“He ran mad for 21 days while on evangelical mission”
Evangelist and Mrs. Emmanuel Oluwatunmise operate a film ministry on the mission field. His ministry Gospel Bearers Missions International goes from one rural area to the other showing evangelical films to people and thus pulling them from the kingdom of darkness.
But before he went on the field he had been active doing evangelism and winning souls to Christ. His exploits in the vineyard of God however did not go down well with the forces of darkness. To stop him from further preaching the gospel, he was struck with a strange illness that led to madness.
“For 21 days I was mad and put in chains. But thank God for brethren who began serious intercession for me. By the 21st day of the madness, I regained my sanity and was wondering how I came about the place I was. That was when I was told how the enemy bound me and how I displayed traits of madness of 21 days. God actually gave me a new brain and a new mind. And that spurred him to begin a vigorous evangelical mission with his wife.”
He told our correspondent the group usually go on outreaches in the month of August to Benin Republic, Ilorin, Kogi State and Oyo North.. While noting that several lives had been transformed through the films he said they get support from the Global Mandate Mission. “We also get support from organisations and individuals. We also get drugs
donations, equipment, materials from well-meaning Nigerians. Dr. Ferdinand from River State brings eye glasses which we use in assisting people with eye defects”
While disclosing that they have had to live by faith in all their endeavours, he said, “Last August in Benin Republic, the river we cross on our way was a challenge. This is because there are no roads. The big vehicles cannot pass so we use small vehicles and where the vehicles cannot move, we ferried the vehicles across the river, we also use planks as ladders to cross. These areas include a place called Okuta, Ilesha Baruba, Gosun Gosun, they are rural areas spread across Nigeria and Benin Republic.
He said there is little government presence in these areas. “No road, the small roads are used by people who go to Cotonou to bring in vehicles, they are majorly bush path. We have two mission buses, but can’t go through those roads except we go through a longer route, that is through Lagos and Ogun States
He described the field as very fruitful. We opened a mission field at Kilibo where we had 50 converts. We also do conferences there and organise our crusades in Wese, all in Benin Republic.
Oluwatunmise hails from Ogbomosho, in Oyo State. His ancestors were the ones in charge of communication for the Oba. They called them town criers or akede Oba. But he has since decided to communicate for Jesus on the mission field.
He could be reached on +234-8165148205
How God used us to raise the literacy level of Egun people in Badagry and Republic of Benin
Olatunji and Bunmi Onilude both graduated from the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. The former a 1992 graduate read Agric Extension while the latter, a 1997 graduate read Mathematics.
But while many of their contemporaries were pursuing secular jobs looking for how to survive and cope with the demands of life, the duo took to the mission field “I have not for once done a secular job” said Olatunji who spoke with our correspondent at the Global Mission Mandate Conference which held at the Agape General International Church, Lagos.
His wife also took after him in the mission field. Initially, Olatunji had been a pastor with Victory Life Bible Church in Sagamu, Ogun State. But he had to quit when God gave him a marching order to proceed to Agbojetho in Badagry to reach out to the people in that environ. He went to the field while his wife joined him later.
The two of them have been working among the Egun people in Badagry and Benin Republic since 2001. The experience though exciting and challenging have been quite fulfilling. He describes the Egun people as wonderful people who still need to be exposed to civilization. They still live as though they are in the antediluvian age. They are given to witchcraft and they are largely far from western civilization.
When they got to the communities where the egun people are there was no church, no school and the communities don’t have health facilities. But God has used them to help the communities. “We run a school in the community and we have been able to bring the gospel to them. The school is largely free because the people are too poor to pay. But through support we get from a few friends and the Global Mission Mandate, we have been able to help with the education of the children in that area. We run a school. They have glorious children who are ready to learn. And that is what we have been doing since we got there coupled with helping them with a mobile clinic occasionally and reaching them with the good news of Jesus.
The Oniludes joy is that God is using them to transform destinies. Many of the children who could not read in these communities can now read. And the Lord is using them to break the yoke of witchcraft that is holding the people bound.
