The Years Ahead

Chapter 15 of  Journey to the Dark Nations

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)

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)


Certainly, it is impossible at this point to write the last chapter of my life. Like Apostle Paul indicated in Philippians 1:21, my resolve is to live out the rest of my life for the one who paid the supreme price for my salvation with the consciousness that when death come knocking, I will be remembered for my input in taking the light of the gospel to the darkest part of the earth.

Looking Back
In October 1982 when we came into the scene of world evangelization as a student, little did I know there is world of darkness out there that needed attention. The presence of God was very conspicuous in our campus fellowship and by extension, the entire campus such that those who were not born again were out of place. In 1984, it was like Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 4:3 to lift up their eyes and look on the fields. I had the reality of the field beyond the campus when God led me to work among the Aiona people and from that point, my view of the field continued to enlarge by the day.

In 1997, the Global Consultation for World Evangelization (GCOWE '97) was mind blowing. Research reports made available at the event especially the one by Joshua Project on the status of world evangelization and the remaining unfinished task were very revealing. The Nigeria Taskforce on the unreached people powered by the defunct AD2000 and Beyond Movement were not left out.

One of the Project they embarked upon was a survey of 300 people groups in Northern Nigeria. The result was staggering. It was established that 178 of the 300 groups were confirmed to be unreached people. Out of the 178 Unreached people are 100% Unreached, 76 are African Traditional Religion adherents, 172 are Muslims and 70 of them are classified as top priority and mission agencies/Churches are advised and encouraged to consider for urgent attention.
Some of the people groups includes the:

• Achipawa in Sakaba local government area of Kebbi State and Marige local government area of Niger State where we have only 25 converts in 3 villages.
• Baruba in Baruten local government area of Kwara State with no single Christian.
• Buduma on the shores of Lake Chad with no known Christian.
• Bolewa in Fika and Nangere local government areas of Yobe State with no known Christian.
• Laru in Borgu local government area with no known Christian.
• Shangawas also known as the Kyengewa, descendants of Kishera who left Badr near Meda to escape Islam. They are found in Dendi, Bagudo and Yauri local government areas of Kebbi State. The only Christian convert is reported to have gone back to Islam. They are 100% Muslim now.
• Bashar in Wase and Kenan local government areas of Plateau State, with no known Christian.
• Bisa in Borgu local government with only two Christians.

The Great Commission has not changed and I felt I don't need extra call to be challenged to contribute my quota in enthroning the Lordship of Jesus in some of these places. It is against this background I concentrated my life in pursuing this course. With the birth of Grace Foundation Inland Missions in 1989 we reinforce our labor in places where ordinarily they may never be able to access the gospel.

After many years of labor as an individual and 25years of Grace Foundations labor in the dark places, we have not only succeeded in our target but have mobilized many Churches and individuals to engage scores of unreached people but going by current statistics, the volume of the unfinished task is even more staggering.

It is not because our labor is not yielding positive result but the more we lift up our eyes, the more we discover more unreached people that were not captured in earlier missions research reports and also very sadly some other lands are lost to the enemy.

Current  Sobering State of World Evangelisation
Currently, the total population probably is 7.178billion. Out of these number 2,997,692 globally  are yet to be followers of Christ. The total number of people groups globally is said to be 16,800. Unreached/least reached people is 7,300. Out of the 7,300 30% have had no exposure to God's word. India leads with 2365, China follows with 455, Pakistan with 453, Bangladesh 345 and Nepal 332.

It is no longer news that many nations that were captured by the early Church have slipped into darkness. Turkey is a good case study. It is located in the present day Europe and partly in Asia. Christianity existed there for 1023 years. Some people said Mary the mother of Jesus actually taken to Turkey by Apostle John. The Christians were first nicknamed so at Antioch located in today Turkey. One of the largest church in history, The Hagia Sophia was located in Turkey. Sadly, Turkey is now 96% Muslims and 0.02% Christians.

North Africa is an eye sore. That was the region of the world that hosted Jesus when Herod attempted to kill Him. It had the best of seminaries and theologians at a time. The term Trinity was coined from this region. Sadly, the same region is today the heart of Islam.

The worst of all is the Western world. This part of the world had contributed immensely to the evangelisation of the world. Great men and women like William Carey, Mary Slessor, John Knox, John Wesley, Robert Moffat, David Livingstone,  and many others too numerous to mention will be wondering what went wrong when they exited the scene for eternity. An author recently analysed the region and explained that birth rate of 2.11 is required to perpetuate any culture and the general Average for the region is 1.9 with the following breakdown: European Union is now 1.38, Canada is 1.6 and USA is 2.11 while the Muslims that migrated to the same region is 8.1. According to the author's calculation, if nothing is done to alter it, in the next 35 years, France will be Islamic Republic. By 2050, Germany will become Islamic Republic and in 25 years time, USA will have 50million Muslims.

Gordon-Conwell's Center for the Study of Global Christianity's Survey
A recent survey  by Gordon-Conwell's Center for the Study of Global Christianity's titled Christianity in its Global Context, 1970-2020  came up with very staggering revelation.  According to the survey, one out of five non-Christians in North America doesn't know any Christians. Missiologist Todd M. Johnson and his team found that 20 percent of non-Christians in North America really do not "personally know" any Christians. That's 13,447,000 people—about the population of metropolitan Los Angeles or Istanbul—most of them in the United States.

And that number includes atheists and agnostics, many of whom are former Christians themselves and more likely to have close Christian contacts. Without that group, 60 percent of the non-Christian population has no relationships with Christians.

Worldwide, the numbers are much worse: more than 8 in 10 non-Christians do not personally know a Christian. But Christians only make up a third of the world's population. The United States, meanwhile, ranks in the top 10 Christian countries, with 80 percent of the population identifying as Christians.

The biggest factor in explaining why so many North American non-Christians don't know Christians is immigration, Johnson said. The U.S. attracts more Buddhist, atheist, and agnostic immigrants than any other country in the world. It ranks second for Hindu and Jewish immigrants, and seventh for Muslim immigrants.

