Dear Friends,
Pray for Nigeria in our presidential election. See comments further below.
A woman’s conference at one of CFM’s mission stations last weekend. Our bible college dean, Mrs Adinga, travelled far into the bush to spend the weekend with our women. We are now training hundreds of pastors at Wurin Alheri from and for this state.
When Joseph ruled Egypt, after the drought all Egyptians were Pharaoh’s slaves. Israelites in Goshen may have said that was their just deserts, and not helped them: weren’t they pagans, enemies? Later, Israel were made slaves by the same people. When God took Israel out, he told them not to think they were better than others but to be grateful for his mercy. He taught them to love the foreigner, care for strangers, widows, orphans, enemies. This was Jubilee. If they lived this, they would never be slaves again. But they didn’t. Deborah, Gideon, David… again and again, by God’s mercy set them free. Finally, Jesus modelled Jubilee life and said if we believe (follow him) we will never again be slaves, and would never die. This is freedom.
Last Tuesday we visited one of CFM’s rural schools and three mission stations within an hour’s drive of each other. We work with the local people. They mould mud blocks and gather wood, stones and sand and we provide cement and corrugated-iron roofing sheets. The school below is adding more rooms for more children. These children wouldn’t have the opportunity to hear the gospel or have education without missions. Most of them come from a depraved pagan background, now coming to Christ. The Muslim king at first stood against us. We could have fought him in court, but our missionaries gave him respect and a year later he gave us approval for the Christian school, which now includes Muslims. One of our church buildings was burnt down and our missionaries’ lives threatened. They trusted God, rebuilt and today thousands have come to Christ and hundreds have been trained to transform the region.
Even in these remote areas, there is huge support for Peter Obi, a presidential candidate for this Saturday’s election. It’s just by word of mouth. There is no money for heavy campaigning. Peter’s support is across the board: no matter the ethnic, religious or age group. Voter registration among youth (Nigeria’s huge sector) has risen from 46% to 83%. It’s the greatest grass-roots political movement in Nigerian history. Peter is honest, simple, tried, and successful in governance. His policies include releasing Nigeria’s energy resources, industrialisation, banks serving the people, not foreign masters, and sovereign pan-African development. He is traditional old-labour, free of divisive identity politics, abhorrent to African culture.
The current Muslim President Buhari is doing all within his legal power to ensure these elections are fair, even not endorsing his own party candidate. The infamous voting machines have made their way to Nigeria, so the outcome is unsure. The wicked could use other factors to bring instability. But the tide in Africa is turning. We don’t apologise for comment here: the welfare of a billion Africans requires Christ’s light to shine, to move us in an honest, hopeful, and peaceful process, out of the control of destructive nihilist oligarchs. Wilberforce proved it can be done, facing down the British East India Company, like Moses, choosing to suffer with Christ, over the benefits of empire. Or David Livingstone, who loved Africa and gave his life to share Christ, unite tribes and liberate our economy from slavery.
Gabriel Aiso, one of his caps is director of CFM’s missions stations. Local food on the go. You wouldn’t get harder workers than CFM’s leaders like Gabriel, but they never look like it.
Communism is government ruling society directly by its own agencies. Policies are enforced. Fascism is government and corporations colluding to rule society: policies are enforced. Do nations have democracy? Corporations and governments run joint “information and truth” campaigns to bend society to compliance. Democracy is local communities searching out truth, without fear or favour, government protecting this freedom. If people desire government “by the people” for their children, they must restore this freedom. Nigeria, like Israel of old, is an example of allowing government to be taken over by global forces: benefits at first, then slavery. God offers us Jubilee.
Bible college students sift sand and mix it with cement, fetch water from our dam, carry blocks and gravel to the upper floor, dampen setting concrete three times per day, working on Mara’s House for persecuted women. They also water 2,000 growing trees throughout the dry season.
At CFM’s computer centre, Yola, a day’s drive from Jos. Local school on a learning excursion.
We ask for prayer as we head into election Saturday, for truth and peace to prevail. If these don’t prevail at first, they eventually must if we continue to bring Christ’s light. If we wish to bequeath righteousness to our children, we must pursue it ourselves and for our nation, as diligently as the thirsty seek for water in the desert.
Thank you for supporting CFM, as the Lord enables us to take the gospel to many.
Love in Christ, Kent, Ruth and the team
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