AG Nigeria experiences powerful impact
April 27, 2007

This past March 10-19, Kevin Babin, the Assemblies of God national representative for Deaf Culture Ministries, traveled to Nigeria, Africa, to take part in the AG Nigeria National Deaf Retreat.

The results of the retreat and the impact the U.S. AG representatives had on the lives of an estimated 2,500-plus Deaf people attending the retreat were evident.

"Hundreds came forward for salvation," Babin says. "More than 100 Deaf people also received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. We also had a new converts class and a strategic plan for follow-up with new converts."

For the event, Babin assembled a team of skilled workers to accompany him, including pastor Nick LeFors (Deaf) and children's pastor Jenilee LeFors of Everett, Washington; pastor Linda Crews and youth pastor Chris Crews of Norwalk, California; pastors Jimmy Schwyhart (Deaf) and Janie Schwyhart of Tulsa, Oklahoma; pastor Duane Somero (Deaf) of Burlington, Vermont; and teacher Cheryl Ragas (Deaf) of Slidell, Louisiana.

"God drew this team together," Babin says. "This team was committed to prayer, paid their own way, stood ready to serve in ministry in any way they were asked and were destined to be a blessing wherever they went in Nigeria. I know God was glorified through their actions. It was a pleasure to serve God in Nigeria with such fine workers."

In addition to ministry, the AG Africa Deaf Mission Team also provided training on various topics requested by the AG Nigeria leadership, including: working with Deaf children, HIV/AIDS, language issues, parents of Deaf children, teaching Deaf people and other key topics.

"God did wonderful things," Babin says, "so much that we will never really know the full story (from the Deaf Africans' perspective) until we arrive in heaven."

Although the attendance was well beyond expectation and the spiritual blessings more than could be recorded, Babin and his team was also able to bless the AG Nigeria fellowship with a $5,000 love gift, gifts to Deaf schools and numerous additional gifts to bless their ministries.

However, the giving didn't stop there. Inspired by what they witnessed in Africa, the pastors of U.S. AG Deaf churches returned home and have raised more than $7,000 (to date) for Nigerian Deaf children.

"One of the Deaf schools in Enugu, Nigeria, had no water," explains Babin. "Deaf children had to walk to the city to get water. When doing this, the Deaf children were sometimes abused, raped and even kidnapped and used for trafficking."

According to Babin, the money raised will be used to drill a well for the school, which will provide a double blessing of safety for the children as well as income for the school.

"In addition to what was raised for the Deaf school," Babin says, "thousands more have come in for meeting the needs of our AG Nigeria partners in missions."

Earmarked projects for the donated funds include Bibles for Deaf Nigerian children and funds for a laptop computer for the AG Nigeria Deaf Culture Ministries National coordinator.

"To God be the glory!" Babin exclaims.

For more information about Deaf Culture Ministries, contact Babin at kbabin@ag.org.

 

 

Source: Assemblies of God News Service - http://ag.org/top/news (Dated April 27, 2007)