But immigrants are also keeping the percentage of those who don't know a Christian from going higher. That's because the U.S. also attracts more Christian immigrants than any other country. And the region that sends the most immigrants to the U.S. is (by far) Latin America, where 90 percent of non-Christians know Christians. (In the CSGC study, Mexico was categorized as Latin America, not North America. As per U.N. categorization, North American countries included Greenland, Bermuda, Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Canada, and the U.S.)

Migrants move into enclaves and don't venture out. But even Christians who live close to Chinatowns and Little Italys don't often venture in, Johnson said.

Separation between religious groups isn't limited to the United States and Canada. But North America has a unique opportunity to connect across religious lines, he said."The United States is a very strategic place for people to interact," he said. "It's ironic in a place with all the freedoms to interact that people don't do it. In light of the deficit of contact, what better thing could happen than to have a bunch of people move into your neighborhood and build houses of worship?”The Journey Ahead
Against this background, I have laboured alongside with my team at Grace Foundation and the Network of Mission Leaders to do my best in the past years and by the grace of God spend the rest of my life to do far much more than I have ever done if Jesus tarries and as the Lord enables me.  My primary focus is to change paradigm and raise at least:

• 50 market place missionaries for closed nations in the next 10 years. I have taken the last 10 years to build network relationship in North Africa and across the Arabian Peninsular and a lot of prayers have gone into it.
• Also, 50 more missionaries will be recruited for the local work in Nigeria.
• To accomplish these, intensive mission mobilisation will be carried out using various platform across different nations of the world especially countries with enormous human resources and very low mission awareness.  Some of the platforms include mission conferences, publication of magazines, books, etc. To sustain this, our GFIM team and I plan to start off mobilisation offices in at least 10 nations across the world that will facilitate the recruitment of the marketplace missionaries as well as raise logistic workforce, prayers and financial squadrons. The prayer squads will in addition to facilitating the work of the missionaries focus on praying for restoration, revival and the nations.
• Thirdly, our training arm will move to her permanent site at Lamingo with the target of training 300 regular full-time residential missionaries, 200 mission leaders at our Advanced Mission Leaders Institute(AMLI), 400 indigenous leaders through our Indigenous Leadership Course(ILC).
• We also plan to enlarge our Mercy Ministries to increase the number of orphans and vulnerable kids from unreached people background we are taking care of  at our Home of Grace(HOG) to a minimum of 75 and train 15 of the ones present now to degree level and sound in the things of God to the point of making significant input in ministry between now and the next ten years and consolidate the ones in other nations.
• We may not be able to accomplish this huge goal in isolation. We will therefore continue to provide leadership to the Network of African Mission Leaders (AMLI), mentor younger missionaries with other mission agencies and network with many other individuals, agencies and church organisations nationally and internationally.
• As the Lord may permit, the next generation should have been made ready to take over the leadership of the ministry in the next 10years if Jesus tarries.

Partnership
God used the input of friends and partners to make the journey to the dark nations possible. It would have been absolutely impossible to get to the height we have attained without their active role of providing the needed moral, prayer and financial support. Groups like Gospel Bankers Inc(GB)., Missions Supporters League(MSL), defunct Rescue Fellowship of Nigeria(RFN), Missions Challenge Network(MCN), Missions Exposures and Training(MET), World Mission Resources, Christ Anointed Hands Fellowship, Our Daily Need Ministries(ODNM), National Hospital Chapel, Chapel of Good News, Women and Children Departments of Oritamefa and the Express Road Baptist Church, ATBU Chapel of Victory, Kingdom Outreach Ministries International, Calvary Bible Church, Christ Redemption Mission, etc. had partnered with us in providing support for some of our missionaries  and funded some of our projects on the mission fields at one point or the other. Many individuals too numerous to mention have been used by God to put smiles on our faces. We are eternally grateful to all of them. God will certainly reward you for your labour behind the scene.

The journey ahead is no doubt certainly capital intensive. It will gulp so much in terms of prayers and finance. A lot of this work especially the ones in closed nations will be done under cover because of the security implications. Little  and sometimes absolutely no publicity will be given electronically or otherwise and as such may not attract support. We will be depending on God and the confidence you have for us the past 25years for future funding. We pray earnestly that God will lift you financially so you will be able to give sacrificially. We also pray for the Spirit of supplication to come over you so you can consistently support us on your kneel. We trust the Lord to raise those that will independently start prayer squads/chapters across nations that will labour in prayers to bring the ministry vision to reality.

Numbering My Days and The Finishing Line
It was the Psalmist who prayed: So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. (Psalm 90:12). If Jesus tarries to come, we will all certainly die to exit this world. This is one basic truth we sometimes shy away from.  Jesus was in tune with this reality when He said in John 9:4: I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 'The night' is when our life on earth is ended. It also implies when doors of opportunities are closed and when for reasons of age or ill health one may not be able to contribute significantly to world evangelisation any more. 'The night' is not static. It moves and Jesus said with all certainty that it is on the way. In His words: " the night cometh".

In the past few years, I have seen many things happen that substantiated Jesus' statement.  First was my health. I have had a running battle with diabetic such that it has drained a lot of the needed strength for the work. Fasting, a very integral part of the life of every successful minister had become very irregular as a result because of the implication on my health. I am thankful to God for modern technology and medicine that has helped me to manage this challenge for many years. I am also thankful to Him for provision of healing in His words but the truth still remains that I can no longer cope with stress as much as I did in my early days in ministry. It serves as warning that whatever is left for me to do, I must get them done now before it is too late. I therefore live my life with every sense of urgency.

Also, with the little strength left, I noticed that many part of the world I could easily access in the past, the doors of the opportunities are shutting up. The North East of Nigeria with the continuous menace of the Jihadists, Boko Haram is one of such. Missionaries and other Christian leaders are being killed and threatened. We recently had reasons to withdraw some of our missionaries from this part of the country for safety. This is a place where in the past we travelled day and night in the past. The story is different now.