But they will really make do with a lot of help to spread the gospel and impact more lives among the Egun people in Badagry and Republic of Benin
They could be reached +234-7041970535 or +22965186091
“God broke the hold of alcoholism in many lives on our mission field”
Joseph and Joke Jeremiah operate in a rather interesting field called Agboke in Odeda Local government area of Ogun State. In that community, the young men are sold to alcohol. The hold of alcohol is so strong that boys who are about six years old are already addicts. Many of their young men also smoke heavily “That was what we met on ground when we came to the field a few years ago” said Jeremiah.
He disclosed further that the people are largely farmers who don’t joke with their farms. “The first challenge we had was getting them to come to church. But they would rather go to the farm. But God gave us wisdom. We began with holding vigils for them since they were not always available in the morning for church. And it worked. Many of them come for the vigil and through that we have been able to win a number to the Lord. They now attend services on Sunday morning.
Jeremiah a building contractor by profession who was born to missionary parents said it took a while for him to heed to the call of God noting that he lost one his daughters in the process of being adamant. But God had his way eventually and he has been a veritable instrument in the hands of God.
He disclosed that God has used him and his wife to break the hold of alcohol and cigarete addiction among many of the young men. “Today we have on record about 13 of the young men who have been freed from alcohol and cigarette addiction. Many of their friends who see the change in them have come to us for help on how we did it. We only tell them they just need to surrender their hearts to Jesus and He will do the work.
The church on the mission field named Peace in God Gospel Church has been a landmark in the community. They also run a school for the children of the community. He described the experience so far as quite fulfilling. “There is nothing as good as staying in the purpose and plan of God for your life. The testimony that is dear to me is that God is using us to change lives.
The couple could be reached on +234-8067245387 and +234-8021035141.
“Eight and half years old sickness healed on the field”
At 74, Pastor Moses Oluwagbuyi still finds the mission field exciting. Though he comes from Okitipupa in Ondo State, the Lord specifically instructed him to proceed to Itako in Ogun State.
Recalling how he got called to the mission field at age 41, he said, “I heard God’s voice speak to me that I should proceed to the town called Itako. By then I had not been to the town in my life. But I had to obey though I had little knowledge about missions.”
He embarked on the journey and was able to locate the town in the midst of a thick forest. “When I came to the town I trekked several kilometers through the forest to find the people. That was in 1987. The bush was so thick that when it rained I was not beaten by the rain. I walked through a narrow path to locate the town.”
He met a community that was sold to Islam and Idolatry. The village head, a Muslim, was magnanimous to host him for several months while he embarked on reaching out to the people with the gospel. He would go out every morning to preach the gospel. But the message did not make much impact as expected until an opportunity came for him to demonstrate the power of the gospel.
He recalled, “There was a woman who had been sick for eight and half years in the community. It happened that they brought her home to die and I was privy to the news. I made a request that they should handover the woman to me that she would become well through prayers. They did. Unknown to me where the woman was staying was the headquarters of witches in that community. So I had to do a lot of battles for several nights. The woman was kept in a room and I had to pray for her every day until she began to experience changes in her body. At a point God asked me to give her pap. I did and after a few days of intercessions she became well. That miracle drew many people to Christ and that was how many people gave their lives to Christ and a church was started in that community. Unfortunately the woman after she was healed went back to idolatry. She was attacked again. That was about two years after the Lord had delivered her. She died with that attack but already the miracle of her healing had brought about the first church in that community.
The church, Christ Everlasting Rock Gospel Mission has given birth to several other mission fields in that environment.
Oluwagbuyi who surrendered his life to Christ in 1970 at the Gospel Faith Mission is also with his wife on the mission field. He said, “Life on the mission field could be challenging but noted that “the joy for us is that people are coming to know God. That alone is more than gold.”
His present field is located off Magboro Bus stop along Lagos Ibadan Express road. His contact: +234-08053188445.