Recent News and Prayer Request
Update | April 28
We will have more to share about life around here this April, but for now we want to pause and praise on this resurrection day to publicly celebrate the new life Dn has found in Jesus!You have prayed along with us since D’s baptism in December for his wife to come to faith. He has been faithful to share with her since then, C has been faithful to disciple, and recently our Ar^bic speaking co-worker B was able to help her confirm what Jesus has done. Dn trusted him alone for salvation and this week was baptized in a small gathering with our three families represented, D and their baby girl, and some ladies from our local fellowship.It was beautiful watching her husband D help and celebrate. And undeserving as are we were so blessed and privileged to have a very small part in the beginning of Dn’s journey.Please pray for her to continue abiding daily with Jesus. Pray for the ladies who are offering friendship and discipleship. Jessica will be meeting with her Monday even. There are language barriers, but pray the Spirit of unity transcends that. Pray for D and Dn to be strong, faithful, and courageous as the pressure intensifies in their life. They have already shared with their families and experienced the pushback. If you have spent any time with us you have prayer walked by their apartment and his place of work. You have gone before tilling the soil as the Lord has been at work. Keep it up, even from a distance.Praise the Father for what we pray is the first-fruits of a harvest here.
Update | April 8
Praise!For the past few months we have been praying for D’s wife Dn* and trying to encourage him as he seeks so share with her and other family members, as well as co-workers and others in his OIKOS. Last week our friend B was able to accompany another co-laborer to use his Ar^bic in a deeper discipleship conversation. To the rejoicing of many angels, Dn* was ready to put her faith in Jesus and desires baptism! In order to allow some key disciplers to be present and to navigate around D’s work schedule, she will be baptized the Thursday after Easter. Join in rejoicing and pray for them over the next few weeks a she continues to solidify her faith. Pray also for D’s boldness to continue increasing, that this is just a firstfruit of a great harvest in and through western Queens.Finally, before a busy first half of the summer arrives we have a lot to do in preparation. The kids are busy trying to knock out their homeschool responsibilities to continue allowing for flexibility to travel and minister together. And at the end of May we will have some college interns arriving from Northeast Arkansas who will also help facilitate our slate of summer teams. Please pray for all of us to find rest, experience God's favor, and be filled with his joy during this season!
Update | April 8
Follow-UpsAs we seek to follow-up, please pray specifically for the following individuals to continue to be open to gospel conversations, to see God answer prayers, and to respond in faith:M^hmudN*jmaAbd'llahTunz*rAhm'dCh^rbelAndr*sAbd'lM'stafaMuh^madMoN'vaM/hamadHe'diEl'S^mAhm^dSa'fEliz^bethVer*nicaM*hammadAbd*D^nnyAv*rsonAl'N*raK/nzeyEl'jahS^ba
Update | April 8
It has been one week since our Spring Break teams left. They did a fantastic job stepping out of their comfort zones and engaging with folks in western Queens, south Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. Between the three groups (Summit Church, Wynne Baptist, and ASU BCM), we had over 30 people often divided in groups of 4 so that a gospel witness could be multiplied and the city saturated. Not only did they make a lot of fruitful connections and create some momentum for our follow-up, they were also a huge encouragement to us. We cannot say thank you enough for those who sacrifice their "time off" to work with us.In summary, these teams:Engaged in countless spiritual conversations with m'slims from Leb^non, Eg^pt, P^lestine, Y'men, M*rocco, J*rdan, Ind*nesia, B^ngladesh, and P^kistan; as well with others from India, Russia, Greece, Guatemala, Peru, Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, and Mexico.Handed out nearly 50 Ar^bic "Gospels of John". Teams were encouraged to offer one as a gift after finishing a conversation. One team in particular spent an entire day walking from downtown Manhattan to Midtown stopping at every food cart displaying a "hilal" sign. Almost every worker was an Eg^ptian m'slim, and most of them were very welcoming of conversations.Created follow-up opportunities with dozens of significant contacts that we have already started to follow up with.Last weekend as m'slims broke their fast and began the multi-day celebration of Eid al-Fitr, we were able to accompany some friends down to "Diversity Plaza" to experience an eid night market and street festival. At least three city blocks were completely taken over by food vendors, pop-up shops, and thousands of m'slims dressed in their finest attire. The girls were able to get henna, which caught everyone's attention as they walked through the crowds. And we all made out with a few treats.
