Dearly Beloved,
38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. 39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. (Mark 1:38-39)
Patterning our lives and ministry after Jesus has never been this fulfilling. Once, in Matthew 4:13 Jesus left Nazareth and dwelt in the dark jungle of Capernaum so that the great light prophesied in Isaiah might be their portion. Here in Mark 1:38-39, we see Jesus moving from one city to the other. Following the steps of the Master has been our major thrust. We try to do what He did. We leave our comfort zone (Nazareth) and station ourselves in d dark jungles of Africa. Here we are again, reaching out to cities.
The past six weeks have witnessed great outpouring of His grace. Work in the North of Brazil witnessed many turning to the Lord. From the North, I entered the Amazon jungle. His presence was there again to cheer me up. Scores of people embraced Christ and several sick persons were healed and oppressed delivered. The Crusade took me to the Middle belt of Brazil. Same testimonies trailed the work. One of those saved was a hardened heroin addict. The drug had made his mind went blank, making him to forget his wife and Children.
At Araras, Five persons who were at the point of committing suicide were delivered. I had opportunity to address the political leaders including the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillors, etc. on the need to fear God, embrace His son Jesus as saviour and tap into His unchanging grace and wisdom. I spoke to top business men of the city on the keys to lasting breakthrough in life and business. I had several missions awareness campaigns and also preached on radio and televisions. The welcome and responses were overwhelming.
Like our Master I moved yet to other cities ~ Maringa, Presidente Prudente and Nova Adradina. The ministry assignments went well. More persons embraced Jesus as saviour on daily basis. To Him alone be the glory.
I am in the last lap of my ministry in Brazil for this year ~ moving towards the boarder of Uruguay. A friend once used the word globe trotting but my fulfillment is I see souls save across the globe. It is enough for a disciple to be like His Master.
Pray along as I preach in Rio Brilhante today, Douradros tomorrow, Rio Vende on September 5, 2010. After that I fly to Nova Esperanca and speak on September 8 and then Paraiso Norte on September 9. Others include Cruz Alta, Pelotas, Porto Alegre then fly back to Sao Paulo and finally to Nigeria.
I covet prayers for both physical and spiritual strenght. Covering these cities is the least we can do to follow the steps of our Master: 38 And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth. 39 And he preached in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. (Mark 1:38-39)
Other Foreign Fields
God is blessing the work across other nations. At Niger Republic, we had five students joined our staff for their practical exposure. Their input has made a lot of difference. They were distributed into three fields. The village heads provided accommodation for them and have been very receptive to the gospel. At Kwalan-Gobirawa, our missionaries, Issa and Rahila Maliki reported that one of our backslidden convert, Kada Goumbi has been restored. Six persons are being disciple now. We are trusting God for the restoration of Mai Kassa to the faith. We covet your prayers. The building project is gulping more than we anticipated. We need more money to complete the plastering and the flooring work.
At Ahole, our missionary couple, Emma and Blessing Boubacar reported that they maintained the policy that anyone that comes for medical help must hear the gospel. Four persons accepted Christ out of which one died. We particularly thank God for the spiritual growth of Abdullahi(not real name), one of Izala sect Muslim background converts. Discipleship is still done secretly but the speed of his spiritual progress is visible. He has two wives and many children. Pray for his family for God’s light to shine on them.
The Niger Republic National Director, Liman Dan-Wauya reported that the number of converts at Bankoula is increasing. The village head is supporting the church as he recognizes that the church has brought blessings to the village. Most of the converts are illiterates. Pray that God will sustain the favour for more growth of the church. At Tibiri, the people are distracted by farm work. Nevertheless, the missionaries continue with personal evangelism. They are using Matthew 5 with a guide book to teach the converts on kingdom lifestyle. More work is being done at the family level.
