HAUSA PEOPLE IN GHANA

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1 DAY 11 Isa 11:1-3, NET A shoot will grow out of Jesse s root stock, a bud will sprout from his roots. The Lord s spirit will rest on him a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. He will take delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by mere appearances, or make decisions on the basis of hearsay. Pray that the Hausa people will soon recognize and obey their Savior, Jesus Christ. HAUSA PEOPLE IN GHANA Hausa children (This story is intended to illustrate the lifestyle of this people group.) Assibi lifted her head and noticed the dust covering her hands from today s work. She glances at her children, not much younger in age than she is. Assibi rises to her feet, one hand on her achy back from the long day. That day she had cared for her children and sold textiles at the market. The house was now in order, and dinner was ready when her husband came home. She wonders if her children will repeat this difficult cycle. She questions if her sons will be ashamed to be Hausa, or if her daughters will be married young like she was. It has been 500 years since her people first settled in Ghana, and many do not consider Hausas to be Ghanaians. During the 15th century, Hausa tradesmen migrated to Ghana from Hausaland, overlapping Nigeria and Niger. Eventually establishing lives in Ghana, they married local women and held on to their culture and beliefs. According to the Joshua Project, 100 percent of the Hausa people are Muslim, though many believe in traditional rituals. Pray that the Hausa may find their true identity in Christ. Pray that women and girls will receive education, equality, and dignity. Ask the Holy Spirit to start a church planting movement among the Hausa peoples. Bianca Ontiveros, guest writer 60

2 CHAKALI PEOPLE OF GHANA hy is Chakali still spoken? asks a linguist in Wan online article. Only 8,400 people speak this dying language. The Joshua Project tells us that they live in only seven villages in northwestern Ghana. Except for speaking a language that might not survive the 21st century, the Chakali are much like other people groups in this region. They are subsistence farmers who also raise cattle. Their main crop is yams, which they often present as a gift to outsiders. Though the Chakali people have always held to traditional animistic religion, they have a lot of contact with the nearby Muslim Wali people. In the past 20 years, many Chakali people have embraced Islam because of the influence of this Wali people group. The Chakali people have a man from the Wali people as their chief, and they might be speaking the Wali language in another 100 years. There are few Christian resources in the Chakali language other than Global Recordings Network (GRN) materials. About three percent of the Chakali people are Christian. DAY 12 Isa 51:6, NIV Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. Pray that the Chakali people of West Africa will understand that what matters is His eternal salvation. Pray that they will seek and find His righteousness in Christ. Pray for the distribution of Chakali recordings throughout Ghana. Pray for a spiritual revival among the Chakali Christians that will give them the willingness to follow Christ with all their hearts and draw others to Him as well. Pray for a church planting movement in northwestern Ghana that will affect both the Chakali and Wali speaking peoples. KC 61

3 DAY 13 Deut 9:6, NIV Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiffnecked people. It is not because unreached nations like the Chalas are righteous that God is reaching them, it s because of His great love for them. Pray that they will realize this, and feel humbly honored as they accept Him as their new King. CHALA PEOPLE OF GHANA How many people would there have to be before you would devote 15 years of your life to translating the Scriptures for them? Would you do that for a people group of only 4,200? Bible translators have to struggle with such questions in a country like Ghana where there are small people groups. Those producing radio broadcasts, the JESUS Film, and gospel recordings would ask the same questions. Only Global Recordings Network has produced materials in the language of the Chala people, and you can listen to them online ( It is a much simpler and shorter process to produce gospel recordings than a Bible or a full-length movie. The Chala people have their own traditional religion, and converting to one of the major world religions like Islam or Christianity is viewed as being like joining another tribe. Perhaps for that reason, the Chala people are only about five percent Christian, and only about one percent Evangelical. As far as we know there are no Muslims among them. Pray for widespread distribution of gospel recordings in the Chala language. Pray that their hearts will be open to the great Name of Jesus, the only Savior. Pray for the Holy Spirit to move among Chala elders in such a way that they will see that one can follow Jesus and also be a faithful member of the Chala people. KC 62