Update | April 3
The Night of Power is the most holy night of Isl^m, when M’slims believe the Qur^n was first revealed to MHMD and when heaven still opens up, prayers are more generously answered, sins may be forgiven, and favor might be earned by the earnest seeker. It is a big night that often fuels more serious devotion near the end of R^madan. It is also not uncommon for Jesus to be revealed in visions in dreams among them. So would you pause this evening to pray on their behalf along those lines. Google “Prayercast Night of Power” for a snapshot of how to pray.We still have a couple more days of Spring Break teams. They have done a fabulous job opening doors, and we will send a more proper update later. Pray for them as they wrap up and favor as they travel home.Thank you team for being in our corner and advocating for our “cousins” salvation.
Update | Feb 2
It is also a season when teams start showing up! Pray for those coming throughout March who prayer-walk neighborhoods and pray with locals, who share their faith while learning about another culture, and who bless our neighbors with acts of kindness and the Scripture. Pray for visiting seminarians to catch a vision for the diaspora of global cities, for deeper collaboration and unity among C*, G*, B*, and others. Pray also for the small and spread out Ar^b church here to be moved by the heart of God for their cousins.
Update | Feb 2
With Ram^dan just around the corner (~end of February) and Staten Island Chuck's prediction of an early spring, there are increasing opportunities for engagement, and hope for awakening to the gospel. This time of year abounds with spiritual conversation as people make preparation for the month of fasting and the ensuing celebrations. As people thaw out they are more willing to engage in longer conversation, families reappear from hibernation, and religion becomes much less taboo to talk about.
Update | Feb 2
While we were gone "D", who was baptized recently, shared with C* and G* that his wife said, "Ever since you were baptized I have seen a big difference in you. If it is Jesus who has made you this way then I want to know how to follow him also." Please pray for C* and G* as they disciple "D". Pray for "D" to be encouraged as the Lord answers his prayer to see his family follow Jesus, and to be equipped to play his part in that process. Pray also for the handful of "seekers" who have made their way to a few local churches, that they would be sincere and connected in discipleship with those of us laboring for them. At the same time, pray for wisdom and boldness amidst persecution. M'slim social media influencers have proven themselves skilled at connecting the dots and perpetuating public "smear" campaigns of local laborers. So while we are not secretive in what we are doing, sometimes having explicit M language connected to you in certain contexts can have big ramifications. The cost is cou
Update | Feb 2
2025 in the Naramore household started off with stink and sickness! After a visit to Arkansas, we returned home to a dead fridge and freezer full of rotten meat. We had cleaned out or given away anything that might expire while we were gone, but we had not anticipated losing everything else. After getting the unit fixed and almost two weeks of trying to air it out and clean it, while also getting the smell out of the house, we just ended up getting a new one altogether. "Thankfully" temperatures have been below freezing most of the month so we just stored any dairy/deli items on the back patio in the meantime. We moved from that to the kids playing hot-potato with the flu. Lord willing nobody else gets sick so we can resume somewhat normal life... and the mound of "thank you" letters we were getting ready to send with our new stamps.I (Jamie) have started early morning Ar^bic classes 5 days a week. Though I used to be conversational in Sud^nese Ar^bic, the large presence of Lev^ntine, Eg'ptian, Y'meni, and M*roccan m'slims requires a much broader base than the colloquial dialect I learned. It is all coming back shweia shwei, and it is clear how useful it is not only locally, but also for opening opportunities to connect abroad in the future as well.
