Daniel King interviews missionary James Obeng from Ghana, who is currently serving in Guinea. James shares how he became a missionary after receiving a prophecy about serving in a French-speaking country. Despite not knowing French, he learned the language and started doing evangelism and ministry work. James faced challenges in communicating with the locals but found ways to overcome them, such as using translation tools and working with a young boy who could translate for him. He also established a church in Guinea. James credits his spiritual father, Evangelist Dag Heward-Mills, for inspiring him in his missionary and evangelistic endeavors. He learned from Dag Heward-Mills’ teachings about patience and perseverance in ministry. James also shares how he supports his ministry through various entrepreneurial activities, such as selling perfumes, farming, and baking bread. Additionally, he talks about his journey to finding a wife and how God led him to a Guinean woman named Fatima. Despite initial resistance, James followed God’s leading and proposed to her. The episode concludes with Daniel expressing his admiration for James’ faith and the impact he believes James will make as a missionary.
Transcript:
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:00):
Welcome to the Evangelism Podcast. I’m Daniel King and I’m excited about telling people about Jesus. Today I have a very special guest, James Obeng. Yes. Did I say that right? Correct. From the nation of Ghana. Exactly. And we are actually in Guinea right now. And you have come from Ghana to Guinea as a missionary, and it’s a big mission field. I mean, Ghana, you go from an English speaking country to a French speaking country. Exactly. From a country that is majority Christian, to a country that is majority Muslim. Muslim, yes. And very different culture here. Yes. And so how did you become a missionary?
Missionary James Obeng (00:46):
Wow, thank you. First of all, I became a missionary. By one day I was in school. That was when I completed junior high school. In the year 2006. We were youth and we used to go for prayers. So one day we went for prayer and the leader who was leading, he was a prophet and he gave me a prophecy that he sees me in a French speaking country. By then, I received the prophecy bets. I didn’t take it.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (01:21):
And at that time you didn’t speak any French?
Missionary James Obeng (01:23):
I didn’t speak throughout my life. I didn’t go to any French school. So by then I never knew any French. And even when I got here, it was in Guinea here, I started learning French by the grace of God. Wow. So when I received the prophecy, it kept on three times. So we finished secondary by the grace of God. And when I finished secondary, I used to move in the church. I was by the grace of, I was the leader for the youth. So I did the little that I could in the church. And when I completed the secondary school, I got the chance to go to university. So in university too, we used to go to every Christmas we used to go to the villages to go and preach and stay there whilst our parents would be calling us, oh, come home, let us celebrate the Christmas together.
(02:12):
But we stayed in the villages and we used to win soul for Christ. So from there I was a member of Church of Pentecost. Since my childhood, that was where my mother sent me. So I grew up in the Church of Pentecost by James McKeon. So when I completed university and I came to the capital city, that’s Accra. I didn’t know which church to attend the area where I was staying. There were a lot of churches there. So I prayed to God one morning that, oh God, I want to go to church, but I don’t know where to attend. Lead me to where you want me to be. And lo and behold, I attended one of evangelist Dag Heward-Mills church, which is Morning Star Cathedral headed by Bishop Ka Bidden. So when I entered the first day, they had a meeting after church service to teach people how to go out and win souls and how to do something for God.
(03:10):
And it was something that always motivated me to do something for the Lord. So after the meeting the following week, I went back to the church and prophet called out for people who have completed university and who feel that there’s the call of God upon their lives. And I was someone who used to be shy. Anytime I see crowd, I didn’t want to push or go there. But I don’t know what happened. I found myself in front of the church and we were about 30 something people, if I 30 something people who went forward. And among all these people, prophet asked me whether I’m interested to come and work at the church as a receptionist. And I said, Hey. And we just finished university and we were posted to different places to go and do our national service. And it wasn’t possible. There were, it wasn’t possible to get transfer from where you were posted to come back to Accra, the capacity to come and do the service.
