Our Purpose & Passion “‘For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My Name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My Name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My Name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord of hosts.” - Malachi 1:11 The chief end of all mission work is the Glory of God. Our greatest concern is that His Name be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun (Malachi 1:11). We find our great purpose and constant motivation, not in man or his needs, but in God, His commitment to His own glory and our God-given desire to see Him glorified in every nation, tribe, people and language. Although HeartCry recognizes the great importance of sending missionaries from the West to the unevangelized peoples throughout the world, we believe that we are led of the Lord to support native or national missionaries so that they may evangelize their own peoples. Therefore, we seek to work with godly men and women of integrity and vision in the unreached world to help them evangelize and plant Churches among their own peoples.
Our Principles * While we recognize that the needs of mankind are many and his sufferings are diverse, we believe that they all spring from a common origin - the fall of man and the corruption of his own heart. Therefore, we believe that the greatest benefit to mankind can be accomplished through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the establishment of churches that preach the Word of God and minister according to its commands, precepts, and wisdom. * Every need of this ministry will be obtained through prayer. We may share our missionary vision with others and even make known to them the specific tasks which the Lord has laid on our heart to do, but we may not raise support through prodding or manipulating our brothers and sisters in Christ. If this ministry is of the Lord, then He will be our Patron. If He is with us, He will direct His people to give and we will prosper. If He is not with us, we will not and should not succeed. * We intend to never enlarge our field of labor by contracting debts. This is contrary to both the letter and the spirit of the New Testament. In secret prayer, God helping us, we will carry the needs of this ministry to the Lord and act according to the direction that He gives. * We will not compete with other biblical mission agencies, but use the resources that God has given to us to work in partnership with them. If the Lord directs, we will sacrifice our own goals and resources that other mission works may be helped and the Kingdom of God increased. * In meeting any need, those of us who are supported financially by this ministry will be the first to sacrifice all things necessary for the advancement of His Kingdom. * We will not measure the success of this ministry by the amount of money given, Bibles distributed or national missionaries supported, but by the Lord’s blessing on the work. * Our Goal is not to enlarge ourselves, or to become a key figure in the Great Commission, but to be faithful and obedient stewards by the grace that is given to us. That men may see our weakness and glorify God for His strength; that they may see our inability and glorify God for His faithfulness.
From Israel to Africa 6
Missionary Slavic Spataru: Reaching Saul of Tarsus: The situation in the middle east is volatile to say the least. Nevertheless, the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to demonstrate that it is truly the power of God for salvation of the Jew first and also the Greek.
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Missionary Joseph Lamptey: HeartCry missionary Joseph Lamptey and his lovely wife Rebecca are planting churches in the country of Ghana, West Africa. Read their testimonies.
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Missionary James Lamptey: HeartCry missionaries James and Eveline Naadu join his brother Joseph in planting churches in Ghana. Read their testimonies.
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Missionary Daniel Amoo. Brother Daniel and his family is the third HeartCry missionary family in Ghana. They are winning souls and planting churches to the glory of God. Read their testimonies.
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Missionary Samuel Ahmed Brother Samuel was the first missionary supported by HeartCry on the continent of Africa. We are pleased to report that he and his family are persevering in the work of planting churches among the Muslims of northern Nigeria.
Hallowed be Your Name! Your Kingdom Come! Your Will be Done!
Where In The World is HeartCry? HeartCry is currently supporting seventy-two indigenous missionaries in thirteen countries on four continents.