Prayer Request | Dec 31
In the year ahead we will continue pursuing daily family rhythms that facilitate more engagement opportunities with new contacts and follow-up with previous connections. For the first few months of 2025 we are also asking you to join us in prayer for the following:- Jamie will begin early morning Arabic studies later in January to solidify a broader base that can be used among numerous dialects.- We will survey surrounding neighborhoods for church-based compassion ministry opportunities.- We will, Lord-willing, foster a relationship with a new m’slim owned daycare above our local church.- Thanks to a door opened by a local partner, we are praying through volunteer opportunities at a m’slim community center in the heart of the borough.- We will be plowing a lot of ground ahead of Spring and Summer teams.- We will be exploring more neighborhoods of Western Queens as new mosques keep popping up in previously “unsettled” territories.We are grateful that you have sent us here and help keep us here to share the hope of Jesus among m’slims from the MENA world. You are a part of this just as much as we are. And we look forward to inviting you into deeper involvement and surprising fruit in the year ahead!
Update | Dec 31
Here are some highlights of what you have facilitated so far:- You helped us move to NYC at the end of July and land in a neighborhood that is growing in its m’slim population.- God provided a home that would "fit" our family of 6 in proximity to a local church that has created some good "immediate" friendships for our kids. Though we are focused on m'slim UPG's from around the world, and they are focused on English speakers in the local housing projects, we are able to partner with this church in local outreach events to provide Halal alternatives and give us access to more of our m'slim neighbors.- Our kids have made the heroic effort to pursue new friendships with peers from an assortment of backgrounds, and a whole lot of Greeks as well!- We have developed relationships with an Arabic church on Staten Island in hopes of mobilizing them to other boroughs to reach Arabic speaking m'slims.- We have also started developing relationships with Send Relief in the Bronx in hopes of developing strategic compassion-ministry plans.- We have started discussions with a local church to host ESL classes focused on m'slims.- We have begun networking with a handful of believers around the NYC Metro who are starting to team together toward a collaborative evangelism and disciple-making partnership among m'slims. Through these relationships and by God’s grace we were able to help with the baptism of a new Leb’nese m’slim background believer!- We are developing relationships with local m'slim business owners and neighbors, as well as connecting with families and kids at local parks.- We are gaining favor in particular among Moroccan m'slims in the area who are opening to the doors to other UPG's, as well as inviting our family to join them in neighborhood life.- We are regularly engaging with Moroccan, Egyptian, Yemeni, Palestinian, Syrian, Lebanese, Afghan, Indian, and Indonesian m’slims.- We are also developing relationships and pursuing deeper gospel conversations with friends who are atheist, nominally “christian”, Buddhist, and Hindu from India, Bangladesh, Tibet/Nepal, and Queens (by way of Columbia and Greece).- We have already hosted one team of ladies that engaged local m'slim women as well as prayer-walked strategic ministry areas, and have had a handful of visitors stop in for a couple days or even a few hours to include m’slim engagement in their previously schedule vacations.- We are scheduled to have 3 teams in March, 3 in June, and a small intern cohort of college students for the summer who will help multiply our reach as we seek and filter persons of peace.- Through generous gifts were able to help a local teacher friend start a hygiene supply “store” in her classroom at a school where 75% of the students live in shelters and the vast majority of the kids are immigrants.- Through generous gifts we were also able to re-stock our Arabic bibles. If you followed the story of “D” you see a great testimony of the power of Scripture when left to the work of the Spirit, not only in immediate discipleship but also over time when interaction is minimal. We are also gathering resources in Farsi, Indonesian, etc. to meet the diverse demand of our neighbors.
