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Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and

At the age of 83, and the oldest man in his village, Amadou had many questions following his conversion and his new life in Christ. “How do I tell others?” and “How do I now worship?” Such questions were understandable from one who had spent his entire life following another religion before coming to know the Son of God, personally.

Each time we were together over the past couple of years, Amadou expressed his heart-felt joy through his expressions and words. At his age, he had obvious eye problems, but wanted to be able to read God’s Word for himself. Therefore, we were able to help him get a simple pair of glasses that allowed him to see better. For this little act of kindness, he was so grateful and could not thank us enough. And earlier this year he expressed his desire to tell his story in other villages, proclaiming what God’s work of grace had done in his life.

This morning, we received news that Amadou had died following several months of ilness. My immediate thought was, “He now has no questions about how to worship.” Although he was never able to go from village to village and share the Good News, we pray that many others will come to receive the Son and make him known among their people—fulfilling Amadou’s desire for his people to know the one true God who alone brings salvation.

For Mission10:14, as long as God makes a way, we will keep going and telling and making Christ known among this people, that they may Hear, Understand, and Believe. (Romans 10:14-15)

Most recently, we had a wonderful gift from the children at Anchor Baptist Church in Georgia. In the spring, we had shared with them about the spiritual and general needs among the people Mission10:14 reaches.  Following that visit, the Wednesday night elementary-aged program targeted raising support to sponsor Bibles for the Net the Village project and for general distribution.  We visited with them again in late May to receive their gift which sponsored over 25 Bibles!

Thank you friends at Anchor Baptist!

By the end of VBS, the kids and their families had sponsored over 14o nets!  When the entire church was challenged to join the kids at the end of  VBS, the total number of nets sponsored was over 250! Others have learned about NtV through MPFBC members and have continued to share as well.

This transformational project will be piloted in November in Villages N’GB and N’G. As we’ve shared previously, there will be an official presentation and dedication ceremony as we present these to the villages.  At this time, we’ll have an opportunity to share the “why” behind this gift as we seek to demonstrate the love of Christ in the villages where we work. The few believers in the area will be working with us to distribute the nets and each household will be offered a copy of the Word of God in their language as well.  Pray that God will continue to bring us sponsors for Bibles for this project as well!  (see the Transformational Project page for Bible sponsorships on this blog for more info)

ethNycity: The Nations, Tongues and Faiths of Metropolitan New York is a new book just released and was written by Chris Clayman and Meredith Lee. Chris and his family live in NYC and work to start churches among West Africans living in the area. Working with over 100 contributors, this book project took four years to complete. Many of you will remember that Chris is a ministry partner with Mission10:14 and has a heart for helping reach the Wassulu people of Mali with the good news of Jesus.

A few highlights about the book:

• Features 82 of the most significant immigrant groups in the city
• Full-color with hundreds of photos
• 192 pages
• Well-designed, large format book

You can purchase a copy of ethNYcity at http://ethnycitybook.com for $25. ALL proceeds go back into church planting in New York City. Also, you can view a three minute video about the book and project at this same web address.

Thanks for supporting this project.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? —Romans 10:14

On May 19, 2009, Mission10:14 was officially incorporated as a nonprofit ministry. Today, we are one year old. As we reflect on the past year’s events, we are grateful to God for how He has worked through this ministry, and provided resources for us to continue engaging people groups in West Africa with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus. This ministry is not about what we are doing, but about Jesus, the Son of God, being magnified and worshiped among people groups where in times past he was not known.

In addition, we are also grateful to our partners who provide support to this ministry, allowing us to join in what God is doing in West Africa. Your prayerful support, financial investment, as well as your going and being involved, are the means by which God has chosen to work through Mission10:14. Thank you!

Here are a few highlights from our first year of partnership through this ministry:

• Bible distribution–we continue to spread the seed of God’s Word
• Continuation of Bible story broadcasts on radio
• Food and assistance to a pastor’s widow
• Financial and logistical assistance to our national partnering pastor during the death of his mother
• A good news Gospel presentation to three new villages
• A discipleship seminar for new believers (Feb. 2010)
• Conducted group baptism for nine believers
• Men and women believing the Good News and receiving Christ
• Expanded ministry through partnering with workers in the country of Guinea
• The launch of our first Village Garden in Village B
• Initiation of Net the Village mosquito net distribution project
• Partnering with churches in five states in the US
• A growing prayer network in the US and beyond

This list is not conclusive, as it just highlights our work over the past year. As would be expected, the opportunities for ministry are always more than we can meet. Therefore, we ask for prayer as we seek God’s wisdom in pursuing our mission to bring Good News to West Africa in a way that people can Hear, Understand and Believe.

Thank you for investing in God’s kingdom through your partnership with Mission10:14.

