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JOHN SAMANI
John Samani is the son
of a man I have often referred to as my closest friend and one who taught me so
much that was of great benefit to me, Malam (teacher) Samani. Malam Samani was
the first to come to Christ among his tribe of animistic people in Central Nigeria. A missionary who had
trekked into the area on horseback was the one who first made contact with him
and, in due time, led him to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Malam Samani had
leprosy which was recognized by the missionary; and he came to our institution
for treatment. Periodically we allowed our patients to return to their homes
for brief visits. He related this incident to me when he returned from such a
visit.
He had one small son
who had been born prior to his coming to the leprosarium, and he was looking
forward to seeing this small child. He was distressed when he found his pagan
wife had put charms on him that had been obtained from a witch doctor. Malam
Samani announced to the village people that he wanted to meet with the whole
village at a given time. He arrived with his son, bundle of wood, and some live
coals. He began by giving clear testimony of the fact that he was a child of
God, a follower of Jesus Christ. He no longer had any relationship with the
works of darkness and with the witch doctors who controlled his tribal people. After
giving a very clear testimony of his saving faith in Christ, he took the bundle
of wood and the live coals and started a fire. Then, to the horror of the
congregated tribes people, he cut off the pagan charms that were on his son and
threw them into the fire, which consumed them. The local people were horrified,
thinking something very drastic would happen; but nothing did. It was a
tremendous testimony of a victory in Christ over the satanic powers that bound
his people. Through that testimony many of his tribe came to faith in Christ.
But he also noticed
that his son showed some of the first signs of leprosy and returned with him to
the leprosarium. The boy was very bright, and we recognized the great potential
in this young lad. Because the disease was in a very early stage, it responded
quickly to appropriate treatment. We were able to sponsor the boy in a local
Christian mission boys' school, where he did exceptionally well. During school breaks
he would return to us; and, as he was at an age where he could begin to learn
some medical skills, he was trained as a medical laboratory technician and did
his work very well.
After graduation from
the mission school, he was able to go on to a secondary school, where he
likewise did very well; and eventually we were able to put him in a school of
nursing that was conducted by one of our mission hospitals. Again, he excelled
in his studies. His skills became known to the government, which was looking
for keen young people who could be trained in specialized areas. John was given
a scholarship to study to become a nurse anesthetist and trained in that field.
John had come to faith
in Jesus Christ largely through the exemplary testimony of his father and was
known as a dedicated Christian young man. Somewhere along the line in his
training he met and eventually married a Christian young lady of similar
background who was trained as a midwife.
In the far north of Nigeria, where we were
ministering at the time, there were a number of emirates in which we had
mission work. But there was one smaller emirate, the emir of which was
adamantly opposed to the Gospel and would never allow any missionary to come
into his territory, nor would he allow any national pastor to live in his area
of jurisdiction. Many times as we had to pass through that area, our hearts
bled for the longing to be able to preach Jesus Christ to those held in bondage
by Islam. But it seemed that this opportunity was not to be had in that
particular territory.
The central government
of Nigeria allocated funds and built a small rural hospital in the emirate. The
subject of our sketch, John Samani, was stationed at this hospital. He was not
only the nurse anesthetist but also the administer of the hospital. Being a
dedicated Christian young man, he gathered around him other African
professionals who were born again believers. The emir had no choice but to
accept them since this was a facility of the central government. Through the
testimony of John Samani and his colaborers, a number of Muslim people in that
emirate came to faith in Jesus Christ. A vital New Testament church was
established; and with their own funds, a church was built. Although we
missionaries were not allowed to minister in that area on order of the emir,
yet we were permitted to attend the inauguration and dedication of this church
building once it had been completed. They supported their own pastor, and the
work of the Lord prospered in the "closed emirate."
Because of the high
quality of John's work and his integrity and honesty, he was promoted to a much
larger hospital in a position of responsibility; but the work that largely
developed under his leadership in that hard Muslim area continued.
This is an outstanding
testimony of how Christian national professionals can and are being used to
establish ministries that bring honor and glory to our wonderful Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ. The task that the missionary could never have done was
accomplished by a national who had been well trained and who loved the Lord and
desired to see his own people come to faith.
I last visited John and
his family in his new position; and again, he was humbly serving the Lord in a
very admirable way. He was a skilled nurse anesthetist and also a very
competent hospital administrator, one who above all loved the Lord and was
seeking to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. I see in John the fruit of the
testimony of a very godly father and of a son who, although his father had no
formal education, respected his father and by faith in Jesus Christ accepted
his father's Savior as his own and has served faithfully and humbly in very
responsible positions. By so doing, he has born tremendous testimony to our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
3/16/09
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