It’s now been over a month since I got back from Nigeria, and memories from the trip are still flowing strong, reminding me of the great things the Lord did, and is still doing there. I have absolute confidence in the Lord, who continues to work in the hearts of men to bring them to repentance and to transform them into the likeness of His Son.
Imagine that! Those of us who have believed are being transformed into the very image of the Son of God! And we have hope that since He has begun such a work in us, He will finish it. It is with this firm hope that I am able to go to places like Nigeria with absolute certainty that God will work through me.
The Stephen Centre: Joy and Forgiveness
We spent a large portion of the trip ministering among the children of men and women who were killed for their faith in Christ. Everywhere we went, tiny hands grabbed for ours. And we spent our time teaching the love of Christ and the forgiveness of Christ in the classrooms and as we walked and talked with the orphans.
The time in the orphanage was full of powerful teaching and incredible, joyous insanity. We would often go from a time of incredible teaching into a time of celebration or a game. One afternoon, we gave some of the boys an American football, and then were horrified as we watched them play an incredibly violent variant of rugby / football on concrete. As I watched them hurl each other into the pavement, I remember thinking, “They’re going to kill each other!”
Seeing the problem, we quickly rushed in and began to teach them how to play properly (two hand touch!).
By the end of our time we’d formed teams and had a small series of matches, which they enjoyed incredibly. I ended up coaching / quarterbacking for one of the teams. While we were playing, a young man named Yakson walked up and joined our game. The people on my team said, “Oh, he’s fast.”
So, not knowing what to expect, I handed him the ball the next play. He took off like a lightning bolt, dodging and weaving through the defense to score our first touchdown. When it was over, I had to collect my jaw from the floor. They said he was fast, but I’d never seen anyone run like that. If he were in the States… well… watch out college football!
The most meaningful part of our time there was a precious moment where the leaders of the Centre asked us to lead a time of prayer with the orphans. We prayed with the orphans through Romans 12:10-21, especially the verse that says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
With tears streaming down their faces, the children prayed for the people who murdered their parents.
It’s incredible that God would so move that a child would seek to forgive the men who took away those who were most dear to them on this earth. And after that prayer, I received a letter that said, “When my father was killed I swore never to forgive those who killed him, but when my Sunday school teacher told us about how Jesus died for my sins, I forgave them.”
While we were there, twelve of the children confessed Christ as their Savior. Others were excited about the prospect of going out and ministering to the very people groups who had killed their parents.
The gospel is that powerful. It teaches us to forgive and to love as Christ loves us. It utterly transforms us, and that is why I am not ashamed to preach it.
Makoko: Hope for the Hopeless
We continued our ministry to Makoko, a sprawling slum built over a lake that more closely resembles a sewage treatment plant than a lake. Due to malnutrition and disease, the average life expectancy here is twenty-five, the only method of transportation is by boat, the only shelter is a small tin roofed hut, and the average person survives off only $1 a month, but amidst all this hopelessness, the prophecy from Isaiah 9 continues to be fulfilled:
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy;”
As we prepared to leave for the school, a young man named Noah, the school teacher for Makoko, jumped on our boat. Joy literally radiated from his face like I have never seen before. And when he opened his mouth, scripture poured forth as he recounted the promises of God to us.
This reminded me that amidst all the sickness, the disease, and the pain, God is providing these precious ones with hope and joy.
Noah received Christ three years ago and has been preaching the gospel throughout Makoko since that moment. He is now looking forward to the opportunity to serve with us in other locations. When we told him about the next place we were planning on ministering, he began to grow excited: the very people we are planning on ministering to are his original people, and he speaks their language fluently. God’s providence continues to amaze me.
Pray that Noah would get the opportunity to serve powerfully among his people as he has in Makoko.
Otere: God speaks through His Son
The last day of the trip was honestly the day I was looking forward to the most. For some reason, since the beginning of the trip, I felt a strange confidence that God would do amazing things in this village. Up til this point, the gospel had been preached many times, but no one in the history of this place had ever become a follower of Jesus Christ, although they were willing to add Jesus to their list of gods and beliefs.
Jesus is not another belief to be added to a list of good luck charms. He is the only one able to satisfy God’s just wrath and the only one able to satisfy our deepest longings. Because of this, we all resolved to preach on the superiority of Christ and the sufficiency of Christ as He is found in Hebrews 1.
Unfortunately, the night before this was to happen, I became fairly ill, and I’ll spare my readers the details of said illness, but suffice to say, it was unpleasant, and left me lying on the floor aching the next morning. It was five minutes before the team was to leave, and I was considering staying at home, but God gently reminded me that I didn’t want to miss the events of the day.
And somehow, I got up. And not just me, but another member of the team who was suffering even more severely than I was!
We arrived at the village, greeting the chief warmly. And he in turn told us that, “God had sent us” and not to worry for our safety, because, “God was with us.”
After our time with the chief, we got to work, each of us in turn preaching the gospel for two and a half hours. And at the end of that time, eight men stood up and confessed Christ, forsaking all others. And their first question as new believers was this, “When are you coming back to teach us again?”
This is why I have confidence to preach Christ and Christ crucified, and to rely on Him to bring the increase. We did not go to entertain. We did not bribe with gifts or money. We preached Jesus Christ, the One in whom I have absolute confidence. He is the only One who has the power to turn back God’s wrath and to bring us safely through death.
God used our faithfulness and His word to bring eight new brothers into the fold—the first believers ever in the region. And I am overjoyed to the point of tears, even as I type this. These men are even now receiving weekly training in their new faith from our Nigerian brothers who work hard for the gospel.
Know that the God we serve is still, as always, mighty to save.
In the service of Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Hope, and my Confidence,
- Paul
Prayer Requests: Pray that God would encourage our new brothers and sisters in Christ, and that He would continue to grow His church. Pray also that God would raise the funds so that we are able to dig water wells and provide for both the physical and the spiritual needs of the people there. And pray also for me, that I would preach the gospel fearlessly as I should.
If you would like to partner with us or contribute to the ministry, feel free to send a check to:
SOS Ministries, PO Box 16712, Clearwater, FL 33766
Please put the particular project you have in mind in the memo. If you wish to donate to my support, write “Paul W. Support” on the memo.
All donations are tax deductible. Thanks for your prayers and support!
