[0:00] Cascade of everything down the desk. Well, thank you very much for your warm welcome and for your invitation to speak here.! I'd like to thank Reverend Thomas Davis for his invitation for me to speak.
[0:13] Obviously, he's not with us tonight. But also, I'd like to thank Gordon McLeod, who's here as a trainee minister. We've known Gordon for many years.
[0:24] We also know his wife, Gillian, very well. And Margaret was a particular friend with Gillian's mom and dad for many years. So we've known the families for quite some time. Margaret and I used to work with WEG International.
[0:36] And we used to come to the islands every year. So we've been to the islands many times before. Last year was our first time visiting with Mission Africa. So I've been working with Mission Africa since 2012.
[0:48] And last year we were invited to come and we had some meetings up here. So this year, we're back again. This morning, we were in St. Columbus, Church of Scotland, where we're with you this evening.
[1:01] We're meetings on Tuesday night, Wednesday lunchtime, Wednesday morning, Wednesday evening, Thursday evening. And then next Sunday morning, we're at Lox Church of Scotland. And next Sunday evening, we're in Uig, along with Bernara.
[1:13] So we're getting around the island. We're getting to see the sights. And if the weather's like this, we'll be very happy indeed. But the most important thing is having the opportunity to share God's word with God's people.
[1:26] And just to come with you today and to be able to share with you. And what I want to do is to look at the action of prayer from Nehemiah chapter 1.
[1:38] Now, thank you very much for the reading of that chapter. I've had it in my notes here, so I'm not going to read it again. But really kind of as an introduction, Nehemiah's prayer is often spoken of as like a kind of a lifeline of a believer.
[1:56] The bridge between our human weakness and God's divine power. Yet too often, prayer is treated as a mere ritual or last resort.
[2:07] In the book of Nehemiah, we encounter a man whose life exemplifies that true prayer is not passive, but active. It moves the hand of God and stirs the heart of the one praying into action.
[2:24] Nehemiah's story begins not in Jerusalem, but in Susa. Nehemiah's story begins with the citadel of the Persian king. He is serving as the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, a position of trust, honour, but also of limitation.
[2:42] And when the news reaches him that those who survived the exile and who are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace because of the walls of Jericho being broken down and its gates burned and destroyed by fire, Nehemiah is broken.
[2:56] His response, far from immediately acting in his own strength, is to fall to his knees in prayer and worship.
[3:08] And we're told he prays for days. For days, it says, he mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
[3:21] And then he prayed the specific prayer that we have before us in this passage. So, when we come to Nehemiah's prayer, I want us to notice from this prayer four actions that Nehemiah took in his prayer.
[3:42] So from this prayer springs the action that changes really the course of a nation. So, first of all, he reflected on the awesome majesty of God.
[3:57] Secondly, he reminded God of his promise to restore his people if they repent. Thirdly, he prayed very specifically about his situation.
[4:09] And fourthly, he took God's perspective on things. So, firstly then, he reflected on God's awesome power and majesty, verse 5.
[4:23] Before Nehemiah poured out his heart and presented his needs to God, he reminded himself of who this awesome God really is, whom he worships.
[4:33] Then I said, Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and who keep his commandments. And he addresses him here as Lord.
[4:47] And in the text, you'll find its capitals, L-O-R-D. And this is the way that the writers have introduced the name of God, the name by which God revealed himself to Moses, the great I am God, the one who was there before time began, the one who is there in all eternity, and the one who will be there after everything is finished.
[5:11] He calls him the God of heaven, thus acknowledging his position. He is not hindered or restricted by earthly characteristics or entanglements, but rather he is over and above the earth and the heavens, for he created them.
[5:27] He is the great and awesome covenant maker and covenant keeping God. And by reflecting on God's awesome power and majesty, Nehemiah frames his situation and his challenges within the context of a God who is all-powerful and well-able to meet all his needs and deal with seemingly impossible situations.
[5:54] Ring a couple of bells. The life we face, the challenges that come upon us, the difficulties that come our way, there's a word for us. Secondly, he reminded God of his covenant promise to restore his people if they repent, verses 8 to 10.
[6:11] Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, Nehemiah says, saying, If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the father's horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.
[6:32] They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. So having confessed his sin and the sin of his people and the sin of his family, he then reminds God of his covenant with his people.
[6:49] That if they repent from their sin, which they confess, then he will restore them. And he will bring them back from the farthest places that he scattered them to.
