Dear Friends,
Powerful Testimonies of God’s Intervention
We have compiled wonderful testimonies from disciples who are being protected at Wurin Alheri, while they grow in their faith. They came to Christ through visions and through the love of Christians. They suffered much and so did those who helped them. Coming to CFM has brought churches in their regions peace. The last testimony is of a man caught up in serious crime before Christ delivered him. We cannot attach these testimonies, because that would mean locating them on our website. So we have included the testimonies below, at the bottom of this newsletter. We can send you the testimonies in a separate email if you ask us.
Women’s Conference Wurin Alheri
This week we hold a Women’s Conference at Wurin Alheri. We are transporting one woman from each of our 100 mission centres: it is normally unaffordable for mission centres to pay transport. Others from CFM churches will attend, plus 60 selected widows, plus women from other churches, plus another 450 other women already on the Wurin Alheri site. They will fellowship, hear messages, with lots of singing and dancing, and learn skills that will help in their missions centres. Our trainers will then do follow up visits to missions centres. Above: conference planners.
Building a House for Kate’s Mother
Above is Kate’s mother. Kate is one of CFM’s founding members and wife to Paul, an overseer of CFM’s operations. Mum lives 12 hours south of Jos and is a widow of many years. She lives in a room in a dilapidated house, pictured below. This is a typical house in a typical township, not remote. The houses were built back in the 1960’s - 1970’s, when industry in Nigeria was strong. Now all the roofs are rusty and leaky in the rain.
CFM is assisting Kate’s mother as her children build her a few small rooms, not far from this house. She doesn’t own this house, so we need somewhere that is cosy and belongs to her. It’s part of helping our leaders fulfilling their responsibilities towards their families. It builds and extends the ministry and fruitfulness of CFM.
From Kent’s Master’s Class on Romans
Romans 13: God will Bring Authorities Back to Himself All authorities are instituted by God. What authorities? Family, culture, angels, governments, workplace, church, other. These have been somewhat corrupted by the fall. What are these authorities instituted for? To protect children, the weak, widows and the vulnerable. Paul says they are instituted to reward those who do good and to punish those who do evil. This is God’s purpose, because of his love for the weak. Those who purport to be in places of authority, but who fail to carry out God’s purpose, but do the reverse, who punish the good and reward those who do evil, are not appointed by God, but are imposters, wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are counter authority. Therefore, it is the church’s call to join with God in instituting authorities according to God’s will, who will fear God and carry out his divine purpose for their office. These will reward those who do good and bear the sword against those who do evil. This was the witness of the prophets of the Old Testament, and of Jesus, and should be our witness today, by word, and by the works we do to protect the weak. Take for example, the recent stipulation by the United Nations, that all sexual activity should be decriminalised, including sexual activity between adults and children, including the disabled, in all nations [Link: p. 12, 22-23], even child "sex workers." [Link, p. 19] There is no protection here. The authority of family culture and tradition, also instituted by God, is against this. Nigeria needs to stop accepting colonisation by the UN and teach the UN some truths from Nigeria's own traditions. This is why CFM holds seminars to protect the child, and promotes God ordained families. This week a leader from Planned Parenthood “committed suicide” when he learned an investigation was being opened into his alleged child porn. Several leaders of major banks, and other known cultural influencers, are now before courts for their involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and child rape activities. Child sex-trafficking is now massive business globally, including many Nigerian victims abroad. Those implicated have a vested interest in decriminalising exploitative sexuality. Many will be shocked when it all comes out, with so many crimes we would never have believed. Daniel 7:25, 11:37, states the beast would respect no god (instituted authority) and will change laws. This is exactly how the spokesman for the WEF (Yuval Harari) talks. I am not saying we are close to the time of the resurrection of the dead, only God knows when that will be. The church has the task to work with God non-violently in bringing down usurpers who destroy lives and raise up genuine authorities who will reward good and punish evil. This is the purpose for which God institutes authority. This is a responsibility that God places in our lap, even if it costs us, as it did for many Christians before us. If we ignore it we can only blame ourselves. This year will be a year in which much will be done in bringing back God instituted authority, and many nations will benefit. Do we believe that God can revive our authorities? We would have all been swallowed up by the demonic and wouldn’t be here today if God hadn’t used the church to revive authorities in the past. So we know he will do it again. “… so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 3:10) Authorities in heavenly places doesn’t just mean angelic beings, but includes governments, cultures, traditions and families, corporations, who are in places of authority over the daily affairs of human life, so that these institutions may be renewed and transformed by the church, to reflect the image of God, who comes through us as his agents to restore the weak. God will stand for the weak and enable restoration again. In Nigeria, we know the importance of authority in keeping the nation together, and also of this authority reflecting the image of God. Peter said God sends authorities to punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right. (1 Peter 2:14) What if government reverses this? Peter says the church is to silence them by doing good, by obeying God instead. (Acts 5:29) We have a call to renew powers.
