Please Pray — November 19, 2013

Passionate prayer is often motivated by desperation. Let us just say that Angela and I (Todd) are offering a lot of passionate prayers these days. My trip to Papua New Guinea (in September) was a stark reminder of the condition of my friends living in the foothills of the Finisterre Mountains of Papua New Guinea–without the Word of God in their heart language and desperate to get it. I saw their need starkly contrasted against the fruit and power of the New Testament being available to another language group–a people with a vibrant faith, passionate about the Lord. The difference was . . . sobering.

Reunion of Todd and close Garia friend, Lim

The Somau Garia have waited long enough. Neither they nor we can wait any longer. Desperate to get to Papua New Guinea and engage the task of finishing the translation of the remaining 26 books of the New Testament (Mark was dedicated Easter, 2007) we have put together a 40-Day campaign, 40 Days to Getting the Word Out . Beginning on Friday, November 22, we will be sharing vital information, writing emails, making phone calls, making a huge end of the year push to sign up 40 new monthly financial partners, 40 special gifts partners, and 40 prayer partners to join the team. During these forty days of the holiday season, we will be sharing podcasts, telling our story on Shake the Gates Radio (here on the website), and telling the kinds of missionary stories that help inform, inspire, and mobilize the people of God.

Please, friends, join us in prayer beginning even today.

• Ask God to open the eyes of many new partners to the needs of this nearly forgotten people.
• Ask God to use this 40 day campaign to awaken the hearts and minds of His people and mobilize them to address the Biblelessness (there’s a word!) of the Somau Garia people of Papua New Guinea.
• Ask God to grant us favor and influence with those whom He is asking us to challenge in this way.
• Thank God for his generosity in caring for both our family and the Somau Garia people in this interim that we’ve been away.
• Thank God for what He will do in this forty days.

I also ask you to pray for the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit in our life during this forty days. Only He can convict and woo and deeply call the hearts of His people to this kind of partnership: impactful, transformational, lasting. Only He can draw the hearts of those whom He desires for this calling.

This is a desperate hour in the history of this people–pray fervently and passionately!