Dearly Beloved brethren,

Wow! What a year! For those of us who live in Oregon, we have been in the midst
of it all, from the COVID-19 pandemic, to rioting in our major cities, to fire and
smoke all around us, to loss of loved ones… In all these things the Lord God was,
and is still with us. He promised that when we go through the waters, we shall not
drown and when we go through the fire, we shall not be scotched( Isaiah 43: 1-4).
He never said, “if we go through the fire but when…” Our God never promised us
the sky always blue or sun without rain. He is a faithful covenant-keeping God. He
keeps His Word. That is why we are still here, sustained by His grace and mercy.

​Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to travel to Nigeria this year.
Burabari( the President of Glad Tidings Ministries) who left for Nigeria last week
of November last year was supposed to return to Canada in May, 2020, but there
were no flights out of the country. He devoted himself to the work of the
ministry- pastoring, mentoring and preaching the Word. He planted a new Glad
Tidings fellowship in one of the nearby villages during his protracted stay in
Nigeria. With the Lord continually by his side, he was a stabilizing force to the
church, providing encouragement and hope to the brethren through the difficult
times. He eventually returned to Canada in November this year. Burabari and his
wife, Rosemary, hope to be back in Nigeria early part of 2021. There is still
Kingdom-building work to be done.

Please see the attached pictures. The flooring and plastering of the inside and
outside of the church building should be completed by the end of next week. The
challenge now is the nation-wide scarcity of cement. If one is able to locate the
cement, it is costing two and one-half times more than what is used to cost. The
next challenge is putting in the windows, doors, completion of the toilets( 2 on
the upper level and two on the lower level, and two large “soak-aways” drainage
for the toilets. Please help us. We are hoping, as the Lord enables, to dedicate this
church on Easter Sunday, 2021. It will be glorious and you would not want to miss
this occasion. Please pray about coming to Nigeria with us next year.

​This was our first church plant. Bori is the capital city of Ogoni tribe. The church
was dedicated on Easter Sunday in 2016 and it is doing well under the leadership
of Pastor and Teacher, Monday Nyone. He is a gift to the ministry.

​We provide aid in various forms( food, clothing, finances) to the poor and the
widows among us and in the village. Sometimes, the need can be overwhelming.

​We currently pay the tuition and fees of four students in the University, brilliant
kids who, without our help, would be stranded in village, doing nothing. The same
thing applies to those in the secondary schools. This is investment for the future.

​God has entrusted us with some honest enterprising young boys and girls. They
are hard working but they need help to get off the ground. This program has been
successful in the past and we need to jump-start it again.

​The last time that we were in Nigeria in March, 2018, we treated at least one
thousand people, excluding the kids, providing free medical care, free
medications, diabetes and BP checks and health education. We need the
medications, volunteers( RNs, MAs, PA, FNAs, MD/DOs, pharmacists…), and
different medical supplies- temp, BP and DM monitoring devices with strips,
oxygen saturation device... May God touch your heart to help us out financially.

Sincerely in His grace,
Dr. William Nyone

Dearly Beloved,

WHAT TIME IS IT?
​
With the corona-virus pandemic causing so much havoc across the globe, the Lord has been prompting some things in my spirit over the past 3 weeks. I found myself asking the question, “Lord, what are you trying to tell us that we are not hearing, what do you want us to see that we are not yet seeing?” Then I heard the question in my spirit, “What time is it?”, and the Spirit of the Lord directed me to Luke 19: 41-44.

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

41  Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,  42  saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  43  For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,  44  and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”  (NKJV)

The people had been chanting, on their way to Jerusalem, ‘Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest’. This same people a few days later would be crying out, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him’. The scripture says, as they approached Jerusalem, and as Jesus saw the city, He wept over it. Why did He weep over the city? What was hidden from them, how did that happen and by who?

  The Messiah, the Prince of peace, Yeshua, spoken of throughout the Old Testament, was in their midst, but the people did not know or recognize Him. These same people were in the synagogues. They were temple worshipers, fulfilling all the religious rituals of the time but blinded.

John 1:11-13 New King James Version (NKJV)11  He came to His  [ a ] own, and His  [ b ] own did not receive Him.  12  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the  [ c ] right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  13  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  

Can the pursuit of our religious activities without personal intimate relationship with Him, unfulfilled expectations, and disappointments cause us to be blinded? In verses 43 and 44 of Luke 19, Jesus predicted the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem, “…because you did not know the time of your visitation”. Is that going to be you or me?

