Ordinary People Serving an Extraordinary God: Pray for God’s Work in Chad

Ministry for TEAM Chad over the past 30 years has been a spiritual battle. The trials and challenges have been real and numerous. Global workers have faced illness, struggles in marriages, and conflict within teams. Some have been taken hostage, experienced the death of a child, or even lost their own lives. Yet, by God’s grace the work continues. As one TEAM Chad worker says, “We are ordinary people, serving an extraordinary God.” 

Over the last couple of months, the TEAM blog has highlighted how God is at work in Chad. For this month’s Prayer Focus, here’s how you can pray for the Kingdom work taking place in the region. These five requests represent many years of pain, prayer, and perseverance that have brought the ministries to where they are today.

1. Pray for a new education and literacy initiative. In 2011, TEAM Chad workers Rivers and Becky left the village where they were living, fully expecting to return after home assignment. Suspicion from the people and the health of their third son made it impossible to return. The work of three years felt dead in the water. For the next 10 years, they worked in other villages, establishing schools where children could learn to read and write in the Daza language. In 2022, 11 years later, a ministry they thought dead began to come back to life, as they were invited back to their original village to introduce mother tongue education in the school there. In the next three months, Rivers and Becky and the team they are a part of hope to start this new project. Join us in praying that the pieces will fall into place for them to begin.  

2. Pray for teacher training in Christian education. TEAM’ers Paul and Kathryn first came to Chad to run a crucial mission station and school for TCK’s. With time, all the global workers gradually moved out of the area and the school was closed. Now Christian education has emerged in this region as an exciting opportunity to disciple the next generation of Christian children and to reach the lost. Kathryn and Paul are now uniquely placed and are playing a vital role in teacher training and follow-up in this crucial ministry. Please join us in praying for others to join them.  

3. Pray for the rebuilding of a school. As Islam was spreading south in Chad in the 1990’s, Tchaguine remained as the northern-most non-Muslim village. Through the ministry of TEAM Chad workers Mark and Diane over these last 30 years, the church has developed and grown. Tchaguine now boasts a radio-tower, malnutrition clinic, and a Bible school. Mark and his team are very close to finishing the translation of the Bible into the Kwong language. Diane has now undertaken to rebuild the Christian school in Tchaguine from the ground up. The general education in Tchaguine is dismally low, which makes the task an enormous undertaking. Please pray with us for good Christian teachers and competent administrators to help in this new ministry. 

4. Pray for a growing church despite difficulties. After 12 years of prayer and investment from the TEAM Chad field, in partnership with SIM and Chadian missionaries, a fruitful ministry continues in Goz Beida. The last five years have been filled with prayers of hope and lamentation. The team there has faced some dark days and has persevered through very challenging moments. Despite these difficulties, new believers are emerging to encourage the growing church. Please join us in praying for God to strengthen this team and add to the number of those who are being saved.  

5. Pray for a community open to receiving global workers. The Runga people live in the southeast corner of Chad along the border with the Central African Republic. TEAM Chad has been working and praying for over fifteen years to begin a ministry in this unreached area. The local people are asking for global workers. The door is wide open. Though there have been multiple couples lined up for this work, none have yet been able to move there. TEAM Chad’s Johan and Kathleen are currently committed to the Runga people and to the start of this strategic ministry. Join us in praying that now would be the time for the Runga and that God would send others to join them.   

Special thanks to TEAM Chad global workers for sharing these specific requests with us. And thank YOU for joining us in prayer!

Click here to download a printable copy of this month’s Prayer Focus!

Sign up here to receive TEAM’s monthly prayer focus in your inbox each month. You can unsubscribe at any time. Thank you for praying with us!