Praise and Prayer ~ August 30, 2021

Dear FFICM Prayer Partners, 

“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 3:10-11

1 Corinthians 3 reminds us that as believers, even when life is difficult and full of challenges, Jesus Christ is our foundation. He is our one and only foundation on which we are to build our lives. We have hope because of the relationship that we have with God through Jesus Christ.

Below you will find a prayer guide to support you as you accompany us in prayer and worship this week. May God bless your time in the quiet place with hope and peace.  

Nigeria:

• Current and Ongoing ministry
  • Muslim Outreach Ministry
    • TV and Radio — We continue to broadcast the TV and radio episodes that have been recorded to share about what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus, and are specifically made for people coming to Christ from a Muslim background. Continue to pray for the impact of these recordings, and for the FFICM staff as they work to follow-up those who are coming to Christ. 
    • Solar-powered Audio Players — Many Muslims continue to come to Christ through listening to the Bible in the local language which is on these players! Pray for all those who hear the Gospels through these devices. The Muslim leadership strongly oppose these players and are seeking to block all access to them in Nigeria. Pray for funding to continue to come in specifically for these powerful tools of evangelism and discipleship.
    • Pray: One of the new converts from Islam who was an Imam, is having trouble with his village and is experiencing much persecution. 
    • There is an MBB who has suffered their house being burned and their children and wife being taken. Help him to endure and pray for his safety.
  • Praise/Pray: There are about 320 MBBs in the area! Praise God for so much openness to the gospel among Muslims in this area. Pray that the Lord would encourage them and keep them safe. 
  • Praise: Thank God for the team, Ahamed and Yusuf, that went out to train church leaders in the Muslim community this past week. They came back safely and had a wonderful time with the community there. 
• Upcoming Events
  • Praise/Pray: Fundraising Planning for FFICM-Nigeria — The team in Nigeria is working on local fundraising opportunities in Nigeria. They are planning an open house event that will take place on October 2nd. Pray for the planning process, the vision casting, and the outreach strategy. Prisca is leading the Fundraising Team. They have been strategizing with the board of trustees and other key stakeholders in preparation for the event. They have invited Christian politicians, church leaders, and church members that have a heart for ministry.
    • This Thursday they are meeting with the trustees to discuss the open house day and ways to raise funds. Pray that God would help them come up with ways to support the ministry. 
    • Pray for the open house day preparations, like newsletters, videos, etc. 

• Pray: Ahamed is trying to organize another training for about 5 Muslim converts to train them on the new MBB material and to follow up with those in their community. This will happen hopefully next week. They will also train trainers. Pray for them as they work to translate the Follow-up Booklet specifically designed for new believers from a Muslim background into Hausa, the local language of MBBs of the area. 
• Pray: The team is hoping to go to a church in the large city of Lagos that is interested in being trained in our new believer follow-up material September 8-12. Pray for safety as they travel and wisdom as they work with them. Pray that God would open more doors there. 

