Bloody History, Victorious Future (by Pamela Smoak)

When John Muna announced he intended to start a church in Masaini (Masai land) his fellow ministers warned him, “You are not Masai.  If you go out there, they will kill you!”  Acting on what he strongly felt was the will of God, he went anyway.

After teaching Bible studies and witnessing, he gathered a congregation of mostly Masai women and children who then helped him erect a simple structure of lattice-work tree limbs and tree trunks with a grass thatched roof.  A church had been started in the village of Majengo on the dusty plain halfway between the international airport and the Tanzanite mines in the shadow of mighty Mt. Kilimanjaro.

As expected, opposition arose to the new church and the interloper preacher.  Masai men went to the village leaders protesting the church and claiming that they were going to beat the new preacher and destroy the new church.  One village leader (a modern day Gamalliel) warned the disgruntled men that the preacher and the saints had a right under Tanzanian law to assemble and have church and that any action against the preacher would be breaking that law.

Dissatisfied with the lack of support from the village elders, the men started a campaign of threats and terror.  They interrupted church services, threatened a thrashing for any of their wives or family members who attended the church and promised to drag the pastor out of the church for a whipping.  Standing in the doorway of the church, Pastor Muna quietly said, “If you think you have the authority to do that, go ahead.”

As with Paul, the rabble-rousers planned an ambush for Pastor Muna.  For three Sundays, they lay in wait along the path he had to take to get to the village from his home which was a 2 hour walk away.  Yet, for three Sundays, they never saw him coming or going.  For three Sundays, they returned back to the village only to discover that church had already been held and dismissed and the pastor was gone.  God had protected his minister and blinded them to his passing on the trail.

This is the church today that Pastor Muna
began years ago.

Frustrated, angry and determined, the men next focused on terrorizing the women many of whom were their wives or family members.  The women were forbidden to attend church.  They went anyway.  The women were assured that if they went, they would be beaten.  They went anyway.

Things climaxed one Sunday when the men stormed into the dirt floored church and dragged a woman out into the churchyard and began beating her.  Finished with her, they returned for another and then another.  The protestations and interventions of the pastor were worthless against so many men.  When all the women were bloodied and beaten, the men shouted at them that they could never return to the church.  Standing as a unit, the women replied, “Then go ahead and kill us.  If we can’t follow Jesus and worship Him, then we don’t want to live.”  Stunned, the men realized they could do nothing else to the women.  To beat them would cause no problem with the law but to kill them would place the men in a serious predicament.  The women, warriors in a spiritual battle, supported their pastor and defeated the opposition of Satan through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Shortly after all this violence, one of the ringleaders became seriously ill.  He called for Pastor Muna to come pray for him.  God in His mercy instantly healed him.  The church, now a mud building with a tin roof, started almost 25 years ago.  Masai pastors and evangelists have come out of that church.  Through the years more ministers have come out from under the ministry of Bro. Muna than any one pastor in the whole country.  We even have a current Bible school student from Pastor Muna’s so his influence is still strong.

Determination.  Commitment.  Steadfastness.  Love for the Truth, the word of God and the Savior who sacrificed His life for them.  Masai women and a lone pastor walked a bloody trail to follow Christ to a victory that reached beyond the dusty, parched land of Masaini.

Unto the Next Generation…

The Masai village elder that warned the trouble makers not to interfere with the lawful right of Bro. Muna and his church to assemble had a young son.  As with all Masai young men, his responsibility was to care for his father’s herd of cows.  At the age of 15, this young man took the herd far from his village seeking grazing.  Because of a severe drought, he decided to move the herd up on the side of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa.  During his long journey up the mountain to find grass, he met a man from his village and sent word to his father where he would be with the herd.  For 6 months, he lived with the herd on the side of Kilimanjaro drinking their milk, eating what he could find.  For six months, this 15-year-old boy protected his father’s herd from predators and thieves.