4 KANTOSI (AKA, YARSI) PEOPLE OF WEST AFRICA Today is February 14, also known as Valentine s Day. It is a day when people often get married, or engaged to be married. There were at least three St. Valentines throughout church history, and there are all kinds of legends regarding why we associate that name with romance and marriage. We can t say for sure if any of the legends are true. But we do know that when a people group is engaged by Christian workers, they finally have the potential to become part of the Bride of Christ. The Kantosi people group we are praying for today number only 3,200, and the only Christian resources they have in their heart language are gospel recordings. No Bible portions or videos are available to them unless they learn someone else s language. About 20 years ago four Christian partnerships came together to pray for this people group. There were seven short-term prayer efforts. Now about one percent of these Muslims are Christian, and about one in 500 is evangelical. It could take much more prayer before these people see the Light of the World. DAY 14 Isa 54:10, NIV Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Pray that the Kantosi people will accept the intense love of the Lord, and share it with other peoples in Africa. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give dreams and visions to members of the Kantosi people that will open their hearts to Christ. Pray for many to hear in whatever language they have available, that Jesus Christ wants them to have an abundant life now and forever more. Pray for a rapid church planting movement among them. KC 63

5 DAY 15 Isa 61:1-2, NIV The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn Pray that the Ngbanyito Conga people will soon go out to proclaim the Savior whom this verse describes. Pray for them to be transformed and to be used by Him to transform others. NGBANYITO CONGA PEOPLE OF GHANA EFFORTS Poverty may cause people to seek God; but the Ngbanyito Conga people of Ghana are very limited in how they can find out more about Him. With a literacy rate no greater than five percent, the gospel message must be presented orally both for evangelism and discipleship. Videos and recordings would be great tools, but someone needs to distribute them. The Ngbanyito Conga people have a population of about 335,000. Only around four percent are Christians, and only about one half of one percent are evangelical. The largest religion among them is Islam with approximately 58 percent. While the Conga people live in Ghana s northern regions, the wealth of the country is located in the southern part of this nation. Most people of the north (like the Ngbanyito Conga people) barely make a living in subsistence farming. They live in mud brick, thatched-roof homes. Most Ngbanyito Conga children cannot go to school because they are needed to help with farm work. Their lack of schooling locks them into a cycle of poverty. Poverty remains a huge challenge for this people group that suffers from a lack of drinking water, food, and employment. Pray that the disadvantaged Conga tribe will soon have the opportunity to allow their children adequate education. May they soon rise above illiteracy and poverty. Pray that they will hear the gospel of Christ presented in their language and respond by dedicating their lives to Him. Diane Tolsma, guest writer 64

6 Create International LIGBI BANDA PEOPLE OF GHANA Notice the charm around his neck (This story illustrates truths about this people group.) Carissa was babbling frantically as she ran into her hut holding her woozy nine-month-old son. She put him on a cot. Her aging mother-inlaw sat nearby frowning at Carissa. What is wrong with my grandson? she demanded. Carissa mumbled something about tsetse flies, which set the old woman off even more. How many times have I told you all the children need magic charms to protect them from danger? That boy might die because you were careless! This Ligbi Banda family is actually Muslim, though they believe that the spirit world can harm them in many ways. Amulets and charms are what they use in defense. They have many enemies in the world of nature; their homeland is awash with mosquitoes, tsetse flies, and blackflies that carry diseases like malaria, yellow fever, sleeping sickness, and river blindness. Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is very active in causing misery among this people group of 21,000 in western Ghana. Satan also keeps these Muslims confused with at least five different Islamic sects, none of which can save them. Pray that the Ligbi Banda people will soon find the way to the only Savior, Jesus Christ. Pray for missionaries to help them exterminate disease-carrying insects. KC DAY 16 Isa 61:6-8, NIV And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land and everlasting joy will be yours. For I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Pray for the blessings of this verse to reach the Ligbi people. Pray that the Ligbi people will trade their tragic lives for new life in Christ. 65

7 DAY 17 IsA 61:10-11, NIV I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of His righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. Pray for the Mamprusi people to seek and find the garments of salvation promised to those who are willing to become part of His holy family. MAMPRUSI PEOPLE OF GHANA (This story illustrates truths about this people group.) The frown on the Mamprusi girl s face seemed incongruous with the beautiful wedding dress she was wearing. Her mother, Jallah, told her, Sit down. You aren t going to your wedding with that kind of attitude. The bride-to-be replied, Why does Malash want me as his wife? He already has one. Her mother took a deep sigh before replying. Two out of three men have more than one wife among our people. Look at the bright side. You will have someone to share the work with. Our ancestors must have been right when they started doing things this way; we are among the first peoples of Ghana, and we once had a powerful empire. This girl will probably never get the chance to learn to read. Only about 15 percent of the Mamprusi people get the chance to read and write. Children usually have to help their parents with taking care of livestock, leaving no time for books. Such a situation makes it difficult to evangelize them without using oral tools. SIM International tells us that outreach to this animistic people started in 1940, and today they have 46 Protestant churches. However, with a population of 341,000, they are still considered unreached. Pray for the Lord to raise up story tellers and disciplers to reach out to the Mamprusi people. Pray that the followers of Christ among the Mamprusi people will disciple others in the ways of Jesus. KC 66

