The first community of Yalunka believers in southwest Mali, Africa, is growing. Last year, a church began amongst the village of Falea. Since then, they’ve baptized 14 believers and have over 50 people regularly attending. Steve Nelson, a missionary with the Yalunka people until 2019, recently visited and saw how seeds planted years ago are now blooming. “The believers of Falea have come alive in ways that we could only have hoped and dreamed of.”
Pastor Yaya Bengali and his wife Madina arrived in Falea last year from the neighboring country Burkina Faso to lead the new church. They brought their two youngest children, leaving four behind to attend school. This spring, the Bengalis reunited with their older children after a year apart. Steve Nelson said it was an honor to witness “the beauty of this reunion.”
After spending time with Pastor Yaya’s family and the Falea church, Steve left encouraged. “Yaya and Madina are discipling and mentoring many of the believers, and… are experiencing the beauty of life transformation, abundant life, and joy in Christ.” They have regular 6:00 am prayer meetings and consistent involvement in their church. “One of the believers wrote their own song for worship,” Hal Lehman, Cross-Cultural Church Multiplication Coordinator at FEC says, “expressing their praise in their own language.” What started as a few individuals is truly becoming a church body.
Falea is predominately made of Muslims who practice Folk Islam, a religion that combines Islam with animism. Continue to pray for this young church and the seeds God is sowing in Mali, West Africa.
