Friday 7 November 2014
The Maskeys in Nigeria
November 2014
Dear Fellow Laborers,
A Nigerian Thanksgiving Service...
On the first Sunday of November, I was invited to preach at the Eagle Island Independent Baptist Church, pastored by our first Bible Institute graduate, John Abili, for their Thanksgiving service. He started the church nine years ago in an outlying area of Port Harcourt called Eagle Island (it’s almost completely surrounded by a river), which has developed now into a good sized village, about 20 minutes away from our main church. The church has done well, in spite of some obstacles, and is steadily growing. When we arrived that morning , they received us very warmly, and as we entered the church, we found the altar lined with bunches of bananas and plantains, papayas, yams and other fruits of their harvests that the people had brought as a thanksgiving offering. By the time I got up to preach, the church was full with 315 in attendance, and God gave us a great service that day. As the invitation was given, many responded, filling the altar among the fruits, and 12 people came to receive Christ as their Savior. After the service we enjoyed dinner on the grounds with a big plate of chicken, native stew and rice. Everybody had a great time. We thank God for our graduates like Bro. Abili, who are being used of God to reach other Nigerians for Christ.
Other thanksgivings…
At the main church, we had a Missions & Leadership Conference the third week of October with missionary Mark Holmes from Abuja. We had pastors and members from eleven Independent Baptist churches attending, including our own. Bro. Holmes did a great job preaching in the conference and God blessed in a great way. We also saw an increase in our faith promise missions giving, and we are thanking God for that as well. Also during October, we had Youth Day and Friend Day, as well as our own Thanksgiving service, and all were very well attended. Our average attendance that month was 760, and thank the Lord, we saw a total of 1,164 souls saved in all our ministries. We are also thankful that Nigeria was recently declared ebola free, with no new cases in over two months! That’s a huge answer to prayer. However, the situation in the other affected African countries has worsened, and they are in much need of our prayers.
Other prayer requests…
1. Progress on the Omoku church building. The walls are up, and we are now working on the roof. Our target date to start this new church is April, 2015.
2. The 20th Anniversary of the main church is coming up in January. We are planning and praying for some great things to happen that month.
3. Our children, especially those in the States, for provision, guidance and God’s will in their lives.
To all of our supporters, have a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and a Wonderful & Blessed New Year in advance. Most of all, thank you and God bless you for having a part in this ministry through your prayers and sacrificial giving!
Yours for His Service,
David Maskey & Family
The Maskeys in Nigeria
September 2014
Dear Fellow Laborers,
20 Years in Nigeria!
In July a new milestone was reached in our ministry, as we celebrated the 20th anniversary of our arrival in this great mission field of Nigeria. We have experienced so many blessings as well as challenges along the way, and God has certainly done some great and mighty things in those two decades. During that time we have seen over 150,000 souls receiving Christ as their Savior through all of our ministries in the three churches God helped us to start. Over 4,000 of them have been baptized and many are now growing in grace and serving the Lord. Some of you have been supporting us for all those years, and you have much “fruit that abounds to your account”! We are excited about the opportunities that we have to start more churches and to see many more souls saved in the years ahead with God’s help and your prayers and support.
More turmoil and blessings…
The Boko Haram terrorists continue to cause a lot of problems in northern Nigeria and are even taking over small towns there. The Nigerian military has had a hard time stopping them because they are well-funded and well-armed. Lately, another crisis has developed in the country with the arrival of the deadly Ebola virus in July. Since then, there have been 17 cases in Nigeria and six deaths, including one in Port Harcourt. As you can imagine, everyone here is very concerned. However, in spite of all this, God has continued to bless our ministry, and we are still able to move forward. In the last two months, we saw a total of 1,933 souls saved, including over 400 saved by our youth during our 3rd annual SMITE (Student Missions Institute in Training and Evangelism) the last week of August. It was a great time for them, and we had our highest enrollment so far, with 100 teenagers from four churches. We also had our highest church attendance for the month of August, and we were able to make a lot of progress on the building for the new church in Omoku as well. It seems like the devil is doing all he can to close the door in Nigeria, but God is still working here, and more than ever your prayers are needed, so that we can continue to reap the harvest while there is still time.
Also pray for…
1. Jonathon and Jenny, as they are expecting their first child in February….and our first grandchild! Of course, we are very excited about that and very happy for them, as well as looking forward to being grandparents.
2. Carissa, now in her final year at Hyles-Anderson College, and pray for God’s guidance and provision for her.
3. Joshua, for God’s intervention, guidance and restoration in his life.
4. Our health and God’s hand of protection upon all of us here in Nigeria.
THANK YOU again for having a part in our ministry, and God bless you all for your faithfulness!
Yours for His Service,
David Maskey & Family
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