The Shumaker Family’s Blog

I am just a week late in reporting this.  Last Sunday was youth day.  The youth here can range from 15-30 years old.  They lead the singing, played the piano, sang specials, and preached.  Sunday night they put together two wonderful skits.  They worked very hard on this day and I was quite pleased.  I really had nothing to do with the programming, even though I did review it, because I wanted it to be their day.  God has given us some extremely gifted and talented youth.  It seemed that we had a good number of adults when we began our church at Cissin.  Some are still here and some have left because they really don’t want to change but I am excited about the youth.  They listen and are willing to change to serve God.

Last night and tonight, we held evangelistic meetings at Tingandogo.  We had a wonderful group last night and tonight also.  Last night, we had three people come forward.  I realized that while I was talking about salvation, that the man that came forward seemed to know what I was talking about.  He told us that he was in an Assembly of God church when he was younger.  He converted to Islam about 20 years ago.  When we were announcing our meeting, he was coming out of the Mosque and heard our announcement over the loud speaker.  He felt that he needed to come.  He told us that some of his friends had come to the meeting also and they would be mad about his decision but he knew what he had to do.  He told us that he had, many times through the years, asked the Muslim leaders  many questions and they couldn’t answer them.  He bowed his head and received Jesus.  He said that he is married to a Muslim and didn’t know what would come about but that didn’t matter because he knows what is the truth and he must accept it.

We had two women come forward also.  The one told that she was a Muslim but knew that she wanted he sins forgiven.  The other is married to Muslim man but claimed nothing except that her parents were Christians.  I explained to her that I was saved and that my wife is saved but our children must decide for themselves.  Salvation is personal.   Both of the women, bowed their head and prayed to receive Jesus.

I wanted you to see a few pictures of the construction.  We have advanced a lot and the building is beginning to look like one.  I praise God for how good he has been to us.  We still have a long ways to go on it and many other projects that we are wanting to do but God has been wonderful.

Below is a picture from last Sunday.  We were down a bit but we still had about 60 adults.  God has done a tremendous job.

I wrote in the last post that I wanted to share an amazing story.  While in Niger, I met a pastor named Komi.  Pastor Komi is very unique, as he is blind.  Almost all blind people here in Africa are lead around by a little kid as they beg together.  At the age of 9, he became blind because of the measles.  He grew up in the home of an Imam, the leader of a mosque.  His father wanted to send him off as a young boy to an Islamic school, but he didn’t want to go.  He knew that he would be sent in town each day to beg.  That is what the kids at these schools do for most of the day.  They learn some of the Koran and then walk the streets begging for money.  If they don’t get a certain amount they are beaten.

Pastor Komi had a Baptist mission that was close to his house.  He began going to the church.  His father became infuriated when he found out that he was going, but he never stopped.  One day the missionary gave him a piece of candy.  He asked Komi if he liked it.  Komi said that it was very sweet and pleasant.   Then the missionary told him that there is somebody who is sweeter than candy and that is Jesus.  This day he accepted Christ.

He traveled to Nigeria to learn how to read and write in Braille.  A young blind teenager leaves for another country, where they speak English, and he doesn’t even know English.  He learned English and Braille before returning home to Niger.  He had a huge desire to train to be a pastor, but there was no pastor’s school in Niger.  He got on the bus and traveled to Ghana.  I asked him, “How did a blind man make it from Niger to Ghana without help?”  He said that he wasn’t alone; it was him and the Lord.  Amen!

When he arrived in Ghana, all of the missionaries but one said that there is no way we can teach a blind man.  We have never done it.  He can’t keep up.  One of the missionaries said, “What does it hurt to let him try?  If he can’t keep up, then that will be his fault but we have to try.”  Komi told me that he has the advantage anyway. When the lights went out at 10:30 P.M.  he could continue to study.  He didn’t need the lights to read in Braille!

After he finished his training he went back to Niger to start a church in the tribal language Zarma.  It is one of the few churches in this language.  He currently runs about 50 adults.  These people are very hard towards the Gospel.  Niger is very Muslim.  He is also the director of the Baptist mission there.  They currently have about 16 churches.

We went to a restaurant on the way back from Niger.  Pastor Komi had to pass through a particular room in order to get to the restroom.  When he came out, he told me that the room was beautiful.  I said, “Pastor Komi, how do you know that the room is beautiful?”  He told me that the bed was nice, the paint was nice,  the light fixtures were nice, etc.  I told him that he sees better than us.  He might be blind physically, but he sure isn’t blind spiritually.  Physically he lives in darkness but I know that he sees very clearly. He preached for us Sunday and did a wonderful job.  Below is a picture of him preaching.

I know that this is  a little late, but as they say, better late than never.  My wife had a birthday last Friday, the 12th.  I haven’t hardly been on the computer for two weeks now.  We were in a conference last week in Niger.  I got back late on Thursday night, and we were in meetings almost all day Friday.  I did manage to bake her a cake, but she had to pull it out of the oven. She even made icing for it.  I came back in for about 20 min. in the afternoon.  It was just enough time to sing Happy Birthday and eat some cake and ice cream.  I am so glad that I have a wife that is understanding.  I will take her out for her Birthday very soon.  She was a good sport through it all.

Thanks REBECCA for all that you do to make this ministry work.  Without you, I know it couldn’t be possible.  You are the greatest wife that a man could ever have.  She has been through a lot since we got married 8 years ago, but she has always been by my side.  Thanks, I Love you with all my heart.  You are a true champion for God.  Here is my wonderful wife teaching the children last Sunday.  She does a great job.

We took a trip to Niger to visit some of the Independant Baptists there.  We went to teach missions and faith promise.  It is unbelievable to me, that the early missionaries never taught missions to the churches that they started.  Maybe I am wrong but if the Bible says to “go” and to “give”, then that wasn’t just written for American churches but for all churches. I have always felt that if it is good to do in America, it is good to do it here.

We made it back late on Thursday night.  Friday and Saturday we had pastors fellowship in the morning and a crusade to help another church at night.  I think we had about 25 professions of faith.  I got a report that the church had a good number of visitors and lots of new kids on Sunday.  God truly blessed.  I will write more about a new friend that I met.  He is an amazing man.