and direct us.” Pray for the team as they strategize “how to address the misunderstandings and wrong beliefs that are here” and plan for “the busy season ahead.” Pray that “the Holy Spirit would be preparing hearts and preparing the soil to receive the Word.” Pray for team unity.
A Different Worldview
John and Rebecca Keefe minister among the Ayoré people of Paraguay. They are working through challenges that come up as they try to present God’s Word. What seems logical and reasonable to the team may not make any sense to the Ayoré because they have a different worldview. The Keefes attended a workshop to talk through some of these challenges in communication and to identify barriers that Satan could “leverage … to keep them in darkness.” Pray that God would give “wisdom and direction in how to bring the Good News to their understanding so that they may come out of darkness into the joy of salvation.”
Entering Jesus’ Clan
Jason and Laken Cizdziel and Lisa Kappeler minister among Uriay people of Papua New Guinea. Over six months, Jason taught through the biblical story from Creation to Christ. Many professed faith and asked to be baptized just as Jesus commanded. Jason interviewed each one to ensure that they understood what they had been taught. Fifty-three people understood and believed Yahweh’s story and were baptized on March 12. Jason was able to announce with confidence that they were leaving Satan’s clan and entering Jesus’ clan. Pray for the continued discipleship of the Uriay church. Pray for the Cizdziels and Lisa as they continue to teach, love and walk alongside the Uriay people.
Teaching Has Begun!
Matt and Emily Musser are church planters in Asia Pacific and ask for prayer for Scott and Natasha Flaugher and family as they have begun the Creation to Christ Bible teaching with the Elsengg people of Asia Pacific. The road to this point has been a long one with many obstacles. “Pray for God to soften the hearts of the Elsengg … to understand the truths they are hearing.” Pray that God would strengthen and protect the Flaughers and keep them healthy. “Pray that God would keep outsiders and distractions away (unless those outsiders need to hear this teaching too!). … Pray for Scott to be able to communicate clearly. Pray for their co-worker Carolyn who continues to work on translation [remotely].”
Standing Firm
Bill and Donna Davis ministered among the Palawano people of the Philippines for over 33 years. They learned that a pastor moved into the area and is trying to bribe Palawano believers to join his church — considered by many to be a cult. Pray that the Palawano church will continue to “stand firm” against this pressure. “[T]he Palawano church is conducting new outreaches and there are many new Palawanos who have come to Christ! These new ones have gotten baptized and attend the church. Please pray with us for the Palawano church. Pray for [church leaders] Arnel and Joseph, another church leader, as they do outreach and shepherd the flock.”
Until All Nations Hear
Pray for unreached people groups in Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and other Latin American countries. Pray for those who have yet to hear in Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and other countries in Asia Pacific. Pray for unreached people in Southeast Asia Mainland, South Asia and North Asia. Pray for those in Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa and other countries throughout Africa who are living without hope.
These are countries and regions in which Global Partners currently has church planting efforts underway. Pray that many will come to believe, and as they are discipled, they will be faithful to share God’s Word with their people and their neighbors who then in turn can share with their neighbors. Let’s keep praying until all nations hear and Jesus Christ returns (Mark 13:10).
Don’t forget to catch the final webcast in the Until All Hear webcast series tonight at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time (6:30 Central, 4:30 Pacific).
After a Year-Long Teaching…
Derek and Chantal Chen minister among the Tanguat people of Papua New Guinea. “The Tanguat church has finally finished going through the nearly year-long teaching on the Gospel of Mark. ... The church was challenged with trusting Jesus and being willing to bear the cost of following Him. And what better way to demonstrate faith and discipleship than a baptism on Easter day? Seven men and women publicly professed their faith in Christ and were baptized.” Bible teachers Taitus and Justin were baptized too, along with two of the teachers’ wives. “Praise God for new life, victory over death and the hope of resurrection!”
The First Pieces of Scripture
Josiah and Rachel Van Der Decker serve alongside the Mouk church, ministering to the Anem people of Papua New Guinea. “After years of us working on language learning and translation, the Anem finally get to hold the very first pieces of Scripture in their own language!” Praise God that the Anem people now have copies of Genesis and Jonah. “Pray for joy and stamina for us and the Anem believers who are helping us take major portions of Exodus through the steps in the translation process. Pray for wisdom and clarity as we work on drafting various other Scripture portions from the Old Testament.”
Interdependence in the Local Church
Jason and Nisae Williamson, serving itinerantly, minister among the Iski people of Papua New Guinea. In an effort to develop “greater networking and interdependence among the different local churches in the Ramu Valley,” Jason led a three-day workshop for 21 church leaders from the Itutang, Kaze and Iski people groups. The men shared “reports of what God is doing in our respective areas,” and Jason taught on “the importance of biblical, ‘life-on-life’ discipleship” and “the dangers of passivity in biblical leadership.” Praise God that “the hearts have been challenged, uplifted and spurred on. Please pray with us for these 21 leaders.”
Colegio Binimea
Colegio Binimea, a school for missionary kids in northern Mexico, is in urgent need of an elementary teacher to teach grades 5-6 starting in August of this year. Pray that God will direct the right person to fill this need. There is always a need for secondary education teachers too. Pray that God would raise up more laborers desiring to serve Him in this way. Pray that teachers will have wisdom and energy as they teach and disciple their students. Pray that students will grow in their walks with the Lord. Pray that unbelieving students will place their trust in the Lord.
