ICOM -- International Conference on Missions

We (Walter as well as members of WACM board) will, Lord willing, be at this year’s ICOM, November 13 – 16, 2014 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N. High Street, Co-lumbus, Ohio.We hope to see you there. We have booth 239 in the display area.

ICOM is for all Christians who long to see the Great Com-mission carried out. It is a time for meeting other Christians with the same yearning and Christian church/church of Christ missionaries who are serving around the world. It is a time of worship, praise, informative workshops, and uplifting mes-sages. There is something for young and old and everyone in-between. Whether you drive in for the day or stay for the whole time you will be encouraged and blessed by attending this year’s ICOM.

Highlighting One Man’s Ministry

The man is Ernest Ebak. A year ago we reported the mar-riage of Ernest and Rita. Rita was finishing her Bachelor’s degree program at the Obubra campus of Cross River State University. She has gradu-ated and now has to spend a year doing community ser-vice someplace in Nigeria in a program called the Nigerian Youth Service corps. To com-plicate matters, at least to my mind, Rita is expecting their first child at any time. I asked Ernest about this and appar-ently he and Rita are not con-cerned about it. He told me the

Good News for NigeriaWalter SmithMissionary to NigeriaP.O. Box 46Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Judy Catron1118 Main StreetNew Castle, IN 47362

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” II Corinthians 4:5

November 2014

Christmas Greetings -- Good News, Great Joy“Today in the city of David there has been born for

you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

In Nigeria as in America children are likely to think about Santa Claus instead of the birth of Jesus. That is why this year as for to the past two years we are putting on a live Nativity Scene. The location of WACM’s Nativity scene is very prominent; it is located on the embankment in front of the Mission Property. This is on a much traveled road. Students at WACM Bible College help us to man the display.

Nativity Scene from Zion Lutheran School, Lincoln, Illinois. This live nativity was the inspiration for ours in Nigeria.

The Oasis Christian School celebrates an earlier Christmas with ap-propriate songs of Christmas worship and praise while, at the same time, giving the children a special treat -- a visit from Mickey Mouse.

This Hausa peddler makes me think of a line from a familiar Christmas poem: “A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, and he looked like a peddlar just opening his pack.” In this case, father Monday Ebak treated his daughters to toys from the peddler’s pack.

May your Christmas be filled with all the joy of family, friends, and faith as you celebrate the birth of the One who came that we might have true joy as we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”

The FutureIn the last GNfN, we told you about the opportunity God is

giving us to own outright the property which has been the home of West Africa Christian Mission since its inception back in the 1950s. We told you of the need for $10,000 to make this a reality. We have received the ten thousand dollars especially designated to the purchase of the property. The payment will be made in December. This is indeed a praise. Thanks to all of you who re-sponded to this appeal.

The Nigerian Mission Trustees are recognized by the Gov-ernment there under the Lands Perpetual Decree and are quali-fied to hold the property in trust. Likewise the U.S. based WACM mission board is functioning to oversee the work in Nigeria.

Ernest Ebak with the middle daughter of his first cousin, Monday Ebak. This little girl’s name is Morime. (It means “let’s appreciate Him [i.c. God] in the Mbembe language.) Monday’s old-est daughter is Okamoda, which means “He (God) has blessed me.” And the youngest is Bisam, which means “Say thank you.”

A service in the Mission’s chapel. The chapel is one of the buildings we will forfeit as we take possession freehold on the Mission property. The chapel is equipped with a baptistry.

Mr. Biggs is Nigeria’s version of McDonalds.

Mission Services2004 E. Magnolia Ave.Knoxville, TN 37917

Return Service Requested

Non Profit Org.U.S. Postage Paid

Knoxville, TNPermit #374

Good News for NigeriaWest Africa Christian Mission

The News and Prayer Letter of

Walter Smith, Missionary to Nigeria

government has a special arrangement for this contingency.Ernest and Rita are residents in Jos, Plateau State while Er-

nest is enrolled at the Theological College of Northern Nigeria (TCNN) which is run by the Christian Reformed Church Mis-sion. Jos is in a dangerous place which is often in the news due to violence against Christians from Boko Haram. Eddie and Walter’s children, Keith and Jerianne went to school at Hillcrest School in Jos. Those were the days before Boko Haram. Ernest is majoring in Old Testament Exegesis.

From time to time Ernest commutes the 800 miles to his hometown, Appiapum, to lead in evangelism, youth programs, and church planting projects. He and his uncle, Lawrence Ebak, have trained several preachers and other servant leaders. Ernest is also helping the translation team to translate the Old Testa-ment into Mbembe. Mbembe is Ernest’s mother tongue and the mother tongue of several thousand people in Cross River State. Ernest’s uncle, Lawrence Ebak, helped translate the New Testa-ment into Mbembe three decades ago. There are still many lan-guage groups in Nigeria that are without any Bible at all.

Ernest and Rita also commuted this past summer to Lagos where Ernest taught in a special summer session at the WACM Bible College and worked with the Churches in the Lagos area. Because of the faithful supporters of West Africa Christian Mission we are able to help Ernest and other servant leaders who not only preach and teach the gospel, but who also teach others to preach and serve the lord in Servant leadership posi-tions.

Prayer• Pray for our younger fellow workers with the ministry of

training and leadership in Nigeria. Many times they think they have super strength, but they need to take care of themselves and spend time with family. They are, after all, flesh and blood.

• Pray for Ernest and Rita as they look forward to the birth of their first child and to Rita’s coming assignment from the Ni-gerian Youth Service Crops.

• Pray for Nigerian churches that are facing danger from ter-rorists.

• Pray for Bibleless and illiterate people. Thank God for Er-nest Ebak as he works with the translation team to bring the Old Testament to his people.

• Pray for the dozens of unreached people groups in Nigeria who have no believer in their language or ethnic group. Many of these people are represented in Lagos either as fulltime residents or people who travel in for longer or shorter periods for business.

• Pray for more laborers for the harvest

• Thank God that the World Health Organization has recent-ly declared Nigeria Ebola free after 42 days with no new cases.

Your Continued SupportThank you for your con-

tinued support as we make known the Gospel message that was proclaimed first by angels to shepherds that night long ago on a hillside near Bethlehem. From Beth-lehem to the mega-giant city of Lagos the message rings out to this day with great ef-fect.

Make checks payable to West Africa Christian Mission and send them to our forwarding agent Judy Baughman Catron, 1118 S. Main Street, New Castle, IN 47362. Thank you.

What can you give someone who has everything? That’s not a question most people in the world are faced with. Thank God for the abundance that most of us enjoy as we share that abundance with others who have less. It is by sharing that the gospel goes forth to unevnagelized lands.

This winsome little boy is a third generation Christian because you care enough to support mis-sionaries who brought the gos-pel to Nigeria.