Mali Team Reports 5-24-09 PM and 5-25-09

KEITH: He and his team have had several opportunities to share the gospel with unbelievers and to disciple believers in Village “L.”  Today (Monday) the chief (who professed his faith in Christ with the April team about a month ago) returned to the village.  After hearing some more teaching about baptism, he was very eager to be baptized IMMEDIATELY!  They had to postpone the baptism until a rain storm passed over, but he did get baptized.  He has a strong testimony of his faith in Christ, which he was planning to share with many others from his village on Monday night.

TIM:  The time in Village “X” went very well, and on Monday morning they had a time of further teaching in Village “K.”  There they got word that the chief of Village “Y” (who was NOT a believer) and his grown daughter both died on Sunday, so they adjusted their plans to get to that village faster.  Upon their arrival, they paid a visit to his family to express their condolences and to offer a gift of rice and tea to the family.  That gift was much appreciated.  They also had further teaching there and went to a market about four miles away across the border in Guinea to buy some needed supplies.  The heat was very oppressive, but God provided a cooling rain for the return hike!

The teams have only Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon remaining in the villages, so their time is running out quickly.  Please pray that every moment will be used to extend God’s kingdom among the Yalunka people of Mali, that biblically-qualified local church leaders will be ordained, and that many others who have heard the gospel but not yet responded will repent and believe in Christ.  It sounds like the rainy season is already beginning there, so these teams came at just the right time!