Hemat Baggara in Chad

The Baggara tribes are of Arab descent and mainly speak the Shuwa dialect of the Arabic language. They entered western Sudan between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, gradually drifting east and west from there. By the eighteenth century, they were concentrated primarily to the north and east of Lake Chad. Their tribes continued to move eastward until they became widely scattered across the vast plains of West Africa. The intermarriage mixture of blood between people groups has given the Baggara darker skin and thicker lips. Within the Baggara exist subgroups like the Hemats.

Ministry Obstacles
Some of the Baggara tribes have been ministered to by mission agencies. Because the Hemet Baggara are devoted to the Islamic religion, very few are willing to follow Jesus. Also the nomadic lifestyle of the Baggara makes it very difficult for missionaries to reach them.

Scripture Focus
"To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him? An idol! A craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts for it silver chains."  Isaiah 40:18-19

Scripture Prayer
Pray that this people group will soon understand that they can never form an idol that compares with the Lord.

Prayer Focus
Ask the Lord to call out prayer teams to break up the soil through worship and intercession. Pray that God will raise up long-term workers to reach every Baggara tribe. Pray that believers living in Africa will be stirred with a vision for outreach and a genuine burden to reach out to the Baggara tribes. Intercede for the Lord to raise up strong local churches among the Hemat Baggara where they can be discipled in the ways of Jesus Christ.

Presented by Joshua Project
www.joshuaproject.net