The Maskeys in Nigeria

June 2015

Dear Fellow Laborers,    

A New Church Has Started!

About three years ago, one of our church members donated some land to us in the town of Omoku, about 80 miles northwest of Port Harcourt.  As God supplied, we began to develop the property and build a building for a new church.  One of our Bible school graduates, Dennis Osueke, supervised most of the work there and felt that God was leading him to be the pastor of the new church.  Whenever we took groups for soul winning there in the town of about 50,000 people, we always had a good response and many saved.  Finally this year, on April 26^th, we held our first service at the Grace Independent Baptist Church of Omoku with a total of 51 in attendance and 12 souls saved that morning. They also had 52 for Mothers Day on May 10 (see pictures at maskeysnigeria@blogspot.com).  Another one of our Bible school students, Innocent Ukpong, is there with Pastor Osueke and his family helping in this work, which is our fourth church plant.  We are praying for great things to happen, and for God to use them in a mighty way in the town of Omoku.

Happy Graduation!

Our daughter, Carissa, graduated from Hyles-Anderson College on May 8, and we are very proud of her.  We are presently in the States for a few weeks for her graduation, and she will be coming back with us to Nigeria for two months, then returning back for an internship program at HAC after that.  It was also a blessing to spend some time with Jonathon & Jenny and our first grandchild, Russell, who is now two months old.  They are doing very well at Granite Baptist Church in Glen Burnie, MD.  We also spent some good time with our son, Joshua, who is living in Michigan and seems to be staying very busy working in a job there.   Please continue to pray for all of them for God’s will and direction in their lives.

Our other churches are continuing to do very well, and please pray for them, especially in our short absence.  Things seemed to have calmed down for now in Nigeria after the elections, and we are grateful for that.   We are also grateful for your prayers and faithful support!  You are a great blessing to us and may God richly bless you all in the days ahead.

                                                        Yours for His Service,

                                                         David, Rose, Cayla & Justin 

Congratulations Carissa, well done!

Cutest Grandbaby Ever: Russell David Maskey, born March 16 to Jonathon & Jenny

Pastor Elvis Ohwojero, Igwuruta IBC, 3rd Anniversary Service

Preaching in the Igwuruta IBC 3rd Anniversary Service.  346 in attendance, 22 saved.

 The Maskeys in Nigeria

April 2015

Dear Fellow Laborers,    

“Because of my daughter...”

Recently, we were reminded of the importance of our children’s ministries.  In January, a lady visited our church here in Port Harcourt and was saved and baptized.   Since then, she has been faithfully attending our services, even bringing visitors and making donations to our children’s ministries.   Last month, Rose was following up on some visitors and one of them was an eleven year old girl named Glory, who just happened to be be the daughter of this lady, Mrs. Wonodi.  She invited Rose to come in and began to tell her Glory’s story.  About a year ago, Glory was invited by a friend to our church, and she came and was saved in our Junior Church.  She told her mother that she really liked our church and that she should also come and visit, but since they were members of another church, Mrs. Wonodi refused her daughter’s invitation and would not allow her to come again as well.   A few months later, Glory was crossing a busy street, was struck by a car, and tragically killed.  With tears in her eyes, the mother told Rose that later, after someone invited her again, she decided to come and visit our church where her daughter attended only one time, and find out why she loved it so much.   She did come, and she did find out, and has been coming ever since.   Thank God for our members who made an impression on Glory that day for Christ and shared the Gospel with her!

3^rd Anniversary at Igwuruta IBC...

On March 22^nd I was invited to preach at our church in the village of Igwuruta for their 3^rd anniversary service.  They had a record attendance of 346 with 140 first time visitors, and we really had a wonderful service that morning.  I preached on “How to Have Unfeigned Faith”, and when the invitation was given, 67 people responded to receive Christ as their Savior.   We are thanking God for these results and for the good progress of this church plant under Pastor Elvis Ohwojero.  Please continue to pray for them.

Other Prayer Requests...

1.      For peace and stability in Nigeria.  The combination of presidential elections, Boko Haram terrorism and a faltering economy due to falling oil prices has caused a lot of tensions and uneasiness here lately, and we really need your prayers about that, especially for God’s protection,  in the days ahead.

2.      The new church in Omoku.  Everything seems to be moving forward to start our 4^th church plant by the end of this month.  The building is almost ready and we are printing new tracts and hymnals.   Pray for our graduate, Dennis Osueke and his family, as they prepare to go there and work in this new church. 

Also, we are excited to announce that we have become grandparents!  Russell David Maskey was born on March 16^th to Jonathon & Jenny, and thank God, they are all doing fine.  We may be a little biased, but we think he is the cutest grandson EVER.  Once again, THANK YOU for your prayers and faithful support of our ministry.  May God give you all a blessed Easter and a warm Spring! 

                                                                 Yours for His Service,

                                                                  David, Rose, Cayla & Justin 

20th Anniversary Sunday - 1,560 in attendance - Jan. 25, 2015

View from the balcony - Jan. 25, 2015

Overflow outside the building - Jan.25, 2015

                                The Maskeys in Nigeria

February 2015

Dear Fellow Laborers,    

Port Harcourt Independent Baptist Church is 20!

When we first came to Nigeria in 1994, it took us several months to find a place to rent for our house and the church and to get it ready.  Finally, on January 29, 1995 we held our first service in the living room of that house in Port Harcourt, and 53 people came that Sunday morning.  During the invitation, 27 of them came forward to receive Christ as their Savior, and God has blessed every week in the church since then.  This January, to celebrate our 20^th anniversary, we awarded different prizes each Sunday to those who brought visitors, such as Bibles, Christian music CD’s, and shirts and umbrellas with our anniversary logo.  Our people really got involved and brought over 1,000 first time visitors!  The last Sunday was an especially wonderful day.  To God be the glory, we had a record attendance of 1,560 in the morning service, with 496 visitors and 223 saved during the invitation (see the pictures on our website:  maskeysnigeria.blogspot.com).    It really was a great day and a great month, and once again God did “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”,  just as He has done in the last 20 years here with over 150,000 souls saved.   We are praying and expecting God to do even greater things in the years ahead.  Thank you so much and God bless you for your part in our ministry to help make all this possible.

More praises and prayer requests...

1.  On December 14, we had our annual “Deaf Special Sunday”, and our people worked hard to invite them and have special activities for the deaf all that week.  We even had a deaf choir that day and had a record attendance of 97 deaf.  Many deaf in Port Harcourt have been reached for Christ through this ministry and we thank God for it.

2.  Presidential elections this month and increased terrorism from Boko Haram in the North have given everyone here cause for concern in recent days.  On top of that, falling oil prices worldwide are having a negative impact on the Nigerian economy and that is also a problem.  Please pray for continued peace and stability in the country.

3.  Things have been moving forward for us to start a new church in the town of Omoku in April.  There has been, however, some unrest and in-fighting there recently, and that could slow us down or stop the work if things get worse, so we need your prayers about that as well.

Thanks again for your prayers, gifts and faithful support, especially to those who have stood with us for the last 20 years.  We thank God for you!

                                             Yours for His Service,

                                              David Maskey & Family