Do we understand or recognize the time or season in which we live? I believe that the Lord, Jesus Christ, is calling His people, His church, to draw nigh to Him. Corona-virus pandemic? Really? I am not underestimating, in any way, the impact of this virus on our lives and society as a whole. While it is necessary for all of us to take the recommended preventive measures and precautions to avoid and contain the spread of this virus (visit cdc.gov/covid-19), I feel very strongly in my spirit, that it is time for all the Bible-believing Christians to rise up and pray.

When we see our churches, schools, colleges, universities and malls closed, businesses folding, hotels empty, beach accesses blocked off, and the livelihood of millions of people threatened, these are not business as usual days. We, individually and collectively as the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, should be moved to be on our knees and cry out to God for His mercy and for Him to reverse the course of this corona-virus. It is time for all of us to plead our case before the throne of heaven and declare death to this virus. The Lord is calling us to a lifestyle of prayer.

Jesus is coming back and the time is sooner than we think. In Matthew chapter 24 and Mark chapter 13, Jesus predicted some of the signs that will precede His coming and He repeatedly told His disciples to watch and pray. The time is on us, not the time to fear or panic, but to pray. Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up our heads, because your redemption draws near.”(Luke 21:28)  It is an exciting time in which we live. Jesus is with us in the boat, in the fire, or through the waters. Hallelujah! I love all of you. Thanks for all your prayers and support over the years. God bless you all.
 

Sincerely in His grace,
Dr. William Nyone

GWow! Where do I start from? Please forgive me for the delay in writing this report. The team of six, including me, left Portland, Oregon, on 3/20/18 and arrived in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, on 3/22/18. We spent the night in Port Harcourt and the next day we left for the village of Lewe. On arrival in Lewe, there was Glad Tidings Ministries( GTM) leadership meeting scheduled for that evening. We participated in the meeting. What transpired that night could not be expressed in words as we experienced the presence of God in the home where we were staying. The prayers were like wild fire and could not be stopped. When the meeting ended, we all looked at one another in astonishment, with tears in our eyes, and could not say a word. The presence of the Lord continued to linger. It was our warm spiritual welcome to Lewe.

The next day, it was go, go, go, and time for ministering. What did we do?

Medical Outreach:

As soon as many people in the village heard that I and the team were around, they started coming to the house where we were staying. We started ministering to their spiritual and medical needs as much as the Lord enabled us. Both children and adults, male and female, were evaluated and treated. As in the past, we encountered many cases of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke, malnutrition, and different kinds of infectious diseases. Malaria and typhoid fever are endemic in the area. We thank God for Providence Health in Portland, Oregon, who again this year, provided us with the medications that we needed to treat the above conditions. As usual, the need was great and overwhelming sometimes but we did the best that we could with what was available to us. The people were grateful.

On Monday, 3/26/18, we conducted a medical clinic outreach to the Lewe community. This event was held at the Glad Tidings temporary Church facility in Lewe. We started by 9:00 am and ended by 7:00 pm. When all was done, we attended to and treated about six hundred people that day. We were all exhausted. Many were referred to the local physician for follow up and ongoing medical care.

Bore-hole well for clean water supply:

In 2004, a bore-hole well was installed by GTM in the village of Lewe for clean water supply to the community. This well was functioning and providing free water supply to the people( a similar well was established in the village of Bomu in 2004). The Lewe well was vandalized twice and this rendered the well non-functional for years. We received designated financial support from some generous donors specifically for this water project. During our stay in Nigeria, we contacted the local individual who installs the bore-hole wells, and he obtained the assistance of a plumber and an electrician. First, the 7.5 horse-power pump in the well was pulled out( what a tedious ordeal) and a smaller pump which can be powered with a portable generator was installed. The well was purged and purified until clean water started flowing. New pipes, faucets and filters were installed. A new water storage tank was mounted. We also purchased a new portable 5 KW generator for operating the well. I am glad to announce that the water was running prior to our departure. The smiles and joy on the faces of the individuals tell the story( please see the related pictures). Three individuals were assigned the responsibility of operating and maintaining the well, and taking care of the generator. We are very grateful to the donors who made this possible. Hopefully, this will help to abate some of the water-borne diseases that are prevalent in the area, especially typhoid fever.

Lewe Church Construction:

I lack words to express our gratitude to the brethren from the US and Canada who generously donated financially toward this project and today the church building has been roofed. It looks beautiful. Praise the Lord! We still need to finish the flooring, windows and doors so that the brethren will start worshipping in this sanctuary. Please see the pictures. Thank you very much.

GTM Bethesda Farm:

Please recall that the GTM farm( crops, poultry, fish farming…) located at Bookpodoo, Lewe seaside, was destroyed by the people of the village of Bomu in December, 2016. The whole farm land has been fallow since then till now.

