Prayer Partner Letter

November 2014

Dear Prayer Partners,

Earlier this year, a long-time missionary with Pioneer Bible Translators in West Africa, wrote an article entitled Aroma of Christ. May God speak to your heart as you read it.

Where we work is not an easy place to live. It can be very discouraging. Daily living is a challenge: having sufficient water, filtering water, lack of regular electricity, climate, sickness, challenges of daily dealing with people who suffer greatly (hunger, sickness, death). Not only that, but there are so many lost people spiritually. Sometimes you wonder if you are really making a difference. We rarely witness any fruit from all the laboring. But on occasion we are so, so blessed to hear of someone’s life changing and following Jesus. At ladies prayer meeting recently a missionary friend shared a very exciting and encouraging story of a woman that I actually know!

I had first met Rama several years ago when visiting some friends who worked with the American Embassy. At one point she had been looking for work after this embassy family left our country and she was able to connect with my friend from the ladies prayer meeting. She came to this missionary’s home to help her with her young daughter. After working one day, my friend asked Rama if she could pray for her and Rama said, “No!” So, my missionary friend continued to pray for her silently. After several times of asking to pray for her, Rama finally said “OK” and that was about the extent of her lack of interest in following Jesus.

Years passed (6 or so) and just this past week my friend heard a knock on her gate. It was Rama who came to say hello and to let my friend know that she has become a follower of Jesus! Several years ago Rama had returned to the interior of our country to her home village. She had heard that there were some new missionaries in town, and Rama had gone to their house looking for work. She started working for these people who happen to be my fellow colleagues with Pioneer Bible Translators! While working there this family continued to pray and talk to Rama about following Jesus.

One night she had a dream and in this dream Jesus had come to her and told her to follow Him, so she said YES!!! This was such a wonderful, encouraging story for all of us because we so often feel so useless in our witness among the people here. As I go about each day at work, at home, or wherever I find myself, I keep praying that the Lord would bring people across my path that need Jesus. This passage from 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 has been especially encouraging to me, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

Thank God that Rama became a Christian.

Pray that she will be steadily growing in her relationship with Christ and that she will exude the aroma of Christ to those with whom she comes into contact.

Thank God for the missionary couple with Pioneer Bible Translators who continued to share the aroma of Christ with Rama, building on what others had done years earlier.

Thank God that missionaries continue to persevere in West Africa, releasing the aroma of Christ to those with whom they come in contact, even though they see little tangible results in lost people being saved.

Pray for each missionary in Pioneer Bible Translators to continue spreading the aroma of Christ even when there are no tangible results as far as they can see.

Praythat they will leave the results with God, knowing it may be years before the seed they planted bears spiritual fruit.

Thanks for your prayers,
Gerald Denny
Care Department Director
Pioneer Bible Translators