A short update about our situation

Hi everyone: God is good. We have arrived safely in Jos Nigeria and hope to travel to Niger State next week. Please continue to pray for us. We add a mission update to keep you current.  We thank God that every thing is quiet this morning. Blessing,  Case and Gremar

Update:

Thank you for your concern and prayers for the situation in Nigeria.  Following a series of attacks around Christmas by Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group based in Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in portions of the four Nigerian states (including Plateau and Niger) affected by the violence.  While the government has heightened the presence of security forces in these areas, CRWM missionaries are reporting that things have remained quite calm in their areas and that people are going about their regular activities.

On January 1, the President announced the end of a fuel subsidy effective immediately that had greatly reduced the price of gasoline in Nigeria.  In the days following this announcement the cost of gasoline has more than doubled.  This dramatic increase significantly impacts the cost of other products and the general cost of living for the Nigerian people.  Some protests have been held in major cities, with a larger strike / shut down of public services in the country possible in the coming days.

CRWM is actively monitoring the situation.  All CRWM personnel are safe and well.  Please pray that these protests will not lead to further violence. Please also pray for wisdom for the government as it responds to these challenges.

Prayer Update:
Nigeria Unrest
President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in portions of four Nigerian states (including Plateau and Niger) following a series of attacks by Boko Haram, an Islamist extremist group, over the Christmas season.  People continue about their daily activities, albeit with an increased security presence.  Meanwhile, protests have begun across the country in response to the President’s decision to end a fuel subsidy.  Please pray that these protests will not lead to further violence and unrest.

God’s call, God’s provision, and God’s equipping

This is a video about some of the work in Niger State, Nigeria supported by Christian Reformed World (CRWM) and by the Christian Reformed Church of Nigeria. (CRCN) We are privileged to be involved in a small way. God has called us back to Niger State This year(2012) Please pray for us, for the church, and for Nigeria. You may experience our trip with us on this Web page.

A call for recommitment to plant churches.

Case and Gremar Van Wyk

cgvanwyk5@gmail.com

www.heavenhigh.org

June 2011

Plant Churches at home (USA) and around the world.

As we reflect on the four months we have just completed in Niger State with Classis Niger of the *CRCN we are aware of God’s amazing grace and blessings. We appreciate the Bible School staff and also the students, it was a blessing to be part of the Bible School community.  Sometimes we forget the amount of encouragement *CRWM’s involvement gives to the staff and the students at the School. The Lansers are very much appreciated at the school   This is also true for the pastors, and the evangelists. Jeremiah Jongo said to me that since we have offered *TLT courses to his evangelists they have been encouraged in their work in Niger State to the point that they have recommitted to the work there.

Just to be there, working, giving advice, teaching, providing transportation and becoming part of the community is an encouragement we underestimate.

On that note, how is it that *“Water Wins” is able to dig a well relatively quickly but cannot get an evangelist to that same village as was pointed out by one of the village elders. We must reconsider our priorities as a mission in Niger State!  We need to get back to planting churches and helping Classis Niger to do that. Providing a teacher for the Bible School is just the beginning, we also need a missionary church planter to encourage the evangelists and pastors.  Twenty years of working in Taraba State has taught us that the evangelists and pastors are completely dedicated to the spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are we to be less dedicated? I think not! The Good News demands we go back to the basics of planting churches and move past the maintaining of our  comfortable fellowships that look like the  church but is not.

We cannot say enough good things about our missionaries in Jos! They did everything possible to make our stay easy and fruitful, we thank them. We would like to return in 2012 the Lord willing. We would like to return for four months to teach: “How to Prevent Violence in the Family” and “God’s Plan for Sustainable Development” to the pastors and evangelists and their wives as continuing education.   Thank you for the opportunity to serve. It is a blessing for us and for the people in Niger State. Praise God!

Submitted  by Rev. Case and Gremar Van Wyk

*The Christian Reformed Church

* Christian Reformed World Missions

* Timothy Leadership Training Institute

*Water Wins is a non-profit Organization drilling wells in Nigeria, Africa

We thank God for you!

Case and Gremar Van Wyk

cgvanwyk5@gmail.com

www.heavenhigh.org

The “Good News” and presenting the “Good News” is about relationships. “For you know that we dealt with you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live a life worthy of God who calls you into his kingdom and glory..” I Thess. 2:11,12

June 2011,

Dear Everyone,

As we reflect on our four month stay with the people of Niger State, Nigeria we thank God for you. We thank you for praying for us and supporting us; this trip would not have been possible without your love. We had the privilege of encouraging the 25 families attending the Warari Bible School, the teachers, the pastors, evangelists and their wives working in churches and preaching centers. We encouraged them with medical help and training, with the TLTI * “Stewardship” and “Biblical Preaching” courses and for the male students a Sermon Delivery class. This time the pastors, evangelists and their wives came to us at the Warari Bible School one day a week from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM for the continuing education courses.  The rest of the four days we spent teaching the students at the school.

