10 Dec Poland: A Story of First Fruits

Baptism candidates in Kutno, Poland.

Michal and his family.

Donna and Arek Delik
Global Ministries endorsed staff in Kutno, Poland

We were surprised to see Michal in our first Sunday service after our 6-month furlough in Hong Kong. We were even more surprised when he told us that he was now a believer.

Michal was my student for 3 years and attended our English camp with his brother for the last 5 years. He was a quiet guy and didn’t seem to be interested in the gospel.

The baptism of Michal

During the 2009 English camp he became acquainted with the couple who led the American team. The wife encouraged him to join the exchange program of the high school where she worked. She even offered a place for him to stay while he was in America.

Michal said, “This year in America was the turning point for me, because I encountered God there.”

Since June, Michal has been coming regularly, and joined our youth group and teenager English Bible study. We have seen a strong desire of God in him and are encouraged by the transformation in his life.

November 27 was Arek’s 45th birthday. What a special way to celebrate it with the baptism of Michal. We were very glad to see Michal’s family there, even his father, who claimed to be an atheist. Michal’s greatest wish is that his whole family will get to know this Jesus who has changed his life.

When we started our English teaching ministry in 2000, our main target was teenagers. Though this ministry opened many new doors, at certain stages we did question its value, as we hadn’t seen much long-lasting fruit.

Michal is the first fruit from the English camp ministry. We pray that this first fruit is just a taste of lies ahead.

10 Dec Sierra Leone Conference Underway

Sierra Leone conference is going well. We convened yesterday and began greetings from representatives from the Wesleyan, Assemblies of God, Baptist, United Methodist, and other denominations and organizations, including the Evangelical Association of Sierra Leone.

The theme this year is “Sowing Seeds for a Bountiful Harvest,” using Matthew 13:23. Visitors from afar include Rev. Joe Abu, pastor of Mt. Zion United African Church in Philadelphia, Rev. Peter Mansaray of the UB church in Berlin, and Rev. Dr. John Jusu of the African International University in Nairobi.

This is a historic conference in which the Sierra Leone conference is becoming fully nationalized after 155 years as a missions conference. Rev John Pessima was elected yesterday as the new bishop and will assume his duties in January.

Conference continues until December 12, when we will hold an all-conference worship service at the Moriba Town Bo United Brethren Church, which is pastored by Rev. Emmanuel Farma.

Presently, the conference has 73 churches and 15 preaching points. It also has 54 schools with a total enrollment of just over 10,000 students and 376 teachers. There is one theological college and one hospital.

Rev. Pessima currently serves the Kissy United Brethren Church in Freetown, where an induction service will be held in early January. The bishop, his wife Nancy, and four children will be moving to Bo where the denominational offices are located.