Monday, February 26, 2024

26 February-03 March Herron's Prayer Blog

 James and Sonya Herron, IMB Missionaries

Uganda East Africa

Island Ministry team (Upper Buvuma Islands)

The vision of the International Mission Board is to see a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ

_________________________________________________________________

55 in 5



“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV)


Pray for the Makhuwa Marrevone of Mozambique



The Makhuwa-Marrevone are one of the majority Muslim people groups along the coast of Mozambique. They were introduced to Islam over 1,000 years ago by Arab traders from the Gulf of Oman. Their ethnographic center near the town of Moma fell under the influence of a powerful Muslim sultanate. This influence continues even now, many centuries after the Portuguese colonized Mozambique.


Since the late 1990s, missionaries from various groups, including the IMB, have been sharing the gospel and planting churches among people groups bordering the Makhuwa-Marrevone. IMB missionaries praise God that there are now some baptized believers among the Makhuwa-Marrevone! We need to keep praying for the gospel to spread and for healthy, multiplying churches to be planted among them.


·       Pray for the hearts of the Ndengereko people to be turned toward God.

·       Ask for God-called believers to take the truth of the gospel to the Ndengereko where they live.

·       Pray that the hardships the Ndengereko are encountering in their area will be doors God uses to share His truth with them.


Praise God for His Faithfulness from 19th February—03rd March 2024 

Thank the Lord with the Herrons for the Past Two Weeks

We Praise God for:

  • Traveling Grace:
    •  As James and Sonya traveled around the Jinja area during the last two weeks.
    • As Madison transported daily to and from school. 
    • James and Joseph Wafula traveled to and from Sigulu Island – Nampongwe for Evangelism and Discipleship training for the team who will be evangelizing the people who will receive the Tools and Seeds to be distributed during the coming mission team 19th—23rd February.  
  •  As the Herrons as they traveled in and around the Jinja area during the past week.
  •  We thank God for Twenty-Five Church Leaders and Five Women Leaders who attended the three-day Evangelism-Discipleship Training 19th—23rd February. and their work with the mission team this past week and their continual work in reaching and expanding the ministry of reaching the lost people of the islands.
  • Pastor Odongo and the Hasusuni Baptist Church for their commitment to Farming God’s Way and sponsoring the team from Gardendale FBC.
  • The people for the Church at Bugege who were present for the Evangelism-Discipleship Training.
    • Their commitment to share what they have been taught to
      • Their immediate family members
      • Other Small Group members
      • Friends and neighbors
      • People God put in our path, as we go.  In preparation for the coming mission team in two weeks.  
      • Opportunities for James and believers from the church to witness to seven young men from Hasusuni Village in an area call “The Getto” known for local alcohol use and drug use.
  • We thank God for the 25 pastors and church leaders who came for the Iganga Bible Study 09th—10th February, were pastors and church leaders from nine different churches gathered for an introduction of the New Testament Books. 
  • We thank God for His provision and allowing us to minister to the peoples of the islands.
  • We also praise God for keeping us in good physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Pray for the Herron’s This Coming Week

26th February—03rd March 2024

  • Pray for our travel this week:
    • As we travel around Jinja this week.
    • Transporting Madison to and from school daily.
    • Sonya driving in and around Jinja area during the week.
  • Pray that the Herrons would be light and salt to the people they meet this week.
  • Pray that the Herrons will be given the words to share to others about Jesus and how they might receive the salvation from God offered through a relationship with Christ.
  • Pray for meeting scheduled concerning the Upper Buvuma Island Baptist Ministry (UBIBM).
  • Pray for God’s provision for the coming months as the Herrons has many opportunities to expand their work to different islands on Lake Victoria. 
  • Pray for the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of the Herron’s.
  •  Pray that God will give the Herrons insight and spiritual wisdom in making wise ministry decisions as they engage in ministering on the island.
  •  Pray for our families in the USA: 
    • Our three sons and their families 
      • Our oldest son Keith in Memphis, Tennessee
      • Our middle son, Jason, and his wife Marsha and their two sons Jacob and Joshua
      • Our youngest son, Jeremy, and his wife Jennifer, and his three children, Ki, Colie, and Cy as he serves in the Army in stationed on Stuttgart, Germany.   
      • Babra in Heidelberg, Germany
  • Pray for our siblings, aunts and uncles and their families.


