The Shumaker Family's Blog

Saturday night we held a special youth meeting.  Really it wasn’t just for the youth.  Everybody came.  We invited all of the other Independent Baptist Churches in town.  We had a total of five churches come together.  It was a wonderful time.  Each church sang, and we let some of the young preachers give 10 min. messages.  I preached the last message.

I know that this doesn’t seem like much in certain areas in the States,  where Baptist Churches can be on every other corner. In Burkina Faso, however, this isn’t the case.  The first Independent Baptist missionary that I know of in Burkina Faso came in 2002.  Just a few years ago, a meeting like this could  never have taken place.  God blessed, and we had well over 100 people.  Our teenage girls cooked the food, and our youth lead the service.  It was a great time, and we plan on doing it again.

I know that is has been awhile since I last posted.  We have had some major power problems the last few weeks.  We have been without power most days for at least 7 hours and sometimes 8+.  It has been hard to get much done when we are so used to it.

I am not complaining, even though I really want to at times.  Yes, it does make things difficult  in 100+ weather, with not even a fan. It isn’t the easiest, but God has taught me a lot the last few weeks.  I have learned that I am spoiled.  I called a member of our church the other night at about 9:30 p.m.  He asked  me, ” How are you doing?”  I replied, “Doing great except the power.” Then it hit me that I am complaining to a man that has never had power in his house.  He loves God and is a wonderful man.  He has a wonderful family.  I felt like a dog.  I immediately told him sorry.  Over 80% of the people in this country don’t have any power.

I have learned that I need to be content in the good times and also the difficult times.  Paul said, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”  Be happy when I have power and when the power is off.  So much of our “happiness and joy” is based upon how things work out.  If all goes well, we are happy but the moment when something just isn’t quite right we can become upset and get a bad attitude.  If Jesus would have worked like us, He would have never made it to the cross.  His life on earth wasn’t full of riches and His death wasn’t easy but He was determined to do the will of the Father.  Please pray for me.  I want to do the will of my Heavenly Father more than anything else in this world.  I don’t want to be like the children of Israel.  I don’t want to be ungrateful.  I want to praise Him for all that He has done.

I traveled at the end of April to our village work(Roungou).  Salif asked us if we could come to have a special evangelistic service and to help with the Baptism.  Saturday night was wonderful.  We had about 300 present.  I preached and gave the invitation.  Then I let one of our young men Konate give his testimony.  He did a superb job.

I know that I have written about Salif many times but he is doing a tremendous job.  He is probably the least educated of all the men I am training, but he is getting the job done.  He didn’t go to school except for a Muslim school to learn the Koran and to learn how to be an Imam.  His earthly father chose him to be an Imam(Muslim leader) but His heavenly father chose him to preach the good news!!!

I was truly amazed at the job that he is doing.  We started Sunday morning services in this village in January.  I haven’t been back since January until this time.  I really wish that you could see what a genuine love for Jesus and a love for others can do.  I am not against education and I am not against training.  I am giving that to Salif, but it really is amazing what God is doing through him.  We have put a great importance on education and put little on our relationship with the Lord.  We have put great importance on a doctorate and minimal importance on a love for souls.  Sorry about the preaching!

Salif Baptized 18 people.  It was a wonderful time of watching God work.

Below: Salif teaching the children at Roungou.

Below:  Salif Leading signing.

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Below:  Salif was baptized in 2005.

Below:  Salif baptizing 4 years later.  Praise the Lord!!!!

Below:  Baptisms in Africa are definitely different.  I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Below:  What is a special day in a Baptist Church without food.

Below:  Do I need to say anything?

I haven’t written for a few weeks.  That is due to the fact that I traveled to North Africa to visit a good friend of mine, and well, I don’t really have another good excuse.

My good friend, Aaron is doing a tremendous job in this needy country.  I was given the privilege to preach and teach while I was there.  God really blessed.  I also enjoyed the fellowship with him and his family.  He has developed a good plan, and God is blessing it.

It really is almost unbelievable to go to cities of more than a million people who might only have 20 Christians in them and two or three house churches.  My heart was stirred and saddened because of the lack of workers.  We have  looked at many of these countries and felt that we couldn’t go because they are closed.  The command of the church is to “go”.  Jesus didn’t say if the country is open, go.  He didn’t say go if it is easy or the people are open to it.  He told us to go.  That means that we will need men and women that will be willing to go and risk their lives to get the Gospel to the World.  We have men and women that give their lives to protect our great country.  That is respectable and honorable, but where are those who will give their all to get the precious Word of God to the world?  Those that will put their lives on the line to serve their Lord.  I have watched many risk their lives for wealth and fame but few in our day do it for God.

God bless you brother Aaron.  Keep up the good work.  May God raise up others like him.  Those who deny themselves and live for Christ.