It was an amazing four months filled with building relationships, much work, hot weather, treating sick children some with complications of measles who did not recover, treating adults, teaching, and basic medical training; it all adds up to four months of God’s amazing grace and blessings to them and to us. We trust you had the opportunity to experience this trip with us at heavenhigh.org.

Classis Niger is the only place where CRWM is participating along with the *CRCN in grass roots evangelism in Nigeria. There is great potential for a vibrant church; three tribes comprising of about 500,000 people are now beginning to turn to Christ and there are great challenges. Areas of need are spiritual and church development, theological training, stewardship and educational opportunities.

Thank you again, we are counting on you for next year (2012) when we hope to develop the primary school for the Bible School student’s children, and teach “Gods Plan for Sustainable Development” and “Preventing Violence in the Family” as continuing education for pastors, evangelists and their wives.

Continue to pray for the people of Niger State and the emerging church.  God is Good!

Rev. Case and Gremar Van Wyk

*www.timothyleadershiptraining.org

*Christian Reformed Church in Nigeria

Leaving Things Behind and Starting Again

Sometimes we want to go back and start over but it seems that is not possible. We are not the same people at the end of something than we were at the beginning. Certainly the people of Niger State; their response to our sojourn among them, their acceptance and love, their optimism and their faith in difficult times have taught us that and so much more. No! spend time here and you are changed. Now it is time to say goodbye and start again at Heaven High, Newaygo MI. Much was started. The rains started, many of my Lacuern tree seeds started and were planted. We were able to start and finish two TLT Manuals; Stewardship, and Biblical Preaching in the Hausa language. I received my first sting from a scorpion. After her training Pauline started a first response clinic at the Water Wins staff compound. Gremar was able to start and finish her medical training sessions with the three pastor’s wives and the school’s first response team. I was able to start and finish up one of my classes at Warari Bible School and hand over two more. As missionaries we start again and again and it never gets easier. It was particularly hard this time because we had to let go of Daniel, the ten year old son of Ayuba, one of the Bible School students. Our only consolation is that he succumbed to his illness while praying to Jesus. He has started his new life. God wanted to confirm that for his parents and for all of us, praise the Lord! Starting again can be painful. We leave much behind and start again with the knowledge that Jesus goes with us and as the Spirit prepares the way we go forward in confidence!

The storms are violent at the beginning of the rainy season.

The Pastors and Evangelists

The whole TLT group, we are thankful to God, they came faithfully for four months.

Paulina opening up the first response station.

Everyone is happy.

Hard at work the first day.

The whole compound was there for the dedication prayer.

You do not want to get stung by one of these guys. The pain got steadily more intense and when it reached under my arms I decided to take shock treatment. How?  Start up the car, pull off a spark plug wire and start shocking at the spot of the bite (little finger) and go up the arm. At the time I thought to myself the treatment may be worse than the sting! An hour later I knew the shocking worked because it started to subside and gone completely in the morning, normally people are affected for three days.

The school hosted a send off party, we all had an opportunity to thank God for his blessings.

God is good, we have been blessed and are privileged to be able to contribute a little to the development of the CRCN Niger State. Thank you for supporting us, praying for us, and send us back next year.

Easter

Matt. 28: 1-10; 16-20. It was early Sunday morning, the women were on their way to the tomb. The men, Jesus’ disciples were hiding they had run off, only John hung around, prominent as his family was he was able to take in Jesus’ mother. “Who will role away the stone?” the women asked one another as they hurried along. They must have felt the earth-quake, judging from the account it seems to have happened as they arrived at the tomb. At the sight of the angel the soldiers posted to guard Jesus’ tomb fell down as if they were dead men, the women had nothing to fear from them.  The women trembled at the sight the angel, yet they went into the tomb at his suggestion, pretty gutty ladies. They came to the place of the dead and to their surprise they found life. Jesus has risen and appears to them as he does to us!  Often we look for Jesus in the wrong places, looking everywhere but where he is found, in God’s Word, and in our hearts, because we have shut him out of our everyday lives.  Are we willing to turn to the Word again and again, are we willing to see him in others, those who worship with us?  The Disciples should have known that the tomb could not hold their Lord and Savior as we should know that now He is always with us.