During the time in Mali in February & March,  J asked Al how he came to understand his need for Jesus. Al told him that he had been listening to Chief M read the Bible, and that he also listened to the Bible Stories on Radio Wassulu. With four members of Chief M’s family now having come to Christ by faith, it is clear to see that God has used Chief M, although he has yet to openly follow that path himself.

Naturally, we rejoice when each and every Wassulu person comes to Christ, and many of you who are reading this have prayed faithfully for them over the past several years….some even longer. Seeing the connection between this volunteer and young man is also impacting on our hearts. Greg’s life was changed when he came to Christ as an adult less than 10 years ago. In response, he has humbly stepped out of his “comfort zone” in obedience to God’s call to go to Mali where the Lord has worked in and through Greg in ways that are exciting and challenging to witness.

What’s Next?

We must pray for “Al” as he seeks to grow in Christ. Just as God made His word known to him through the reading of the Scriptures and the radio broadcasts, pray that God will continue to draw Al and other new believers to study His word, that they may stand firm no matter what comes their way.

We must also pray for more “Gregs.” Remember Jesus words? “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:38) Praying for the lost that God brings into our lives on a daily basis, like Greg did as a volunteer, is critical in reaching those without Christ. If you can’t “go,” then using the specific prayer information that we send out is a direct investment into the lives of the lost Wassulu and others around them. Also, if you can’t go, we encourage you to find a way to be a “Sender.”

Seeking God’s choices for how to spend our time and resources is the most difficult step sometimes. That means our income, homes, skills, retirement days, vacation time, and “stuff” all belong to Him. Think about Greg and his relationship to Al. If Greg had said, “No,” to God about that first trip to Mali, he would have missed enormous blessings, but most of all, would not have met Al and began praying for him. Not only did Greg step out in obedience in going, he committed to praying, and made an eternal investment by doing so.

* Al’s real name & complete image has not been used due to security reasons.

The series of Demba reclining in Pastor F’s lap captured my heart the most though, as his big eyes seem to dance and smile all by themselves. They were the sort of images that stay on mind when I’m praying for the Wassulu, and that the Lord recalls when I’m in the midst of the less personal must-dos of operating a ministry in order to help me keep my focus on our call.

Demba’s eyes–his whole body–are dancing and singing to the Lord now, however, as we learned this week from Pastor F that Demba has passed away.  He died from complications following a bout with malaria. A story that is repeated far too often in many parts of the world and throughout much of the African continent.

When the Lord first put the idea of Net the Village on our hearts and minds, we knew it was to help meet an immediate and ongoing need among the people we work among. We had seen first hand, even in our own family, how malaria could quickly overtake a person’s strength and well-being if not treated.  Providing mosquito nets to families in the name of Christ, while offering a copy of God’s word to every recipient family who desires to receive one, seems like such a simple transformational project. However, how many Dembas, their siblings, and parents can be protected from malaria so that they might be able to hear the Gospel before they die? Only the Lord will truly know. Our task is to share the truth of Jesus Christ and use God-led projects and tools to prepare the way.

We are thankful for those that have joined us already in Net the Village through net and Bible sponsorships.  If you, or a group you a part of, desires to be a part of this project, more information can be found on the blog page designated for NtV under the Transformational Project page.

Please pray for Demba’s family in Village K. May the peace and love of God sustain his father through his relationship in Christ.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.—Ephesians 2:10

A self-taught lawyer was recently murdered in Mexico by cowardly enemies who didn’t like how he stood up to the corrupt and powerful officials in his border town. In fact, he even had enemies among the wealthy attorneys, as he worked for chickens at times…literally. Perhaps you, too, heard the radio interview with his daughter who desires to continue her father’s work in spite of the dangers. This blog is not about his story, but it is about what his daughter said about him.

She struggled as she tried to share in English, then lapsed into her fluent Spanish. The daughter was asked, “So why did he take the risks he did?” “My father would have been unhappy if his walk in life had not left any footprints,” she says.

Her response struck a chord with me immediately. I thought to myself, “We all are leaving footprints of one sort or the other. Are the ones I’m leaving pleasing to the Lord? Do they bring my family & others to Him? Do they honor God?” I was reminded of the chorus to a song sung by Steve Green years ago:

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

May the fire of our devotion light their way

May the footprints that we leave

Lead them to believe

And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

As I thought about Pastor F and the boldness that he declares among his nation and the countless persecuted believers around the globe, my footprints seem so very small, insignificant, and unworthy of our Lord. God reminded me to not look back, but to continue planting my footsteps one by one in obedience to Him. May He find each of us faithful to Him as we reach out to the Wassulu, the Tiemala, their neighbors, and others God will call us to in the future.

We are preparing the photos from the recent trip for sharing with you all, so be patient a little longer!