Story written by Paul and Sharon Martin

God’s presence was meaningful during District Assembly in January, and everyone enjoyed the event. At the end of Paul’s report as Ministries Coordinator, he ended with “Carry your Candle, Go Light your World”.  Everyone received a candle.  One person’s candle was lit in the front of the congregation.  Then that person lit another person’s candle, and from there, everyone else’s candles were eventually lit.  And then Pastor Vidal led the song.  Everyone was moved by the vision to go light their world.

Workshops with John and Laurie Watton brought February alive!  John taught a finance workshop that has proven to be very helpful to our church treasurers.  We’re beginning to get monthly reports!   John also gave a presentation on Compassionate Ministries that we hope will inspire our churches to be salt and light in their communities.  Laurie’s Children’s Ministries Workshop was a lot of fun for everyone! 

Hymn Books – Christian Literature for Africa (CLA) sent several boxes of books, including Bibles and hymnals! The pastors are excited to now have a Nazarene hymnal of their own as well as one for their church!

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•Topojehun is a village on the southern end of the Peninsula where there was no church and where strong demonic powers have maintained their playground for centuries.  Now a Church of the Nazarene is being established with Bible Storying and discipleship Bible Studies.

•Kissy Fisheries had no church located in that area of Freetown until now.  The people are thrilled that the Church of the Nazarene has come to them.  New local emerging leaders are expressing interest in attending the recently begun Saturday TE classes!

1. •Banana Water is the most recent location of JESUS Film showings.  The JF team leader says that this new group in Banana Water was well prepared.  The mother church sent “missionaries” to the new location for several weeks ahead to “clear theground” with Bible Storying.  And then during the showings, several from the mother church were present as support for the showings.  The mother church is now praying for this new baby church plant – their baby!
   

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   •Up Mountain is currently in process of JESUS Film showings.  Pastor Robert has been mentoring another young man in his house church of less  a year old, who has been preparing the way in Up Mountain for 2-3 months.  They are ready and anxious for the showings this month!  This makes the second church that Pastor Robert and his young guys have planted since their church began with the JESUS Film showings exactly a year ago!
   
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We praise God for using the Bible Storying ministry in these ways for more effective church planting.  People love a story!  And God’s Word in this form does its own unique and powerful work to change hearts!

Marian Kaifineh preached an evangelistic sermon on Thursday  of the Holiness Convention, for people to repent of their sins and be saved — several came to the altar. After a couple of training sessions Friday evening by Vidal and Robert, Pastor Vidal preached a powerful evangelistic holiness message Friday night, and gave a very clear altar call for people to be sanctified wholly. God moved in a mighty way.  It was like a wave of people going forward to pray. Vidal led in a good season of prayer mixed with choruses, encouraging them to surrender all, confess inborn sin, ask God for heart cleansing, and be filled with the Spirit to live above sin.  Several seemed to be really sincere and serious in claiming victory.  

One Catholic man, who owns a guest house in No. 2 River Village, across the road from the soccer field where the ARK was set up, was in all the services and most of the training sessions.  He was obviously spiritually hungry for something more. Friday night, Vidal first invited those who had never been saved to come to the altar.  Then he invited those who had accepted Christ as their personal Savior, but who were still struggling with overcoming certain sins in their lives, to be made free from the “bent to sin” still in their hearts—the sin nature that sabotages spiritual victory.

After the service, Mr. Turey told Pastor Joseph Jalloh that he had a couple of rooms he wanted to make available, one for us to stay in, and one for the national leaders who had slept in the ARK the night before.  After our spending the first night in the vehicle — not the most restful night — we were so grateful for this gracious gift!

On Sunday morning, Mr. Turey told us his story, and what had brought him to the holiness convention – he is “hungry for holiness,” and he wants to make sure he is ready to go when his time comes.

The whole weekend we wrestled with strong enemy oppression like I don’t remember experiencing before.  Marian Kaifineh said she was deathly sick with malaria on Monday through Wednesday that week.  And she was still trembling as she packed her bags on Thursday morning and traveled to No. 2 River.  But she preached powerfully that night! Sharon was awake most of Thursday night wrestling with enemy oppression and praying. On Saturday, it felt like a heavy black cloud of demonic forces settled over No. 2 River and just locked in there the rest of the convention.  We had good services and trainings the rest of the time, but no more breakthroughs.  Satan is determined to keep a stronghold on his centuries-old playground.  The holiness message is a serious threat to that.  We continue to pray and trust for a breakthrough on the Peninsula.

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Praises:

1.New Local Licensed ministers

2.District Licensed ministers

3.New church plants taking root

4.Our first holiness convention in the new ARK

5.Emerging national teachers to help teach the TE courses, especially as we move up-country.

Prayer needs:

1.Land – Over and over we have thought we had a suitable  of property.  But each time as we pursued them, they have all fallen through for one reason or another.  We believe God has just the right place for our District Center, but we’re having a hard time finding it!  Please pray that God will lead and open doors for this crucial need.

2.Upcountry – Our prayers and goals this year include beginning work upcountry.  Some contacts in a couple of areas (one far to the south and one nearly to the eastern border of Sierra Leone) have expressed interest in taking the holiness message to their areas.  Please help us pray that God will lead and continue to open these doors.

3.Surrendering all – The Church of the Nazarene has now been officially ministering in Sierra Leone for three years.  God is working.  Leaders are being trained.  Congregations are rising up.  People are being saved.  However, for some reason, the holiness message has been slow to take root.  Very few of our pastors have testified to really surrendering their all, dying to self, and experiencing the cleansing, filling power of God’s Spirit to transform their hearts, lives and ministries.  The work here is desperate for a breakthrough!   help us pray that God will move our pastors with a consuming hunger for holiness.  It’s what Sierra Leone desperately needs!

Thank you for partnering with us.  We appreciate your prayers and support.

 

Joyfully on the journey,

 

Paul and Sharon Martin

Ministries Coordinator

Church of the Nazarene

Sierra Leone, West Africa

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