Dear Prayer Partners,

The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him (Exodus 15:2, ESV).

Our prayer is that this verse will be sung by the Mandinka. That they will realize salvation is a gift of grace and claim Christ as Lord and Savior. We thank you so much for persevering in the task to pray for the Mandinka. As you know we are rejoicing that in the last year, several young Mandinka men have made professions of faith. These young men are answers to pray, but your work is not over. They are still babes in Christ and need to mature so that they are not swayed by the world and persecution. Please continue to lift the Mandinka believers in pray so that they will look to God for their needs and not put their trust in man. Please pray for the missionaries who have the privilege of working with new/”young” believers to have the gift of discernment and generosity. (Can be a tough combination!)

Thank you for praying for the Dickinson family. Trisha writes:

As the newest members of the Mandinka team, we’d like to introduce ourselves and thank those who have praying for us even before you knew our names! We are Josh and Trisha Dickinson, and we have 4 children: Brooke (6 years), Conner (5 years), Jenna (2 years) and Piper (7 months). We arrived in Senegal the last week in March and have been so blessed thus far. Our family adjusted to the time change and culture quickly. We were able to move into our own place within a week and we have even begun language learning! We cannot tell you how excited we are to be here and how thankful we are to those who are praying on our behalf and for the Mandinka who do not know the One who can save them. Please continue to lift our family up as we establish relationships with those in our neighborhood; that we will get a chance to share Jesus Christ with them as soon as possible, for our language learning and for chances to interact with Mandinkas.

Since in Dakar, I have had the privilege of teaching English as a second language classes (ESL). The first class was mostly Mandinka speakers, but the new class that started in April is a mixture of ethnic groups. They are a fun group. A couple of weeks ago I shared the story of creation with the class. They asked a few questions, but then one of the Mandinka students asked me if God had a child. This really highlighted our need for prayer for the Mandinka. Mandinkas have been taught that Christians believe certain things that we know are not true. I am grateful for the opportunity to share in groups like the ESL class. We talk freely and discuss significant issues in a safe environment. It is through your gifts to Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and prayer support that we are able to do this.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Richard. He is doing well. He is enjoying working with the Mandinka believers here in Dakar. Please pray for opportunities to cross paths with more Mandinka speakers.

Alex and Daniel are wrapping up exams. Alex has plans to work at a park in Virginia. Daniel will be working in South Carolina. Patrick is finishing up his last high school subjects! We appreciate you including our children in your prayers. I know Josh and Trisha feel the same way. Their little ones are precious.

Your sister in Christ, Fran

1 KJ, young man in Dakar will realize that Christ is seeking fellowship with him.

2 ANb, young woman, who is listing to God’s Word, will accept Christ’s invitation.

3 MS, MyS & JS’s dad, will believe that Christ has prepared the Way of Righteousness.

4 DD, who had heard the Truth for many years, will open the door.

5 AdM, DD’s friend, will trust Christ with his heart.

6 Continue to guide Pastor SD and his family as they minister in and around Sedhiou.

7 YM, chief of MK, will cry out to you Lord and seek you with all of his heart.

8 ALN & FN, mayor and his wife from MS, will turn to the Lord.

9 KC a believer that you will strengthen her heart.

10 FS, assist mayor of MS, will read your Word and turn from Is.

11 Thank you, Lord, that you incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed.

12 Ndj, chief of Djd, will realize his heart is empty without Christ.

13 IS, voice of ST, will daily be in tune with the Spirit.

14 LS, from Djd, will realize he is on shaky ground without the Spirit of God.

15 DS a believer will be comforted by the Spirit from the loss of his daughter last month.

16 YD, a believer will search the scriptures daily to discern God’s will.

17 MG, a mature believer, will be willing to mentor young MNK believers in Dakar.

18 SS, a young believer who moved to another city will be lead by the Spirit of God.

19 AJ, our host in Dj, will realize she is lost without the teachings from God’s Word.

20 MNK believers will desire to gather together and worship our Heavenly Father.

21 KaF, from DjT, realize that the god of Is. is not the “Rock.”

22 The students in the ESL classes will encounter our awesome God

23 NC, our host in BN, will have dreams revealing Christ as our faithful God.

24 VT, a “young” believer, will grow in his faith and trust in the “Rock”.

25 YT, a recent believer, will share his faith in Christ with his family.

26 SB, a neighbor in SED, will read scripture portions and believe.

27 AN, a believer, in Kolda, will continue to grow in her walk with the Lord.

28 The ESL students desire to know more about the Lord and His attributes

29 BbC, a healthcare worker, will realize he can never become righteous in his own strength.

30 FC, who professed faith, will seek the Lord and trust Him to provide for his family.

31 BD from DS, a nurse, will seek the steadfast love of Christ.

Pray4mnk@pobox.com

www.mandinkapeople.org

Prayer verses for May:

May 01-05: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20, ESV).

May 06-12: O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more (Psalms 10:17-18, ESV).

May 13-19: Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground (Psalms 143:10, ESV)!

May 20-26: "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he (Deuteronomy 32:4, ESV).

May 27-31: Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you (Hosea 10:12, ESV).