In HIS service  

James and Sonya Herron

 "...before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language...." Revelation 7:9 (NIV)  

















Some of the 100+ attendant of Farming God's Way Training
 


Teaching FGW on a Hillside



Some of the Children Who received Dresses from South Reno Baptist Church 


Others Who Received the Dresses 


Some of the Many Girls Who received the Dresses


Two of the 13 who were Baptized after FGW Training



The vision of the International Mission Board is to see a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ

Sunday, January 21, 2024

08-29 January Herron's Prayer Blog

 James and Sonya Herron, IMB Missionaries

Uganda East Africa

Island Ministry team (Upper Buvuma Islands)

The vision of the International Mission Board is to see a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ

_____________________________________________________________________________

55 in 5

“Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.” (Psalm 149:3-4 ESV)


Pray for the Jula of Mali


In the 14th century, the Jula started establishing trade routes and trading centers across western Africa, including the area now known as Mali. Today, they remember their rich history through storytelling and dance. Both Jula men and women live up to their name, which means “itinerant trader,” by working as merchants. Outside of work, men usually devote themselves to studying Islam while women cook, clean and care for children. Obedience and honesty are highly valued by Jula, as well as community and respect for the elderly, as only a small percentage live past the age of 45. There are no known churches or believers among the Jula in Mali. Portions of the Bible have been translated into their language.


·       Pray for more translation work to be completed so the Jula will have an entire Bible in their language.

·       Pray Christians with a similar culture to the Jula will be burdened to share the gospel with their Jula neighbors.

·       Pray the Jula’s new history will include stories of their redemption and salvation found in Christ. Pray their love for storytelling would be used to advance the gospel.

Praise God for His Faithfulness from 08th—21st January 2024 

Thank the Lord with the Herrons for the Past Two Weeks

We Praise God for:

  • Traveling Grace:
    •  James, Wafula Joseph, and Nathan traveled to and from to Sigulu Island from 15th—19th January. 
    • As we traveled safely by van and by boat to the Sigulu Island District. 
    • Thanks for a safe trip as we returned home safely 19th January.
  • As the Herrons as they traveled in and around the Jinja area during the past two weeks.
  •  We thank God for Upper Buvuma Island Baptist Ministry (UBIBM) Leadership Team and their work with the mission team this past week and their continual work in reaching and expanding the ministry of reaching the lost people of the islands.
  • We thank God for the 25 pastors and church leaders who came for the Iganga Bible Study 05th—06th January, were twenty-four pastors and church leaders from nine different churches gathered to learn continue survey of the Bible as we begin teaching the New Testament books, starting with intertestamental period and the book of Matthew. 
  • We thank God for the planning that was done in preparation for our Farming God’s Way training in Sigulu Island District next week 15th—19th January.
  • We thank God for His provision and allowing us to minister to the peoples of the islands.
  • We also praise God for keeping us in good physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Pray for the Herron’s This Coming Week

22nd—28th January 2024

  • Pray for our travel this week:
    • As we travel around jinja this week.
      • Transporting Madison to and from school daily.
      • James and Sonya traveling to Johannesburg, South Africa 24th—29th January.
  •  Pray for the Upper Buvuma Island Baptist Ministry.
  • God will keep our focus on reaching the islands people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
  • Help us focus of reaching new islands where the Gospel is most needed to am as they work toward reaching six new Islands with the Gospel of Christ and start eight new churches on these islands and planting of eight new churches in the Buvuma Island District.
  • Pray that the Herrons would be light and salt to the people they meet this week.
  • Pray that the Herrons will be given the words to share to others about Jesus and how they might receive the salvation from God offered through a relationship with Christ.
  • Pray for the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of the Herrons.
  • Pray that God will give the Herrons insight and spiritual wisdom in making wise ministry decisions as they engage in ministering on the island.
  •  Pray for our families in the USA 
    • Our three sons and their families 
      • Our oldest son Keith in Memphis, Tennessee
      • Our middle son, Jason, and his wife Marsha and their two sons Jacob and Joshua
      • Our youngest son, Jeremy, and his wife Jennifer, and his three children, Ki, Colie, and Cy as he serves in the Army in stationed on Stuttgart, Germany.   
      • Babra in Heidelberg, Germany
  • Pray for our siblings, aunts and uncles and their families.

