By Fall 2023, 17 teams had been sent out to explore 11 different potential new mission fields since EFM’s Five-Year Goal launched in 2021. In November 2023, EFM made a commitment to launch 6 of the 9 fields that were still under exploration. Those six fields are now moving on to the pre-launch planning phases. See more information here.
A 10:2 Prayer Trip is an annual trip to the mission fields where EFM has committed to sending missionaries. Teams are asked to pray for the soil (Matthew 13:1-23) and pray for the workers (Luke 10:2). Teams are sent or guided by sponsoring regions/yearly meetings of the new EFM fields that have been leading exploration. 10:2 Prayer Trips will target appropriate communities for prayer walking and interceding that “the Kingdom come, and God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven” in those places.
This next 10:2 Prayer trip is taking place in the Persian Gulf States with a few team members staying in the area a bit longer to do some pre-launch planning as well. The prayer team will be in the Gulf States from October 9-15. They will spend October 9-13 in Dubai and October 14-15 in Abu Dhabi.
There is a team of nine going on this trip from EFC-ER. The team members are Zach Bohler (Orange Friends Church), Matt Chesnes (EFC-ER Multiplication Director), Matt Bradbury (Thrive in Place), Beth Sarrica (Morningside Friends Church), Amanda Dudley (Friendswood Friends Church in EFC-MAYM), Jacelyn Jones (EFC-ER retired missionary), Doyle Hartman (Orange Friends Church), Ian Davison (Orange Friends Church), and Andrew Blackburn (Winona Friends Church). Zach, Matt Chesnes, and Matt Bradbury will be staying later to conduct the pre-launch planning.
Team leader Zach Bohler shared the following. Our prayer team’s purpose on this trip is threefold.
- Obedience to Luke 10:2 by praying for workers for the coming harvest.
- Connect EFC churches with Dubai through the prayer team so they become “mini-ambassadors” upon our return.
- Seek relationships and potential ministry partnerships on the ground in the UAE.
The following are ways that you can pray for this team while they are in the Persian Gulf States…
- Since we are reestablishing relationships after shifting our vision on last year’s trip, pray that our team would be led to persons of peace who would help us integrate into the culture and local communities.
- Pray that our team will catch the vision and come back on fire to tell others about what God is doing in the Persian Gulf.
- Pray that we will be able to discern who might go to pioneer this new field.
The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to cast out more workers into his fields.