Founders and Directors: Bamshak & Makayla Dagwer
Bamshak & Makayla Dagwer
Founders and Directors​
Bamshak and Makayla Dagwer
Bamshak and Makayla Dagwer founded Seeds of Hope in December 2017. Bamshak originally from Nigeria, met and got married to Makayla from Green Bay, Wisconsin in the Philippines. After serving with Youth With a Mission in the Philippines and Nigeria for 10 years, Bamshak and Makayla moved to Wisconsin in 2014.
Bamshak was born and raised in Jos Plateau State, Nigeria.
Growing up, he has always known that his state (Plateau) was one of the most peaceful, loving and accommodating states in Nigeria. Most international missions’ organizations had their head quarters in Plateau state because of its favorable weather and peaceful environment. Unfortunately, the case is different now and here is why:
Plateau State is located in the central of Muslim dominated northern Nigeria. It has one of the most diverse people groups in Nigeria with peace and tourism being its motto.
Because of it’s welcoming environment, for years it had lots of Muslims migrating from the upper northern state of Nigeria. They have a saying that “staying with a chicken does not stop you from eating it”. This simply means that staying with Christians (Infidels) does not stop them from all of a sudden deciding to kill them.
After several minor attacks here and there over the years, their agenda is to Islamize the state by taking over power and enforcing Islam and Sharia. With that been said, all of a sudden, the first state wide planned attack in Plateau State started in September 2001. Within a week of unrest, thousands of people where attacked and killed in their homes or while trying to escape. Hundreds of churches were attacked and burnt with masses of people in them. What Bamshak saw and experienced as an 18-year-old was so brutal that he still as a 36-year-old finds himself on the way to recovery. His church being in a Muslim dominated area was one of those that were attacked. And so he remembers, on a particular day, they lost tons of love ones, people he saw almost on a daily base. Though caught and brutally beaten while attempting to escape, Bamshak was one of the fortunate survivors. It was on that very day that he knew beyond reason God wasn’t just someone he heard about in church. He knew and experienced Him as his divine Deliverer. If not because God showed up again and again, he would have been dead by now as he escaped from several attacks.
Bamshak ended up travelling to the Philippines, as a missionary, in response to what God has done in his life, leaving behind his parents, 3 brothers and a sister.
While in the Philippines, he remembered his dad always calling him whenever there was an attack. All those calls drew him back from the healing process that God had begun in him. However, in the midst of all that, he pressed on for his healing knowing that God loves, cherishes, and has a good plan for all the people He created. Bamshak got to know whom his enemy really was rather than attacking and looking at another human being who allows himself to be used by the devil as his enemy.
Seeds of Hope was birthed out of the life experiences that Bamshak has gone through and the calling for Bamshak to be an active solution to those effected by the on-going crisis.