Here’s the summary of Brian’s trip to North Africa. Please continue to be praying for him, and his family as they seek the Lord’s will regarding their long term future there.
“It’s good to be home after my trip to *****, but as I settle back into the routine at work and enjoying my family again I can’t help but think about the many things that I experienced there. One of the things that was most striking to me was the impact of Islam on the culture there. From dress, language, and social interaction, to being awakened at 3 AM by the first call to prayer from the local mosque, one realizes the religious stranglehold that is imposed on the people of ******. It is clear to see that while the Gospel is a message we would long to communicate to them, it is not an easy task. However, it is encouraging to see the strong core of believers that can be found amongst the Muslim community here. While there is a strong church in the south, comprised mostly of southern, formerly animist tribal peoples, the pockets of believers that come from an Islamic background are much fewer. One of the issues there is that while they speak French and Arabic, few are able to read the scriptures in standard Arabic and the translation of the Bible into ****** Arabic is still in process. Also, it is most important that the new believers eventually are able to obtain God’s Word in their heart languages. There are many different tribes represented here including the Masalit, Tama, Maba, and the Zaghawa to name a few. I found out that ***** has one of the largest populations of unreached people groups out of all the countries in Africa with the fewest missionaries working with them. This is one of the things that touched my heart while I was there, especially with the need for workers with the Zaghawa people. They are the largest tribe in *****, and incidentally the one in power at the moment. There is almost no one working with them except for one man that I met who is currently working on Bible stories and some scriptures in the Zaghawa language. As some of you may know, the refugees from Darfur that we are working with here in Philadelphia are Zaghawa so this is near to my heart. One of the reasons that few people are working with them is because they are the party in power and they do not have a good relationship with many of the other people groups. They tend to be aggressive and difficult to work with and take advantage of the fact that they are strong. I find this interesting considering that they are persecuted and have been killed in great number in neighboring Sudan. There is certainly plenty of opportunity and open doors here for workers so please pray that those who the Lord has called will go. Please pray for my family as we begin to pray to see if this is a door that God is opening for us. We want to pray for His will in this as to whether or not we should be going to work with the people there, the Zaghawa specifically. We have a heart for this people group in Sudan and since this country is currently closed, ***** may be the window of opportunity into their hearts. Also, please pray for more opportunities for us to minister to the Sudanese Muslims that we know here in Philadelphia. I have brought back with me the Gospels in ******** Arabic and all of the literature to date in the Zaghawa tongue. Pray that I will get a chance to share these with my friends here. Continue to lift up this whole situation as we want more than anything to glorify our King in whatever He has called us to do.”