Current Update & Prayer Needs:
October 11, 2024
Pam really enjoyed her time with Isaac, at Collin College and visiting with his host family, Ola, Gladys and Niyi LaLeye. Isaac is doing very well! Our conversation was a bit slow, but he responded well--he is picking up English well! He really likes his classes and thinks school here is easier than at home! He thought his math test was easy! He spends time between classes studying in the Library above!
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Praises:
Next doctor appointment for Prisca is set in South Africa! May all travels be safe and timely! Josue and Prisca will be together for the week; may this be a blessed down time for both of them and bless their marriage! Prisca will fly home on her own, while Josue flies on to Tanzania for 2 weeks conference with YFCI. They will share and discuss East African development within the ministry as well as have area leadership meetings with the 8 main leaders across the continent, and train board members. YFC remains strong in Benin, leading youth across the country into a saving relationship with Jesus!
Missionary Ventures International has funded a moto for Josue personally! This will certainly help Akowanou transportation issues, when they have only had one car!
Pray for:
*Building permit to be approved, that was filed in 2021!!! Once Josue can start construction on the High School expansion at God’s Grace onto the property next door, it will take 4-6 months to build even 1-3 classrooms. They need space for 11th grade next year!
*Glory’s adoption paperwork to be fully approved! Josue and Prisca have an appointment with the US embassy on Jan.22 2026, to receive visas to the US. They would like to be able to bring the whole family to the US by the summer! May the adoption paperwork allow Glory to get a visa!
Lord, we ask you to move the mountains that are camouflaging this paperwork, to get both requests through the system as soon as possible!
*Prisca’s health to truly improve! Josue says she is better some days, then not good others. Pray for internal healing in her digestive tract. Pray for true discernment by the doctor to understand her issues and find a path for complete healing!
*Josue has had some pain in his shoulder with a cough: doctor suspects a lung infection! Josue will go back on Monday for more tests. They will also check his high blood pressure reading!
*Josue to be able to create a succession plan for his YFCI Leadership position: may God raise up one individual that will take the reins that Josue has held since 2010, leading the 7 French-speaking nations of Africa for YFCI. Also pray for a leader in Mauritania, an Islamic country, who understands the vision of YFC and will lead YFC there!
*when Josue returns, he will teach young people in an entrepreneurial conference in Christian perspectives. May the young people incorporate all the information into their businesses.
*political development: the current President is Patrice. When he was first elected, his right hand man was Olivier. Patrice was to run for one term, followed by Olivier for a term. But Patrice ran and continues in his second term, and is even more entrenched in witchcraft promotion than ever. Proposal was pushed, that since Christians have both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as legal, vacation holidays, then idol worshippers should also have this benefit. Proposal to make Jan. 9 the Eve of the holiday on Jan. 10, that promotes the world coming to Benin to learn witchcraft practices, was opposed by Olivier. He is now in jail, until when??? for this opposition. Next Presidential election in Benin will be Spring of 2026. And there is always only 1 name on the ballot???
*funding opportunities to arise, to secure $25000 for a van for Josue’s ministry needs! Please offer any suggestions you have that the TUM Board can pursue, so these funds can be acquired as soon as possible! Even $50-$100 from each person reading this would get us way down the road toward the Goal!
*teams and pastors with their families to stand firm for Jesus through the last quarter of the year. They will fast together from mid-November to mid-December, seeking the Lord’s strength and directions for 2026.
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Financial needs for Josue and the ministry are great!
The Truth Unleashed Board has accepted these requests from Josue’s ministry to raise funds to meet each of these goals!
How can you help? Everyone stepping up to provide what you can, as you can, will make a huge difference!
Can you connect us to interested individuals or to more churches/community clubs? That would be a huge help, especially if they would take one of these projects to heart and help us provide for the need!
Please seek help within your circles of influence: all of this will increase the ability of Josue and his team to share the Gospel more fully across the country of Benin, to bring the people to Jesus!
1275 new believers need to be discipled!
