“I am an old man, and I don’t care what others say. I have finally found the truth, and I will be on this path until I die.” These are the words our team heard during one of our recent trips to Yalunka villages in West Africa. To date, we have visited eight different villages and are targeting four more during the current dry season. “While each trip has been slightly different,” says Steve Nelson, West Africa initiative director, “all the villages have offered us a warm reception, and we have been able to encourage the 15 – 20 believers who have chosen to walk on the ‘Jesus Road.’”
Unfortunately, believers in these villages sometimes face ostracism for giving up their fetishes and sacrifices and not following the ancient way. Other potential challenges for the team include misunderstandings of culture, communication, motive, and expectations that come along with increased visits to the villages. These types of challenges are expected, and working through them in culturally appropriate ways remains a top priority, as is the continued focus on language learning. Please pray that God would remove any spiritual barriers that might cause confusion within the villages and bless our team as we teach the people about a personal walk with Jesus.
