I’d Rather Die on the High Ground

“Are you afraid to die for your faith?”

She answered, “No! Let the persecutors come and do their worst. After all, it is better to die on a higher ground than to die in the valley.”

As a missionary to the Kamuku people in Northwestern Nigeria in the ‘90s, I thought I was bringing the gospel to villages in the darkness of sin and idolatry. But the new believers’ faith challenged me!

I witnessed God’s power to transform lives: women burned their idols, demons were cast out, and sick people were healed. Poisoned, under spiritual attack, and disowned by their families, they boldly exposed the falsehood of their former ancestral worship. And God gave them miraculous victory!

Even today, as they suffer kidnapping and terrorism that has put their remote region in the global news, these believers stand strong in their faith.

As you read the short stories of these ordinary believers and the accompanying biblical reflections in I’d Rather Die on the High Ground, you’ll be blown away by our extraordinary God. Be inspired to pray with daring faith in our almighty God and to proclaim his deeds among the nations.

Since 1995, Nigerian Namani J. Nharrel has been a missionary with Calvary Ministries (CAPRO), a faith mission agency that plants churches among unreached people groups in 38 countries. I’d Rather Die on the High Ground is based on his work among the Kamuku people in Northwestern Nigeria. He has also served as the Principal of the CAPRO School of Mission (Hausa version), Zonal Director of CAPRO Northeast, as well as in mission research and Bible translation. He is the author of 12 other books.

There is hardly any more urgent path to take in the world today than the one Nharrel and his family have taken: the path of wholehearted obedience to God in missionary service among the unreached and least reached. He models for the reader what it means to give one’s life over wholly to a missionary calling yet feel all the while abundantly blessed. If it were not for pioneer missionaries like him, who obey God’s call to go where Christ is least known or unknown, then my own family would still be living in darkness. These are also stories of prayer, the glowing ember that is always found at the core of all mission impact, and the engine behind all mission endeavours. May the Lord of the Harvest use these remarkable tales to call more into his harvest fields! —Dr Joshua Bogunjoko, International Director of SIM

The book calls our attention to God’s awesome power to rescue a people group from bondage to ancestral worship, traditions, cultural practices, and the wicked spirits and evil gods that had held them captive for many years. Well-written, precise, and very practical, this book presents testimonies of God’s power to provide, heal, deliver from demonic forces, miraculously answer prayers, and defend those who depend on him. —Prof Ezekiel Oluyemi Odebunmi, Former National Chairman of Calvary Ministries (CAPRO) Nigeria, Professor of Chemistry at University of Ilorin

The transformative power of the gospel is captured in this powerful reminder: God is still in the business of performing miracles for his glory through obedient missionaries. In times like these when Christians are faced with persecution in Nigeria and around the world, this book should be welcomed with two hands and an obedient heart! —Rev Dr Gideon Para-Mallam, Global Mission Leader and Peace Advocate in Jos, Nigeria

The message of Jesus has always been carried by testimonies. We’ve experienced his authority over sickness, demons, sin, divorce, snakes, poison, and our greatest enemy death, and we want to tell the world about it! These things show that God is with us and all authority in heaven and earth has been given to him – and people everywhere in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Kamukuland, Europe, America, and the “ends of the earth” should recognize him as King. These stories from Kamukuland are told here by a master storyteller and expert writer. Read them to your family and friends and be inspired to see the great things that the Lord can do among us if we will only trust him. —Prof Andy Warren-Rothlin, Translation Consultant for United Bible Societies Switzerland

This book stands in its own class. It is a compilation of true stories from the mission field, but ultimately, it is not about the author, his team, nor the church in Kamukuland. It is about our God. It bears incredible evidence that our God is real, alive, ever faithful, a mighty man of battle, and has all the powers in heaven and on earth. —Prof Adesegun Fatusi, Vice Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Nigeria

This is one of the most open, honest, and truly earnest books that you can read to encourage your faith in Christ Jesus. The faith of these simple people, narrated in this book, moved mountains in their various communities. Read this exceptional masterpiece and your life will not remain the same. —Dr Mary Erasmus Sulai, Associate Professor at Gombe State University, Nigeria