MEET THE LATEST "FIVE-STAR GENERAL"

The news:
Last November I received a call from Ghana that I had been selected for an award to be presented later that month. "An award, by who and for what?" I queried.

Christian Awards Trust (C. A. T) is the name of the organization. The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost stood in to receive the award on my behalf at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Please find below the citation.
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CHRISTIAN AWARDS TRUST

        APOSTLE DR MICHAEL NTUMY

 

IS HEREBY DECORATED WITH




  5 - STAR   GENERAL OF THE GOSPEL

          

FOR BEING A MISSIONARY WHO ENDURED LIFE-THREATENING HARDSHIPS FOR THE SAKE OF

THE GOSPEL DURING THE CIVIL WAR IN LIBERIA.

HE STOOD FOR CHRIST DURING HIS DETENTION AT “FLAMINGO-THE CAMP OF NO RETURN” 

AND FAITHFULLY SERVED THE LORD. 

AND ALSO FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS GLOBAL EVANGELIZATION AND

THE PROMOTION OF CHRISTIAN VALUES ACROSS THE REGIONS OF GHANA, AFRICA AND THE

REST OF THE WORLD AS EVIDENT TO ALL DURING HIS TENURE OF OFFICE AS THE CHAIRMAN 

OF THE CHURCH OF PENTECOST, HENCE HIS MERIT OF THIS AWARD.

 

           23^RD NOVEMBER 2013          INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER, ACCRA. GHANA


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A RECAP OF OUR YEARS IN LIBERIA

The citation made reference to my ministry during the war in Liberia. I present here a brief account for the sake of those who may not have heard or read about it from my book, "FLAMINGO, The Camp of No Return"

Late Pres. Samuel Doe of  Liberia

We were posted to Liberia in 1988 as missionaries and stationed in Buchanan City. The following year the rebel war started in that country. As the war approached, the church bought us airtickets to leave the country at once because it would be too dangerous to stay on. However, upon prayerful consideration, my wife and I decided to stay on, judging that people would need their pastors more in such crises times than normal times.

The Lone Star, Flag of Liberia

Prince Johnson, captured and killed Doe

Charles Taylor, architect of the war

When West African countries sent in a peace-keeping force called ECOMOG, Charles Taylor's rebels who felt that ECOMOG was going to hinder them from overthrowing the government, arrested citizens of countries which had contributed troops to the peace-keeping force. 

Consequently, about 2,800 Ghanaians, Nigerians, Sierra Leoneans and Guineans were arrested and conveyed to Flamingo Camp, dubbed "The Camp of No Return." Many of our compatriots were executed and hundreds died of acute starvation. With the permission of the Base Commander, and together with other pastors we organized prayer meetings on a football field. We prayed, wept and supplicated for our lives before the Throne of Grace. We exhorted, encouraged, and strengthened our compariots, keeping faith and hope alive.

Besides, the LORD gave me the courage to venture outside to my fellow captives to secretly witness about Christ, winning very many to Christ. My message was simple: "You saw how our colleagues were killed recently and have seen how others die daily. Where would you spend eternity if we are all killed tomorrow?" Through this means, we won more people than in my entire missionary work in Liberia in times of peace. I devised a very special way of baptizing converts. We would ask permission to go and wash down in the nearby Wantou River. Moving from one baptismal candidate to another as though we were playing water games, I would grab one convert at a time, pray and then immerse him.

Many people died in Flamingo Camp; many were killed, many suffered multiple reverses in life but for many others, "The Camp of No Return" was the genesis of their spiritual journey with Jesus Christ. All of these took place in the heart of the dense forest of Lower Nimba County in North-Eastern Liberia --- away from public view        

It amazes me that after about 23 years, the world should remember and give me an award for this. Sure, I did not do this to catch anybody's eyes. I only did what seemed to me as the best thing to do at that time.