[7:04] Do you know by the New Testament period, there were still more Jews in the diaspora, in the dispersion, than in the Holy Land. They were scattered. So he reminded God of his promise.
[7:20] And then thirdly, he prays very specifically, verse 11b. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.
[7:34] Now, as Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king, he knew that he shouldn't be visibly sad in the king's presence. Yet his heart was heavy with the trouble and disgrace suffered by his own people and his own countrymen and the state of Jerusalem.
[7:54] So Nehemiah needed success that day as he spoke to the king. So he was very specific in his prayer.
[8:06] And fourthly, he took God's perspective on things. Because he spoke about the king as this man.
[8:19] You see, he was this all-powerful, seemingly authoritative king, King Artaxerxes. He was the power in the area. What he said went. Whatever he decided was acted upon immediately.
[8:34] And really, Nehemiah's life was in his hands. But Nehemiah knew that there was a God in heaven whom he'd already discussed with himself as the all-powerful, awesome, truly awesome, majestic God.
[8:50] And God's view on this king was very different from man's view of this king. Because he was just a man. So Nehemiah was able to take God's perspective on what seemed to him to be an impossible situation.
[9:07] Give me favor in the eyes of this man. So what can we learn from this experience of prayer in Nehemiah's life?
[9:19] And how does that impact us today? Whereas we pray for the extension of God's kingdom around the world with a missions theme. And we're going to be talking about that just in a few minutes.
[9:30] And we recognize that you have this missions theme every month. And I'm very pleased to be able to come and share that with you this evening. I believe there are four things that we can learn from Nehemiah's prayer.
[9:41] Firstly, we can reflect on God's awesome power and majesty despite opposition to the gospel.
[9:54] There are many countries today that we would term as closed to the gospel. Missionaries don't have access to these countries. They're not allowed to go in as missionaries. They've got to find some other route in.
[10:06] They've maybe got to be a teacher of English. They've maybe got to be an engineer. They've maybe got to be a doctor. They've got to have some sort of skill to offer to the country that the country does not have. You cannot go in to preach the gospel.
[10:20] But while they're there with that particular skill, then they would take opportunities sensitively to preach the gospel, to make the name of Christ known to those who have never heard of him.
[10:34] And so when we consider the opportunities in missions today, we see situations where there's tremendous opposition to the gospel and even where the gospel is flatly persecuted.
[10:48] There are many countries, including Nigeria today, where Christians are persecuted for their faith. Many Middle Eastern countries, countries like China even. There are North Korea, many countries where you're not allowed to be a Christian publicly and declare your faith and witness and preach the gospel outside of the building.
[11:06] And so we come to a God in these situations and we want to reflect on his awesome majesty and power.
[11:16] We want to put our situations, if you like, within the context of this awesome God. So it's good to reflect on God's majesty. And then secondly, it's important that we remind Jesus of his promise.
[11:33] Do you remember when he was speaking to the disciples and they asked the disciples, who is it the men that people say I am? And they gave various answers or they say you're a prophet or you're Isaiah or you're this or that.
[11:44] And Jesus said to them, and who do you say I am? And the apostle Peter spoke up and said, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. And Jesus said, the Holy Spirit's revealed this to you, Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.
[12:00] And he was talking about the rock of his own salvation, the rock of who he was, the son of the living God. And on this rock, this immovable rock, for Peter, his name was Petros, a small stone, a pebble if you like.
[12:14] But the rock of Christ was immovable. It was magnificent. It was all-encompassing. I will build my church.
[12:26] And the gates of hell will not prevail against it. In other words, the gates of hell will not prove stronger for this advancing church. The gates of hell will be burst open as the church of Christ moves forward.
[12:38] And so when we come to our world today and we come to situations which to us may seem impossible, think of North Korea, where you cannot go as a Christian.
[12:52] Think of parts of China. Think of parts of the Middle East. Think of parts of the Middle East.
[13:26] We've made up of a nation of millions of people taken from every tribe and nation and tongue on earth. Including, let me remind you, North Korea. Let me remind you of people in China.
[13:39] Let me remind you of people in the Middle East where the gospel cannot be preached. But Sat 7 goes beams in there every day and people are being converted through the means of radio and television. Remind Jesus of his word.
[13:52] And we come authoritatively. Because Jesus has said it. And therefore we can believe it. So when we come to pray for impossible situations, we can say they're impossible to me, but they're not impossible to God.
