The Nigerian Gideons, along with GTGIM, loading boxes of Bibles to be delivered to the Camp for the Needy.
GTGIM Mission Statement:
To be a bridge to other ministries that serve widows, orphans, prisoners and sojourners.
God has certainly affirmed that mission statement during this trip! On Saturday, 1/30/15 (Day 4), GTGIM received a call from the Gideons of Nigeria (www.gideons.org) looking to donate 300 Bibles to the children at the Camp for the Needy. A sister in Christ here in the USA who is a friend and business associate of Jim’s has a brother who is a Gideon in Ohio. Through that connection a need that we might all take for granted (having the Word of God readily available) was met for these precious orphans. The Bibles were delivered to Solomon that day to be distributed accordingly. How wonderful to see the Body of Christ working together!
Another “bridging” opportunity presented itself just days before GTGIM left the U.S. in pursuit of Nigeria. A young woman named Brandi contacted Jim to offer mats for the orphans that she had made out of recycled plastic grocery bags.
A large majority of the children at the camp sleep on the dirt floors of their shelters, as any “beds” are offered first to the children that may be sick or hurt. These kids spend a lot of time wandering in the jungle before they ever get to the camp in Benin City, so many of them come in incredibly malnourished and dehydrated with ringworm, malaria, etc. Enter Brandi and her “Mats That Matter”. With her resourcefulness, Brandi has found a way to weave a sturdy, easy to clean mat out of something we would normally throw in the trash! One mat was taken on this trip to determine if they could be of value to the children, and was presented to the directors of the camp on Saturday. The next step is teaching our Nigerian brothers and sisters at the camp how to make these mats, so as to provide all of the children with a clean, more comfortable place to sleep.
Two directors of the Camp for the Needy with a mat made from recycled plastic grocery bags.
After leaving the camp, the GTGIM team visited the village of Obanyator, where Tim was given the honor of “breaking the cola nut”, a customary tradition for greeting honored guests. The GTGIM men each shared a word from the Lord with the villagers, and finally returned to their hotel that evening. After enjoying a warm meal, Joy Okaka, wife of the late Pastor Francis Okaka, and her children came by for a visit. Pastor Francis was a dear friend to Jim and Sue Corbett, and was taken to Heaven in October of last year after losing his battle with lymphoma. On Sunday, Jim will be preaching at Francis’ church, The Church on the Solid Rock, and then visiting with Esther (the memorable girl from the video) at the Camp for the Needy. It is sure to be an emotional, God glorifying day.