Friday August 20th
One week after the burial of Pastor E. E. Essien.
Most of our mission trips are hectic things filled with preaching and teaching and traveling. When I visit the NCLC things are a bit different. In the NCLC since it has the Bible Institute where Patrick Udo and Edwin teach, preaching and teaching are not the focus of the trip though they are certainly an important secondary. Also since the NCLC is for the most part concentrated in the areas around Efa, there is not as much traveling either. Hence I can usually relax a bit, since I don’t have to repack my bag and climb up a mountain every day, and spend the time visiting with the pastors who often come to the house. Further down you’ll find a short update on how some of them are doing for any of you who have gotten to know them over the years.
The Bible Institute is currently at an enrollment of three students all of whom are supposed to graduate within the next two years. With no current prospective new students we certainly want to keep this in our prayers.
The electrical problems of Nigeria certainly seem to be improving. In previous years when I have been here the electricity has been on for maybe a few hours total the whole span of my stay. This year it seems to have come on for at least a few hours every day.
Last year when I was here we were able to work out a way to begin distributing bibles on a regular basis to NCLC members who wished to have them. This seems to be working quite well. Once the board has gotten bibles to everyone who wants them and begun to stock pile a small stack they will start on Catechisms.
The major problem of the NCLC is the same spirit of materialistic earthly mindedness which we are so familiar with. I happened to run into one of the ex-presidents of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Nigeria at Pastor Essien’s funeral. In the short time I had to speak with him, he expressed the same problems and difficulties, not surprisingly. Unless we preach wealth and earthly blessings nobody wants to come to our churches. On top of that the spiritualism native to Africa still holds the hearts of many. As a small example there were many claiming to be Christian who nevertheless tried to insist that Martin Essien should hire the services of rain dancers to make certain it would not rain at Pastor Essien’s funeral.
Despite all the Word remains.
A short update on Pastors:
Pastor Ukpong passed away this last March and is now with the Lord.
Pastor Tom and Pastor Sunday Thompson are both very sick.
Pastor Sam has left the church.
Everyone else is well and healthy and all send their greetings to their many friends and brothers in America.
In the His name,
Pastor Matthew Ude