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The Gospel in Ghana… God’s servants are struggling with Islam for the souls of their countrymen.

By Jon Nelms
In April of this year, during my trip to the countries of Togo and the Ivory Coast, I made arrangements to travel to the nation of Ghana. Ghana is located directly west of Togo. In fact, from the roof of Pastor Luigi Palmieri’s house in capital city of Lome, Togo (our national coordinator for Togo), you can look less than a mile westward and see the rooftops on the houses in Ghana. We (Louis DeMeo from France, Luigi, and myself) started out early one morning, arriving at the Ghana border crossing just as it opened. Experience has taught us that if you reach the border when it opens, it may take only an hour or so to process the entry and exit visas. If you arrive only one hour after it opens, you may well spend the day there. God blessed us, and within about thirty minutes we were on our way to the city of Tema, where our contacts operate a Bible Institute and have planted a number of churches.

Tema is a relatively new city. It was begun only a few years ago in order to alleviate the massive growth of the capital city of Accra, about one hour’s drive to the west. The government bought the barren land from the locals living there and turned it into a city. This method of beginning “new” cities out of deserts and forests is being duplicated all over Africa. It was interesting to me as we arrived on the outskirts of Tema, to see a large factory that makes goods for export. In huge letters, the name of the company was painted on the top of the walls. It was that name which caught my attention. The name was “Tarzan Inc.” Luigi had been teasing me all along the way, promising to show me where Tarzan lived. He kept his word in his typical lighthearted manner.

Arriving in Tema, we went immediately to the Greater Grace Church. Within a short time, the students began to arrive for the night classes. This school is a training ground for more than 140 students. Sixty of them meet in the evening, and the rest during the day. Most of the evening students are experienced pastors who are trying to increase their knowledge of the Bible. For two days, we stayed with these dear men and their wives. It was an easy time for me because I could speak their language. Ghana was formerly a British colony, thus most everyone speaks English. Their accents were of course different from ours, but within a few minutes, I was able to understand every word spoken. It was funny to me that Louie, a native of America, had difficulty understanding them. At times, I had to “translate” their English for him. He has been in France so long, that his English is getting weak. This was important because at the end of each evening’s lessons, the students would all assemble outdoors for an informal time of questioning their guests. To Louie and Luigi, the questions primarily had to do with scripture. Those questions directed to me were related to the advancement of the Gospel in other faraway lands.

One of my greatest concerns, which I freely shared with the preachers assembled, is the alarming growth of Islam in that region of Africa. I cautioned them to love the Moslem, but at the same time to be aware of their intentions to “conquer” each nation for Allah. While I spoke with them, one of the ladies present shared how she was raised in an Islamic home. She verified that what I had taught that evening is the truth. That night, I shared with them stories I heard while in Ghana regarding the persecution of Christians by Moslem fanatics…

There is a preacher living in Nigeria who had been visiting Ghana and related what had happened to him because he dared to preach the Gospel. One evening, Moslems attacked his house and began to beat him and his wife. As his wife was forced to watch, they castrated this preacher and then dropped him to the floor. As he lay there bleeding to death, he watched as the attackers killed his wife, then came back and cut his left eye out, leaving him to die. Miraculously, he survived and is still preaching the Gospel…

In Accra, shortly before I arrived, a preacher was out on the busy streets, preaching about Jesus. Suddenly, a group of Moslem men attacked him, demanding that he denounce Christ. When he refused, they began to slash his body with their knives, and then cut his throat. The authorities did nothing until the attackers left. Again, by God’s grace, this brother survived and is still recuperating in the hospital.

Stories like these are not uncommon in regions where Moslems rule. In Ghana, however, they are only now beginning to get a stronghold. They have received funding from their oil-rich Arab friends and used it to successfully run political campaigns to put their Moslem friends into positions of power. The handwriting is on the wall for believers in West Africa. I wondered out loud why the Christians had not also taken advantage of the opportunity of electing Believers to political positions. The response was that they do not know how to organize such an effort and don’t have the funds necessary to accomplish the goal. I tell you, as you read this report, unless we help them, we can look forward to the day that we will regret our lack of effort. Western Africa will become dominated by Islam. We will hear thousands of stories like these in the next decade. I have personally determined to do all I can to stop the spread of Islam and increase the spread of the Gospel. (For more information on how you can help, see the “Jon Nelms Family” letter on page 23.)