Interested in teaching? Contact principal Brad Cain at office@binimea.org
The Statistics
Three billion people have not had the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel. Of the over 6,000 people groups worldwide who remain unreached, today let’s pray specifically for the 4,789 people groups with no Christian presence and no confirmed movements to reach them. Of these groups, 90% live in the most gospel-resistant parts of the world. Pray that God would raise up bold and wise Christians who would find creative ways to bring God’s Word to these people. Pray that God would soften hearts to the truth of the gospel.
For some, these statistics are familiar, but many Christians are not aware of the magnitude of the mission at hand. You can help them become aware by sharing with your friends, at your church and on social media.
Urgent Needs in the IT Department
Pray for more laborers to serve in Ethnos360’s IT department. One more urgent need is for someone to serve as senior systems administrator. “Neil, Roland and Tami worked really hard taking applicants through our process over the past three months.” Unfortunately, they have not found the right person yet. “Pray for both Neil Byce and Roland Shafer as they interview these candidates and determine who is the best fit for our team.” Other urgent needs include people to fill roles as enterprise application developer, IT support technician at Ethnos360 Training Center, and IT director for Ethnos360 Aviation.
A Timely Message
Katie Moore ministers among the Nahuatl people of Las Moras, Mexico. The team is still not able to return to their homes in Las Moras due to unrest in the area, but they made a short visit to encourage the church “and read parts of the newly translated 1 Peter. What a timely message for a group dispersed by violence and suffering great difficulties! The church has not been meeting together lately, but we pray that they will see the need to encourage, help and support each other during these challenging times.” Praise God that the Nahuatl now have access to God’s Word through a new app on their phones. Pray that God would continue to protect the Nahuatl people and provide for their needs as “food is still scarce.”
Ruled By Anger, Jealousy and Fear
Mark and Shelbi Fitzpatrick are preparing to live among the Gende people of Papua New Guinea (PNG). The team has been offered land to build their houses on. Mark and teammates Nate and Ricky flew into Gende to sign land agreements. However, during the meeting, fighting broke out, and two men were badly injured. “Please join us in praying for Gende. This confirmed to us how deep the need is here in PNG. So many are still stuck in old customs, ruled by anger, jealousy and fear. Clueless ... [that] Christ willingly died on our behalf.” Pray that the people can “cool off and work through things” so the team can build their houses.
Understanding the Kuyu Language
Jonathan and Devon Ames minister among the Kuyu people of Papua New Guinea. Pray for stamina as the team progresses through culture and language analysis and nears the end of formal study. Praise God that the team has developed an approved orthography (alphabet). Pray as they prepare physically, emotionally and spiritually for a literacy kick-off, Lord willing, in September. “Before we call for a literacy kick-off, we need to complete a couple significant cultural write-ups, finish discourse analysis and compile around 15,000 words of Kuyu text that can be inputted into the literacy construction software.”
The Simbari People
In celebration of serving in Papua New Guinea (PNG) for 75 years, we are praying for a series of people groups New Tribes Mission PNG is working among. The first we will highlight is the Simbari. The Simbari people live in many different hamlets and villages in the mountains of the Eastern Highlands province.
The Simbari church planting team spent many years learning the language and culture, teaching literacy and translating the Bible, and in 2023, the Simbari New Testament and portions of the Old Testament were presented to the people.
Please pray for the church as they continue to grow in their love for God, that they would stand strong on His Word. Pray that God would prepare hearts for the gospel to spread to more and more villages. Pray for the Simbari church and its leaders to be faithful witnesses and ministers of the Word of God.
The Importance of P1 Literacy
Tim and Robin Walker minister to the P1 people of Latin America. As P1 children go through school, they are taught in Spanish, and they have “zero curriculum” in the P1 language. “If these children start learning to read [the P1 language] in school, it will revolutionize the efficacy of the written Scriptures.” Tomás, director of the Ministry of Education in one of the western states of the country, is going to visit P1 villages and then visit the Department of Education in hopes of getting P1 literacy books registered as official school curriculum. “Pray for success in this as it has powerful ramifications!”
A Third of Us
On June 8, the International Day for the Unreached, we will join the Alliance for the Unreached in prayer for the third of world who have yet to hear the true gospel. The Alliance for the Unreached will be hosting “Until All Hear,” a series of webcasts on Wednesdays leading up to this day of prayer, where you can hear directly from “dozens of ministry organizations [including Ethnos360] that are actively implementing strategies to penetrate the dark regions of the world” with the light of God’s Word. Pray that this webcast will inform, encourage and spur people on. As we consider the harvest, pray for more laborers.
Enthusiasm Is High
Benjamin and Missy Hatton minister among the Amdu people of Papua New Guinea. The Hattons and co-workers Bart and Emily Allen desire to “see the Amdu church come to maturity.” They challenged the church to “prioritize God’s Word above other influences in their lives.” They began a series of meetings in addition to their weekly meeting, and they are encouraged that “enthusiasm is high.” Praise God for the group who has made these meetings a priority. Pray that they will learn and grow through this study. Pray for three men and two women in the church who are being trained and discipled to serve “in selfless ministry to the Body of Christ.”