EDUCATION IS KING IN MISSIONS

 “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Luke 2:52

The development of a child can be summarized in the life of the boy that came down from Heaven to become our Savior. Jesus increased, which means he was gaining maturity as a child into adulthood. He grew educationally, physically, spiritually, and socially. Every child we influence also needs to advance in these four

areas of human growth. 

Missionaries understood the importance in the past of educating children where they had
come to preach the gospel. We as modern-day Baptist missionaries along with our sending churches have forgotten this approach. We have become so anchored to the concept of pure church-planting that we have failed to remember that the local church can have various ministries to serve its community and to reach the lost. Not all fish can be caught with the same bait. This is true with classes of people as well as various cultures. In the underdeveloped world, EDUCATION is sought after as a means of escaping ignorance and poverty. In the West, we live isolated to the point where we begin to feel that everyone has the same access to the benefits we have. EDUCATION should be a center piece in missions in every place where we go to preach the gospel so long as it is an area where people are struggling with illiteracy and poverty. In Africa and beyond, EDUCATION is thirsted for. 

In the past few months our church and mission ministry we call, "All Nations Outreach Ministry", has helped start two new schools in Africa. One is in Sacelpea, Liberia and the other in Mwangulu, Kenya. These are ministries of two local churches already established in their areas by indigenous Baptist pastors in which we support. Our role was to help them build small facilities for the schools to begin and to provide other support. Their obligation was to enlist and employ quality teachers to educate the youth in their environment. These pastors have the same heart we have in this ministry. We want these children to grow educationally so that one day in the future they can provide for their own families a better well-being than what they found coming into this world. We want them to increase in wisdom and as adults find good jobs and possess the ability to function in professional careers. 

However, we also what them to grow spiritually. We want them to learn the gospel at an early age. The small school in Mwangulu is the only non-Muslim religious school in the entire region. It is the only school providing a CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. It is called, "All Nations Christian Academy". We are proud of the teachers and staff. They pray and read the Bible daily to the students. Pastor Ercik Chondo who was a converted Muslim, also struggled in his early life to function as he only went to the 7th grade. After being saved, he learned to read the Bible. Now he is founder of a school where all the students read God's Word daily. 

The school in Saclepea, Liberia was founded by Pastor Emmauel Gaye. He was raised as an orphan and had many struggles until his aunt and uncle took him in and made sure he had a chance in life. Now Pastor Gaye serves the children in his community to give them what he did not have as a boy, someone to love. He shows these children the love of Christ daily and leads them to love Jesus. 

Yes! EDUCATION is a wonderful means of leading people to Jesus in the Third World. One can drive across the continent of Africa today and casually observe the numbers of Schools and Hospitals with the names Baptist, Methodist, Catholic and other denominations attached to their structures. This is because the early missionaries of 150-plus years ago realized that in a world that struggled with academic ignorance and in societies languishing 50 or more years behind the modern world, EDUCATION is KING, and the church can utilize EDUCATION to bring people to the KING of KINGS

Bible Colleges Needed in the Developing Nations

Recently we have become involved in establishing Bible Colleges in places where churches and pastors have little or no means of training their own converts for the ministry. We do so by partnering with a full-time Bible College in Mesquite, Texas (Lone Star Baptist College), and they help the indigenous pastors serving in their own community develop an extension of LSBC to bring up a whole new crop of doctrinally-sound pastors, evangelists, and missionaries to go out into the Lord's Harvest.

This work began nearly 2 years ago and has blossomed into 40 new Bible Colleges globally in 25 nations. Most of these are through various pastors we have gone to minister with over the past many years as members of All Nations Outreach Ministry has developed long-term relationships with church-planters in 195 nations and territories. In places often
off the beaten path for Americans, national pastors establish churches in difficult climates and culturally obstinate terrain. Most of the churches and gospel lights in these dark communities are planted and held strong by those from among the local tribes. The light of the gospel shines brightest where people who know the native tongue, preach the gospel gladly to their own people. 

However, one of the handicaps these ministries experience is a lack of Biblical training. Many have no capacity to travel abroad or even to more urban regions in order to go to Bible Colleges and Seminaries. Those who could relocate, could not afford the high cost of tuition and housing. As a result, it has been noted that 85% of African pastors never attend Bible Colleges or even Institutes. This diminishes their ability to handle the Word of God properly and even leaves them open to false doctrines later in their ministries. 

Lone Star Baptist College in partnership with All Nations Outreach Ministry is helping to bridge this gap. The need for Biblically trained men and women to enter the work of God is greater than ever. We can make a difference!!! The gospel requires manpower if it is to flourish. You can be a part by contacting our ministry at ANOM or LSBC International to be a part of this exciting work. 

https://lsbc4.me/lsbc-international/

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"What's Wrong with Those People?"