Asia
Burma (Myammar)
India
Nepal
Nigeria
Zambia
Moldova
Romania
Africa
Ghana
Eastern Europe
Ukraine
South America
Serbia
Middle East
Peru
Israel
Paraguay
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.� Matthew 28:18-20
From the Director
higher than I could have ever imagined possible. “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” II Chronicles 16:9
Director Paul Washer preaching the Gospel in the National Opera House in Bucharest, Romania
Dear Friends, It is my great hope and prayer that this issue of HeartCry finds you growing in the grace of Christ. Here at HeartCry we are all doing well. God has brought us through another year and given us hope to look forward to the next with great expectations. As I look back on this last year, I have one regret. I do not wish to have worked harder, or dedicated more time, or been more efficient. My one great regret is that I did not believed God for more. So many times we are caught in that trap of unbelief that hides itself in piety. We believe that God “can” do all things, but we are not really sure that He is “willing” to do anything. In the Scriptures I have found certain promises that are a constant motivation for me to step out and step off the comfortable cliff of human possibilities and fall into the hands of the God who can and will carry me farther and
“To this end also we pray for you always that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power.” II Thessalonians 1:11
These Scriptures will not allow complacency. They call us to venture from the harbor and sail through unknown seas. They promise that God will go before us, behind us, and beside us all the way. We should not think that we want to be used of God more than God wants to use us. There are so many people who are always asking God to use them and they seek counseling to determine the secret to being used. This is something I simply cannot understand. I have found, as one old saint use to say, if a man makes himself usable, then God will wear him out. There are so many open doors before us. So many opportunities to do missions. I have come to believe that God is so very willing to demonstrate His glory through us, but we must step out in faith and trust that He will catch us and carry us on His wings. The first of January marks the beginning of a new year, that like the years before it, will be gone sooner than we think. It is so important that we seize the day and take every opportunity as a gift from God. May this year, be the year that you and I give ourselves more fully to the things of God. Let us study the Word with renewed zeal. Let us seek God in prayer with renewed passion. Let us believe that the God of Creation is not only able, but willing to show His glory through our lives and ministry. Your brother,
Paul David Washer
Reaching Saul of Tarsus
The Wailing Wall - Jerusalem The following report comes from HeartCry missionary Slavic Spataru who preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ among the Russian and Romanian Jews of Israel. We have entitled this report “Reaching Saul of Tarsus” because, at this very moment, many of the most zealous religious Jews have gathered together with one ominous purpose - to put an end to the preaching of the Gospel among the Jewish people of Israel. Like Saul of Tarus, these men are extremely zealous for their ancestral traditions and they are persecuting the church of God beyond measure and trying to destroy it (Galatians 1:13). The Christian reaction to such persecution is clearly revealed in the Scripture. First, we are to turn the other cheek, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who persecute us. Secondly, we are to preach the Gospel, even to those who hate us for doing so. The truth has not changed. The Gospel is still the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the JEW FIRST and also to the Greeks (Romans 1:16). Please pray with us that some of these Sauls of Tarsus will become 21st century Pauls. The same Lord of Glory who apprehended Paul in the midst of His rage, still reigns from His sovereign throne and will accomplish all that He has decreed. He is the Lord of missions and He will make His Name great among the nations!
Paul David Washer
Two months have past since my last report and so many important things have happened here in Israel and throughout the entire world - to nations as well as individuals. One important event is so quickly followed by another that it seems impossible to find time to meditate and give meaning to what is happening. The events have become like a dream from which everyone wants to awake. They act as a reminder to warn us of how short our life truly is and how near the Lord’s coming may be. Since we are His servants it is ever so important that we are faithful in the work and faithful in the Lord’s service. Thanks to the Lord and your faithful prayers, we continue to do evangelism in the city of Jerusalem and her surrounding towns and villages. We are suffering much opposition and at times things are very difficult, but we are not discouraged because everything is in the Lord’s hands and He has absolute control of everything from the smallest individual act to the mighty movements of nations. Every day we are learning to trust in Him and to rely solely upon His strength. He is teaching us more and more how to lay all our burdens, needs, and fears into His strong and mighty hands. As the Scripture declares: “...casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” I Peter 5:7
Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to me so that you may have life.” John 5:39-40 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 In the past two months we have seen the Lord’s blessing on the work and much fruit. Many people from Jerusalem, Kiriat-Gat, Beit-Shemesh and many of the new, smaller settlements that are not yet on the map, have responded to our advertisements that we ran in a magazine for Russian Jews. In each advertisement we share the Gospel and offer a free copy of the “Jesus” video. We include our phone number so that people may call us directly. We also put the same advertisement in every mail box in the cities of Kiriat-Gat and MaaleAdumim. The strategy is very effective because we do not send the videos by mail, but we deliver them personally to the person making the request. This gives us an open door through which we can preach the Gospel. By God’s strength, we visited about 300 families in Kiriat-Gat, and 200 other families in Jerusalem and surrounding areas. Besides the Russian speakers, there are also many Romanians who have re-
sponded to our ad about the “Jesus” video. They are mainly people who come to Israel to earn money for their families back home. We do not have the Jesus Film in Romanian, but fortunately, most of the Romanians also speak Russian. In addition to the film, we are also able to offer the people many good books in Romanian. Many of the workers have taken them back to Romania in order to share them with their friends. In spite of all this work, there is still much more to be done. We have received many positive calls and many that were not so positive. Often people call us only to curse us and our work and to threaten us that if we do not stop bad things will happen to us. For the last few months, there had not been much persecution or conflict from the religious Jews, but last week the fires of opposition began to burn brighter than ever. The Orthodox Jews wait for us at the gates of our church and when we enter or leave, they offer us their literature denouncing Christianity and blaspheming the name of Christ. In the past, they used Isaiah 53 and gave many arguments to prove that the chapter is not speaking about the Messiah. They do not use this method much any more because their arguments are so weak. Now they are handing
out material that is rude and slanderous in order to prove that Jesus and the New Testament are anti-Semitic. Every time I take their leaflets into my hands and study them, I am reminded of the words of Hosea, who writes: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6) Because of the persecution and constant opposition, very few people come to our meetings. The people are frightened of the Orthodox Jews and afraid that they might lose their Israeli citizenship. Regardless of the fear and the unwillingness to count the cost, we observe in many a genuine spiritual hunger for the truth and real desire to search for the only Bread that can fill their emptiness inside. We believe that God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit will one day awaken their hearts and souls. The Lord will accomplish the work He has started. Because of this, we are constantly visiting those interested so that we might explain to them the way of salvation. Please, continue to pray for us, for the
Blessed
people, and for this work. We praise God that our young people are able to help us tremendously in evangelism. They have learned a great deal about soul winning and its importance. Our youth meetings are not centered around entertainment, but around Christ and the need to serve Him. We were all sad to hear about the tragic events in America. We face terror like this almost every day here in Israel. We understand how you feel and maybe you understand a little better how we feel. May the Lord comfort you and strengthen you! May He protect you from any harm! Thank you for everything.
