Dear Friend,
Urgent Need - Update
We have received $33,000 of the $90,000 needed to clear debt and get through to the end of May. As funds come, we are settling bills: today we paid rent for our children’s crisis-care home in Gwagwalada (a year in advance, as required). Thank you for praying and for giving, if you are able, for the thousands of people the Lord has brought to us.
Photo above: we brought an extra 100 children into our crisis-care homes last year (now 400 children), from interior mission centres. Many are orphans. We built extra boarding facilities. We have bought their uniforms, employed teachers, providing meals and holistic care… now we are able to buy them tables. We are now building extra classrooms for them. Many of them could not write their names but have already improved amazingly academically.
A Major Militant Attack
Students at CFM’s bible college had their homes destroyed and family members killed or displaced by a major militant attack. CFM is responding by launching a peace-building computer centre, which has worked in every other region of violence where we have established them. See the Report further below.
A Brilliant Story of Change
Above is a brilliant video on Zainab, who fled to CFM, aged 14. It is well worth watching, produced by Orphan’s Promise. (Zainab’s name was changed for the video.) Watch here.
God’s Names - Our Armour
Romans 8 is one of the most richly woven passages of scripture. Just one of the themes is the names of God, with just a few mentioned below. Romans 8 is a masterpiece that brings the biblical story to a crescendo. God’s names are our armour.
Yahweh Tsidkenu - The Lord Our Righteousness “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34) Yahweh Rapha – The Lord Our Healer “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” (Romans 8:11) Yahweh Jireh – The Lord Will Provide “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) Yahweh Sela – The Lord Our Stronghold “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)
Turning Plastic into Compost
Wurin Alheri burns her rubbish. Plastics go into our furnaces. The ash is eventually used for compost. Small amounts of metal are kept to rust. The carbon dioxide helps our trees grow. Students make the furnaces, with a staff member of CFM’s vocational department for Wholeness Missions. He has worked for years in frontier missions and has joined CFM.
Mangu Attack
Villages all round Mangu were attacked by Fulani last Monday night. This is over two hours from Wurin Alheri. We have three mission stations in the Mangu region, and many students from there in our bible college. We are not sure if the attack was a response to a recent state governor’s election. Locals say hundreds died and hundreds of militants were involved. See two short videos further below: * A short video of the firefight. * Our students from the Mangu region called to prayer.
Some of those who lost their lives, above and below. Others were injured. The villages around Mangu are now empty. Militants burnt the houses as people fled. The army are in pursuit. If God’s justice isn’t fulfilled in this life, it is in the next.
One of our students lamented:
Some you killed, some you burnt alive, where is your sense of humanity.
What happened in Mangu is too bad to be real, but unfortunately such is the reality we are faced with in Nigeria.
You refused to spare the lives of innocent children. You were given birth by a woman, like those innocent women you killed without mercy. Ahhhhhhhh. God will judge.
My heart bleeds for Mangu.
Click here to view a short video of the attack from a distance. Most of the militants are from outside Nigeria, due to conditions created by NATO: failed states in central Asia, Libya, the Middle East and others in Africa. This is the same NATO/ CIA trying to bring in their “new world order.” We live in the reality of NATO interventions. In many nations, these globalist mobsters are passing legislation to close media platforms that don’t adhere to their narrative, and to take away our ability to freely transact, while speaking out the other side of their mouth of democracy. They have taken away Nigeria’s power grid and industry. An end to this is coming. The church is pressed on every side, but not forsaken. We will come out stronger.
When the US government overcomes its current corruption, and the global imperialists who have taken it over are routed, who preach the lie that the West has a “moral duty” to police the world, then free nations will hear the church and become a light. We are praying towards it.
We are called to have a conscience for how our actions or lack of action impact those who suffer. As a boy I was part of a small mob who picked on a defenceless peer and caused him humiliation and pain. When I saw his silent tears, I saw the suffering of Jesus and decided Jesus was the one I must identify with. Mostly, I have lacked the courage to do it. The mob is scary and often has control. The scripture teaches us not to stand passively with the mob. This is the suffering of Christ.
Mangu Computer Centre
We are setting up a Christian/ Muslim committee in Mangu to start a computer centre, to build relationships and educate the youth, giving them hope for the future. These centres have worked in every other region of violence where we have established them. Such centres shine the light, shame darkness and those involved in it, and give people a vision of restoration to follow.
We pray God puts mercy in hearts in Mangu and throughout our state and nation, taking out vengeance. It’s hard to give up the hunger for revenge, but vengeance is always wrong, and dangerous for everybody. We must always respond by taking violence out of our communities. This works.
Mangu Students Pray Together
Click here to play a video of CFM’s bible college students singing in our Registrar’s office. These are some of our students from the Mangu Local Government Area. Three students lost family members, 19 had their families displaced by the attack.
CFM Mothers
This is a motorised tricycle, delivering two new beds and a lounge suite, for a new flat for the aged widow mother of one of CFM’s leaders: Kate Shettima. We are building Kate’s mother her own flat in her village: this rented one flat is temporary. The two mattresses were on top before the photo was taken.
We are so happy for these better conditions for our mother. Locally made.
Responding to ongoing brutal violence, once again close to us this week, is a massive challenge but our many years of experience and faith both teach that the church, with the grace and power of Jesus, can bring change. Here at a frontline, we help the survivors, focusing on children and young people, to rebuild their lives, and communities, drawing hope and strength from God's word and his presence.
Thank you for your ongoing prayers for these precious people. If you are able to help financially they will appreciate it, and thank God for your lives.
Love in Jesus from Kent, Ruth and team
Giving In Australia A/C Name: Christian Faith Ministries Int., BSB: 032870, A/C# 207255 Donations to CFMI are not tax-deductible in Australia. However, you can give towards tax-deductible projects in CFM, where 100% of your gift goes towards your specified project, if you contact us for details before you give.
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We don’t have any admin fees. 100% of what is given to CFMI goes to our projects in Nigeria. Our admin costs are covered by volunteers. Kent & Ruth receive no wage from CFMI. No address is added to CFM's news email address list without a personal request. See www.cfaithministries.org.