Pastor Steere is now in Ghana. He wrote the following about the work in Nigeria. Having been there with Dan last August, I’m am neither shocked nor surprised by what Dan writes . . .
"The paperwork for this vehicle is not complete. You will have to turn back to the police station until that is done. Do you understand me?" the armed policeman barked.
"How long will that take?" I asked.
"Two to three days," he replied.
Travel in Nigeria is . . . challenging. Traffic laws are routinely disobeyed; roads are in disrepair; day-long traffic jams are common.
Then there are the police. As we were leaving Lagos, the police waved us over hoping to extort contributions from hapless drivers. Seeing an "oyeebo" (white man) in the car seems to encourage them, since it is believed that all white men are rich.
As soon as they approached our car, Gideon tried explaining to them that we were pastors and missionaries on our way to a conference. As he talked, I prayed.
Having failed to get any money from Gideon, several of the policemen came to my window to "explain" their ridiculous charges.
I believe the Holy Spirit encouraged me at that moment. I told them, "I am here in Nigeria to do the work of the Lord Jesus Christ! Our conference starts tomorrow and a delay of two to three days will force us to cancel that conference. Are you telling me that you are deliberately hindering the work of the Lord Jesus Christ?"
Startled, one of the younger policemen stepped back and said he would speak to his superiors. "You do that," I said, "and I'll be talking to the Lord Jesus Christ while you do!" He walked away and I proceeded to pray out loud, "King Jesus, rule over this situation! O Lord, change the hearts of these men! Do not allow the evil one to disrupt the work You have sent us here to do!"
After what seemed like hours of arguing amongst themselves, the two younger policemen came back to the car, handed Gideon his papers and told us we were free to go. One of them reached out his hand to shake mine and said, "I am a Christian. Will you pray for me?" Still holding his hand, I prayed that Jesus Christ would bless him and that the Lord would establish His Kingdom in Nigeria. It turned out that he had been arguing in our defense the whole time. Then, shaking the hand of the one who had been so full of bluster, I prayed for him as well, that the Lord would change his heart. Gideon eased back into the car, and we drove off.
How can I thank you enough for your prayers on my behalf? I hope you can see from this incident that your part in this ministry is absolutely essential.
When the conference began the next day, it quickly became obvious why the enemy was making such an effort to hinder our arrival. The thirty-five men attending were enthusiastic about hearing the Word and excited to be equipped to teach the truths of 1Timothy.
These ELI course instructors will begin teaching 1 Timothy all over Nigeria within the next couple of months. This is a portion of God's Word that provides the antidote to much of what's wrong within the Nigerian Church: poor leadership, selfishness, greed and doctrinal error.
Pray for these men as they teach. Pray that God's Word will do God's work. Pray for a mighty work of the Spirit in Nigeria. And thank you for praying for me.
I am now in Ghana, preparing to teach this same material in a Bible school to over one hundred students and faculty.
Pastor Caines / Pastor Steere