Proclaiming the Word of God:

A lot of sharing of the Word of God, mentoring and ministering took place during our stay in Nigeria. People were prayed for and cared for, both spiritually, physically and financially. Money was given, in some cases, for the tuition of those students whose parents could not afford to pay their fees. Many were blessed, and we were also blessed. We all also proclaimed the Word during the three-day  Youth Rally program that was held at the Glad Tidings Church in Lewe. The worship was wonderful and the presence of the Lord was real. Many were ministered to, some re-dedicated their lives to the Lord, and some believed and were saved. On Easter Sunday, 4/1/18, the message on Redemption had a dramatic response. Many were delivered and their lives re-committed to the Lord. Fifteen souls were saved that Sunday morning, and there was great rejoicing in heaven. It was glorious!
Overall, it was a wonderful trip, ordinary men and women doing the work of the ministry. Our desire is to establish the Lord’s Kingdom on this earth as it is in heaven. Thank you very much for all your support over the years. Only the Lord Himself can adequately quantify the eternal impact of your investment in this ministry and what we do. Remain blessed and know that your labor of love and sacrifices for the Lord Jesus Christ are not in vain. The Spirit of the Lord is moving and lives are being transformed for His glory. We departed for the US on 4/4/18. We miss the brethren and cannot wait to go back.

What is next:

The year 2019 is just around the corner and the Lord wiling, we will like to travel to Nigeria again next year. We need to continue the above areas of ministry and expand to the other villages. We will like to finish the Lewe Church building and dedicate the church next year, hopefully on Easter Sunday. The need is great but one soul at a time. Your continuous support is always deeply appreciated. Thank you for your support and the Lord bless you all in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

​Sincerely in His grace,
Dr. William Nyone

Dearly Beloved, 

Please see the attached pictures. Though slow, tedious and time-consuming, they still tell the story of the progress so far, resulting in where we are today. Please refer to my email of 4/23/18. The first disbursement of $13,000.00 was wired to Nigeria and it covered the cost of the materials and labor for the steel framing (please see the pictures). How these guys were above to mount the big steel frames and the crossbars remains a mystery to me. In any case, we thank God that there were no injuries or falls. Then on 5/29/18, another $13,000.00 was wired to Nigeria for the zinc roofing and labor. Three quotes were obtained from three different companies. Our builders and the President of the ministry( Burabari Daaza) then decided on the one that they felt was more reliable. Burabari has stayed behind in Nigeria to make sure that the roofing is completed before going back to Canada( Burabari, his wife and daughter reside in Regina, SK). Due to the lack of healthy business competition in Nigeria, the retail zinc company did not honor the quote that was originally given to us because the prices of the zinc went up. This is not uncommon in Nigeria. You can buy something today for a given price, and five days later the price jumps up and you may more. Once the price is up, it never comes down. What is left for the roofing is now what they call “crowding,” that is finishing the under-roofing of the corridors around the church building. To make the long story short, it will cost us about $6,000.00 dollars more than anticipated for the roofing of the church. 

I cannot thank you enough for partnering with us in the construction of this sanctuary for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His name will be lifted up and magnified in this place, and from here will spread the glory of His presence to the neighboring communities, resulting in the salvation of souls. This is the hope that we have and we are all very excited. “Hitherto had the Lord helped us”( 1 Sam 7:12). The Lord is our “Ebenezer.” As Paul put it, “In Him we live and move and have our being”( Acts 17:28). Once again, thank you very much for your love, support and prayers. I will continue to keep you posted. 

​Sincerely in His service, 
William Nyone

Dearly Beloved, 
Please see the attached pictures. Though slow, tedious and time-consuming, they still tell the story of the progress so far, resulting in where we are today. Please refer to my email of 4/23/18. The first disbursement of $13,000.00 was wired to Nigeria and it covered the cost of the materials and labor for the steel framing( please see the pictures). How these guys were above to mount the big steel frames and the cross bars remains a mystery to me. In any case, we thank God that there were no injuries or falls. Then on 5/29/18, another $13,000.00 was wired to Nigeria for the zinc roofing and labor. Three quotes were obtained from three different companies. Our builders and the President of the ministry( Burabari Daaza) then decided on the one that they felt was more reliable. Burabari has stayed behind in Nigeria to make sure that the roofing is completed before going back to Canada( Burabari, his wife and daughter reside in Regina, SK). Due to lack of healthy business competition in Nigeria, the retail zinc company did not honor the quote that was originally given to us because the prices of the zinc went up. This is not uncommon in Nigeria. You can buy something today for a given price, and five days later the price jumps up and you may more. Once the price is up, it never comes down. What is left for the roofing is now what they call "crowding", that is finishing the under-roofing of the corridors around the church building. To make the long story short, it will cost us about $6,000.00 dollars more than anticipated for the roofing of the church. 

