I am a Mission Leader , Addiction Recovery Specialist and Community Developer. Through my Ministry I have Empowered Communities, help Youths in Addiction Recovery and Highly Participate in Global Missions.

HISTORY

Let others be transformed by our deeds and actions

I was bom in 1967, the fifth of eight children bom to my parents. I grew up in a Muslim village in the north of Nigeria. We were the only Christians in the village and at that time there was no violence against Christians in Nigeria (today this is an area of intense persecution and danger). However, there was severe verbal abuse and a strong stigma for bearing a Christian name or for identifying oneself as a Christian. In school and in the market space we could be denied admission or refused a position in class simply because we were Christians. We grew up believing that being insulted, denied privileges, and constantly stigmatized was the normal way of life in the world. We had no other world. There were days when we would be singled out in class for mockery… a younger and smaller boy or girl would be told to slap one of us while the rest of them watched in contempt. Being ostracized knit our family closer together… we became our own friends. We did not go to play with other kids in the village square for fear of being mocked or beaten or ridiculed. We risked being falsely labeled as a thief if someone stole something and then blamed it on us for which they would not hear a defense. Though very poor, our father tried very hard to sec that we had food to cat. We would work to exhaustion, but between May and July of each year, food became a serious challenge. We grew up under a thatch roof, and slept on mats made from cornstalks which would often peel and pierce our skin. We had little clothing. My father couldn’t afford to buy clothes for us so often he would go to the market and beg for empty salt sacks. He used these sacks to make shorts for us and we most often walked barefooted. We had little knowledge of a different life for this was our world… we were quite content and even very happy as children.
Mac Phillips: My Heritage My father was orphaned quite young and taken into the home of his uncle who badly maltreated him. He was the domestic slave for the entire family as his uncle had 10 children who were all younger than my father. My father worked on the farm while his cousins went to school. Eventually he ran away and later met some Canadian missionaries who employed him as a gardener. It was through them that he invited Christ into his life. This transformed his life and took his life on a whole new pathway! He enrolled in the Hausa Bible School and became a missionary in the entirely Muslim village where I was born. My father worked as a local carpenter to cam a living since missionaries were not paid. He was loved by the Muslims in spite of the social stigma of being a Christian… he was always referred to as an infidel. But everyone who knew him saw something different in him… he loved them and since he was the only carpenter in that village and the surrounding villages, his services were also needed. He would trek long distances telling people about Christ and he influenced us all. One of his strongest messages was to disabuse our minds against hating the Muslims around us. His message was always that they are blind and WE are responsible in the opening of their eyes through the gospel (the message I continue to teach today). Through him we learned how to fight for life, the value of family and the value of living for Christ. He lived for Christ all of his life and in spite of our poverty, he was a blessing to the entire Muslim community. One could say that being a missionary to the Muslims is a part of my heritage. Mac Phillips: Growing Up in a Muslim Culture As we children grew older, we began to have friends among Muslims. All of my childhood friends outside of my siblings were Muslims and I am still friends with many of them to this day. I grew up surrounded by the Islamic philosophy and lifestyle which to this day affects certain areas of my life and allows me to blend in as I travel amongst Muslims.