At times walking was difficult for him.  He had fallen on a low-growing thorn bush in years past and one of the thorns was driven deep into his knee.  Most of the time, he had no problem; but at certain times of the year, the knee would swell and become red and feverish.  After his return from the mountain to his village, he told his father that he wanted to go have that Pentecostal preacher pray for him.  His father said, “No, if you want to go to a church, go to that Lutheran church near the village.”  The boy would not relent.  He kept asking his father repeatedly.  Finally, he went.  When Bro. Muna prayed for him, the knee was instantly healed and never swelled or was painful again.

Pastor Noeli pastoring the Maimoria church not too
far from the bible School in Moshi.

If you ever want to meet this Masai young man, you will find him pastoring the Maimoria church near our Bible school in Moshi.  His name is Noeli.  He and his brother both are Bible school graduates.  He married the pastor’s daughter so his father-in-law and brother-in-law both are preachers.  Because of Noeli’s witness, he has several family members attending our churches.  Most are baptized in Jesus’ Name and filled with the Holy Ghost.

It can be said of Noeli “This is the generation of them that seek him” (Psalms 24:6).  Now, his two sons and daughter are second generation Pentecostals carrying on the truth of the gospel to the “next generation”.

A Place Called EVERYWHERE! (by Jerry Richardson)

The very purpose of the church is, and has always been, the evangelization of the lost.  We cannot even think of missions without being reminded of our call and our obligation.

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go ye therefore and teach all nations... teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:  and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

1 Timothy 2:8 “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”

Let us look at some key words in this verse:

1) Men - Jesus came to save mankind. Jesus is interested in saving men from their sins so much that He went to Calvary to save make salvation to all.

2) Everywhere - Let’s think of everywhere.  Where is everywhere?   Is the Africa part of everywhere?  Is Kenya part of everywhere?  Is Madagascar part of everywhere?  Is the United States part of everywhere?  And on and on can go the questions.  Can you see that your city and neighborhood is a part of everywhere?

When looking at the early church, we acknowledge that they were given a commission to go into the entire world and preach the gospel.   When the Holy Ghost came, they settled into the comfort of the fellowship, going from house to house, breaking bread together.  They rejoiced in their “experience” of the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Ghost fell at Jerusalem, but soon forgot the purpose that was intended in the formation of the church.  Let us never lose sight of the fact that the church is the extension of the mind and heart of Jesus Christ.  His purpose in coming to this earth was, and remains to be, the seeking and saving that which was lost. If we are part of His church, we must retain this same burden was His. Our burden will also resemble that of Paul. We will demonstrate the determination of Peter. We must spread the truth of the gospel to our Jerusalem, to our Judaea and Samaria, and then unto the uttermost parts of our world.

When they did not go by choice to spread the Word, persecution came make them not be so comfortable at home, and to be ready to leave family, friends and fellowship and go.

Acts 8:3-4 “As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.  Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”

Are we ready to prioritize our lives today and be committed to taking and sending the gospel – OR – do we prefer to wait for an external stirring that may bring discomfort and suffering?  Jesus can stir up our nests and make us uncomfortable.  I think it is time to go to everywhere.  It is time to take the gospel to “everywhere” to “all men”.

Mark 16:19 “So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.  20And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.  Amen.”

We need to take notice where these early church saints went and what they did.  And then watch what the Lord did when they did what they did. They first went to their Jerusalem.  Their Jerusalem was to family, friends, people of same language and same culture. People who liked the same food, people with whom they felt at home. 

From there, there were those who stepped into a Judaea.  It was a place outside their church home and immediate family into the culture of the world around them.  From there it was to a Samaria.   This was a place of some strange teachings, but still had some similarity in culture and language that allowed for an understanding. Samaria was a somewhat mixed culture.  They understood Jerusalem and ways of the Jewish beliefs and rituals, but they just did not practice them. They claimed Abraham as their father, and were so similar in so many ways to the Jews.

But Samaria was still not the end of the earth. The church was still somewhat familiar surroundings and people groups.  When we look at missions, our outreach to the lost world, we see that much of our mission has been practiced among people who have already accepted Christianity in a general degree.  They already accept that the Bible is the Word of God.  They pray and read their Bibles, sometimes failing to see the TRUTHS of the Word.  The modern-day church must reach out to all with full truth.  We also must assure that the gospel is the uttermost parts of the earth as well—going to a people who have never heard of a Bible, maybe never been to a church—never had the privilege to hear a simple story from the word of God—and they don’t even know the name Jesus.  There is still the uttermost.  That is a part of the place called everywhere.