Often when crossing the globe with the gospel, one stumbles upon strange and even godless customs and practices among the people. Sometimes the travelling missionary or evangelist may even leave theese places feeling fruitless or even a sense of failure. These emotions may stem from the hardness of the soil where he has gone to preach. Those in the arid regions of the world will often reject the goood news of Christ at first exposure. The people have hardly known the unsearchable riches of Christ and are likely to show apprehension at first glance. Such is the case when taking the gospel to a people that have been been trapped by false religions and by the unbiblical traditons of their ancestors.

In watching the the news media from Europe and America, and seeing the distress found in parts of the world least evangelized, some might say either consciously or otherwise, "What's wrong with those people"? Hearing of a mob attacking a church and burning it to the ground sounds so egregious. Thinking of a Hindu man drinking the urine of a cow as means of honoring this supposed sacred beast leaves those of us in the West puzzled. We are not better than others, but we are awed by the un-Christian practices seen in areas of the world in which the gospel has not yet found root. We find ourselves questioning how any rational human beings could abuse themselves and their fellow man in ways they do.

Baptism in NE India

In March of 2022, I had the blessing of representing both the Savior and our local church in Florida as I carried the gospel message to India, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan on a three-week tour that included preaching in 23 churches, 3 Bible Colleges/ Institutes. as well as showing gospel films in regions known primarily for Hinduism and Islam. God blessed with 543 saved and 45 new converts being baptized. Most of these accepting Christ had little or no exposure previously to a sound explanation of what is biblical salvation. The absence of our missional involvement in this region of the world has left teeming millions ignorant of both scriptural truth and saving light.

If we are going to truly make a difference in the world unaffected by the gospel of Jesus in 2022, we must change our way of thinking. We must move from asking, "What is wrong with those people"? to instead asking, "What is wrong with ourselves"? The church of Jesus Christ in the West must begin to wonder, "Why haven't we done our part to carry the message of salvation to places unreached?" We need to rethink our evangelistic stategy and make a priority of reaching the unreached of the Middle East and parts of Asia. We must redesignate funds and time to do so if we want to be serious about this endeavor. There has to be a purposeful determination by our churches and pastors to think beyond the next phone call, email, or prayer letter which comes by mail in order than we might strategize our missions commitments. We must ask ourselves, "Where is the gospel needed most?" The groping of those in the darkest corners of the planet will continue to be unheard if we don't listen intently for their cries. So long as we take our annual missions trips to Mexico and the Philippines to the neglect of the hard to reach regions, we are sure to fail in having a global approach to missions. 

Rooftop Church in Pakistan

I may have the reader lost by now, so allow me to make my point through an illustration . When I was in Bible College in the late 80's I heard my mentor and the founder of the school say, "In Jacksonville, Florida there is an estimate of 500 Baptist churches". I have lived here in this region for more than 3 decades now, and know from my experience that his statement is an accurate assessment.  It is hard to say how many fundamental churches there are in the US entirely. Probably there are somewhere between 6,000 to 10,000 Independent Baptist Churches and about 50,000 Southern Baptist Churches in the US alone. This would not include Bible Churches, Evangelical Churches and others that are committed to proclaiming the gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone. These totals are in a state of decline, but when compared to much of the world are still gargantuan. When one even compares the level of evangelical or gospel-centered churches in places like Kenya, to regions where I viisited in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, there is just no comparison. Kenya has between 3,000 to 4,000 Independent Baptist Churches alone. Compare this to Pakistan, a

land of 220 million, and one has to be shocked by the dirth of evangelism in this 5th largest nation on the planet. Though churches do not typically publish their location and programs in the predominately muslim world due to security issues, qualified and knowledgeable sources tell us that in this land known for its mountainous and rich culture, there are only a handful of truly Christ-centered churches.

Due to the void of Biblical truth in Pakistan, the people have missed being exposed to the peace that only comes through Christ. As Paul said in II Corithians 4:3, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost". In man's lost estate, he cannot find peace. He will find himself hopelessly grasping at straws in search of an inner contentment. Due to poverty and sometimes illeteracy a society can be fooled into chasing after this hope in vain places such a superstitions, and ancestrial fables. In the end, a life of doom and despair will be the lot of millions. The "hidden" gospel will remain "hidden". The frustation of the people will run over into the streets, blaming the corrupt government, competing tribes, and even the Christian missionaries who came to show them the truth in Christ. 

Baptism in Pakistan

We have the the TRUTH. The solution to dispelling darkness is more LIGHT!!! It is our calling and commission. We must take by force the places overcome by darkness through means of carrying the LIGHT of Jesus to them. If we fail to bring this radiant love of God, and the people continue to grope in a perpetual darkness, then we must ask ourselves, "What is wrong with us?"

