Door of Hope

Too Hungry to Cry

“The hunger just eats away at your body,” says a grandmother in the Horn of Africa, where 13.3 million are at risk because of the worst drought in 60 years. “You can’t work. All you can do is sleep. The children don’t even have energy to cry.”

Christmas | Prophecy Fulfilled

A joyful African Christmas song, set to accompanying artwork, proclaims what the prophets foretold long ago – the promised child is Jesus. Let’s celebrate the Savior of all nations!

Bound by Myths

Abstinence causes insanity; you can’t get AIDS if the Holy Spirit lives in you; having sex with a virgin will cure the disease. Myths like these led Swaziland to have the highest adult HIV prevalence in the world, around 26 percent.

Trucking the Gospel

Truck drivers in West Africa face death each day. They fear that they will not make it home to their families. Retirement? Insurance? They don’t exist. Temptations? Hardships? They abound. Christians in the region have a vision to share the Gospel with drivers, hoping the Good News will spread along the truck routes.

New Kingdom for Old

Centuries ago the Songhai were one of the world’s great empires, second only to the Mongolian empire in size. Today most Songhai live hand-to-mouth, eking out an existence in the harsh deserts of western Africa. But now a new kingdom is building among them – the kingdom of God.

Serving Alone

“So many of us feel like we have to wait until we’re married before we can live just like the Lord wants us to live,” says a single missionary in Botswana who encourages other singles to get involved in missions. “I think we need to get out and serve wherever we are, whatever status we are in life.”

Grace in Crisis

A young missionary had a worthy dream – to provide clean water for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But when a gruesome accident split his face in two, it seemed the dream might be lost.

Following God to Namibia

The sight of kids fighting over a pot of food inspires a widow with two kids to settle in an unfamiliar country, find a partner, and start a ministry feeding and educating children affected by HIV/AIDS.

Returning Home

A civil war forced Pastor Samuel Sesay and his family to flee their home. As refugees in a neighboring nation, they worked alongside missionaries sharing the Gospel with a Muslim people group. Now they’ve crossed back over the border to continue sharing Christ among the people group at home.

Two Countries, One Faith

Young adults from the United States and South Africa find family in each other while partnering on an International World Changers mission project in South Africa.

A Hospital in Need

It’s tough to run a hospital without consistent electricity and water. Yet for decades people have flocked to this rural hospital in Zimbabwe, knowing they’ll receive good care and won’t be turned away if they can’t pay. A die-hard doctor and his family want to preserve the legacy.

A Time to Heal

In the tension surrounding Ivory Coast’s presidential stand-off (and the years of civil war leading up to it), people were victims of intimidation, curfews and stray bullets. Now, Christians give thanks to God and pursue reconciliation as life slowly returns to normal.

World’s Newest Nation

A spirit of excitement resonates among residents of South Sudan, poised to become the world’s newest nation on July 9, 2011. As independence day approaches, Christians anticipate more opportunities to share the Gospel and worship freely.

Off the Grid

It’s not often a family of four drops everything to disappear off the grid for three months. But that’s exactly what this small-town, Idaho-native family did, crossing coastlines and cultures to share God’s word in a small village in Senegal.

Years Not Wasted

Many college students stop going to church and ignore the things of God. “Those are a lot of wasted years,” says an advocate for Fusion, a program that combines discipleship and missions. “… Fusion was designed to … catch them in that very critical time in their lives…”

Unthinkable Forgiveness

In Rwanda’s genocide, thousands were hacked to death by machete, women were violently and repeatedly raped, and children’s heads were smashed into brick walls. Today, survivors are choosing to forgive those who mistreated them and killed their families.

No Time for Comfort

“It doesn’t matter how much I sweat,” says a worker with the Hands On program in Senegal. “It doesn’t matter how many days I go without taking a shower. It doesn’t matter if I have to eat something I don’t like. … All that matters is the Gospel.”

Caught in the Crossfire

“I murdered people, and I raped women, and I enjoyed it,” says a former rebel solder in eastern Congo. With the help of local pastors, he and hundreds of other soldiers found forgiveness in Christ. But they, and their victims, still struggle with what they’ve done.

