Reason to Celebrate
Posted on July 13, 2011
BROBO, Ivory Coast — It is the day of Pentecost, and pastor Dabilla Kambou stands smiling in front of an armed soldier at a military checkpoint outside Brobo, the village Kambou wants to enter. Kambou is known for his grin, which spreads from ear to ear and can diffuse the most tense of situations.
The guard can’t help but smile back as he shakes Kambou’s hand and asks, “Where are you going?”
“To church,” Kambou replies, “for the big celebration.”
A minute later he’s back on his motorcycle and on his way again, still smiling. “That’s nothing,” he says.
During Ivory Coast’s nearly nine-year-long civil war, most encounters at military checkpoints were intimidating. Soldiers would all but strip search civilians and rummage through their bags looking for weapons and anything of value. Individuals found suspect were often beaten, jailed, and sometimes even executed.
Kambou would make the nearly 20-mile journey from Bouaké to Brobo every month by bicycle. Traveling in a personal motorized vehicle almost guaranteed one would be accosted and have the vehicle commandeered by soldiers.
“It was hard,” he says, shaking his head. “The war didn’t do any good for our country, but good things did happen during the war.”
Those good things are the reason for the celebration he is attending at Brobo Baptist Church. Throughout the war, the church body was not only preserved, but thrived.
Deacon Arnaud Kouassi Brou explains his congregation’s decision to set aside a day of jubilation: “We wanted to stop everything and give thanks. We need to recognize all that God has done.”
In 2003, Brobo was flooded with refugees from nearby Bouaké, Ivory Coast’s second-largest city. International peace keepers had established Brobo as a demilitarized zone, and it became a safe haven for people fleeing the fighting between the government and rebel troops.
Brobo’s church had over a dozen new believers who wanted to be baptized, but the church had no pastor. They called on Kambou, who pastors a Baptist church in Bouaké.
That long bicycle ride to baptize 15 men and women was the first of many as he became their “honorary pastor.” Kambou returned once a month to preach, often baptizing new believers after the Sunday services.
“I baptized the majority of the members of their church,” he says. “They were people who fled the war zones. They had no idea they would encounter Jesus here.”
Kambou soon began holding leadership training workshops with the church’s deacons and elders. He was impressed by their wisdom and passion for their church.
“They’re such smart people. I just needed to help them develop a vision [for the church] and then they ran with it,” he recounts.
The group focused on keeping the church unified during the ongoing and divisive political crisis. They met with the village chief and the mayor to establish that they had no political interest. “We supported neither one side nor the other; we were there for our community,” says Brou.
One community project the church spearheaded was the construction of a mill for the village to process rice and corn. “People often say that Christians don’t do anything but pray,” laughs Brou. “We want to show them that in addition to prayer, we attend to the social needs of the community.”
Kambou was amazed by their initiative. “It wasn’t an idea I gave them. They came up with it on their own through the wisdom they received from God. He opened their eyes to ways the church can reach out.”
In early 2011, Ivory Coast erupted with violence once again, and it had a profound effect on Brobo. Hundreds of thousands of refugees fled the commercial capital of Abidjan and headed into the country’s interior. Villages like Brobo had their populations double, even triple, as residents of the city sought refuge in their ancestral villages.
“Those months were a time we will never forget. It was such a difficult time,” Brou recalls.
Despite the difficulties, the church remained strong and members took care of each other. “If someone had two kilos of rice, he’d give one kilo to another. If someone had some yams, they would share them. We spent the two months unified as a church,” says Brou.
He points to Scripture as the inspiration for their thanksgiving celebration on Pentecost. “We have been studying the book of Acts and we wanted to eat together, fellowship and worship in agape love like the disciples used to.”
They invited representatives from all the other evangelical churches in the area to praise the Lord and share a meal with them.
“We didn’t buy this food here,” says Brou as he proudly points to the dozens of covered pots in the church. “Each church member prepared food and brought it to share with everyone.”
Christians around the world remember Pentecost as a day the unifying power of the Holy Spirit was made evident. On this Pentecost in Ivory Coast the Spirit moved again, bringing believers from different denominations, ethnic groups and political parties together for the unified purpose of glorifying God.
William Haun is a long-term volunteer who works alongside IMB’s global communication team.
24 Responses to “Reason to Celebrate”
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Thanks for the story about Dabilla and the Brobo church.
Ted, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I know your ministry in the area in the 90s played an important role in preparing the nationals that are now leading the church.
William,
An intense story and a very special one because it shows the work of growing God’s Kingdom.
Your pictures documented it very well. Plus the written story certainly lets us here in America know that we have a lot to learn about Faith and dedication to the work of God’s Kingdom. We take far too much for granted.
Thank You!!!!!
Alan, I’m happy to hear the story was meaningful to you. Help spread the Word!
William,
Great job! Made sweet tears come to my eyes as fond memories came to my mind.
William, good story. I can still see the region in my mind from years ago when I traveled there. Precious people. Praise God that the church is still thriving amidst difficult circumstances.
thank you for sharing this story. reading your story brought tears to my eyes and let me know that god is good. great article.
I’m so glad you were moved and I hope it was an encouragement to you in your ministry.
That is a moving Story, William. Thanks for sharing. Your story made me think of Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you”
William, what a story, thanks for sharing. I can only imagine what it is like for you to go home to Africa and see the fruits of labor that you and your parents spent years sowing. God bless you my dear friend and thanks agian for your testimony.
Thanks for this! Great job! It is inspiring to see God working like this.
Your coverage really brings these dear people to life William. I agree with Evan about how inspiring it is to see God at work everywhere and not just in our little corner of the world. Keep it up brother!
Thanks, John! Your support of foreign missions through your SBC church makes telling stories like this possible.
Thanks so much for including me in the Facebook stories and pictures from Ivory Coast. Oh, and by the way I am an old ICA staff member. It was a great account of the way God worked amidst war in Brobo. Thanks for the campus pictures too. God was good to us there, wasn’t He?
God certainly is good and you sowed many seeds in Bouaké for Him as well. You can’t fathom the impact being made today by all the young MKs you and the other ICA staff discipled for all those years!
Excellent coverage. It is so exciting and encouraging to see the work Jesus has done, and how he has used faithful missionaries to reach the world for him. Also a reminder to keep this region in our prayers. What a beautiful church… Thx bro.
William,
We have been gone from RCI for 16 years yet it is still in our hearts. Thanks for your work, vision, and passion for the Kingdom and these folks. For us it gives us a taste of home.
I trust you still have your sense of humor, I always enjoyed it at ICA!
“uncle” Tim
Super story and photos. Thanks, William!
Awesome story and photo documentary. I would expect no less from talents such as yours. Thanks for your committment to helping spread the Gospel.
William,
Glad to hear good news about the good news in such difficult times. Thanks for the work you put into this!
William, thanks for sharing how Godly people were faithful and effective in their walk with the Lord during a time of crisis.
Thanks William. Appreciate your work and ministry.
Thank you for being willing to go. I have been mourning the loss of life over the first few months of 2011 due to the political situation in RCI. Since May I have heard nothing but great stories of how God has been building His church in this beautiful country. I am proud of you and thanks for the pictures of Bouake. Keep up the good work. I hope to make a trip back to RCi soon.
Just had a chance to read your story, William! Great and wonderfully inspiring! God bless you as you serve Him faithfully! Blessings!!