When the early church preached into their everywhere, then the Lord worked with them.  Signs followed.  In the church of 2011 many would like to see the signs following without fulfilling the mission.  The Lord blesses what is in his will.  We cannot change his value system.  We cannot change his mission objectives.  To get Him involved with our lives we must adopt His mission and focus on the EVERYWHERE.

I will never forget the time when we drove many hours off the main road, crossed small rivers on two logs that had been laid across it for the tires of the vehicle, dug our way through mud and difficulty to get to a village that had no church at all.  A Bible School graduate had gone back into this interior area and preached the truth.  He had taken the ‘great commandment’ seriously and gone to the uttermost.  It was not long that people began to come regularly to hear the Word being preached.  A church building was constructed.  We were making our way to the isolated area to dedicate the building as a place of worship unto the Lord.  I was the first white man that many of them had ever seen.  The local official of the government stood and said, “Thank you United Pentecostal Church for bringing us the truth.  We now have a church where our people can pray.  We now have a place where people can hear the message of Jesus Christ.”  Someone had taken the message to their everywhere and the Lord confirmed the word with signs.

Luke 9:6 “And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.”

The disciples did go to their everywhere.  So my question is: “Where is your everywhere?”

Thank God for the one that was willing to be a missionary to a land where no one understood his tongue. He could not find food that he was accustomed to. The weather was not the same as at home. He was a stranger.  Everywhere he went they all knew that he was a stranger. But he was willing to take the message to that place called everywhere.

What about your world?  Africa’s population of 1,000,000,000 people, that’s part of your everywhere.  Nations where the only permitted religion is praying to Allah, that is your everywhere.  To the streets where prostitutes and drug dealers operate, that is your everywhere.  The drunkard who hardly knows his way home, yes, that too, is part of your everywhere.  And, to the people who are suffering, without a hope, in their place of despair, that is your everywhere.

Are you reaching your everywhere?  Are you reaching your everywhere with your prayers?  Are you reaching your everywhere with offerings for missions?  Are pastors, leaving their Jerusalem and marching through their Samaria on their way to their everywhere?

Acts 17:30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”

We stand today on the threshold of the return of our Lord to take away His church. I look at our world and see so many still who have not heard, so many who are still in darkness, so many who still are suffering and waiting. Will we sit idly in our “comfortable Jerusalem”,  or will we go also to our Judaea, our Samaria, and into our everywhere.  You may ask, “How can we go?”  Some will go in person, while some will go in purse.  Some will give by going, and others will go by giving.  The reward comes to both.  The inexcusable is when we do not focus on the everywhere - when we refuse to go.  

Now back to our scripture in I Timothy 2:8:  “Men lifting up HOLY HANDS, without wrath or doubting.

3) Holy Hands - The only way a man can lift Holy hands is if he has been able to know the power of the Almighty God.  He must have obeyed the message of repentance, he must have submitted to the message of Baptism in Jesus Name for the remission of sins, and he must have received the Holy Ghost.  Then he will be able to lift Holy hands.  Holy is not the results of doing good works and being a nice person.  But, Holiness is the result of being made clean by the blood of Jesus Christ.  We must be able to point others to the power of God to forgive them, cleanse them, deliver them, and help them.  If every man is going to be able to do that, it will be a result of taking this gospel to every man everywhere. 

The Whole Gospel to the Whole World by the Whole Church.

We must go everywhere.  The greatest days of the church lies ahead of us.  We will be rejoicing in our days as find fulfillment in them as we go everywhere.  I believe and can already see in a mind of faith, the mighty revival that is going to come to the Muslims of Africa.  I envision thousand of former Muslims crying in one loud voice, the Name of Jesus.  I then want to watch as a Holy Ghost outpouring takes place in each of them.  It will happen.  It will start when we get the burden of prayer for nations that are still unreached.  It will happen when we give, when we go. 

