A Village Miracle

CBN.com If ever there has been a struggle for the heart and soul of Nigeria, that battle is being fought right now. But the victories that are coming for the gospel - are not coming with acts of violence, but with acts of mercy. This is Yusef's amazing story.

The story of Yusef and his family is quite simply a miracle. You see Yusef was a Muslim. Yusef's family was Muslim. In fact, most of Yusef's village of 2000 are Muslim.

Every day, five times a day, Yusef bowed to the east to pray. But as he continued to practice his faith, something else began to stir in Yusef's heart.

"We go to mosque on Fridays," says Yusef. "I pray in my house. But I have no fulfillment."

According to Yusef, life has been hard. As a subsistence farmer, he and his family eat only what they can grow. And water has always been a big issue for the Yusef family. They often had to collect water from water holes.

"We get the water from the pond," Yusef explains, "and it has all kind of living organisms that are really dangerous to our health."

But just a year ago, a simple gift of mercy by CBN partners flung open the doors of the gospel to an entire village -- an unreached people -- that had never received the message of the gospel before!

That simple gift was a water well.

"A miracle happened," a local pastor named Daniel says, "and we got the well. It became the center of attraction. It ministered physically to everyone in the village. It encouraged everybody. We were ministered to physically. We have seen the love of God in a very practical time. So it encouraged me to stay."

Amazingly, God began to use the well to touch people like Yusef!

He had been amazed that Christians would bring such a precious gift to his village -- and to his family. It wasn't long before Yusef the Muslim became Yusef the follower of Jesus Christ!

And it wasn't long before his 18 children, their wives, and his grandchildren came to faith in Christ too. Today, Yusef's family makes up the core of this thriving church in the Nigerian bush, which boasts more than 120 members!

"Since we have become Christians, actually there has been joy," Yusef declares. "Despite the situation and the hard circumstances, I have inner peace and joy. And I have hope! Many people around me have seen that my life has changed."

But the good news doesn't end there. Because of the well, Pastor Daniel decided to stay in the area. And in just the last year, he was able to start six more churches, and sink two more wells in neighboring villages. Now, more than 400 precious souls have come into the kingdom, many of them former Muslims.

Thank you CBN partners. It is your gifts that are advancing the gospel in these remote areas of Africa -- to these precious people, who are loved by God.

"I don't know how to express my joy, but I am really thankful inside," says Yusef. "I thank God. I love Jesus and I love the brethren."

For as little as 65 cents a day, $20 a month, you can partner with a ministry that is making a difference in people's lives everyday. Providing life-giving water to families like Yusef's is just one of the many outreaches CBN is committed to. Please join with us and help bring life and hope to people around the world. Join today!