• Safety amidst Dangerous Violence: 
  • Pray: Famine, but not because of drought — Many Nigerian family farmers were not able to plant their crops to feed their families this year because of the threat of kidnapping. They will have to buy food instead of growing their own. This is unsustainable financially for the villagers and is leading to a food crisis since people cannot afford to feed their families. We need to pray for God’s intervention and provision!!  
  • Pray: Ongoing kidnappings — There continues to be more and more kidnapping in Nigeria. Some are politically motivated, some religiously motivated, but most of it is simply for the financial gain that can easily be obtained by getting the ransom payment. We pray that the kidnappings would stop and people would be able to move around without the constant fear of kidnapping.
    • There have been many kidnappings near where Mercy and Valentine live. Mercy (our Nigerian office finance coordinator) was kidnapped but thankfully was released. 
  • Pray: Safety while Traveling — Ongoing security issues make it difficult to travel and do ministry. You never know which road will be closed or where the bandits will be. There are very frequent attacks and insecurity in the land. Please pray for safety for the trainers. 
  • Pray: Safety for MBB trainers — Pray for safety for our MBB trainers Ahamed and Yusuf. They are often in great danger as they refute the teachings of Islam. Their lives are at risk. 
  • Pray: The Miango area near Jos has been under attack since last Monday. Many have been killed and sent to refugee camps. There is a massive attack planned for Jos so people are really panicking and they are not safe. Over 200 houses have been burned down just outside of Jos. The soldiers say that they have not been given permission to help. 
  • Pray: In the city of Jos the killings are back and forth between Christians and Muslims, and there are people that are being brought in from other areas to do killings and fingers are getting pointed in many directions. The bottom line is that hundreds of people are being killed, the people are scared, and they need the peace of God to reign in their land. 
  • Pray: Zainab reports that in the capital, the Muslims are capturing young Christian girls aged 16-18 and forcing them to marry Muslim men and convert to Islam. Pray for protection, wisdom and peace.
  • Pray: There is nowhere safe for Ahamed to go right now. He is not safe in Muslim communities because they see him as a Christian and a traitor. He is also unsafe in Chrisitian communities because they think he is a Muslim. Pray for peace and for guidance in where he can safely live. Also pray for peace and safety for his family. 
  • Pray for Kaduna state where Zainab’s extended family lives because it is the next area threatened by the attackers. It is still hard to get food in the area and the Hausas are threatening to retaliate the killing in Jos. 
  • Pray for the people in Maiduguri (including our trainer Comfort) as they are hungry and living in fear. Pray that God would give them strength. 
  • Pray: In the capital city Abuja things are more calm then in Jos. Prayer for God’s protection and provision. Pray that the situation around them would not discourage them. 
  • Pray for Danladi’s family: His mother and sister in Kaduna state keep telling him they are being threatened by muslims that they will be killed. Christians can not move around frrely because if you enter a muslim area you will likely be killed.
  • Pray for Prisca’s son: Prisca is very worried about her son who is going to school in Jos. She is in Abuja at this time and is not able to take him in Jos so we need prayer for his safety! 
  • Pray: Yesterday there were some threats that communities would be attacked. The Muslims were trying to burn two churches yesterday. Peter and others in the community have not been sleeping in order to keep watch for violence there and to protect their churches from being burned. 
• Prayer for our Ministry Team
  • Pray: The visa situation for foreigners on long-term visas in Nigeria continues to get more and more difficult. No new or previous visa quota requests have been processed since September 2020. This impacts all those who are on a permanent visa there with a Green Card (like our International Trainer Rick Cordell). There are rumors that the government is trying to stop all foreign missionaries and foreign money from coming into the country. This impacts our work in Nigeria, but also the lives of hundreds of others who are ministering there. Pray for wisdom and provision from the Lord.

Ethiopia:

• Peace in Ethiopia
  • Pray: Uncertain Political Future — War is continuing in the northern part of the country. Please pray for political resolution, for peace and for provision for the people whose lives had been devastated by the violence and loss of access to basic resources. People are displaced from their villages to other parts of the country due to this war. In the western part of the country there is some fighting as well. 
    • The economy is suffering because of all this fighting. 
  • Pray: There is a third wave of COVID hitting Ethiopia causing a high number of deaths. The government has restricted some gatherings over 50. Pray for wisdom in determining restrictions that will stop the spread and keep people safe. 

• Strategic Development
  • Praise/Pray: Vehicle — Praise God that the needed funds that have been received. Please pray as we continue to work on negotiating details and working on paperwork to buy a vehicle being sold by the US Embassy there in Ethiopia. There have been some challenges in processing the paperwork with the government due to the fact that it was owned by the embassy.  Pray for wisdom to know if we need to look for a different vehicle as the paperwork is taking so long on the one we have been looking at.
  • Pray: Tesfaye’s language learning — Tesfaye (FFICM trainer in Ethiopia) is already bi-lingual as he speaks Amharic and Oromo. He is learning English to expand his capacity as a lead trainer. Pray that his tutoring would go well and that he would be able to remember all that he is learning.

• Current/Future Programs
  • Pray: Fall 2021 Training Marathon — Rich and others from the US will travel to Ethiopia in October/November to assist with 5 weeks of new believer follow-up training, including the following:
    • Week 1) Training of Asella Evangelical Churches Fellowship and more than 14 denominations will participate.
    • Week 2) Training the Genet Church denomination in Ethiopia. FFICM has not previously partnered with the Genet Church denomination so this training opens new possibilities for growing impact! 
    • Week 3) Training in a neighboring Muslim country – We will partner with Elias, an Ethiopian missionary in that country.
    • Week 4) Training of Women trainers at Ethiopia Kale Heywet Church – We will train 80 Ethiopian women in New Believer Follow-up. This team of women will become Trainers of Trainers. They have a plan for exponential growth as women are prepared to go out and train other women.
    • Week 5) The Head of the Ethiopia Kale Hayet Church has requested a training for follow-up of new believers from a Muslim background! 
  • Pray: In addition to the October/November training marathon, the team in Ethiopia has more than one week-long training event scheduled for each month through the end of the year. Pray for wisdom in scheduling, preparing, and carrying out this busy schedule of ministry activities.
  • Praise: This month 212 young people received training. 84 people who had fallen away from the faith, due to lack of follow-up, came back to Christ due to this training, and 55 came to Christ. 
    • Pray for the 10 groups from the student training that are doing evangelism and follow up teaching. 
      • Three more groups went out today to teach and train. 
• Prayer for our Ministry Team
  • Pray for our Ethiopia staff member Tesfaye as he has just been diagnosed with COVID-19. He is doing okay right now but he needs continued prayer for healing and that his symptoms would not get worse. 