(04:13):
So when he told me, I said, oh, this one is very difficult. And he said, well, pray about it and start doing something because I felt that I want you to work with us here. So when I went back to the my station, I went to see the director for the health service, and the director to lo and behold, was a member of this same church, Morningstar. So went after explaining everything to her, she said, okay, if that’s the case, I’ll help you with a letter for release. And with that letter go to the National Service Headquarters and present that letter to them and they will see what they can do and by the great. So when I went there, everything went on smoothly and I was transferred from the town where I was doing my service back to Accra. So a month later, prophet told me that I should prepare.
(05:00):
I’ll be going for missions. And I said, if missions I love do evangelism, and when I see people coming to Christ, there’s this joy that comes to my heart. And Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has been some, anytime I see his crusade, the way people are crying, lifting up their hands, coming to Christ, there’s this burning, I don’t know how to explain it in ways, but I feel this desire and this hunger to also win. So for the Lord. So when he asked me to prepare, I said, okay, I will. So I started praying six months later, he said, it’s time. But initially he didn’t tell me the place where I’ll be going. He said, James, prepare. I think you’ll have to go to Guinea. I said, Guinea, I never knew the language that Guinea speaks, whether it’s a French or so. I went online and I checked, I said it French, and I’m someone who likes French. I’ve never studied French in my life. And that’s
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (05:53):
What the prophecy came earlier, that you would go to a
Missionary James Obeng (05:55):
French nation. Exactly. And it was exactly 10 years. When the professor came in the year 2006, and I completed university in the year 2017, and it was in 2017 that the professor started manifesting the grace of God. When he told me that, I started remembering, I say, oh, if that’s the case, I was afraid initially I say, I don’t have any French background, so how am I going to do this machine work? But I believed in that prophecy and I kept it in my heart and I wrote it in my diary. So I remember the prophecy and I said, oh God, if you are the one me working here, because the church had over 5,000 Sundays, over 5,000 people go to the church. So out of this 5,000, I was new. I was new in the church. The prophet didn’t know. My parents didn’t know me from anywhere, and he called me to work at the reception.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (06:52):
So how long have you been here in Guinea now?
Missionary James Obeng (06:55):
I’ve been here for five years now by the grace of God.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (06:58):
And what were some of the challenges that you faced initially, and what have you seen God do while you’ve been here?
Missionary James Obeng (07:06):
Initially when I came because of the French barrier, I had my phone. So when I want to talk to people, I pick up my phone, I go to translate Google, I’ll see the thing, the words in English, and the Google will translate it into French. Then I couldn’t read the French, so I gave it to the people around those who can read. Or sometimes I click on it, then the audio will play. So there was a name they called me, the pastor who uses his food to translate. That was in Wow. And it was a little challenging for me to communicate with people, but lo and behold, I got this. God brought this young guy who was 11 years old, he used to attend English school. So the mother went to see the mother through evangelism, and the mother said, oh, I can take the boy.
(07:54):
So wherever I used to go to the evangelism, I was with this boy, this boy will translate it in their local dilate. That was gey. So he was the one I used to move with and go told me that whatever he wants me to do, I should continue to do. I shouldn’t look at the barrier, which is the language. That’s the reason why the boy and everything, the thing is I have to have the desire and I have to do what he asked me to do. And through that, by the grace, I started picking it, picking it small, small. And there was this thing to that helped me. My senior pastor, who is Reverend Wanda, asked me to do something, not just come in without working on anything. So I brought some things from Ghana, and when I go out, I used to force to speak the French, communicate with them in the French language. So that was what helped me initially to start forcing with the French language, one by one, one by one, and also with the aid of the Google translator. So that’s where I started picking the French.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (08:51):
And so now you’ve established a church here? Yes. You planted a church? Yes. About how many people would come on a typical Sunday morning?
Missionary James Obeng (09:01):
By the grace of God, our largest attendant has been 96.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (09:06):
Okay.