Matthew, writing to the Jews and concentrating on the prophecies of Christ in the Old Testament leaves out all the other appearances of Jesus to his disciples except for this one to the women and moves directly to the Great Commission. Mathew begins with Abraham in his genealogy of Christ, the appearing of the star, and the visit of the Magi. All the families of the earth will be blessed through Abraham, Gen. 12:3. “Abraham believed the Lord and He  credited to him as righteousness” Gen. 15:5-6.   Saved by faith we are John 3:16-18. Matthew’s beginning with Abraham comes full circle at the end of the book  in the Great Commission.   God’s plan, from the call of Abraham to the risen Christ was to redeem the world through Jesus, the Son of Abraham.  Matthew moves quickly to the Great Commission at the end  because  that was Abraham’s call as it is our call today, to be a light to the nations. Isa 51:3-5; 60:1-3. The light begins with you! The light begins at home! Turn the light on!

Opening song of the Easter Service.

The drummers only accompany some of the songs.

Today we had special music in English.

And a song in the Tiv language.

I was asked to preach.

Pastor Ben closed the service.

CHRIST IS RISEN! PRAISE BE TO GOD!

Mazheme

The Sunday before Easter we visited Mazheme where Pastor James and his wife Tabitha have recently moved. They were at Kamfani but the church wanted them to move to what is more the center of the congregation made up of six different preaching centers.  Mazheme does not have good phone reception so we could not call ahead  and as a result we missed Pastor James who was doing a Communion Service at one of the preaching centers.  Bill and Ali Hart, one of our former missionary families lived and worked  at Mazheme . We found a vibrant church and we joined them for worship.

They gave me the opportunity to bring greetings from the Bible School and from North America. They were exited to hear a little about Bill and Ali.

Offering time.

The church has many youth, that is significant since many Christian young men are denied spouses by the traditional community.

The outside of the church building, take note of the solar system, still running the sound equipment after 15 years.

The only thing left of the mission residence is this garage and the foundations of the grass roofed round houses. What was left behind spiritually is much more significant and much more important. Praise the Lord!

God’s purposes were served, it is time for the church to move on.

The church has built the pastor an adequate house.

As with all houses in this area the pastors house is also given privacy by this corn stalk fence.

Some of the local kids.

These kids benefit from the church and the school.

The primary school is the other major contribution the mission and the missionaries have given this community. We thank you, they thank you, and together we thank God!

Here and There

Today is elections and there is a travel restriction so we are spending a quiet day at home. Last week we had cows break into the school garden at night. That is a big deal since greens are hard to come by in the dry season and the students put a lot of work into their plots.  Proper nutrition and the lack thereof combined with measles and chickenpox  is a big problem this time of the year. Our first responder students and Gremar have been very busy with many of the local people and children. What appears to be simple is a matter of life and death for these sick children. The solution to the cow problem is a proper fence so we spent a couple of afternoons repairing it.

Most of this plot is destroyed, something needed to be done.

This old fence could not keep out determined hungry cattle.

We salvaged the wire from the old fence and increased the garden size by one third.

The secret for a strong fence is the corners and a wench to pull the wire tight.

Strong corners and a straight  line makes a good fence and good neighbors, in this case cow herders.

God is good all the time!

The students have a week break this coming week, but we still are holding the pastor’s and evangelist’s course this week.  It will be a nice change to have a couple of days free to do whatever, maybe even sleep in a little.  Thank you for praying for us and for the students, pray that the election will go well.

Breakfast and devotions on the veranda.

Breakfast together is the best time of the day and the coolest.

At no time are these domesticated guinea fowl fun to have around, they are noisy and persistent. If they roost in a tree near our bedroom there is no sleep that night; it’s a constant racket. Now days I guard the trees at dusk to prevent them from roosting there.

Every Thursday we have the Pastors, Evangelists and their wives  for Timothy Leadership Training. Stewardship in the morning and Biblical Preaching in the afternoon. This morning the class is divided into four groups working on different problems related to tithing in the church.

Last week was the end of term exam week.

Hezron, one of the teachers, explaining the exam in his class.

Hezron’s wife Christi explaining her exam to the students wives.

Elections are still going on, next for Governor of the state. That will the last one at this time. We thank God that it has been quiet here at Warari and at Acre. It has not been as peaceful in the larger towns and cities, continue to pray for Nigeria, for the people of Niger State, and for the church here.

During this break  we are going to try to shore up the foundation of  Matt and Laura’s house as well as sloping the ground around the house to direct the water away from the house.

We are going to give the back wall and foundation some bigger feet.

Everyone is working hard at this hottest time of the year.

Everything is done by hand. I had the easy part, I built the forms.

The finished product. We hope this stops the cracking in the walls of the back end of the house.

The next day we had our first rain of the season; our building project done on time but not under budget.

More wind than rain but it really cooled things off.

