June 2020 Missions' Update

Calvary greetings in Jesus' name. We are grateful to God for keeping and helping us to continue to contribute our quota to advancing His kingdom even in the face of the Corona lockdown. Thank you also for partnering with us at this odd time. We have prayed continuously for you, and we are glad that you are safe and trust the Lord. You will keep waxing stronger. Since the pandemic could not stop us from fulfilling His pleasures, we would love to give you the feedback on some of the critical advancements we have made and share some of the challenges trusting the Lord that they will spur you to both praise God with us and pray along with us.

New Frontiers

Sanga People

We gained another milestone in our pursuit of extending the gospel to the least-reached people in June 2020 as we begin work among the Sanga people of Bauchi State. Pastor Joel Dukiya, who had labored among the people of Dir, Kamberi, Libentee, and Zull, is taking his accumulated experiences to pioneer the work. He is working along with Pastor Dukiya is Amina and Adamu, who were initially designed to pioneer work among the Fulani’s in Northern Cameroon.

Eternity ministry and Grace Foundation Inland Missions are collaborating in the work among the Sanga, and the partnership is expected to extend to several other least reached groups as the Lord provides the harvest force. We covet your prayer for favor, wisdom, and breakthrough for the missionaries.

Entry into Other Regions

Beside Sanga, GFIM is advancing into other newer communities among the least reached people groups in Niger State, where we were already working, such as the Kamberi and Dukawas. Missionaries were deployed to reside and work among the people. Converts in some of the newer mission fields such as Ichi and Egbesi came together to build churches and mission houses where the missionaries live. At Libentee, the Benin Republic, the converts also raised a two-bedroom flat with mud block to serve as missionary resident. From the headquarters, we provided resources for the roofing. We are still trusting the Lord for funds to provide windows, doors, and plaster/floor the house.

Delay with Burkina Faso Takeoff

The GFIM outstanding pioneer work scheduled for Burkina Faso this year is suffering some setback. There has been a scarcity of travel document which has lasted for four months now. There are no passport booklets, and we had even requested just the ECOWAS travel document, but it is still not available at both the Plateau and Bauchi States immigration offices. Pray for our team Yohanna and Linda Ali as they tidy up plans for their take off. Pray for wisdom, grace, and all the needed help. We appreciate the Gospel Bankers for their consistent concern and support for all our pioneering efforts. 

Missions Training

Newly graduated - Batch 24 of SOCM.

The 25th Batch of our School of Cross-cultural Missions students has completed the first phase of their classwork despite the lockdown as a result of  COVID 19. They have been sent to the mission field for practical exposures. Because of the interstate movement restriction, we could only deploy students to mission fields in Bauchi and Benue States. With the lifting of the lockdown imposed on Plateau State by the government, the SOCM has begun the admission process for Batch 26. Also, our bi-annual training program, Advanced Missions Leadership Institute (AMLI) course, is scheduled for October 1-26, 2020. We encourage leaders to apply on time as the space slot is minimal. Admission is open to those who have served for ten years and above.

Home of Grace

Some of the HOG kids

The lockdown became boring for the kids. We continue to encourage them to observe social distancing, washing of hands regularly, and observe all the rules strictly. We created indoor games in addition to helping them improve on some skills. Jonathan, for example, has acquired more proficiency in video editing and has helped with scores of video clips during this period. Blessing has perfected her hair braiding skills. Rosa has started learning how to braid, and Naomi has improved on this significantly. Our desktop computer and laptops have been repaired, and soon they will begin learning useful computer skills as well as engaging in taking some online courses. Although schools still remain closed, the school management has started giving assignments/homework to the kids to keep them busy.

The upkeep allowances of the kids have remained a challenge. Some of our partners that had been providing the monthly upkeep allowances are no longer consistent. We understand that some of them were adversely impacted by the lockdown situation. God has, however, remained very faithful as we have not had a reason for any of the kids to suffer hunger. We also had no critical health challenge that warranted running helter-skelter. We covet your prayers for improved funding as well as for our partners that have been challenged in one way or the other. Pray also for all the foster parents that have been extremely and consistently supportive that God will replenish their source.

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)

Despite the economic mess occasioned by the  lockdown, our passion, and concern for the

Palliatives for the Heipang IDPs in June 2020

IDPs have not shrunk. Rather, we are much more concerned considering the intensity of their plight during the season. We continued to pray for them.  We took some time out to visit them. This month, we bought palliatives worth N300,000 for the people in the camp. We also bought additional palliative worth N185,000 for 20 selected widows at the Heipang IDP camp through support provided by our partner organization, Tabitha Arise Foundation. We also supported one of them that has a spinal cord related issue and has been on admission at the hospital. Pray that God will step into their situation, wipe away their tears, and fully resettle them. Some of them have gotten farmlands and have moved out to the farm. Pray that the Fulani Jihadists that have constantly attacked them will not return.

Conversion and Discipleship across the Fields

The lockdown did not extend to most of the jungles where our missionaries work. Therefore, evangelism, discipleship, and in some places, church services remained consistent. We received a series of good news on souls that were saved. Even in some of the mission fields like Zullawa, where churches were closed up, prayers, and bible study were held in smaller units at homes and were very effective. We also have exciting news from various fields in Benin and the Niger Republic as well as among the Kamberis where two new churches were pioneered and among the Dukawa people groups. At Oma, we also received reports of unusual visitation from God in several ways, including victories in spiritual warfare/power encounters.

Building Projects Update

God has helped us to make outstanding progress this month in the building projects across the mission fields:

Kubule church building

• v  Firstly, we had a brand new church fully built at the Kubule mission field. We used 9-inch blocks from beginning to finish. The ceiling has been fixed and it has a standard toilet for both males and females. It is the first church to be painted in the entire area. The incredible testimony is that God used just one person to sponsor the entire project as an appreciation to God on his 50th birthday anniversary. Please kindly pray for the sponsor that God Almighty will bless him in many ways beyond his imagination. Pray for many of such spectacular miracles of financial open doors.
• v  At Dir mission field, we completed a brand new two-bedroom/sitting room apartment. Our missionary couple, Yohanna and Rahila, have moved into the completed building, and the students on field trips now use the old apartment.
• v  At Tibiri in the faraway Niger Republic, the story is the same. The two-bedroom flat for the missionary couple, Liman and Abiguel, is fully completed, and the missionary couple has moved in with their family. A group had earlier drilled a borehole for us at the premises free of charge.
• v  At Tugan Maidaji in the faraway Benin Republic, the converts began a church building that they could not complete. We have completed the building. One of the sponsors also provided funds for 23 plastic chairs, and another sponsor provided funds for 20 Bibles. God has been very amazing. To have all these completed during this Corona season is truly incredible. We give God all the glory.

Staff Matter

With ten new members of staff joining our staff team and pioneering in unfamiliar terrain, a new office for coordinating the new frontiers evolved. Consequently, Stephen Paul has been transferred from the Zull mission field to handle that function. He will be visiting the new fields/missionaries to provide counsel and advice on the work. Paul was trained at our School of Cross-Cultural Missions and had served in the desert Muslim nation of Niger Republic before his transfer to Zull, where he had labored until his transfer. We covet your prayers for God’s help as he resumes work soon.

Finally, thank you for your partnership and for taking the time to read through this update. God bless you, richly. We continue to pray for you. We continue to count on your prayer.