F
rom the very beginning of our ministry in West Africa, God has blessed Margaret and me with the opportunity to work with
teams of American Christians who come to Africa to serve the Lord. The teams come in many different forms. They may be medical, evangelistic, teaching teams, or Volunteer Student Missionaries (VSM). They are often a mixture of men, women, boys and girls, pastors, laymen, medically trained, and non-medical. Though they may differ in many ways, they are united by their desire to serve their Lord, and in their own special way, share the love of God with those who so badly need to know about God. Oh! How these teams bless and encourage
Margaret, me, and the BMA of Africa workers as we work together. The effect the team members have on the nationals is remarkable. Most Africans are touched and deeply affected as they see God’s love for them modeled by American believers. They expect this kind of action to be shown by pastors and missionaries, but are more greatly impressed when acted out by church members. Most team members don’t get to hear the comments of the people, spoken after the team leaves the field. They do not hear the expressions of amazement, and hear how the lives of the local people have been affected by the sacrifices of love they have given to the villagers. The teams that visit the West African field
affect the way the African people receive the BMA missionaries and church planters. When a team comes and the African people hear the truth spoken and see the truth of Scripture lived out before their eyes by the team members, they realize that BMA missionaries and/or church planters have been instructed in the truth of the Word of God and are sharing it with them. Many gain enough confidence in the BMA missionaries
and church planters to listen and learn the truth of God’s Word from them. As we plan and make preparation for the
teams’ accommodations and activities, we are filled with the assurance that God is going to do great things, not only through the team, but in its members. Sometimes the team members are from one church. Other times, the members are from other churches in other states and have never met each other. We are always pleased at how the teams unite and work together so well. They set aside their differences and unite to accomplish God’s purpose for them. Some team members may have never or have
seldom presented the Gospel. We always have a training time to prepare the team members to use the EvangeCube, an excellent evangelism tool. Over the time of their visit, the team members will grow more bold and confident as they experience the work of the Holy Spirit through them and in the lost ones. The blessings they receive because of their
willingness to serve the Lord in a foreign setting changes their life. We often hear people say that they plan to go back home and use their new boldness and confidence in presenting the Gospel to share it with their friends, relatives, and even strangers. American teams have been a wonderful
blessing to all of us in West Africa. The blessings abound to the lost Africans who have the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel, and to see the love of God modeled before them. The visiting team members themselves are blessed by their experiences of serving their Savior and taking part in building His kingdom. When God’s people are doing God’s will God’s Way, He never fails to bless them and their work. n
22 theGLEANER n November/December 2010
BY JOHN LINDSEY, BMAA Missionary to Ghana
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32