With love from Israel, Slavic Spataru Ps. 91
are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Jesus
The following is a translation of one of the leaflets written against us that religious Jews are handing out in the streets and in front of our meeting place. Even if you have a very limited knowledge of the New Testament, you will quickly be able to see how they have grossly twisted the Scripture, especially the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. DEAR JEW! For 2000 years, Christian missionaries have been chasing after us in order to take us away from our roots and turn us to Christianity. They use all kind of ways to make us believe in their “holy” book, the “New Testament.” Let us see what is written in the New Testament: 1. Anti-Semitism “…the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men” (1st Thessalonians 2”1415). Jesus proclaimed that Jews were the children of the devil (John 8:44). 2. On destroying families Jesus said: “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matthew 10:3536). Jesus said: “If any man come to me, and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 15:26). 3. Wars and Violence Jesus proclaimed: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword”. (Matthew 10:34; Luke 12:51). Jesus said: “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:27). 4. The Fire of Inquisition Jesus said: “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into fire, and they are burned”. (John 15:6). 5. Cursing the Jewish Nation Jesus told to the Jews: “That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel…” (Matthew 23:35). It is only a small part of the horror that the so-called “New Testament” is full of. Can a Jew accept this seriously, and moreover, believe it? JEWS! Reject the “good” preaching of the anti-Semitic missionaries! With love, Yad Le Achim (Heb“ Hand to Brothers”)
PRAYER UPDATE From Israel Please pray for the safety of those Christians who are now in a very difficult situation. Religious Jews have renewed their attacks against the Christians and especially against the missionaries. Right now a group of anti-Christian Jew have gathered in Holon, near a small Messianic congregation. They shout against the group during the church services and break the windows with stones. This persecution
HOW TO PRAY For Israel & the Nations Father The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. How shall they believe in You whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Please, sent out workers into Your harvest. I offer myself and My family. Here I am! Send me! (Matthew 9:37-38; Romans 10:14-15).
Father I intercede for all those who have gone out into the world proclaiming the Gospel. I pray that You may open up a door before them and that they may make the most of every opportunity to preach the Word clearly and with power. Let their speech be seasoned with grace and may their lives be a beautiful adornment to the Gospel (Colossians 4:2-6).
Father I pray that You may give the nations as an inheritance to Your Son. Draw Your elect from every nation, tribe, people and tongue. Cleanse them from all their filthiness and from all their idols. Give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them. Remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Put Your Spirit within them and cause them to be careful to walk in Your statutes and observe Your ordinances. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. (Psalm 2:8; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Matthew 6:14). In the Name of
Jesus Christ
is the result of our work with the “Jesus” video. Many Messianic congregations from the different cities and towns around Jerusalem have united together in order to share the video with as many families as possible and to preach to them the Gospel. Many families have responded to the Word that has been preached, and this has resulted in great opposition and more aggressive tactics by those who oppose us. In the past, the religious Jews only sent their people into our churches in order to gather information and take pictures of believers, but now they use stones. Please, pray for them. Pray that these “Pauls” will see the light of the Messiah and become zealous for the truth.
With love from Israel, Slavic Spataru
Slavic Spataru and his family serving the Lord among the Russian and Romanian Jews of Israel.