[14:07] Remind Jesus of his promise. Thirdly, pray very specific prayers. Do you know, we're going to be showing a few pictures and a couple of video clips of situations in Nigeria in just a minute or two.
[14:25] We've had the privilege to visit Nigeria. I've been there eight times. Margot's been with me seven times. And it's just a joy to go to that country. But we have many Nigerian families in our home church, which is Hamilton Baptist Church.
[14:36] Many Nigerian families. And some of them are quite scared to go back to Nigeria because of the difficulties and troubles. There are many Christians being persecuted and killed, especially in the north of Nigeria by Boko Haram.
[14:48] You'll remember the Chibok girls, 500 girls taken from that school by Boko Haram. Most returned, not all. There have been others who have been taken. Kidnaps. Shootings.
[14:59] Killings. Nigeria was found itself to the top of the hit list, if you like. Put up by Release International. Countries where Christians are persecuted.
[15:11] Life is very short for many Christians. So when we hear of situations and opportunities to respond to the gospel, it's good to pray specific prayers.
[15:23] Lord, will you reach into that situation? Would you deal with that corruption? Would you come to this family? Would you provide for that couple? And be very specific, like Nehemiah was.
[15:37] I'm sure there's places for that kind of prayer as we come to God in prayer. Pray specific prayers. And finally, take God's perspective on things.
[15:50] When we come to impossible situations, don't be hoodwinked, if you like, by the devil to see things from our perspective. Soar on wings like eagles, as it were, and see things from God's perspective.
[16:04] The awesome God. The majestic one. The one who rules over the heavens and the earth. The one who wants to hear our prayers and delights in our prayers. And the one who can look upon the greatest power on earth as just this man.
[16:18] I can deal with him. I can sort that. Wouldn't that be great? Don't look from our perspective. Look from God's perspective. There's four things that we can learn from Nehemiah's prayer.
[16:30] So, his people's need focused Nehemiah's prayer. And tonight I want us to pray for Mission Africa in three particular areas.
[16:43] I'm going to talk a little bit about this. Child and student sponsorship. The student sponsorship is a new thing. Hospital outreach to leprosy patients. And Fulani evangelism.
[16:56] And we'll come to those in just a minute. But to begin with Mission Africa. It all started in Nigeria in 1887. With a man from Northern Ireland. Following the call of God. And answering the call.
[17:07] To go out to Nigeria to preach the gospel. And the work began there. And it spread and developed throughout Nigeria. And a number of years later. Missionaries were called also to Burkina Faso. So workers began to go into Burkina Faso.
[17:20] Likewise, Chad became one of our fields. We had a medical couple going there. More recently we've had a family. Been there for a number of years. Working amongst vulnerable women. More recently, over the last 15 years.
[17:32] We've had young teams. Particularly young folks. But not always young people. Going out to Kenya short term. Back in 2024. There were 40 people who went over short term. To Kenya in the summer.
[17:42] Last year there were 80. Went out short term to Kenya. So it's remarkable what God's doing. And taking young people out there. To serve short term outreach in Kenya. Not all young people.
[17:53] Sometimes church teams. Sometimes building teams. Sometimes school and college. Or university teams. Going out. Groups of people who know each other. And who worked and served together. Kenya.
[18:04] And more latterly. Cote d'Ivoire has been our most recent mission team. So the mission used to be called the Kwaibo mission. Mission. Because it began in the mouth of the Kwaibo River in Nigeria.
[18:17] But it became very obvious to the members of the mission. That we could no longer call it that. Because we're working now in all these countries. And so the name was changed to Mission Africa. The mission has four main emphases.
[18:28] That would be evangelism. Medical training. And compassion. And we used to go out for two or three weeks to Nigeria. And here we are leaving London Airport. Heading out to the country of Nigeria.
[18:40] There's a wee outline and a kind of highlight. To let you see just the country itself. And we come in. Flying into Abuja, the capital city. And we make our way six and a half hours south. To Kogi State.
[18:52] We travel along roads that every Nigerian travels along. And when we were talking to the young folk this morning. I was showing one or two pictures. And saying, what do you see is different in these pictures. From what you see driving on the roads here.
[19:04] On the islands. Or in UK. And I asked them, how many people are on that motorbike? Can anybody give me answers? How many people are on that motorbike? Three. How many? Three. One more.
[19:15] One more. Man riding it. The lady in the yellow top. The lady in the red top. And the baby on the back. So you're excused for missing out one. No problem at all. And then I asked them, how many of them are wearing crash helmets?
