Nigerian missionary in China: We have the fire of God

By Michael Ashcraft –

IG has been a Nigerian missionary in China for two decades. It’s a good thing he’s not real crazy about food because for the first two years, he hardly ever ate. In fact, he ran out of money and had no place to stay. He wandered the streets at night and caught sleep during the day.

“The determination that I was asked by God to stay triumphed over everything,” he says. “I would get a plate of rice to eat every three days. I survived.”

IG got saved in Nigeria in high school. He was attending Bible studies and church only because there was this pretty girl. What he really liked to do was play soccer.

But at a prayer group one night the preacher penetrated his soul. “Some brother and sister they come in, they look at each other, you know something is going on.”

“That hit me like a javelin,” IG says. The preacher then began to talk about dancing – something IG liked to do – and conviction poured over him. At the end, he wound up getting saved.

“I just knew I needed to give my life to Jesus. Within a minute of prayer, I noticed a mountain was removed from my heart,” he says. “It was taken away. In its place was joy.”

He was 18 at the time and lived with his eldest brother. He went home and asked for the Bible that sat collecting dust on the shelf. On Sunday, he asked to go to church. His brother insisted they go to the Catholic church, which they had been raised in.

IG felt nothing in the Catholic church. The next Sunday, he sneaked out and found a Pentecostal church.

As he waited to be enrolled in college, he was put in charge of outreach to high schools in the area. As he was finishing college, God called him to the mission field.

“If I send you, will you go?” God asked him.

At the time, family was everything to IG. Leaving his family was the biggest obstacle. So he challenged God: If God gave his nephew (nearly the same age and more like a younger brother) money, he would go. His nephew got employment in Korea.

That settled the matter.

IG didn’t know what country to be a missionary in, so it was natural for him to try Korea. With what money he had saved, he flew to Korea, but he was refused entry. On his flight back, he had a layover in Hong Kong.

God called on him to stay in Hong Kong. He slipped out of the airport and crossed over into China Proper. He got a hotel and tried to get to know people.

When money ran out, he couldn’t stay in his hotel and had no food.

He roamed the streets at night and scrounged what he could to eat, occasionally noodles or rice. He was never a big eater.

“I was not a fan of food,” he admits.

That’s probably a good thing because he couldn’t eat.

This hard season lasted two years. After the time of hardships, he associated with other Nigerians who started businesses exporting products from China. He got housing and regular food.

IG launched into outreach. He started Bible studies and talked to people about Jesus everywhere. He ministers in Guangzhou.

One of the persons who worked as his translator was a beautiful Chinese girl. They got married, and they had three kids. His daughter translates his messages today.

What’s been the hardest thing about missionary work in China? The instability, he says. The government is constantly changing policies and cracks down on churches from time to time.

IG spent seven days in jail once. “God was with me,” he says.

Under crackdown pressure, the church generally collapses, he says. “You have to start over and rebuild from scratch,” he adds. At one point, IG oversaw up to seven churches. Today, he has two, he says.

The Chinese like African preachers, he says.

“They are open. They like African preachers,” IG says. “They identify Africa with God’s fire. They think African preachers have more fire.”

To learn more about a personal relationship with Jesus, click here.

About this writer: Michael Ashcraft pastors a church in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.