I first met brother Slavic Spataru and his family several years ago during a cold and snowy winter afternoon in northern Moldova. I had been on the road for several days visiting our missionaries in Romania and then we turned northward and crossed the boarder into Moldova. I can still feel the cold wind that blew that day as we waited for hours outside the immigration office while the soldiers reviewed our passports. The wind was almost as cold as the Russian speaking soldiers who attended us. When we finally passed the boarder, our director in Eastern Europe smiled at me and said, “Now you are going to meet a good man. I like Him very much. He is our best missionary in Moldova. His name is Slavic Spataru.” After a few more hours of traveling, we finally arrived at a humble, but quaint cottage made of brick and wood. As we walked to the door and made our way through the snow, a tall, slim man with a face that seemed to light up the yard, stepped from the cottage. He brought us quickly into the house, took our coats and led us into a little room filled with the laughter of his wife and two little children. They seemed to glow with their father’s joy. As we talked through the night, I could see that this was an unusual man of God. He was full of joy and humor, but carried with him a deep sense of the call to preach the Gospel to every creature and to make Christ known among the nations. Once he looked at me with a wide smile and said, “You know brother Paul, if I had met you six years ago, I would have had to kill you because I was a tank commander in the
Russian army. Is it not wonderful what Jesus has done? He has saved my soul and now I do not have to kill you!” During the next two years, I began to realize that my first impression of Slavic and his family was correct. He stood head and shoulders above all the other missionaries in Moldova. He was a gifted preacher and was willing to do just about anything to get close to people so that he might preach to them the Gospel. He even began a Tae Kwon Do class in a nearby school so that he might witness to young people. At the end of two years, brother Slavic and his wife (They are Russian Jews), were granted citizenship in Israel. Immediately after receiving the notice, Slavic contacted me in the United States and informed me that he must resign as our missionary because he would be moving to Israel. I immediately replied to him that we wanted him to continue on as a HeartCry missionary in the country of Israel. He wrote me another reply and explained that he did not feel it would be right to be supported as a missionary until he knew exactly what the Lord wanted him to do. He turned down the support and traveled to Israel almost penniless. Eight months after arriving in Israel, Slavic wrote to inform me that the Lord had called him to work with a group of Baptist missionaries from London, England, and that he would appreciate any support that HeartCry might give him. After a thorough investigation of the missionaries from England with whom Slavic would be working, we decided that it was God’s will for us to provide full support. We have never been disappointed in our decision.
Paul David Washer
Africa Ghana, Nigeria
Joseph & Rebecca Lamptey Missionaries in Ghana In association with the ministry of Dr. Solomon Owolabi of Nigeria, West Africa, HeartCry has begun to support three church planting teams in the country of Ghana. One of these teams is led by Joseph Lamptey and his lovely wife Rebecca. In the following is found their testimonies and one of their monthly reports. We hope that it will be a blessing to you. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” - The Apostle Paul I Corinthians 15:10 The above verse of Scripture is an accurate summary of what the Lord has done in my life, and it is upon this grace that I rest my hope that the Lord will continue to use me in the ministry. Above all things, I thank God for giving me His precious Son Jesus Christ to die for me and to rise again for my justification. I became a child of God in August of 1975. Before that time, I had always believed that I was a Christian because I bore a Christian name, was a baptized and confirmed member of the Anglican Church, sang in the choir and
served mass at the altar. I was clearly self-deceived, trusting in my own useless works and silly religious rituals. I was lost in my sin, and although I did not understand it, God was constantly bearing witness to my lostness through my restlessness - I had no peace because there is no rest for the wicked. Finally, when I gave up all hope of finding life and joy and peace in my dead religion, I turned to the world and pursued worldly pleasures. I thought that education, success, and an honorable reputation among men would satisfy my soul and give me the peace for which I longed. It took very little time to discover that once again I was wrong. The world could not give me the peace I desired. Finally one day, my brother and one of my close friends invited me to a Baptist Church in the city of Accra. After a few visits to the Church, the pastor, Dr. Solomon Owolabi, preached a message on salvation which changed my entire life. It was the first time I had heard the Gospel preached with clarity. He spoke about my sin, and the dangers of judgment and hell; he spoke about Christ’s death on the cross of Calvary; he spoke about the wrath of a holy God poured out on the sinless Christ in my place; he spoke about Christ’s resurrection and eternal triumph over death, hell, and the grave; he spoke about repentance from sin and dead works; he spoke about faith in Christ and Christ alone for the salvation of the
greatest sinner’s soul. I was struck down with terror and joy at the same time. I ran down the aisle of the church and cried out for Christ to save me. At that moment my life was changed. The peace I so often longed for flooded into my heart. I did not know it then, but the Holy Spirit was applying Romans 5:1 to my life in that very moment: “Being justified by faith we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
plant two new churches. One church is located in SouthWest Mcarthy Hills on the outskirts of the city of Accra. The other is located in the central region of Ghana about 100 kilometers south of the city of Accra. I also believe that the Lord is leading me to help other men to start churches in Anum-Apapam in the Eastern region of Ghana. It is my prayer that the Lord will grant me the grace to continue to be available and useful for His service. I desire to plant churches and to be busy in the work of Soul Winning. Please pray for my wife and me that the grace that God has bestowed upon us will not be in vain, but that we will labor for Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
