In John 4, Jesus told His disciples, “The food I eat you know nothing about.” Now, I’ll have to tell you, this week in Nigeria, I have eaten a lot of food that I knew nothing about. Pounded yam, gari, roasted goat, fish and melon stew, and a drink made from fermented maize and wheat. Sometimes, I had to grin and bear it, and sometimes it was almost delicious. But, the food Jesus was talking about was the kind spoken of in the Bible on several occasions, when God said, “Taste and see…it is good!” This wonderful food is the Word of God and the will of God, and I have seen that all over the world, those who are willing to “taste” do indeed find that it is very, very good.

Our Director of Outreach, Susan Seal, told me that on one occasion in Honduras, an interpreter turned to the preacher in the middle of the sermon, eyes wide with hope, and said, “Is this true? Hallelujah!” Once, many years ago in the Philippines, I had two ladies tell me, “Of course we want to hear this Word if it will give us life and light!” Quite literally, people are starving everywhere and when they hear about the Bread of Life, they taste it and are delighted and satisfied.

This past month in Ghana and Nigeria has been no exception. Again and again, people living in darkness have seen The Great Light and have come to His table to feast. More than 4000 have come to receive Jesus for the first time, and they are now discovering that a steady diet of God’s Word and will brings peace, joy, and overwhelming satisfaction, no matter their physical circumstances. Twenty-one new churches have been established where they will be taught the Word of God several times a week so that they can grow strong in their new-found faith. Our first and last weeks on this mission were spent visiting churches in each country that were established on previous missions. It was obvious that time spent in God’s Word for just one year, or for 15, has made an enormous difference in the lives of these people.

Thank you for helping us to spread the Table for those who have never eaten before. Because of your faithfulness, when we reach the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, many more of our family will join us to celebrate. Hallelujah, indeed!

We have had a wonderful week and a half in Ghana, in the Kumasi area. During the visits and worship time with the churches planted 15 years ago, we found them to be strong and thriving in God’s grace. It was awesome to see how far they have come with the Holy Spirit as their guide.

The crusades have gone well with 11 new churches being planted and many coming to know the Lord. The worship experiences have been powerful. Despite Satan’s attempts to stop the new churches, God has overcome and the churches and crusades have moved forward.

Tonight is the final night of the crusade. Tomorrow we will attend worship at one of the new churches where the pavilion was constructed this week. It will be a wonderful time of celebration and worship.

We can’t say enough about how wonderful it has been to be with Joseph and Stella Otsin and their son Daniel as well as the others here at the guest house, Joel, Perpetua and Grace. They are amazing servants of God. How fortunate we are to be partnered with such Godly people as Joseph and Stella. We have learned from them as we have ministered together and will all miss them greatly.

We are all a little tired but know that in our weakness, He is strong. Most of the team moves on to Nigeria tomorrow afternoon with 3 others joining us there. We pray that mission will be as fruitful as our mission here.

Today we leave on our 2012 Africa mission, heading first to Ghana and then to Nigeria.  A team will arrive in Ghana Wednesday to begin visiting churches planted in previous years.  The remainder of the US team for Ghana will arrive Sunday and the rest of the US team going to Nigeria will arrive on February 19th.

We are excited about the teams that God has brought together to bring the light of the gospel into some dark areas of the world.  We will do construction work, provide medical clinics, put together a plan for a new agricultural program and more, but the real focus will be on sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. 

We are expecting to face fierce spiritual battles as we enter areas where witchcraft is extremely strong, but we also know that He Who is in us is stronger than any spirit we will face.   We also know that prayer warriors across the globe have already been fighting the battle.

We ask for your prayers as we go into the exciting mission and look forward to sharing with you the amazing things that God is going to do.  We’re not sure about Internet access there.  However, if possible, we will update the website and blog…so check back soon.

Ephesians 6:19-20  “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. “

“Peter’s eyes grew wide in astonishment, and his tall stance was no longer a symbol of the pride that had tripped him up so many times, but of the confidence he was gaining in the One Who had died for him and now filled him with His Holy Spirit.  It was as if fire came from him, and the roar of praise that sounded from his lips was like a rushing, mighty wind.  I thought, ‘This is what I’ve longed for all of my life.’”

These were my thoughts during our Holy Spirit Conference in January as Wesley Putnam portrayed Peter, the disciple Jesus raised up as a rock of strength for the church.  I have traveled in Charismatic Christian circles most of my life, have read dozens of books, and even taken several classes on what it means to be filled with the Spirit.  But as Wesley spoke for Peter, I felt I was actually looking into the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, so powerful was the anointing upon him.  I think I gained a new, deeper understanding of just what took place on that day, and just what is available to us today.

Each of our presenters was a powerful representative of the Living Christ.  Reports from the workshops were that the teaching was powerful, the discussion thoughtful, and the ministry among participants was fresh and life-changing.  Dr. Craig Green, in his keynote messages, encouraged us to pursue full baptism in order that we might be fully equipped to serve Christ. 

At the close of the day, several participants said to me, “I know I always say this was the best conference, but this one was truly the best!”  That’s just what we want to hear – that the anointing of God on each of our conferences is fresh, powerful, and simply the best that God has to offer in this moment.  I hope you will plan to join us next year.  It will be absolutely the best yet!

God has blessed us much over the past 40 years of ministry and He continues to open new doors and avenues of ministry. Earlier this year God gave us this passage,

“Fruit trees of all kinds will grow along both sides of the river. The leaves of these trees will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit on their branches. There will be a new crop every month, for they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing.” Eze 43:12

How exciting! If we stay in the flow of the temple, in the flow and power of the Holy Spirit, there will always be fruit! Praise God! We are so excited about what God has in store in 2012. We will have opportunities to minister right here at home as we have worked to turn our facility into a worship center (still a lot to be done, but we’re on the way). We know that God will do amazing things in Africa and India and will reveal Himself to us as we pilgrimage to Israel and wherever else He leads.

Come join us on a trip, by lending a helping hand with events, through financial support, by participating in various programs or through your prayers. We look forward to sharing with you the stories of God faithfulness. God bless you and Happy New Year!