"You Can't Lockdown the Gospel"

"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:" II Thessalonians 3:1

Preaching in Kurdistan

I pray my posting of this sounds more challenging to your spirit than simply another preachers' rant. I don't often feel led to write a blog that sounds motivated by frustration with those who serve in ministry. I guess I may suffer from "Covid19 Lingerings". This is likely because I have heard what seems the whole of society blame anything that fails on the pandemic for the last 18 months. If you lose your job, blame it on Covid. If your children fail in elementary school, it was Covid. People aren't getting saved at church, Covid. Noone is tithing, Covid. Buses are still parked in the garage on Sunday, Pastor is preaching online after one year, Choir loft is half full, Wednesday night prayer is cancelled. It is all the unfortuante results of this unending coronavirus, Covid!!! 

Seems like noone wants to take ownership of their lives anymore when we all have the enjoyable excuse of "Playing the Covid Card", Nowhere is this more ripe to me as when it comes to the matter of World Evangelism and Missions. I have met numbers of missionaries that have spent the last nearly two years in a ministerial hiatus. "We can't go back to our field because of Covid". Churches and pastors even here in the US are still pondering whether it is safe to begin the "outreaches" and "soulwinning" endeavors they once deemed essential. The testing and vaccintation requirements have all but stifled the Great Commission worldwide. But it doesn't have to be be that way. I spent the entire12 months of 2021 trying to prove to myself that the Gospel can still preached agressively on foreign soil even during an unprecedented crisis. 

Ministering to School Kids in Nigeria

I decided early last year that the Lord helping me, I would not roll over and play dead to this struggle that we face. The millions of souls persihing at an all-time high deserve to have a Gospel Witness. God wants and needs voices to "cry aloud" in these end times. While apathetc evangelists, missionaries, pastors, and laymen continue to hunker down from the fear of man and disease, the Lord longs for His Word to have "free course". The Gospel is the most powerful message on earth and can change the heart disease of any reviled sinner. However, truth can "fall in the street" when we do not procalim it. Truth can be unprofiable when it is not lived. 

So early on in 2021 I made a conscious decsion that I would not remain a part of the sidelined crowd that watched a world die without Jesus while they isolated themselves behind masks and international borders. God in His grace allowed me to preach the gospel on the streets of my hometown of Middleburg, Florida while also travelling abroad  seven times into thirteen various countries during the LOCKDOWN and see the salvation of 7058 souls. These were souls saved in Honduras, Panama, Guatemala, Peru, Liberia. Nigeria, Iraq, Brazil, Guyana, Finland, Russia, Estonia, and Uganda. I don't mean that people from our church or people I know went to these places.. I mean in a span of ten months I travelled to each of these locations and preached, witnessed, baptized, showed Jesus Films, ministered in schools, all during a worldwide pandemic in which others determined to STAY HOME. To be sure, I have been Covid19 tested with painful swabs more than I want to remember. I have taken the vaccination, though I have natural immunities from being positive with the virus one year ago. I have jumped through what seems a thousand hoops to get in/out of nations and public venues showing my vaccination card, heatlh declaration, passport, and every other form of documentation to health officials in these LOCKED DOWN Covid hotspots. But I would gladly do so again and again for this purpose, that the Word of God might have "free course".

Sunday Service in Panama

People need Jesus more than ever. Preacher, stop playing defense! Stop hiding in the barracks. Stop excusing the pandemics of laziness and cowardice. Say like the Apostle Paul did from prison, "I can do all things through Christ". The lost world needs us in the game. Lockdown the governments, schools, businesses, and industries, but never let it be said that the Church of Jesus Christ was LOCKED DOWN. You can't LOCKDOWN the Gospel. Let's storm the gates of hell in 2022 and rescue the perishing, 

A Virus That Can Be Healed

Preaching in Brussels, Belgium

I took off to Europe for two solid weeks of traveling and preaching in seven nations including, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar in February of 2020. The worldwide scare of the Coronavirus had started just weeks earlier in Wuhan, China, and had now extended to Europe. The Italians seemed to be getting the worst of it, and yet all European nations were on high alert. Many in the airports were wearing masks and hand sanitizer was more available than Coca Cola. By the time I would leave Europe and head to Africa (Kenya and Nigeria), the alarm would go up by several degrees as more than 100K people would be infected globally.

Youth won on the streets of Luxembourg

However, God blessed me in my journey and my preaching as He opened the doors to preach in the streets of Luxembourg and seven separate nationalities were saved on my first full day. The ripened sections of the Harvest in this part of the world are rarely the nationals, but those who have come from other parts of the world in search of jobs, education, and a better life.

Souls won near Paris, France

I would go onto Paris and see people saved in a French-speaking Haitian church established by the cousin of my friend, Pastor Samuel Louis Jean of Florida. God would bless in the soulwinning as well as I was blessed to lead a muslim man, Mustapha, to Christ on the chilly streets. The Haitian church treated me with such hospitality and warmth. I was also able to lead two women to Christ at a local hospital while soulwinning with Pastor Louis Jean.

