When Pastor Mathew Madugu arrived in a small community in Northern Nigeria in 2009, there was nothing to welcome him but mud houses with thatched roofs, dusty roads, and a people struggling to survive. There was no church building, no modern development, and very few who had ever truly heard the Gospel.

But Mathew was not deterred. He came with a burden that was bigger than himself: to preach Christ where He had not been named.

Fifteen years later, that burden is still alive, and so is his testimony.

From Shepherding Sheep to Shepherding Souls

Mathew grew up in a Christian home, but most of his early days were spent in the fields, tending his father’s flock. Faith was there, but distant, something he saw in others, not something he had yet embraced.

That changed the day he heard a preacher declare that “you must confess with your mouth and believe in your heart to be saved.”

Those words gripped him. For the first time, the Gospel became personal. Mathew repented, confessed Jesus as Lord, and was transformed.

“I used to be very hot-tempered,” he says. “But after I got saved, the Word changed me. I became someone who forgives and does not repay evil with evil.”

The same man who once guarded sheep now felt the call to shepherd souls.

A Dream That Pointed to Destiny

In 2006, long before he moved to Northern Nigeria, Mathew had an encounter that would shape his life forever. One night, he dreamt of shepherding a flock. The vision was so vivid that he woke up with a deep conviction: God was calling him into ministry.

The next morning, he told his sister, “I want to go to Bible school.”

That same year, he left for Kaduna to begin training. It wasn’t easy. He had no home, no family nearby, and very little support. But what he lacked in comfort, he made up for in conviction. God had called, and Mathew had answered.

Building More Than Churches

When he arrived at his mission station in 2010, the “church” was no more than a shed with a thatched roof. But Mathew had another skill, building. With his own hands, he constructed a mud church and a parsonage where he could live and minister.

What started with just twenty believers has now grown into a congregation of more than fifty faithful followers of Christ.

But the story doesn’t end there. To date, Mathew has built three churches by himself and supported the construction of thirteen more, sixteen churches in total.

Brick by brick, he has raised places of worship where none existed before.

A Pastor Who Cares Beyond the Pulpit

For those who know him, Mathew is more than a preacher.

One woman in his congregation says:
“Our pastor truly helps us. He does his best to meet our needs, and he does it joyfully.”

Another man adds:
“If you need food or fall sick, Pastor Mathew is there. He prays, he provides, he helps, no matter the situation.”

This is what missions look like in Northern Nigeria: not just sermons on Sunday, but living shoulder-to-shoulder with the people, bearing their burdens, and pointing them to Christ.

The Needs That Still Remain

Despite the progress, the challenges are great.

Today, Mathew’s congregation still worships under the open sky because their building is unfinished, stuck at the lintel stage with no roof. He preaches without a microphone or speakers, straining his voice to reach everyone. And his people, mostly farmers, struggle to sustain themselves without fertilizer or farming equipment.

“We see other communities farming productively with machines and fertilizer,” he says. “If we had these, our people would be more productive, and the church would grow stronger.”

The needs are real. But so is the vision.

Why Missions 1 Exists

Pastor Mathew’s story is not unique. Across Northern Nigeria and beyond, there are men and women just like him, ordinary people carrying an extraordinary burden. They labor in difficult places, with little support, so that those who have never heard may finally encounter the Gospel.

This is why Missions 1 exists: to awaken the church to the unfinished task, to stand with frontline missionaries, and to see unreached people groups become unreached no more.

We believe no missionary should stand alone. And no soul should be left without a chance to hear the Good News.

Will You Stand with Pastor Mathew?

The harvest is great, but the laborers are few. Pastor Mathew has given his life to the call. But he cannot do it alone.

You can pray.
You can give.
You can go.

But one thing is certain, you cannot stay indifferent.

Together, we can put a roof over a congregation’s head. We can give a microphone to a pastor who is shouting himself hoarse. We can provide fertilizer to strengthen a church’s livelihood.

Most of all, together, we can send light into darkness.

Will you join us today in standing with Pastor Mathew, and countless others like him?

Because when faith and support meet, the impact lasts forever.