[19:29] Nobody. Nobody. Yeah. So it's a bit different out there. And then of course if you've got lots of luggage. Where do you put it if it doesn't fit in the boot? Well, you put it on the roof. And I would say there's a real art in that.
[19:39] I don't know how that car doesn't fall over. Whereas it goes around the corner. But that's how some of them drive out there. And he's not alone. There's a pal of his and another road in a similar kind of vehicle. And then if you go into market with your wood.
[19:50] And it won't all fit in the car. Well then you fit the rest of it on the roof of your car. So there's no way he's going to look out his rear view mirror. And see anybody behind him. And then one of the things that we encounter when we're traveling along these roads.
[20:02] Is police checks. And here we have these tires filled with sand or cement. And you weave your way around. And in that little hut on the left. There's usually an armed guard of some sort. Carrying a loaded collection of AK-47 rifle.
[20:16] And he's wanting to know where you're going. And where you've come from. And whether you'll give him any money. And what have you got for him. And so on and so forth. They're checking to make sure the road is clear of bandits. And armed robbers.
[20:27] So they're trying to make our travels safe. Which is very good. So we're very pleased about that. So we're heading south. Six and a half hours to Cokie State. To see the child sponsorship program.
[20:39] And the child sponsorship program. There are a few leaflets at the back of the hall. Including some copies of our current magazine. But I want to show you this little green leaf. There are actually four leaflets.
[20:50] A white one. A kind of a coral colored one. A blue one. And the green one. And the green one is entitled Circle of Hope. And that's all about our child sponsorship program. And for 20 pounds a month.
[21:02] You can sponsor a child in Nigeria. On the program. So we sponsor a wee girl. Called Mercy. And our church's Sunday school. Sponsor a wee boy called Michael. And when we arrived there.
[21:13] We asked Innocent. Who runs the program. Innocent. That's a great name isn't it? He runs the program. And we said. Can you take us. And introduce us to our sponsored children. No problem he said. So on the Saturday we arrived there. We met some of the sponsored kids.
[21:24] Having a wee sing song. So our Lord is good.
[21:52] That's what they're singing. They're so pleased to be able to rejoice in the Lord. Our Lord is good. And then Margaret asked Innocent. About the sponsored program. Where does the money go? Does it all go to the sponsored child? And this was his answer. Every Saturday.
[22:04] The children come to the Saturday program. To be hearing the word of God. We teach them Bible studies. And then encourage them. To also trust in the Lord.
[22:16] For probation. So specifically. The child. Every child. Has a sponsor. Probably been sponsored by the church. By an individual. Or a group of individuals.
[22:27] And any form to be sent. Is specifically going to the child. And the joy of it is that. The child being sponsored has other siblings. Of course.
[22:38] You see. That when you visit some families. You see them like maybe. Four, five, six children. And the mother. Is taking care of them. The father.
[22:48] They've got their father. And the children. Will be sleeping on the floor. On the ground. And of course. I remember. In December. We share mattresses.
[22:59] For the children. And so. Having gotten the mattress. And taken home. There is a lot of joy. In the family. Because a lot of the siblings. Share in the mattresses.
[23:11] So. The child gets his sponsorship. Also encourage the family. More specifically. The sponsorship is made for. For the child. So. Although we sponsor every month.
[23:22] Twenty pounds. At Christmas time. We're invited to donate. Another twenty pounds. And all the children. In the sponsorship program. Receive a gift. And this year. It was a mattress. So all the children. Received a mattress.
[23:32] We'll see a mattress. In just a minute. So we went in. With the car. With Innocent. And this wee girl. Mercy. Towards Michael's home. And we drove this road. Because that's the road. That Michael and Mercy.
[23:43] Would walk every Saturday. To their sponsor program. We pass the river. Where the mothers. Collect water for drinking. Where they wash their clothes. And where they wash their children. So everything happens.
[23:54] In the river. And then at the top of the hill. We turn left. And cut along another road. Toward Michael's house. And this is the road. That you need to be careful. The potholes there on the left. Doesn't swallow your car.
[24:05] And then we leave the car. And we walk towards Michael's house. Through the trees. At the back of the house. We gather with them. You can see there. The washing line. The beauty of Africa. Is when you wash the clothes. By lunchtime. They're all bone dry.
