01-14-2010 Mali Team Report

The Mali team is well on their way back to the airport in Dakar, Senegal.  They left about 8:30 this morning (their time) from Village “Y” only to have a flat tire in about 2.5 miles and then ANOTHER one after another mile or so!  Thankfully they were able to patch and remount those tires without too much delay.  However, they did not make it as far today as they had planned– only to Kedougou, Senegal.  They will leave early in the morning for a 10-12 hour drive back to Dakar.  Then they hope to get some rest for a few hours before their flight back to the USA in the middle of the night.  Please pray that they will have no more tire problems on the way back to Dakar so that they can rest and make it to the airport on time.  They will return to Texas on Saturday evening.  Thanks again for your prayers!

Here is a link to Keith Arnett’s audio report: 01-14-2010 Mali Audio Report

01-13-2010 Mali Team Update

More good news is coming from the Mali team.  They remain in Village “Y” until Thursday morning (as originally planned).  At that time they will head back toward Texas over a three-day period.  They had a good teaching time with eight believers in Village “Y” on Tuesday night, and they are continuing to teach and disciple people throughout the day today.  Pastor Bart was able to call his friend in Kenieba, and his friend was able to pick up an inner tube there and then ride it out to Village “Y” on Pastor Bart’s motorcycle.  They were able to get it installed and mounted, so now they have four good tires and one spare for the return trip.  Thank God for His timely provision!
 
Tonight they plan to teach on tithing and church development.  They will also observe the Lord’s Supper.  Peter, the first believer from Village “Y,” will lead the Lord’s Supper and be formally recognized as the church leader there.  That will be an exciting time in the life of their young church body!
 
Look for a report later today from Mike Anderson.  He will recap Wednesday night’s events for us so that we can rejoice with them in what God is doing.  Thanks again for your prayers!

01-12-2010 Mali Team Update

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

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!

Update #2 from Mali (1/8/10)

The Mali team arrived safely on Friday evening in Village “F.”  God has already answered many prayers as the team requested them!  First, their way into the villages was smoother than ever along the roads (except for the last section beyond the second river crossing).  We prayed that they would be able to cross safely at both river crossings along the way, and they did so without incident– our first answer to prayer.  The river was moderately high at the crossing point between Senegal and Mali (where they are building a new bridge, so this won’t be a problem on future trips!) and very high– up to the middle of the SUV door, well above the wheel well– at the second crossing.  Keith mentioned that Sane, their driver, is “the best driver in the world!”  Thank God for providing him for this trip!  Also, their new translator, Silas from Kenieba, is a believer who speaks excellent English as well as the nearest tribal language to the Yalunka dialect.  Our Yalunka team has also been praying that we would find someone like him!  All of the team members are still doing well.
 
The best news of the day is that they were able to find “Simon” there.  Simon was one of the first two believers baptized in Village “F” last May.  He told Keith about “many” others (up to 30 people) who heard his testimony of how God answered prayer and healed him and who now want to be taught how to follow Jesus!  This is the first large-scale response in that village after three full years of sharing there and interceding for the people.  On Saturday morning in Mali (about 2:00 a.m. Texas time) Keith and the team will be sharing with that group of seekers who have been waiting to hear the gospel.  Picture something like Cornelius and his household waiting for Simon Peter to come and share with them in Acts 10.  That is the way that it may be in the morning in Mali!  Pray that God would protect these seekers from Satan’s distractions, which he is sure to throw at them, so that nothing will hinder them from repenting and believing in Jesus Christ for their salvation.
 
Keith also shared some bad news.  Philip (the evangelist and main storyteller in Village “Z”) lost his whole season’s crops because some children were playing with fire.  The fire got out of control and burned all of his field.  Also, his younger brother (also Chief “B”’s son) had been very ill.  He recovered, but two of his five children died as a result of illness.
 
Please keep praying constantly for this team.  They are now in the heat of spiritual battle, and our prayers are their “air cover” that soften enemy strongholds and help open hearts to God’s Spirit’s work in their lives.  Though you are thousands of miles away, your work of intercession is critical to the fruitfulness of their mission!  Please pray:

• That many people will come and hear the gospel in Village “F” on Saturday morning.
• That most or all of those seekers will understand the message of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, and commit their lives to follow the “Jesus road.”
• That the team will have wisdom about how much time they need to spend in Village “F” and how, if any, their original itinerary needs to be adjusted in order to join God where He is now at work.
• That the team and their translators will get good rest tonight, remain safe and healthy, and speak exactly what the Holy Spirit leads them to say to meet the spiritual needs of their hearers.

Thanks again for your faithful prayers for this team!  Click on this link to hear the exciting audio report from Keith Arnett: 01-08-2010 Mali audio report

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