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restoring our biblical and constitutional foundations
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Current Prayer Requests
Current, specific prayer requests for Dave & BeckyLynn Black, and the Ethiopian work God has appointed to them.
Immediate Issues...
--This week Dave leaves for 10 days in Romania. He will fly into Hungary, a country which has had recent political turmoil, and drive across the border to Romania. He will have two conferences for pastors in two different regions of Romania. These pastors have come out of Communism; the topic will be the local church according to the New Testament. Also, he will preach in various churches. Please pray for physical safety in travel, for diet & sleep needs, for complete freedom of the Holy Spirit in teaching, for wisdom in understanding cultural & spiritual issues, and for BeckyLynn as she remains at home.
--We are having communication challenges with the Burji church. There are only 3 telephones in town, and only one internet access. Recently the internet access (a government office) is being denied the church leaders, and phone connections simply are not going through. So we are trying letter-writing, which takes about 6 weeks one way! There is another internet access that is available, after driving about 4-5 hours, if you can find transportation. Please pray for better communication, in whatever manner our Lord wishes to supply it. And pray for contentment with whatever level He provides. There are three primary issues we need to talk over with the Burji church: the Bible distribution, the Meeting Hall completion and the trip with others in summer 07.
--The funds that we took last May are becoming exhausted, as we distribute additional funds for building churches in Alaba. Inflation has sky-rocketed, so the previous estimates and strategies have been adjusted. Pray for wisdom as we manage the funds in hand so that they will be stretched as far as possible. God has His perfect timetable, and we must rest in His provision as it is supplied.
--Kura is a blind boy in Burji. He is about 18 years old and is dying from a brain tumor. The tumor has spread to his spine & is causing tremendous pain in his body. We have gotten him the strongest pain medicine available in Ethiopia; please pray that he will gain relief and will live in the grace of our Lord, despite the pain. Pray also that this situation will work for the spiritual strengthening of his parents & siblings.
--There is a possibility that Dave will be able to speak at the Islamic "Seminary" in Iran. This school trains all the Muslim leaders in Iran and neighboring countries. They are taught that the Bible, although a holy book, is full of error from the mistranslations down through the centuries; although it shares content with the Koran, it has become totally unreliable. Dave's professional expertise is in the original languages of the Bible and textual variations of translation. He is eager to speak to these students of the Koran about the Holy Scriptures, if our Lord will open the way. Given the political situation, this situation is time-sensitive. Please pray for His will to be done in the matter, but if He is willing, we would like this opportunity to stand for Him in the halls of Islam.
--Bereket is our Ethiopian 'son'; he was blinded at age 4 when a tribal marking around his eyes became infected. He had a cornea transplant, and has just begun school. But his vision is still quite poor. Pray for him to do his best in school, to be diligent, for the teachers to work well with him, for him to be careful with his eye. Pray also for him spiritually; he accepted Christ just before his surgery, but like all of us, there are times when it is a challenge to trust the Saviour. Since his vision is not completely healed, the Evil One is tempting him to spiritual discouragement. Pray for him to surrender his life totally & repeatedly, to completely trust the One who died for him. And pray for us to have wisdom in guiding him.
On-Going issues....
--Pray for the people in Alaba who are memorizing the Scripture passages. Literacy is poor, Christianity is brand new, leaders are still very young in the faith. Pray for His Word to reside strongly in their hearts and minds, and that they would hunger for it and understand our Lord through it.
--Pray for funds to buy the Bibles that they are earning. Each Bible costs only about $5. Thank our Lord for those Americans who are doing various things to help with funding these Bibles. Also pray for the children in America who are being challenged by their Ethiopian family, and now want to memorize these same passages. Pray for a disciplining of their minds to the work of the Kingdom.
--Ask our Lord to send funds thru those He's appointed. Ask Him to cause them to be obedient to His Spirit, so that His name will be praised and they will be blessed. And ask Him to help us and the Ethiopian leaders in the management of those funds so that not only dollar is lost or wasted.
--Ask our Lord to protect our brethren who are building. The Evil One wishes to harm them, discourage them, scatter them, and he has an army of antagonistic government and Muslim people. But our Lord is stronger. Ask our Lord to do His work in such a way that His Name is glorified, that all who see the building of these rural churches will know that truly the Christian God is the One who loves and redeems. Currently, churches at Bedene and Keranzo#1 are being builts; Zobechame is in the final stages of government approval, and 3 other churches have begun the process for government permission. Pray for His supernatural over-ruling of antagonistic government officials.
--The Muslims are especially pursuing the leaders and the new converts. They have openly threatened the leaders, attacking their homes and families. They move in groups to kidnap the new converts, many of whom are young people, and take them to the mosques to beat them until they recant their faith in Christ. Pray for the leaders as they support, guide, teach the new converts, and also pray for the faith of these converts to remain strong, not by their own power but by the power of our Saviour. Pray for the church leaders as sometimes they must take the persecuted ones into hiding or special shelter; this further stretches the church budget.
September 25, 2006