[24:16] It's great. Isn't it? And here's Michael. In the green t-shirt. With his mother. Beside him. And so I'm going to. We interview with them. Her voice is quite quiet. So I'll try and bump up the audio here.
[24:28] But let you hear. Her name is Mercy Toda. And she's 36 years old. Here we go. Okay.
[24:38] My name is Mercy Toda. How old are you? I'm 36. Oh. How many children do you have? Five children. Five children.
[24:50] What do you mean? I have Sunday. Esther. Duna. Jeremiah. I'm my care. What about this one? Yes. My father is dead.
[25:00] Oh. So they're not taking care of them? Yes. I'm going to take care of them. How long did you last week? Three years ago. Yes. Okay. He died three years ago. Yes. Okay. How would you say?
[25:12] My care? My care is. His sister is now. Oh. My care is 60. Yes. My care what class are you? She knows three. No, zero. Two months. Three. No, zero. Three. No.
[25:22] Are you happy to go to school? Yes. He's happy. Since they put in school, he's happy. Okay. You know, since he's paradise, he's always going to school. Oh. So I thank God for...
[25:33] Is all your children going to school? Not all of them. Okay. Why? Because of money. Who are going to school among them? They're two.
[25:45] They're one of the extreme. Okay. How old are they? One is 14, one is 16. And they're not going to school? They're not going to school? They're not going to school.
[25:56] Okay. Okay. Your favorite sponsor for the people to go to school? Of course. Yes. Yes. Um, what do you...
[26:06] Yep. Yeah. What can you tell the sponsor of Michael? Okay. I'm telling them for all the work they have done for us. Tell them to give us food. Other food source and materials for Michael works.
[26:19] And food. They gave us new mattress last time. We were so happy before we used to land on the ground. So since they gave all the mattress, we are very happy. I want to thank God. May God bless all of you for helping us.
[26:36] Okay. Thank you for that. Thank you. May God bless you. We hope that God will be sent here tomorrow. Thank you. May God bless you. So you are that to be sponsored. Thank you, sir. May God bless you.
[26:49] May God bless you. May God bless you. May God bless all of you. Thank you. You can hear she was very appreciative of the gifts and the support that the sponsor brings to her because she couldn't afford to pay for the schooling from Michael.
[27:02] Her husband died three years ago and she's left with five children, age 36. Well, this is the mattress that we gave to Michael at Christmas time. As you can see, it's a large mattress. So his mum and three siblings join him on that.
[27:14] So it's a great place to sleep. It saves some sleeping on the floor. She took a wee sheet off it to let us actually see the whole mattress. But they do sleep on a sheet. But when we showed this to our Sunday school at our church, some of the boys said, he doesn't have a downie and he doesn't have any pillows.
[27:30] And then there's nothing in his room and he's got no toys. And things began to, all right, it's not quite the same as my bedroom. So that was very interesting going there.
[27:41] So after we left Michael's, we went off to visit that wee girl, her house. Her name's Mercy. She's our wee sponsor girl. And this is where she stays. And here's a wee interview with Mercy. She's mesmerized by the camera.
[27:53] Here, watch this. Mercy, what's your name? My name is Mercy. She's a brother. Oh, how old are you? Eight years. Eight years. Yes. How many brothers you have?
[28:04] Two brothers. What's your name? I'm a sister. How many sisters do you have? One. One sister. What's her name? Domi. Her name is Dominion.
[28:16] Yes. Okay. Which school do you attend? St. Teresa. St. Teresa. Okay. What class are you? I'm not returning. You're not returning? Yes.
[28:26] Okay. Do you enjoy sponsorship program? Yes. Okay. Okay. Do you enjoy sponsorship program? Yes. What and what are you doing in sponsorship program?
[28:39] Yeah. I'm not going to ask you. Picking play. Okay. You play in Sanjay program? Yes. What again? I'm sorry, P.
[28:52] On the Saturday program. What again? Do you remember? Memory verse. Memory verse. Can you say any memory verse to you?
[29:03] No? All right. Say it again. John 10, 13. Ah, Father, I won. John 10, 13. I am the Father, I won. She's thinking of another one now.
[29:15] John 11, 36. Jesus wept. John 11, 36. Jesus wept. Well done. Who are you staying with?
[29:27] Mercy. My grandmother. Your grandmother. Yes. Okay. Well done. Mercy. John 11, 36. Jesus wept. That was the second memory verse.
