As the month of September began, Andrew and Joanna, who serve in Asia-Pacific, started new Bible studies in their personal quiet time. They have been challenged to be loyal to their Heavenly Father, daily, in what He calls them to do. They ask for prayer for their hearts to be continually changed as they study God’s Word.
Recently Andrew and Joanna had visitors who are working with ‘Wycliffe’ and ‘Faith comes by Hearing’. They were encouraged to hear that New Testaments in two different languages will be finished and handed over to unreached people groups in the next few months. Pray for these New Testaments to be used and to bring fruit.
About forty years ago, missionaries went to the village where most of the teenagers living locally, and known by Andrew and Joanna originate. After many years of studying culture and language, Bible lessons were developed and this remote people group heard the Gospel for the first time. Soon after a church was born. Today in 2022, those believers are going out to reach other people with God’s Word. One of these evangelistic outreaches recently reached the climax of chronological Bible teaching – the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some have verbally testified that they trust Jesus for their own salvation. Praise God for fruit and pray for spiritual growth.
The boys’ Bible study that Andrew leads continues. Please pray for these young men to be loyal followers of Christ. Pray for the girls too. These young people face many challenges. As Andrew and Joanna get to know them better, they walk with them through the emotions of becoming an adult and growing in their understanding of what it means to follow Christ. It is sad for Andrew and Joanna when they see some of them choose paths that come with major consequences. Although Jesus offers personal forgiveness, the shame and hurt it causes in families is hard for everyone.
Andrew recently joined a team to visit a village in another area and then travel together with them to a Christian conference in another remote village with many believers from different villages coming together. Joanna and the kids will soon join Andrew in another remote village (all of them are the same language group). They will get to visit some of the parents of the teenagers that stay in the dorm, and they will join for the wedding of two of the girls that lived in the dorm when Andrew and Joanna first arrived. Please pray for safe trips and a blessed time.
Throughout October, Andrew and Joanna will have different people to stay with them including Andrew’s older brother from Australia. After that, they will have a couple more meetups with people before they need to start packing suitcases, pack up their house and find someone to live in it while they are on home assignment. Pray for this process of packing and leaving again. Please pray for their emotions as they say goodbye to many dear friends in Asia-Pacific and prepare themselves for their time in Europe and the UK.
Thank you for praying.