By God’s grace and with the help of His Spirit, Pathways Bible Training has been planted, taken root, and is springing up to produce a harvest of righteousness in the influential country of Nigeria. The oft-quoted saying, “What starts in Nigeria spreads throughout Africa,” becomes clear when you experience the energy, the strength of culture, and the prevalence of resources and teaching in this most populated country in Africa. I heard story after story from our program participants for why Pathways is desperately needed in Nigeria. The network is inspired and motivated to practice healthy Bible study habits and to train others to do so as well.

On Saturday, my travel colleague, Ryan Bedford, a businessman, taught a one day seminar on “Business as Mission” that was well received. The next day we went to two separate churches and both preached messages for the church.

Then, Monday-Wednesday, I taught our first Pathways workshop. In 95 degree heat, with much exuberance and volume to match the Nigerian culture, there was no shortage of sweat as I proceeded through the material. And step by step the Nigerians match my passion and intensity. A larger group than normal, we had 24 ministry leaders present for most of the three days, and they made excellent progress in their “Word work.” They were particularly excited about the “What is the Gospel” session because of the prevalence of so many “false gospels” in Nigeria.

One of the greatest blessings was working with Gideon Umukoro, our Nigerian coordinator, and his wife Excel. What a sweet couple, and I have high hopes for the success of this network.

For a small taste of Nigerian worship, enjoy this brief video: