May 2019 Missions’ Update

Dearly Beloved,

Calvary greetings in Jesus name. We are very thankful for your consistent partnership as ever and trust that this missions’ update will find you growing in grace and would encourage your heart as you read the report of how much your partnership with us has significantly helped to advance God’s kingdom in the darkest region of the world.

Insecurity and Divine Protection

The past few months have been quite challenging as insecurity continue to increase, especially in rural areas. Traveling around for ministry became more dangerous, and lives of some of our staff in specific locations were threatened, but we are grateful to God for consistent divine protection we have to continue to enjoy. Sadly, a missionary with one of our sister organization was kidnapped by Fulani Jihadist, and the group demanded N3million before he could be released. The organization paid less and coupled with concerted prayers, God intervened, and he was released. Please, thank God with us for his release and pray for divine protection over all our missionaries and their family members and the coverts. Also, on a sad note, another missionary was killed by the same group. Pray for God to comfort the bereaved family and the entire ministry.

Nandu - Devastation and intervention

Burnt house but can be re-roofed

Burnt house but has to be completely rebuilt

Invasion and burning down of houses in rural areas are no longer news, but the rate has increased beyond imagination. One of the villages in the southern part of Kaduna state that was so severely affected was Nandu where 33 houses were burnt, and unspecified numbers of persons were killed. We took the gospel there, had an open air crusade, and over 50 persons surrendered their lives to Christ. We also conducted need assessment and felt persuaded that we should help contribute roofing materials to enable the people to re-roof the building that the walls are still standing before the rain pulls them down. Thank God for the conversion, pray that the fruit will abide and pray for the fund to enable us to put a smile on the faces of the victims of terrorists by buying roofing materials for them and continue to pray for the traumatized.   

Heipang - Ministry to the Refugee

Relief distribution with donation from Tabitha Arise Foundation

One of our ministries to refugee effort has been concentrated on the Heipang Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp. With the help of Tabitha Arise Foundation, we revisited the camp recently and donated relief materials. As usual, it was an opportunity to preach and pray for them. The response was quite encouraging. Please pray that God should heal them of every trauma and intervene in the security situation so they can return to their homes. Pray also that the converts would abide.

Gamouroji/Libentee, Benin Republic Conflict

The work across the Bokko and Kamberi fields in the Benin Republic were all enjoying open heaven until recently that severe opposition sprang up from the pit of hell. Just as we were rejoicing that more and more persons were getting saved, inter-tribal conflict broke out, and a particular tribe/religion chased our missionaries and the converts that were mainly from another tribe away from the place. We prayed, and the traditional ruler intervened and resolved the conflict.

Ayuba Dawa has been redeployed to the Benin Republic to join Luka & Mary Iliya to handle the increase in the harvest being recorded.  Ayuba is trusting God for over N300, 000 to meet up his traditional marriage obligation. The ministry has completed one of the churches that the converts built from scratch but could not roof it. Other communities are pleading for help to get them church building. We also need to build a new mission house for Ayuba Dawa who has just been transferred to the Benin Republic as well as our Libentee staff that are paying heavily for rent.

Niger Republic Discipleship Efforts Growing but Getting Tougher

Discipleship effort in all our fields across Niger Republic is growing. At Salkam, the missionaries reported that 11 of the converts are progressing. At Bankoula, the missionaries stress that some of the disciples require to be protected as they are always persecuted just at sighting them at the mission house. One of the immediate need is to build a fence around the mission house. The missionaries covet prayers for grace to be consistent despite the slow pace of response. At Tibiri, work on the mission house has begun. The foundation is completed, and the main wall is already approaching the window level. Pray that the Lord will provide resources to continue until it is completed.

More conversions in Bauchi State Mission Fields

An old woman who embraced Christ recently 

The Joshua Project research network reveals that Bauchi State has the largest concentration of unreached people in Nigeria. Grace Foundation engaged five of the people group, and after initial resistance, God began to give us converts from among the people. At the foot of Zaranda Mountain, Bum, we have some of the converts that have grown to become second generation native missionaries and are now laboring among their people and other tribes. More recently, several persons come on their own to the missionaries to surrender their lives to Christ, among which are very elderly women that had resisted the gospel for many years. Please, pray that God Almighty will keep them safe and that their conversion will yield more converts in Jesus name.

At Zull, we had part of the land offered to us at the mission field retrieved by the donor and given to someone else. A new building is being constructed right in front of the worship center/mission house blocking the view. Pray for Steven Paul as God continues to help him to manage the converts despite the challenges. The work among the Bolu people group regained momentum when Andrew Marafa and Isaac Abah were posted there from the School of Cross-Cultural Missions for two months practical exposures. More converts were won, and existing ones were strengthened. Yohanna and Linda Ali have taken over to continue from where the work stopped.  At Yelwa, the missionary had a mental health challenge. We withdrew him for proper recovery before he returns to the field.

Home of Grace (HOG) kids continue to advance

Rosa, visit the IDP kids from where we adopt her

Our kids at the Home of Grace are doing well, and despite some of the usual challenges associated with growth.  One of the kids, Yakubu, is warming up for Common Entrance Examination. Three of the kids are currently writing their Junior WAEC exam. One of the kids, Sarah, is writing NECO and WASC examination. Out of the five kids that sat for Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) exam last year, 3 of them, Ishaya, Daniel and Mike were admitted into various universities. We are grateful to all our partners that have contributed sacrificially and immensely both in prayers and finances to help us attend to these kids need with ease. We pray the Lord to bless you, richly. We still covet your prayers for the traumatized orphans that were adopted from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. We have many more kids waiting to be helped, but until we can expand our Kwanga Mission House as well as get more sponsors, we may not be able to bring them in.

School of Cross-Cultural Mission (SOCM) Admit Mores Prospective Missionaries

God is blessing us with more and more prospective missionaries, and the unique thing is that 

Some of the SOCM students in Kaduna State for an outreach

a good number of them are Northerners from Fulani, Hausa, and Mambilla tribe. We are still trusting God for the fund for eight of the newly admitted students to resume. Three of them from Malawi, four from the North and one from Niger Delta. We are still trusting God for funding for most of the 19 students currently in session. The SOCM remains the gateway to our mission field because until prospective missionaries are trained, they cannot fit into our kind of pioneering mission work. Partners do not consider them as missionaries that qualify for support, yet some of them have families. We have lost very precious prospective missionaries in the past because of lack of support. Would you kindly join us in prayers for funding for the current students and those who ought to have resumed but are hindered by lack of fund?

Conclusion/Prayer Points

Again, thank you for joining forces with us to reach the dark places of the earth. Praise God with us for the significant progress made these past months, especially the persons that surrendered their lives to Christ.  Also for the journey mercies and divine protection, the miraculous ways God met and is meeting our needs such as a partner adding one person to the number of missionaries on her support list as well as a partnering church that doubled their support with effect from this month. That means providing fund for the care of new missionary couple and two more orphans.

v Pray along with us that God would preserve and empower all our missionaries and their family and that the fruit of their labor would abide.

v Pray for all our kids at the Home of Grace (HOG). Bringing up teenagers is truly challenging. Pray that Christ is formed in them and for grace for the Care Givers.

v Pray for the fund for sponsorship of our prospective missionaries already in training/those waiting and fund to continue and complete the Tibiri Mission House project, the Kwanga Mission House project/church and other churches for the villages in the Benin Republic/other projects suspended for lack of fund.

v Pray for all our partners that God would protect them and their families and prosper the works of their hands.

Note that we deliberately conceal names of some of our missionaries and their locations as well as other reports that will expose them to danger. You can call or send personal request if you need more information on specific work that is either not detail or not mentioned here. God bless you.

His bondservant,

Andrew Abah

Director