December 2022 Blog
We should be at goal for our trip to The Gambia January 5th, 2023, and able to finance Muhammad bin Issa’s trip to Niger at the end of this month (next paragraph). God is so good! May the Lord bless His work in you and through you and give you your heart’s desire. May your family walk with God and be the light in this dark and needy world. Jesus is still the answer!
Muhammad bin Issa concluded a mission to Niger, in the Guore area, in October working with Manga Pastor Ilifat and accompanied by a pastor from Nigeria interested in the work among the muslims. What was interesting to me was the application of perseverance. In one village no one came out of their homes to watch the Jesus film or listen to the gospel message. In two other villages not, a single person had the courage to raise their hands and identity with Christ. Yet, as they persevered, in one village the entire village came out to the outreach, and everyone there raised their hands to identify with, and receive the Master. They saw over 500 come to Jesus in the seven villages they visited among the Manga and Fulani. Within the past week he had a dream in which the Lord gave him two sets of silver keys and told him to “go and preach to them my messages.” This happened twice. His trips are expensive, but it looks like the HS wants to make it a December priority. He is planning to visit villages between Zinger and Tanout.
Asad and Mahmoud had a mission to the Borgou in Benin last month. He says the work was difficult, but they saw the Lord bring life to over 200. He is now making a return trip to this area as he is constructing opportunities in his mind for outreach. A young woman named Fatima was delivered of an evil spirit and as a result the story has been told to many villages there since she was the daughter of a prominent chief. He was told there is an open door there. Pastor Aariz Faheem in Burkina Faso saw over 1,000 Nuni come to Christ in October, and another 289 in November. He is ready to conduct one outreach per month in 2023. We have now funded his first. He is becoming a very dedicated evangelist and has not waited on us to get money to him before he reaches out to the Nuni. We need to bless him on a regular basis I believe.
Pastor Cahil finished the recon mission with pastor Kasim Baber of Basse’ Santa Su, in The Gambia. There are many things that need to be identified and pursued. Since I do not plan to personally be involved with the medical outreach, that will simplify our mission. We will, however, hire two local nurses to care for the children in the five villages we intend to reach. I am also responsible for purchasing medication and making the formulary. That reminds me of the key to muslim ministry in Africa. Perseverance. Without it work stops. With it and the Holy Spirit, and help from partners, we keep planting seed. I like that verse Psalms 126:6, “He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” The entire team has their money now and is ready to meet in Banjul on 4 January. I will meet them on the sixth.
Prince completed his mission in November as part of a group from “New Life for All”. There were 35 groups of evangelists, ten of whom had audio-visual equipment (like Prince’s). The whole group saw almost 10,000 muslims come to the Lord. Prince’s group saw almost 800 in six villages in the Bauchi and Taraba states of Nigeria. One woman with breast cancer he prayed for, awaits the manifestation of her healing. He wants to return to that village and others in the Taraba state, this month to verify her healing, and to preach the gospel. We funded that trip.