As much as I regret to say it, Islam is not the only threat. Today, in most nations of the region, the schools are again teaching African religions. This indoctrination leads the students to view Christianity as the religion of the oppressive West and therefore abominable. Such native religions, however, lead to abuse of women and children, and animal sacrifices. Eventually, Islam will be seen as an “African” religion, and be widely embraced.

Africa is a wonderful place, in spite of it all. The friendliness of the people, their warm smiles and loving ways are endearing. It is easy to understand how the missionary greats of the past like Livingston and Moffat, fell in love with this continent. Everywhere there are people, and everywhere, there is poverty, disease and opportunity. One of the greatest plagues buffeting Africa today is Aids, which was birthed on African soil. It is estimated that in some regions, up to 75% of the people are infected. Another plague is malaria. In Ghana alone, over 14,000 people die every year of malaria. That figure is more astounding when you relate it to America on a population comparative basis. If the same percentage of people (per capita) died each year in America of malaria, the number would be nearly 200,000 deaths. It is easy to see, with figures like those, why the African mind is not nearly as concerned with Aids as they are with other diseases. In spite of this, it seems that very little is done to combat the carrier of malaria, the mosquito. Open sewers are everywhere, and few people have the money to spend on mosquito coils or insect spray. During my two nights in Ghana, we stayed in the home of a pastor. Louie and I were nearly eaten alive, but Luigi wasn’t bitten even once. I doubt that I received more than two hours of actual sleep either night, because the mosquitos were merciless. About seven days later, I began to experience malaria-like symptoms, and was given medicine by a missionary friend. In a few weeks when I go to Central America, I plan to be examined to find what, if anything, I received from the bites.

Louie was also attacked, but he had a repellant. I didn’t know he had any, and he didn’t know that I didn’t have any. By the time we figured it all out, it was already too late. I am thankful that I didn’t contract cerebral malaria. This killer cripples the body with tremendous headaches and literally kills within a day or so. I suppose if I had any comfort in all of this, it was the nightmares that Louie had each night about the bats just outside our window. His rendition of the nightmares were hilarious. Everybody has something they are afraid of, and for Louie, its bats. It was so funny watching him throw rocks at them and duck as they swooped by. I did everything I could think of to make little bat noises as he tried to sleep, but I guess I’m just not gifted in that area.

Before leaving Ghana, I wanted to visit a preacher our Foundation has been assisting there for several years, Pastor Daniel Sappor. Daniel is a representative for Child Evangelism and spends a great deal of effort in training believers to reach children with the Gospel. My mind had been so preoccupied with my father’s death, that I had forgotten to write Daniel to tell him I was coming to Ghana. When I told our new contacts in Tema about him, hoping they would know of him, they surmised that he must be charismatic or else they would have known him. You see, in this region, most every Christian is a charismatic, including Baptists. For years, a lack of proper teaching has left the Church open to “every wind of doctrine.” Those who, like us, are not charismatic, are suspicious of any preacher they don’t already know. That suspicion is unfortunate, but a reality nonetheless, just as it is here in America. Try as hard as I might to convince them that Daniel was not charismatic, they still doubted. Their response was that he is probably just a crafty preacher who had tricked us. The gauntlet having been dropped, I picked it up and asked the pastor to take me to Accra, hoping to find Daniel, though all I had was a Post Office Box number. By God’s grace, we found him and were waiting at his house when he arrived from his soul-winning visitation. When Luigi tried to play a trick on him and lead him to believe that I was an American charismatic looking to fund Pentecostal preachers, Daniel held firm to his belief in eternal security and other non-charismatic doctrines. He even kindly tried to show us the error in not believing in such fundamentals of the faith. When he had finally passed all their “tests,” they revealed to him who I was, and we had a great time of fellowship together. I felt bad that he had to be put through such a drilling, but pleased that he was not influenced by the hope of receiving money. Truly, his doctrines are not for sale. Now both “groups” will be strengthened with the knowledge that the other exists, and they can share books and teaching materials for training preachers. All they need now is help in supporting worthy Ghanan preachers for $30.00 to $60.00 monthly. I hope you will help us to help them do just that.