USA:

• Prayer for our Ministry Partners
  • Praise: Rich and Jerel’s August travel — Rich and Jerel spent a week and a half on the east coast visiting churches and building relationships with supporters there. They were able to meet and connect with many new people who may support FFICM in the future. They also got to spend time with one of our board members,  Deborah Sezov. They visited new churches and were able to receive prayer sign ups as well as make connections regarding future donations. 
    • There is an opportunity to partner with two different churches as well as an individual who may want to support FFICM through a trust. Pray that God would continue to provide through our supporters. 
  • Pray/Praise: Carly Powne — Carly is asking for prayer for boldness in asking for support. Pray for her as she has transitioned from her previous role as a youth pastor to our new international trainer. Pray for provision and continued support as she steps into this new role. Read more about Carly at www.fficm.org/carly-powne. 
    • Carly will be part of the October training marathon, but her primary task right now is developing her partnership team: people who will partner with her through monthly financial support and regular prayers!
    • We pray that God will bring a full team of prayer and financially partners for her before the end of December so she can focus fully on her role as an International Trainer with FFICM.
  • David Moore – Director of Operations 
    • Praise God for the opportunity to preach at Laurel Community Church this past weekend. Praise God for their faithful prayer and financial support for the past 22 years as of this month!
    • Pray: He starts his next class in his MA in Nonprofit Management this week and will be studying Nonprofit Marketing and Fundraising for the next 8 weeks.
    • Praise for a good few days of vacation this past week! Pray for his kids and they get ready to start up school again.
  • Rick Cordell – Adjunct International Trainer 
    • Pray that the process of getting his Nigeria visa/green card would go smoothly so that he can return to Nigeria soon. 
    • Pray: Due to the fact that it is unknown how long it will take to get approval for return to Nigeria, Rick is applying for an Ethiopia visa at this time and is planning on joining the FFICM team there in October while waiting for God to open the door to going back to Nigeria.
  • Pray: Dara Searcy-Gardner, former FFICM staff and Rich Gardner’s daughter — Dara continues to struggle with debilitating asthma. She asked us to pray that the medication (Xolair shots) would conquer the asthma. Continue to pray for complete healing. 
  • Pray: Keith Larson, FFICM USA board member — Continue to pray for Dr. Keith Larson who recently experienced a mini-stroke. Pray for his complete recovery and mercy for his family as they respond to Keith’s changing abilities after the stroke. 
    • Update: Recovery is going well! Thank God for the quick recovery and for his continued recovery. Give the doctors wisdom as they navigate his health challenges and this stroke. 
  • Continue to pray for those impacted by Coronavirus around the world including one of our own FFICM board members.
• Pray for Strategic Development
  • Pray: Wisdom regarding church status — Pray for wisdom as FFICM applies for church status here in the US. Most large mission organizations have applied for and been granted church status in the US. This would allow us to be able to have all of our staff receive the ministerial housing allowance and would have other tax and finance benefits for us as an organization. 
  • Praise: U.S. based-training in July/August— We are nearing completion of a 2-month training for a group of 12 people weekly via Zoom! We are preparing ministry partners interested in serving as both part-time and full-time trainers with FFICM for ministry both in the US and overseas. Pray for the upcoming retreat that we have planned as a capstone to the 2 month long training. Pray for encouragement for our US-ministry partners, and guidance by the Holy Spirit regarding long-term use of what they have learned in this training. 
  • Pray: Fall Fundraiser — Pray for a smooth process in planning the fall fundraiser and wisdom in how to continue to share the vision for this ministry. Pray that God would help us to communicate well through all of our modes of communication. 
  • Pray for wisdom as we finish our next phase of updating our website. Pray that God would provide a volunteer who could assist us with some ongoing website maintenance and update tasks.

Poland:

• FFICM trainer Roman Barinowski who we have partnered with in Poland and Russia had surgery on his nose recently. Pray for continued healing and wisdom for him as he seeks to find ways to do follow-up training with our materials in the midst of the global pandemic.