Many of you will remember, we fasted and prayed in February for some critical issues in Benin. As of yet, the Lord has not answered many of our prayers so we believe that a second time has come for intense prayer thanking and praising God for the fantastic things He has done and impassioned prayer against the spiritual forces of darkness. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” 2 Corinthians 10:3-4. If the balance on some key issues in Benin is to be tipped it will be tipped by spiritual means like prayer and fasting. To this end we are asking for God’s people to join us in fasting and prayer the week of 19 – 23 September. Below are the items for which to pray and to praise God:
Prayers and Praises (Grey smaller print represents additional information)
Shortwave License: Pray that the final office in the Benin government that has to approve the short wave license would do so in a way that is favorable. Also pray that the details of the license will grant TWR the flexibility needed. Praise God with us that the other office in the Benin government responsible for granting the license has responded favorably to TWR. Additional Information: The broadcast schedule of the AM transmitter in Benin is full. Right now if we want to add another ministry it would require dropping current programming. As you can see from the Progress of the Gospel Map (Red – Unreached People Groups, Yellow – Formative and Green – Established) Benin is strategically located. Increasing our ministry capacity is critical. Map from: Joshua Project, Progress of the Gospel by People Group Map [map on-line] (accessed 16 Jan 2011); available from http://www.joshuaproject.net/great-commission-maps.php
Benin Staffing Needs: Pray that God would provide the right people at the right time. There is an immediate and urgent need for a Broadcast Engineer and a Mechanic & Maintenance Person. In addition we are looking for an administrative assistant. Praise God that there is a small, but effective team in Benin. Pray for protection, spiritual growth, skill development and ongoing discipleship. Additional Information: The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. There is a tremendous potential for harvest here in Benin and more harvesters are essential.
Broadcasting on AM since 2008: Praise God that since February 2008 TWR has been broadcasting from Benin using AM. Additional Information: There are a potential of 190 million people who can hear the gospel and biblical teaching on this transmitter.
Non-Government Organization (NGO) Status: Pray for God’s wisdom as we move forward with this complicated process. Dr. Mbennah is planning on being in Benin during this week of fasting and prayer. Pray that the Lord will grant success. Additional Information: NGO Status is equivalent to a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the USA. This status will give TWR important tax benefits.
Title Deed for Parakou compound: Praise God that the mayor’s office has completed and announced a survey that allows us to proceed to the next steps. Pray for God‘s favor and wisdom as we proceed. Additional Information: TWR has purchased 1.3 acres in Parakou for housing and an office.
Title Deed for Broadcasting site:
Praise God that this important document is complete. Additional Information: The broadcasting site is located 26 kilometers (as a crow flies) from Parakou.
Two failures at Broadcasting site: The FTP computer crashed and the UPS failed. Praise be to God that temporary solutions were quickly implemented and that no airtime was lost due to these two failures. Please pray for these to items to be repaired and returned to service.
Eric and Martha Cherry: Eric and Martha are missionaries in northern Benin amongst an unreached people group. On August 25 Christopher, their 10-year-old son died of malaria. Please pray that God would be gloried through this tragedy and that He would use Christopher’s death to further His kingdom in northern Benin. (See our prayer blog for more reflections on the Cherry family and Christopher’s death www.cox-net.com/prayer_blog/?p=293) Additional Information: The entire Cherry family had been struggling with the flu so when Christopher got sick they presumed he also had the flu. When he did not improve but got worse they took him to the hospital. The hospital discovered Christopher had Malaria and started treating him. The next morning on August 25, despite the hospital’s best efforts, Christopher died. Later that day Christopher’s body was transported to where the family lives in Northern Benin and the next morning he was buried on the Cherry family’s new property.
We realize that not everyone will be able to fast for an entire week, although we would ask you to seek God as to how much and what type of fasting you would do as we pray against the spiritual forces of darkness and thank God for what He has done.
If you have never fasted before, we highly recommend that you try this important spiritual discipline, whether with us the week of 19 – 23 September or another time. Campus Crusade for Christ has produced a simple guide to fasting that can be found at: http://www.ccci.org/training-and-growth/devotional-life/personal-guide-to-fasting/index.htm