Missionary James Obeng (09:07):
We had a program called SW Sunday. It’s a program that my spiritual father, Bishop Dag Heward-Mills has been organizing, and we followed one day. So all the members, we told them, I try and invite someone to church because I realized that most of the people come with the mindsets of coming to receive their healing, the miracles and breakthrough. And after that, they go back to the world. Initially, that was the challenge that I encountered. Here, we’ll go out after preaching. Oh, God has been healing a lot of people. So when they heard that, oh, God is healing people in this church, they will come.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (09:46):
Wow.
Missionary James Obeng (09:48):
A day on that
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (09:49):
Sunday, you’ve seen lots of miracles.
Missionary James Obeng (09:50):
Exactly. So when they receive the miracles and they go home, and by the grace of God has been healing, a lot of people, God has been so after that, they refuse to come back to church. When you encounter, oh, I came to receive my healing, or I came to receive a miracle. So I’m a Catholic, I’m a Protestant, so I’ve gone back to my church. Meanwhile, they’ll be in the house, not going to church. So that was the challenge. And also for now, we are in our forties by the grace of God, and there’s a challenge here. Most of the people, those who are committed, they try to move from this city, go to a different place, look for money. They have a mining place called Sigrid, and also manna. So the youth who used to help committed a time will come and they be moving. So those are, the attendance have been fluctuating that by the grace of God for now we are in our forties.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (10:45):
So let’s talk about your spiritual father, Dag Heward-Mills. Exactly. He is an evangelist. He’s a great evangelist from Africa, from the country of Ghana, and he’s very well known all over Africa. He’s been having huge meetings, just as big a meetings as any American evangelist who would come. And people in Africa love Bishop Dag Heward-Mills. And so tell me some of what you have learned being under his ministry about being a missionary, about being an evangelist.
Missionary James Obeng (11:20):
Okay, thank you. Evangelist Dag Heward-Mills has been someone who has been inspiring me a lot. I came into contact with the evangelist. That was in the year 2011. One of my colleagues in secondary school came to visit, and when he came, I was in the process praying and studying, and he told me that there is one man of God called evangelist that you were nurse. And he was in a university by then. I was in my first year in the university. And he said, oh, I would like to share some of his messages and his books with you. And I said, okay. So he shared some of his audios, preaches, and some books with me. And the message that touched me a lot was a message title, the word of my patience. And the evangelist thought on how God called people and how he, after speaking or giving them the prophecy, how it takes the duration, the way for us, it seems that it has delayed.
(12:29):
So the long time it takes before the prophecy come to pass. So I listened to how he spoke about Abraham and the promise God gave to Abraham. He said, you are the father of all nations, many nations. And it took 25 years for this promise to come to pass. He spoke about Jacob when Jacob was leaving his father’s house, when he had an issue with his brother and was going to his uncle. And the way it took long time over 20 years before he saw the prophecies and the promise of Welcom coming to pass, he spoke about David, how God told David that I have anointed you to be a king, and still he has to fight with soul. So the challenges that they went through. And he said, when God calls you, you have to be patient, to be frank. I dunno how to explain, but this message touched me.
(13:18):
And I used to always listen to that message. When I’m going wherever I’m going, I used to have a e piece and I had a Nokia phone, so the Nokia phone will be in my pocket when I’m sleeping, I listen to that message and it has been a message that I cannot forget. And I always encourage those that I meet. And by the grace of God, I’m trained that anytime God speaks to you or you receive a prophecy, be patient with God, do not rush. When you rush, you’ll be making a mistake and always believe in the way that God has spoken over your life. And also, I saw some of his crusades. It was my first time swinging some of his crusades. I used to see the crusades of evangelists, Han Bonky and bein and other men who got bes. It was my first time I saw the crusade by evangelist dark gold mills and how people were crying the way he has the zeal, the hunger.
