Nigeria Update #4 - Sunday 12/2/12

Update #4

We were not able to post from Nigeria as we had planned. This is an update that I wrote while there. Please scroll down for additional updates or see a list of Recent Posts to the left.

2:05 PM

We had service in Bro. Shobanke's main church this morning. There was a great crowd and God was present to work among his people.

Odie recorded a video clip on her iPad before we came for Bro. Shobanke's church. We played that for them this morning and they loved it.

We filmed their response for Odie. It was very enthusiastic. I will try to post it for you. They love Odie in Nigeria.

Then we presented a surprise gift from Odie. Odie bought a full sized Yamaha keyboard for Bro. Shobanke's church. It is a Yamaha P-95. It really is an amazing gift.

This is their response to Odie's gift.

Thank you Odie for your sacrificial gift for the church in Nigeria. You should have seen their response. They will never forget how you demonstrated your love for them.

God will not forget it either. He will bless you for your thoughtfulness and generosity. You sure made your old Dad proud.

Bro. Shobanke's people are so easy and enjoyable to preach to. It was great today.

Bro. Shobanke has a two story building on the church property and they use the second story for a prayer room. This is the prayer room.

There have been some mighty prayer meetings in this room.

The view from the prayer tower.

The building on the left is the church and the two story building on the right is the Sunday School and children's church.

The side of the church.

The front of the church from the road.

Bro. Lockwood and I passed out candy to the children in Sunday School.

Inside Bro. Shobanke's church on Sunday morning.

We begin the Gospel Crusade tonight on the grounds of the new church branch tonight. They are coming to pick us up in less than 2 hours.

It is time for some rest. We slept almost none after 12:00 last night. It was a long restless night but we got a lot of praying done.

The rest of Sunday's news will be in the next post.

Davy

Nigeria Update # 3 - Saturday 12/1/12

Update #3
We were not able to post from Nigeria as we had planned. This is an update that I wrote while there. Please scroll down for additional updates.


5:50 AM
Our sleep has been a little restless tonight but we did sleep some and that is good. Thank God for rest.

We laid down about 10:40 and about 5:25 they turned off the generator to let it "rest." It is 5:50 now and it just came back on and the air conditioning came back with it! Wow! It gets warm in here quick.

Speaking of warmth, I believe that two summers of tent revivals have prepared me well. I was hot preaching last night but my body handled it better than it used too.

The weather is warmer than it was during our last visit but it is not unbearable at all. As I said, tent revivals may have helped with that. The forecast was mid nineties for this week but we do have the option of retreating to the air conditioning. That is an option that most here do not have.

11:45 AM
We rested better this morning. Of course morning here is middle of the night for us so no wonder we rest good then. Lol.

I went out for a walk this morning. I took some pictures and interacted with workers in the motel and people passing by.

The front door of the Hotel.

The gates from the street.

Streets around the motel.

When walking around the neighborhood, a white man of my size in African clothes is hard to miss in Abeokuta. Their curiosity gives me a chance to tell them why I am here and invite them to the meetings. It is usually very easy here to turn the conversation to Christ and what He wants to do in their lives.

The whole society is more open to religion and I rarely get a complete brushoff that is common in the states. I want God to help me win as many as possible. Western culture is invading here at a rapid pace so the openness may lessen with time.

It is imperative to live for Christ rather than self. Our dreams, our desires, our ambitions are so empty. Life lived for money, things and stuff is so vain.

It is vain at home and vain in Nigeria. It is vain to live for much stuff and it is vain to live for much less stuff. It is vain and worthless to live to please self.

O, God, help us to live for you and your glory. Help us to turn men's attention from self to you. Help us to win men and women to Christ.

3:00
Bro. Shobanke picked us up about 12:30 to go eat lunch. We requested Chicken Republic so that is where we went. It is very close to the hotel we are staying in.

Chicken Republic is the only restaurant the we have visited in Nigeria besides the hotel restaurants. It is very good roasted chicken and we enjoy it very much.

Bro. Gary made friends fast with candy.

After a great meal and fellowship Bro. Gary and I walked around the neighborhood looking for opportunities to witness.

We talked with one family quite a bit and invited them and several others to church. It would be great to win them and some of the hotel guests and workers to Christ.

We are leaving for church about 5:00 so I need to make sure I am ready to preach.

10:50 PM
Church tonight was at a second branch of Christ Ambassadors Holiness Church. Bro. Isaiah is the pastor at this branch.

We were also there in 2009 so this is our second visit. The Christian school that has operated since 2010 is located at that branch.

The Christian school is a very needful endeavor here and a great evangelistic tool. We have helped with the finances in the school as we have been able so we were glad to see it. Hopefully we can see it in operation this week.

We had an excellent service tonight. I ran, danced, jumped up and crawled on the floor while I was preaching.

I know that none of that is necessary in order to preach. But I was the one preaching tonight and it felt necessary and good to me!



The response in the altar was wonderful. God touched many that came to the front. Bro. Shobanke was anointed as he prayed for the sick and the people felt it.

The back corner of the church is in the right side of this picture and the school is behind us.

Pastor Isaiah is the second from the right.

Thank you to everyone that determined to pray for service #2. God certainly answered your prayer in a mighty way.

Tomorrow morning we will be in the main Christ Ambassadors Church. I am looking forward to being there again.

God bless and goodnight.

Davy