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Prayer requests and praises
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For current prayer requests concerning the Africa Region, click here.Submit prayer requests to
Linda Braaten at
lbraaten@africa-region.org.za  Please pray for: The 10 Extraordinary Prayer requests. Continued church growth in The Gambia, Cape Verde and around the region. Literature ministry. May we be willing to sow the seeds for God to touch people's lives through the written word. African youth who need the hope for a better future. May they find their hope in Christ. The visas and travel arrangements for the African delegation to the General Conventions and Assembly this summer.
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Explore the Africa Region
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10 Extraordinary Prayer Requests - #2
Every Nazarene a Spirit -Filled Disciple - by David Johnson
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Not long ago a friend of mine had a problem with his car. The car looked good. It was comfortable. The engine would start but it had no power. After having the car towed to a mechanic, my friend's suspicions were confirmed. The attendant at the fuel station had put petrol into the tank of a car that uses diesel fuel. After the fuel line was cleaned and the proper fuel put into the tank the engine ran with the power it was built to have.  | | Diesel fuel only |
As Christians, our proper fuel is the Holy Spirit. Our lives should be filled with nothing but Him. With the Holy Spirit filling our lives we have the guidance necessary to live the Christian life. He will guide us into all truth (John 16:13).
To be disciples who make disciples we must be Spirit-filled. It is through the filling of the Holy Spirit that we have the power to be witnesses (Acts 1:8) and it is from Spirit-filled hearts that living waters flow (John 7:38).
Having our hearts cleansed by faith (Acts 15:8-9) and being filled with the Holy Spirit, we have the power to live as we were created to live. -----------------------------------------------------------
The 10 Extraordinary Prayer Requests can be reviewed here. |
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A story from The Gambia-- by Rev. LeCrecia M. Ali
| It was a muggy hot afternoon in Banjul, The Gambia as the missionary sat waiting in the cool of the shade for a slim possibility of contact for the new ministry there.
Earlier that day, the missionary had been out with his ministry partner talking to people along the busy street in the capital, sharing his testimony and about the Church of the Nazarene.
They had stopped to talk to a small-time street vendor, who listened very patiently and enthusiastically. He finally responded excitedly, "This is GOOD NEWS...but I could never become a Christian. My mother would die if I ever converted and I don't want to be known as the man who killed his mother. But I do have a friend in the interior, who needs to hear this news." The vendor then proceeded to pack up his small shop, promising to return in the afternoon with his friends.
Now late in the afternoon, as the missionary began to doubt the worth of hanging around, the vendor returned with his friend, apologizing that it had taken him so long. He had taken a several hour bus trip (at his own expense) out to the village where his friend lives, convinced his friend to come into the city, and then returned. 
He proudly presented his friend to the missionary, "This is my friend, John Abraham. Tell him what you told me."
John Abraham received the GOOD NEWS without hesitation or restriction and that same muggy evening, accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. John Abraham can officially be considered the first Nazarene in the country of The Gambia.
In the year since his conversion, John Abraham has continued to grow in the Lord and show a wisdom that could only come from the Lord. Soon into his training to be a leader for the burgeoning Church in The Gambia, John Abraham realized that being a pastor was not his gift or calling. He then handed the reins of the small congregation over to a young woman, who has shown many gifts and graces for pastoral ministry.
God is at work in The Gambia. Please pray for our two small congregations in The Gambia and for the leaders as they are rooted and established in Truth.
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Three ways to spread the Word - by Sal Munedzimwe
| The mission to reach out with literature to our community means we always look for opportunities to make available what we have.
Events
Recently, about two thousand women attended a two and half day conference. It was an opportunity for distributing literature, as well as getting the women to take some back  to their communities. We had literature specifically for women.
Do you have an upcoming event where literature could be distributed?
Ministry
The prison community accessed some of our literature. We will never know what will happen to all those prisoners on their release, but we hope that that their lives will never be the same as a result of what they learned from God's Word while in prison.
Do you have a ministry to prisoners or others who would benefit from Christian literature to read and study?
Daily living
Some opportunities present themselves so fast that we miss them and once we miss them; they are gone forever. One afternoon, I was driving along a not so busy road and there was a traffic police checkpoint on the way. On noticing the checkpoint, I slowed down and pulled off the road. A traffic police officer asked me for my driver's license. I did not have a local license, so I showed him my international driving permit. He went further to search my car and seemed to be looking for some defects on which he could charge me. Incidentally, he did not find anything that he could charge me for or ask for some favors, but he still went on to ask for money to buy some drinks.
I usually keep some literature in the car and this time I had some devotional booklets. I told him I did not have any money to give him, but he insisted. I offered him some of the booklets I had, but he said he did not have interest in books. I insisted that I did not have anything else to give and asked him to do me a favor by taking the booklets. I told him he could give them to someone or even throw them in the dustbin. Finally, he took them and said maybe he would read them before passing them on to someone. I smiled and thanked him assuring him that I was going to pray for him as he decided what to do.