8 Create International MANDINKA (AKA, MANDINGO) PEOPLE OF GHANA Playing a kora When you think of Ghana and other countries in Africa, you think of a place where people love music. In West Africa, a Mandinka man called a jalibaa (jal ee baa, or praise singer) accompanies his songs with an interesting instrument called a kora (pronounced CORE-uh). It resembles a mandolin, and its body is made of half of a calabash covered with cowhide fastened on with decorative tacks. Several holes are cut in the side of the instrument. The praise singer has to memorize the genealogy of patron families and sing their praises. He can also deliver a musical message as well as entertain his hearers. The jalibaa art form is diminishing, as fathers are no longer passing on their musical secrets to their sons. God has endowed people with the ability to enjoy and participate not only in vocal melody and harmony, but also with an ingenuity to create many kinds of musical instruments to meet various kinds of communication needs. The folk Islamic Mandinka people also enjoy sharing their many proverbs. People usually learn them by hearing them, not by reading them in books. Thoughts and ideas are taught through music, proverbs, and stories. DAY 18 Isa 35:10, NIV and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Pray that soon the Lord will raise up Mandinka people who will bless the Lord with singing His praise among the Muslim peoples of West Africa. Pray for a contagious everlasting joy to cling to Mandinka believers. Pray that as harvesters go to the Mandinka people, they will find ways to take the good news through appealing music and other culturally-appropriate means. KC 67

9 DAY 19 Isa 17:7-8, NET At that time men will trust in their Creator; they will depend on the Holy One of Israel. They will no longer trust in the altars their hands made, or depend on the Asherah poles and incense altars their fingers made. Pray for the Nanumba people to soon put all their trust in their Creator, and cast out whatever idols have hindered them. NANUMBA PEOPLE OF GHANA The Guinea Fowl War in 1995 started as a dispute over a bird in a market. The conflict was between a man from the Nanumba tribe and a man from the Konkomba tribe. As the personal conflict morphed into a tribal one it resulted in the deaths of 1,000 to 2,000 people, the displacement of 150,000 people, villages burned, and farms destroyed. In situations where there is poverty and weak government, people fall back into tribalism, especially when underdeveloped areas are forced to rapidly enter the 21st century. Fortunately, these kinds of disputes are relatively rare in Ghana. The Nanumba people are mainly farmers. Weaving and carving provide items for trade that help to increase their meager agricultural earnings. Clan elders exercise moral authority over their local communities. The majority of the 65,000 Nanumba people are animistic, involving idol and ancestor worship. They believe that the creator is unapproachable, so they look to local spirits for their daily needs. The Nanumba people need additional missionaries and medical teams. They do not have a system for pure drinking water, which results in bone diseases. Pray that God will use His children to help the Nanumba people take care of their medical needs. Pray that God will use Nanumba believers and missionaries to share the kingdom of God with their own people. Pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of the Nanumba people so that they can know that He is approachable. Pray for a strong church planting movement. Gordon Oaks, guest writer 68

10 KOYRABORO SONGHAI PEOPLE OF GHANA What would you do if someone gave you an important message where half of the vocabulary was foreign to you? How well would you be able to piece together the message? The Koyraboro are a subgroup of the much larger Songhai cluster of peoples, and they speak a different dialect from other Songhai peoples. Any message in a different dialect would make some sense to them, but much of it wouldn t. We do not know much about those who speak the Koyraboro dialect, but we do know this. They are among the least reached people groups in the world and are categorized by the Joshua Project as unengaged. They number 8,500 in Ghana, and 1,900,000 in four other countries. Their primary language is in written form. They do not have a complete Bible, but have Bible portions, including the New Testament in their language. Audio Bible teaching is available through Global Recordings Network (GRN). The JESUS Film has been available for a few years as well as World Missionary Press booklets. This group is 98 percent Islamic and two percent Christian. DAY 20 Isa 43:12-13, NIV I have revealed and saved and proclaimed I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses, declares the Lord, that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it? Pray that the Koyraboro Songhai people will soon understand that the Lord is the only One worthy of their devotion. Pray that they will soon thrust out workers to the lost in West Africa. Pray for laborers filled with wisdom from the Holy Spirit to engage the Koyraboro Songhai people with compassion and respect as they share the gospel. Pray that the current believers will tell others in their family and work about the God they know. Pray for the protection of His faithful workers. Gordon Oakes, guest writer 69