At Jordan, we received report of massive conversions of Syrian refugees and had prayed, planned and raised fund to deploy a missionary to join the team on ground to disciple the converts. Just at the last minute, we have to suspend the trip indefinitely because of increase in volatility in the country,  to access it, we were to be assigned Tourist Police which is detrimental to our work mainly done under cover. Again, the night seems to have come in some ways for that part of the world. Another case study is that of Mauritania, an Islamic State requiring urgent gospel attention. It was part of West Africa and was easily accessible by citizens of Economic Community of West Africa State(ECOWAS). They have pulled out and joined the Arab League making it absolutely difficult to access now.

At Jordan, we received report of massive conversions of Syrian refugees and had prayed, planned and raised fund to deploy a missionary to join the team on ground to disciple the converts. Just at the last minute, we have to suspend the trip indefinitely because of increase in volatility in the country,  to access it, we were to be assigned Tourist Police which is detrimental to our work mainly done under cover. Again, the night seems to have come in some ways for that part of the world. Another case study is that of Mauritania, an Islamic State requiring urgent gospel attention. It was part of West Africa and was easily accessible by citizens of Economic Community of West Africa State(ECOWAS). They have pulled out and joined the Arab League making it absolutely difficult to access now.

There are however many needy nations still open and beckoning for help. May the Lord help us to engage them before they draw the curtain. Like Jesus said in John 4:34-35 which is my resolve and prayer : "My food, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work".  Let us join hands together to get the job done now before it is too late. When you are dead, opportunities for you to make input will be over. There will be no mission work in heaven.

Powers Encountered on Life’s Journey

 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries. (1 Corinthians 16:9)

Life's journey has not been without opposition as the Devil is not excited with the input my family and I make on a daily basis in enthroning the lordship of Jesus in the dark nations of the world and he does not hide it. On a regular basis, the Devil expresses his fury by attacking my family and I. He comes to kill, to steal and to destroy as documented in John 10:10. Once, a demon possessed girl confessed that she was delegated to kill me but since she could not, she targeted my wife but failed. Not giving up, she focused on my kids and succeeded in throwing my eldest son who was three years old at the time into a very deep well and covered him up in the well. According to her, their plan was for the boy to die in the well all in a bid to discourage us from continuing with our mission pursuits.

Unknown to Her, the God who called us assured us that He has given unto us power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt us. From under the well the angel of God held my little boy's head above the water and amplified his voice and my wife who was far away in the room heard his cry and traced it. It was then she discovered that he was crying from inside the well. She got confused and raised alarm. A man passing by whom I believe was God's angel asked why she was shouting and on hearing that my son was inside the well, he brought him out. 

Miraculously, Nehemiah was not injured neither did he sink. Nevertheless, he was rushed to the nearest pharmacy for checkup to be sure there was no internal injury. The Nurse and Pharmacist, on duty did not believe our story. As far as they were concerned, it was impossible for a boy of three to be thrown inside the well and not die either because of the water in the well nor suffocate because the well was covered nor sustain injury. It ordinarily would have been impossible to hear his cry from inside the well.  We were, and are persuaded that it was divine intervention as only God can do what seems impossible to man. When He commissioned us in Matthew 28:20, He also assured us: "...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age". 

To the glory of God, Nehemiah is in his final year in the University and he will live to fulfill his destiny.

It however looks like there may be no final victory until our work on earth is over and we transit to heaven.  This is because, the Devil never gives up. Even for Jesus, the Devil never gave up on Him.   In Luke 4:13, the Bible confirms this: "...And when the devil had ended all the temptations, he departed from him for a season." It is therefore not surprising that the Devil has ceased to give up on me. The more the attack the more the victory.

Lucy's Cancer Encounter
Another assault from the Devil that cannot be easily forgotten was my wife's close shave with death. The Devil knocked her down with cancer, first on one of her breast. The Doctor sent for me and advised me strongly to consent to her surgery which implied the removal of the breast. The logic according to the Doctor was that it will prevent the cancer cell from spreading. That was not to be, as Few months later, despite the surgery the cancer had extended to the second breast and the armpit. 

At this point, one can sense the helplessness from the way the Doctor sounded. He referred us to another hospital for further test and then to the United Kingdom for further examination. The Doctor at the other Hospital was callous and crude at the same time going by the way he spoke to us. To him, we generated the cancer and were careless in seeking for medical help in time. We had no resources to travel abroad for further treatment but were convinced that the Helper of the helpless will see us through. 

We resolved to pray, and our friends across the nations were  committed to praying for us. A particular note was the involvement of a senior colleague, Pastor Joseph Egwuda who was at the time the Presiding Elder of Chapel of Goodnews, Kaduna, Nigeria. He assembled Pastors and other church leaders in the city to pray for us. Many others were doing same both at their family, congregation and individual level. 

The Lord was not silent either. At a point, I heard him clearly say to us what He said to Simon in Luke 22:31-32: "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32”But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers”.  If Jesus prayed for us so that our faith will not fail and He is the same person to answer the prayer, it then means that our faith will not fail. It is like an examiner writing the answers to the questions. It is absolutely impossible to fail the same exam. Secondly, it was obvious that God allowed the cancer assault for a post-experience ministry.

With His assuring words, we persevered in prayers until God opened our eyes to basic fruits and vegetables that had nutrients which could to tackle cancer cells. We had personal encounters with cancer survivals like Gloria Davies. We further took time to study books written by the founder of Hallelujah Diet and listen to her experiences on video. That further built up our faith. Lucy was optimistic that God would heal her as she constantly confessed that cancer was inclusive in the sickness Jesus' stripes took care of.  A family friend got several faith-building books for her and even amidst the pain, she managed to read some of the books.