After God’s work of salvation in my heart, Pastor Solomon Owolabi visited and encouraged me to be baptized and to be active in the things of the Lord, especially in Soul-Winning (Matthew 28:18-20). As time passed, I continued to serve the Lord faithfully and was active in all the services and ministries of our church. Regardless of the amount of service I preformed as a layman in the church, I was not satisfied. I soon began to feel God’s calling in my heart to go into full-time ministry. I realized that I could no longer do any work except the Lord’s work. I must We rejoice greatly because of God’s faithfulness to us. admit that initially I was very afraid, but my pastor Solomon Our Good Father continues to protect us and perform great Owolabi prayed for me and encouraged me. By the grace of and mighty things through us. As we serve the Lord, the God and the encouragement of my power of the Holy Spirit continues pastor, I responded to the Lord’s to work in our churches. Many I was struck down with terror calling and cried out, “Here am I, have been convicted of their sin send me, send me (Isaiah 6:8). and made to realize their great need and joy at the same time. I ran From 1981 to 1985, I pursued a of Christ. down the aisle of the church and diploma in Biblical studies at the At the present, we have an Ghana Baptist Bible Institute diaverage attendance of fifty adults cried out for Christ to save me. rected by my pastor. He taught us every Sunday. We also have thirty At that moment my life was two very important things: the children between the ages of four changed. The peace I so often Word of God and Soul-winning. and eleven attending our Sunday After graduation, I married my wife school. The adult Sunday school longed for flooded into my heart. Rebecca. She was a seamstress by attendance has reached about forty trade and a faithful member of the people. We have a new believer’s Labone Baptist Church in Ghana. class, a class for those who do not At the time of our marriage in December, 1986, she had been speak English and a marriage class. a Christian for fourteen years, an active member in her church, Presently we have ten people who are studying in prepaand a faithful soul winner. At the present, we do not have any ration for their baptism. On the average I invest about three of our own children, but we are trusting that the Lord will one months teaching and preparing each new convert so that day grant us children. We do have two little girls, ages 9 and they might be strong in their walk with the Lord and become 12, who are living with us. They have no family and so my powerful soul winners. wife and I are caring for them During the month of August we had fourteen converAfter graduation, the Lord led my wife and me to start sions. They were all people who were invited as a result of the Ringway Baptist Church. From 1987 until I left the work to our soul winning and visitation programs. I also rejoice in the another man in 2000, we baptized 150 new converts. During Lord because three young men in the church have been called that time, I also worked with Challenge Enterprises of Ghana, by the Lord into full-time Christian service. It is my hope and a Christian organization dedicated to social work in Jesus’ prayer that they will begin to attend our Bible college in SepName. I also worked as a counsellor and a prison chaplain tember. We praise God for His faithfulness and all that He is from 1987 to 1997.At the present, the Lord is leading me to doing through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Report from Pastor Joseph Lampty
James & Eveline Naadu Lamptey In association with the ministry of Dr. Solomon Owolabi of Nigeria, West Africa, HeartCry has begun to support three church planting teams in the country of Ghana. One of these teams is led by James Lamptey (Joseph’s brother) and his lovely wife Eveline Naadu. In the following is included their testimonies and one of their monthly reports. We hope that it will be a blessing to you. The story of my life begins not with my birth, but years later. It began as a day like any other in the month of August. The year was 1975. I was a student in the secondary school and an active member of the Anglican Church. Since childhood, I had devoted myself to the religion and ritual of my church. My end goal was not the glory of God, but a deep desire to fill the deep vacuum in my life and find some sort of happiness for my soul. My religious activity eventually became an endless downward spiral. The more I tried to please God through my obedience and devotion to ritual, the more I failed and the deeper I sank into misery. I was tortured by
fearful thoughts of hell that would not be silenced in spite of my “Christian” baptism and “Holy” confirmation. I had no victory over sin and had no peace with God. In spite of all my deception and hypocrisy, the Lord had mercy on my miserable soul. On a day like any other, a close friend invited me to a Gospel crusade organized by Dr. Solomon Owolabi. That night was the first time in my entire life that I heard the Gospel preached with such power and conviction. After the message, an invitation was given by the preacher. I hesitated, but finally yielded to the call of God. I gave my life to Christ that day and became a new creature. The misery of my soul was replaced with peace and joy unspeakable. After my conversion, by God’s grace, I became very active in my church. The Lord allowed me to work in several different ministries. I was an Adult School teacher, Youth President and Song leader. Finally, in 1980, I felt the Lord’s call into full time ministry. In 1981, I resigned my job and enrolled at the Ghana Baptist Bible Institute here in Accra. The founder and director of the school was Dr. Solomon Owolabi. The same man who was preaching the day of my conversion. I graduated from the Bible Institute on the 13th of January 1985. For the next two years of my life, I worked alongside of Dr. Owolabi in planting a church. Then in 1987, I was led of the Lord to go and plant a Baptist Church in the Eastern part of Ghana in the town of Akosombo. At the present time, I am pastoring this church and starting other satellite missions in the area. If it is the Lord’s will and He tarries in His coming, I hope to plant a new Bible believing Baptist Church in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana in the near future. My concentration would be in the towns and villages. I am married and have three godly children. The name of my wife is Mrs. Eveline Naadu Lamptey. The names and corresponding ages of my children are Gloria Naa Koshie Lamptey (12 years), Ethel Odarkor Lamptey (10 years) and Jonathan Odartey Lamptey (6 years). My wife Eviline is a caterer by profession, and all my children are in school. God bless you.