Tabernacle Baptist, Brussels, Belgium

I would go onto preach in the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Brussels, Belgium at a church pastored by my friend, Pastor Paul Way Way. The church is about 50/50 Congolese and Belgian. The spirit of the church was tremendous. Several were saved and one sweet lady was baptized. We were also able to see two souls saved in street evangelism as I went out with Nathan (Pastor Way Way's son) and a young student, Pierre, who was schooling from Normandy, France.

English Church, Amsterdam

Windmill in Holland

I traveled from Brussels to Amsterdam by road where I met BMFP missionary Stan Kamps. He has an amazing story of his salvation and call to preach. He has been here in his ancestors homeland for nearly 16 years and is doing a great job winning souls and planting a church. He is from Canada and speaks fluent Dutch as well as English. We went soulwinning in a heavily trafficked area near the train station in Amsterdam. Holland is a secularist and humanistic culture and is nearly completely godless. We did see immigrants from Suriname come to Christ as well as I was able to see a Hungarian woman at my hotel saved. This part of Europe so desperately needs Jesus.

Horses near Rota, Spain

I left Amsterdam and flew to Portugal via Paris, rented a car and drove to Rota, Spain where I was to preach at Bethel Baptist Church. I was met by an older missionary, Don Drake of BIMI. Brother Drake was filling in as interim in the church as they had already called a new missionary family to be their pastor in this US military church. I was able to lead a Spanish shop owner to Christ named Carlos. He was a refreshing godsend as I had struggled to communicate with the locals due to my lack of having a translator or knowing much of the Spanish language.

Soulwinning near Rock of Gibraltar

I ventured further east in Spain to La Linea where I was to preach for a good Baptist pastor, David Bianchi. He was pastoring the church where his wife's family had been members for three generations. The Bianchi family are great servants of God. I was able to go across the border the same day into Gibraltar along with a Mexican missionary I had just become acquainted with named Leonardo Rodriguez. We had coffee and a pastry and as we went out into Gibraltar for soulwinning, we miraculously met a local man named Brendon. He was so ready to be saved and with tears accepted Christ. I came back into Spain and that night preached in the Baptist Church in La Linea.

Herdsman near Castelo Branco, Portugal

Pastor Mark Pereira in Castelo Branco

The next morning, I drove six hours back to Portugal and preached at a church called the First Baptist Church of Castelo Branco. It is pastored by Mark Pereira, a national pastor who was lead to Jesus years before by American missionaries. He and his wife are doing a great job especially in the camp and youth ministry. I preached on a Saturday night youth activity as well as Sunday morning at church and had several saved.

After literally travelling thousands of miles by road around seven European nations, God blessed with 38 souls saved. I was a little tired, but was now onto Africa, where in less than two weeks God would bless with more than 7500 souls saved. I would have to return to the US even three days earlier than planned as President Trump would suspend travel from Europe due to the Coronavirus. There is a panic on the part of people due to the unknown details of this pandemic. However, in the heart of every believer, there must be a peace. God is not subject to the unknown. He is the ruler of the affairs of men and even the slightest of diseases are subject to Him. He has not only the power over physical viruses that attack the body, but of the spiritual virus man is plagued within his soul. Jesus rose from the dead to bring life abundant to those who believe in Him While we are cautious concerning this Covid 19 epidemic that worries our world, may God help us to share the vaccine of the blood of Jesus which can save men to the uttermost from their sin.

I Will Never Leave Thee

Pastor Alfred Lukwa translating for me at Leadership Conference

I traveled to Eldoret, Kenya in March of 2019 to be with my good friend, Pastor Alfred Lukwa, of the New Testament Baptist Church in Kapsaret. I was there two years previous, but had come this occasion to preach the commencement service of his newly founded Bible College. Pastor Lukwa is a fervent soulwinner and church planter. I was with him in Uganda as well in 2018 and had intentions this year of travelling to Tanzania and Zambia as well with him to preach the gospel.

I arrived into Kenya and was met by Pastor George Situma of the Heritage Baptist Church in Langata, Nairobi. He has been a blessing to me over the years and planned to travel with me to Eldoret this week and enjoy fellowship and our time of serving the Lord together. We made the six hour journey on a Tuesday morning and were met by Pastor Lukwa. He informed us that we had an appointment to preach at a Men's Addiction Home in a short while and there were plans of showing two gospel films this night in the slums of Langas. We took off with a bang and the week did not slow down.

By Wednesday and Thursday we were going from morning til evening preaching in elementary and high schools as well as showing two films nightly. As I had done for many years, when I conclude my presentation of the gospel and draw students to receive Christ as their Savior, I tried each time this week to leave them with assurance. One of the ways I have done this is to have them raise one hand into the air and teach them five simple words from Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave thee". I do this to show the promise of Christ' presence both now and forever. After one has invited Him to be their Savior, He gives the assurance that He will always abide with them. I will have the child as he learns the statement to substitute the word "thee" with his name and use his thumb to point to his heart. Each child will repeat, "I will never leave (their name)". This has proven to be an effective way for me to help kids realize that salvation is an eternal gift. We had hundreds and even thousands saved in schools my first two days back in Kenya.