One night she resolved not to eat cooked food for the next two months until God healed her. She then concentrated on eating fruits and vegetables which she juiced and others she blended. God breathed on these and trashed all the cancer cells in her body and regained her health. Another senior colleague of mine, Rev. Gerald Golbeck and his wife, Patricia then invited us to South Africa to one of the best Oncology Centre for a test which they paid for. The Centre conducted several tests and came to the conclusion that there was no cancer cell in her body any more.  Since then, she has visited the Centre from time to time for check-up and they have consistently congratulated her for staying cancer free.

One of the things the Lord spoke to us when she was really sick was that after her healing, she will be instrumental to healing others. We have seen that happen over and over. One of the cancer patients we saw God deliver from death was a lady by name Dorothy, a relation of her listened to my wife testify of her healing in Kaduna and called her to get in touch with my wife. She did and as usual, my wife told her what to eat and drink and what not to eat. She said she wanted to come over to Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria where we lived because most of the fruit and vegetable were not common where she lived at Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. We said it was alright if she had a relation to stay with but she had no one and pleaded to stay in our family house which we agreed with the assumption that she was going to be accompanied by a member of her family. One night, we saw her walk in alone. Looking at her was quite scary. Her case was cancer of the bone and she had already commenced radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Her eyeballs were deep down in her sockets and all her hair was gone because of the negative impact of the therapies. It was as if she was going to die the following week. Apparently, having given up on her must be the likely reason why no family member accompanied her to Jos.

We prayed and got the fruits and vegetables for her as she was determined and believed that God could heal her. God stepped in and in one month, her strength was restored. Her hair grew, her eyeballs fit in the socket and gradually she became fully healed. She was amazed herself at the speed and one evening went out to look for the King of the Igbos in Jos to come register her deepest appreciation on behalf of her family. She returned back to her family strong and healthy and we return all the glory to God for her healing.

We have scores of different manner of cancer patients from across the world that God has healed through counseling, direct supervision, phone calls, etc. Space and time will not permit us to give vivid testimonies here. We also have many who took time to read through Lucy's book: “How God Healed Me of Cancer and His Remedies for Terminal Diseases” and put into practice what they read and testimonies of God's healing abounds. God turned the table against the Devil as what he planned to use to bring down the ministry, God used and He is still using it to promote the work He has committed into our hands. People from different faith cutting across various classes in the society including Muslims have had reasons to visit us because of cancer related cases and they have all provided opportunity for us to show them the love of Christ. No consultancy fee is paid. Freely we receive and freely we give. " ...And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."(Luke 22:32b)

Thunder, Armed Robbery, Attack and Accident, Etc.
The catalogue of power encounter is endless. In the words of Apostle Paul: "For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries".(1 Cor 16:9). I will like to share some more of the fury of the Devil directed at my family and I and how God fought our battles and handed over victory to us.

Early in ministry, my wife and I traveled to some of our mission fields in the North Central states of Nigeria. While we were away, thieves burgled our house and made away with many valuables from the house. It was natural to ignore it and continue as if nothing happened but a young girl under the influence of demons confessed that she arranged for the theft. According to her, she has being delegated to do anything possible to discourage us to discontinue our mission work. It was good to know that the Devil was not comfortable with our labour to advance God's kingdom. We prayed and instead of being discouraged, the Lord strengthened our hearts. We did not recover the items stolen but many persons brought gifts to us. Also, as a result of the theft, God paved way for us to buy a good car, Datsun Laurrel which added speed to our work. Again, the Devil was put to shame.

One evening we were driving from Ankpa, Kogi State of Nigeria after a very successful Mission Conference which brought together church leaders from different denominations to review the remaining task of reaching the Igala nation. The result of the conference was mind-blowing. We had many positive responses and action steps outlined to be taken to complete the task. The Devil again was very furious at such level of networking to unseat him and enthrone the Lordship of Jesus and on our way back we ran into the hands of some armed robbers. We prayed and God answered us and none of us was hurt.

Another night, we concluded a great meeting at the famous Baptist Seminary at Ogbomosho in the South West region of Nigeria. The responses were heartwarming. Many of the students training to go and serve as Pastors volunteered to go into the dark nations of the world where Jesus was not known and this made me glad as I could imagine the vast number of nations the volunteers of this four day meeting will cover. While thanking God, I took off that night via Ibadan to Lagos from where I was scheduled to take a flight to the United Arab Emirates. The Devil again was deeply furious. On our way between Ibadan to Lagos, there were many cows covering the road. The Driver did not seem to see them, he accelerated the vehicle while the passengers screamed "cow! cow!! cow!!!". The more they screamed the more he accelerated until he crashed into the cows. Many passengers were badly wounded. I knew the Devil hard targeted me but God rescued me unhurt. I trekked few kilometers that night to the nearest point where we got a taxi and still made my journey to United Arab Emirate.

Thunder Blast ~ Reaction from DRC
Few years ago, I was invited to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) to speak at the Missions Fest, a mission conference organised by the local churches in the city. One early morning after the conference, my friend and I drove to the hospital where we took time to pray for the sick and casted out demons from people that were possessed. At the same moment, thunder lightening struck in my house faraway in Jos, Nigeria heading straight to my wife with the children standing by her side ready to go to school. My wife shouted Jesus and immediately the thunder diverted into the electric cable and destroyed the thunder resistor, burnt the cables, meter and electronics connected to it.  We are thankful to God that they were not hurt. God remains the unbeatable champion.

The Agony of a Vulnerable Girl & The Ultimate Divine Intervention

By Angela Velez  as told to Jane Bianchi

I’ve never met my dad, and until last year, I lived with my mom in a small apartment in New York City, where she wouldn’t let me see my older sisters, who lived on their own nearby -- or even go on the Internet. My mom forced me to sit there with her all day, but whenever I tried to talk to her, she’d just stare at the TV and say, “I’m too tired to talk.” My friends’ moms weren’t like that -- they talked to their kids -- so I knew something wasn’t right. I felt so isolated and sad.

