Benjie and Chelsea Wheeler
Benjie and Chelsea Wheeler along with their children, serve in multiple capacities at Ika Mission Station in Ika Village, Kogi State, Nigeria. Benjie is a 4th generation missionary, born and raised in Nigeria. Chelsea met him while on the mission field, serving at an orphanage in Kogi State where Benjie volunteered as a repairman. They were married in 2015 and blessed with a daughter, Chubiyo, in 2019 and a son, David, in 2025. They are also currently fostering to adopt 3 motherless boys, Israel (2016), Timothy (2020), and Samuel (2022).
Ika Mission Station is a multi-faceted mission compound that was established in 1952. One part of the ministry is based on the translation office. Here, men from 5 different language groups (Igala, Idoma, Agatu, Bassa, Eloyi) translate the Bible, Hymnal, reading primers, and other books for personal spiritual growth into their own languages. After translation, an onsite print shop prints much of the material translated for local church and evangelistic use. Additionally, they produce the books needed for the onsite Bible School. The school, another outreach of the mission, is free of charge to students and runs bi-monthly. This allows students to continue working or farming while pursuing their Biblical studies. Dormitories, utilities, instruction and recreation are all provided for them. Attendees only pay for their books, which are sold at cost from the print shop, and food. Ika Mission Station also opens its facilities for church camps and conferences throughout the year, some of which host over 1,000 people! The mission hospital, which provides low-cost care to the community, is an additional ministry. The hospital provides clinic visits, maternity care, lab and x-ray, immunizations, HIV testing and counseling, tuberculosis testing and counseling, minor surgeries and the only on-site anti-venom treatment for over 100 miles.
Benjie wears many hats at Ika as operations manager of the mission. He supervises and trains local young men in repairing printing presses, cars, generators and other machinery. They also work on electrical wiring, carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and any other building repairs needed. Benjie also helps to set up vernacular books for the printing press. In addition to caring for their 5 children, Chelsea has developed a ministry assisting motherless babies and their families. She provides formula for the first year in addition to paying for medical treatment provided at the mission hospital (Ika Christian Hospital) for the first 2 years of their lives. Most of the families are farmers, with no steady income and are unable to pay for formula for the babies whose mothers have died. Without this support, the families either feed the baby with a grain porridge with no nutritional value or let the babies just pass away. Covering the hospital bills for the first 2 years also assists the families who cannot afford medical care in an environment where babies frequently pass away from treatable illnesses.
Benjie and Chelsea’s call is not for direct evangelism, but rather showing God’s love through community outreach and providing the infrastructure from which others may serve. In this way, they support the evangelistic work of the local believers and help the local church to continue to empower more men and women with the knowledge of the Lord. They strongly feel that supporting the national workers is of utmost importance in both their ministry and in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.