James Lamptey
Report from Pastor Joseph Lampty Greetings in the wonderful name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I am trusting and hoping that you are doing very well in the Lord. It’s with great joy that I send this report to you. This past month has been a memorable one and quite hectic. But by the grace of God we have made it through and rejoice in the kindness He has shown us. This past month, I travelled to Nigeria in order to participate in a three day National Pastor’s Conference. It was organized by Dr. Owolabi in Ogbomoso. There were pastors who attended from the countries of Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, and Togo. It was very edifying and very challenging. Since the conference, I have been motivated to win more souls for Jesus. I have no doubt in my mind that God did touch us during the conference and that it will bless our churches. On our return home to Ghana, we were confronted by many trials and hazards. We were almost stranded in the capital city of Lagos. The driver of the bus tried to deceive me and my family and force us to pay extra money that we did not have. He threatened to leave us and our luggage on the side of the road. We were greatly afflicted by this trial, but by the grace of God we arrived home safely As we seek to build the kingdom of God, we are bound to face many challenges from the world and much opposition from Satan and his wicked host of angels that inhabit this world. Recently, my next door neighbor, who is known to be a very powerful witch doctor, sought to kill me through his satanic powers. The opposition was so fierce that I almost lost heart and gave up the work of God. It was a time of struggle like none I have ever known, but after intense prayer and fasting the Lord gave me the victory. I did not win the victory for myself, but the Lord gave me the victory through His own power and grace. The Lord caused the witch doctor to go mad and leave town. Since this has happened, the unbelievers are very afraid of the power of our God, but the believers are greatly comforted and strengthened in their faith. Glory to God! The grace of God has been very abundant on me for which I am grateful to God. May I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the HeartCry Missionary Society for standing with us in prayer and for your faithful financial support.
As we seek to build the kingdom of God, we are bound to face many challenges from the world and much opposition from Satan and his wicked host of angels that inhabit this world. Recently, my next door neighbor, who is known to be a very powerful witch doctor, sought to kill me through his satanic powers. The opposition was so fierce that I almost lost heart and gave up the work of God. It was a time of struggle like none I have ever known, but after intense prayer and fasting the Lord gave me the victory. I did not win the victory for myself, but the Lord gave me the victory through His own power and grace. The Lord caused the witch doctor to go mad and leave town. Since this has happened, the unbelievers are very afraid of the power of our God, but the believers are greatly comforted and strengthened in their faith. Glory to God!
Daniel Amoo & Family Daniel Amoo is another of our HeartCry missionaries in the country of Ghana. Like Joseph and James, brother Amoo is working as a church planter in association with Dr. Solomon Owolabi. The following is his testimony and a monthly report. I am grateful to the Lord for I know that it is only by His grace that I stand and am able to testify of His saving power in my life. My life in Christ began in 1976, during my first year at technical school. A friend of mine invited me to accompany him to hear a series of evangelistic messages at the Baptist Church where he attended. It was there that, for the first time in my life, I heard the message of salvation. Dr. Solomon Owolabi of Northern Kaneshie was preaching and I could not resist the words that were coming from the Word of God. They seemed to be directed only to me. Though I had always considered myself to be a very righteous man, that day I realized I was nothing before the Lord, a sinner under wrath awaiting the day of my sentenc-
ing. The sermon I heard that night, made me miserable the entire week. I could not escape the words that I had heard. The message kept ringing in my ears. Each time I considered what I heard, I felt the menace of death all around me. I returned to the church the following Sunday looking for some relief, but my misery only became worse. When the call came from the pulpit to repent of sin and trust in Christ, I could not help myself. I had to obey, to cry out to the Lord to remove the misery in my heart. When I came forward, the pastors made me understand from the Scriptures that I was a sinner, and that without Jesus Christ, I was doomed to hell. That day, I cried out to God in prayer. I asked Him to forgive all my sins and give me the life of Jesus. At that very moment there was a release from my terrible misery and I knew without doubt that I was saved. My life was transformed and joy flooded my heart because I knew that I was reconciled with God and that I would one day be with Him in heaven. Ever since the day of my conversion I have loved the things of God and had a strong desire to serve Him. Not long after my conversion, I was baptized by pastor Solomon Owolabi