ISB Nigeria - Andrew Newham

Agents for spiritual change
Andrew Newham of the London North West Branch,  joined the International Scripture Blitz to Nigeria in November where he discovered a country desperate for change. This is his report.

 "How do I find Jesus" were the wonderful words I heard from a young girl as I distributed Testaments to the students at the Command Secondary School in Jos on the final day of our International Scripture Blitz to Nigeria in November. A few minutes later, having spoken with my fellow American Gideon Les Connell, Chineye Agu signed the back of her Testament confirming her decision to receive Christ as her Saviour.

I had arrived in Nigeria two weeks earlier nervous and realising just how much I was to be reliant on our Lord if I was to be fully part of this exciting adventure. Over the next 24 hours the team of 23 Gideons from the USA, UK, Finland, South Africa, Australia, Canada and Japan gathered at the Elomaz Hotel in Lagos.
The week began with the team conducting Church Assignments at 30 different churches in and around Lagos which meant some of us visiting two churches in the same morning. I had the joy of speaking at the Methodist Church and Redeemed Christian Church of God in Festec.

During our first week I worked with two USA Gideons and the members of the Islands Camp over on Lagos Island. This meant a one-hour journey each day from our hotel to and from the Island. The journey itself required much prayer due to the traffic and the condition of the roads.

It seems you are never far from a yellow taxi bus, taxi motor bike, street seller walking between the three lanes of traffic or potholes of various sizes when driving in and around Lagos. Not that this affects the speed of the vehicles. Many times we prayed as we journeyed!

Our work during that first week included visits to 19 schools, two hospitals, five police stations and a prison. At each school we began by visiting the Principal and presenting them and their Vice Principals with a full Bible. They would then arrange for the students to line up in the school yard where we would share with them why we were there and the plan of salvation before distributing the Testaments. Many times before we left the School, the students would ask to have their picture taken with us as they thanked us for coming.

One distribution that first week will always remain with me more than any other. This was the ministry of Innocent Odum (one of the Islands camp Gideons) to prisoners. On the Thursday of that week we were visiting the police stations in Lagos and began with Adenji police station.

Here as at the rest our first call was to the Commissioner to request permission to distribute around the station and to present them with a Full Bible for themselves. At Adenji we found that the Commissioner was a Christian who offered to lead us personally around his station, even into the holding area for prisoners.

When we arrived in the holding area the prisoners were called together and Innocent proceeded to challenge them about their lives and where they are heading, and told them about saving faith in Christ Jesus. He shared how if they accepted Christ as Saviour, not only would they be set free from their life of sin but from the place they now found themselves in. After he had finished challenging them he prayed the sinners' prayer and we witnessed a number of the prisoners praying with him.

Each prisoner was then given a Testament of their own. He encouraged them that if they truly had come to know Christ as their Saviour to contact him once they had been released. The Commissioner had remained with us in the holding area the whole time Innocent was speaking and praying for the prisoners.
Later that day at the Zone 2 Police HQ as we arrived at the small area containing the holding cells we were welcomed by the prisoners with their hands though the bars begging us for food. However once Innocent had spoken, with tears in their eyes they were asking us for copies of Gods Word, the Bread of Life,.

During that first week in Lagos and the surrounding areas the different teams distributed 362,530 Testaments and the week finished with a Pastors Appreciation Banquet on the Friday evening at the Sheraton Hotel.

On the Saturday at the end of the first week, as a team, we flew north from Lagos to the Capital City of the Plateau State, Jos. One of the first things we noticed on our arrival was the joy of being away from the heat and humidity of Lagos; Jos is some 4,300 feet above sea level and has a more pleasant heat during the day and cooler temperatures at night, with almost no humidity. Our base for this second week was the Crest Hotel in Jos next door to the Nigerian Bible Society Complex.

During this second week our aim was to assist some of the Camps which had recently been rejuvenated into restarting the work in their areas, and opening doors which had not been open for some time. This meant that over the first four days we had many hours of travelling to and from our distribution points in different towns. I visited Bauchi, Keffi, Akwanga and Gindiri. A number of times teams reported back on how the Lord had protected them during their travels. We were also aware that we could face more opposition during this second week as we were in a more predominately Muslim area.

The week started, however, on the Sunday with visits to 23 churches in and around Jos and the surrounding areas. I was asked to speak at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Bukuru and it was their Confirmation Service which lasted four hours. Following the service I was asked to have my picture taken with the Bishop of Bukuru, the Right Reverend Jwan Benmo Ntwar Zhumbes and his wife Mama Bishop.

On the Monday of the second week our team was one of a number which visited Bauchi State. During the afternoon I was to visit the School of Midwifery to distribute to the student midwifes. On visiting the Principal and presenting her with a full Bible I was politely informed by her that as 80 per cent of the students were Muslim they were not likely to take a copy for themselves.

Having prayed before speaking to the students, I began by sharing the plan of salvation and then felt led to share that even if they felt unable to take a copy for themselves that they ought to consider the holistic care of their patients; praise the Lord every single student took a copy of the white Testaments much to the Principal's surprise. Please pray for them that they will be prompted to read the Testament and in doing so come to know Christ as their own personal Saviour.

During this week we distributed to schools, army barracks, hospitals and colleges. At Akwanga college we were able to distribute almost 15,700 Testaments to the students returning for the new academic year and share with many of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. At the Gindiri College of Higher Education only the first year students were in, but we still managed to hand out just over 1,800 Testaments.

It was a real joy on the Thursday to spend the afternoon working with the President of Gideons International in Nigeria, Yemi Agbelusi. That afternoon we visited the Kogpak Senior School in Mangu where he spoke through a megaphone to just over 1500 students, and afterwards was pictured surrounded by the students holding their Testaments.
The Friday was spent in and around Jos where Chineye gave her heart to the Lord as we distributed at the Command Secondary School.

However during that second week many of the team also had an opportunity to speak with the security guards, cleaning ladies, restaurant and kitchen staff and those in the Internet Café about the Lord and to hand out Testaments. By the end of that week I feel sure that almost 80 per cent of those whom we shared with at the hotel had signed the back of their Testaments having acknowledged Christ as their Lord. This included John Chinedu Vincent, one of the restaurant staff, who I had the joy of personally leading to the Lord.

During the second week we distributed 181,141 Testaments bringing our total for the week to 543,671. It finished with a Pastors Appreciation Banquet on the Friday evening at the Crest Hotel.
Please remember Jos in your prayers and especially these new Christians, following the rioting that took place just two weeks after the team departed. Six pastors lost their lives and 40 churches were razed to the ground. Pray that God will protect these young Christians and help them to continue to grow in Him throughout these difficult times.

I am grateful to all who prayed for us throughout the two weeks we were in Nigeria and  encourage you to continue to pray for Gideons there and for Yemi Agbelusi as President as he leads them.

Nigeria has approximately 140 million people and is reckoned to have the potential to be the second richest nation in Africa. However due to corruption within the country almost 75 per cent of its population is believed to be living below the poverty line. Many within Nigeria believe that it is the present generation of young people who can to bring change to the country so please pray for the many including Muslim students who received a Testament during our time there, that they might receive Christ and in doing so bring change to the nation.