“Celebrating Our 30 Fruitful Years As Missionaries”

By this time in 1994, a vision was born. The vision is to dedicate our lives as missionaries of the Lord in His Vineyard. A vision to go to the frontiers, where the gospel needs are for Jesus. A vision propelled by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, where He admonished: *I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.* (John 4:35).

Since answering the call, it has been backward never and forward ever. Yes! It has been 30 good years of experiences, and we rejoice, and give all the glory to our God who’ve sustained our lives. It’s a great testimony we can’t let go of sharing with our friends and relatives.

Kingdom Missions Outreach (KMO)  was inaugurated in March of 1994 at Santos Layout, Dopemu, Lagos in response to a call to be involved in missions. Before that, around 1990 while still worshipping in Household of God Church Ikeja, Lagos, under Rev. Chris Okotie, the call came on a midweek service. The pastor raised a song, *”Here am I send me!”*  He repeated the song severally while calling people out for prayer. It was while on the long queue waiting to be prayed for, that the Lord opened my eyes to see the vast gospel needs among nations.

 Immediately after that experience, I saw the need for preparation.  At once, I  enrolled for mission training in a school of missions – Gospel Missionary Foundation (GMF), Opebi, Lagos, under Rev. (Dr.) Ikechukwu Obioha. I completed this in 1993, and as part of God’s move, I married a missionary wife, Ngozi, in 1993. I started teaching at Gospel Progress Theological College, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos in 1994 when we were commissioned as missionaries. It was conducted by our mentor, Rev. Dr. Jimoh A. Kassem, my Rector, and in fact, the founder of Gospel Progress Theological College.

It was while waiting for the actual field of posting at the theological college where we were working that God revealed to us a rural mission field we were to take off. That’s the Ejila Awori people in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.

In 1998, we finally moved without hesitating. We first settled in one of the communities – Totowu, and from there, we finally settled in Odan Abuja where we spent over ten years of fruitful labor as rural missionaries. It wasn’t easy then, leaving the city to take residence in a remote village, but God saw us through it all. The effect of our work among the Ejila and Erinla Awori people is still very visible.

It was while working among these Awori people that a call for foreign missions to Asia came in 2003. After some waiting, our Master Commissioner opened a great and effectuats door for the Philippines to us, and in 2007, I traveled for what we know today as a survey of the land. It was God working all things together for us!

 When I returned the same year, I and my entire family of six people had to fly out to the Philippines in 2008 for our foreign mission assignment. It wasn’t easy then raising funds for the air ticket and startup funds for six of us, but God, despite all odds, and to our greatest amazement, and that of our numerous friends, raised the money within the specified time frame of our visas.

For over eight years of living and working in the Philippines, the good Lord, the Lord of missions saw us through in that 10/40 Window nation, located in Southeast Asia. It was an awesome experience working among the tribal people of Badjao located in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines.

Working among these people was a very wonderful experience, to say the least. The testimony is that the Lord used us to raise strong and formidable believers among these sea gypsies of a people.

This year then marks ten years of our gradual return home to Nigeria to continue with the work here. Our return trip was another testimony as the Lord of Missions miraculously provided the needed funds.

Since returning to Nigeria, the good Lord has been using us to plant missions in the hearts of people here through our missions’ mobilization efforts. We had to relocate to Ebonyi State from Enugu after hearing and seeing the gospel needs in that region. At present, we’re involved in church planting efforts, and Bible school pioneering. Just recently we started agricultural missions. Using agriculture as a means of reaching the people, especially the rural farmers. It has been a very fulfilling ministry here in Ebonyi State.

It’s interesting to note that, this year, our God is requiring us to go back to the Philippines for our 3rd missionary journey. Do we say no because of the prevailing circumstances around us? We say yes, instead! As the Lord has also said yes! As in 2007, our 1st missionary journey the good Lord used several people to make it happen, then in 2008, during our 2nd missionary trip, He surprisingly repeated the same.

So, in 2024, as we get ready for our 3rd missionary trip to the Philippines, and other parts of Asia, we trust Him who accompanied us on the first and second occasions to do the same again on this third occasion. He said He’ll never leave nor forsake us. Like Caleb in the Bible, we say that ten years ago we served in the Philippines, and our strength is still the same today as it was then.

So, our total trust is in Him who called us 30 years ago to serve as missionaries, that He’ll still be there for us. For 30 years as missionaries, we never lacked anything good in our lives. Our God never changes! He’s always the same, yesterday, today, and forevermore!

Our gratitude then goes to God for this long years of service to Him, and to numerous churches, agencies, and individuals both home and abroad He used to sustain our work this far. He successfully

led us in the air, the land, and the sea without any hitches, so why can’t we lift His name high?

Satan tried to dampen our morale with the passing on to glory of our lovely first daughter, Nkeoma in 2013 in the Philippines. She passed on while in her final year studying Mass Communication at the Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), Dumaguete City, Philippines. She was buried there. But we never gave up!

Even immediately after her death, and before our return to Nigeria in 2014, the devil tried playing a hard trick once again. Our ship would’ve capsized in the sea while returning from a mission tour in Tacloban City, Leyte Province of the Philippines, if not for God. We were there to minister to some pastors who lost their belongings during the great typhoon that hit the entire city.

For over one hour, we got stocked in a typhoon that made a come back from the Pacific Ocean. It was an experience no one would pray to have the second time. Our lives were at risk of shipwreck and sinking at the middle of the sea, as we were tossed up and down severally. But Jehovah the man of war intervened, and we’re able to make it to the shores of Cebu city – praise God!

But in all these, we never despaired, nor were we deterred. These only became great turning points in our lives as foreign missionaries.  Yes! We still give all the glory to the author of life for all things in our lives! He did it on the first occasion, repeated it on the second, and we’re very confident and sure, He’ll do it again on this third occasion.

Based on the present prevailing circumstances, we’ve decided to shift the actual celebration to Friday, April 26 in Enugu. The venue and time will be communicated to you later.

Please pray along with us for God’s guidance and provision as we prepare for the actual celebration! *Alleluia!!!*