Update | Dec 17
New Creation and Big “K” CooperationLast week you prayed against any distractions or hindrances to our new brother and friend being baptized. By God’s grace on Thursday we were able to celebrate “D’s” new life in Christ through baptism, testimony of God’s power, and prayer for his walk and family members who he desires to be saved as well.Over 18 months ago a co-laborer in the city named “C” offered him a bible after a brief interaction. A year went by with no contact as his job kept him incredibly busy (ie. 14 hr/day every day). He also moved neighborhoods, which made “bumping into him” again more challenging. But about 6 months ago, after his job moved him to a more regularly traversed blocked, he saw “C” walking by and called him out: “Hey, we need to talk!” In short, he said he had read the bible and found J to be a better prophet than M and he wanted to know how to follow him. So, for the past 6 months “C”, another bro “G”, and “D” have met intentionally to do just that.“D” clearly shared his testimony of trusting J’s work on his behalf as the only way of salvation, declared him as Master, and committed to both following him and desiring to help his wife, child, and parents do the same. He has a bold faith that will not be easily hidden from certain persecutors on his block. He is in the very heart of one of the greatest strongholds in the city. His parents are also near the “fireworks” back in MENA, and he desires to travel to them soon.Another beautiful testimony is the cooperation on display in all of this. Just as “D” was seeking to make his faith public, these co-laborers and us were connecting, another was also establishing a relationship with him in his heart language, and we have also been helping a local fellowship see ways they can serve M’s in their community in tangible ways. “D” has been craving community and encouragement in a very isolating place, and over the past fewmonths the Lord has also been weaving these connections among men with a sincere heart to serve him and others well together. It will be a joy to work with these brothers in unity more deeply in 2025
Update | Nov 28
Calling for prayerI had prepared a long overdue update and Thanksgiving post for all of you, but I am delaying it for more urgent matters.By the time many of you receive this, a dear friend of ours from Eg^pt will be meeting with the top au thorities in a regional conflict zone regarding the fate of himself and some co-laborers who have been serving OUR brothers and sisters ill-affected by the “fireworks show” in that place. Two others who had been detained have thankfully only been deported. This dear friend was supposed to visit us this fall to pray and discern some ministry opportunities in Little Eg^pt, but as is often the case he is quick to respond when the Body is suffering across MENA.Would you pray for the Lord’s favor and perfect submission to His will. By now we have learned to expect greater than anything we could ask or imagine in these all too common situations that our friend faces. Some of you also know him. We ask that you don’t try contacting him or post anything… only pray. Selfishly, I am still praying he can come here soon to visit, encourage, and help us bathe this great city in prayer for a future awakening among MENA people. But let us also pray like the early fellowships did in similar situations in the book of Acts. It is a living book. May our Good Father be glorified.I will update as I am able, and I will resume my regular posting shortly.And Happy Thanksgiving! We give thanks with every remembrance of you as we labor together for the gospel among MENA peoples!
Update | Nov 6
"...And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!'" (Romans 10:15)We cannot say we necessarily have good looking, clean, or pedicured feet. Most days we are hopping around not for exercise but to avoid stuff in the sidewalks. We treat walking into our home after a day around the neighborhood like entering an endangered, environmentally critical habitat... "shoes off, shoes off, in the cubbies!" But you have sent us, so apparently there is still something beautiful about our feet -- because we are here to preach the good news.Some days that conversation goes further than others. Sometimes it breaks down from language barriers, or simple antagonism, skepticism, or just disregard. But we keep meeting people. We keep pressing conversation and inviting ourselves into people's busy lives. We cannot expect the lost, much less those from MENA who have grown up with a predisposed apologetic against the gospel, to act like missi*naries and "go" ask how they can be saved and become disciples of Jesus. That's our job as the C-H.We are still praying for people like B*hout, Sh'mi, "D" and many others to be open to the gospel. We are also praying for follow-up opportunities with the dozens we met last week around Halloween. Specifically, we are hopeful to reconnect with a group of M*roccan ladies and their daughters who took a liking to the ladies in our family. They frequent our local playground for a shared meal, and have extended the invitation to join the next time they do. We also pray for a group of Ar^b teenage boys. After a very antagonistic encounter, we pray for softened hearts and conviction that leads to true repentance. Pray that our kids see the gospel on full display among them. We pray that the Spirit goes before us to prepare hearers - "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" (Romans 10:13-14)Praise God for new connections madePray for favor in following up with them
