The Shumaker Family's Blog

I wanted to give an update to you on the other construction project that we have at the moment.  God has truly blessed.  We should be done with this project in about a month.

When the building is finished, we plan on having a revival meeting in the new building.  We are excited about all the possibilities that God has for us.

Again, we want to thank Calvary Baptist Church of Trenton, GA for their generous contribution to build this church.

Today, the roof is being prepared to put on Living Water Baptist Church.  Over 4 years ago we started digging the foundation, and what a blessing to see this great achievement.  I told the church Sunday night that God truly worked a miracle for us to be able to finish this building.

If I calculated all the churches and the individuals who helped with this project it would be a lot.  I think there would be over 20 who have given directly to help in this building project.

We are anxious to have the extra room on the second floor.  Currently we have limited space for Sunday School and Children’s Church.  This extra space will allow us to grow more.  This past Sunday we had 80 adults and 72 children.

Here are some recent pictures:

Two weeks ago when we baptized 8 people, Meredith was one of them.  What an exciting time for a father to baptize his child.

Meredith received Jesus as her Saviour while we were in the States.  While I was away from the house and teaching a class, Meredith was crying one night. Rebecca went in her bedroom and asked, “why are you crying?”  Meredith replied, “If I die tonight,  I am going to hell.”  Rebecca asked what she wanted to do about it and she said go to sleep.  Next night was the same thing.  Then the next morning she woke up and went into our bedroom and began to pray, “Dear Jesus, I know that you died on the cross for my sins, and I want you to save me.”

It is a blessing that two of my children are born again believers.  We are still praying for Isaac and Caleb.

I have personally been involved in the Summit on two different occasions.  It is by far one of the greatest conferences on World Evangelism in the world.  If you have the opportunity to go you will be touched, moved and stirred like never before on how to get the Gospel to the World.  Below is some information:

The Our Generation Summit is an incredibly exciting missions-centered retreat set in beautiful Pigeon Forge.  The Summit is a meeting that the whole church and the whole family will enjoy.  There are tons of exciting activities and attracts in the Pigeon Forge area.  Each member of the family and each person in your youth group, Sunday school class, and church will find something that will help them in their walk with God and in the task of world evangelism.  Below are links that will give you more information about the summit and about how you can get involved.

Theme:                    The Kings Command

Date:                      December 29-31, 2011

Location:              Music Road Hotel, Pigeon Forge, TN

Speakers:             Austin Gardner, Trent Cornwell, Ronald Tubillas, Mark Coffey, Philip Bassham, Wayne Cooke, Josh Ewing, Chris Gardner, David Gardner, Will Hill, Jason Holt, Scott Newton

Cost:                       $100

Click here for more information.

Last week, I got back from a tremendous trip to South Sudan. What I saw and what we experienced was amazing and life changing.

South Sudan had been in war for many years. It was a battle of the North and the South. Over 2 million 5 hundred thousand people died in the war. Everyone that you talk to lost loved ones in this gruesome battle. Whole villages were wiped out. There was a village where all the men were killed, the boys were castrated, and the women were raped. The horrific stories made you want to cry, but I didn’t see a people that were living in the past. They were looking at the present and future. In 2005, a peace treaty was signed, and in the beginning of 2011 the south voted to become an independent state. In July they celebrated their independence and became the newest country in the world. The people were thrilled and ecstatic with their physical freedom. After meeting such a sweet and beautiful people I am thrilled for them in their fight and victory of freedom.

Even though I was excited to see the birth of a new nation and how they came out of physical bondage, I couldn’t help but to think that many of them are still in spiritual bondage. They are considered a Christian nation, but that doesn’t mean that many of them have experienced the real liberty that comes from a personal relationship with Christ. In talking with many and passing out tracts, it was very evident that many of them have heard of Christ. Many of them have some form of a knowledge of Christ, but most couldn’t explain how to get to heaven when they died. It is sad to think that a religious person can die without ever really knowing Jesus as their Saviour.

Below are some thoughts that I sent out to some friends that I thought many of you would like to read.

While there we passed out thousands of tracts and lead some people to the Lord on the street. It wasn’t a quick pray after me. We could have had hundreds of those.

They love Americans. If you see the president he always wears a cowboy hat. George Bush gave it to him.

I have never seen a country with more of an open door than South Sudan. I have been in and visited many different countries. The country is now being built. The door will probably not be as open in 5-10 years.

It bothers me that the Jehovah Witnesses and other groups are already there and we aren’t. In my flesh I would love to go. The opportunity is unreal. I don’t feel lead of the Lord to leave Burkina Faso but I am burdened for South Sudan. It really needs a missionary with the right training, vision and good work ethic.

