https://vimeo.com/135760297

Source: IMB Connect

“A friend and I hired a driver for a few days to help us reach some of the more remote areas. One evening we were driving outside the city at sunset, and our driver stopped the car on the side of the road. I grabbed my camera to capture the moment. He climbed on a sand dune and cleansed himself for prayer using the sand. I’ve seen thousands of Muslims praying in the Middle East over the last decade, but this is the first time I’ve watched anybody perform the cleansing (called ablution) with sand. After he finished praying, I photographed the sand stuck to his forehead and nose, a marker of his religious zeal.

I witnessed their fears too. Many Mauritanians are bound by ancestral traditions that mix Islam with magic and charms. They particularly fear the evil eye, a curse that comes from another person’s malevolent glare or unintentional envy. Many Muslims are wary of people looking at their children or possessions with jealousy, or of doing the same to others. Many children wear amulets around their neck to protect them from evil spirits and sickness. Fear drives them to become more religious in every aspect of their lives because they don’t know the One who can set them free.

Who are Mauritanians? To me, they are treasures lost in the sand, waiting to be found for centuries. The 3.5 million Muslims in this country literally live in the sand, wandering in the endless desert without the Good News. The extreme conditions have kept missionaries from seeking them out, but now is the time to join in on what God is doing among these people. Join me in prayer for Mauritanians. Pray God will send more workers to find these hidden treasures in the sand.”

How to pray:

• For more workers to be able to live in Mauritania
• For a great hunger and thirst to fall upon the land of Mauritania, causing many to seek after Jesus
• For great revelation and understanding of who Jesus is and a multitude to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ
• That Jesus will set people free from fears and spiritual bondages