Missions Family Night

Issue: July, 1995

Target: Ghana

From Prosperity… To Poverty
by: Lewis Nelms

Ghana, situated between the Ivory Coast and Togo, is located in West Africa. The nation is comprised of approximately 100 different ethnic groups and exceeds 17 million people. Accra, its capital, is home to nearly 1.5 million people, but most Ghanaians live in the rural areas with the highest concentration in the south. Its major exports are cocoa, gold, and timber.

In 1957, Ghana gained its independence from Britain. But, the years following this event have been difficult for these African people. The socialist government of Nkrumah was a disaster, the consequences of which are still being felt. Following its overthrow in 1966, five military regimes and three short-lived civilian governments were attempted. Under Rawling’s revolutionary military government, democracy was returned to power, and multi-party elections were held in 1992.

Target: Ghana, West Africa

In 1982, the economy nearly collapsed. Government overspending, mismanagement, and corruption reduced this once prosperous nation to poverty. Uncontrolled inflation and drought also weighed heavily on the economy. Since 1984, there has been a steady economic recovery, but the average Ghanaian still earns less than 2% of what is earned by the average American.

With these political and economic difficulties, the advancement of the Gospel has been limited. Some of the former military governments have been hostile to Christianity. In this nation, where a quota system is in operation, foreign missionaries will find it hard to obtain visas. But there are many national preachers who are capable of advancing the Gospel throughout their nation. Their needs are simple, while their results are phenomenal. If you would like to sponsor one of these Ghanaian church-planters, contact Final Frontiers at 1-800-522-4324. Your partnership with these faithful servants will reap a harvest of souls for God’s kingdom.

DID YOU KNOW?
Of the 26,000 towns and villages in Ghana, 15,000 have no congregation of believers.

How to use the Missions Family Night…
The Missions Family Night is designed to be a teaching tool for the entire family. Each month, one nation or people group will be targeted.

1. Designate one meal per month to celebrate missions by using the Missions Family Night materials.
2. Use the Recipes to create an authentic FOREIGN meal. Your children will be excited to help in the meal preparation.
3. During the meal, lead your family in prayer for the targeted nation or group.
4. After the meal, let the children color the Coloring Sheet and encourage them to participate in the monthly coloring contest. (See below for rules.)
5. Complete the other activities in the MFN and read and discuss the stories from the Missions Progress Report.

Child Care International

Name: Pyna Ramesh                                   Date of Birth: July 6, 1986

Country: India                                                Age: 9

School Grade: Seventh                             Sex: Male

I am the only son born to my parents. My grandfather had died, and so my father looked after his brother and sister. Before I was born, he paid the dowry for my aunt to be married. Even when she gave birth, he paid for the delivery. He always looked after the burden of the whole family. He looked after his mother with care and tenderness. Like my father, she too was always loving and kind-hearted.

Whenever my father was late in returning from work, my mother would go out of the compound and wait for him. That was my mother’s love.

One day, the marriage of my uncle was fixed, so I stayed with my grandmother as all the others went to the wedding ceremony. Since my grandmother was a widow, she could not attend the wedding.

All the family, as well as the bride’s family, traveled to the wedding place, then to a famous Hindu temple to make sacrifices to the gods. When they went to visit the gods, it was already one week since the ceremony. The bridal party was returning in a minivan when the vehicle struck against a big stone on the road. The van fell into the river, and everyone was drowned, including the driver.

The next morning everyone heard the news, and no one prepared food. No one lit fires in their ovens. Nobody went to work. Even the cattle were fasting for days together. Everyone said that it was an unlucky incident. Some pitied me. Soon my grandmother also died. I was left alone.

I was without food for many days until Pastor Swatantra Kumar noticed my lonely condition and admitted me into his orphanage.

Let’s Get Acquainted

Preacher’s Name: Pradip Surjya

Country: India

Wife’s Name: Priscilla

No. of Children: One

Testimony:

My wife is from a wealthy Christian family and was saved at the age of fifteen. She desired to marry an evangelist regardless of how poorly she would have to live. This is her degree of dedication to the Lord’s cause.

