2. Who, What, Where, Why Jon, Donna & Eli Terpstra Ministry of Serving Others Ministry of Helps & Hands Ministry of the Word Africa : Current focus – Nigeria God has given us a burden to live beyond ourselves and to be the hands, the feet and the heart of Jesus to those less fortunate.
4. There’s no one quite like Jon. Life in Nigeria is an adventure he simply loves.
5. Jon’s giftedness is the use of his hands. He shares that gift by teaching others in repair and maintenance of their daily needs in life. Here he is teaching how to repair a motorcycle.
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7. In Matters of the Heart Clinic Construction at EkangAnaku (Village of Kitok) 2009 To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven… Ecclesiastes 3:1
30. OkorBassey-Duke -- our good friend and ‘benefactor ‘ of God’s choosing. God brought us together for a purpose and we are so very grateful. Okor has been instrumental in getting this project completed.
31. Jon’s final day at the site before returning to the US in January 2010
32. May the beauty and favor of the Lord our God by upon us; Establish the work of our hands for us, Yes, establish the work of our hands Psalms 90:17 To be continued….this project will be completed this after his return in July 2010
43. Jon oversaw this project renovation. Here he is reviewing the project at BCCM with his friend, Cheneydu
44. BCCM clean up day… for all ages. The entire congregation came to clean the church after the painting and ceiling renovation was completed.
45. Although the picture is very dark, we wanted you to see the women of the church as they were mopping the cement floors with brush booms and buckets of water.
46. There were non-running vehicles parked in front of the church. Jon suggested they move them…but they didn’t know how. Jon gathered the men and showed them how to move this vehicle…..many hands made for lighter work….
47. After the large vehicle was moved…they were excited to move the others. ”PUSH ….” they would cry…..and the vehicles were relocated.
52. Instructional teaching/ workshops This teaching was on the power of our words and releasing blessing. After the teaching, each participant would speak out blessings upon their eyes, mind, hands, feet etc.
53. Declaring they have the mind of Christ… …that their minds are blessed… …choosing to take control over their thoughts.
54. Here they are laying their hands upon their feet – and asking God to order their steps.
55. JohannesburgSouth Africa This is a Congolese church consisting of refugees from the country of Congo who are now living in Jo’burg
56. It is a French-speaking congregation. Basic instruction and step-by-step teaching is translated by their pastor.
57. Wounds from the war and the loss of their homeland and families dictate the type of teaching for such as these. Forgiveness is the theme.
58. Assemblies of GodWomen's Meeting Calabar, Nigeria AG of Nigeria requires head covering for the women. Men and women sit separately in church services.
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60. Pastor David and his wife Following the weekend of teaching at their Bible School Leadership Training Teaching in Bible training schools or ministry centers is always a joy. 80% of all pastors in Nigeria have no formal Bible or ministry training.
61. The most important thing: THE WORD All teaching based on the Word – they must understand how to live according to the Word… after you’ve left…the Word remains.
63. These next village shots are in a remote, small church with about 250 women seated on small wooden benches. They had never seen a white woman before.
75. Prophetic Listening ….he who has ears to hear, let him hear….. God is faithful to speak to His children…
76. Personal Ministry God moves through the hands and hearts of His servants when we are obedient to submit ourselves to be used of Him. We are to be the hands, the feet, the heart and compassion of Jesus on this earth.
81. Ezra 9 Daniel 9 Nehemiah 9 Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
83. Coming alongside a pastor to lead a congregation through the process of confession and repentance …..
84. Once the teaching is given, the Holy Spirit moves amongst the people and a spirit of brokenness and repentance opens the way for God to move.
85. The heart of a Servant: I preach barefoot as a symbol of servant-hood humility. This very often brings a move of repentance among the leadership which then flows out on the people.
86. At this large international conference, after I finished teaching, a move of the Holy Spirit brought a spontaneous move of repentance among leadership. We were kneeling and weeping as people were confessing and asking forgiveness.
87. This is the head of the ministry who organized this conference. She was moved by the Holy Spirit to repent and ask forgiveness publicly of secret sins of the past. After this, the altar became filled with those attending who came forward for confession and prayer. This opened the way for the rest of the week’s meetings to be filled with the power of God.
94. The electricity is powered by a gas generator for the service. Jon and Eli brought a Veggie Tales movie which helped to pass the time in this class of 4-5 year olds which begins around 8am and concludes at 1pm after the service concludes in the adult church.
95. Eli is sitting in the front of the class as the kids are seeing Veggie Tales… during the class on Sunday mornings
96. Everyone loves Eli! Everyone has a heart for Eli. Notice the face of the young girl behind him. Many of the young girls want to get next to him as he helps in the class on Sunday mornings.
97. Girls will be girls !! These young girls are gathering behind Eli’s chair as he assists in the Sunday school class. Often too shy for talking to him, they will just gather and giggle !!
98. This young boy is very fond of Eli. He doesn’t speak to anyone but makes sure he finds his way to Eli’s lap each week. Here he is sitting with Eli during class.
99. Our friend Cheneydu is the teacher of this class of 4-5 year olds. They have around 100 kids in this one room classroom.
100. The kids are taught at an early year how to pray. They are encouraged to pray for their parents, for health, for wisdom etc.
101. Jungle Missions BaseThis is our work with Missionary Ray Oben. We will be assisting him in getting started with the audio players for the remote village churches and in advancing his move out into the unreached peoples of the Nigeria/Cameroon jungle.
102. The Jungle Missions Base is near the border of Cameroon. It is about 6-7 hours by road from us. Once at the base, it is necessary to walk a day’s walk out to the different villages.
103. Jon is standing with the village chief in one of the remote mountain villages served by the Jungle Missions Base. This chief was the first convert in the village and has seen to it that the villagers are now all exposed to the Gospel and live by the power of the Word – not the tribal beliefs.
