Pray for Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR) lies at the geographical center of the continent of Africa and is at the core of a broad region known as Central Africa. 83 languages are spoken there; 54 of them have no Scripture. Let God touch your heart to pray for the 4 million people who are currently in grave danger. According to the Guardian, looters and gunmen roamed the streets of the capital, Bangui, on March 26 as regional peacekeepers struggled to restore order two days after a coup plunged this mineral-rich country into chaos. Pray: Save them for your Name's sake. (Psalm 106:8)

DAGBA; Central African Republic; 44,000; Bibles International. Thank the Lord, the final checks of the Dagba New Testament were completedlast year. Pray for the team as they prepare the manuscript for publication;this process involves many details. Ask God to fill them with His Spirit andgive them joy and alertness. Pray that the typesetting and printing will gosmoothly. They hope to hold a Scripture dedication at the end of the year. Lift up the Dagba people in prayer, that they will eagerly anticipate having God’s Word in their heart language.

ACATBA*’s key department, Church Relations and Vision-Sharing, has been working to help grow the vision for Bible translation in the Central African Republic, aiming for local ownership and full partnership in their local projects.  Now that this vital part of their work faces closure due to lack of funding in this cash-starved country, staff member Elvis Guenekean asks us to pray for resources, creativity and courage to keep the Vision-Sharing department open and fulfill this essential part of their ministry.

* ACATBA is the Bible Translation and Literacy Organisation of the Central African Republic

The newly revised Sango Bible arrived in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, in January 2013, despite a period of political unrest around Christmas. Now plans are in hand for a dedication ceremony in February or March.  It was very hard to find funds for this first printing, and many copies are already ‘pre-sold’.  Pray for these new Bibles to result in changed lives in CAR, and for funding for a second printing very soon.

After a time of political unrest, the latest news seems to be good. Peace talks were held in Libreville, Gabon on January 11, 2013. The results included an agreement by the President to share power with the opposition. A new Prime Minister has been appointed from the opposition, and tension has been lessened greatly in the country. Pray for the government, as new appointments are made and new ministers take up their positions. Pray they will all have the country's best interests at heart, and will be able to work together to improve the lives of the many Central African citizens. 

Click here to read articles and stories about people involved in Bible translation in the Central African Republic, for example, "Transformed while Translating".

The Kaba, Nzakara and Gbeya Bible translation teams have set themselves the goal of finishing their New Testaments in 2015. Since this is one of the poorest countries in the world, they have largely relied on funding from outside. Now that this is reduced, they can no longer fund necessary testing and checking sessions as the translation progresses, and struggle to find basic salaries for the team members. Pray with faith for the means to be found for the completion of these New Testaments. 

Whilst local teams in the central African region grow in number and expertise, they are still asking for some help and support from others outside their country. The Central Africa Group would love to be able to fill all the gaps in their area, but currently there’s no one in their recruitment ‘pipeline’. Pray for key helpers in all areas of need to be called by God and come forward to help.

Most expatriate workers have a huge blessing in their supporters at home, who pray, give and encourage them.  For their local colleagues, ‘home’ is right where they are working, but it can be hard for them to build up this kind of prayer team, and even, sometimes, to see the difference it can make to their life and ministry. Will you embrace the vision for each African team member in the central African region to have a prayer team of 100 people from their local church congregations, and pray for its fulfilment?

The Gbaya team in the Central African Republic wants a Scripture Use worker to help people in their area to get the most out of their New Testament.  ACATBA* and Wycliffe partner Elizabeth, who’s involved in recruitment in the USA, are asking us to pray that God would call just the right person or couple to meet the need and get them to the Gbaya area as soon as possible!

 *ACATBA is the local Bible translation and literacy organisation in the Central African Republic.

Would you commit to praying for the Pagabete, Mono, Ngbandi-Ngiri, Kaba, Gbeya, Nzakara and Beembe language projects through the next few years? Translation team members all hope to publish New Testaments in these languages in the next three years or so, 2013-2015. This stage of a project often brings greater than usual challenges for the team involved. Please pray specifically about final changes and improvements to their work, for health and safety for team members, protection from natural disasters and civil unrest, and against technical failures of the equipment they use.