Oasis International

Africa Study Bible Testimony: Dr. David Ngaruiya

Dr. David Ngaruiya talks about how the Africa Study Bible will benefit both pastors and laypeople in Africa.

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.

Prayer Request from Friend of Oasis--Earle Senn

May 28, 2010
Jos, Plateau State , Nigeria
 
Hi or Sannu abokinmu, Lafiya?
 
Have you ever cried in a library? Perhaps it was a sad story or article you were reading, or maybe as a child you got lost in such a huge place!? Imagine this completely different scene. We are approaching an old appearing building badly in need of a paint job, entering into a large room, also begging for new paint, with the bright, hot, tropical sunshine streaming in through broken, dirty louver windows. There are several long wooden tables with wooden chairs around them and along the walls are wooden bookshelves, with few books on them. “This is our seminary library,” the provost, Rev. Mathias K., was saying sadly, “It is in shambles.” He introduced us to the Librarian, and to the Academic Dean, Rev. Sunday Congo, and started taking us on a tour of the library at ECWA Theological Seminary, Kufai, Biliri.  
 
We had been talking with our long time friend, Rev. Dr. Siman Ibrahim, and our host, Danladi Bako, the evening before, and the subject of the Seminary at Kufai came up. They told us that the new provost at the seminary is such a humble, Godly man, and he has been given an impossible job of improving and updating the school within three years. It fell into disrepair over the last 8 years with poor management of funds and staff. The library is only one item in a six page “to do” list that the staff and board have crafted. There is little to work with, except the beautiful hills, valleys, and wooded areas where the school is located, the present staff houses, student housing, many of which need extensive repair– and that incredible sunshine!
 
Back to the tour of the library…The “Periodicals” section, the librarian was saying, has only one updated magazine there and that was a “Decision” magazine from Billy Graham Assoc. dated July 2009! The rest were ragged, various magazines and papers as far back as 1972! The “Reference” section, where instructors had chosen books for their students to read was very sparsely populated with ragged, tattered and torn pieces of paper that perhaps once were books. Most of the bookshelves in the “library” were empty, with a few antique theology books and some interesting thesis books on various topics written by long ago students. The encyclopedia set was from 1972, I believe, and there were a few good old classic theology books. Upstairs in the gallery, the same story, dusty, old, tattered books in the fiction, history, and biography shelves.
 
I cry tears of sadness for what others have lost because of lack of resources, I cry tears of apprehension, that the present students may never have the opportunity of expanding their knowledge beyond a few outdated, worn out scraps of paper still respectably called books, I cry for joy, when I see the possibilities of how much it would mean for them to receive books, many books, railroad containers full of books to stock their library with Bibles, commentaries, Bible study books, books on Christian living, Biographies of great men and women of God, Geography, Theology books, World History, dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and the list could go on, including a regular supply of current, relevant periodicals.
 
Rev. Mathias was so grateful when we said we would see what we could do to get books to him for the library. We told him that many of our friends would give books, give money for books, and look for churches, schools, libraries, publishers, etc. that throw away books because they are a few years outdated, but still perfectly good to use.
 
We are overwhelmed with the opportunities, needs, and the desire of so many Christian leaders to promote a culture of reading in this great country facing so many challenges.
 
OUR REQUESTS FOR PRAYER:

• For the Billiri, Kufai Theological Seminary Book Drive .
• Improvement in the shaky “peace” in Jos area. We were stopped in a long traffic line Saturday evening as soldiers were checking all cars for missing weapons. People are fearful, and incidents are still reported frequently. The 9 pm curfew has been lifted.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PRAYING!  
            
LOVE FROM SENN’S  

The Need for the NLT Life Application Study Bible in Rwanda

I was able to visit the large Assembly of God church here in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, this morning. Before the service, we spent a few minutes with the lead pastor.  He would like the church to start a bookshop, the entire country is in great need of Christian resources.  We were on the subject of our project for Africa with the New Living Translation, and he just immediately told us how much Africa needs a Bible that is easy to understand and how much he uses his NLT Life Application Study Bible (LASB) in his ministry and teaching.