I too am from a Christian home, and I found salvation when I was age sixteen. Gradually, I began to witness and minister in the surrounding churches, though I was still a youth. Finally, I enrolled in a Bible school to receive formal training. Since graduation, I have been involved in various ministries and I have now served as an evangelist for ten years.

There are more than six men serving full-time in the ministry whom I discipled, and I have started two churches and three fellowship groups. In time, these too will become churches with their own pastors, but for now, I help to care for them.

We are working with a church planting ministry called Amar Jyoti, and I receive a stipend of about $31.00 monthly. My monthly needs for my family and ministry expenses are about $64.00. You see how the Lord does provide for all our needs? The support Final Frontiers will find for us will alleviate the deficit that we have faced in our ministry to date.

I am now able to speak four languages, and I witness to people of those tribes most every day in the marketplace and from house to house. My wife also accompanies me in the work and is a great witness to the ladies of our towns and villages.

God has given us a great life and family. We had only one need, and now you may offer to help us with it. Our Lord will doubtless bless you because of your generous sacrifice. Please know that we will continue to serve but with greater ability because of your help. Remember to pray for us daily.

From the Mailbag

Last quarter:

• Villages evangelized: 2
• Churches started: 0
• Number saved: 100
• Baptisms: 0

From: Aggrey Mmaitzi Iboshe

Sponsored by: Mr. and Mrs. Richard Moser, Waynesboro, GA

I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am very grateful to write this short farewell (hello) letter to you.

In the last past three months since I received your support, I have visited and evangelized two villages. Many people were saved, and we soon have planned for baptism.

I say thank you very much for the love you have shown to us, me, and my wife. Your support has been very much helpful in encouraging to minister the ministry. Most of my church members are very poor. This gives me the privilege to minister in slums villages. Your support helps me to be an example in most cases.

May God bless you as you continue to minister His ministry as Final Frontiers. I beg to remain yours in Christ’s service.

Last quarter:

• Villages evangelized: 1
• Churches started: 3
• Number saved: 7
• Baptisms: 7

From: Khin Maung Win

Sponsored by: Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Carroll, Boone, NC

Thank you for your interest in me and my ministry. Like the Apostle Paul, I don’t want to involve where people had reached. I selected a new field where these people had never been reached. They are called Danu, an ethnic Burmese people but have a different tone of dialect. I am the first missionary to these people for the 21st century. Very hard to reach. But now I have seven members, and hopefully, many will join in the near future… I had a good house and a good life in Rangoon, but the Lord sent me to this area to preach the Gospel. Now, my wife has left her government service, and she is helping me… I will live and also die for the Danu people. They are a population of about 23,000 people. Only seven have been converted. I have a lot more to do. It is my firm belief that the Lord will not leave me…

Thank you very much.

A report from TEAM India

From: K. Swatantra Kumar
Location: Andhra Pradesh
Date: May 5, 1995

What was the total amount of TEAM funds received?
$264.80

What were these funds used for?
A small portion of the amount is used for buying tracts in our native language. The remaining we used for the purchase of Bibles. Many people came forward for English Bibles, so we need KJ Version for them.

Do you have any special needs we can pray about?
Each preacher needs at least one petromax (kerosene) lamp for his church. Most towns do not have electricity, so the light is very important for evening services.

Below, please write a short letter of appreciation to your TEAM sponsors.

Your TEAM funds provided an opportunity to everyone to contribute according to their purse permits. Most of our Indian preachers have tasted the love in action of your TEAM funds. We have bicycles, Bibles, lights, and other essential gospel tools with your TEAM fund. May God bless you, the cheerful giver. Thanks for your magnanimous gesture in helping the missions and obeying His last commission to help the missions. With your help only, we are achieving good results and winning many souls. Please continue to pray for us. Wherever we go, we are getting good responses. People are showing much interest. New openings are coming. God has abundantly blessed us during all these days.