We must go.  We must look for our everywhere.  Everywhere!  Everywhere!

Can you hear the Voice of the Lord as He is pointing out to you your everywhere. 

We must go.  We must go EVERYWHERE!

Matthew 28:19 in Motion (by Melinda Poitras)

Melinda Poitras
MK to Ghana, West Africa

I sit around tables sometimes and listen to my friends talk about the “glory days” of their childhood and all of the experiences that they had in public school. The way the education system worked where they were from, the people around them, the hardships they faced: persecution, exposure to sin and the outside world, cafeteria food. They also discuss the teachers: some quirky, some geeky, some hardnosed, some brilliant, some absolutely life changing. I don’t have much to say during these discussions because I never went to public school. I was homeschooled in Africa. My teacher was quirky, geeky, hardnosed, brilliant, and absolutely life changing. She was married to another teacher. And as teachers – they raised me. Quite possibly, to be a teacher. Time will tell.

How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? (Romans 10:14-15)

My parents both have this passionate desire to see the world educated. Not just about Math or Science but about Jesus, the salvation He offers, and the many ways to better the world around you and your own personal life afforded in His word. They wanted the world to hear all of the truths that are available to it. They took this passionate desire to Africa and there they met up, teamed up, and eventually married up.

My father has this idea in his head though. You won’t talk to him for very long without hearing about it – even if you are only a casual acquaintance. He wants as many people to be reached as possible, as quickly as possible. It isn’t enough for him to teach people how to live their lives – he desires to teach them how to teach others to live their lives as well. Because of this, I grew up eating, sleeping, and breathing Bible School education.

Our entire lives revolved around this passion. The desire to see people educated- the end goal being that they would in turn educate others. My parents live their lives by the principle found in Romans 10:14-15. But not just by going where God sends them. But by sending as many others as possible where God would have them go.

What was it like being raised by such teachers?

Education was the main focus of their lives – the main goal of their ministry. It was also the main topic of conversation. Who was teaching what class. What concepts were getting through – what concepts were not getting through. Who fell asleep at their desk. Who was trying. Who was not. Who was grasping the teaching and who couldn’t care less. How this illustration went, how that point came across. Enrollment. Courses. Housing conditions. Test grades.

Amazing actually. It was amazing. Because I always knew that my parents were a part of something bigger than they were – something that made a difference. That they weren’t just changing lives. But those lives were changing lives. And those lives were changing lives. All by teaching the things that they had been taught.

Go ye therefore and teach all nations… (Matthew 28:19)

I should probably interject something about the Global Association of Theological Studies from a missionary kid’s perspective in here. You know about it, it’s that program that is dedicated to putting all of our Bible Schools on the same curriculum so that Bible Schools globally will not only have a uniform curriculum – but a curriculum that proves itself to be the definition of excellence.

Here’s what GATS looks like to me: My Dad has been quoting Matthew 28:19 for as long as I can remember. You might think that it’s enough to fulfill this Scripture by merely going to a foreign nation to live and teach there. But Dad’s been quoting it enough to realize that it says “all nations.” So, he’s joined hands with a group of very talented educators to try and do just that. This process has been in the works for a long time and I have been privileged to bear witness to it.

What Education Looks Like

Jim & Linda Poitras
Missionaries to Ghana

From birth, I’ve been surrounded by lesson plans, new ideas, Bible Schools, and a powerful passion and desire to see God’s Word spread to every nation, tribe, and tongue. If you asked me what education looks like to me I would say: It looks like Dad’s briefcase. It looks like a printing press spewing pages and pages of lessons to be used for Portable Bible Schools. It looks like my sister standing outside under a tree going through the motions of “Father Abraham.” It looks like my Mom sitting on the couch, glasses crooked, editing (or producing) a lesson plan. It looks like two teachers who met in Africa and dedicated their lives to teaching others of all ages. To me, education looks like Matthew 28:19 in motion. And while I may not have much to say about public school, I have a thing or two to say about education. Because I had a good teacher or two. 