Cooler but the wind really picked up the dust and that little bit of rain did not settle very much of it.

That night we had fires all around as people burned their fields to prepare for planting.

We enjoyed the view from the front veranda. It is hard to put our experiences into words, God is working in this difficult and rugged place, life is hard but it can be good as well.  People have enough  food and enough money for the most part but there is also illness, especially among the children. A lot of  measles this year and with complications it often is a matter of life and death if treatment is not sought in time; sadly,  that is  often the case.  There is much  spiritual poverty all around us but God is at work. This week a family who moved close to Acre Bible School asked Gremar and I to come and pray for his family and his new house.  Gremar had the  opportunity to treat the new neighbor’s kids and Sunday he joined the students for worship.  Jesus is building his church and it is a privilege to be a part of it. Praise Him!

The Women’s Sunday at the Warari Bible School (Acre)

The Bible School also hosted a Women’s  Sunday and there was a lot of participation from some of the churches that have members attending the school.  K.Y.K   (The Christian Youth Groups) participated as well.  It was a great opportunity to encourage and support the Women’s Fellowship Group at the school

The opening hymn of the service.

The youth groups from Idaci and Maretu also participated.

The drummers were busy!

The Women’s  group teaching fidelity in song.

There also was a special collection for the Women’s Fellowship.

Fellowship and refreshments following the service.

One Day at Acre (Wurari Bible School)

Time is flying, and as you know it always does when you are enjoying what you are doing. We want to take you around with us for a day at Acre. God is at work and it is a privilege to be a part of it; a blessing that we wish to share with you.  Please continue to pray for the school, for the teachers, and the students and their families. Pray also for the church, she is young and developing, reaching out to those around her and we praise God that people are responding faster than we have evangelists to lead them. We thank God for the pastors and evangelists sent from Taraba State by the Christian Reformed Church in Nigeria.  That is a great help but a temporary solution, we need local indigenous pastors and evangelists. That is what Acre is all about, training local leaders. Supporting the Church in Niger State, along with the CRCN  is now the one and only grass root work that CRWM is involved with in Nigeria. There is the potential of a church comprised of 500,000 people. God is good and by his grace and by the power of his Spirit the church is being established on the Rock that is Christ Jesus. Praise be to God!

Click to enlarge. We are adding pictures every couple of days.

22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

The day begins early, 6:30 AM, with the students watering their dry season gardens.

They put it on heavy, it is hot during the day.

Plenty of hard to come by greens for their mia (soup for dipping pounded yams or corn).

An unlimited amount of water if you are willing to pump that is.

All you need is water and it grows.

Adding another plot for more greens.

It is now 8:00 AM and it is 80 degrees and 80% humidity.

Amazingly the flowers and the bugs do fine in this heat.

The student’s quarters, 25 students live in six multi family units.

Classes start at 8:00 AM for the men and their wives.

The women spouses have their own class room and courses, one is Healthy Living.

Some of the Evangelists and wives that come on Thursdays for Stewardship and Preaching courses.

There is also a Primary School for the student’s children at Acre from 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM, some local children are now attending and we hope more of the local compounds will send their children.

The Primary School has class one and two and every year a class will be added.

Next year the Primary School will out grow the class room they use, more class rooms will have to be built.

Student led chapel everyday at 10:25 AM, today  Gal. 5:16-26. He did I nice job telling us what God is doing in the text; guiding his people, and what God says about Himself, some of His attributes v.22 and what He expects from us. The student gave us a good balance between v. 19-21 and v, 22-23. The Biblical Preaching course is bearing fruit. Praise the Lord!

The students have classes from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM everyday except Fridays to 1:00PM.

Time for the breakfast break.

There is always time to enjoy the flowers.

The men and women students have the following classes; English, Sermon Delivery, Agric, Biblical Preaching, Stewardship, Islam, Systematic Theology, Nigerian Church History, Ethics, and Carpentry.

Carpentry in the afternoon; I use this space on Thursday mornings for the continuing education classes.

The women spouses have the following classes; Old Test., New Test., Reading, Woman’s  Fellowship,Sermon Prep., Arithmetic, Christian Living, Ethics, Healthy Living, Christian Family, Knitting and Sewing.

One of the student’s wives operating the knitting machine.

Some of our daily visitors and why we have fences.

1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters  Ps. 24:1-2.

One of the medical trainees examining a child. There is a lot of measles around right now.

Gremar teaching the school’s  first response medical team.

Washing the harmattan dust off the solar panels.

22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the LORD has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.  Ps. 118: 22-24.

For us, everyday is the day of Salvation and a day to rejoice in God’s Strength as we serve Him. We praise Him for everyday!