[29:37] So it's nice and short. This is her grandmother. And she's looking after six children altogether. There are some of them. And they had us in their home just to greet us there. So that was a privilege for us to see.
[29:49] Just to be part of what Mission Africa is seeking to do with these children. Many of them have lost one or more of the parents. Sometimes they've lost both parents. And the families are left unable to cope with the financial burdens.
[30:00] And especially with the rate of inflation as it is now. When I went to Nigeria in 2012 I could get 300 naira with one pound. When we went there in January we got 1,950 naira to one pound.
[30:13] So the inflation is just through the roof. So let me now move on briefly to hospital outreach. Leprosy ward on a Sunday afternoon. One of the hospitals we visit in Corky State is called Holly Memorial Hospital.
[30:27] And on a Sunday afternoon one of our missionaries has been holding outreaches to the leprosy patients. And there are three particularly that she was showing great interest in. Because they were Fulani leprosy patients.
[30:38] Now I've blacked out a few faces here. Because this is being live streamed. And it could be seen by folks. And we don't want them to see. Don't want you to see their faces. But here you can see Margaret there.
[30:49] And Janet our doctor who was out there as a missionary. This particular man here his face is blanked out. He was a Fulani. And you can see from his hands and his feet. Leprosy has eaten away many of his digits.
[31:03] But you know he showed great interest in the gospel. And Janet was talking about the story of Potiphar and Joseph. The story of Joseph's life. And you know God spoke to this man and to two others.
[31:13] A young girl and another lady. And a short while later. David Onucci whom you're going to be seeing in just a couple of seconds. Is our evangelist to Fulani. And he happened to be.
[31:24] There you go. God does some amazing things by chance doesn't he. He happened to be in the hospital for an eye test. And Janet mentioned to him that she'd been speaking to these three folks. And David went out and spoke to them.
[31:34] And shared the gospel with them. And the Lord converted them. The spirit of God converted them that day. And they gave their life to Christ. And they started a new life in Christ. I can't show you the pictures.
[31:45] Because we want to retain security for them. But it was a delight for David to be part of that birthing if you like. For these new believers from the Fulani. Because the Fulani can be a very aggressive people.
[31:57] The Fulani are cattle herders. They reckon they're between 50 and 80 million Fulani. That's spread right across the whole of Africa. From the west coast to the east coast. They reckon there are about 15 Fulani cattle herders within Nigeria.
[32:10] And they roam with their cattle. And you know it's amazing. You can be in Abuja the capital city. On a dual carriageway. And you look out to the side. And there are these herds of cattle. And I'm thinking where on earth are they going?
[32:21] And where have they come from? And where are they going to graze their cattle? Where are they going to feed on in this city? And they're amazing how they find food. But some of the problems in Nigeria have been the conflict.
[32:33] Developed through settled farmers. Who've settled down. Who've grown their crops. Who've tended their crops. And growing their crops. And the cattle herders come in with their cattle. And the cattle destroy the crops.
[32:43] Either trample it to the ground. Or they eat all the crops. And that's been the source of much tension. And much bloodshed in Nigeria. So pray for Nigeria. And pray for the Fulani outreach.
[32:54] Here's our brother David Onuchi. He's been a missionary for 40 years this year in Nigeria. And for the last 13 years. He's been a missionary to the Fulani.
[33:04] He was telling us 10 years ago when we were there. That the Fulani. The problem is because they're moving so much. There's no education. Their children don't get education. So David offered some of the Fulani herders.
[33:15] Can we. Would you be happy for me to teach your children? Oh yes please. They'd be delighted. So. Back in 2018. David set up this school. For the Fulani children.
[33:27] And it's been running all that time. He's staffed it with four Christian teachers. Who teach the whole spectrum of education as needed. But they also teach them scripture. Bible verses.
[33:37] Memory verses. The story of Christ. And they lay it before them. The gospel. And you know the Fulani cattle herders. Who have settled in that area. Here are some of the houses. That they live in. And while we were gathering in the school.
[33:49] And being taken around the school. Some of the chiefs of the village came out. Along with their entourage. To meet us. But after. After we'd gone through the school. And met the teachers. The four teachers.
[33:59] And seen the classrooms. All the kids gathered. And they gave us a kind of special celebration. They sang some hymns. Some songs. And they did a wee kind of. We presentation for us. And this village king.
[34:11] Was there also. And here's a picture. Of him. With us. Now I'm sorry. But the faces have been grayed out. But they were all there. And we don't want their faces to be seen on the internet.
