Most of us don’t give much thought to our safety as we head out to go to church or to visit a church in another city.  Such is not the case everywhere in the world.  Most of us have never even heard of the Benin Republic, much less know where it is.  But to a group of very faithful and dedicated Christians, it is home.  Michael Porter and his wife Stella are 2 such people, who live in and serve God in the African Republic of Benin.  It is located in West Africa perpendicular to the Coast of the Gulf of Guinea. It is bordered on the North by Burkina Faso and Niger, on the East by Nigeria and on the West by Togo. It is about two third the size of Portugal.

      Just because they profess Christianity, they have had their house burned, their church destroyed, kicked out of other housing and been attacked by machete wielding villagers.  Stella was so badly cut in the head and abdomen last year that she had to be hospitalized for an extended period and almost died.  Since travel is difficult, Michael had to take the bus to visit many people who are widely scattered and the bus was rammed by a big truck with Michael landing in the hospital for several weeks.

      This year when they returned home from the Feast, they found their home had been destroyed by fire.  They lost everything, including all the equipment they had accumulated over the years to help with the work in Benin. They are in urgent and immediate need!

      Over the years they have planted numerous Sabbath observing churches in both Benin and Nigeria, baptized numerous people and have many, many more who are listening to the word of God, but having to fight a lifetime of voodoo and witchcraft.  In fact, the above mentioned machete attack came as a result of the confession of a voodoo priest and we think we have people with strange ideas among us.

      Thanks to the continuing support of Margaret-Dyer Forster and those in the church there in Bermuda and others, there has been some support to help, but not nearly enough.  CEM has been working with the group in Benin for well over a year now, providing CDs, mailers, the radio program and other materials.  We have now had the “Born to Win” program on a radio station in Cotonou, Benin, a town of approximately 450,000, for over a year now, but as the work grows, so do the needs.  CEM has established a fund to help support the work of the Porters and those that work with them in the Benin Republic of Africa.  If you would like to help, please send your contributions directly to CEM, but please note that it is for the work in Benin. Or, you can make your donation over internet, by clicking here. Just as if you were mailing in a donation, please specify that you want it to go to the work in Benin. Together, we can make a difference, even in a far a way place like Benin.