Telling our stories

A cousin of my friend on the road

    On our way to Chichimona village (whose name means “killer”), a bearded dragon crossed my path and ran up on the black road to sun himself. He was a very cute fellow; I felt like putting him in my pocket and taking him back to the U.S. where I could make some cash on him.  Today is a special day, we have been telling many stories from the good book but today we also get to tell our own. The first hut we walk up on is open and we see two young women inside. They quickly come out to greet us and invite us to come inside. There is a mesh metal container with burning coals siting in the center of the room to keep the chill of the morning outside. The small house is so crammed with furniture we can barely scoot through onto the couches. We soon learn the lady’s names, Elida and Sarah. We ask if they pr anywhere and find out they are Roman Catholic. Neither speaks English so we communicate solely through our guide Margaret. She asks them if they would like to hear our story and the girl graciously agree. Karissa begins by sharing the story of Paul before King Agripa. She tells them that Paul told King Agripa his life story. Then she details briefly how Paul once ruthlessly persecuted the ch and lived to follow the Jewish law. However, one day, Paul is met by a bright light on the road and a voice says, “Paul why are you persecuting me?” And Paul answers, “Who are you?” The voice says, “I am J.C. who you are persecuting.” Then J.C. tells him he is sending him to a people group not his own to tell them about what J.C. has done for them. After telling Paul’s story we transitioned to our own personal stories. I told them that when I was a child my parents were both followed J.C. but I did not. My parents told me about J.C. and what he did for me, and that if I trusted Him I would not have to go to hell but I could go to heaven. I did not want to go to hell so I asked to receive J.C. Then I explained that as I grew older and became a teenager, Gd continued to teach me. He taught me that He did not only want to save me from hell but He also wanted complete control of my life. So when I was 13 I told Gd, “Whatever you want to do with me and wherever you want me to go, I will do it.” I told them, before that day, when I read my B I could not understand it but after that day the H.S. came to me and I could understand what I was reading. When I got to the part about the H.S. explaining the text to me, Elida began to smile and lean forward as she listened. She told me that she also tries to read the B but it did not make since. I asked if they had a story like mine, if they had ever given themselves to Gd. They both shook their heads no but they said they wanted too that day. We explained that there are no special words to say but if they would believe in J.C. and give themselves to Gd that He promises to save them and send the H.S. to teach them. As we left the house, Elida’s face was glowing. I asked Margaret if they really understood, she thought they did.

                We visited 3 other groups;  Karissa and I rotated telling Paul’s story and then telling our own. We spent about an hour speaking with a Jehovah’s Witness about various doctrines. It was a long drawn out discussion back and forth about where we would go when we died and who J.C. really is. I was beginning to feel we were making no headway and wasting our time until I realized there was a young blvr girl also listening to our conversation. When Margaret spoke with her, the girl confessed that she had been going to the Jehovah’s Witness woman for advice. She had not realized there is such a gap between the two theologies. 

Karrisa and I with Margaret

After that, we met a family of blvrs; we sat under a tree and after telling our stories asked about their own. The young mother told this story. Her first baby became very sick. She took him to the hospital but they did not help her. On her way home from the hospital, she met a blvr woman who said to her, “Do not go to a witch doctor or to anyone else about your baby, only pr to Gd. Maybe He will heal the child and maybe not but you should only go to Him.” So she went home and closed the door and got on her knees and pr to Gd. The next morning her baby was healthy again. She said, “From that day I believed in Gd.” Then the woman’s husband told his story. He said while pointing to his wife, “Every day she was pr for me, she wanted me to know Gd. So one day I needed money to pay for a hospital bill. I went to all my neighbors and friend and no one could help me. So she said ‘You should only ask Gd.’ So that night I pr and the next morning a man brought me the money that I needed. From that day on I have followed Gd.” I was astonished by each of the stories. Back in the states I read a book Power Quest that emphasized Africans need to have “power encounters” in order to put faith in J.C. And here Gd had provided two shining examples of His grace. After speaking with that family, it was getting late in the day and we began to head home. We passed by some young girls who were putting the corn into storage. A large pile of un-shucked corn lay in front of the mud hut with a thatch roof. An older girl stood on a stool dumping the baskets of corn into a small door at the top of the “silo.” A few chickens were pecking around the edges of the pile. The girls called out to us in Ninaja as we passed by. Margaret answered back to them, and then she turned to us, “They want you to come tell them a story while they work.” We of course happily consented. We again told the story of Paul and Karissa shared her own story. The girls continued to gather the corn into baskets and pass them to the one standing on the stool to dump through the door. Each of the older girls gathering the corn kept their eyes on us as much as they could while they continued their work. As the pile of corn grew smaller, Karissa came to the close of her story and asked if they had a story like hers. The girls shook their heads no. The one standing on the stool said, “No we do not, but we are all ready to receive J.C. now.” It is hard to know without having any follow up how much Elida and the girl truly understood. As we pr over the girls I asked that Gd would continue to shape them and that they would truly come to know him.  Just as we were about to leave, the woman who had told us her story earlier came to help the girl finish up their work. She was a friend or a relative. I am grateful to Gd that He has provided a witness to them living just next door.