Well, I can not thank you enough for partnering with us in the construction of this sanctuary for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. His name will be lifted up and magnified in this place, and from here will spread the glory of His presence to the neighboring communities, resulting in salvation of souls. This is the hope that we have and we are all very excited. "Hitherto had the Lord helped us"( 1 Sam 7:12). The Lord is our "Ebenezer". As Paul put it, "In Him we live and move and have our being"( Acts 17:28). Once again, thank you very much for your love, support and prayers. I will continue to keep you posted. 

Update: Glad Tidings Ministries, Nigeria

It has been a while since you heard from me. Please accept my apology. In December 2016, the neighboring village of Bomu, which is about three times the size of my village, Lewe, decided that Lewe did not deserve to exist. On December 14, 2016, they launched an attack against my village. Bomu had the guns, the money, and the political leverage. Lewe had nothing. Lewe mobilized the Christians in the village for praise and worship gatherings, three days a week. God had to fight for us and defend us. To make the long story short, since Bomu is not God, the village of Lewe still exists and is enjoying a peace that she has not had for a long time. Praise the Lord! In addition, in May this year, both villages entered into a peace agreement, orchestrated by the Rivers State Government representatives. There has been no fighting between Lewe and Bomu since then.

2016 Benevolence Donations

Last year, following the devastating rainfall that ravished the Gokana county, some of you responded to the needs through your financial donations. We received $1,500.00 which was designated for helping those affected, as best as we could. We decided against giving out the cash to them, except for the elderly men and women who are not able to work or undertake some business ventures. We identified some of the young men and women who were heads of households, who had expressed interest in different trades or businesses such as building, mechanics, plumbing, opening small restaurants, and tailoring, to mention a few. We paid for their training and gave them the money necessary to start their respective small businesses. For those students in our midst whose parents were not even able to pay for them to take their final exams( JAMB), part of the money was used to pay these fees.
The President of Glad Tidings Ministries( GTM), Mr. Burabari Daaza, and his wife, Rosemary, arrived in Nigeria on December 1, 2017. They are right now residing in the village of Lewe and will be there for about six months. They have reported great successes from the above empowerment ventures. Some of the students have been admitted into Nigerian universities. The small businesses started by some have performed beautifully, generating some profit to sustain their families. Those in the apprenticeship programs are progressing, learning, and on track for completion of their courses. Thank you for your kindness and assistance.

2018 Mission Trip

A team of eight will be leaving the US in the early part of next year to join forces with Burabari and Rosemary. We are all excited. The Lord moved in a very mighty way last year, and we are expecting Him to do even greater things this year.

The Immediate Challenges/Needs

Construction on the GTM Lewe church building was suspended last year when the Bomu-Lewe war started. Construction will resume this month. This has been a great burden on our hearts as the brethren in Lewe really need a place of worship. Unfortunately, the prices of everything, especially building materials, have doubled since we left Nigeria last year. It is estimated that it will now cost at least $300, 000.00 to complete the Lewe church. Please help us financially so that the church building will be completed and ready for dedication on Easter Sunday next year. What a glorious event it will be! When that day comes, as William Shakespeare puts it, “I (will) express my joy in tears of sorrow.”

We want to continue to provide financial support for the brethren through the empowerment program. We are making a difference in the lives of the people. There are abject poverty and hunger in Ogoni land right now. Nothing is working in Nigeria, and the people are suffering. Only those who benefit from the endemic corrupt system will sing its praise. As the famous African proverb says, “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers”. Our God has always been compassionate to the poor and needy. Let us be like-minded.

The medical outreach has been a powerful evangelistic tool. We provide free medical care and medication for the people. This is a whole community outreach, showing the love of Christ to the people. We need the medications, medical supplies, equipment, and healthcare personnel such as RN’s, MA’s, pharmacists, physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners and Physician Assistants.

We also need volunteers such as electricians, plumbers, builders, construction workers, teachers, financial planners, entrepreneurs, and more. The Lord has need of you. We need to equip these believers for the work of the ministry.