In HIS service  

James and Sonya Herron

 "...before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language...." Revelation 7:9 (NIV)   

 

55 in 5 Resources


Jula Men


Wafula Joseph Challenging Farming God's Way the Attendees 





Some of the Attendees Farming God's Way Sigulu Island


Teaching on the Hillside


Three Men Who Accepted Christ as Lord and Savior

 
One of the Thirteen Persons Baptized 19 January 2024 



The vision of the International Mission Board is to see a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ








Sunday, November 12, 2023

13-19 November Herron's 2023 Prayer Blog

 James and Sonya Herron, IMB Missionaries

Uganda East Africa

Island Ministry team (Upper Buvuma Islands)

The vision of the International Mission Board is to see a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ

_______________________________________________________________________

55 in 5

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)


Pray for the Ndengereko of Tanzania


The Ndengereko number around 285,000. They are only located in Tanzania and live along the Rufiji River. Their primary language is Ndengereko, and their primary religion is Islam. There are very few evangelical believers among them.

 

The Ndengereko are subsistence farmers who grow mainly cassava, maize, rice, millet, sesame, coconuts and cashew nuts.

 

·       Pray for the hearts of the Ndengereko people to be turned toward God.

·       Ask for God-called believers to take the truth of the gospel to the Ndengereko where they live.

·       Pray that the hardships the Ndengereko are encountering in their area will be doors God uses to share His truth with them.


Praise God for His Faithfulness from 06th –12 November 2023 

Thank the Lord with the Herrons for the Past Weeks

We Praise God for:

  • Traveling Grace:
    •  As the Herrons as they traveled in and around the Jinja area during the past week.
  •  We thank God for Baptist Ministry (UBIBM) Leadership Team and their work with the mission team this past week and their continual work in reaching and expanding the ministry of reaching the lost people of the islands.
  • We thank God for the 25 pastors and church leaders who came for the Iganga Bible Study 3rd—04th November, were twenty-four pastors and church leaders from nine different churches gathered to learn about the Old Testament Minor Prophets. 
  • We thank God for the planning that was done in preparation for our Discipleship/Evangelism training in Sigulu Island District next week.
  • We thank God for His provision and allowing us to minister to the peoples of the islands.
  • We also praise God for keeping us in good physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Pray for the Herron’s This Coming Week

13th—19th November 2023

  • Pray for our travel this week:
    • James and Wafula Joseph and the Upper Buvuma Island Baptist Ministry Zone Leaders Travel to Sigulu Island to train Pastors, Church Planters, Church Leaders and members how to disciple new believers from 13th—18th November. 
    • Pray for the Zone Leaders as they travel from the islands to the mainland and to Sigulu Island. 
    • As we travel by van and by boat to the Sigulu Island District. 
    • Pray for our stay on Sigulu Island this coming week.
    • Pray for us as we return to our respective homes on Saturday 18th November.
    • Travel around Jinja area this week.
  • Pray for the Upper Buvuma Ministry Team as they work toward reaching six new Islands with the Gospel of Christ and start eight new churches on these islands and planting of eight new churches in the Buvuma Island District.
  • Pray Mukisa who is taking the national examinations this week:
    • Tuesday from 9:00 am.—5:00 p.m. Economic
    • Thursday 16th November General Knowledge 9:00 a.m.—12:00 noon.
  • Pray that the Herrons would be light and salt to the people they meet this week.
  • Pray for Sonya and Madison as James will not be home from 13th—18th November.  
  • Pray that the Herrons will be given the words to share to others about Jesus and how they might receive the salvation from God offered through a relationship with Christ.
  • Pray for the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of the Herrons.
  • Pray that God will give the Herrons insight and spiritual wisdom in making wise ministry decisions as they engage in ministering on the island.
  •  Pray for our families in the USA 
    • Our three sons and their families 
      • Our oldest son Keith in Memphis, Tennessee
      • Our middle son, Jason, and his wife Marsha and their two sons Jacob and Joshua
      • Our youngest son, Jeremy, and his wife Jennifer, and his three children, Cam, Colie, and Cy as he serves in the Army in stationed on Stuttgart, Germany.   
      • Babra in Heidelberg, Germany
    • Pray for our siblings, aunts and uncles and their families.


