Oasis International

How You Can Pray for Nigeria and Our Ministry

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 1:9 NIV

Dear friends,

Kano, a predominately Muslim city about 4 hours north of Jos suffered serious attacks on government facilities this past Friday. More than 200 people are reported dead. We must ask why? Boko Haram, an Islamic sect, believes that we are made right with God by keeping the law. Because of this, it is their goal to implement sharia law throughout northern Nigeria. But in doing so, they are bringing only death, deception, destruction and despair. The Bible tells usthat no one can be made righteous by keeping the law—it only shows our sinfulness (Romans 3:20)!

What—who—is the answer? Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus and his sacrificial death on the cross that we are made right with God (Romans 5:9). The Living Word, Jesus, as revealed through God’s Written Word, is the answer. Through Christ, the Prince of Peace, come life, light, liberty and love. What a contrast—who said theology doesn’t matter?

That is why Beth and I are serving in Nigeria with Oasis, to bring this Good New of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. Beth does this daily as she teaches fifth graders at Hillcrest. Her ministry goes even farther. As she teaches students from missionary families, their parents are able to focus on their assignments which also bring the Gospel to Nigeria—Bible translation, theological education, evangelism and church planting.

Daily, I serve along with our 30 colleagues at Oasis through Bibles and Christian literature. It is as the Church gets its theology right and comes to know the Living Word that Nigerians will experience the peace of God in their hearts and lives.

How is Oasis doing that, and how can you pray with us? Let me share three ways:


1. The Preacher’s Outline and Study Bible-New Testament is a beautiful and helpful three volume set that helps Bible teachers and preachers to “get the Gospel right” and give well balanced spiritual meals to their listeners. We are able to distribute this in partnership with Leadership Ministries Worldwide because you have given generously. We have 1400 sets currently in the port and a few in stock. Please pray that these will quickly be cleared and released.

2. We also distribute affordable Bibles that are even more afforable. Many of these are used by students who are taught the Bible in government and private schools; others are used by the people in the pew. Last year, 2011, we distributed record numbers of Bibles. But at the present, we have none, and we are unaware of any basic Bibles that are currently available anywhere in Nigeria. We expect to receive 45,000 pocket Bibles around May. Please pray with us for the quick availability of basic Bibles in Nigeria.

3. We distribute The Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation in partnership with Tyndale House Publishers. These are made available to Christian workers—Pastors, those teaching Bible in schools, theological students—for less than $10. Another 5280 are also on the way. These are tremendous resources to help these Christian leaders to communicate the Gospel clearly. There are documentation problems that need to be resolved. Please pray for quick clearing and release of these Bibles.

Please also pray for the peace of Nigeria, coming through the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Thank you for continuing to pray for us and our ministry.

Serving together with you,

Craig and Beth Ewoldt

Final Update from Accra, Ghana

We are incredibly grateful for your prayers for the Holy Bible: Africa Study Bible, New Living Translation meetings. Yes, this Bible now has its official name! The committee made this decision, along with perhaps hundreds of others, over the last 48 hours. The caliber of members present is astounding. Our Methodist Bishop, Dr. Asante, was President of Trinity Seminary for seven years. He is now the head of a Ghanaian denomination of over 3 million. This is typical of the group; however, it's clear that rank and position is of little importance here. Rather, the focus is on quality decision-making and raising up disciples of Jesus.

Dr. Tite Tienou is brilliant as our committee chairman, moving the discussion along gently but diligently which allowed the group to accomplish an amazing amount of work. In his opening address, he began by saying that he did not believe in African time; rather, everyone was going to be on time. And, they were! Beyond that, everyone was on task through hours of intense discussion with energy and passion to the very last hour. Amazing.

One delegate, a bishop and president of the association of all Christians in his country, who I'd not previously met, admitted to me his skepticism before arriving. He wondered, "Was this going to be a show or a rubber stamp conference where the those from the West pulled the strings?" To his pleasant surprise, no. The project was, indeed, African led. Africans made the decisions. Africans led the way. They talked, we listened. We earned his trust, and in so doing opened up hundreds of churches to the project's potential. Praise God! Dr. Gladys Mwiti stood up at the end of the meetings to offer a special thanks to Oasis, saying again how the whole process was an encouragement; she said African delegates were validated, encouraged, and blessed by how we handed the leadership of such a vital project over to them.