Re-digging the Lewe borehole well for water supply: this well was established in 2004, and it was functioning beautifully, providing free clean water supply to the Lewe community. Later, some radical boys in the village broke into the generator room and stole the AVR from the generator. We had to send the electrician, Mr. Don Meliza, with Burabari, back to Nigeria to restore the well. About six months later, the generator was vandalized again and the AVR and radiator were stolen. The well has not been working for years, but recently the Spirit of the Lord has spoken to us both in Canada and here in the US, to “re-dig the well” for the water to start running again. We were reminded in the Word of God of the Philistines closing Abraham’s wells, but Isaac his son had to re-dig the wells. With the dry season coming up, water will be in high demand. The electrician has estimated that about $5,000.00 will be needed to restore the well. We need to take out of the well the 7.5HP Franklin pump, put in a 1.5HP pump and buy a portable generator to operate the well. When the water starts flowing, we need to extend the water supply to the nearby secondary school to serve the students and teachers.

​Please help us, and may the Lord God bless you.
Sincerely in His Service,
Dr. William Nyone

Wow! Where do I start from? The team of eight left Portland International Airport on 3/15/16 and arrived in Nigeria on 3/16/16. All of the seventeen pieces of luggage arrived with us and everything was accounted for. Some of the leaders of  Glad Tidings Ministries (GTM) were already at the Port Harcourt airport waiting for us with four vehicles for our transportation (one bus, three SUVs and one sedan car). We spent the night at a hotel in the city of Port Harcourt, the capital of the Rivers State. After breakfast the next day, 3/17/16, we loaded up and traveled to the village of Lewe, Gokana Local Government area.

On arrival in Lewe, where we would reside for the next fourteen days, there was great excitement as the brethren and family members welcomed us. We unloaded and tried to unwind and prepare for the time ahead. We all stayed in Burabari and Rosemary Daaza’s five-bedroom house, it was comfortable and beyond our expectation.

On Sunday, 3/20/16, Pastor Timothy ministered greatly to those who gathered. The church service lasted for four hours and no one left early. The Spirit of the Lord was present to heal and deliver people. There was great rejoicing in the church. I cannot put into words what took place that Sunday, it was so powerful.

During the week, we visited the Glad Tidings farm located along the coastal/bay area of the Atlantic Ocean, about 10-15 minutes drive from Lewe. We raise poultry/eggs, catfish, different fruits and vegetables. We also visited the Bori Church which was still under construction. The roofing was not yet completed when we arrived in Nigeria. They were still clearing and leveling the inside of the church. A decision was made that we would like to dedicate the church on Easter Sunday, 3/27/16, while we were all in Nigeria. The youth rose to the occasion and worked relentlessly to make it happen. I will come back to this later.

The youth leaders of Glad Tidings Ministries had organized a three-day Youth Seminar titled, “Impartation for the next Level”. The seminar started on 3/24/16 and ended on 3/26/16. The church was packed every night with people of all ages. Pastor Neahe Miller, Youth Pastor at According to His Word Worship Center located in Vancouver, Washington State, spoke the first night and connected excellently with the youth as he shared the story of his salvation and life in Christ. Pastor Perry Swett shared on the second day of the seminar. He spoke from the Book of Joshua in the Bible where God, following the death of Moses, spoke to Joshua to lead the people of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The message was very moving to the extent that Evangelist Burabari, President of Glad Tidings Ministries, gave a fifteen minute summary of the message, challenging the youth to take the leadership mantle to the next level. Timothy Chiles, Senior Pastor/Teacher/Apostle of According to His Word Worship Center, spoke on the last day of the seminar. The presence of the Lord was strong and there were some demonic manifestations and deliverance that took place. There was excitement in the atmosphere and many were healed.

The Good Samaritan Story | Lewe Version: Sunday, 3/20/16

The devil was not happy with what transpired during the 3/20/16 Sunday service. There was a young man named Eke who used to belong to a cultist gang in the village of Lewe. In October, 2015, Eke heard the Gospel of Christ about salvation and surrendered his life to Jesus Christ, and has been attending the Glad Tidings Church in Lewe. He was one of those that Pastor Chiles personally ministered to during the church service. When the church service ended, the leaders stayed behind for leadership meeting which lasted about another three hours. It was during this meeting that I distributed the book titled, “Minute Motivation for Leaders”, which was donated to us by Pastor Stan Stoeller.

