The Arabian Peninsula Partnership
The Gospel for every person and a church for every people in the Arabian Peninsula amongst indigenous peoples
07 December, 2011
Reading Club
Praise
Praise the Lord. We have heard that some local believers may be meeting together for fellowship. This is not at all common in our country, and we are excited that a small local fellowship might actually be forming. Pray for these Arab believers and their families.
Video
This week we ask that you focus your prayers on the Arabs of Oman. Please view this video on pray.
Prayer
Please pray for those in Yemen who suffer from malnourishment due to lack of food, discouragement and post-traumatic stress from the conflicts they have endured, as well as bewilderment about the future. Ask that their needs will be met. Ask that they will hear the Good News about God's love for them and His gift of salvation."Ali" was in a panic! "Mohammed" stopped communicating for a couple of days! In other places we would pick up the phone, call a common friend and ask them to visit. Here there is no other common friend. This secret believer is only in contact with one or two other believers by email and if communication stops, his first thought is: " He has been caught, they killed him or put him in isolation so he can't access the internet anymore to receive Christian teaching". (In this case, he had been sick and nothing serious happened). In any other place, this would be an overreaction, but here, this is a real possibility. Pray against the fear that surrounds the believers.
About 10 years ago, two young men accepted the Good News. With excitement, they shared it with friends and received teaching from a visitor in their country. Time passed and their families chose wives for them, as is the custom. The young men did not tell their wives, fearful of the trouble it would cause in the family. When children came, they did not tell them either, fearful of what the kids would say at school. Silence has halted the witness and there is no spiritual growth. Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to these two young men and that they will desire to know God, once again. Pray that they will have the courage to tell their families the Truth and that salvation will come to both households.
Christmas is 'advertised' in the malls with Christmas trees & decorations. It's a great talking point with local friends and also an opportunity to give gifts to them. Please pray as foreigners in the AP celebrate Christmas, that the true meaning of Christmas would be shared with locals.
Testimony
The believers from the outcasts in our country have been meeting in a tiny warehouse in the evenings teaching their own people to read. The kids from this low class are called dumb in school. "Is this because we are from the low class, or are we actually dumb?" they ask each other. So, this is a test. Can their kids perform as well? Also, along with a handful of men, including one believer, some ladies have forced their way in, saying, "Teach us to read!" For one thing, it is difficult to use a cell phone without reading. Yes, cell phones are common even among the poorest. So, without money for materials, what do you think they use for reading practice? Yes, at times they read the NT. One said, "I think we are going to get in trouble. But... we continue while we can. The future of our people is these kids. As long as we have kids, there is hope." Please pray for the reading club members and leaders.