Preaching at a High School in Eldoret

By Friday, we not only preached in schools, but by the afternoon, I was teaching and preaching in a Leadership Conference in Eldoret that included many pastors as well as Christian leaders. There were at least 15 pastors present. I preached and taught about the "Both" of Acts 1:8, and how that every church and pastor ought to have equal passion to spread the gospel locally as well as as regionally and globally. It was a full day and I met so many great servants of God. The evening once again ended with people being saved while watching the Jesus Film in Swahili.

By Saturday morning, we were ready for the graduation service at New Testament Baptist College. There were seven graduates. The school had done well to train these men and women. They had completed three years of rigorous training and each was excited about this special day. I preached a message about the crippled man at Bethesda who was "Waiting for a Man". Again, there were many pastors present and I thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship. The program was well-planned. Following the service, we ate a nice meal, and then we broke into two separate groups of preachers and went to show our normal gospel films in two locations. I attended one with a fairly decent crowd and at the conclusion, 110 souls were saved. I had a been a tremendous 5 days with 5135 souls being saved from 20 schools and 9 gospel films. I was rejoicing as I returned back to my guest house in the evening.

Pastor Daglas Miheso preaching at a Gospel Film

Something was wrong. As Pastor Timothy Iganza was dropping me that Saturday night at my guest house where I was to stay one more evening, I noticed something was not right with me. I was slurring a few words and my lips were quivering. I spoke to my sweet  wife, Kim, and shared with her that I didn't feel just right. It had been a tiresome but very profitable 5 days. I had one more day in Kenya and by Monday morning, was to be off to Tanzania. I fell asleep early on Saturday night and woke up the next morning still a little tired. I went to the breakfast table and sat to eat some fruit and drink some juice by 7:30am. I quickly noticed that I was unable to chew and swallow my food and my drink properly. I seemed to have lost some of the control of the right side of my face and mouth.

Returning to my room, I thought  about what could be wrong. I was to preach in just a few hours and and felt I couldn't without knowing what was wrong. I also, knew that I was scheduled to depart for Nairobi that afternoon and was to head to Tanzania by plane in just 24 hours. What would I do? Finally, I made the decision to reach out to Pastor Lukwa and ask him to carry me to a nearby hospital to be examined. Within 45 minutes, he showed up along with three of my other Kenyan pastors. They carried me to a hospital not far away called "Mediheal". I made my way inside with their help and within a few short minutes was on the third floor having my blood pressure checked and seated in front of an Indian doctor named Dr. Vinay Karla. He did some preliminary exams on me check for symptoms of a stroke, etc. and then sent me downstairs to have an MRI of my brain.

I cannot lie. I was anxious about the time that the radiologist was sliding me inside the machine to have the procedure. It hit me that the results of this test could reveal a number of things that could alter the next several hours and even the next many years of my life. One concern that I had was that more than 20 years earlier, my mother had had an aneurysm that required emergency surgery. What if the doctors came and told me that I had to be rushed into surgery in order to save my life? No family would be here with me. I was in a part of the world, where serious medical operations were far more risky and less successful. What would it be like if the doctor informed me that I had had a stroke? Would my life ever return to normal? I mused on these type of questions for 5 or even 10 minutes while in the midst of the MRI. My anxiety continued to increase.

Then without announcement something happened to me that brought a calm to my heart that helped me even to this hour. The Lord in His mercy reminded me of all the times that I had stood before school kids in Kenya that very week and reminded them that Jesus said, "I will never leave thee". I was of course wanting them to realize the assurance they had in His eternal presence. God used this to say to me, "Hey, Big Dummy, Don't you realize that I am with you in this hospital?". "I haven't left you here alone". The sweet Spirit of God came into my MRI unit and snuggled up next to me reminding me that while my own wife, children, and parents may not be here to know where I am  at this very moment, however, though the great God of Heaven was not only beside me, but also within me. He would not sleep or slumber. His ways were perfect. He knew of my plight before I did, and He would "never leave me". I cannot say that I was no more troubled at what the outcome might be. What was different for me though was that I was willing to accept whatever God had for me because I knew He was with me. The Scripture that I had declared to the schoolkids of Kenya had become my promise while lying inside of an MRI tube in Eldoret, Kenya.