At Cameroon, Issa and Pauline Damaka reported that the work in the extreme north of Cameroon is slow but progressing. They have stepped up effort in discipling the converts but illiteracy has been a setback. Consequently, they resumed adult literacy program with them. The major challenge now is inadequate textbook. Also, two of his children were very sick and were moved from the field for thorough medical attention. They are recovering gradually now.
Nigeria Fields
The work on all the fields are progressing but not without challenges. Our missionary at the Dukawa field, Nuhu Karanbana reported that more souls are getting converted but a demonic snake is making ministry more challenging. The snake usually enters their house through the roof. They covet our prayers for divine protection. Also, they are trusting God for fund to plaster their house and church.
On the Kamberi front, Barnabas and Fatima Haruna said the church building work at Kubule was suspended because of the rain but the lives of the converts are being built for the Lord. According to him, the Muslims are beginning to focus heavily on islamising the people. Pray that they will not be seduced by material gifts. Yohanna and Rahila Musa reported that their Lambo church has been fully plastered. The converts are doing well. The persecution from the Muslim ward head has subsided.
At Borgu-Samunaka, 17 youths are currently undergoing discipleship. The different arms of the church are actively engaging the Kamberis in evangelism. The few who have turned to the Lord are being discipled. Some of the church members have migrated to seek for better farm land. They will return after the farm season. The field leader, Sunday Musa has completed his course in livestock management and fully back to the field. Already, the training is helping to draw the nomadic Fulanis and the livestock rearing Kamberis to hear the gospel.
At Bum, Ladi Ekpa reported that one of our converts invited people to help her on her farm and many pagans responded to the invitation. She took advantage of that to preach the gospel to the pagans and they gave her quality audience. Though they did not repent immediately, they promised to think about the message. She also went to other surrounding villages with some of the church youths for evangelism.
The school she started which served as a bridge between the missionaries and the people is growing. They had a wonderful end-of session celebration which turned out to be another avenue for preaching the gospel. The village head could not attend the program but he sent a representative. Tudun Wada Baraya’s king came and they all expressed great joy over how the ministry is affecting the community holistically. The pupils’ performance was wonderful.
Ladi covets prayer for the following: That God will continue to give her good health in order to do his work effectively, open doors for the school fees of her children, wisdom as she coordinate the entire Zullawa work, salvation of the souls of the Zullawa people as she and her colleagues move out for evangelism and against every opposition from the power of darkness.
At Bolu, the Muslims were very inquisitive during the Ramadan. The missionaries, Josephine and Moustapha Oumarou took advantage of that to share the love of Christ. They also reported that they have been going out for evangelism and reaching out to the Hausa, Fulani and Boluawa people in the surrounding villages. They focussed on reaching the aged in their homes, youths on their farm, women who come to the mission house to grind grain or watch gospel film. Their responses were positive and they thank God that He has began to honour their labor in the land.
The Unreached Children Home (UCH)
The Unreached Children Home (UCH) kids are doing well. They spent part of the holiday revising their academic work for last session and preparing for the new session. Ogechi Nzeribe took time to teach them thoroughly for at least four hours each day. As the school session draws nearer, we are confronted with the challenges of buying new textbooks, new uniform, school fees, etc. Two of our kids, Mary and Rachael have completed their Junior Secondary education. We strongly feel they should change school for a better and more qualitative secondary. Unfortunately, the survey carried out indicated that we will need approximately N60,000 for them to do that. School fees alone will gulp N36,400. We covet your prayers and support towards achieving this. Ezekiel Ganagana reported that The Caring Hands, an arm of The Church on The Rock visited the UCH. They brought several gifts like the small bag of rice, some other provisions and the sum of N5,000. They met with all the children and they were happy being part of what God is doing in this Ministry.
Others
To sum up, we are grateful for your consistent partnership. In the words of one of our partners, Mrs. Olabisi: “for an expectant woman, the ninth month is the month of relief, release and rejoicing”. Our prayer is that you will experience these in every area of your life this month of September and always. We appreciate you. God bless you.
In His grip,
Andrew Abah
International Director
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