and became a member of the church. Immediately, I started helping the Children’s Sunday School. I had a burning heart for lost souls and spent much of my time visiting and sharing the Gospel with my friends. I thank the Lord for using my life to reach out to many with the saving knowledge of the Gospel. Four years after my conversion, I became the Youth Sunday School Teacher and a Counselor of new converts. My whole life was dedicated to the Lord’s work. I constantly visited the Junior High Schools and shared the Gospel with the pupils - a ministry that I continue until this very day. It was also during my fourth year as a Christian, that the Lord called me to enter into ministry full time. It was something that I desired, but I was very afraid to undertake such a ministry. I was making a lot of money in business and I was afraid of the poverty I would have to endure as a minister of the Gospel. After a struggle with my fears, pride, and unbelief, I finally submitted to the Lord’s will and enrolled in the Theology department at Ghana Baptist Bible College. My training would demand the next three years of my life. After graduation, the Lord led me to Pokuase Baptist church, where I pastored for 13 years. The work was not easy. There were many challenges, but the Lord was faithful to build His church according to His will. At the moment, the church has one hundred and twenty baptized members. While I was pastor, we developed several different outreach ministries for the purpose of evangelizing the surrounding villages and we now desire to plant churches in these places where there is no Gospel preaching church. Please pray for
us that the Lord will give us the direction that we need. I am now planting two different churches in the towns of Mayera and Fise. Please pray also for my wife. She gave her life to the Lord in 1984 and was baptized in 1985 in the same church where I was saved. When we married in 1990, she took over the teaching of the children’s Sunday School in the church where I pastored. She has always been a great help to me in the ministry. At the moment, she is overseeing the Ladies’s fellowship and signs for the deaf in the choir. We have been blessed by the Lord with two boys by birth and one special boy that we adopted. Please, pray for my family and me. May the Lord richly bless you.
A Word on Nigeria and Ghana
His Servant,
When I first visited West Africa, I was amazed at two things: The great number of “Christian” ministries, and the scarcity of ministries and churches that were even remotely biblical. It seemed that every city block and ever kilometer of even the most remote rural road had a sign advertizing some sort of ministry. The names given to most of these “churches” and “para-churches” were rather spectacular. The “Church of Power,” “The Camp of Supernatural Life,” The Ministry of Prosperity and Healing,” “The Jesus Church of Miracles.” The promises made by these ministry groups were no less spectacular. Mostly they guaranteed wealth, health, power, and prestige. I was amazed that more than a few churches advertized themselves as “The church where you can become somebody important.” When such declarations made by these “Christian” ministries are compared with the pagan and animistic beliefs of the native religions of Nigeria, it is clear that there is very little difference. They have the same end or goals - financial prosperity, physical health, and power manifested in prestige. There is little or no mention of such things as humility, servanthood, death to self, sacrifice, divine discipline as a means to godliness or doing all that is to be done for the glory of God. Please understand. I have lived on the mission field long enough to appreciate any church or ministry that is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ as long as they stay somewhat in the bounds of historical Christianity, but there are so many “Christian” churches and ministries in Africa and around the world that are nothing more than pagan religions with a “Christian Baptism.” Africa is not “Christianized.” There is as great a need as ever to support men and women who will plant biblical churches against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.
Daniel Amoo
Paul Washer
Your brother,
Daniel Amoo Report from Pastor Daniel Amoo Dearly Beloved, Thanks be to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for His grace that keeps us going forward in spite of the trials and great struggles that the called must face in this world. By God’s grace, the Pkuase Baptist church is growing and souls are being saved. The members of our church are working very hard in all our outreach ministries to the villages around Pkuase where there are no Bible believing churches. In the upcoming year, we hope to give ourselves even more fully to this important work. Please pray with us with regard to the following: (1) Our beloved brother Gray Dzimado who is studying under Dr. Solomon Owolabi in the theological institute in Nigeria. (2) Our church building project. Currently, we are working on the foundation. (2) One of our members, Joseph Agbemefa, is seeking to discern the Lord’s will with regard to full time ministry. (3) That the members of our church might become even more involved in the Lord’s work. (4) That the Lord would open up a door for us to reach out to the people who are deeply involved in occultic acts.
