Benjie and Chelsea Wheeler
Benjie and Chelsea Wheeler, along with their daughter LorrettaAnn, serve in multiple capacities at Ika Mission Station in Ika Village, Nigeria. Benjie is a 4th generation missionary, born and raised in Nigeria. Chelsea met him while on the mission field, serving at an orphanage where Benjie volunteered as a repairman. They were married in 2015 and blessed with their daughter in 2019.
Ika Mission Station is a multi-faceted mission compound. There is a translation office where men from 5 local language groups (Igala, Idoma, Agatu, Bassa, Eloyi) are translating the Bible, Hymnal, Primers, and other books for personal spiritual growth into their language. There is an onsite print shop that prints the translated books and books for the Bible School. The Bible School is a free school for men and women. Everything is provided besides their books and their food. Books are sold at cost from the print shop. There is also a hospital which is low cost for the locals. It provides regular doctor visits, maternity care, lab work and X-rays, HIV testing and counseling, Tuberculosis testing and counseling, surgeries, and the only anti-venom treatment for over 100 miles. Church camps and conferences are held throughout the year on the compound, many of which host over 1,000 people.
Benjie wears many hats serving in Ika. He repairs printing presses, engines, cars, and many other machines. He works on electrical wiring, carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and any other building repairs needed. Benjie also works to help set up the translated materials for printing. Chelsea assists part-time in the administration office of the hospital as well as raising their daughter and their two foster boys (b. 2016 and b.2020) whose mothers died in childbirth. Their call to ministry is not for evangelization, rather to keep the mission running so that the work that the local believers are doing can continue to bless the community and the church can continue to empower more men and women with the knowledge of the Lord. The mission compound is not only the site of a lot of good works for the people of the church, but it is also a unifying place that the national elders meet yearly to discuss problems and heal hurts within the church.