As I thanked the committee for coming, I shared with them three thoughts that I also gladly share with you. First, I restated my belief that each one of them had a purpose in being here. That was confirmed in our days together. Dr. Jusu with his doctorate in educational development. Dr. Gladys Mwiti with her doctorate in psychology. Dr. Turaki with his specialization in African beliefs and religions. Whether the discussion was on the problems of human trafficking, church history, or the comparison of Jesus' parables with African stories, we had an expert at our table.

Second, I characterized our meetings with three simple statements:

One Mind One Heart One Voice

The delegates found one mind in each discussion, through friendly interaction and debate which added depth and power to every subject. They were all of one heart in their passion to equip their people with God's truth. They spoke with one voice in each and every conversation, coming to a powerful consensus. I lack the words to describe how encouraged I was by this.

Finally, I explained how deeply moved I am by their involvement. (Hundreds of years of pastoral experience was in the room.) They each spoke with a pastor's heart, desiring to bring God's truth to their people.

I am looking forward to our service of prayer and dedication tomorrow.

To God be the glory!

Dr. Matthew Elliott, President of Oasis International

[Update from Tuesday night, June 14.]

Update #2 from Accra, Ghana

Today was full and exciting. The first order of business was a devotional by Dr. Tite Tiénou of Burkina Faso, who is the Committee Chairman. He spoke very movingly from Psalm 1, pointing out that if we truly meditate on the Word of God, it will permeate our lives, affecting everything we do.

Then, we spent time getting acquainted with one another. The group hails from Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Chad, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and the USA. The diversity and unity of the body of Christ is wonderful!

Jeff Wright, the CEO of Urban Ministries, Inc. (UMI) gave background on his company. UMI feels that their primary audience—the African-American church—will be very interested in this Bible.

I, then, shared the background story to the development of the New Living Translation—the English Bible text around which this Bible content will be created. This included discussion of the two main types of translation: formal equivalence (i.e. translations like the King James, Revised Standard, New American Standard, and English Standard) and dynamic equivalence, like the New Living Translation.

Next, we turned our attention to the vision statement for the project. If you'd been the proverbial fly on the wall, you would have been interested in the discussion about nearly every significant word in this statement. What do we mean by “African,” “scholars,” “understanding,” “church,” “around the world”? The answers seem obvious, but the nuances and connotations are myriad and important.

We discussed the project's goals and the variety of writers and editors, who should participate in this project. In all, the hope is to find 50-250 individuals who will help to write and edit the notes and articles. A key element in the process is soliciting questions from church members across Africa to ensure that the study Bible addresses real issues that people are facing, with emphasis on obtaining young reviewers to help evaluate the content and style of the notes.

The committee spent the remaining portion of the afternoon prioritizing topics for major articles (2-4 pages a piece) in the Bible. The issues that rose to the top as priority were the following (though they will undoubtedly be amended and expanded as the writing begins):

• Involvement by Christians in politics, democracy, government
• Ethics, integrity, and morality
• Sexuality and homosexuality
• Prejudice, discrimination, tribalism, racism, xenophobia
• Work ethic and time management
• Money and possessions; managing personal finances
• Marriage and family life
• Environment and creation care

We came to the end of the day energized by the process and the prospect of what lies ahead. We each made new friends, and I am now ready (at 9:45 GMT) to hit the sack!

Mark D. Taylor

Tyndale House Publishers, President

[Update received Monday evening, June 13.]

Update #1 from Accra, Ghana

We began work on the first Protestant Bible with helps and applications written by Africans for the African context. This is a momentous project - one that has great potential to impact the church in Africa. This week the Coordinating Committee meets in Accra, Ghana to determine the parameters for how the project will unfold.