I wanted to write a few days back about my trip to Mali but I didn’t get around to it.  While there I was able to visit Missionary Dwayne Harrison and his wife.  We also visited a national missionary named Francis.  Living Water Baptist Church (our church in Burkina) supports him.  He has done a wonderful work in a country that is 92% Muslim.  Last Sunday he told me that they had 65 or so adults and about the same amount of kids.

Because he is  a national missionary and doing a good job, my heart is really touched to help him.  I was talking to Francis about the current land situation.  We could build a church building where he is currently meeting, but space would be greatly limited.

He has done a great job getting to know people in the government.  He asked them why all the reserve land is given for Mosques when they are a free country. They have proposed that they would sell him four lots.  Each lot will cost $3,000.  I really don’t know how I can help him, but I am going to do all that I can because I believe in him and I know that Mali need a strong witness.

The Bible says that mine eye affecteth my heart. My heart was greatly touched while making our trip to and from Ghana in February.  We saw evidence of the rapid expansion of Islam here in West Africa. I was greatly burdened to see so many mosques, knowing more and more people are being blinded to the truth. Not only do we see mosques in key cities; but, as you can see from the picture below, they are found in the smaller villages as well.  When the mosque is the nicest building in the area, and the only religious institution, of course, people are going to come. For years, we have used every excuse in the book as to why we, as true followers of Christ have not evangelized the world. We say we don’t have enough money, time, or resource, but my friends, look at this picture.  Someone is getting to them before we do.

Every time we travel, we see more mosques. We have seen evidence of the Islam religion growing in just the last two years. How our hearts are burdened to reach this country and the surrounding areas before they are totally closed off.  Please pray with us that God will give us the wisdom we need to reach these precious souls and that he would send forth labors. Perhaps He is even calling you to join in the fight.

I want to wish all of you a great Resurrection day.  We had a wonderful service in the morning.  What was great was that we baptized 10 people.  Baptism is such a special time.  All of them were young people.  Probably between 14-25 years old.  Tonight, we had one profession of faith.

Another exciting thing that happened today was that our sister Eveline was able to come to church.  When I saw her at church, my face lit up and my heart was filled with joy.  A little over a month ago, we didn’t know if she would walk again.  God is good; thanks for your prayers.

We have had a measles outbreak.  I know that we take vaccinations against it but I have never seen anybody actually with it.  I got a call on Thursday night that one of our members(Maria) had it.  I went Friday afternoon and they had blocked off a huge section of land and had tents up.  There were a lot of people that were there being treated.  Maria was being released, so I took her home.  The sickness had wiped her totally out but she is better.  Today, another lady told me that three of her children had it last week.

God is good and I praise Him for the privilege to serve a risen Saviour.

God is continuing to bless the ministry in Burkina Faso.  Salif came back from Roungou and said that 2 people received Jesus.  We had four people at Living Water Baptist Church receive Jesus on Sunday.

The Bible College continues to go well.  We are struggling with the heat a little.  105 degrees while trying to teach or study is a little hard but we are continuing on.

The young men are doing well.  They are growing and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do with them.

We will be having a special service tomorrow night.  We are trying to invite many of our lost family members and/or lost friends to a Good Friday Service.  Please pray for us.  I will let you know what happens with it.

Thanks for all you do for us.  Your prayers are priceless.  We need them greatly.

On my trip to Mali, we ate what some would call “street meat”.  I guess you could say that I have an addiction.  I love the stuff.  The other photo is of an African Waffle House.

A few posts back, we wrote about Konate and his niece Awa.  He is on fire for the Lord.  I have seen him grow in the last few months in tremendous ways.  He is hungry for God.  God called him to preach a few months back, but we had a very interesting  and complex situation.  He was customarily married to a young lady before coming to our church.  That means that he paid the dowry and whatever else was necessary.  Most Burkinabes are married this way.  Very few do church weddings or regulate it with the government.  Konate wanted to have a church wedding and regulate it with the government before he lived with her.  I think that is very commendable.

Here is where the situation gets complex.  She wasn’t saved.  She lives with an aunt who isn’t the nicest in the world.  She won’t allow her to come to our church until she leaves their house.  I did have an opportunity to present the Gospel to her.  She said she knew that she would go to heaven when she died because she had a dream where she saw the tomb of Jesus (I haven’t seen that in the Bible).  I couldn’t get her to realize that she couldn’t trust in dreams and in her church but had to put her faith in Jesus.  I went through 7 weeks of marriage counseling with them, hoping that she would be saved, but again nothing.

Even though they hadn’t married legally according to the law, if Konate would break it off, they would view him as divorced (and he wouldn’t be qualified to preach).  It was a situation that greatly bothered me.  I have prayed for months and God has answered our prayers.  She came to see us Sunday afternoon and said that she was ready to be saved.  She prayed and trusted Jesus as her only way to heaven.  God is GOOD!!!!!!!