...because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing - as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. (Col. 1:3-4)

Praise God for the local believers in Oman! Although the numbers are small, the church is bearing fruit and growing as God has promised. The Arab people are the main indigenous group in Oman and in the Arabian Peninsula, the original Arab Bedouins of the desert. Mohammad, the founder of Islam, was one of them. However, there are minority people groups in Oman as well. Here is a sample:

• Zanzibari Omanis: Swahili-speaking Omanis who have roots in Zanzibar, Tanzania since Oman ruled East Africa during the 19th century.
• Baluchi people: The Baluchi people come from Pakistan and surrounding areas. Some have mixed in with the local Arabs of Oman and have been there for generations.
• Mahri (or Mehri) people: They live in Yemen and Oman, straddling areas near the border of the two countries. They speak their own language which is distinct from Arabic.
• Jebeli people: They are mountain peoples from the mountains of Salalah, Oman. They too have their own distinct language and culture.
• Shuhooh Arabs: The Shuhooh are one of the Arab tribes in the UAE and the Musandam Peninsula of Oman. They are known as mountain peoples who speak a distinct dialect of Arabic.

Prayer: O Lord of the nations, we thank you for your promise that all nations will be gathered to worship you as one church! Thank you for the hope we have laid up for us in heaven as brothers and sisters in one family. We pray that the word of truth, the gospel, would go to all the people groups of Oman. May it transform lives among the Zanzibari Omanis, the Baluchi, the Mahri, the Jebeli, and the Shuhooh. We also ask for Ephraphas’s to come out of these people groups to reach their own people, to be faithful ministers of Christ. May your church in Oman among these peoples bear much fruit and grow as it is in the whole world. Amen.

Worship with us!: Jesus Hope of the Nations by Kathryn Scott. This Ramadan, may the ‘nations’ in Oman receive revelation of Jesus as their hope!

Matthew 18:14 Focus—‘Your Father in heaven does not want one of these little ones to be lost.’ 

Please bring these towns and villages before the Father:

Lihashiya, Ibri district, Adh-Dhahirah region. Population: 195

Al-Akheedar, Ibri district, Adh-Dhahirah region. Population: 194

Wadi Shimayt, Ibri district, Adh-Dhahirah region. Population: 193

Mahadah, Ibri district, Adh-Dhahirah region. Population: 188

Al-Qali, Ibri district, Adh-Dhahirah region. Population: 182