Return to Nigeria
What an amazing opportunity I had in May to return to Nigeria for the first time since I left in 1997. Dr. and Mrs. Dave Maskey asked me to speak at their ladies’ conference at the Independent Baptist Church of Port Harcourt. There were around 300 ladies in attendance, and during my stay there, I had the opportunity to speak three times at the conference, teach the ladies’/teens’ Sunday school class, teach a Kids’ Club, and speak at their Singles’ Ministry activity. The Maskeys have served faithfully in the same place for over 20 years, and evidence of their hard work is in abundance. One of my conference sessions was for the single ladies and teen girls. My theme was “A Princess Through and Through,” and I taught from Psalm 45:13, “The king’s daughter is all glorious within . . . .” We learned five things the Lord gives us to wear—garment of salvation, robe of righteousness, garment of praise, etc. Forty of the girls got crowns to wear, and we sang a crazy song about Princess Pat and her “super suit” (AKA “robe of righteousness”) and played a game called “Kiss the Prince.”
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (III John 4) After the conference I took the opportunity to fly to Ibadan to visit the area where I was stationed on my first term as a missionary back in 1995. With no children of my own, my legacy lies in the lives of those I’ve invested in on the mission field. My heart was full and overflowing to see “the fruit that remained” while visiting Independent Baptist Church. It was a particular joy to see that some of my former Bible institute students had married some of my young ladies in my Sunday school class and are now serving the Lord together, pastoring their own churches or serving faithfully as laymen in the church. I am truly blessed.
Soul-Winning Conference in Nawong
In June I had the privilege of helping Mrs. Sindy Arold teach/lead the two ladies’ sessions at their annual Soul-Winning Conference. Dr. and Mrs. Larry Brown were the guest speakers, and there were over 130 in attendance, with many national pastors from all over Southeast Asia. On the final night, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary for the first printing of the Thai KJV Bible. Dr. Bob Bowen, the human reason behind so many of our converts having their own copy of God’s Word, gave out New Testaments to each person who committed to using them for the specific purpose of witnessing. On Saturday Mrs. Brown and I went visiting, and we saw several people saved, including these 4 teen girls. Afterwards it was my pleasure to take the Browns to visit the summer palace and to see some sights. Riding the elephants was their favorite.
Families Reunited
Recently our Wednesday night Bible study has been focusing on forgiveness. The Lord has been doing a work on Kuhn Yai’s heart, and she has been trying to reconcile with some of her family members she hasn’t seen in years. She came with me when I went to Bangkok for the conference and met up with her mother, whom she hadn’t seen or talked to for over 10 years, and her sister, whom she hadn’t seen or spoken to for over 20 years. It was a very sweet reunion, and she had many opportunities over the next few days to make amends and witness to them. When I came to pick her up, both her mother and her sister were excited to talk to me about Jesus and His plan of salvation. After listening intently and having all their questions answered, they both sweetly bowed their heads and trusted Christ. Kuhn Yai has now started earnestly praying for the opportunity to speak to her four sons who are not yet saved, two of whom she hasn’t spoken to in years and one of whom she is unsure of his whereabouts. The Devil loves tearing down families, but by God’s grace, we are working to put them back together.
Thank you for your faithful prayers and financial support. Without it I could not do the work God has called me to do.
Shari House