Gospel Explosion

The Gospel is spreading like wildfire in rural Zimbabwe, where 700 people accepted Christ and six new churches started in the past year. A church planter says it’s the first time he’s “seen local community take ownership for the Gospel and understand their responsibility to share the Gospel.”

Glorifying God in Turmoil

As uprisings in Africa escalate, Christians are seeing God make Himself known in the midst of chaos. “We who are outside of the situation pray for and are partners with people inside the situation, and God is working through both of us to make Himself known,” says a seminary professor. Learn how you can pray.

Step by Step: Changing a Nation

A pastor adopts a troubled street kid. A couple stays pure till marriage. A smiling AIDS victim encourages patients at the clinic where she now works. Step by step, believers in Zambia are changing the makeup of a country with one of the world’s worst HIV/AIDS pandemics.

Nations Divided

President vs. president. Muslim vs. Christian. North vs. south. Throughout Africa political, religious and ethnic conflicts are dividing nations, and believers are calling on the global Christian community to pray for their countries.

A Christmas Greeting

Celebrate Christmas Africa style with this thoughtful rendition of a holiday classic. The drummer boy gladly offered what little he had to honor the newborn King. This holiday season, what gift will you give Him?

Beacon of Hope

Amid towering trash piles and open sewage, a small, tin-framed church is bringing hope to a Nairobi community. First Eastleigh Baptist Church trains former prostitutes and impoverished community members to start small businesses, and is seeking to share God’s love with Muslim neighbors.

World AIDS Day

Life’s not so sweet in Sweetwaters, a rural South African community where seemingly every yard is filled with graves. Many adults have died of AIDS, and children are left to care for their households. December 1 is a day to remember those suffering and learn ways we can help.

The Church Meets in Africa

Four thousand participants from 198 countries gather in Cape Town, South Africa, for perhaps the widest and most diverse gathering in the history of the church: the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization.

First Contact

Centuries ago, Arab traders traveling by dhow brought Islam to Africa’s eastern coast. Now missionaries in Mozambique are using a dhow to spread the Gospel along those same shorelines.

People of the Rainforest

“Adventure evangelists” trek the rainforest of Madagascar, searching for hidden villages and assessing villagers’ challenges. Later, they’ll return to meet human needs while sharing the Gospel.

Back for More

Semester missionaries in “the great thirst land” of Botswana eagerly return the following year to pick up where they left off: planting new churches, encouraging young believers, and starting work in new areas.

Orphan Ministry

In Johannesburg’s squatter camps, AIDS is killing off a generation, and orphans are growing up virtually on the streets. Meet two women providing, love, care, counseling and provision of physical needs for these children.

Gospel Art

For centuries women in Africa, Asia and the Middle East have used henna, a temporary tattoo drawn onto hands, arms and legs, to beautify themselves. In east Africa, henna is used to illustrate and tell Bible stories — symbols in the drawings remind women of stories they’ve heard and help them tell others.

In Their Own Words

Throughout Africa, missionaries are planting their lives among unique people groups and demonstrating what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Here, in their own words, they share the joys and challenges of cross-cultural work.

To the Ends of the Earth

“Ends of the earth” is sometimes overused in mission circles, but eastern Niger really does feel like the most remote location on the planet. “The Gospel hasn’t made it here yet. That’s why we have to be here,” says a missionary. “…“Not everyone gets that opportunity, to be the first person to tell someone about Jesus.”

South Africa Is Still Here

The prayer of IMB urban missionaries in South Africa is that God would use the soccer World Cup to draw attention to the lost people of the nation’s cities. IMB missionaries minister in five cities that were hosts of the 2010 World Cup: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.

World Cup Ministries – Part II

South Africa is the first African nation to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a soccer tournament that many deem the most anticipated sporting event on earth. Christians are taking advantage of this to share Christ in local communities through soccer clinics, big screen showings, and more.

World Cup Ministries

South Africa is the first African nation to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, a soccer tournament that many deem the most anticipated sporting event on earth. Christians are taking advantage of this to share Christ in local communities through soccer clinics, big screen showings, and more.