 

I was able to tell him that in Kenya, these Bibles are available for pastors and students for great prices through the equipping program with Tyndale.  Wow, he was really excited about that.  They have all 150 pastors from his denomination coming to his church just next week for their national conference.  I shared a short testimony in the service about our literature ministry – as visitors often do in Africa. Later, as he talked about the conference and all the pastors that are coming, he said he was reading this morning and he believed that God wanted their church to bless these pastors as they came.  He wanted people to bring soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste to church next week as a small token of blessing.  In the front they would have baskets for people to put their offerings to bless these rural pastors – many who did not even have the money for a bus ride to come.  Does your pastor need a toothbrush?

Then he said something more.  He said, “you know that leather Bible, the Life Application Study Bible, that I preach out of so often?  Matthew Elliott, the man who greeted us earlier, told me this morning that those are available in Kenya for pastors at nominal costs.  I want to commit this church to giving each one of these pastors a copy of this Bible.  We will find the money.  It will not be next week, but we will do it.”  

What a wonderful way to start the week, and a wonderful way that God had prepared the way.  Here is a pastor that loves his NLT LASB that was also having 150 pastors to a conference this next week.  I just happened to show up to say that we could supply enough of these Bibles for each pastor, at a price that people could afford.  Thanks be to God and blessings to Tyndale for making the program possible!


Matthew

Ewoldt November 2009 Prayer Letter

November 2009
 
 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”  Galatians 6: 9,10
 
Dear friends and family,
 
We thank God for your continued prayers on our behalf, and for the ministries that we are involved in here in Jos, Nigeria. We value your partnership in spreading God’s Word to Africa and Nigeria. We are busy with many projects between now and the end of the year.
 
Projects in November
 

• We have over 5000 New Living Translation Life Application Bibles to distribute to low income pastors—with Tyndale House Publishers as ministry partners. Pray that these Bibles will get to the pastors that need them most.
• We are hosting SIM missionaries from Ghana, Alan and Donna Goerz who are training counselors in Pre-Marriage Counseling with the goal of Christ centered marriages. This training will use their resource manuals that Oasis publishes. Please pray that this training will impact marriages throughout Nigeria.
• We are distributing 29,500 commentaries to seminaries throughout Nigeria. These are gifts for the libraries of graduates from these seminaries. We are partnering with Cook Ministries in this project. Pray that these books will help as they go into ministry.
• Our staff continues to visit seminaries and Bible colleges with resources, often selling hundreds of books each day to students. Please pray that these books will strengthen these students’ training and ministry.
• We have supplied a team from NIFES (Nigerian Fellowship of Evangelical Students) who will be selling Bibles and books for several weeks in four northern states where there are no Christian bookshops. They will be going to the area where at least three Christian pastors were martyred for their faith in August, and where 30 or more churches were burned. Please pray for their effective ministry and personal safety.
• 500 Pastors will receive sets of 12 books—in partnership with Training Pastors International.
• Through our core ministry, selling to booksellers, we continue to distribute thousands of Bibles and books each week. Please continue to pray that these books will be read and impact thousands in Nigeria.

Tens of thousands of free tracts and gospels have been distributed in recent months. We thank God for the partners who have been faithful in supplying these for this purpose.

Teaching fifth grade at Hillcrest
Beth continues to enjoy teaching her fifth graders at Hillcrest. The first semester is drawing to a close! This summer she trained in a phonics reading program, and is working through this with her students. We are hoping to see a few grade levels of reading improvement in her class this year. Please pray for Beth as she teaches, that these students would grow spiritually, academically, and socially through her ministry.
 