As the years went on, life at home got worse. If I forgot to do something, like the dishes, my mom would curse at me in Spanish. Her bad attitude wore me down. So finally, one day in middle school, I got so fed up that I yelled back: “You don’t care about me!” As soon as the words came out, my mom started hitting me, and even though I asked her to stop, she just said, “Shut up! I'm not hurting you.” I felt a sharp pain in my leg, though, and when I looked down, there were cuts from where her nails had dug into my skin. I couldn’t believe my own mother could be so cruel.

Still, I never told anyone -- mostly because I was terrified of her. But last year, when I was hanging at a friend's on a Friday night, her mom saw I was upset and asked what was wrong. That’s when everything I was going through just came pouring out.

My friend's mom was so troubled by what she heard that she called Child Protective Services (CPS), a governmental organization that helps kids who are being abused or neglected. CPS deemed my mom unfit to be a parent and put me in a group home. I was thankful to be free from my mom, but I also felt scared and alone, like a misfit nobody wanted.

In the group home, I learned about foster care. Foster parents are people who become certified to temporarily care for kids who need a home. Sometimes foster care kids go back to their birth parents, sometimes they get adopted, and sometimes they stay in foster care until they can live on their own.

After I found out that I was going to foster care, part of me was relieved, but part of me thought, “What’s going to happen to me now?” I wasn't sure if foster care would be better -- or worse.

TAKING THE PLUNGE

My first foster care experience was definitely worse, or at least just as bad. When I walked in, the house smelled, and even though I brought eight bags full of clothes and books with me, nothing made it feel like home. The woman who answered the door didn’t hug me and barely talked. I felt trapped all over again.

Luckily, though, I got to leave within a few days, and walking into my second foster care home was a much different experience. These foster parents, Sandra and Henry, put their arms on my shoulders in a gentle way to show me that they cared. They then let me settle into my bedroom, and -- when I was ready -- cooked me dinner. 
Now, about nine months later, Sandra and Henry are the parents I always wanted. They allow me to see my sisters, let me use the Internet, and help me with homework -- things my mom never did. And on my 17th birthday, Sandra took me out to a nice dinner. Believe it or not, no one had ever celebrated my birthday before. For the first time in my whole life, I felt happy.

HELPING HANDS

Once I started living with Sandra and Henry, CPS hooked me up with a therapist. It’s helpful to discuss my problems, and she always boosts my confidence. She’ll say, “Dude, you're awesome.” After growing up around so much negativity, it feels great to be around positive people!

I’ve also been spending a lot more time with my best friend, Eric. He's like my brother. When I’m feeling down, he’ll say, “Ang, c’mon. You can do this.”

And you know, with all this support behind me, I’ve been thinking a lot about what “family” really means. A lot of people think it means a biological mom, dad, and siblings. But to me, family means people who love me and help me. It doesn’t matter if you’re blood-related; family can be anyone. When I look at my foster parents, I see that my life is finally moving in the right direction -- and that makes me smile.

One thing Sandra, Henry, and my sisters do now is ask me how I'm doing. Nobody had ever asked me that before! It’s such a simple question, but it feels so good when someone is concerned enough to ask. It has inspired me to ask other kids at school how they’re doing.

Because if there's one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can't just say that you care, you have to prove it -- and show that you care.

3 THINGS ANGELA WILL WANT YOU TO KNOW

1. Never give up. No matter what you’re going through -- even when you think you’re at your lowest point -- things will get better. It’s important to stay optimistic.

2. Don't hate. If you meet kids in foster care, don’t call them names. That’s not cool. Foster kids are the same as any other kids. There’s no reason to knock them down.

3. Speak up. If you or someone you know has a hard home life, don’t suffer in silence. Tell an adult, like a friend’s parent or a school social worker or psychologist. The sooner you reach out, the sooner you can get help.

CONCLUDING NOTE
God can use you to change the story of someone somewhere. I pray you will be available to help wipe away some tears. It will yield eternal dividend. There are many Angelas across the nations and I can hear God say whom shall I send and where are the willing hands to put an end to the pains of the innocent victims of child abuse!

September/ October 2014 Missions Update

Dearly Beloved,

We have been quite overwhelmed by many of the odds against the advance of the gospel that we have not done  much in terms of updating you lately. We are sure despite the fact you have been on your knees praying for us. We are extremely thankful and pray that God bless you in return. We have consistently felt the warmth of your prayers despite the increasing odds. We are so certain that God is in control and the gate of hell shall not prevail against the church and that a mighty harvest that has never been experienced in history is fast approaching and much of it will be from our other cousins, the Muslims.

Mission Fields in North East of Nigeria

Terrorists ravaging North East of Nigeria

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial assistance which helped us to evacuate our missionaries from the North East of Nigeria. We deeply appreciate all the calls we received and particularly the assurance that you are on your knees for us. This is a very trying time for us all. Some of the converts shed tears freely. Others felt betrayed that we are 'abandoning' them at the point when the heat is unbearable and they need us the most. We took time to explain to them that it is temporary withdrawal following the increase sms threat by the Boko Haram, the death of two missionaries, the disappearance of a missionary family(Hopefully, they are still alive somewhere) and the narrow escape of many others. But some are still not satisfied. Please,  we will continue to solicit your prayers for the sustenance of the converts even in the absence of our missionaries. We are trusting God to bring in mightier harvest than ever.

All the missionary trainees and their families have been immediately re-posted to other fields in North Central part of Nigeria. All the regular missionaries have been asked to proceed on compulsory furlough. During the period, they will take time to rest outside the battle fields, pray and source for support for their next assignments. We are particularly trusting God for Moustapha, Josephine and their son to move to Malawi to help with the Missionary Training Center there. Yohanna and Rahila Musa are to move to Niger Republic to join our existing mission force in that country after the furlough. These steps are certainly capital intensive but as you join us in prayer, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. We will also be counting on you for financial support. We are still waiting to hear from God for the next step for the other missionaries.