Samuel & Ester Ahmed We thank God for His love and kindness that constantly watches over us and guides us in His paths of righteousness. Our Lord is good. He helps us in our weaknesses and is a strong fortress for us in times of trials and persecutions. My ordination took place on August 5th, 2001 in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. It was a wonderful time in the Lord and I believe that God was truly glorified. Dr. Solomon Owolabi and several other godly men led the ordination and their great desire was to have a meeting that honored the Lord and was a pleasing act of worship before Him. It is such a privilege for me to serve the Lord as a church planter and a missionary. Who is worthy? Who is sufficient for these things? I was a sinner worthy of wrath, but now I am a child of God! Praise His Name! Praise His Name forever. As I reported earlier, there was a man in our village that tried to commit suicide by drinking poison. In the hospital room, I witnessed to him and he confessed Christ as Savior. In the days that followed, he showed genuine signs of conversion. He was very sick, but he had hope in his heart that
he had never known before. I am sad to report that he has died. His body was not strong enough to survive the effects of the poison. I am not God and cannot know the unknown, but I believe the man is now standing in glory as one more example that God is powerful to save. Please pray for his family. I rejoice to announce that they were greatly affected by the changes they saw in this man’s life after he confessed Christ as Lord. At the present, four of his children are now attending our church. We thank God for our members that are dedicating themselves to soulwinning. It is a very difficult work, but it is the heartbeat of our church. In these modern times, people seem to be too busy to give an honest consideration of the Gospel. Many are willing to stop and listen for a few moments but they have no time to consider what we are saying with any amount of gravity. Many keep walking when we give them a tract and others listen for a few short minutes and then excuse themselves. Please pray for us because many times we feel ignored and other times we feel that we are preaching to people who have only itching ears. Pray also that the Lord will protect us from those who get annoyed and angry when they see us preaching the Gospel. In spite of all the opposition, God has been blessing our door to door soul winning. In the last few days, two people (a man and a woman) have surrendered their lives into the arms of Jesus. They have not yet been baptized, but we are visiting them and teaching them the Word so that they might truly understand the hope of our salvation. We thank God for His love over us. He has taken good care of us and has protected us as we preach the Gospel of His Son. We also thank you for the money that you have sent for the building of our church. We had no money to build and were meeting under a tin roof supported by old wooden posts. Our walls were made out of old cloth bags that we had sown together. We did not know what to do because we had no money and the Muslim authorities were constantly threatening us that if we did not build on our land they would take it away from us. Because of you, we are building and our enemies are amazed at what our God has done through you. We understand that the entire $10,000 came from one church. We want you to know that you are an indescribable blessing to us. We may never meet you until heaven, but you are in our thoughts and in our prayers. One day when you get to heaven, you will see a large group of Africa people waiting for you to thank you for what you have done for us. In closing, we want to send our warmest greetings and deepest gratitude to all of you who work at the HeartCry Missionary Society and all of you who provide the financial support for the wonderful works that are done. We praise God that you have raised our support and thus enabled us to
Samuel and Ester standing with some of the boys from Ester’s Sunday School class. There are many young children who come to the Sunday morning Bible class, but there are countless others who are unchurched. At this moment HeartCry is helping with the construction of a facility that will increase the churches ability to do outreach. be more effective in our service to the Lord in West Africa. We also want you to know that we have been praying for all of you since the terrible incident of September 11th. We mourn with you that many thousands of your people were ruthlessly killed by men who have no conscience. We hope and pray that the Lord will protect you, your families, and your churches from such terrible acts of violence. In Christ’s vineyard,
Samuel Otaru Ahmed
A Testimony to Perseverance The following is a testimony from Miss Alaba Adams. She was converted under the ministry of brother Samuel Ahmed. The account of her conversion is a wonderful illustration of how the man of God must not only preach the Gospel in the pulpit, but must pursue souls one on one. “I used to attend different churches at my own convenience. I was not faithful or devoted to the Lord, but through the unrelenting pursuit of Pastor Ahmed, I came to know the Lord and surren-
dered my life to Him. Brother Ahmed used to visit me every week. I tried to avoid him, but he would always find a way to catch me. If I told him that I did not have time to listen to him preach to me, he would smile and give me a tract to read. I tried to insult him and did everything in my power to show him that I destained him and looked down on him, but he always responded with kindness. Finally, when I knew that I could not escape him, I decided to visit his church. I thought that if I made one visit he would leave me alone, but things turned out differently from what I expected. When I arrived at the church, God began to work in me. When I heard the Gospel preached, I could not resist. I had to give my life to Christ. I had to go forward, I could not turn back. One of the greatest things, I have learned from my salvation is that we must persevere in our pursuit of souls. If brother Samuel had been like most pastors, he would have given up after my first strong rejection of him. But he did not give up. He endured my insults and kept coming after me until I was safely in the fold. I would encourage everyone who wants to win souls to imitate the patience and endurance of my pastor.
Veteran Missionary Solomon Owolabi who oversees the HeartCry missionaries in Nigeria and Ghana
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