Elementary School in Langas Slum

Things are still a process. I came out of the exam. I was given every indication from the scan that I DID  NOT HAVE A STROKE. I praised the Lord for this. The doctor could not say with certainty what was happening with my slurred speech and drooping eye,. He gave me some prescriptions and insisted I return to the US, rather than continuing to Tanzania. By midnight the same day, I was on a plane and headed back to America and my family thanks to the goodness of my home church. I arrived into the loving care of my wife by Monday evening and was taken to a local Emergency Room. Again, the prognosis was that they could rule out a stroke, and were able to diagnose what they called Bell's Palsy. My wife had even suggested that as a possibility as I was making my 18 hour flight home. I was given medications and asked to follow up with my primary doctor in one week. I am in the process of doing that even as I write for this blog. My speech is stilled slurred and my eye still droops. I bandage my eye to close at night while I sleep. It is difficult to eat or drink anything on the right sight of my mouth as I have no or little movement there. Hopefully with time and the prayers of God's people these things will be corrected. However, I am okay with my circumstances. I am okay with the timing of God's purpose. I am happy to be back home with family and my church. I look forward to the future and even my next opportunity to go back to Africa and preach the gospel that saves. All is well since I was reminded by His Spirit, "I will never leave thee".

"God Uses Our Storms"

Pastor Asha LaRonde and family at their destroyed home

In August and September of 2017 some of the most devastating hurricanes hit the Caribbean and the southern regions of the US. Harvey, Irma, and Maria left hundreds dead, thousands homeless, and cost the US and many islands hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Our own church members in Florida suffered greatly from the winds and rains of Irma that came in the last days of August. 

Destroyed homes by the hundreds along the road in Dominica

Good and generous church members rose to the occasion and gave hundreds of dollars worth of supplies and dozens of man hours to help clean up the mess left behind in our state. We helped some in our own region clean their flooded homes and help salvage part of their valuables. We carried supplies to the Florida Keys, 8 hours away, to show the love of Christ as well. 

Kim playing with girls in a shelter in Canefield, Dominica

Then in the last week of September, Kim and I boarded a plane with other needed relief and traveled to the islands of Barbados, Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. We spent 14 days visiting shelters and sharing Christ in churches and schools. It was amazing to see the enduring spirits of the people who had lost so much. Dominica was the island that was affected the most. Most houses were either roofless or a total loss. 

A wonderful group of school kids in Bridgetown, Barbados

While in Dominica, we visited shelter with Pastor Suprian George. He was a young pastor of a church in Canefield. The church in which he served had much of it roof completely ripped off and the damage was extreme. The parsonage where Pastor George and his wife lived was in the upstairs and their narrowly escaped death as 160 mph winds nearly destroyed them and everything they owned. 

A 103 year sweet lady in a shelter in LaPlaine, Dominica

We also, were blessed to cross to the other side of the island and see Pastor Asha LaRonde and his sweet family. They were in despair as their entire house was blown from its foundation. They were and are still currently holed up in the back of their church property which sustained great damage, but was still habitable. Our church along with some nearby sister churches sent chainsaws, tarps, food items, and hundreds of dollars to help both of these men of God and their families. 

While on this trip, Kim and I were blessed to help in a revival on the island of Barbados with our new friend, Pastor Roger Paul. He and his family and members are great people who love the Lord. We were treated with such care  and affection. God blessed in the four islands as I preached 14 times and had 934 souls saved. God is good. He uses even the storms of our lives to help people find shelter under His everlasting wings. 

Kim and I before heading home from Barbados

Where the Fish are Biting in North Africa

There are those who believe that the Arab World is a place that will never be receptive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, I am not a believer in this line of thinking. It was a man from northern Libya that carried the cross of Jesus in his dying moments. It was to this region of  North Africa that I made my way on a recent trip to sow the seeds of TRUTH. I am not sure who or what fruit will eventually come from my stay in Tripoli, but I am sure that God's Word will never return void. While in Libya, I saw a great need. I along with some whom I ministered with attempted to meet that need.

There is a philosophy that I have sought to live by in doing the work of evangelism. "Go where the fish are bitting". This is what guides me in winning the lost in America, but also, when I am abroad. I search for interest. I search for those in who the Holy Spirit of God is working. I try not to waste my efforts calling those who are afflicted by apathy or even hardness.

So as I walked the streets of this city along the coast of the Mediterranean, I was looking for those in need, but also those who would acknowledge that need. In every 'muslim-strong' culture there are pockets of people in search of truth. As in the days of Cornelius from Acts 10, there are people in spirtual darkness today who long for someone to help them see light. While in Libya, I found some of these.

This pocket of people had come to this region from West Africa in search of a way to migrate into Italy and other parts of Europe. Many had nearly perished crossing the Sahara and had risked all for this opportunity to reach the northern coast of Africa. Most of them had made at least one or more attempts to sail accross the sea, but in each case they had failed. Some had seen fellow immigrants drown in deep waters, while they themselves survived to try again. One dear brother named Newman had made three attempts to cross. Each time he had spent nearly a years savings only to suffer loss. Why had they risked so much? Why were these black Africans here in this Arab land? Last year alone, more than 360,000 had attempted to make it through the troublesome waters for a better life in Europe. An estimated 5000 had died at sea. What could possibly be worth such a heavy risk?