Eke left the service and went to a local store in the village to buy something to eat. He had only two hundred Naira( the Nigerian currency, which is now less than one US dollar). The former gang members ambushed him and dragged him to the nearby forest. Then they bound him up with some steel rods, beat him up with rods, and he sustained multiple deep cuts on his scalp, armpit area and lower legs with the machete. When they saw that he was bleeding profusely and was about to die, their leader told the rest not to let him die. They then loosened the rods, dragged him to the side of the road half-dead. A lady who was walking along the road found him that Sunday evening, and went and got a motorcycle rider, and brought him to his home. When his wife saw him, she ran to notify Burabari of what had happened. We had just got home for about 15 minutes from the leadership meeting. Then Burabari sent the church driver to bring him in the church vehicle to his house where we were all staying. I was just about to go into our room to take off my white Nigerian outfit when Rosemary, Burabari’s wife, told me to change quickly and come out because “we have a job to do”. I went out of the house and saw this man bleeding from the deep lacerations. I quickly changed my clothes and came out. Rosemary is an experienced OB/Gyn Registered Nurse in Regina, Canada.

Well, the miracle began. I examined the wounds which Rosemary had done her best t clean up. Fortunately, Rosemary brought some sutures but there was no needle driver or any other instrument except for a small pair of scissors to cut the sutures. She started an IV line and hung up a 500 cc bag of IV fluid, and we started suturing the scalp lacerations. How fast can someone go when there is no needle driver and you are carefully holding the needle to penetrate through the skin? The brethren and members of the mission team were holding flash light and using the light on their cell phones to help us see what we were doing. While we were working on the scalp, Eke went into shock, and started shivering and almost died. Intercessory prayers started pouring out like wild fire and he regained his senses. Then we sutured the laceration in the armpit, and started working on the lower leg lacerations. The 500 cc IV had run out and we sent someone to buy another 500 cc IV bag. It took at least 30 minutes for them to bring the IV fluid. While working on the lower legs, Eke went into shock again and almost died. Intercessory prayers mounted up to the throne of heaven again and he regained his consciousness. The suturing was eventually completed and Rosemary cleaned him up and dressed up the wounds. Nothing was done in a sterile condition as we understand it here in the US and Canada. I was concerned for infection. I had Cephalexin antibiotic which was among the medications that Providence Health based in Portland, Oregon, donated to us. I started him on the antibiotic and later that night he was able to drink and eat something. We monitored him all night. The next day he was looking stable and he decided to go to his house to his family. The team members blessed him with money before he left. Eke is married with three children. His wife had given birth to the third child two weeks prior to our arrival in Lewe. Two days later, Eke came to Burabari’s house for recheck. He was looking good and the lacerations did not show any evidence of infection. I was amazed and went and got the rest of the team members to see Eke. Five days post-injury, the lacerations were healing nicely. On Saturday, 3/26/16, all the wounds had healed without any infection or complications. Eke looked good and we all gave the praise and glory to our God who still heals.

The Water Baptism

On Good Friday, March 25, 2016, the mission team joined the brethren from the GTM Bori and Lewe churches and traveled to Glad Tidings Farm by the bay area of the Atlantic Ocean for water baptism. It was high tide. We timed it right. After a brief message from Burabari, praise and worship started rising from the congregation while nine new believers in Christ were immersed in water baptism that Good Friday morning. My daughter, Kathryn, had indicated prior to our departure from the US that she would like to be baptized in water in Nigeria. She was one of those baptized. It was a joyous occasion. What an honor it was for me to baptize my daughter in Nigeria. To God be all the glory and praise forever.

The dedication of the GTM Bori Church on Easter Sunday, 3/27/16

First, we express our deep gratitude to the brethren from the US and Canada who donated the money toward the purchase of the land and the church building. To God be all the glory and praise. There is still work to be done on the building but the Glad Tidings Ministries brethren today have a place of worship.

We visited the church site, the roofing was in the process of being completed. The inside of the building needed to be cleared of all the debris and shrubs. A decision was made that we should dedicate the church building while we were in Nigeria. The young boys and girls worked hard to clear the premises and the inside of the church building. The roofing was completed and within the next week the main sanctuary was filled with sand, compacted and cemented. By 3/25/16, the building was ready for the dedication.

On Easter Sunday morning, we arrived in Bori and were amazed at the work that had been done. The main sanctuary looked good. People came and soon the whole place was filled up. The worship and praise started ascending to the throne of heaven. I could not control my emotions, and stood there and wept. What was a dream at one time had become a reality. As William Shakespeare put it, I expressed my joy in tears of sorrow”. The “high praise” was pouring out like water on the altar. It was wild. Pastor Timothy Chiles preached and ministered that morning. Mr. Eke was there – completely healed by the world’s greatest Physician, Dr. Yeshua. More praise and worship erupted following his testimony. The church was dedicated, the leaders prayed for, and the people of God were blessed. Food and beverages were provided and everyone ate and drank. We then dismissed with great rejoicing in the camp of the redeemed. Praise the Lord!

