01-11-10 Mali Team Update

I had a good conversation this morning with Keith Arnett in Mali.  He reported that they were not able to observe the Lord’s Supper in Village “X” as planned on Sunday night because almost all of the people were listening to a major soccer game (the Malian equivalent of the Super Bowl).  However, Philip was able to baptize the new believer there on Monday morning.  They also had a long time of sharing the gospel with a man who was visiting that village.  He affirmed the truth of the gospel but was not yet willing to turn from Islam to trust Christ because of the social and cultural problems that would cause.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit will not let him rest until he repents and surrenders his life to Christ.

 

About 2:00 their time they set out for Village “Y.”  The road is very rough and overgrown with grass that is taller than the hood of their SUV.  As a result of the rought conditions they had two flat tires in succession (with only one spare).  This left them stranded about two miles from Village “Y”– in the about same place and in the same vehicle as last year’s January team was stranded for the same reason! 

The team reached Village “Y” safely this afternoon and enjoyed a joyous reception from the lovely group of believers there.  They sent a few people back to the stranded vehicle (about two kilometers away) to retrieve one of the flat tires.  On Tuesday morning they will try to loosen the old tire so that they can patch it and put an inner tube in it.  The hike to the village with their backpacks was not too bad for them.  They are in good hands now and right where they had planned to be at this point on their trip. 

Please pray for the following urgent needs for the team:

• Pray that they will find the pump end equipment needed to fix at least one of their flat tires.  (They do have a spare inner tube, but they will have trouble getting enough pressure into the tire to re-establish the bead around the rim with a hand pump.)  The villagers will help them with this, and there are several possibilities to get their vehicle back on the road.
• Please continue to pray for God’s wisdom and direction for them each day and for His provision of a satisfactory repair job for their tires.
• Pray that they will have a great time of teaching a fellowship with the believers in Village “Y” as they await the solution to their tire problem.
• Pray for the team members’ health and stamina as the time in the villages begins to take its toll on them both physically and emotionally.  Pray that they will find their strength in the Lord and that the way they handle this situation will be an example of faith and peace to the Yalunka villagers who are watching them.

 

Thank you for your prayers for our “troops” on the front lines for our Lord!

Here is an audio report from Keith today: 01-11-10 Mali audio report