Medical Outreach
CFM is part sponsoring a medical outreach in Kate’s home township this week. This is an annual event, led by Tope Aiso, head administrator of CFM’s junior and secondary schools.
The medical team. Not only Kate, but Tope (the taller one in the middle) and her husband Gabriel (secretary of CFM) come from this same township in Kogi State. This annual event is part of their effort to remember the community from which they sprang. It’s important to our staff not to forget their home people and that’s why we support them as one family. It helps as an example to build peace in the nation.
Caesarean birth at CFM’s hospital Wurin Alheri today. These are frequent events at our hospital. First response medial skills are also being taught at this week’s Women’s Conference, along with follow up training in CFM’s mission centres. This was started here by ITEC Missions, USA.
Ngwe starts to see after his cataract operation in Jos, sponsored by CFM.
Mamaki After a Fulani Attack
Mamaki’s lower legs had to be amputated after an attack on his home by Fulani. He lost everything and his wife left him. Voice of the Martyrs in Canada paid for his prosthetic legs to be fitted and now they are helping us to relocate Mamaki and his two sons from a room of squalor to a decent rented flat.
David (above right) is our chicken farmer at Wurin Alheri and he took charge all of the details in making this move a success. Mamaki will farm fish at the new flat after a pond is installed. His two sons did well at school but can’t afford fees for further education. Our photographer couldn’t get them to smile. They will take a bit of work. We can’t just give money because that probably won’t help. Maybe we can get them jobs at Wurin Alheri building, so they can pay their own fees. Pius, at the other end above, is our truck driver.
Wonderful Testimonies
Please see testimonies of our disciples below. Your email provider may have truncated this content due to the length, but you should be able to clink a link to expand and read. If you have trouble, please let us know and we will send you the testimonies in a separate email.
NAME: BELLO HASSAN AGE: 32 TRIBE: FULANI GENDER: MALE NATIONALITY: ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA YEAR OF CONVERSION: 2022 PASTOR’S NAME: PASTOR PAUL ISTIFANUS CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS: CHARISMATIC RENEWAL MININSTRIES, SABON KWATA GOMBI LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADAMAWA STATE.
My conversion journey started when I dreamed and in my dream a man appeared to me and told me that he is Jesus Christ. I told someone about it and he told me to convert to Christianity and from there I went to church but the church rejected me because they were afraid of my father because he was a popular man. From there I went back home, and one day in the market, an evangelist came and preached, and I walked up to him and told him that I want to give my life to Christ and from there he took me to a pastor and who accepted me and I stayed with him for four months and from there he brought me for discipleship here at CFM last year August. By December I went back for holiday and I decided to visit my family, at that time my grandmother died and all my family members was around and they told me that I must come back to Islam, but I refused. They planned to take me to Kano for Islamic education. But when I refused, they beat me and locked me inside a room. They started discussing on what to do with me and they wanted me to tell them who is the pastor that is responsible for my conversion but I refused because if I did so I would have put him in danger. But as they left, they forgot to lock the room. So around 4am I heard a voice telling me to stand up and open the door and suddenly I realized that it was not locked. I ran out and climbed a mountain near my house and in the morning I saw them with police officers, so I left and came back to the pastor and told him what happened and immediately he brought me back to school here at CFM in Jos. Doing that has helped the pastor and also protected the church.
My being here at CFM has helped me and the church, because staying there is dangerous for the church and the pastor. Here I am learning welding and fabrication in the vocation institute.
NAME: AISHA SHU’AIBU AGE: 18 TRIBE: FULANI GENDER: FEMALE NATIONALITY: ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA YEAR OF CONVERSION: 2021 PASTOR'S NAME: PASTOR DAUDA ILIYA CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS: ECWA, NJAIRI MUBI ADAMAWA STATE.
