Volunteer Testimonies: Evangelism

Howdy, my name is Gabe, and I went on a mission trip to Africa last year and this year. These two trips have really shown me God’s calling in my life. One of the most wonderful things that has ever happened to me happened this year. Before this trip, my life had really gone south. I was into some pretty bad things. I really needed prayer. Through a dream, God told one of the missionaries stationed in Dargol that I was in trouble. He told the other missionaries, and they all prayed constantly for me. My life got straightened up, and I came to the trip ready, and it has changed my life forever. That really shows how big God is.

-Sunnyside Baptist Church
Sports Evangelism
June 2009

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Five men from the Meadowdale Baptist Church in Calhoun, GA recently served as volunteers in Niger, West Africa. The team was Charlie, Russell, Rodney, Garry, and myself. We worked with Randy and Susan in the village of Karma. We did prayer-walking, Storying, testimonies, and general evangelism. It was a tremendous blessing for us, a time to remember. It was hot, difficult, and extremely rewarding. We all loved every minute of this trip.

We divided into two groups of three (the five of us and Randy) and worked in different areas of Karma, hoping to cover as much of the massive village as possible. One day my team stopped under the shade of a small tree. It was very hot, and we needed a break. Very few people had invited us into their compounds because of fear of local religious leaders who were opposed to Christianity. I had prayed that particular morning for God to move someone to invite us into his compound.

As we sat in the shade, a woman came to us and said that a man was asking for us to come to his home (prayer answered!). We went immediately. The man told us that he had practiced "Ju Ju" (animistic spirit worship) for many years but now he knew that this was wrong. He was searching for the truth, searching for God. He was kind and we talked for a good while. We shared the stories from Creation to the Cross. We prayed for him, but he did not publicly confess Christ.

For the next two days, the witch doctor invited us into his "shade", and we gladly accepted his invitations. Each time he invited us in he would have more people there to hear our witness (wives, children, and neighbors) but he did not confess Christ openly. The last time we were invited into the compound, the witch doctor had his adult son there waiting for us. The son shared with us how he had become a Christian several years ago and kept it from his father for two years. The father told us that now he knew about his son's faith, and he supported him. This was almost as if the man was telling us that he was close to becoming a Christian himself.

We do not know if the witch doctor was saved during our visits. Only God really knows that. But we were thankful for his invitation for us to come share his shade. We know that we did our best to invite him into the Shade of the Almighty, the true Light, the everlasting life of the believer. I hope that he has found the Truth. I am convinced that our invitation from the witch doctor was a God-thing. It is in God's hands. We were just one piece of the great plan that God is putting together for souls in Karma.

Our journey began in September of 2008 as we started the preparation process for this trip. We have grown spiritually through each aspect of this adventure, from our weekly team meetings to our daily team devotions on the field. We sowed seeds, smiled, saw people saved, sweated, laughed, loved, prayed, stayed, gave, and experienced God, even in a witch doctor's compound. It was great!

- Dr. Steven F. Pearson, Pastor