Update | Sept 1
When our kids were younger they loved watching Curious George. In the full feature movie Jack Johnson has a song called "Jungle Gym", which more or less encapsulates life in the city for little kids. And what better way to engage people but through shared experiences like playing together. So we explore a lot of playgrounds and parks in the summer time. August is slow in some ways since school starts for most after Labor Day. For those with means to travel, they leave the city. For everyone else, they hit the parks... and for Arabs in particular, late in the evenings. So we are staying out later making the most of the warm weather, trying to figure out the neighborhood's natural rhythms, and the best ways to connect. It never fails that the kids will team up with otherwise strangers for a massive game of tag.Some unlikely opportunities are presenting themselves to engage thanks to Texas, as well. A large number of Senegalese and other West African m'slims have made their way to Western Queens via the Abbott Express. They don't have jobs or family, and who knows where most of them are staying now that the temporary shelters are gone. But during the day at least they are waiting outside Home Depot hoping to get hired for odd jobs, or "helping" with your shopping cart at Food Bazaar, or washing cars next to the aforementioned playgrounds. It seems like a new generation of Lost Boys. We are praying for wisdom and discernment, especially for Jamie to connect, since we don't believe this is an accidental inconvenience.
Update | Sept 1
Ways to praise...We may have found a dance studio for the girls to be involved in. They have been very responsive and will let them take some preview classes September 3rd.Sam will start flag football soon (and Jamie will help coach), which we pray fosters more friendships around town.The Lord is giving us a circle of friends to both do life with as well as minister alongside. This is providing both fellowship and encouragement in an otherwise lonely city -- especially for believers.
Prayer Request | Sept 1
Ways to pray...Pray for our Bangladeshi neighbor Sh*mi, the neighborhood watchdog, that her and her husband would be receptive to the gospel. They don't seem too keen on "religious" things taking place on the block, but they do like Jessica.Pray for kids like "Leah" at Astoria Heights playground and "Angel" at St. Michaels playground to be both open to gospel but also relational connectors to their families as well.Pray for hundreds of W. African m'slims in the neighborhood to discover Jesus to be so much more than what they ever thought or imagined.Pray for opportunities to connect with elusive affluent Arabs who run the block but have no need to connect outside their circles.Pray for lonely m'slim background believers to stay connected and grow as disciples.Pray for our "team" to experience joyful unity as we engage the city.
Prayer Request | Aug 1
Continue to pray for:Favor in the sell of our home! There was a major hurdle early in the week that looked to derail the sale a third time/buyer. Our sending pastors, agent, and several others prayed over the house Tuesday and Wednesday. All was clear and we are again moving closer to closing!Favor with new neighbors. We live in the southeast corner of Little North Africa, so of course we have m’slim neighbors on the block. But on our street we also have several Tibetans, South Asians, Africans, and more! Welcome to the “World’s Borough”. Most have been very kind and we might even be growing on them a little. Another set up his monkey g’d right after we moved in, though, so who knows!?!?Favor with new friendships and transitioning well, especially for the kids. They have been troopers through all the change, but we know they are going to need some peers to hang with soon!Favor with potential partners. The Lord has been so faithful to provide through so many of you, and we are looking forward to hosting teams in 2025! But in order to sustain life and ministry for the long haul we will continually ask God for a growing support base. We are inching closer to fully-funded for our annual budget, but we stepped forward in faith knowing it was time to go. We are grateful for the encouraging example of others in ministry across the city who have sacrificed much and stepped out in faith to serve here.We want to be praying for you, so please don’t hesitate to send us a message. We are grateful for each of you!