I do not know what happened. If he threw them in the dustbin, I am sure someone picked them out to read as there are always people in our communities who search there for whatever can help them. If he passed them on to someone, I also believe he did well to share the message.
Be prepared to share the Word. Continue to explore opportunities to impact lives through literature by planned events, on-going ministries and God-encounters in daily living.
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Youth empowerment in the Horn of Africa - by David Johnson
| In mid-December, 2012, community leaders from across the Horn of Africa met at Africa Nazarene University in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss Youth Empowerment and Employment. These leaders represented the church, education, social and medical sectors of the community.
These meetings were inspired by the Kenya Youth Empowerment and Employment Initiative (KYEEI). One of the sessions was led by Prof. Linda Ethangatta, director of KYEEI. Prof. Ethangatta talked about basic structure of KYEEI and shared success stories from that program.
 | | Conference participants |
Another session was led by Ms. Cassie Bixler of Strategic Applications International (SAI) and Mr. Peter Okello of the organization, Empower Me. SAI is the organization that helped establish KYEEI and Empower Me is one of the organizations that came out of the KYEEI.
Ms. Bixler and Mr. Okello talked about setting up the KYEEI, putting together the partners for the initiative and securing funding. They also discussed the process used by some of the KYEEI participants to set up businesses.
Prof. Merkeb Zemba, University of Addis Ababa, presented a paper on ministering to youth and children. Mr. Solomon Aweke, Ph.D. candidate in Holistic Child Development at Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary, presented a paper on caring for the caregivers of orphans.
Participants in the Horn of Africa youth empowerment discussions appreciated the ideas and information received. They then spent time brain storming and discussing how a program similar to the KYEEI could be established in their own areas. Several participants stated that they will start such a program in their area.
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Building in Cape Verde -- by David Arajuo
| On February 9, the Church of the Nazarene in Cape Verde laid the first stones for the construction of two temples in the metropolitan area of the capital, Praia. The congregations are already organized.
The two acts were chaired by District Superintendent Rev. David Araujo and had the presence of the honorable Rev. Dr Jorge de Barros, who prayed for the two future temples.
 | | First Stone Celebration |
Lem-Ferreira is a populated area, located between the center of the capital and the Nelson Mandela International Airport, and the temple, Ebenezer, is projected to receive 150 people in the sanctuary, besides having other facilities like youth hall and kindergarten. Organized a few years ago, this congregation is led by Pastor Eliseu Delgado.
The second temple will be built in Achada de São Filipe, one of the most populated areas of Praia growing fast and at a distance of five kilometers from the city center. The future temple will hold 250 people and include space for various church services. The Church of the Nazarene in Achada de São Filipe is self-sustaining and is directed by its organizer, Rev. Esther Lima Ferreira.
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Welcome the Wards - Africa Communications
| We welcome LuVerne and Rachel Ward and their two boys, Timeon (2) and Raimon (1), to the Africa Region in the capacity of Regional Communications Coordinator. Rachel will serve as mom, guest flat manager and cross-cultural training facilitator. They previously fulfilled a one-year assignment in Singapore as Communications Coordinator for Asia-Pacific Region.
LuVerne and Rachel were raised in missionary homes in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and South Africa respectively. He accepted Christ on Easter Sunday in a rural church in Papua New Guinea at the age of 7. She accepted Christ listening to Psalty the Singing Songbook (a Christian children's program), in her room when she was 9 years old. She then ran down the stairs into the kitchen to tell her mom about her decision for Christ!
Rachel earned her teaching degree in Switzerland, while LuVerne was completing his degree in Mass Communications at Northwest Nazarene University (Idaho, USA). He then volunteered in the media department of the Nazarene Church on the Eurasia Region. Rachel sought to be part of an international church and attended the Church of the Nazarene in Buesingen, Germany, where LuVerne and she met.
After joining the communications team remotely in Kansas City USA, they owned and operated a communications company for two years while still working, consulting, and volunteering with the Church of the Nazarene. Then God clearly called them to ministry full-time with the church.
LuVerne believes that good communication is vital for growth in an organization and that the stories of our lives can encourage and connect us to each other and reveal how God is working. He acknowledges that his job does have some challenges, including delivering a clear message over multiple cultures, languages and various technologies and figuring out practical ways to help the church in Africa be connected. Yet, the rewards are hearing and sharing about God's work in Africa and getting to work with incredible people all over the region.
To learn more about LuVerne and Rachel click here.
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I like to know what you think about Out of Africa and read any suggestions that you may have. If you would like to contact me, hit "reply" and send me a note. Thanks.
Amy Crofford,Out of Africa editor
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