The lessons reinforced in me are

• Even if men, who are proned to forget, remembered what the LORD used us to do, how much more would God not remember our labor of love done for Him
• Even men will not always forget
• We cannot beat God in giving. It is an indisputable fact that nothing we do for God can compare to what God has done for us through Christ Jesus. Notwithstanding, God still blesses us for those little, incomparably insignificant, things we do for Him. 
•   Beloved, let us continue to serve our King  with grateful hearts for in due season, we shall receive, not trophies and titles given by men but, INCORRUPTIBLE REWARDS, CROWNS GIVEN BY THE KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

COME, WRITE A BOOK WITH ME

Recently an idea dawned on me to publish a book out of my blog postings. This book would be  mostly pictorial and aims at telling the story of  how I confront my current handicap condition on a weekly basis.
Just waiting for unknown hours, days, months and even years for your miracle would seem to be a heavier burden than the condition itself. Many give up their faith in God, others simply give up  on life while many lose even the will to live.
Many of those who want to keep hanging on, holding on and fighting on do not actually know what to do while waiting.
What you do during the intervening period between your present and your miracle is of crucial importance. What about those who are not expecting a miracle of any sort; what should they be doing or how should they be spending the rest of their lives until the inevitable happens?



I think to some extent my blog postings over the past two years seem to respond to these questions. What I need now is to INVITE YOU TO BE MY CO-AUTHOR. I would like to request you to contribute a few lines for inclusion in the book by responding to these questions:

1. How did you feel when you heard the news of the paralysis of Apostle Ntumy?
2. What was your prayer for him?
3. Do you have a word of encouragement for him?
4. Have you learnt any lessons about the Christian life from his life or situation?


 Please take note of the following:

• Your response should reach me by 15th February
• You may respond to ALL or ANY of the questions
• Your response should not be more than 5 lines per question
• You may write your full name or initials and your town/city and country
• Please send me your response through this email address: apostlentumy@gmail.com
• I will shortlist your responses and include as much of it as possible in the book. In this way you will become a co-author with me

Please share this with your friends who are standing with us in prayer. I look forward to having you as my co-author.
BLESSINGS
 

UNITED KINGDOM RAISES THE CURTAIN

Praise God for another year

By the great grace of God, we have been safely seen through 2013. Just like many other people, there were many occasions bright and fair which glittered our paths, including visiting Ghana for the first time in five years. The going had not been entirely rosy but through it all the LORD took our hands and led us safely through into this brand new year.

At this time it is my greatest joy to pause and say THANK YOU for your massive prayer and moral support as I traverse this difficult phase of my life. Let us continue to hold on tenaciously to the LORD and to one another knowing that in Him, through Him and with Him, victory is assured.

L-R Mrs Martha Ntumy, Elder Obeng Gyasi and his wife, Gifty

Dr Gamael and I on an evening walk

An excited Dr Gamael

Our last visitors towards the end of the year, like previous ones, were a blessing. Elder Michael Obeng Gyasi, Presiding Elder of Emmanuel English Assembly and Manager of Accra Mall Forex Bureau. He visited with his wife Gifty on their return from a tour of the Holy Land. They are a very pleasant couple, open to the LORD and radiant in the faith.

 After them came our son, Dr Gamael Koizan, a medical doctor in Ivory Coast. Gamael was eleven years old when his
father, COP Pastor Raoul Koizan (Rtd), brought him to live with us to start Secondary School. That was in 1991 when I was serving as COP National of Ivory Coast. Young Gamael was an extremely brilliant chap, one of the top ten of his age-group in the nation. I looked straight into his eyes and said, "This is the home of champions; you will become a medical doctor." Twelve years later, that dream was realized. He got married to the only other person who passed out as a medical student that year. Dr Joan D'Arc, his wife is also a COP member and daughter of Mr and Mrs Kouao, our closest private friends in RCI. Dr Gamael is now Deputy National Director of a U.N medical organ while his wife bears the same title in the UN Food Programme. It was a pleasure having him and share reminiscences of those earlier years.

Dr Gamael and I arriving from town