The Jon Nelms Family Report

In this month’s cover story, I tried to convey to you the growing burden God has placed in my heart to reach Africa. Those wishing to join me with prayer and finances should immediately enlist in our TEAM program for Ghana, or any of the other West African nations; (Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, and Liberia) or help build a “great wall” of Christianity across all of Central Africa, by supporting a TEAM in the Central African Republic, Uganda, Kenya, Zaire, or the Sudan. Unless enough of us give, we will be fighting a force in the future that will make the persecution under Communism pale in comparison. If you are willing and committed, pledge at least $5.00 monthly to help one of these nations. Fifty dollars monthly would provide $5.00 for each of these nations. (See below)

As you receive this report, I will be preparing to leave for a four-country trip into Central America. There I will be visiting preachers we have supported for four years, as well as meeting with new groups of preachers that have been recommended to us. As always, I would appreciate your prayers for safety. On my last trip to Nicaragua, only God’s grace prevented me from suffering both a break-in and a kidnapping for ransom attempt. I tell you, there is never a dull moment!

Yours for souls,
Jon Nelms

Proverbs 28:20: “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.”

News from Final Frontiers:
Since last month’s report, there were…

• 66 New Churches Started
• 212 New Villages Evangelized
• 2,774 Professions of Faith
• 827 Believers Baptized

Total churches started to date: 3,986

MINISTRY INFORMATION…
The Mission Progress Report is a free, monthly publication of the FINAL FRONTIERS FOUNDATION INC., whose purpose is to effectively take the Gospel to the more than three billion souls, who have never before heard. Currently, we are ministering in Latvia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, India, Vietnam, China, Philippines, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, the Ivory Coast, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and the West Indies. These are countries and peoples which are primarily closed to the traditional missionary outreach, but open to us because of our unique method of missions.

We believe that the training and subsidizing of national preachers is the most efficient and effective method of global evangelism. Thus, we seek to raise prayer and financial support from believers in America, for God’s servants abroad, who are actively involved in church planting and discipleship.

Selection of those we sponsor is dependent upon their doctrinal beliefs, need, and reputation. We support only those who are serving by faith, never those who are waiting for a salary in order to serve. Worldwide, the average preacher in a third-world country needs as little as $30.00 each month to support his family and ministry.

All those subsidized through this foundation are involved in church planting. Their various outreach ministries include: Bible translation and distribution, radio and television broadcasting, camps, Bible schools, outdoor and film evangelism, educational and health programs, blind and leper ministries, orphan and children’s ministries, feeding centers, and refugee ministries. The foundation also offers assistance in missionary training; and we provide mission trips for American believers who want to examine the ministries of the national preachers.

Current ministries available for support are:

• Sponsorship of a national or native preacher ($30.00 monthly)
• Sponsorship of a TEAM of preachers in a given country ($5.00 minimum per month)
• Sponsorship of an orphan through our CHILD CARE subsidiary ($30.00 monthly)
• Sponsorship of our radio evangelism ($30.00 monthly for free radio distribution)

FINAL FRONTIERS, as a non-profit, religious corporation, is governed by those serving on the Executive Board of Directors: Rev. Jon Nelms (founder, Chairman, and CEO), Dr. James Mastin (Vice President), Rev. Gene Carpenter, Rev. Michael Corsini, Rev. Jimmy Scheffield, Mr. David Fluth, and Dr. Dan Burrell (Secretary-Treasurer). Further counsel is provided by those serving on the Board of Advisors.

Contributions and gifts to this ministry are tax-deductible and are applied to the ministry’s evangelistic outreach. FINAL FRONTIERS is classified as a 509 (a)(1) public foundation, under section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Regional Offices:

• Office of Ministry Expansion and Development, Sioux Falls, SD
  Executive Director: Rev. Lewis Nelms
• Office of Publications, Des Moines, IA
  Director of Publications: Mr. Bryan Jones
• Office of Asian Expansion, Akron, OH
  Director: Dr. Minh Dang
• Office of Refugee Ministries, Long Beach, CA
  Director: Rev. Rick Davis

International Offices:
International offices are maintained in every country of service for accountability purposes and are staffed by national and regional directors who are elected by the supported pastors and approved by the Executive Board of Directors. For further information concerning this ministry and its various programs, please call or write to the home office:

Home Office:
Final Frontiers Foundation
1200 Peachtree St.
Louisville, GA 30434 USA