We want to begin to introduce you to the people in our lives so that you can pray for them. Here is Mr. B. He guards our house and helps out with various chores. He is married and has several children. He knows many Bible stories and enjoys sharing them with us (he has worked for missionaries for many years). Like any faithful Muslim, he prays five times a day and attends the mosque on Fridays. Pray that God would take care of Mr. B and his family. Pray that God’s Word would take root in his heart, and that he would understand what it means to become a follower of Jesus. Pray that we will find many opportunities to share the Gospel with him and that our lives would be a testimony to him as well. We believe he is very close to the Kingdom.

Want to go for a ride?

We sat tensely listening for news this week as Guinea seemed perched on the brink of disaster. There were signs of unrest among the population including protests in various cities. Our own city, Labe, experienced a riot of its own as mobs of unruly students went on a rock-throwing rampage.

Rumors were flying fast and furious and no one seemed to know exactly what would happen. We stockpiled food and fuel in our home, mapped out evacuation routes, and prepared for the worst.

Praise God, the worst never came. Instead, after numerous meetings with government, social, and religious leaders, the trade unions decided to call off the strike planned for yesterday. Instead, the nation’s leaders are going to seek a solution through peaceful negotiations. We can all breathe easy, at least for now.

Thank you so much for your prayers this past week. We were overwhelmed by the amount of prayer and encouragement we received! Many political and social problems still exist in Guinea and we ask you to continue praying for the people here. Even more than they need peace in their country, they need the peace of God in their hearts that can only come through faith in Jesus Christ.

Thank you for praying for praying for Guinea. As of right now, the situation here seems very unclear. The trade unions have called for a strike beginning tomorrow, but there is real question as to whether it will proceed as planned. We have stocked up on food and fuel at our house and made contingency plans for evacuation from the country if necessary. However, we are really praying that peace would prevail, and we would be able to remain here.

On Monday, a colleague and I went to a government office to get paperwork allowing us to leave the country by land if necessary. As we were leaving, a mob of students throwing rocks forced us to leave the government compound by a back road. Since then, things have settled down in our town, but we are still on guard constantly for signs of unrest. Please keep Guinea in your prayers. We are counting on you!

For some recent news, you may read this article on Reuters:

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL09551681

Please pray for Guinea right now.  Due to a political crisis, there is fear that the country could again descend into violence as it did last January and February.  There have already been demonstrations in Conkary, the capital.  The trade unions have called for an unlimited, general strike beginning Thursday, January 10, if the situation is not resolved.  All the political and civil powers are racing to find a peaceful resolution.  Please pray for safety for all the people of Guinea.  Pray for peace.  Pray that God would grant us wisdom as to how we ought to proceed.  Thank you so much for standing with us in prayer.