Furaka Mission House Project

Furaka Mission House

The ground floor and part of the first floor of the mission house project at Furaka is completed but so much still need to be done to tidy up the first floor.  We still need fund for eight doors, plumbing items/workmanship, flooring and remaining ceiling/electrical work. We are extremely grateful for your financial input that has brought us thus far. When completed, we will have an additional standard classroom that will take more missionary trainees, a library and four more self contain apartments. The completed portion already occupied includes a two bedroom flat for Home of Grace (HOG) Boys accommodation. A bedroom and sitting lounge for one of our Missionary Caregivers and offices.   

Home of Grace (HOG)

The kids at the Home of Grace are doing well spiritually and mentally. All of them were

promoted to the next class. Three of them, Jecinta, Dauda and Blessing were admitted to High School and have resumed on September 22, 2014. After the National Youth Service year, Ayuba Ajikovi has been delisted from the Home to live on his own. He is warming up for M. Sc. program but have to combine with work so as to be able to fund his studies with little or no support.  We have four orphans on standby to replace Ayuba. Pray with us to choose the right person and for partners focusing on helping orphans and vulnerable kids from unreached people background. We still require over N200,000 more to provide all the kids with what they require to return to school as only few of the kids  have been taken care of by support received thus far. We are grateful to all those that have helped and those helping.

Jordan, Benin & Niger Republic Missions

Getting the visa to Jordan is not a simple as we had anticipated. But hopefully, it will be through in the next two weeks and the team will take off before the end of October 2014. Pray for our missionary, Ode Agabi and the six others preparing for the Jordan missions as well as the host on ground that God will empower them with all that is needed for the trip.

God is prospering the work at Benin Republic as our missionary couple, Nuhu & Sabatu Karanbana are gaining more and more favour before the leadership in the land.  Nuhu in company of the Libentee village head had together paid a courtesy call on the President of Benin Republic. The church service is still being conducted under the tree. Having obtained documents for the land recently, we are now trusting God for funds to start work on the mission house as well as a small local church building to start with.

Work in Niger republic is also waxing stronger as we seek to make the best use of the peace still prevalent in the country to raise formidable disciples that will stand the test of time. Emmanuel and Blessing Boubacar still use medical mission as front to reach the people at Ahole while Issa & Rahila manage two mission fields using teaching as a front. Abigail & Liman Danwauya cordinate the work from Tibiri and God has graciously used them to impact the youths and many Pastors across the nation through the Gospel Without Borders.

Other Local Works

Dukawa Convert

Miracle has since the time of Jesus proven to be a formidable gateway to the salvation of many and it  still is. For Sunday & Faith Musa, they have consistently being used by God to do what natural men cannot do. Many of the Kamberis and Dukawas have surrendered their lives to Christ seeing different kinds of miracles. Simon Peter, Ayuba Dawa, Ayuba Magaji, Joshua Adamu, Rabo and Ayuba Ibrahim are all doing great discipling the converts one on one at the various mission stations as well as engage the unsaved with the gospel. Pray that the fruit of their labour will abide. At the Bolu field, an indigenous leader, Isah is taking over from Josephine & Moustapha Oumarou while at Bum mission, Inuwa is stepping in for Ladi and Bulus Ilaya.

To Sum up

As usual, we cannot give you detail reports of great things happening in answer to your prayers among people groups with security implications. All we can say via this medium to register our deepest appreciation for your partnership. Please, keep praying for us and when possible, visit and call us on phone. We need your increasing involvement as the battle gets heated up.  Again, thank you so much and God bless you.

His bondservant,

Andrew Abah

Boko Haram: Digging into Untold History

Today it’s little known that Islam’s holy city Medina was predominantly Jewish city in the time of Mohammad. During that time the city was called Yatrib and it was inhabited by three large Jewish tribes: Banu-Nadir (or “Sons of Nadir,”), Banu-Korayzeh, and Banu-Kainuka. Consistent with Torah-based lifestyle of tilling the land, these tribes engaged in Date palm agriculture, unlike their Bedouin non-Jewish counterparts in the region, who made a living thru caravan trade from Yemen to Syria. Politically Arabia and Israel seem worlds apart but in reality the distance between Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city and Medina is the same as between Boston and Washington DC.

This land where Mecca and Medina stand, the Arabian stretch along the Red Sea, is the same land that was inhabited in the Biblical times by Medianites. The most famous Medianite was Yitro (Jethro) – Moses’ father-in-law. He famously joined the Israelite camp and converted to Judaism, after which he “returned to his people” (Exodus 18:27) to convert them to Judaism. Even though connection between Yatrib (Medina) and Yitro(Jethro) is more phonetic than etymological, due to the one letter variance in their roots, it is certainly an interesting conjecture based on circumstantial evidence of Jewish presence in what was historically Jethro’s homeland. The only scholarly consensus is that Yatrib is a non-Arabic word, so we know that Yatrib and its predominantly Jewish population’s origins predate Arabic culture in that land.

Muslim conquest of Medina in 630CE was of the first of Muslim conquests. Prior to becoming mighty enough to conquer the city, Mohammad tried desperately to endear the Jews of Yatrib to his newfangled religion. He sought after their validation and acceptance. For 16 months, Mohammad prayed with his few early followers along with the Jews of Yatrib in the direction of Jerusalem. After that time, Mohammad realized that Jews will not ever accept him as prophet despite his initial pleading and later threats – Jews insisted that he does not match criteria of prophet in Torah. When Mohammad took over Medina, he beheaded hundreds of Jewish men there, giving the remaining choice to leave, convert or die. His next act was to attempt and erase the Jewish past of the city by renaming it ‘Medina’. Medina means simply “city”. ‘Medina’ also sounds like tribute to Medianite- the pre-Judaic pagan past of the region. Incidentally, this is also when Mohammad turned his prayers from Jerusalem toward the pagan Kabba Stone in Mecca; it remains so until this day.