Update | Aug 1
Settling in, slowly but surely(Open the link in your email for more pictures or to interact with the post!)Apologies for the delayed post. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind: good-bye parties for the kids, time with family,commissioning services at our church, endless home-selling issues, packing a truck, cleaning house, more good-byes, a 3-day cross-country trek, unloading and unpacking and adjusting to new ways of doing most things.We arrived in Woodside-Astoria last Wednesday night. The pastor of FBC Hope and his son drove our UHaul from Arkansas, and New Life Fellowship (Rich Villodas) graciously let them park across town at their place until we could unload Thursday. We live a block from Queens Church, who loaned us their short-term team from BT McAllen, TX for the day. They were/are an anchor for the gospel on the other side of the RGV, where we served at FBC Harlingen, so it felt like family helping out.The kids’ SuSu came along and helped us clean the new home, get caught up on laundry, and watch the kids while we ran errands around town. We also did a little exploring since it was her first NYC trip!We have been grateful for those who helped with gift cards for food along the way, especially since we haven’t yet had a good chance to shop for or store groceries. Praise the Lord, though, for a great “landlord of peace” who has been favorable in so many ways… including a new fridge yesterday! We are also grateful for those who gave towards necessary home furnishings and ACs. Now we embark on the task of assembling new Ikea furniture. IYKYK! Pray for us, haha!
Prayer Request | July 7
PrayersIn the meantime…Continue to pray for the sell of our home in Arkansas.Pray for Sam at church camp this week.Pray for all of us to finish well and to get in all the "see ya laters" we need.And pray for our teammates in Astoria-Ditmars, whose apartment suffered water damage while they were gone this last week and destroyed all their bathroom stuff.
Update | July 7
From Westbury to Woodside... and a Wishlist to TransitionJamie spent a few days last week in NYC checking out our new home. Since we signed the lease without seeing it first, we didn't really have a good sense of what stays and what goes. Now we are full swing into packing up our house with plans to pull out of Westbury Drive en route to Woodside-Astoria, Queens on July 22 following a commissioning service at Summit Saline on July 21.After we arrive we are going to take some time setting up the new home and exploring the city. We will have until late August to get our family rhythms figured out for the school year. There are a few things we would like and a few things we need in order to make the transition well. And since our new home is "configured" a little differently from our present one, there are several items that will either need to be left, replaced, or added for city living.Many of you have already partnered with us financially, and we are so grateful. Because of your generosity we were able to secure the home (deposit, first month, broker fees). And while we still need to add some monthly partners to sustain our annual budget, we are off to a good start. But some have asked for other tangible ways to help. Below is a sort of "wishlist" to set up a new life in NYC. If you would like to directly provide or contribute toward any of these, please send us a private message and we can share instructions for the best way to do so (ex. direct purchase, gifts card, venmo). We won’t post any direct links here so as to not set off the Spam filters.
About Jamie & Jessica Naramore
We are a family on mission together… among the nations in NYC. After serving the past 7 years among immigrants and ethnic church plants in Arkansas, we are following the Lord’s call to serve in one of the most diverse places in the world – Queens! We (Jamie and Jessica) have been married for 14
years and have four wonderful kids – Sam, Lottie, Livi, and Madeleine. They love sports, dance, art, legos, and family adventures.
Our desire is to see the Gospel saturated among M’slim populations across NYC, in particular those from Middle Eastern and North African (MENA)
backgrounds; and for disciples to grow in groups that provide a loving community, proclaim biblical truth, and pursue the Great Commission together. In this pursuit, we pray for:
1. Gospel Access – Pray for the 1.5 million M’s across NYC and over 200,000 from MENA to hear, believe, and advance the Gospel.
2. A Thriving Home – Pray for our family, especially our kids, to abide in Christ, thrive in life, and delight in serving the Lord together.
3. Strategic and Fruitful Partnerships – Pray for more prayer warriors, called out laborers, joyful financial partners, and a unified team that glorifies God as we all do our part.
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