...but I have friends who are.
I know that I have not been the best at keeping up my blog. I have had to just face it. I'm not a writer.
God has not gifted me in that way. However I have many friends serving here with me in Southern Africa and their job is actually in communications. So I want to start sharing their stories with you.
This first story is from Rebecca. Rebecca is one of my best friends in Africa and my favorite Canadian! We both joined OM at the same time. We did our GO conference in Germany together and have even lived together for short periods of time. The reason for that is Rebecca has been located in Kabwe, Zambia and I in Pretoria, South Africa. She works for the same Africa Area office as I do but she is a remote team member who does a lot of traveling. Her travel takes her to many of our fields and ministries where she helps their comminucation department in stories, photography, and social media so their story can reach a wider global audiance.
Here you go!
“Being a headman means you have to take care of everyone in the
village,” explained Dimas. “First I just used my voice to make sure the
village was at peace, but now God helps me rule this village (His way). I
pray for the village, and there are no crimes, nothing. We never
experience what we used to experience, like fights and things.”
Dimas is the headman of Mulima, a small village of about 50 adults
and double that many children. Located along the Zambian side of Lake
Tanganyika, Mulima's main industry is fishing.
Dimas was not born there. In fact, he did not live in the village
until 2000 when his uncle died, leaving Dimas next in line as village
headman.
With a wife and two children, Dimas moved to the village to take up
his new role. Previously he had been a farmer, but the rocky ground
along the lake was unsuitable for growing crops. Plus, without the
proper fishing supplies, (boat, line, etc.), Dimas could not go out on
the water. Instead he and his wife Evelyn cut grass to exchange for
fish.
From an early age Dimas did not like going to witch doctors and tried
attending different churches, but never felt that he got anything out
of it.
Then Dimas met Aaron, an OM missionary living in Kapembwa, just over
the hill from Mulima, on the local ferry. After hearing who Aaron was,
Dimas invited him to his home to share and discuss the Word of God.
When the other villagers saw Dimas talking to Aaron, and later on
Clement, another OM missionary, they went to warn Dimas saying that
“those people are satanists, don't fellowship with them.”
While acknowledging their worries Dimas replied, “if they are satanists, I am going to see for myself.”
Immediately though Dimas knew what Aaron was saying about the Bible was true.
“When Aaron took me into the word of God I felt that that is what I
needed,” said Dimas. “He explained it very well, it touched my heart.”
“In the past we believed in witch craft and witch doctors,” Evelyn
added. “When Dimas was sick (with high blood pressure) we went from
witch doctor to witch doctor to find help, but nothing changed. We went
to the hospital, nothing changed. But after meeting the word of God,
everything has changed. Our lives have changed.”
“People are able to see a difference in me from (before),” Dimas
said. “A lot of people follow me, even to church. They are coming to
fellowship because of (mine and Evelyn's) lives.”
Being a Christian and a headman has its difficulties though.
“In every village, the headman is entitled to discipline a person who
is misbehaving,” explained Dimas. “So what they usually do is call
everyone in the village and beat that person. But for me it is a
challenge because I am not supposed to judge anyone as a Christian, and
not beat someone because of the wrong they have done. I would rather sit
that person down and take them through their mistakes so that they
learn. But to the villagers and elders they think (that) is not being a
good headman because I'm not doing what I am 'supposed' to do. It's a
big challenge being a Christian and a headman because you can not abide
in the village law and the law of God.”
Another example of this is when visitors arrive in the village. As
headman, Dimas is expected to welcome them and let them stay in his
yard.
“The villagers think I am not fulfilling my role as the leader of the
village (when I turn witch doctors away),” said Dimas. “But the witch
doctors have stopped coming to this village since they heard that I am a
Christian.”
A testimony of forgiveness
One of the greatest moments of joy Dimas and Evelyn experienced was when their son, Bernard, became a Christian.
“The villagers used to call me a 'dead person' because what I did was
so terrible,” said Bernard. “I used to sleep around with women. When
one of these women got sick, the villagers believed it was because of
what we were doing. They threatened to kill me.”
Dimas asked all the Christians he knew to pray for his son to know Jesus.
Aaron and Clement were committed to befriending the headman's son;
walking over the hill sometimes twice a day to encourage him. Clement
even offered to teach Bernard how to read and write.
Bernard moved to another village where he met his wife and returned
to Mulima and started going to church. After two months Bernard accepted
Christ into his heart.
“I have seen how God has brought back the relationship (between me
and the villagers),” said Bernard. “For a long time everyone was scared
of me, they hated me; when I was passing through they would even spit at
me. Now they welcome me into their homes, they greet me like a normal
person, and kids run towards me. For a long time they would run away.”
“When I pass by they say 'Bernard, God is great for your life to be like this. You should continue holding onto Him.”