104. Celebrating Visitors Nigerians celebrate visitors. ...and that meant killing a chicken for food. When food is available, you eat when and where you can…..these boys enjoy the blessing.
105. Nothing Goes to Waste This boy is using a small stick to get at the marrow in the chicken bone…once that’s gone….he will eat the bones.
106. The guests have been served and now the women slick the bowls clean…eating without utensils or dishes, they share amongst themselves so everyone gets the blessing.
107. Hand Dug Well This is the hand dug bore hole (well) at the Jungle Missions Base. It provides only a few gallons of water a day. A new source is necessary.
108. Jungle MissionsWater Project Once the finances are available, Jon will be returning to the Jungle Base to repair the current water project. The current hand-dug bore hole is now nearly dry and trekking of several miles is necessary throughout most of the year.
110. Walk with me……. A great deal of our work in Africa is built around relationships. There is much to be said about coming alongside of the people and living within their conditions. We put a great deal of value on the time spent stepping into the lives of the people…living their lifestyle, eating their foods, sharing in what they feel is important. Our heart’s desire is for them to see the “Jesus in us.” For us, that is accomplished as we ‘walk along with them.’
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113. More than words…. Eli would sit next to the young girl in our compound, Blessing, each morning. Here they are watching Emmanuel play with a stick. It’s not about conversation – it’s about companionship.
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116. Eli and Prince stand out front of our place. Prince lost his family in the Liberian war and has become a son in our family. He lives with us in Calabar.
122. Typical shacks/homes stand next to more modern construction; No municipal water or electric is available – personal generators and bore holes supply individual needs
123. Street shops all look basically the same – Street vendors work the streets carrying the products in wheel barrels or carts
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125. With no infrastructure, public sanitation is not available. Garbage pick-up and collection doesn’t exist. Education in individual responsibility is crucial.
126. Typical city street with vendors under each umbrella selling their wares. Electrical lines exist but utility power is not released to the people.
127. City Streets With no public sewer systems in place, water collects on the streets during the rainy season.
130. Public transport vans will carry anything that pays the fare….these goats are being taken to their new home !!
131. Home Sweet Home? This was our home for two months. The three of us shared one mattress in this room. We had saved to purchase a fan but there was no water or electric for more than a month. Cockroaches and house rats were our constant companions. This period of time was challenging.
133. Groceries Upon arrival in Calabar, our first hosts greeted us with groceries: potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, cabbage, and plantains. The local practice is for food to be left on the floor – thought to be cooler – which we quickly moved off the floor and away from roaches and houserats!
134. Nature's Bounty Snails…..easy to raise and free !! Jon and Eli raise and eat snails. It’s cheap and a good source or protein.
135. With no water available in the flat where we were staying, rainwater was a treasure indeed. Buckets were left out to collect rain so we wouldn’t need to trek and carry water back from the community pump every day.
136. It was amazing how the rain could fill one of these in the rainy season. Showers of blessings, indeed!
137. Candid ShotsSht
138. Very often, before I would be introduced to speak, Jon and Eli would be asked to greet the church. Here, Eli is greeting a church of about 1500. He was amazing!
139. Jon in front of our new ‘home’: After four months of living as guests in other people’s homes, God provided us with more than we could have ever imagined…..a place of our own. Our good friend Okor asked us to move into an empty flat on his compound. We would have our own living quarters, a security gate, a guard dog, running water and a flushing toilet……Could it get any better than that???
140. This is Eli’s breakfast of dried fish before embarking on the 7-hour trip into the bush. We put his hair in braids due to the harsh conditions of their week -long stay in the bush…what a great sport he was!
141. Eli is resting in front of one of the buildings in the village they walked out to. These villages are many hours out from the Jungle Missions base and can only be reached by walking serveral hours.
153. Eli learned how to ride a motorcycle while in Nigeria….it became a great pass time for him….here he’s riding on the ‘bridge to nowhere’… it simply dead-ends on the other side of the river.
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155. We are so very proud of Eli. He was such a blessing during his time in Nigeria. He made an impression on every one who met him- that long golden ponytail will be remembered….but so will his quick smile and heart to serve.
156. Cost of Living ( converted to US dollars) Peanut Butter: $7-8 Breakfast Cereal: $7-9 Can of tuna: $1 Shampoo: $4 Toilet paper: $1 a roll Gas $3 a gallon: Drinking water: $2 a day (for 1 person) Eat Out: rice and chicken thigh $5 (for 1) One night’s power: $5 - $7.50
157. Monthly Budget (for 3 of us) Generator fuel $200 Vehicle fuel $200 Food $300; Communication $100: internet $45 phone credit $40-50 Offerings we give at church services $100 other giving to individuals we meet/or assist $100 TOTAL: $1000 a month
158. Various Opportunities: women’s conferences; leadership training children’s ministry - orphans and vulnerable children; abandoned babies’ home village/bush ministry medical teams needed for basic care or instruction clinics basic construction skills What About You? Ministry Opportunities Abound !!
159. Approximate Costs: Airfare $1500-2000 Passport $110 Visa $175 Required Immunizations $200 Trips can be customized according to your needs/abilities Share with us what God has laid upon your heart and let’s see what He will do !!
160. As believers, we stand together in the vineyard of His kingdom. Some stay…..some go….others send. This verse is a great comfort: “For as is the share of him who goes into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the supplies. They shall share alike. “ 1 Samuel 30:24 We’re all in this together! Jon, Donna & Eli For financial contributions desiring a tax deductible receipt from a 501(c)(3) charity, please make check payable to: In Matters of the Heart 6899 Kenowa Ave SW Grandville, MI 49418 Please designate TerpstrasInAfrica in the memo area