1. Van $20,000—to use at God’s Grace daily and for outreach purposes
2. Increased personal support for Josue's family: $800/month
Plus trip expenses to South Africa: $3000 for airfare alone
3. School fees/uniform costs, to help students in distant villages get to school for the first time ever!
4. Lifeline Christian Mission/The Children are Waiting food project
Check out website!
5. Grow Shoes Project
Check out website!
6. Eyes for Africa Project
Check out website!
We sincerely thank you for praying over these needs!
We praise the Lord for all the support Josue already receives!
We pray for God to move hearts to help!
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September 28, 2024 update
Praises:
Overall the Akowanous are doing well! Today (Sept 28, 2024) is Gedeon’s 14th birthday! The family plans to go out to eat
tonight to celebrate! Gedeon was out playing basketball with friends but he is desiring to be treated as an adult now!
Glory checked in with her upcoming classes by meeting her new teachers last week. She enjoyed connecting with all her
friends that she missed seeing over break; those who are not Christians are now hearing about Jesus! She is working
hard and succeeding in her classes: her desire to do well has really improved over time! Her M-F class days keep her
busy from 8 am to 6 pm! She is developing her decision making skills; then Josue and Prisca will only be in advisory
position as she is 18! She is enjoying singing at church!
Isaac only has classes T-Th and much shorter hours than Glory. The balance of his time is spent doing research and
studying at the library, rather than all the copying of notes as before. He is feeling more relaxed but is still working hard!
Josue is very grateful to God: at this time the ministry is going very well, including the newly planted churches!
Attendance is growing at each site!
God’s Grace now has 205 students, up from 170 last year, so Prisca’s recruiting efforts have paid off! She has brought in
2 more staff members: one to join the other 3 kindergarten level teachers. There are now 50 Kindergartners, between
Level 1 and Level 2, and they are negotiating classroom space with Yemi and the sewing school in the building where
Josue rents his office space!
Paulin’s wife went into labor early this morning: Josue has not yet heard about the birth of their son or daughter!
Paulin will plan to take 3 days off, as his paternity leave, from teaching at the electrical school! The students completed
the wiring of the apartment and felt it was a good learning experience!
Both of the tech schools were blessed with the arrival of goods from the bags of the mission team! Yemi is excited to
have the girls sewing T-Shirt dresses soon, as well as using the new irons and bling applicators. Paulin and the guys are
enjoying the work belts and new tools they received!
The Farm students are doing well, and have just one more month until they “graduate!”
The villages will be starting classes next week. Deliveries of school supplies and back packs are going out this week, to
Cove and Parakou, again from the mission team bags! May the kids who have never been able to attend before be
excited and really commit to working hard on their studies!
Pray for:
*all the students to do their best this year! May the teachers and staff work together to provide excellent lessons and
encourage the students in appropriate ways! May the resources be supplied! May the buildings be maintained well!
May the schools excel by testing time next June!
*May the parents of all the students be excited to see their kids learning, and show appreciation for what the schools
are doing to mature their kids into Christ-following adults!
*May the churches continue to attract visitors who desire a relationship with Christ!
*May Josue’s feet begin to feel better: he is having blood circulation issues again. The doctor has prescribed some
medicine, compression socks, exercise and moving more often during the day!
* The conference last week that Josue taught was well received: they plan to regroup for session 2 in November.
*Trip plans are coming together for Prisca to return to doctor in South Africa for a week, and for Josue to continue on to
Tanzania for the YFC meetings the following 2 weeks. May God provide all the funds for tickets and expenses!
*Josue and Prisca have appointments on January 22, 2025 to get US Visas! May God move so they are granted this time!
*Lord, please help the TUM Board in fundraising activities, as well as securing donations from individuals or businesses
to fund the purchase of the van that would bless all of the above activities in mighty ways!
To receive the update of Josue's ministry and prayer list:
Please contact: truthunleashedbenin@hotmail.com from the email address where you would like to receive the updates. Expect the updates twice a month, around the first and third Saturdays. Prayer support for Josue's ministry is the most important kind of support you can give! Thank you so much for your desire to hear more about this ministry!