bless

antonio de assis
angola

Of course, there is much to be done and the OneStory approach provides a nice inroad to people who much more open to an oral approach. Keep up the good work!

A picture of these two ladies.

What happens after they leave?
As Connie and Amanda completed their journeyman term they were happy about the baptism of seven believers among their Malinke village near Kita. But their hearts were heavy because there was no one to shepherd them. One of them, Nam, asked us to pray for them to be able to withstand the evil deeds done against them because of their obedience to follow Christ. We did, while assuring them they could also pray directly to the Father.

A special Easter celebration
Looking for a special way to celebrate our Easter holiday this year, a colleague and I decided to go to Kita to celebrate with the new believers. They were surprised and excited to see us drive up on the eve of Easter. We were equally surprised and excited to hear that their numbers had grown from seven to over 30. When asked how the others came to follow, the leader of the group said, “We shared the stories.” They met together several times a week to pray and worship together as instructed.

They planned to make the hour walk to the nearest gathering Easter morning, but since we had come they decided to celebrate in their village. “We’ve never done this before, so you have to show us the proper way to celebrate,” they said. Not wanting to introduce our culture into theirs, we first explained the significance of the holiday, and then suggested they do whatever was in their hearts — sing, pray, tell stories and have a big feast. That’s exactly what we did all evening and the next morning — not only the brethren, but any who chose to come.

As we met together, they asked if we brought a songbook with us. I did, but we encouraged them to sing and even begin making up songs in their own language. ‘Eve’ made up her own song, a simple one, but it was beautiful. My colleague told a few stories beginning with ‘Lazarus’ and the ‘Crucifixion,’ then we discussed them. Nam led a song and then prayed.

It was special to see how much the brethren had matured in six months. Nam identified Ham as the leader of the group, but Nam himself prayed boldly and confidently on behalf of us and his people. Eve requested to know the Father and Son better.

Sprouting churches
Three weeks later we returned to our Malinke brethren. We found three of them in a village an hour away attending a five-day seminar. It is so exciting and refreshing to see them so hungry for Truth. While many of the teachings are the same as ours, there are some concepts such as the principles of baptism that differ greatly and have caused confusion, so we brought along a pastor from another region to give them instruction. We gathered at 10:00 p.m. to worship. Eve led in singing even more songs than last time, all from memory. Nam then shared with the group what the three of them had been learning and the pastor answered questions.

Not only are there five more in this village who want to be baptized, but we discovered that Eve, Ham and Nam have been going to other villages. Eve said five women in a nearby village are following and want to be baptized. Nam has been going to two villages and has six new followers. Ham has been going to three villages and there are 10 new followers. The numbers continue to grow. Ham confessed, “We have a handicap. Since we can’t read well, it is difficult for us.” my colleague reminded him of the stories they have … to listen to them, learn them and continue sharing them.

The fields are ripe but the workers are few. Who will come and shepherd this new beginning? Ask the King of the Harvest if it is meant to be YOU.

The radio station is a critical distribution point for the OneStory recordings throughout Mali. We’re glad it’s there.