Each one of these souls had a story. Some had come from abject poverty in their motherland. Some had sent their families on before them and were now trying to catch up. Some had gotten stranded in this harsh land for their kind and had turned to prostitution for survival. However, God had brought them to this land for a greater purpose in my opinion. These were the same tribes that I had spent much of my life evangelizing in western and central Africa. These people were some of the most responsive to the Gospel. And so as I was in this place of Tripoli, I found pockets of these migrants and won many of them to Jesus. And it is my belief that they are the link to seeing the Libyan people turn to the Light. These sub-Saharan Africans have learned to speak Arabic and live in the Islamic culture. As born again people, they have the great opportunity and responsibilty of sharing Christ with a people otherwise lost to eternal darkness. The hope for the Libyan people is that their migrant community might be a voice fot Christ. These who came here looking for passage to the Western World could be used by God to bring the message of Heaven to their host nation. God help them to see their divine purpose.

The Land of the Cushites

The grandson of Noah came to this land now known as Sudan thousands of years ago. The descendants of the ark-builder settled in the Nubi mountains and became one of the great kingdoms lead by those often referred to as the "Black Pharaohs". In 400 AD Christian missionaries brought the gospel of Jesus to this region, the roots of which can still be found among the modern tribe called the Moro people. 

I was privileged this past month to preach in the town of Dar el Salaam just north of Khartoum predominately comprised of Moro. It was with my friend, Pastor Angelo Naser. Pastor Naser planted the Brethren Independent Baptist Church a decade ago. He has been a faithful servant of God in this muslim land in spite of the religious persecution many have faced for Christ. Many local pastors have recently been imprisoned and their churches demolished by the Islam-strong government. 

I preached for three days for Pastor Naser and another day taught in a local Bible school. The last night we had more than 500 people in the open air just at the front of the church property where 65 souls came to the Lord. The gospel is going forward in the muslim world. We must not become slack in this hour of decision. We must continue to reach the lost in this arid land. As Noah spared the world from a world-wide flood through his obedience, we must reach his descendants in this day through our sending the message of hope and salvation through Jesus.

The Lamb of God in Egypt

There would be no greater violence than an assassination attempt on our Savior when he was but a young boy. Fleeing to Egypt along the Nile River to escape the fierce sword of Herod came Mary and Joseph with the Son of God. More than three decades before his prophesied death, the anger of a jealous King would send the holy family to Upper Egypt looking for assyluum. For most likely two years they would keep Jesus in hiding in this land of the Pharaohs, before finally returning to Nazareth to live out his childhood.

It was this land of refuge that I would come in October of 2016 to help conduct a three-day  crusade with my friend, Pastor Botros Faltaos. It was a joy to be with Pastor John Wilkerson and Deacon Wayne Shaeffer of the First Baptist Church  of Hammond, Indiana. Each night at the revival just south of El-Minya there was a great crowd ranging from 1100-1400 people. Scores of souls came to Christ as there was an English and Arabic service each evening with great music preceding the preaching. The services were aired on the Arabic TV stations called, "The Way". The last two  evening we had a youth service in conjunction with the adult program. During this time, many young people accepted Christ as their Savior. 

The work of God in Egypt is progressing, but needs the prayers and support of those who can aid this great ministry. Pastor Botros has a part in overseeing more than 4 dozen Baptist churches within the Biblical Baptist Church based out of Alexandria. The pastors he has trained or ordained are scattered throughout Cairo, Alexandria, and Upper Egypt. Pray for this needy land that afforded Jesus a place of safety when he was just a child. Pray that as the Christ child found a place of security in this north African land when he was threatened with violence, so today might he find a place in the hearts of Egyptians where the Word of God is being preached. There are more than 90 million Arab-speaking people in this muslim-dominated country that need to find Christ. The gospel still works in the lives of those who will receive Christ. We must reach them while we can. 

"Never Too Old"

As I traveled into parts of Africa during the months February and March of 2016, I found a common thread among those with whom I served. It was that several that were serving Christ in some capacity of missions were men and women that had been in the work of God for many decades and were approaching their twilight years.

I was with a dear sweet missionary on the island of Seychelles that represented the best of missions. Her name was Daisy Naicker. She was from South Africa, but of Indian decent. Daisy had spent years in missions both in Fiji and Zambia prior to the death of her husband. Now for several years had being an agent of Child Evangelism Fellowship winning hundreds of children to Christ in this tiny island in the Indian Ocean, I was blessed to minister with her and see all that God was using her to do in spite of her own struggles physically.

Later in my travels, I found myself in the southern region of Ethiopia in a mountainous village sleeping in a mud hut with American missionary, Ray Hoover. We had come to this village of "Ethiopian Jews" to show the Jesus Film and to further explore the possibility of planting a new church. He likewise, had spent many years in missions as well as pastoring in Brooklyn, New York. He had served as a church planter on the island of Malta, and now for the past many years was training nationals and planting churches in East Africa. Brother Hoover and his wife lived very simple lives, sacrificing most comforts for the souls of the Ethiopian people. We slept this night in a place where many Americans would have chosen otherwise. Though the conditions were harsh, this nearly 70 year-old missionary, showed nothing but joy and gratitude to the local people. Many were saved before we returned home to Addis Ababa.