(14:17):
He said he, no matter nowhere is far for the gospel to reach. So that because of that, no matter what it takes, he try to sacrifice, make sure the gospel go. And also he wants all the villages. He said, the men of God go to the big, big cities, but there are towns and villages where people cannot afford to go or to hear the gospel. So no matter where you are, the gospel must reach you. And it was, we have to go to those places, we have to go to them. He said, those people, every town and village, every town and villages, we have to be there. And they said, Jesus went to the towns and villages so we don’t have to be in the towns only, but in the villages to reach the poor. Because he came to preach the gospel to the needy and the needy people, most of them are the poor people. So as we preach to them and they come to Christ, there’s this joy. I watch one video and I realized how they were Muslims and how it was in Covo, how the people were crying, weeping, and in fact, I couldn’t stand. I also started crying and I said, God, give me this grace. I want to reach out no matter where they are, to go and preach to them. And that’s how I started.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (15:31):
It takes great faith to be a missionary. Yes. Did anyone support you when you were starting to be a missionary? Were there churches or individuals that helped to support you? How do you support your ministry? At least in the beginning?
Missionary James Obeng (15:47):
Okay. When I came initially, it was a bishop, Bishop, prophet Rabin. He’s the bishop for the address of Kadesh Kosh. So he used to send us support and other thing. But when I came, he told us that to be a missionary and to survive, you must try and do something on your own.
(16:12):
So whatever you can do, try and do it on your own to survive. And that’s something that the evangelist has been encouraging us with. That wherever you go, do not put it at the back of your mind that, oh, people have to support me. And when it happens that you try and rely on the people instead of putting your faith in God in order. God is the one who has sent you there. So whatever that we can do. And he used the way he said Abraham was a missionary. Abraham moved to different nations, and as he went, he was working to survive.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (16:48):
And so what have you done to work to survive?
Missionary James Obeng (16:51):
Okay, thank you. I used to, initially I was selling perfumes and other things from Ghana. I realized that Guinea loves things from Ghana. So I started with perfumes and some mosquito repellent cream, some clothes, long sleeves. So I used to sell them in farm. And when I came here to, I realized it was not working here. So I started by farming. And also I started, what’s the name? Baking bread, doing some juice. Wow. So for now
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (17:25):
It And are you still doing that now?
Missionary James Obeng (17:26):
Yeah, the bread. I still doing the bread that
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (17:29):
Wow. Yes. Now God has given you a great blessing while you’ve been here. Yes. You met a girl and you asked her to marry you. And so now God has brought you together and she’s beside you. Tell me, what is her name?
Missionary James Obeng (17:46):
Her name is Fatima ob.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (17:49):
Okay. And she’s a beautiful young lady. Yes. And tell me about how you met her and how you asked her to marry you. Okay.
Missionary James Obeng (17:59):
When I was coming, initially I was single. So it was in 2020, I went back to Ghana and my senior pastor James, it’s not good for you to be single on a mission field. And I was someone who was afraid to propose to a lady why? I didn’t want to give my word a promise and fill the person. So it was very challenging for me to propose to a lady. So when they told me, I said, okay, I’ll pray about it. And there was this lady when I was in Ghana, she used to come and help me at the reception. When I’m busy, I’ll ask her to sit at the reception and help me. So when I came, when I went back to Ghana, I proposed to her and she had said, I said, let’s pray to go so that the will of God will come to pass. So when I came back in 2020 and we were still doing courtship and doing marry school, but it got to a time, I realized the lady was afraid deep in her heart, he was afraid to come for missions because she used to hear about,
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (19:02):
This was a girl from Ghana?