In Search For Truth (by Sis. Selina Mhalanga)

Life is a journey; we come from somewhere going somewhere. To understand where you are going you need to know where you are coming from. The world has so many conflicting answers to this and in the end you will find yourself in a whirlwind of confusion. I was in this whirlwind of confusion when I realized that the answer I was looking for was in the Bible. I needed to know what life is all about, what was my purpose in this world, and why things happen the way they do... 

So I decided to study the Bible. I started on my own. I was not happy with the pace of my understanding so I decided to go to Bible College.  

I attended a Catholic College for two years waiting for the Bible study to start. For two years we were taught traditions, history, administration and anything else but the Bible. Not one day did we open the Bible or let alone refer to the Bible. The only reference to the Bible was when we were told that we needed to buy “The Jerusalem Bible” being sold at the Church.

It is difficult to just walk out of what you believe to be the things of God; you fear God and what He would do to you if you shun the things concerning Him. That’s the reason I lasted two years, otherwise I truly felt like walking out after the first week. It was referred to as a Bible College but there was no Bible Study. My desire for Bible Study was not quenched and in the end I just walked out despondent. I don’t know why. I just had had this great hope and expectation of what would be the outcome of going to Bible College.

I gave up on Bible College and considered it useless. I was really disappointed. But my desire to search the Scriptures did not die. I continued on my own but there was still something missing and I just could not figure it out. That’s what happens when you do not have the Holy Ghost in you. Some things you just cannot figure out; some things just take too long to figure out.

But God is a faithful God, He knows our heart’s desires and always makes a way when we do not realize it. From nowhere, at work I was transferred to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe where there was the UPC Bible College.

The need for Bible College started building up in me again but this time I tried to suppress it because:

1. My previous experience – two years is a lot of time to commit oneself in doing something only to achieve absolutely nothing – it’s not easy to recover from such.
2. At work we were working overtime and traveling a lot within the region. There was no way I could have managed to attend the minimum hours of attendance required at Bible College.  I had enquired about the possibility of studying through correspondence but was told that was not possible.

But something kept on probing me inside that I should go to Bible College. Yet, I no longer had the time for it because of work commitments. The push was too much so one day I just went to the Bible College in the middle of the term and asked if I could register.  I told God if they chase me away that’s it, I am not going to bother myself again. But when I got there I was accepted as a student and started on the same day, but then I do not have time for this siren was still ringing in my mind.

At work I started manipulating things so that my Bible College days were not affected. But God was not in favor with this because it proved to be stressful and most of the time I was caught unawares. In the meantime, God, through the teachings at the college, was working on my prayer life and I realized I needed to pray about time for my college studies. As a result of my prayers, all the overtime at work came to an end. We were given the go ahead to employ more people and somehow the business trips started falling on days which were not Bible College days. When God calls you to do something, He knows just how busy you are! Do not answer the call by using your own means. Do what He wants you to do. Turn to Him in prayer and ask Him to make it possible for you, otherwise you will find it burdensome and stressful.

At the UPC Bible College we studied the Bible itself all the way and other topics around it in reference to the Scriptures, not to other people’s opinions from ‘wherever’.

I went to Bible College just to learn and understand the Word of God better but God gave and taught me more and I came to understand the hope and expectation that I had in the beginning as it came to fruition:

• Peace of mind
  
• Prayer life
  
• Commitment – I would not have learned this if my studies were through correspondence because I learned from my teachers from the way they applied themselves to their work against all odds.
  
• Saved time - What I learned in four years would have taken me up to thirty years doing it on my own.
  
• A heritage, a treasure, is priceless and no one can take it away from me. And that is just to mention a few because the list is endless.

Now my journey continues, the ship has no rudder, but I have the peace of mind of knowing that the one who holds my tomorrow is the one driving it. 

Sister Selina Mhalanga now resides in Botswana, Africa where she works with Sister Grosbach as a National Ladies Instructor traveling throughout the country.  She is leading women into all truth.