These acts of Mohamad vis-à-vis Jews of Yatrib (Medina) are clear messages from him to his followers, echoing all these fourteen centuries later. Just as Mohammad showed he cannot co-exist with Jews but must convert, erase or replace them, set the tone for Islam ever since in its attitude towards non-Muslims in general. Throughout the existence of Islam, its spread into the world, and most notably today, it is being experienced in the form of jihad- “holy war” on non-Muslims. The first to experience jihad were the Jews of Yatrib. The polemic nature of Islam evolved from the insecurity Mohammad experienced in being rejected by these Arabian Jews, and even by his own tribe members (Tribe of Qurayish). Some of his tribe could not understand why he thinks he is ‘messenger’ if his message consists of Judaism and Christianity, with which they were already familiar thru hearsay. It is important to understand that this episode in Mohammad’s evolution from unknown preacher of new faith to military and political leader impacted Islam as political ideology and as religion, making the two inseparable. Tracing the roots of this union helps understand how and why Islam majority countries simply have no substantial separation of “church and state”, which impacts social and governmental structure fundamentally.

 Source: http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2014/09/16/muhammads-first-jihad/

The Wonders of Watermelon

1. Immune support, wound healing, and helps prevent cell damage

Watermelons are surprisingly high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is great at improving your immune system by protecting our cells from reactive oxygen. Reactive oxygen damages our cells and DNA. Vitamin C has long been known to help heal wounds in the body and is essential to making new connective tissue. Enzymes involved in forming collagen, the main compound needed when wounds are healing, simply cannot function without Vitamin C. If you should find you are suffering from slow healing wounds, seriously up your consumption of vitamin C heavy fruit such as watermelon!

 2. Watermelon has more lycopene than tomatoes

Just one cup of watermelon has 1.5 times more lycopene than a large fresh tomato. Why should you care? Lycopene is a super antioxidant, which is important for stopping those free radicals that damage your cells, mess with your immune system, and lead to advanced aging. Research shows that lycopene, which is found in most red fruits and veggies, helps fight against several types of cancer. To get the most antioxidants possible, store your watermelon at room temperature.

 3. Relieves Sore Muscles

A study conducted in Spain discovered that drinking about 16 ounces of watermelon juice before working out had less muscle soreness, as well as a lower heart rate, within 24 hours. This study was published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

This is attributed to a compound in watermelon called citrulline that has been found to improve the functioning of arteries and lower blood pressure overall. In fact, watermelon can relax the blood vessels so much; Texas A&M University says that watermelon is like the Viagra of the fruit world! Unfortunately, most of that citrulline is found in the green rind, not so much in the red flesh.  

4. Supports eye health

Watermelon is a fantastic source of beta-carotene, which your body will turn into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps to make the pigments in the retina of your eyes and this helps to protect you against macular degeneration.

 5. Alkaline

When fully ripe, watermelons have an alkaline effect in the body. Eating plenty of alkaline forming fruits and veggies helps to reduce your risk of developing illness and chronic disease.

 6. It’s both a fruit and a veggie

Almost unbelievable, but true! Like almost all fruits, watermelon comes from seeds but its roots can be traced to pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers. Talk about an overachiever!

7. It’s absolutely packed with, well, water

Of course! You are really talking about some serious hydration when you start talking watermelon! It’s 91.5 percent water! This is good to know since being dehydrated is really bad for your health. It’s a good thing we eat these when we are under the hot summer sun so we can keep ourselves hydrated.  

8. Reduces body fat

We are talking about that wonderful compound citrulline again. It’s been shown in studies to help our body’s stop the accumulation of fat. This amino acid, with a little help from our kidneys, coverts into arginine, which blocks the activity of TNAP, which makes our fat cells, accumulate less fat. Kinda complicated, but a beautiful thing all the same. 

9. Anti-inflammatory

Watermelons are high in phenolic compounds such as carotenoids, flavonoids, and triterpenoids. Carotenoids are super helpful in reducing inflammation and killing off those nasty free radicals. Tripterpenoid curcurbitacin E is another great compound in watermelons, which is another great anti-inflammatory. Be sure to eat really ripe watermelons as they have much higher levels of these helpful compounds. 

10. Diuretic and kidney support

A natural diuretic, watermelon can help increase the flow of urine but doesn’t place a strain on the kidneys the same way caffeine does. Also, watermelons help your liver process ammonia which will help you get rid of excess fluid in the body while making it easy on the kidneys.  

11. Nerve and muscle support

Watermelon is a great, all natural electrolyte that helps to regulate the nerves and muscles. Potassium is important in the determination of how much our muscles contract and controls the over stimulation of the nerves in the body. Since watermelon is high in potassium, it’s super good for those nerves and muscles. 

12. Supports cardiovascular and bone health

Those high lycopene levels that are in watermelon are important to both our bone health and cardiovascular health. Consuming large amounts of watermelon has been linked to improved cardiovascular function as it improves blood flow due to the relaxation of blood pressure as well as reducing the oxidative stress which is involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. This means you will get stronger bones when you eat foods rich in lycopene, such as watermelons. 

13. About those yellow watermelons

If you haven’t seen them, there are watermelons that are not that beautiful pinkish-red red color. It’s called Yellow Crimson. It has a yellow interior with a sweeter taste that will remind you of honey. Both types of watermelons are green on the outside so unless they are labeled, you can’t tell which one is which! Just remember that no one knows what, if any, nutritional value the yellow kind might have to offer. If you love the yellow kind, mix up a batch of both colors, just to be on the safe side.

  Sources: Huffingtonpost.com & Livelovefruit.com

Honey: Stronger Than Any Antibiotic

There have been countless studies done that show that honey can be even more powerful than antibiotics when it comes to fighting infections, especially the new superbugs we have created.

Several different honey samples have been tested from around the world to study its effectiveness. All types of honey, made from all different types of flowers, had these antimicrobial properties that proved to be very effective against these antibiotic resistant pathogens.

The University of Fort Hare tested six types of local honey in the South Africa area, against a bacteria that is known to cause ulcers and stomach cancer, Helicobacter pylori. Every single one of these honey samples proved to work against this strain of bacteria.