The Free Medical Clinic Outreach

I had been attending to and treating people medically from Burabari’s house, with the assistance of Rosemary( RN) and the team, since we arrived in Nigeria. On Easter Monday, 3/28/16, which was a public holiday in Nigeria, we conducted a free medical clinic at the Bori church sanctuary as an outreach to this new community where we are located. People came and the place was filled up. We had a station for registration. Vital signs were also obtained at this station. Then the patient would be directed to my station for evaluation and treatment recommendations. The next station was the “pharmacy” table where medications were dispensed as directed. There were interpreters at each table to assist with instructions. We thank Providence Health in Portland, Oregon, for donating medications that were given out free of charge to the people. What a blessing it was! The last station before the exit door was the “Ministry/Prayer” area where people were prayed for as needed. Many were touched by the Lord. The event lasted the whole day and we saw about two hundred people including pediatric patients. Overall, we attended to over five hundred people medically during our stay in Nigeria.

Where We Are Today | The Urgent Needs

The Bori Church still needs doors, windows, and toilets for both men and women. Concrete needs to be poured on the floors of the office and storage areas. We also need a bore-hole well on the church campus for pure drinking water, and for the toilets to function.

The Lewe Church has outgrown its capacity. This is great news as the Lord has added to His church. The new believers have said this is the church they want to attend. We were forced, therefore, to take a step of faith when we were at home, to begin an expansion project of the church building. Pictures of the project so far are forth coming. We need financial help with the completion of this church building.

Free Medical Clinic/Outreach we need more volunteers( Medical Assistants, Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants and physicians). We also need donations for medical supplies and medications.

The Glad Tidings Farm the prices of things, especially food and building materials, have almost doubled since we left Nigeria in March this year. There is hardship among the brethren. Many have no jobs and for those who do, they work for 3-4 months sometimes without being paid. Our people are suffering. The cost of feeding the fish, chicken and turkeys has almost doubled too. There is high demand for eggs as people are coming to the farm requesting 30-50 crates of eggs. We have not been able to meet this demand because of the financial implications. In the midst of the economic crisis in Nigeria right now, there are also opportunities.

As Pastor/Teacher Chuck Swindoll said in one of his books, “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities, brilliantly disguised as impossible situations”. Our heart and our goal are to empower the people and to expand the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We desire to establish His will on this earth as it is in heaven. Please help us. God bless.

​Sincerely in His Service,
Dr. William Nyone

When I first stepped foot on Nigerian soil, I felt a sense of home, it was as if I belonged there.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to visit Nigeria and experience what the Mother Land was like, so when I stepped off the plane I cried a few tears of pure joy as my dream came true. I was in Nigeria, and not only was I in Nigeria, but I was in Nigeria with a team of beautiful people and we were there to do God’s work and His will. It couldn’t get any better than that. 

As we left the airport and drove through the streets to our next destination, all I could do was sit quietly and take in the sites and sounds of my dream coming true.  It was a lot to take in, the beautiful sites, the beautiful people, the sound, the smells, everything was beautiful. 
I was in awe of Nigeria, but very eager to begin the work that God sent us there to do. 

After a few days the team and I were blessed to meet the staff from Glad Tidings, such beautiful and wonderful people, they made me feel so loved and so welcomed. I was so elated that I would be able to minister along side these wonderful people. 

They all showed us such great hospitality and favor, I felt so unworthy to be treated in such an awesome way. In all my life I don’t think I had ever been on the receiving end of such service, I could tell that everyone who served and took care of us, did it with a spirit of worship. I was extremely blessed by their servants hearts.

As we began the services as Glad Tidings, I expected God to move in a mighty way, and God far exceeded my expectations. The worship that I experienced at Glad Tidings was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The people and congregants of Glad Tidings worshipped in a way that allowed me to see what it looks like to worship in spirit and in truth.

A few times I caught myself just staring in awe of how passionate and desperately the people worshiped God. I could see that not only did they worship simply out of adoration to God, but it was also as if they worshipped for their survival, that was the part I had never experienced.

Coming from the America, it seems like people worship for when things are going great, in Nigeria I could feel that their worship came from a deep longing for God to know just how much they appreciate Him. 

It was absolutely beautiful. 

As the meetings continued, I saw God move in a mighty mighty way. I saw demonic spirits manifest, and the power of God cast them out and giving freedom to those once possessed. I saw man who was attacked by his former cult, simply because he was now a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. 

This same man, all bloodied and bruised, showed such strength in probably the scariest moment of his young life. As he sat in a chair and was tended to by the doctor, I saw him sit with such peace. Even as he went into shock and we prayed fervently, he still looked to be at peace. I saw this man completely healed of his wounds and then testify about God saving grace that next Sunday at church. 