Bible Schools: A Vital Link in Reaching Nations (by Jaydie Johnson)

When Missionaries Randy and Carolyn Adams first arrived in West Africa, there were eight pastors and churches in Togo and twelve pastors ministering at fifteen churches in Benin. That was in 1996, over 15 years ago. If one were to visit the Eglise Pentecôtiste Unie Internationale these days, they would find the Lord doing great and mighty things: 30 licensed ministers with 40 churches in Togo, 34 pastors with 45 churches in Benin, and 7,500 members between the two nations! The tipping point of revival for this country? Bible School!

The Adams landed with a dream, a compelling desire to see African men and women equipped and empowered to reach their own people. They understood that only through a deliberate, methodical training program would the church be able to provide laborers for the vast, ripe harvest of souls in West Africa. In early 1997, they put feet to this dream by starting night classes and later that year, added day classes. These young men were soon joined by others from the neighboring country of Benin for an intense two year program in which they would, among many other things, discover the importance of the apostolic doctrine, consecration to Christian living and evangelism.

Aspirations for a building to house the training program were realized when donations given by North-American churches gave wings to this enduring vision. Construction began in February of 2008, a few miles out of the capital city of Lomé in an area called Adétikopé. The spacious compound was completed in July 2010 with a dedication held on September 18th, 2010. The facilities feature a building with three classrooms, a vaulted chapel with a seating capacity of 200, a conference room (for use by teachers and national board members), a printing room, in addition to a large dorm building that can house up to 32 students. Outdoor kitchen areas, electricity, running water from their own well, and a generator make the Bible School a comfortable place to learn, study and grow in the Word of God. 

A shining example of Bible School students who have caught the fire of propagating the Truth is embodied in two students, Marc and Yao, from Benin. This dynamic, Holy Ghost anointed duo are consistently involved in evangelism while at school in Togo as well as in their native country Benin. During their last break, Marc and Yao helped start two vibrant churches, baptizing dozens and seeing many receive the Holy Ghost.  

The ultimate goal of the United Pentecostal Church International is to create self-propagating, self-supporting, and self-governing churches worldwide; the most effective way to accomplish this is to train strong, doctrinally sound church leaders for the present and future. As a result of Bible School education, the country of Togo, in December 2011, elected their first national president, Reverend ADJINA K. Freeman, (who is, incidentally, also one of the Bible School Instructors). The EPUI in Togo was officially nationalized on February 13th, 2011 and handed over to Togolese officials, all of whom have attended Bible School in years past.

This Bible School, with a curricular emphasis on ministry, has had far reaching, international results as, over the years, it has trained ministers from the nations of Togo, Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, and Senegal. Every graduating class has included not only Togolese students but also at least one Beninese. (There are currently four students from Benin attending classes due to limited funding.) Over 90% of the students who have graduated from this facility are working in churches around West Africa, touching the multitudes with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

CALLING (by Jaydie Johnson)

Jaydie Johnson
AIMer to Togo

Calling: defined as summons, a strong impulse or inclination, or an inner urge and literally means "to stand at the door and call.”  Jesus said “Behold, I stand at the door (the door of your heart that is) and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door (or, answer the call), I will come in to him.”  How does one explain such a monumental, life-altering event? 

For me, calling is quasi-Samuel.  It’s that same Voice that wakes you up night after night and wonder why you’re staring into the refrigerator with such an unsettled feeling.  You’ve heard that Voice before but are uncertain how to respond.  Calling is also part Jonah - a perpetual nagging of sorts, the prick of your conscience, the tugging of your heart (always tending to surface at the most inconvenient times: when a telemarketer calls or drinking coffee with friends and you have to abruptly leave for fear of flooding those nearby in unexplainable tears).  A cancer that continually eats away at your desires, your hopes and dreams until you stand, alongside Paul, completely bare in surrender before your Creator, saying “Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel.”  The call.

The call for each is immediate and definite: Go, seek the lost, preach, teach.  The process, the journey are a lifetime in development and achievement.  I began my journey 7 years ago when I and about 30 other young people took a Youth On Missions trip to Ghana.  My world was revolutionized by what I saw: abject poverty, yes, but moreover, the desperate hunger for the Word of God as 25 received the gift of the Holy Ghost during our short stay.  From that point forward, I knew that I wanted to live, work, breath Africa. 

