“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it”
Numbers 13:30
There are always giants in the land. But do we see them as giants? Or do we stand with Caleb, focused on God, enabled to overcome any foe?
And those giants are simply opportunities that God shows himself strong in, to His own praise and glory.
We celebrated the signing of an accord by the local government, giving us official access to their school system. Coming from a country where Christ is actively pushed out of schools, it is amazing to be allowed open access to every school, public and private, including the Islamic and Catholic schools.
The container is here! The container has arrived in port on monday, and the hotel owner has given permission for us to keep it in the “front yard” here, which makes it easier to guard. So we should be working out of it before too long.
Hungry Ears
Two schoolteachers, who had received one of our gospel tracts, walked into the courtyard the other morning, and asked us to come speak at their school. It was all younger students, meeting on an uneven dirt floor, at the back of a mud-brick home. Bro Joe Welch presented the gospel to them and the team took turns helping him blow up balloons for all of the 50-some kids. It’s amazing what these teachers do with absolutely nothing. There are some incredible needs here.
Tuesday night, some of the team put together a soccer match at the local field. At the end of the game, Allen Johnson who is with us from Wings Bearing Precious Seeds Ministry gathered the children together and shared his testimony. People, who were getting off the taka-taka’s (city buses) at the corner, were intrigued and came over. Soon a pretty decent crowd was standing at one end of the dirt soccer field, listening to the Gospel and the invitation to attend the service that night.
Mr. Johnson spent some extra time reading a tract aloud to the littlest kids. A man stood nearby, reading a tract and listening. Afterwards he stepped up and started asking questions. Ignoring the gathering darkness and the call to supper, Allen went through the Gospel story again, and led the man to an understanding of his sin and a need for a Savior. There was some shouting in heaven when Tin Tin gave his heart over to the Lord.
The number of people attending our nightly team meetings has grown so large that we have finally had to split into two groups. Charles and Abel, students from the seminary in Cape Verde, have taken over the Creole preaching to the locals, allowing them to focus on the gospel and the salvation message. There is a ripe field here. A hungry field.
God’s Hand
It is truly amazing watching God perform his will and reminds me of Eliezer’s life. This servant of Abraham was commissioned to go into a far country to obtain a bride for Abraham’s son, Isaac. Arriving at his destination, Eliezer commits this search to God in prayer by asking God to make it obvious to him who it should be. Eliezer made a statement that could be the purpose statement for all of us – “I being in the way, the Lord lead me.”
Behind the trip, the search, the starts and the stops was the unseen hand of Providence guiding Eliezer.
We have seen and sensed the presence and divine work of that same unseen Guide! Thus far, there have been far too many ‘happenings” to explain our progress by anything but God’s holy intervention.
Upon arrival, God gave us favor with five men who have ushered us through doors to accomplish our task. In a country which moves at a snail’s pace under heavy layers of bureaucracy , these men have plead our cause, moved us to the head of lines and opened doors at lofty levels.
We needed to see the mayor of Bissau (Capitol city, 400,000 people). Typically a visit like that could take a week to schedule. But when we arrived, the secretary gave him the very detailed description of “three white men”, causing him to think we were someone else. Thanks to the “confusion” we were given an audience and were able to hand-deliver necessary documents that often get lost in the bureaucratic shuffle.
We’ve had introductions to an ambassador. Cabinet-level officials have visited us, and through prayer we have seen mountains move.
“I being in the way, God led me.” This “way” of God has been exciting and God has opened our hearts to ministry we could never have imagined. The enormity of the task grows daily as we understand the mission before us. For this unconventional task God has stirred us with unconventional solutions.
Open doors are what we pray for often. Here these doors have opened from high government offices to one saved on a soccer field, but the message remains the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
“I being in the way, God led me.” Why detail another path or plan when God has made this one so clear? Unusual aspects to this work are becoming clearer day by day. By faith we follow. He orders our steps. Grace is found day by day. Hallowed be the name of our glorious God.
Guinea-Bissau Team Updates
“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it”
Numbers 13:30
There are always giants in the land. But do we see them as giants? Or do we stand with Caleb, focused on God, enabled to overcome any foe?
And those giants are simply opportunities that God shows himself strong in, to His own praise and glory.
We celebrated the signing of an accord by the local government, giving us official access to their school system. Coming from a country where Christ is actively pushed out of schools, it is amazing to be allowed open access to every school, public and private, including the Islamic and Catholic schools.
The container is here! The container has arrived in port on monday, and the hotel owner has given permission for us to keep it in the “front yard” here, which makes it easier to guard. So we should be working out of it before too long.
Hungry Ears
Tuesday night, some of the team put together a soccer match at the local field. At the end of the game, Allen Johnson who is with us from Wings Bearing Precious Seeds Ministry gathered the children together and shared his testimony. People, who were getting off the taka-taka’s (city buses) at the corner, were intrigued and came over. Soon a pretty decent crowd was standing at one end of the dirt soccer field, listening to the Gospel and the invitation to attend the service that night.
The number of people attending our nightly team meetings has grown so large that we have finally had to split into two groups. Charles and Abel, students from the seminary in Cape Verde, have taken over the Creole preaching to the locals, allowing them to focus on the gospel and the salvation message. There is a ripe field here. A hungry field.
It is truly amazing watching God perform his will and reminds me of Eliezer’s life. This servant of Abraham was commissioned to go into a far country to obtain a bride for Abraham’s son, Isaac. Arriving at his destination, Eliezer commits this search to God in prayer by asking God to make it obvious to him who it should be. Eliezer made a statement that could be the purpose statement for all of us – “I being in the way, the Lord lead me.”
Behind the trip, the search, the starts and the stops was the unseen hand of Providence guiding Eliezer.
We have seen and sensed the presence and divine work of that same unseen Guide! Thus far, there have been far too many ‘happenings” to explain our progress by anything but God’s holy intervention.
“I being in the way, God led me.” This “way” of God has been exciting and God has opened our hearts to ministry we could never have imagined. The enormity of the task grows daily as we understand the mission before us. For this unconventional task God has stirred us with unconventional solutions.
Open doors are what we pray for often. Here these doors have opened from high government offices to one saved on a soccer field, but the message remains the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
“I being in the way, God led me.” Why detail another path or plan when God has made this one so clear? Unusual aspects to this work are becoming clearer day by day. By faith we follow. He orders our steps. Grace is found day by day. Hallowed be the name of our glorious God.
Brethren, pray for us!
The Preach Team
Guinea-Bissau, Africa