I have just turned on my mini water heater for a hot shower after my 24 hour travel day. What a day it has been! People are arriving in Accra all day from all over Africa. Those of us who arrived already shared a good meal. Together we represent all ends of Africa from North to South and East to West – Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria. We shared fellowship over fried plantains, jollof rice and some mighty hot and spicy paste with our meat.

Some came at great personal sacrifice. My friend and former New Testament classmate, Dr. Atef, came from Egypt which continues to experience great political and economic turmoil the day after graduation at his seminary – where he presides as President.

As I arrived I was thinking about how God has chosen each one of these people – there is a story for how each got here in a unique way.

We were welcomed at the hotel by a team from the national paper, wanting to understand the thing that brought all these leaders together. Dr. Tite Tienou, Oasis board member and faciliator of this Coordinating Committee meeting, did an excellent job with the interview, even with only a few hours sleep.

The First Lady of Ghana, Mrs. Ernestina Naadu Mills, greeted us with a welcome letter. And, I am here in my room looking at my first personal letter from the office of the president of a nation. I’m excited to witness God showing such favor to us.

She writes, "I very much identify with the objectives of the NLT for Africa [our working title for the project]...I envision an African NLT Bible that is easily readable, affordable and the notes relevant to issues we face on the African continent. I trust that the notes will include Biblical interpretations and Biblical teaching categories that are absent in Bible Notes produced outside Africa and that the notes address pertinent issues that regularly confront us in the African contexts… In addition, I will request that you please pay special attention to women and children in developing the NLT for Africa notes. Please let me know in whatever way I can participate with you in the Africa NLT project in the future."

It's been an exciting day and we look forward to starting our work tomorrow. Several delegates still coming in tonight, who will get little sleep before we have an intense planning day. Join me in a special prayer for their strength and stamina and that God brings these remaining people to us safely on flights that arrive on time.

Maranatha,

Dr. Matthew Elliott
President of Oasis International

TESTIMONY: Books given to Zalanga Bible College Library in honor of Rev. Zachariah

Just days ago, this encouraging story landed in our InBoxes from Craig Ewoldt, our Managing Director in Nigeria. We couldn't help but share it with you.

Dear Oasis International ~ 

Earlier this year, Rev. Zachariah, the principal of Zalanga Bible College near Bauchi, came into Oasis to select books for the school library. Building the library has been one of his passions, and a few weeks later, he travelled to Kaduna to raise funds to buy the books he had selected. On his trip, he was killed in a senseless traffic accident.

When the Oasis staff heard of his death, they determined to raise the funds themselves to buy the books Rev. Zachariah had selected, and present them in his memory to the college library. Today, Dan, Tom and Tony travelled to Zalanga and presented the books. In an emotional ceremony of joy mingled with sorrow, his widow accepted the presentation, and a prayer of dedication was made for the books.  We pray that these commentaries and theological books will serve the students of the Bible College well, to the glory of God and the furtherance of His Kingdom.

 ~ Craig, on behalf of the entire Oasis Staff.

 P.S. At this time we are experiencing an abundance of these stories. For the moment, it is “harvest time.”

See what we mean! Craig, thanks for sharing.

Report from Evangelical Church of West Africa

Post Election Violence

Thank you for your prayers for Nigeria. We are grateful that it appears to have been peaceful over the last week and indeed since the last election on 26th April. There has been little of the violence we heard about after the presidential election on 16th April. However details continue to emerge of what happened at that time. In Nigeria, as a whole, hundreds of people have been killed. We know of at least 194 churchesthat have been burnt or otherwise destroyed, over 1200 houses destroyed and15,000 people displaced.

As far as ECWA is concerned, to the best of our knowledge so far, 3 ECWA pastors have been killed and at least 32 church members have lost their lives, with 62 members, including pastors, injured. 48 churches, mission stations or pastoriums have been destroyed and 106 private houses have been lost. Just think about what this means for those affected around the country.

In the light of this suffering in the North, we [Serving in Mission] continue to allocate funds in various directions. Early this week SIM Nigeria helped with some aid to many affected people in Southern Kaduna State area. Today we arranged for some funds to go to ECWA Bauchi district. We continue to look for other avenues to channel funds. Once again if you know of any organisation or individual who wants to contribute please ask them to donate to our Nigeria Relief Fund 96038 through the nearest SIM office. Let's keep praying for those who have been affected.