Forty Years of Influence

Franklin and Paula Kilpatrick worked among Zambian Christians as publishers of Christian literature, as teachers, as church planters and as leaders, friends and counselors for forty years. They retire next year and feel like they could keep doing what they are doing another forty years.

Unopened Hearts

Ibrahima Dieng has heard the Gospel many times, he is no closer now to being a Christian than he was ten years ago. He is typical of many residents of Dakar, Senegal, a city that is 96 percent Muslim.

A Better Alternative

IMB missionary Alan Locke and his team have started various ministries to build relationships and community with Sowetans. From coaching boys’ soccer teams and teaching girls’ clubs to leading abstinence and Christian living trainings, the missionaries are making an impact with the Gospel.

Reaching Mungiki

Kenyan pastor Michael Kabochi’s life is regularly threatened by Mungiki, a quasi-religious sect that’s synonymous with machete killings, rape and organized crime. But, Kobochi bravely shares the Gospel with Mungiki, claiming, “The blood of Jesus was shed for them as much as it was for me.”

Fighting Neverland

Chronic conflicts in Sudan have led to food shortages, a damaged economy and a lack of access to basic health services, education and jobs. Young IMB missionaries are using HIV/AIDS awareness, hygiene projects and other methods to share the Gospel and meet community needs.

Human Trafficking

Raped and kicked out of home, “Lisha” turned to a boyfriend who eventually forced her into prostitution. Transferred to another pimp and coerced into moving, she’s far from home and desperate for a way out. But with the coming of the World Cup, human trafficking will only increase in South Africa.

Violence in Nigeria

Over the past several years, churches in Jos, Nigeria, have been shaken by violent outbreaks in which both Christians and Muslims were killed. Over 500 are dead after the most recent attacks in March, 2010. Pastors struggle to know how to encourage suffering congregations.

Fusion

Students spend a semester in southern Sudan putting into practice the previous semesters classroom learning of sharing about Jesus in harsh environment.

Africa Water Crisis

Baptist Global Response helps to relieve difficulties in obtaining potable water through pumping and filtering projects.

Healing Bodies, Healing Souls

All over the world, Christians use a variety of means to share the Gospel of Christ and reach the lost. For First Baptist Church of Alexander City, Alabama, hosting medical clinics opens the door to minister to both physical and spiritual needs.

“We escaped with our lives.”

The entire town, including the market area, was looted. All the food supplies were burned. In the end more than 10,000 people ran from Akot, Sudan, and the surrounding areas to seek shelter in 13 nearby villages.

Doll Maker

Kate Ncube hand makes and sells dolls of 17 southern Africa tribes, or people groups. “I enjoy learning about other cultures,” Kate said. “It gives me a lot of insight and helps me understand a person. To understand them, I must understand their culture!”

Mountain Men

Weeks without a bath. Blizzard conditions with only a coal stove for warmth. Layers of clothing that just get changed around every couple of days. Life is rough for three short-term missionaries in the mountains of Lesotho, but it’s worth it for the chance to share Christ’s love.

African-Americans Reaching Africans

Broadview Church is a pioneer — one of the first African-American congregations to tackle the challenge of taking the Gospel to an unreached people group in western Africa. “AfricaStories” will chronicle their journey, beginning here with their first vision trip.

Soccer in Soweto

An interschool soccer tournament in a South African township provides missionaries with opportunities to build relationships, impact a community and share the Gospel.

Just Another Way to Die

If things don’t change, the Basotho people of Lesotho may cease to exist in less than 26 years. They’re dying of AIDS — some by choice, since contracting HIV entitles them to government help. In this impoverished mountain area, AIDS is just one more way to die.

Life on the Streets of Nairobi

About 20 boys sleep on the streets of Nairobi’s Riverside. Some are orphans, some were abused, some were kicked out. Walk alongside Oscar, who’s beaten and tortured by the other boys. And meet Eunice, who’s burdened to help the boys despite some hateful actions.

Presidential Visit to Ghana

President Barak Obama challenges citizens of Ghana to take responsibility for building a better future. Hear Ghanaian Christians’ reactions to the speech, and explore the faith of this nation’s God-centered business people.

Amazing Grace

Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle is a haunting relic of the slave trade, but it’s also a beacon of light in a bustling tourist town. Here, reflections on evil turning to good, not only for the castle but also for a slave ship captain who penned the hymn “Amazing Grace.”