The topical use of honey to remove and eliminate bacteria from wounds is not only a much cheaper alternative, but it would improve antibiotic therapy in the immediate future.

Honey has a variety of components that are toxic to bacterial cells including its high sugar content, hydrogen peroxide, polyphenols, and its osmotic effect. Honey can also weaken a bacterial virulence, meaning that the bacteria can become more susceptible to modern antibiotics.

There have been numerous studies that show that honey acts as a powerful antibiotic. In fact, several studies show that this beautifully natural compound can fight a variety of infections.

Manuka honey was found to be extremely effective in the treatment of antibiotic resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a very deadly but common super bug. This is according to a study done by the Natural Society.

Still another study reached the same obvious conclusion. Honey, particularly honey that came from bees using manuka flowers, stopped one type of streptococcus pyogenes from stopping the healing of wounds.

Using honey to treat infections is not something new, however.  Honey has been used throughout history to fight infection right up until penicillin was discovered. If the truth was told, honey was used traditionally to fight infections right up until the early 20th century. After the discovery of penicillin, honey was virtually forgotten about. In addition to its powerful antimicrobial properties, honey will stimulate the lymph system in the body. This is important in order for the body’s immune system to fight infection on its own.

Australia Muslim named commander of Islamic State unit

Abu Yahya ash Shami has been reported as having been killed waging jihad for the Islamic State, so it is unclear who this new commander really is, but if he is indeed Australian, he highlights one of the West’s most important new exports: jihad terrorists.

ASIO is investigating reports the head of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has appointed a 40-year-old Sydney man to a senior military leadership role in northern Iraq.

An Iraqi news website is ­reporting that an Australian fighting with Islamic State, and who goes by the name Abu Yahya ash Shami, has been named the military commander for the town of Jalula in northern Iraq.

Citing a local source, the Iraqi News site said the Australian had proved his allegiance to Islamic State after he beheaded four ­people who refused to swear a bayat, or oath of allegiance, to Baghdadi. “The Australian was fighting in the front of Deir al-Zour (in Syria) before arriving to Jalula,” the website quotes the sources as saying. “The new commander beheaded four militants belonging to different factions (who) were detained a week ago because they refused to swear ­allegiance to Baghdadi.”

The report could not be verified and there is a possibility it is a case of mistaken identity, as the nom de guerre quoted was used by Zakaryah Raad, an Australian man who was killed while fighting with Islamic State. The report also carried a picture of Raad, who ­appeared in an Islamic State propaganda video before his death. But ASIO, which in recent weeks has issued several high-profile warnings about the threat posed by foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, is understood to be investigating the claim.

Attorney-General George Brandis has said publicly that a number of Australians in Iraq and Syria had progressed from being mere foot soldiers and were now occupying leadership positions with jihadist groups. As many as 60 Australians are believed to be fighting in Iraq and Syria, with dozens more supporting the terrorist outfit from Australia.

Among them is former Sydney man Abu Sulayman, who is a sharia official and operational planner with Jabhat al-Nusra, al- Qa’ida’s affiliate in Syria and bitter rival of Islamic State. Sulayman is considered by ASIO to be among the most senior terrorists ever produced by Australia. The report came as more details emerged about a Brisbane father now fighting for Islamic State in Syria.

As revealed in The Weekend Australian, Afghan-born Zia Abdul-Haq, who has adopted the nom de guerre Abu Yusseph, is believed to be in a unit with other Westerners from Canada and France, after leaving a son and former wife behind to enter the conflict. He had also sought a wife in Syria, bragging to friends on Twitter that one woman had told him his fighting in the “jihad” would be his dowry to her.

Brisbane newspaper The Sunday Mail yesterday reported that Abdul-Haq was a finance officer and moved to Australia in his late 20s. He had been “brainwashed” after hearing a talk by prominent radical cleric Musa Cerantonio. Mr Cerantonio, who was deported from The Philippines this year and has been identified as one of the most influential English-speaking clerics for Western fighters in the conflict, yesterday hit out the brainwashing claims. “At the time that I gave the talk that was mentioned in the article, the Islamic State did not even exist — it was given two years before the group was even founded,” he said.

Source: http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2014/09/01/australia-muslim-named-commander-of-islamic-state-unit/

Very Urgent Prayer Appeal ~ Still on Our Brethren in Iraq & Syria

The email below was sent from Jericho Walls:

Dear Friends,

Just a few minutes ago I received the following text message on my phone from Sean Malone who leads Crisis Relief International (CRI). We then spoke briefly on the phone and I assured him that we would share this urgent prayer need with all of our contacts.

"We lost the city of Queragosh (Qaraqosh). It fell to ISIS and they are beheading children systematically. This is the city we have been smuggling food to. ISIS has pushed back Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) and is within 10 minutes of where our CRI team is working. Thousands more fled into the city of Erbil last night. The UN evacuated it's staff in Erbil. Our team is unmoved and will stay. Prayer cover needed!"

For more information on the trouble that is happening in Northern Iraq:

1.) ISIS Fighters Overrun Iraq's Largest Christian Town Qaraqosh, Residents Flee:

2.) Email Prayer Bulletin from International Prayer Council (John Robb)

3.) Iraqi MP Breaks Down in Tears Pleading Parliament to Save Yazidis from Genocide:

Please pray sincerely for the deliverance of the people of Northern Iraq from the terrible advancement of ISIS and its extreme Islamic goals for mass conversion or death for Christians across this region.

May I plead with you not to ignore this email. Do not forward it before you have prayed through it. Then send it to as many people as possible.

Send it to friends and Christians you may know. Send it to your prayer group. Send it to your Pastor and phone him/her to pray on Sunday during the service - making a special time of prayer for this. We need to stand in the gap for our fellow Christians.

Please Pray. .. and I don’t mean just .."God help them" I mean allow your heart to grieve and to seek Father God’s heart.