Missionary James Obeng (19:03):
Yes. This was a girl from Ghana. And she used to hear about how missionaries suffer the way their wives still suffer, the challenges. And sometimes when I’m
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (19:12):
Talking, and she didn’t want to suffer,
Missionary James Obeng (19:14):
She didn’t want to suffer. Sometimes when I’m talking with her and I tell her about the challenges that I’m going through, she becomes discouraged in terms of finances and other things. So when it happened, I told our bishop that, oh, to be frank, the lady is trying to pull back. And she said, okay, if that’s the case, we should separate. And when we separated, to be frank, it was very difficult for me because I wanted to get married. And also I realized being a missionary and single wasn’t easy. So I prayed to God and my mind was always in Ghana that I wanted to get a Ghanaian woman. My senior pastor in Zel, Corey told me that, James, I think you have to get a woman here. I said, rev, no Guinea. I don’t want marry in Guinea. Our bishop in Corner Creek also mentioned, I said, my mind was fixed and I wanted a Ghanaian woman.
(20:07):
So one day our bishop came to Guinea for mission to come and visit us. And when he came, he called me one day and he said, James, do you mind marrying a Guinean woman? I said, Bishop, as a Guinean, it has been a fight. I don’t want to marry here. I want to marry from Ghana. He said, well, you have to pray about it. So as I was praying, it’s like God made me go blind the same way I dam slipped. My mind was fixed. And I realized that was my challenge. My mind was fixed to marry a Ghanaian woman. So one day I prayed a certain prayer. There was this friend of mine who asked me. He said, God told him to inform that I should first and pray for three days, drive first. And then it was my first time and my prayer was, father, let your will be done in my life and everything that I do.
(20:56):
And after that prayers, three days later, a bishop called me and told me about this marriage stuff. And I said, oh God, I don’t want to marry from Guinea, but if it’s your world, that job will be done. I want to hear your word, and I want a word from, because I don’t want to make a mistake. I’ve had challenges of marriages because of that, I have trusted you and I have put my faith in you that I don’t want to make a mistake. So one day I was praying and I received a from God. And I said, okay. I wrote a Rima, what both told me concerning my marriage, concerning this lady. I receive an assurance. And there was these friends that I pray with, Rima, took him from their prophecy, came from them, James, you’re going to get married, but you have to be flexible.
(21:40):
I said, Hey, flexible. Okay. So one day I had a dream. After that four days, the fourth day I had a dream and I realized that’s my bishop who came from Ghana, one of my spiritual fellow. He gave me a gift. And that gift, I didn’t see the gift, but I was very excited. And I went back to him. I said, oh, Bishop, thank you very much for this gift. To be frank, I’m blessed. This gift has transformed my life. So after that, in the morning when I woke up and I was praying, I received within my heart, the gift that you need is the suggestion that the bishop has given you, has given you, if you will take it, it’ll become a blessing. That’s the marriage. So I said, wow, three. The first one was the assurance from me. The second one was from the prophet that I pray with, and the third one was the dream. And I said, okay, if that’s the case, father later will be done. I don’t want to fix or be rigid and refuse to flow with you, that here will be done. So that was where I got in touch with the lady. We started chatting and I realized that the chemicals, the connections started,
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (22:50):
The chemistry was good. The
Missionary James Obeng (22:51):
Chemistry. The chemistry was good. So I took a risk and I went to Corner Creek to go and visit her. And it was my longest journey ever in my life, moving from here to Corner Creek. And the car goes forward on the road, and I said, this risk that I’m taking to go and see a woman, that the prophecy came back, that oh, become and be patient. And when I go there, to be frank, I was very excited to meet her. I felt this peace and this joy and meeting this lady, I chatted with her. And that was where I proposed Wow, the grace of God.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (23:30):
And so God brought you together. And I believe that God’s hand is on the two of you together. Exactly. And you’re going to make a big impact. I’m so impressed with your faith coming as a missionary and what God is doing through you. And I think God has many more amazing miracles to do in your life. Amen, brother James, thank you for being on the Evangelism Podcast. I appreciate it. Thank you
Missionary James Obeng (23:55):
Very much. I’m so honored to be here and to be with you. God bless you so much. Bless you. Amen.