I was sick from childhood. My mother went to many places to find medication for me but it couldn’t work, until one day when a sister came and suggested that she should take me to a prayer house. My mother ignored that but when the sickness became so serious that I fainted and life was leaving me, she rush with me to the church and told the pastor that even if it means for me to be a Christina no problem, all she wanted was my healing. When the pastor prayed for me, I was healed. From there our neighbours started looking for me. The house my mother was renting was taken from her by the landlord just because she agreed to allow me to be a Christian. My mother took me to her sister and hid me there for some days. But when the youth of our neighbourhood found out, they took me from there, they beat me and tied me up for three days, without food or water. On the third day they asked me to tell them who was the pastor that led me to Christ. But I refused to mention his name. On that day they beat me again and they untied me. In the night I crawled outside because they didn’t lock the room, thinking that I wouldn’t be able to escape because of the beating I received from them. But that night I escaped and slept on the street. In the morning I went back to the pastor and immediately he arranged for my coming to CFM, because he was scared when I told him what happened. My coming here has many blessings. It protects me and my pastor and also offers the best discipleship training for my new faith, and also learning catering in vocation.
NAME: MOHAMMED SALIHU AGE: 28 TRIBE: FULANI GENDER: MALE NATIONALITY: BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA YEAR OF CONVERSION: 2022 PASTOR’S NAME: PASTOR SIMON CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS: LIVING FAITH RAFIN ZURFI BAUCHI STATE
When I was in secondary school some people came from Gideon International and shared the New Testament bible for us and from there I started reading it and I found that Jesus is risen from the dead. I was disturbed because I knew Mohammed in the Quran never talked about his resurrection. From there I became interested in Christianity, but I didn’t do that until when I went to the college of education and after that my uncle who is a policeman came and arrested me and kept me in prison for three months. I fell sick there and the security called my dad and informed them. From there my father told them to release me. I was taken to the hospital and after the treatment I went home. While in prison I met an old man, and he encouraged me, and he gave me someone’s phone number. Six days after I came back from prison, I told my mother that I wanted to go back to school, which she agreed. Then I called the number the old man gave me in prison, the man helped me and connected me with his pastor, the pastor brought me to CFM for discipleship. I came here last year in November 2022. I went for Christmas break, but when I went there my pastor told me that I must return immediately because my family had been looking for me and also looking for the church that accepted me. They threatened to deal with any pastor that has any connection with me, so I had to leave and come back to CFM immediately.
I am here at CFM in discipleship and also learning computer hardware repair in vocation. I really appreciate God and this ministry for the work they are doing and putting in my life.
NAME: ADAMU BARTI AGE: 26 TRIBE: FULANI GENDER: MALE NATIONALITY: ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA YEAR OF CONVERSION: 2021 PASTOR’S NAME: REV. TITUS ALI USMAN CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS: LUTHERAN CHURCH OF CHRIST IN NIGERIA (LCCN) TOUNGO ADAMAWA STATE.
It all started after we connived with some folks and killed someone. I became a fugitive and ran away from Yola Adamawa state to Numan local government in the same state and from there because of fear I changed my location to Toungo local government all in the same state. This area is mostly dominated by Christians, and I was there not going to mosque or church. The people became curious about me and wanted to know my faith. I also became curious about Christianity, and this happened because of the love I received from these Christians. But actually, at his time I was still holding a believe that Christians don’t know what they are doing. One day I went to the church with the intension to find a way that I can teach them about Islam because I was a teacher of the Quran before leaving home. But instead, I started asking them about their faith and right there I got to know that Christianity is the truth.
After that, one day I had a dream, a person appeared to me and told me that I would work for him and that he would send me and work through me. From that point I started attending church regularly.
Later my family in Yola got to know that I am born again. They told me to come home. Ignorantly I went to see them, from there they tied me and planned to kill me the next day. But God used one of them to help me to escape. They continued searching for me. I remembered one time they came to the village that I was hiding in, and they saw me in the market. They pursued me with guns in their hands and in that process one of them got knocked by a vehicle on the road. They couldn’t get me that day. From there they took away all my inheritance of land and goods that my father left for me. As it is now, they are still looking for me to kill me, and part of their reason is they accuse me of rustling their cows, because that happened immediately after I left home. Therefore, they think that I changed my faith because of that.