Update from Nigeria in the Time of Election

Well, the Nigerian elections are nearly over. There are still scattered ones here and there to be completed. Tomorrow they will vote in Kaduna and Bauchi States. I presume these were delayed in part to move security forces in from places like Jos before the elections took place. The security forces have done very well, and international election observers say that the voting was fair and well done, with significantly fewer problems. And it rather blunts the protests as the results were overwhelming for the current President. 

Here in Jos, the Governor was reelected. Results were given this morning—Thursday—and were met with large throngs of jubilant followers of Governor Jang. Some of our staff was delayed in getting to work as some of the streets were blocked by the numbers of people celebrating.

We are thankful that Jos was peaceful and that our staff and shop are again unscathed. Our shop was closed several days as required, and on our open days, the sales were reduced. But we are thankful for how peacefully it has turned out in Jos.

Thanks for continuing to pray.
Craig

Craig is our Managining Director of Oasis Distributions Limited - the headquarters of which is located in Jos.

What’s Going on in Nigeria?

As you know, our African headquarters are in Nigeria. The country’s central region experienced episodes of violence over the past few months, with targeted attacks taking place on Christmas Eve.    We receive weekly reports from our team in Nigeria and we follow news reports from the BBC, New York Times, CNN, and the U.S. State Department. The violence comes in waves, leaving our team to deal with a rollercoaster of emotions. The Lord continually provides wisdom and discernment about when to keep shop doors open. Fortunately, this ethnic, religious violence has not brought physical harm to any of our staff. However, each of them has been personally touched, having lost friends or relatives as a result of the growing violence.   These tension and trials challenge all of us to increase our faith in our sovereign God.

We are grateful that so many of you are praying, and we ask that you remain on your knees, asking God for peace in Nigeria. We periodically post updates to our blog from Craig Ewoldt, our Managing Director in Jos.  We specifically ask you to pray for Craig and his wife, Beth. You can find their latest personal report HERE.

Our Nigerian team is in need of your prayer support, and they are also in need some updates to technology. They are looking for gently-used laptops to supply to their support staff. Please keep this need in mind as you or a friend moves to new technology. You can contact our main office with any inquiry or contribution.

4 Ways to Get Involved Online

We know that many of you find it easiest to stay up to date by following us online.  Here are four simple ways you can follow what God is doing through Oasis by engaging with us via the Web.

1. Follow us on Facebook. Our staff regularly posts tidbits of information to Facebook related to work in  Africa. Facebook provides an excellent platform for sharing pictures, videos, and links with you. Click Here to find our Facebook group page.

2. Follow us on Twitter. We also regularly “tweet” updates and factoids from both sides of the ocean.  You can find out feed at http://twitter.com/OasisIntLtd

3. Browse our website. Toward the end of last year, we revamped our website. We’re proud of the new look, and you can easily find helpful information about our ministry. Find us at www.oasisint.net.

4. Online giving.  Do you have a used laptop computer that you are no longer using?  Oasis’ staff in Nigeria needs laptops - you can receive a tax deduction for your donation.  There is also an option to financially contribute online. Visit our GIVE page today!

Maybe you’ve done all these things, but have you shared the work of Oasis with your friends?  We’d be pleased if you would tell your friends and family about our work and share our Facebook page with friends.  Or, it can be as simple as sending an email to your friend and providing them with our web address.

Partnerships: Because Two is Often Stronger Than One

In many ways, Oasis is a strong group of partnerships. We see each one of the African booksellers we supply as integral partners in all that we are doing. We see the ministries we equip to teach Christian leadership development and training as our partners. We see you – friends, contributors, and prayer warriors – as vital partners. We recently put together a document that outlines three of our exciting partnerships. We’ll be featuring partnerships from time to time, but we want to give you an exclusive peek into these three strategic relationships to start 2011. The link below allows us to download our latest partnership document.

Download PartnershipDoc