Senegal 2023

Giving alms to the poor and handicapped is one of the five main tenets of Islam. In communities across Senegal, thousands of poor are daily ready to help Muslims with this requirement of the faith. You don’t have to go to them, they will come to you with their hands out or jingling a few coins together to get your attention.

Raggedly dressed boys, ages 4-15, roam the streets in small groups begging for an offering of alms. The vast majority of these talibes (disciples) in Senegal come from poor Peul families. Devoted (or desperately poor) parents hand over a son to a Quranic teacher who takes them hundreds of miles from home. Parents are told this son is an offering to Allah and are promised Allah will repay them for their sacrifice, improving their chances of heaven. For poor families, to give a son away is also one less mouth to feed each day.

Every morning talibes are awakened in the dark before sunrise to begin reciting and memorizing the Quran in Arabic. At daybreak they are sent into communities to beg for coins or food to support their teacher. Failure to fill the daily quota may lead to a beating. It’s a pernicious problem that many decry as child slavery. The national government has made efforts to reduce this practice, but it is so deeply rooted into the religious and cultural fabric, the governments actions have had little effect.

PRAISE

“Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth” (Psalm 67:4)

KINGDOM COME

“Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

Many God-fearing Senegalese seek to obey what they’ve been taught about Allah by fasting during the Arabic month of Ramadan. Father we pray that they would have an encounter with you, their true Heavenly Father during these thirty days and enter into your family through Christ, our older brother.

PRAY THE BOOK OF ACTS

“So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, ’Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 9:17)

Lord, we ask for many Saul-like people in Senegal to be brought to repentance and faith in you. We pray for many Ananias-like believers to openly receive those who were staunchly opposed to the Gospel into fellowship but have had an encounter with Jesus. Father, would you give dreams and visions to Muslims that would send them on spiritual journeys where they ultimately find their hope in Jesus?

PRAY THE HALL OF FAITH

“By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.” (Hebrews 11:11)

Please bless every believer in Senegal with spiritual children no matter how long they have been in the faith. Let each disciple of Jesus trust your faithfulness that you will give them spiritual children as they obey you and make you known to their family, friends, and neighbors.

PRAYER

Through the compassion and teaching of missionaries and local disciples of Jesus, some of these talibes have come to faith in Jesus. They are now reaching out to others in Your Name, Lord. We pray more of these boys will not only grasp the freedom, joy and peace of Your Gospel, but that they would also be bold and loving as they share these gospel truths with others.

To learn more about disciple making movements, go to https://zume.training/the-gospel-and-how-to-share-it/