A week later, I found myself on a church platform in Alexandria, Egypt, participating in the ordination service of a young Egyptian preacher. Seated beside me was Bill Grossman, an American missionary that was 86 years of age. He had spent the last many years preaching the gospel in Tunisia as well as Egypt. His wife had passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's. He wore a tattered jacket as he charged the people in his sermon. He told of being arrested more than 30 times in Tunisia for preaching Jesus on the streets. He was using the years remaining in his life to make a mark for Christ in North Africa.

I have since returned to my comfortable bed in Florida. I jorneyed throughout 6 African nations and more than 20,000 miles. I was blessed to see more than 7,000 souls come to Christ during a 4 week span. I preached in schools, churches, prisons, stores, and the open air. However, one of the lasting impressions on me from this trip to my favorite continent, was not any of the natural beauty I enjoyed, or the hospitality of the African people I met. The most impressionable part of the last month was meeting three elderly missionaries, one in Seychelles, one in Ethiopia, and one in Egypt. It was seeing the charitable spirit of two  men and one woman who had lived into their senior years and yet continued to think of the needs of others. It was seeing them do without for benefit of those they served. I was changed for the good in observing them. I was edified watching their aching bodies muster the strength to go on. I was encouraged to NEVER get "too old" to go on for Jesus!

Learning from African Pastors

For the past seven years, I have traveled to various parts of Africa sharing the gospel with hundreds and thousands of people, preaching in churches, schools, prisons, and the open air. I have met dozens and dozens of pastors and church-planters throughout thirty-five African nations. Some of these were American and foreign missionaries, but the vast majority of these were local, indigenous men of God that served in urban areas as well as villages in the remotest places imaginable. I have stayed in their houses, shared rides on public transport for hundreds of miles, eaten meals, and spent thousands of hours serving and communing with them. I have played with their children, listened to their hardships, cried with them, rejoiced with them, fought along side of them, and learned from their experiences. I would like to share with you a few of the lessons I have during these years learned from African Pastors.

The First Lesson that I learned from them is "THERE IS NO PLACE TOO SMALL FOR THE GOSPEL". Many times as Americans we develop a spirit that says, "Send me to the BIG place". Our desire to be noticed and appreciated overtakes our allowing God to lead us no matter where that may be.

I recall being in a small village in southwestern Uganda a few years ago. I was with a simple pastor that had labored in the vineyard for our Lord for a number of years there. He had a church in a small place. The building had a dirt floor, mud walls, and a thatched roof. But he and his sweet wife loved Jesus. He was doing the best he could for our God where he had been planted. He realized that "THERE WAS NO PLACE TOO SMALL FOR THE GOSPEL".

The Second Lesson I learned from these precious men of God is, "BE WILLING TO LEARN FROM OUTSIDERS". As I have spent time in their churches and with their members, I have often brought new ideas, and a methods to reach the lost that before have been unknown to them. On most occasions, they have been willing to try something new in order to accomplish the task of seeing people saved.

However, in my journey's, I have also, attempted to use these same ideas with the local missionary and have found them more often than not to be met with resistance. Why? Why would one be opposed to seeing a person reached through a gospel film show? Why would a Baptist preacher be opposed to preaching in public schools to youth? I am sure that in each case, the particular missionary would have their own reasons. Maybe they just were not the one to think of the idea. Maybe they don't believe in "mass evangelism". Maybe they don't feel comfortable exploring new avenues of ministry. In any case, the African pastor is often willing to learn a new way, while the American will at times not be so eager. Our own culture begets this attitude. However, all of us should walk humbly for the gospel's sake and "BE WILLING TO LEARN FROM OUTSIDERS".

Finally, let me share with you a great lesson that I have learned from these men that every single one of us should learn whether we are in the ministry or not. I learned from my African brothers "TO ALWAYS BE HOSPITABLE TO STRANGERS". In all my African travels, I have only found one African pastor and one African chief to not welcome me into their home and village with open arms. It is taboo within the regions of Africa not to be accommodating to strangers. The idea that you would have someone show up at your church or doorstep and not take time to welcome them, feed them, and inquire about their needs is frankly un-African. Every single time that I have showed up unannounced, I have been met with reception and kindness. I have slept in the pastors and his wife's bedroom, while they slept on sofas and with their children. My being there has at times, I am sure, been unexpected, but never unwanted. I have been an inconvenience, but never made aware of the fact. We, as Americans, could learn alot from the Bible and the African culture on this point. We could learn that in ministry as a Christian, there ought never be "personal zones" when it comes to Christian charity. We should be more flexible and learn how to adapt more freely. We should learn to ALWAYS BE HOSPITABLE TO STRANGERS".