Happy New Year!
Did you make any New Year's Resolutions?
We have some big hopes and dreams, too!
Great news! Phyllis is 'home for the holidays'!
COME SEE US!
We will be at Warm Beach Free Methodist Church January 1st, 2023! Phyllis will speak in the 9:30 am and 11:00 am services, and we will show the Kidnapped Redemption film in the evening, at 6:00 pm!
We will be at Seattle First Free Methodist Church on January 8th, 2023! Phyllis will speak briefly at the 9:00 am and 11:00 am services, and at a Sunday school class for an hour between services.
We would love to see each and every one of you! Please come and say hello!
We have some BIG hopes and dreams!
From Phyllis:
"UNESCO recently reported that there are 20 MILLION out-of-school children in Nigeria. We, in Schools for Africa, have the goal of TRIPLING the number of strong Christian schools we are managing in Nigeria."
We believe that educating Nigeria's young people is the beginning of raising up a nation! Education leads to good jobs, and opportunities for fathers to support their families. In a nation where economy is slow and jobs are scarce, education is necessary!
Education gives children a better understanding of the people and tribes around them, and helps them to build relationships with children from all backgrounds. In a nation with such turmoil and hatred, building this understanding is key to people living at peace together. This is especially true for the Fulani, who are hated unjustly and have long been misunderstood.
In OUR schools, education means that the children and their families get to learn about Jesus! Pastors are superintendents of our schools, and often church is held right in the school building, or very nearby. Pastors reach out to the families of our schools, love them, help them, and teach them about the love of our precious Jesus.
We're trusting God and determined, with His help, to use everything we have to educate as many children as we can, to lift high the wonderful Name of Jesus and bring HIS peace to Nigeria!
We have our goal set out before us. We feel led by the Lord to love on Nigeria, and specifically the Fulani people in this way. We will follow Him, and let His will be done.
We have requests for schools in many areas, but we need your help! Would you like to build a school? Would you like to sponsor a school? Would you like to stay in touch with a school, pray for the superintendent, the teachers and students?
Could YOU help support the teacher's salaries, school maintenance, and book fees?
One of the schools we hope to build very soon is Alhaji Jouro’s (pictured above) school, near Emi Woro, Kogi State. Alhaji Jouro is a Fulani chief who, from the very beginning, when we established Bright Hope Christian Academy in Emi Woro, has fully supported education for Fulani children. He himself has sons and daughters who are now graduates of our school! He lives deep in the bush, with Fulani settlements all around, and requests an extension primary school for the over 100 children living there. As we already have an extension school on the way to Jouro’s camp, Little Lambs Nursery School, with a wonderful teacher, Samuel Tassa, our plan is to build a small school in Jouro’s village (to remain permanently) and have Samuel divide his teaching to 3 days a week at Little Lambs, and 3 days at Jouro’s camp. When the children finish primary 3, they are bussed to BHCA campus to complete their education.
Another school coming soon is the Imala North School. This school will be built on the 1600 acres north of Peace Village in Imala, in Ogun State. Pictured above is Peaceful Village in the small yellow circle, and Imala North circled in orange near the top of the photo. This land, with a high population of Fulani herdsmen, has been given to SFA for the rotational grazing project. It’s too far away for the children to come south to the Good Shepherd School in Peace Village, so another school will be built there.
There are MANY other Imala North developments coming soon! We will begin to develop the 1,600 acres for improved grazing, business opportunities and education.
The 1,600 acres given to Schools for Africa must be officially surveyed and registered.
Roads into the site and a ferry boat must be made available.
A cooperative will be formed with committed Fulani herdsmen.
The acreage will then be divided into paddocks.
Two boreholes with water tanks and drinking troughs will be provided for the cattle.
Rotational grazing will commence.
A partnership between the cooperative and the Friesland Campina Dairy Company will be established, with a milk collection center provided by Friesland Campina, who will purchase milk from the herdsmen.
And so God's work continues...
His grace and mercy are without end!
Prayer Requests:
Pray for Phyllis, who is in the US for the holidays.
Pray for the SFA team holding down the fort in Nigeria.
Pray for our presentations at upcoming churches, that they would bring new partnerships in ministry!