Bamshak’s trip to Nigeria

As I write this, I’m sitting at the airport in Cairo, Egypt, waiting to board my connecting flight to Frankfurt, Germany, then back to the U.S. My heart is full as I reflect on the past couple of weeks in Nigeria.

Some of you may have wondered why I never mentioned this trip beforehand or shared anything on social media. That was intentional. Since we moved back to the U.S., the community where we live in Nigeria has been attacked twice, and people have been kidnapped. Because of the ongoing insecurity, we felt it was wise to keep this trip as quiet as possible and simply follow every safety precaution we could while trusting God to continue protecting us. We’re so grateful for His faithfulness throughout the trip.

The main purpose of my visit was to welcome and help transition three new missionary staff members to Seeds of Hope Nigeria. Carson & Kate Evans from Cincinnati and Savanna Rodriguez from Atlanta have each served with us over the past two to three summers on Short-Term Outreach teams and believe God has called them to serve with us long-term in Nigeria.

Carson & Kate Evans

Savanna Rodriguez

Carson and Kate will be focusing on discipleship for our kids at the Safe House. Carson will also help with our church plant while reaching out to Muslims within Jos City. Kate will be leading our child sponsorship program, managing social media updates, and helping oversee our tailoring acquisition training program. As you can tell, here at Seeds of Hope, we all wear multiple hats because of the shortage of missionary staff! So, if God is calling you, don't hesitate. 😊

Savanna will be serving as our first-grade teacher while also helping train our teaching staff and assisting with our younger children's discipleship program. We truly feel incredibly blessed to have all three of them joining the ministry.

Another important part of my trip was helping them settle into life and ministry in Nigeria. We also spent significant time together as a staff in training, prayer, and vision casting. We reviewed our child protection policies to ensure we are providing the safest possible environment for the children God has entrusted to us—many of whom have experienced significant trauma—while also protecting our staff and volunteers.

Together, we also sought the Lord regarding our theme for the 2026–2027 school year. God clearly led us to "Head to Heart." Our prayer is that our children and staff would move beyond simply knowing about God intellectually and instead experience Him personally, allowing the truths they know in their minds to transform their hearts and daily lives.

The rest of my time was filled with leadership meetings, staff meetings, and many one-on-one conversations with both staff and children. I am travelling physically exhausted, but deeply satisfied and incredibly thankful that God made it possible for me to be there.

As I head home, I'm reminded once again that none of this happens alone. Thank you for faithfully praying, giving, and standing with us. Your partnership is making an eternal difference in the lives of children, families, and communities in Nigeria.

If you'd like to hear more about what God is doing through Seeds of Hope Nigeria, we would love the opportunity to share with your family, small group, Bible study, or church. We’re also open to sharing with any church you're connected to that would love to hear about us. We are also planning another Testimonial Night later this year—something we try to host annually—to celebrate together what God has done and to share the vision for what lies ahead.

Thank you again for being part of this journey. We truly couldn't do this without you.

Bamshak & Makayla Dagwer

Founders & Directors

US Cell: +1 920-455-9085 (This is our current US Number)

Nig. Cell: +234-803-993-8941

We're also reachable on WhatsApp through our Nigerian number.