“Come with me,” urged Myles, “and meet Abdulah, he will perhaps find your words – as an older man – more strong than mine.”
Passing through a town in central Benin, where the majority of the people are of Weno* ethnicity – a Muslim people, I had stopped to visit a young American missionary and his family. Building friendships with the Weno people is the priority of Myles and Jen.
“Come with me,” urged Myles, “and meet Abdulah, he will perhaps find your words – as an older man – more strong than mine.”
So we drove into the town on a maze of dirt roads, goats and chickens wandering about and came to a crossroads.
There on the corner were three piles of old tires with planks laid across to sit on.
Soon a grey-haired man, Abdulah, came to talk. And not long afterwards a small crowd stood around to listen.
Abdulah had questions that he wanted answered. Perched on that plank I inwardly pleaded to the Lord for wisdom, for grace. We sat for some time and carefully sowed some gospel seed that I prayed would create a hunger for more answers, and lead to more questions and, under God, eventually to seeking Jesus.
Introducing someone to Jesus who knows nothing about him, and who has probably been told that Christianity is false and the Bible is corrupt, takes time.
It needs people who will stay for the long haul and through friendship and patience bring the light of the gospel where there is only darkness and fear.
Myles and Jen have had to go home to America; the local evangelist who worked with them has been moved to another town; the work amongst the Weno has stalled.
Who will replace them and give themselves to this task? Who is ready for the long, slow task of Muslim evangelism?
Will you pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into the harvest field? Will you go yourself?
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*Pseudonym given