[34:22] But they were there to greet us. And we were able to pray for them. In the name of Christ. And seek God's blessing. Upon them. So there's a great work being done amongst the Fulani. By our brother. David Onucci.
[34:34] Would you pray for David. For his safety. Twice he sat to flee for his life. Jumping on his motorcycle. Taking his wife with him. And leaving everything behind. While his house was burned to the ground.
[34:45] By Fulani. He settled in another village. Within the day. He was evangelizing the Fulani. He's got a heart for the Fulani. Would you pray for David.
[34:55] And the outreach among the Fulani. And then. After the school was finished. The girls just flocked around Margaret. Because they wanted to. To touch her white skin. And see what she was like. And they.
[35:05] They just loved that. And then the Christian teachers. Gathered around us. There's three women there. And a man on the extreme left hand side. Beside David. And then afterwards. We invited to David's home. Where his wife.
[35:17] Agnes had cooked us a meal. One of the beloved. The brothers on the left. Whose face is blacked out. He was one of three. Converted Fulani. That David had in his home. And we met them afterwards. And we were able to interview them.
[35:28] And this man told. Of how he was. Persecuted by his own Fulani. Brothers. When he became a Christian. They took his cattle away from him. Now for the Fulani. That's like your family.
[35:38] That's like your own people. They took all his cattle. They took his wife and his children. And they took them to the far extreme end. End of Nigeria. To remove them. Thankfully they made their way back.
[35:49] They tried so hard. And then they. They did kind of. Juju things. Like they went to the witch doctor. And they came. They asked for medicine. To throw on David. To kill him. That he might be killed. On this event.
[36:00] This boy. This young man. That he might be killed. And they threw it on him. And of course God protected him. So he's got a lovely testimony. Of God's presence. And God's help. And God's protection. And he's praying.
[36:11] That God will give him more. Fulani believers. That they might reach out. To their own people. It was just a great experience. To see their smiling faces. And to hear them talking. And I asked David.
[36:21] About his evangelism. Among the Fulani. And here he is. Fulani evangelism. Well. I can say. It's not easy.
[36:34] But. By the grace of God. It's easy. The reason is. Fulani themselves. Are very skeptical. They.
[36:45] It hard. It hard them to believe. In somebody. Even they themselves. They don't believe themselves. So. When. A non-fulani is coming to them.
[36:57] They look him strange. And. Ask questions. And many other things. Some of them close their hearts. Or. Against what you are coming to say. But. When God is involved.
[37:10] When God is involved. Then. It is possible. It will be easy. So there's Nehemiah's experience. Coming in. Isn't it? Taking God's perspective on things.
[37:20] Reminding God of his promise. To. Jesus. If his promise. To build his church. Even among the Fulani. This aggressive. Perceived to be a very aggressive. Warlike people.
[37:31] Many of them are lovely people. And here's a picture. Of. Three of the converted. Fulani. Who were at lunch. With David that day. I'm so sorry. I blacked out their faces. Because we want to protect their identities. But they've come to place their trust.
[37:43] Their trust. In the Lord Jesus Christ. And God is building his church. Among the Fulani. So when you gather for prayer. Would you pray those. Some of those specific prayers.
[37:54] Would you pray for David. For his security. For his safety. For the blessing of his preaching. And evangelism. Would you pray for some of these. Fulani brothers. That their wives and family.
[38:04] Would join them in the faith. Against all odds. And all the persecutions. That they face. Would you pray for that. Fulani school. For these little boys and girls. As they hear the message.
[38:15] Of the gospel of Christ. Yes they go back home. To their Muslim families. But Christ is being put in their hearts. Would you pray that they come to know. And trust him. As their own saviour.
[38:25] And Lord. Would you pray for the child sponsorship program. For these little ones. Who lack the security of the basics of life. Because they've lost a parent. And their other family can't afford them.
[38:35] Afford it. Would you pray for the work of. Mission Africa. As you heard it tonight. I appreciate so much. Your kindness in having me to speak. And to share something of God's work in Africa.
[38:46] Through first of all. The word and prayer of Nehemiah. And I hope it encourages you. And spurs you on. To faith filled prayers. So we finally stepped.
[38:58] On our plane back home. We were delighted. Having been blessed. By our three and a half weeks in Nigeria. And we want to simply. Thank you. For the opportunity to share.
[39:09] Tonight. We're going to sing our closing hymn.