In HIS service  

James and Sonya Herron

 "...before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language...." Revelation 7:9 (NIV)   

 

55 in 5 Resources 



Ndengereko Woman



Ndengereko Woman-2




The vision of the International Mission Board is to see a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ













Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Herron's Prayer Blog-30 October—05 November 2023

 James and Sonya Herron, IMB Missionaries

Uganda East Africa

Island Ministry team (Upper Buvuma Islands)

The vision of the International Mission Board is to see a multitude from every language, people, tribe and nation knowing and worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ

__________________________________________________________________

55 in 5


"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus …"  (1 Timothy 2:1,3-4)


Pray for the Ngiri of the Democratic Republic of the Congo


The Ngiri live in a heavily forested area on the edge of the largest freshwater wetland in all of Africa. They were once renowned warriors but today they are looked down upon and discriminated as “those forest people.” The Ngiri face the challenges of poverty, poor hygiene, alcoholism, domestic violence, fear of sorcery, and a shortage of opportunities to grow intellectually, spiritually, and economically.

The Ngiri are primarily farmers; women tend the crops while men fish, hunt and clear the farmland. While the Ngiri reject non-Christian religions such as Buddhism and Islam, they don’t worship the one true God, and few understand the gospel. Instead, they practice a form of religion that involves ancestor and spirit worship.


·       Pray that God would place a longing in the hearts of these “people of the forest” to know Him.

·       Pray for current work being done by Seed Company to translate the New Testament into the heart language of the Ngiri.

·       Ask God to make a way to reach isolated villages in this vast and heavily forested area.

Praise God for His Faithfulness from 09th–29th October 2023 

Thank the Lord with the Herrons for the Past Two-Weeks

We Praise God for:

  • Traveling Grace:
    •  As the Herrons travel to Entebbe to pick-up the mission team from O’Fallon, Illinois
      • As James traveled to the islands with the Mission Team from O’Fallon First Baptist Church (OFBC)
      • We thank God for protection as we travel over nine hours on the waters of Lake Victoria. 
    • As the Herrons traveled in and around the Jinja area during the past two weeks.
  •  We give thank to God for the O’Fallon First Baptist Church (FBCO) mission team and their ability to adjust to not having the medical clinics and providing training to the people of the islands and evangelism training and application.
    • We praise God for discipleship, and evangelism training taught by the FBCO Mission Team.
    • We praise God for the nine teams of mission team member, pastors and church leaders and women who made up the evangelism team that visited:
      • Four islands
      • Six village churches
      • Witnessed to over 400 people and
      • Saw 193 people accepted Christ as Lord and Savior Upper Buvuma Island
      • More than 100 persons were discipled at the time they accepted Christ.
      • All the new believers were connected to a village church that is committed to discipling the new believers.
  • We thank God for the Upper Buvuma Island Baptist Ministry (UBIBM) Leadership Team and their work with the mission team this past week and their continual work in reaching and expanding the ministry of reaching the lost people of the islands.
  • We thank God for His provision and allowing us to minister to the peoples of the islands.
  • We also praise God for keeping us in good physical, emotional and spiritual health.

Pray for the Herron’s This Coming Week

30th October—05th November 2023

  • Pray for our travel this week:
    • James and Wafula Joseph travels to Iganga this Friday and Saturday Bible Study with local pastors November 03rd and 04th.
    • Travel around Jinja area this week.
  • Pray for the Upper Buvuma Ministry Team as they work toward reaching six new Islands with the Gospel of Christ and start eight new churches on these islands and planting of eight new churches in the Buvuma Island District.
  • Pray for the mission team from O’Fallon FBC as they return to Illinois after beinig on the islands for six days this Tuesday 31st October.
  • Pray that the Herrons would be light and salt to the people they meet this week. 
  • Pray that the Herrons will be given the words to share to others about Jesus and how they might receive the salvation from God offered through a relationship with Christ.
  • Pray for the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of the Herrons.
  • Pray that God will give the Herrons insight and spiritual wisdom in making wise ministry decisions as they engage in ministering on the island.
  •  Pray for our families in the USA. 
    • Our three sons and their families 
      • Our oldest son Keith in Memphis, Tennessee
      • Our middle son, Jason, and his wife Marsha and their two sons Jacob and Joshua
      • Our youngest son, Jeremy, and his wife Jennifer, and his three children, Ki, Colie, and Cy as he serves in the Army in stationed on Stuttgart, Germany.   
      • Babra in Heidelberg, Germany
  • Pray for our siblings, aunts and uncles and their families.


In HIS service  

James and Sonya Herron

 "...before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language...." Revelation 7:9 (NIV)   

 

55 in 5 Resources