From Mary Ann's Desk, February 2012

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“And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen” Mark 16:20



I greet you today, in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, trusting that all is well with you and yours. Gladly, we report to you that all is well with us and ours.

INDIA
Here we are in February, already, and on the 23rd, just a few days away, Mark and his team will be departing for Pune, India. We are excited about this trip, and so are our Indian brethren. All of us are believing God for a breakthrough in India. The “rest of the story” is in Mark’s column.

NIGERIA
It is official. I will not be going to Nigeria, in March. Our brethren there have determined it best to cancel this year’s Leadership Conference because conditions in the north are turbulent once again.

Last month, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the north. The borders of Niger, Chad and Cameroon remain closed, and a stronger military presence is in place in Jos. Yet, the violence continues and escalates. Very few days go by, now, that there is not more slaughter in more areas of the north. The Nigerian government, at long last, is vigorously searching out members of the Boko Haram (the radical Islamic group that is responsible for all the terror), and has captured 158 people suspected of being members of Boko Haram. Police in Kano, (Nigeria’s second largest city that was attacked on January 20th), announced on January 24th that they had seized 10 cars laden with explosives, and about 300 improvised explosive devices hidden in soft drink cans and bottles at a number of locations in the city. In addition, 8 drums, each containing 770 lbs. of explosives, were found. On Saturday, January 28th, Nigerian Security Forces killed 11 suspected Islamic militants belonging to Boko Haram in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, during a search operation. Because the Boko Haram are loosely organized and they have no identifiable markings or dress code, they are quite invisible, making it extremely difficult for government agencies to find them. Hopefully, the government will follow through until this group is completely subdued.

Only once before have we been prevented from going into Nigeria. The year was 1992. Bud and others were not able to get visas that year because no Western would-be visitors were being granted visas. David Smoot, however, had been issued a multiple entry visa in 1991, making it possible for him to go again in 1992, and the scheduled ministry was conducted anyway, as planned. This year is the first time in our 25 year history of ministry in Nigeria that none of us are able to go. The Lord knows all about this, and we trust the wisdom of our Nigerian brothers. We believe this is only a temporary situation, and look forward to being in Nigeria next year, if not sooner.

According to the Human Rights Watch group based in New York, nearly 1000 people have been killed in these kinds of attacks since the Boko Haram began its violent campaign in July, 2009. More than 250 of that number were killed in January of this year, alone. Please continue to pray for Nigeria.

UGANDA
Plans continue for our trip to Kampala, Uganda, in May. I am busy preparing my teaching materials for this trip, as well as making travel plans. Our team has expanded to include a doctor and his wife (who is also a nurse), giving us 3 platforms from which we, as a team, will be ministering: 1) teaching sessions for church leaders during the daytime hours; 2) open-air evangelistic outreaches for the general public in the evenings; and 3) medical help for those who are ill. This is exciting, and we are believing God to anoint us to impact the people with the power of His word and His Spirit.

Please keep us in your prayers concerning this mission.

We are so thankful to the Lord for your ministry with us through prayer and giving. Even though you are not physically with us, you walk alongside us every day, wherever we go. Thank you for being so faithful. We love and appreciate you. You are never far from our thoughts and prayers.

Because there are over 4.4 billion people in the world who still need Jesus,
I remain

Yours in missions,

Mary Ann Cassidy

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