I do want to say that the climate was dry and warm. Not quite as bad as Burkina but hot. It is one of the most expensive towns in the world. Housing is terribly expensive but I think in 5 years it will get better. Social groups and government groups are paying a huge amount for houses/hotels and needs associated with their accommodations.

Living there would be a little tougher than Burkina in my opinion. It will change and probably be better after many years, but it will take awhile. Ministry would be great, but life for many would be tough.

This is an honest assessment in case anyone is interested in serving in this needy country. The doors, however, are wide open. I would go in a heartbeat if I wasn’t already in needy country and a ministry that God is blessing. I still feel peace about Burkina and the needs here are great. If anybody wants to talk about it, I am available and would be willing to help in any way that I can. I am burdened about the need of this country and don’t want us Independent Baptists to miss the opportunity that God has given us.

There should be a video of our trip coming out soon. I will let you know about it.

Please pray that God would raise someone up to work in this needy country.

I met Emile in 2006.  He was a law student at the University here in Ouagadougou.  He was religious but very confused about salvation.  He got assurance and began to grow.  I encouraged him to read one chapter a day.  After a few weeks he had read most of the New Testament.  In the fall of 2007, Emile left for Geneva, Switzerland to continue his studies.  We have remained in contact through the years.

I was blessed to have the opportunity to marry Emile and his new wife Philomene.  That is the fifth marriage that we have done in the church.  God has blessed, and it is exciting to see God working in the couples of our church.

Emile was baptized in our church in 2007 but Philomene had never been baptized. She got baptized the day after their wedding.

I wrote a few posts back about Albert, a young man that faithfully gives financially and gives his time to the Lord.  I kept saying to my wife and others that I feel the Lord will call him one day to preach, and he will become a great pastor.

Wednesday night after the service Albert said he needed to talk to me.  He said, “I can’t take it anymore.  I hear message after message about serving God.  My work keeps me from serving God like I want to.  Can I join the Bible College next year?”  God is raising up some quality men for the ministry here in Burkina Faso.

On Tuesday I will be traveling to Uganda to meet up with some pastors and missionaries.  We will be traveling to South Sudan from there.  God put a burden on the heart of Prayer Baptist Missions along with some pastors for South Sudan.

There has been much trouble in this nation for many years.  They have been persecuted, and many have been killed.  Their physical situation is bad from what I have heard and seen, but it is nothing in comparison with their spiritual condition.  They are in need of help physically, but also they need somebody there who can preach the truth of the Gospel.  That is the only thing that will really set them free.

I have been invited to travel with some great men of God to see what can and needs to be done in this needy country.  Please pray for me and the others as we travel since the country still isn’t really stable.  I guess I am used to that as I have lived in and around unstable governments and civil wars.

I feel like one of the most exciting things in a ministry is the Bible College. This Monday night we will begin classes. It has been wonderful to see how God has called many men into the ministry.

We are doing a different schedule this year, but it should work well. There are seven men that will finish their last year of Bible College this year. Five of them are pastors. One of the others should begin a new church sometime next year. We have five others that will begin full time ministry training this year. One of them has made a major sacrifice as he is married and has one child. He has quit his job to train for full time ministry. He was debating doing night classes only this year in order to keep his well-paying job, but he told me a few weeks ago that he can’t take it. God has called him. He had to give his moto back to his company since he won’t be finishing out this year. It was a great sacrifice, but I know that God will reward him for it.

In addition to daytime classes, we have also started night classes (Bible Institute) for those who might not be called into the ministry or can’t go full time right now but want to learn more. It is definitely an exciting time for the ministry as so many have been called, sacrificed and are wanting the God of Heaven to use their lives. Please pray for us as it is a lot of work and I desire God to use these men in a powerful way.

After all the problems with Vicente were solved, Pastor Konate arrived.

During our furlough in the States, Pastor Konate was extremely faithful.  I told him when I left that I was going to make him or break him.  I dumped a truckload full of responsibilities in his care.  He excelled more than I could have imagined.  He has become a great leader.  He didn’t just hold down the fort at Water of Life Baptist Church but he helped the church to advance and grow.

When I came back I felt like we needed to have a special day to honor Pastor Konate and his wife for their hard work and dedication.  So we had planned a Pastors Appreciation day.  I talked with the members and we decided that we would surprise him and his wife with some gifts.  The church decided to buy Pastor Konate a new moto.  Funny thing is that the week before his moto blew up.  They also decided to give his wife some good cloth to make a new dress.

When I called Pastor Konate and his wife up, we presented the cloth first.  Then we presented the moto.  He got so excited that he lifted up his arms and then picked up his wife in the air.  The thing that I thought was great was the church members.  They also got very excited.  The began to cheer and clap.  Some stood on the benches.  It was a beautiful site.  Many of our people couldn’t even afford a moto for themselves, but they were excited about giving one to their pastor.

Below are a few pictures.