Update #3 from Mali (1/10/10)

I just heard from Keith Arnett in Mali.  Here is an audio link to his report:  01-10-10 Mali audio report 

Here area few of the highlights that I was able to pickup from my broken conversation with Keith:

• Only the two believers in Village “F” showed up for the Saturday morning teaching time.  A few others hung around for a while but left for a soccer game before the teaching started.  The believers there shared with the team that they were being strongly discouraged from following Jesus (mildly persecuted) by many in that village.  Their greatest concern is how they will be buried when they because most of the funeral and burial rituals are tied to their animistic and Islamic practices.  The team spent time teaching them about these matters and encouraged them to remain faithful to the Lord.  The low turnout was disappointing to all, but it shows that Satan is still working to hold onto the lost souls there in that village.  We need keep praying for them!  On the bright side, many in that village came to the team asking for prayer for various issues in their live.  At least they understand that the true God hears and answers prayer, even if they are not yet ready to repent of their sins and follow Him.
• Later on Saturday the team drove a little over an hour and a half to Village “X” (the village with the largest number of believers).  They had a time of worship and teaching with about 20 men, 10 women, and numerous children on Satrday evening.  On Saturday and Sunday they taught about vaious issueincluding the biblical standards for church leadership.  One of the major issues there is polygamy because most men have two or more wives.  The believers (who were already married to multiple wives when they came to Christ) are grappling with how they should handle this matter.  They want to obey God, but they also must love and provide for their families.  Please pray for these men to have wisdom from God about what He wants them to do in this situation.  Pray also for a new generation of Christians to grow up and keep God’s standards from the beginning so that they will be biblically-qualified church leaders.
• On Sunday afternoon and evening there will be more teaching time with the believers in Village “X.”  They will also gather again for worship on Sunday night. Pray that they form the habit of meeting and worshiping together even when the team is not present.
• Philip, one of the young believers in Village “X,” will lead the church there in the Lord’s Supper on Sunday evening.  He will also baptize a new believer (who received Christ before this team arrived) on Monday.  This establishes him as the leader of the fellowship there.
• The team members are well and have had no logisitical problems so far.  Pray that God continues to sustain them, protect them from harm, and prevent anything from hindering their travel from one village to the next over the coming days.  They plan to remain in Village “X” for another day or two.\

God is still at work, and your continued prayers are greatly needed!