TESTIMONY OF A FORMER SOOTHSAYER

 

God is the God of Missions:The Lord God is very passionate about humanities holistic well being. Each and every one of us humans is very dear to God. He has made us in His own image and likeness, and placed intrinsic worth upon us. Our fall was and still is a matter of great concern to Him. This is the reason why He has expended all effort to save and restore humanity to His original intent purpose having a holy and eternal fellowship with Himself.The Lord God Almighty is a missionary God. In every generation, God has sought for witnesses to testify about His saving purposes (Acts 14:17). He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save us from our sins and helpless estate (John 3:16). When the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, finished His work on earth, He committed the Great Commission to us to fulfill all over the earth (Matt. 28:18-20). He has commanded us, saying, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (John 20:21).Missions are the Concern of the Straightway Chapel:Noticing that missions are the heartbeat of God, the Straightway Chapel has taken it upon itself to flow with the heartbeat of God. Ever since its inception, we have been making every effort to reach out to the unreached, especially to the people in the northern part of Ghana, in the remote un-churched villages and towns.In pursuance of the call to missions, the Straightway Chapel went to Gbuo in the Upper-East region of Ghana. There was initial difficulty in getting someone to interpret our preaching to the locals. However, because the work is the Lords and is very dear to His heart, He gave us an interpreter, who at the time happened to be a soothsayer.The Dramatic Transformation:Not too distant in time and this soothsayer, Onibaa, got converted, burned his entire fetish and turned his back on idol worship, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! In 2006, Patrick Onibaa was enrolled in the Straightway Chapels Missions school, and has been trained to become a pastor. He is now in charge of the church we have built in his town, Gbuo. The church boasts of 150 members. Praise the Lord!The Lesson:The basic lesson is that if only we shall pay heed to the Lords command and go, He the Lord of missions will accompany us and bless our efforts with signs and wonders. We therefore wish to seize this opportunity to exhort all readers and supporters of the ministry to make every effort to contribute your quota in the missionary call. Support it with your intercessions, finances, and whatever the Lord enables you with. In this bid to seeking His kingdom and righteousness first, we can be sure that all other things will definitely be added to us (Matt. 6:33).Appeal for Support:We wish to ask your support for the arduous task we have been embarking upon for some time now. We need loads of financial support for Pastor Patrick Onibaa and others with him who are also doing some great Gospel work in northern Ghana. We presently have 5 such ministers in the north. Each will need a monthly allowance of about $10 (GH¢500).Support for International Missions Training Centre (IMTC):The training arm of the Straightway Chapel, International Missions Training Centre (IMTC), which has been training people for missions and pastoral ministry, has been at work since 2001. The schools activities have gone a little bit down, mainly because of financial constraints. We need people to support the school to financially cater for the teachers who will be teaching. We shall as well need sponsors to help sponsor some of the candidates.Testimony from the Straightway Chapel, Techiman:The pastor in Techiman, one of our branches, shares the following testimony. I cannot stop talking about the great thing which the Lord did for the church when our sister Veronica, who is a key member of the church was attacked by a serious jaundice. Even when the doctor seemed to say there was no hope, the congregation and I stood on our feet and cried to the Lord and He performed a miracle on our behalf and healed our sister. This has even attracted two people to join the church, by virtue of our sisters survival.From the Straightway Chapel in Techiman, the pastor shared another testimony of an old womans son who got sick and was taking to Burkina Faso for treatment. He says that the old woman told them about the situation so they prayed earnestly for the son. The man returned from Burkina Faso still sick but through their prayers he is now fit and healed by the grace of God. The man came to church on the 25th of November 2010 with his family to thank God. The driver of this man and his wife has joined the church as result of his testimony. Praise the Lord!Concluding Remarks:Like in the days of Isaiah and since days of yore, the Lord has been seeking for someone to go for Him. He continues to ask: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? (Isaiah 6:8). May the missionary and zealous spirit of the Lord so fill us, and enable us to heartily declare with Isaiah: Here I am, send me.