Craig’s quick medical trip to the US  
I mentioned a possible health issue for me in our last prayer email. I traveled to Chicago to have a heart stress test, and stayed there for 6 days before returning to Nigeria. I was able to see a cardiologist the day after I arrived. The following day I took the stress test and had some nuclear imaging done of my circulatory system. The doctor gave me a clean bill of health. What was it? Well, we don’t know. Either the problem went away, or there was no serious problem in the first place. Either way, we thank God for answering prayer.
 
On a sadder note, Ben Fabunmi, a faithful board member of Oasis Distributions in Nigeria for almost 15 years, was called to be with the Lord late last month. Please remember his family in prayer at this time.
 
Are you discouraged about your investments and concerned about the future?
In many respects, the future seems more uncertain than many of us can ever remember. The opportunities for ministry here in Nigeria and Africa remain very strong, but we don’t know how long these doors will remain open. Jesus told his disciples –“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:4, 5.

If you are looking for a good place to invest, don’t be discouraged. The distribution of Bibles and Christian literature in Nigeria is an excellent investment opportunity in the growth of the Kingdom of God. And the long range (eternal) return is excellent. Regardless of what happens, the books and the Bibles that have been distributed will remain in hundreds of thousands of Christian homes and pastor’s studies across Africa. The sale of books sustains the ministry, but your gifts help it to grow.
 
Thank you again for your concern and support for our ministry.
 
Serving together,
 
Craig and Beth Ewoldt
To give to our ministry:
Oasis International Ltd.

1770 S. Randall Road Suite A188
Geneva, IL 60134 USA  

The New Catalog is Complete!

We are happy to announce that the new Oasis International Ltd. catalog is complete.  This will be a wonderful marketing tool for our distributors in Africa.  It features over 100 great Oasis titles.  Flip through the catalog and check out all the new releases we have to offer.

Pictures from the Dedication in Jos

Opening Prayer with Prof. Yusuf Turaki, Jos ECWA Theological Seminary

Congregational Hymn--To God be the Glory with the St. Pirans Band

Craig and Beth singing

Craig Ewoldt thanking guests and giving an overview of Oasis

Some of the many guests who came out to support Oasis

Bishop Benjamin  Kwashi (Archbishop of Jos Province)

Ribbon cutting

Inside the bookshop

Beth Ewoldt

Sam Kolo, Sam Damah, Craig Ewoldt

Rev. David Laje giving the closing remarks

Dr. Akinyemi closing the dedication in prayer

Summary of Building Dedication and Open House

Pictures from the New African Headquarters in Jos

Enjoy the pictures of the completed Headquarters.  The captions are provided by Craig Ewoldt in Jos.

Completed Building

Well, no self-respecting shop in the USA would have this many windows. But our batteries only do one-third of the lights, and so windows help folks see in the shop without having the cost of the generator at $6 to $8 per hour

Two of our staff behind the counter. The wall is a work in progress. We want to display CDs and DVDs as part of the overall plan. We are also waiting to display greeting cards.

We sell loads of journals, but the pickins are slim right now

A quilt that was in the model shop, now out of hiding

Ann Marie with the mission statement. She is working on a cloth/plex frame.

This is Mairo at her desk, with her business face on. Usually it is sunshine.

Letter from Oasis Board Member Dr. Tite Tienou

The below letter was read at Saturday's Grand Opening and Dedication of the African Headquarters in Jos.

Mr. Craig Ewoldt, Staff, and Honoured Special Guests of Oasis Distributions, Ltd.,

Jos, Nigeria

 

It is my great joy and privilege to bring you congratulatory greetings on behalf of the Board of Directors of Oasis International, Ltd. as we celebrate together the grand opening of the African Headquarters of Oasis. This special occasion is a great sign of God’s grace, favor and blessing. So, we praise His Name and we thank each one of you for your presence here today. It is our sincere prayer that these Headquarters will contribute greatly to “Satisfying Africa’s thirst for God’s Word”.

 

 

Tite TIENOU

Board Member, Oasis International, Ltd.