Dear Prayer Partner,
We extend warm greetings to each of you in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We thank you for your prayers and support. We want you to know that your prayers matter, and therefore we ask you to please continue to pray for us and for the ministry in Saipan.
Prayer is the lifeblood of any ministry. It is through prayer that we gain the strength, wisdom, and courage to carry out God’s work. We believe that when God’s people pray, God opens doors, and hearts are transformed. Your prayers can make a difference in Saipan, even if you are thousands of miles away. In fact, we learn from the Book of Acts the people of God prayed for the enablement of boldness in the midst of persecution, and God gave Peter and others just that. We ask you to pray that we, too, will proclaim the Gospel with boldness and confidence. Our words may not impress anyone, but no one talks back when the Holy Spirit God intervenes. What we proclaim is foolishness to the world, but for those who are saved, it is the power of God (1 Cor. 1).
Ministry Updates:
The church planting ministry continues to progress. We are inviting many to come and join our services. Some are being “kind” and tell us that they will come, but something holds them back. Others come and visit us. Some promised to come, but they haven’t visited us yet. We are fervently praying for their salvation. Our church typically sees an average gathering of 6-14 individuals, with attendance varying from week to week. We ask you to please pray for them. Each soul is precious, and your prayers can help break down the barriers that keep them from embracing the full truth of the Gospel.
Our youth ministry, "Fearless Minds," initiated by Logos Bible Church, is a beacon of hope for the next generation. We have conducted three impactful online sessions, witnessing positive testimonies from the youth. However, some teenagers are unable to attend church due to transportation constraints. Most of the kids here do not have a vehicle; they have to borrow or ride with someone. However, this gets difficult at times because the parents of these kids don’t want to do anything with the Church or help their kids go to Church. Therefore, we would like to ask you to pray to facilitate transportation arrangements for these young individuals and enable them to join our services.
If it be God’s will, and when He saves some of these young ones, they would be future Church members and leaders who could reach this community with the life-changing Word of God. With your intercession, their faith can be strengthened and nurtured. Please pray for God’s guidance and provision.
We are planning and praying to expand the ministry more to the North of the Island, focusing on engaging the local community. The barrier, however, is the location where we planted the Church. The location is deeply rooted in Roman Catholic tradition. That is correct, “tradition.” They truly do not care about God; all they care about is “family” and their tribal relationships. We humbly request your prayers that God would open their hearts to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are praying for adding at least ten new members to our church by the year's end.
Please also continue to pray for evangelism. We are trying to reach out to as many as possible, but their tradition and family roots, which they value a lot, are causing obstacles. Please are nice, in the sense, they will take a pamphlet or a brochure and say, it is nice, thank you. But that doesn’t mean they would read it. This coming Saturday, we plan to reach out to more people. Please pray that it will be a fruitful ministry.
Family Update:
Recently, my son, Enoch Jeremiah, and my wife, Stellah, and I contracted COVID-19 (or 24, whatever it is), leading to a challenging period of illness for our family. By God's grace and the prayers of our esteemed partners, we are gradually recovering. However, we continue to experience occasional lingering coughs and seek your prayers for complete healing. Additionally, we request your prayers for Enoch's overall physical and spiritual growth, as he exhibits an interest in Scripture memorization and a desire to attend school.
Possible Upcoming Trip to India:
After a prolonged waiting period, we obtained permission to travel to India in December. This trip holds great significance for us, as we have not been able to reunite with our family for five years. On August 15th, it would be two years since my (Joel) father’s passing. We seek your prayers for our safe travel, provision of all our needs for tickets and other expenses, and the success of the various ministry endeavors we plan to undertake in India, as we also entrust the Logos Bible Church ministry to an experienced pastor in our absence for a few weeks.
Prayer Requests:
As you lift these needs before the Lord, we also humbly ask you to consider supporting our ministry financially. The work in Saipan requires resources beyond what we currently have, and every contribution helps us continue to spread the Gospel, grow the church, and reach more people for Christ. Your giving, paired with your prayers, will have an eternal impact.
- Pray for Growth: Please pray for the continued growth and expansion of Logos Bible Church, specifically for the addition of new members.
- Pray for Evangelism: Please pray that the people of Saipan would be open to hearing the gospel and that the Holy Spirit would soften their hearts to receive the truth of God’s Word.
- Pray for Wisdom and Discernment: Pray that we would have the wisdom to know how to approach sensitive topics and the discernment to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in every conversation.
- Pray for Strength and Endurance: Ministry can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining. Pray that we will have the strength to persevere, even when the challenges seem overwhelming.
- Pray for Fearless Minds: Lift up the Fearless Minds Youth ministry, asking God to provide transportation so these young people can regularly attend church and grow in their faith.
- Pray for Our Family: Pray for the health, safety, and provision for our family, especially as we navigate the challenges of recovery from illness and the high costs of living.
- Pray for the upcoming trip: Finally, pray for our upcoming trip to India, for safe travel, successful ministry, and for the work of Logos Bible Church in our absence.
Partnering with Us
We want to encourage you to not only pray for us but also to reach out to us. Your communication is vital to our ministry. We would love to hear from you, whether it’s a word of encouragement, a Scripture verse that the Lord has laid on your heart, or simply letting us know that you are praying for us.
We also invite you to consider partnering with us in other ways. Whether it’s through financial support, sharing our mission with your church or small group; there are many ways you can be involved in what God is doing here.
Our Commitment to You
As we ask for your prayers and support, we also commit to praying for you. We believe in the power of reciprocal prayer, and we want to lift you up before the Lord as you partner with us in this mission. We know that many of you are engaged in your own ministries, and we want to stand with you in prayer as well.
We also commit to keeping you informed about what God is doing in Saipan. We will send regular updates, sharing both the victories and the challenges, so that you can pray more effectively and be encouraged by the ways in which God is moving.
We want to thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for considering how you might partner with us in prayer. Thank you for your unwavering support through prayer and giving. We are deeply grateful for your partnership in this mission. May the Lord bless you abundantly as we continue to lift each of you in our daily prayers.
If you like to support us, please visit the link below.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Joel, Stellah & Enoch Madasu