Dear friends and ministry partners,

Despite the fact we have not been able to travel to Gambia for over a year, God has been growing the ministry and empowering the ministry partners on the ground. This is the longest we have been away from Gambia since we started Shared Blessings and the first time we can say that the ministry is growing and increasing in fruitfulness! Praise God! He is at work—it’s His ministry and His power that makes things grow. We are only tools in His mighty hands!

Two of our board members, Steve Rosier and Stoian Iankov, journeyed to Gambia last month to check on things and encourage the ministry partners and staff. The whole trip was ordained by God—His hand covered and guided them every step of the way. They traveled on standby tickets and although they were told there was no room for them on the flight, God literally opened the door of the plane and they made it on that flight with good seats next to each other. Praise God!

In Gambia, Steve and Stoian encouraged the young believers we have been discipling and the staff at the school. They also met and encouraged the new ministry partners we have only talked to through phone calls and texting. They were uplifted to hear the ministry partners’ hearts for the ministry and the vision God has given them to proclaim the Gospel to the lost. Steve and Stoian arrived in Gambia just a few days after the second container with the school furniture and van had arrived. The first container, filled mostly with school furniture, arrived in January. The school looks amazing now with all the newer desks and chairs! The staff and students are very excited! We are all so appreciative to the Lacamas School donation and the Grace Church partnership to make this happen.

We also had the surprise week-long visit of Laurie and Bruce Heimbigner, two retired Americans who travel the world with a desire to encourage missionaries. Laurie arranged the library with new shelves, organized the books by age and subjects, and helped with handling the books. Bruce worked on electrical problems, fans, lights, broken doors, and other maintenance issues. What a blessing to have these two servants come and bless the school and staff this way! We wish they could have stayed longer!

The ministry continues to grow and the Gospel is being preached to a people who live in darkness! Since Janet started working for Shared Blessings, she cannot thank us enough for the opportunity to be involved in kingdom work full time, focusing on the eternal and not the temporary. Janet and Joseph, a young man with a passion to serve God, have started a few house groups for youth and children. Janet shared how the house group in Banjul is without furniture for the students so we agreed to donate some of the old furniture to the house group. The seeds of the Gospel are being planted and we believe the Holy Spirit will bring a great harvest!

In the last couple of years, God has been steering our hearts about the ministry’s approach. Everywhere we turn, He has shown us there is so much more than what we have been doing. Look at how Jesus ministered on earth and His commission to us in Mark 16:17-18: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”

And when He was confronted by people to prove He was the Messiah, Jesus said this in John 10:37-38: “Do not believe Me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” Jesus proved His divinity by miracles, signs, and wonders! While we can preach, teach, educate, and feed people, without miracles and the power of God manifested the way Jesus said He would, it’s going to be a very long fishing season!

We ask you to pray that God will pour out His Holy Spirit on us in a fresh, new way and a fresh, new anointing so that when we go back to Gambia, we will walk in His power, His strength and His anointing; that signs and wonders will take place as we pray for the sick and lay hands on people to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We pray that God will manifest His power through us as He did through Jesus, because of their perfect communion! We pray for revival in us, in our church, in our country, and around the world, but it has to start within us! We are ready and expecting to see Jesus in a fresh, new way so we can present Him to people in an undeniable way! Please join us in praying this bold prayer! If we are to see masses of people come to the Lord, we need to see the miracles Jesus told us we can do in His Name!

Thank you for your partnership, for standing and believing with us that Jesus is coming soon. There is still so much work to be done: the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Please pray the Lord of the harvest to send workers into the fields!

Blessings and much love,

Sol and Manuela Bah