prayer request

Some have graciously offered to pray for our ministry. Below are some specific requests. I include earlier reports so you can know the background for the prayer request in the final paragraph:

UPDATE: FEBRUARY 2006
One of our church planter families has a tailoring shop in a village where they are starting a new church. The village doctor’s wife enrolled in sewing classes. She worshipped the monkey god faithfully, performing elaborate worship rituals before her idol, spending a lot of money on the rituals hoping for blessings and peace. Instead, she suffered from persistent migraines and never felt any peace, only torment. The church planter prayed for her in front of the sewing class. From that day on, she never had another migraine. When she concluded that Jesus healed her, she believed in Christ and threw away her idols. Her husband, the medical doctor, had heard about someone called Jesus when he was in the eighth grade, but never found anyone who could tell him more (he is now in his thirties). He found the church planter to learn more. He also accepted Christ, especially after he witnessed the change in his wife. The doctor is so enthusiastic now that he is sharing his testimony with everyone in his village. The doctor said, “This is wonderful news, everyone needs to hear this! Before now, there was no one to tell us about Jesus.” He plans to take the gospel to all of the surrounding villages. Pray for this couple as they continue in discipleship and are trained by the church planter.

UPDATE: MARCH 2006
Thank you for praying for the village doctor and his wife who gave their lives to Christ. They followed the Lord in baptism this past month and shared a powerful testimony to all who witnessed the event. The doctor took all of the images and idols that had decorated their home and threw them in the river where he was baptized. He said, (to the idols), "You have been a curse to me and my family, now you are dead to me." What a beautiful picture of what baptism means... our old life is dead and buried; we are raised to a new life in Christ! The doctor has a goal of reaching and baptizing 50 families for Christ. Continue to pray for him and his family as they continue in discipleship and seek to spread the gospel to all the surrounding villages.

UPDATE: JULY 2006
A radical religious group arrived at our tailoring center a few days ago and threatened to beat the church planter family if they did not stop teaching Christian songs and sharing the gospel with people. This radical group was planning to make a disturbance but the landlord came to the rescue and dispersed the group. Our church planter (John) has been warned not to enter this village where he has been going to share the gospel. The believers in that village are also being threatened with death by the radical religious group if they continue to meet as a church or have any Christian meeting. The new believers are very afraid right now. John has not been able to return to that village. Please pray for protection and perseverance for all the believers, and for the three new house churches in this area. Please pray for the three local leaders and their families, including the village doctor that was baptized recently.