The Maskeys in Nigeria

July 2014

Dear Fellow Laborers,    

Almost a Catholic Priest…

Although most churches here now are Charismatic, there are still many that are Catholic.  (They were among the first missionaries to come to Nigeria many years ago).    A young man, by the name of Innocent, was an altar boy and servant to the priest in one of those Catholic churches here in Port Harcourt, and was even preparing for the priesthood.  However, in spite of being very devout in that religion, he had begun to realize that much of it was just empty ritual and there was something missing in his life.  He had also attended some of the many Charismatic churches here, but they didn’t seem to have the answers he needed either.   Finally one day, a friend invited him to our church several years ago, and he came.   All of his life he had been trying to work his way into Heaven, as he had been taught.  That Sunday, however, for the first time he understood from the Bible that salvation is not by works or by doing rituals, but by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and during the invitation he came out to receive that salvation.   Since then, he has become one of our most faithful members and is now a student in our Bible institute.  He is also a good soul winner, a bus captain, and one of our best preachers….who almost became a Catholic priest!  Pray for Bro. Innocent, and all of our Bible institute students, that God will continue to do a great work in them as they prepare to serve Him.  

Update on the Boko Haram…

The Muslim terrorist group, Boko Haram, continues to cause havoc in the northern part of Nigeria with more bombings, killing and kidnappings.  On the other hand, there are reports that the 200 kidnapped schoolgirls may soon be set free, and some have already escaped.  We are praying that the situation there will be brought under control soon and will not spread to other parts of Nigeria.  So far, it has not affected us here in Port Harcourt, thankfully, but we still need your prayers for God's protection.

Praises and prayer requests…

1.      The Omoku church groundbreaking was held on June 17^th , so the work on the buildings there has finally begun, and we are rejoicing about that.  Be sure to visit our website (maskeysnigeria.blogspot.com) for pictures of the event.   Please continue to pray for God’s provision and strength as we prepare to start this new church plant.  The other properties we were looking at did not work out, unfortunately, but we are hopeful that more open doors to start new churches will come soon.

2.      To God be the glory, our annual “Visitors Month” at the main church was a big success, as we saw a total of 462 first-time visitors come to the services, with 248 of them receiving Christ as their Savior throughout the month of June.  We also had some great attendances with a high day of 796 on June 15^th.   Our other churches have had some good reports as well, but they still need your prayers for God’s provision, strength and growth.

Once again, we thank you for standing with us in prayer and your faithful support of our ministry.  You are a blessing to us!

                                                             Yours for His Service,

                                                             David, Rose, Cayla & Justin