I attended Indiana Bible College and during my sophomore year, the Lord called me to preach the Gospel.  Me: tiny, not-even-5-foot, single me.  A call to missions and a call to preach.  But the specific place, other than the vague idea of Africa, was unclear.

Searching out the will of God, I spent the summer of my junior year, 2006, in Ghana with the Poitras family and AIMers Colleen Carter & Vicky Cabel.  We saw many receive the Holy Ghost and many healed in Jesus name but the most unforgettable part was traveling to the predominately Muslim city of Tamale in Northern Ghana.  Outside Tamale, we visited a village called Fuu and their dilapidated UPCI church.  The people had no shoes and ragged clothes, if any; but OH! they were all smiling, laughing.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ had given them life everlasting and they needed nothing else in this life for satisfaction.  He truly had become their All-in-All.  I discovered that it’s not possible to give the world enough food or clothes or money to make a true difference-food is consumed, clothes wear thin, money runs out-but the message we bear and share will change a life forever. 

During a Sub-regional Conference, the many African nations without a witness or work were discussed.  When I returned to IBC, one nation’s name was spoken to my mind over and over in prayer: Mali.  So I set out after graduation, taking small steps in that direction: AIMing in Togo & Benin for a year to learn French under the Adams.  And today, here I am again, living in Togo, for another year or two, attempting to use my French in Sunday School and around town as I grow in the knowledge of African culture and of missionary work. 

To be perfectly honest, the complete picture still is not clear to me and I often question the plan of God for my life.  You see, I’m still that tiny, not-even-5-foot, single me, and Mali is a Muslim country, not especially friendly to Americans or women, a vast desert dotted with 13 million people.  Jesus often answers my objections with I Corinthians 1:25-31, telling me that I was not called for my own merit but so that He would receive the glory through the work of such an unlikely vessel. 

It is the call (that call that wakes me up at night, and eats away at ‘me’ during the day), keeps me pressing on, despite the difficulties, the impossibilities, the insurmountable obstacles.  I hear Jesus saying: “I will work but who will let Me?  The harvest is ripe; where are My laborers?  I need hands and feet to go, to reach those who are lost in sin and utter despair, to share the hope of the Gospel, to shine marvelous Light into the darkness.  I am here standing, knocking, waiting.  Who will go for Me?”  Can you hear it?  Jesus is calling: the Voice whispering, blowing His consuming fire across your heart.  The call.  May your answer and mine ever be: “Here am I, Lord.  Wherever You lead, I will go.  I am willing.  Send me.”

Miracle Birth in Burkina Faso (by Ken Cantrell)

Ken & Ginny Cantrell
Missionaries to Burkina Faso

From our rooftop in Ouagadougou you can see the presidential palace. I invited our pastors for an all night prayer meeting on my roof. I was showing the pastors my vision for Burkina Faso.

We were taking spiritual possession of the political climate. For 7 hours we interceded for the country of Burkina Faso. We bound the spirits of the fetish worship, and loosed the Grace of God among the Muslims.

We opened spiritual doors and closed the mouth of the enemy!

Little did I know, my night guard who was Muslim was listening to the prayers that ascended to the heavens. He came to me asking question about our doctrine and requesting some literature. Last Tuesday, we baptized him, his wife and his older brother in the name of Jesus!

That is not the end of the story. As you know the one way to win over a Muslim is through signs and wonders. His wife was 9 months pregnant when she was baptized. This was on Tuesday, on Wednesday she went into the hospital. For at least 12 hours she was in extreme pain.

The doctor said that the baby’s head was not in the correct position, the mother’s body was not responding to the contractions. She began to loose blood. The prognosis was grave. We feared that we would lose both the mother and the baby.

My wife began to pray. I called our pastors, and they began to pray. My wife contacted the Benson family in Togo, and they began to pray. Immediately! –not 12 more hours later. This new convert gave birth to a beautiful baby boy! To God be the Glory! There will be a witness in the Muslim community to the power of Jesus Christ!

The results from the prayers on the roof were a sign that the hearts of the Muslims have been opened to the Gospel and that many babies will be born in the church.