African American Challenge

African Americans have a strong and proud history in international missions. But in the last century that’s often what it’s been – history. Missionary Troy Lewis challenges the African American church to consider its heritage and continue embracing the task of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Zimbabwe: Attitude of Gratitude

Political and economic turmoil have resulted in hunger and hopelessness for many Zimbabweans. But a food distribution project spurred a cycle of giving that brought comfort and hope to some widows, a Christian publishing house and a school.

Map

The map below pinpoints locations featured in our stories, along with a summary of the stories told from there. (Please note the markers are not of specific locations but just general representations of where stories took place.)

Returning Home

Returning Home

Returning Home

by Jacob Alexander
Share This |

Posted August 24, 2011
WESTERN AFRICA – An iron pipe is struck slowly and steadily against an old tire rim hanging from a tree to alert Christians in a small village it is time for morning prayers. It is still dark outside, the sun not yet peaking over the horizon.

In the same village, an Islamic leader wanders around chanting prayers to Allah, a call to Muslims for their morning prayers. He enters the small mosque to continue praying and is soon joined by others.

A different sound can be heard now, faintly at first, then growing louder as more people file in to the building just around the corner from the mosque. It is the sound of new Christians, awakened by the clank on the tire rim, rising in the early morning hours to sing praises and offer prayers to their Savior, rejoicing in the new life they have in Jesus Christ. They used to pray inside the mosque in hopes of gaining Allah’s favor, but now they begin their day in worship of the one true God.

“We have been used to going to the mosque early in the morning to pray, so why can’t we … also start to go early in the morning to the church to pray?” one of the new believers told Samuel Sesay, a pastor in western Africa.

These believers heard the Gospel of Christ through the work of Sesay, who is from the area and has partnered with First Baptist Church of Humboldt, Tenn., to reach the unreached with the Gospel.

Before Sesay connected with the Tennessee church, he and his family found themselves fleeing from a civil war in their home country several years earlier. While a refugee in a neighboring country, Sesay met Southern Baptist missionaries and felt God leading him and his family to work alongside them in reaching a people group.

“It was very difficult because I could not speak the language, and the culture was quite different,” Sesay said. “But God helped me and my wife and children and we started communicating in the language.”

Sesay and his family worked closely with the missionaries to learn language and culture and continued to thrive in ministry among the people, all while their home country was at war nearby. As time passed, the war ended and Sesay felt God leading him to return to his own country to serve. He left with his family to start a ministry at home with the same Muslim people group he had been working with across the border.

Over the years Sesay has shared the Gospel with Muslims but has often faced resistance. In this village, several students have become born-again believers in Christ only to be abandoned by their Muslim parents. The village church is ministering to their spiritual and physical needs but is seeking support to help take care of these young people.

“Pray…the community may understand and support the work of the church,” Sesay asked. “If the community and the church are walking side by side we can be able to reach out there.”

Despite such opposition, Sesay’s ministry continues to thrive. Over the past few years, several contributors worked on a translation of the Bible that was recently printed and distributed to local believers.

“I was so excited; I was joyful because I can … read in my own language and understand what I read from this Bible,” said Mohammed, a former Muslim, now a leader in the village church. “I [am] grateful and … thankful to God for that wonderful work.”

Mohammed joins those believers in the church early every morning as they sing praises to God. Many of these believers were part of a group of 33 new Christians who were baptized after the JESUS film was shown in their village a few years ago. While there have been threats from others in the village to burn the church building, church members remain faithful to their walk with Christ and freely worship every morning.

Sesay hopes more churches will join the harvest field in his country, whether by partnerships like First Baptist Church of Humboldt or simply by praying.

“We need your prayers for this work,” Sesay said. “We are looking forward to your prayers and not only your prayers [but] any other thing God can lay on your heart.”

If your church is interested in helping share the Gospel among an unreached people group in Sub-Saharan Africa, visit call2embrace.org.

Currently based in the United States, Jacob Alexander is a writer for IMB’s Global Communication Team.

Leave a Comment

Related Sites

Asia Stories Commission Stories

Follow Us Online!