It truly did change my life. 

I also met many of the youth from Glad Tidings, they were so on fire for Jesus! I LOVED IT! Those young men and women blessed my soul. They were so driven and ready to whatever God desired for them to do. 

During the Medical Mission, I was blessed to pray for those seeking healing and relief from different health conditions. As we prayed for person after person for more than six hours, a few of the Glad Tidings youth sat with us and even helped up pray and lay hands on the sick. It was absolutely beautiful to see. 

God did such amazing things during my time in Nigeria and I know and believe that He is still doing even greater things. 

I expect great reports from my new friends and family in Nigeria, reports about what God is doing and has done! 

I can’t wait to come back and visit my new family in Nigeria! 
Oh…and the food was AMAZING! 

​With love and blessings, 
Pastor Neahe Miller 
According to His Word Worship Center 
Vancouver, WA ​

During the last two weeks of March, William, Kathy, and their daughter, Kathryn Nyone, 7th grader at Portland Christian, went on a mission trip to Rivers State, Nigeria. William, who is Vice-President of Glad Tidings Ministry, travels to Nigeria almost every year. He often takes a team with him. In March of 2014, William took his three sons, Joshua Nyone ’02, Jonathan Nyone ‘05, and Caleb Nyone ’09, and his daughter-in-law, Darcy Durant Nyone ’02, and her parents, Larry and Rhonda Durant, to help the two churches and to conduct a free medical clinic where they were able to treat and give out free prescription medications to over 500 impoverished people in Lewe.

Glad Tidings Ministries has planted two churches, which are in Bori, the capital of Ogoni, and in the village of Lewe where William grew up. This year we were blessed to have eight people including Theresa Swett ’94 and her parents Perry and Laura Swett go to work and minister in these two churches. We had a powerful service in Lewe on Palm Sunday when Pastor Timothy Chiles spoke; it lasted for 4 hours and no one left early. The youth leaders organized a youth rally for the whole church for the three nights leading up to Easter. Each of the three pastors that traveled with us spoke for one night. Early on the morning of Good Friday during high tide, we had baptism in the sea at the Glad Tidings farm. Ten people were baptized including Kathryn. On Easter Sunday, we dedicated the new large church building in Bori. The cement floor was only poured 3 days before Easter and the roof was finished that week. There is still a great deal of work to be done, but we were thrilled to meet there and worship the Lord. We thank God for the supporters in the USA and Canada who provided the finances to make this dream come true.  On Easter Monday, which is a holiday in Nigeria, we held a free medical clinic in the new church building. This was an outreach to the community of Bori and we saw over 200 people.

It was a very exciting, memorable trip for everyone. We are thankful for the expansion of the Kingdom of God, His divine protection over us, and all of the prayers offered on our behalf.
​
* Written for and previously published in REALS, the quarterly magazine of Portland Christian Schools.

My husband’s father William is from Nigeria and started Glad Tidings Ministries in his native village Lewe. Glad Tidings Ministries focuses on starting small entrepreneurial businesses to help support the local people in addition to supporting and developing a local church. My husband Josh and I went with a team of Josh’s father, his two brothers, and my parents to Lewe, Nigeria for two weeks this past March. In preparation for the trip I tried not to have many expectations of what we would do or accomplish while we were there. The only concrete plans we made in advance were to do a medical clinic one day and consult at the ministry’s farm. One day our team, plus a driver Deede, planned to go to the city of Port Harcourt to do some shopping and for William to run a few business errands. The whole day felt like a bust: William was unable to meet with a government official to help move the approval process along for one of the entrepreneurial business ventures because the man was out of the office; lunch at a hotel took over an hour to get our food and it wasn’t very good; William’s errands took the whole time so we were unable to go shopping; and the trip there and back was not very enjoyable because the city was over an hour away and very polluted, which meant I felt nauseous most of the way. At the end of the day, I felt like the day had been wasted. God had a different perspective.

I received this email from our driver Deede after we had returned home. “Your love and cares towards me teach me a great lesson. You guys affected my life positively in the short period spend with us at Lewe. Your life have challenged me to humble myself the more. This act of yours was demonstrated at the hotel that day we were eating and sharing life experiences. I see myself among brethren. In fact, forgot about my pains. I was in a way optimistic that life still have much to offer people like me.”

I am very thankful that God chose to show me the work He was doing that day and am humbled by my arrogance and self-centered perspective. Thank God that He is bigger than we are!

​Contributed by Darcy Nyone