Right now, I can’t go back home. They promised to kill me whenever they would see me. When another persecution became intense, they came looking for me to kill me, but they were told that I was not there. My pastor heard about it and that night he took me to his house and hid me. He called the bishop immediately and told him what was happening. From there, the bishop sent the mission director who took me at night and escaped with me and they brought me here to CFM. Coming here, I learned how to read and write, l know how to pray, to follow Christ and live for his glory. This place also serves as a place of refuge and safety both for me and the church.
NAME: ABDUL ALIYU AGE: 23 TRIBE: HAUSA GENDER: MALE NATIONALITY: NIGER STATE, NIGERIA YEAR OF CONVERSION: 2021 PASTOR’S NAME: PST. DANASABE CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS: ECWA CHURCH TEGINA RAFI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA NIGER STATE
I became a Christian because of the love I received from my Christian friends. I got converted in Benin City: I went there for business. I started attending church there. After a while I returned home and started going to church secretly. My family sensed it and got the local security to begin to trail me. They got me and brought me before my family to answer whether I have been going to church or not. I denied it for fear that I may be killed because of that. They discovered that I had a Bible, and they took it away from me and warned me not to think of going to church again. After some time I was tired of not going to church and I also stopped going to the mosque. One day I decided to go to church on Sunday, but unfortunately my family caught me, they beat me, and was deciding what to do with me Some were of the opinion that I should be killed while few were against that. They beat me to the point I was wounded seriously that I couldn’t move on the ground. I sustained injuries. They left me there and my Christian brothers came and took me to one of their homes. They treated my wounds. From there I continued to go to church, but I experience serious hatred from the members of the community. I couldn’t buy anything. People started irritating me, calling me all sort of names. The church was also scared of what may be the next action of my family. I became so frustrated and wanted to leave the community. It was in this process that the church resolved to bring me for discipleship at CFM. Coming here brought safety for me and the church, especially safety for those people who gave me their home to stay.
NAME: SHEHU SAMAILA IBRAHIM AGE: 47 TRIBE: LERE GENDER: MALE NATIONALITY: KEBBI STATE, NIGERIA YEAR OF CONVERSION: 2022 PASTOR’S NAME: PST. BALA CHARAKI CHURCH NAME AND ADDRESS: ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH, RIBAH MACHIKA KEBBI, NIGERIA
I was brought up in a Muslim family. After I finished my secondary school, I was sent to an Islamic school (Almajiri) in Sokoto State. But I ran away from the school and started living in a car park (transport hub). I was assisting drivers and passengers. I stayed there for five years. In the process I met a lady by name Ifeoma. She gave me a job in a hotel, of which I later became the manager. In the hotel I was initiated into a cult, and they were doing business of selling human flesh. We were selling human body parts, but I got fed up with it and wanted to be independent. In trying to do that I become an armed robber. I was also the leader of the robbers. I wanted to leave the team, but they insisted that I must kill 367 people before I would be able to be free. I couldn’t leave or they would kill me, so I continued with them until 1996.
From 1996 anytime I slept I would dream and see a light and a voice telling me that “My son, it is I the Lord your God, come out from your wickedness, I want to use you mightily”. It persisted and I decided to meet a friend who told me that it’s an extra-ordinary dream. I hardened my heart.
I was sick at a certain time, and it was discovered that I had kidney failure. One day I heard a voice telling me to go and meet Reverend Bala Charaki. I went to see him, and he prayed for me on three occasions, and I was getting stronger. I heard a voice again telling me that this was my last chance to repent. In the morning I went back to the Reverend’s house, and he led me to Christ. When I came back home, I told my wife about it. She immediately reported me to my uncle. From there they were monitoring my movements and they went to the church and warned them that if they allowed me to come for fellowship they will set the church ablaze. My pastor was scared, and he had to take me away and carried me to a nearby village. I was there in one house and I did my discipleship for 17 months and then I came back home. My family reported the case to the Islamic organization, and they came to the church and stopped the Christians there from holding their service. I was attacked and beaten several times. The pastor was also attacked several times.
My wife again and told the Islamic group that she didn’t want her children to become Christians. From there they decided to take away the children from me but my first born refused and she followed me. They were able to take the other three kids. Looking at all of these issues, my Reverend decided to connect me with the New Life For All organization and I was brought to Jos on 23rd March 2023. They decided to take care of my daughter and care for her school. They then sent me to CFM, which brought relief and calmness to my pastor and the church at large.
Thank you for support and for praying for CFM.
Blessings,
Kent, Ruth and team
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