One
year ago, I was talking with my mom about everything I had learned at
training. As we spoke about the best way
to reach a village with the gospel, a plan for prayer became clear to me. We could pray that a gray haired man (a
leader) would be radically changed by Jesus Christ and that he would be a
witness to his community. We then asked
our prayer partners and churches to begin praying for this gray haired
man. From hearing updates from prayer
partners, I know many people have continued to pray for God's great work in the
gray haired man's life and village.
During
our first time to visit villages in Androy land we met a man named Gilbert, who
has gray hair. We've since been to Gilbert's
village, Andovoke, about 10 times. We've
been teaching Bible stories, singing, and praying. We take national believers with us and they
help lead our worship service/ Bible study.
Gilbert
is 50 years old and has 3 wives and 7 children.
He is the leader of his village.
Like many of the Tandroy people, he does many things for work, like:
herding cattle, planting potatoes and corn in a garden, and keeping bees for
honey.
 |
| Gilbert, his 3rd wife, and his baby boy. |
As
Gilbert started to grow in his understanding and experiences with God and the
gospel, we asked some churches to pray specifically for Gilbert as the gray
haired man.
It
was within two weeks of asking those churches to pray that we heard from a
local believer that Gilbert had decided to accept Jesus as his savior and make
Him the lord of his life!
I
waited to see Gilbert's faith in action in order to report to our supporters,
but it is time for you all to praise God with us!
Here
is what I've seen from Gilbert's new life in Christ over the past 2 months:
1)
A week after Gilbert decided to follow Jesus, his mother died. Talk about a trial! The Tandroy custom of ancestor worship is
shown clearly through some of the practices during a funeral. For Gilbert not to follow the pagan rituals
would mean persecution and a seeming disrespect to his deceased mother. However, despite this foreseen hardship,
Gilbert organized a "Christian" funeral for his mother. We attended the funeral and they had a
preacher come to preach and sing all night long! At night, Gilbert gave Leah and me his house
and bed to sleep in and a meal of goat and rice.
2)
Gilbert travels a few miles into town to attend church service on Sunday
mornings with one of his wives and infant on the back of his bicycle.
3)
Gilbert's children that attend school in town, also attend church and
children's ministry.
4)
When we go to Gilbert's village for worship service and Bible study, he now
sings the songs and he has volunteered to pray multiple times. In fact, he started our time of Bible study
in prayer without any prompting a few weeks ago!
5)
I brought a coworker that had never met Gilbert before to his village. As his introduction, Gilbert told my coworker
his testimony. Gilbert said, "I
used to have foreign friends, but I like my foreign friends now the most
because they teach me the Bible. I used
to be a witch doctor, but now I follow Jesus."
Wow! Stop right now and praise God for the answer
to our prayers and for Gilbert's new life in Christ!
As
we continue to go to Gilbert's village and he continues to grow as a disciple
of Christ, pray over these requests:
+
Pray that Gilbert takes the next step in discipleship to teach others the
gospel and the Bible stories he learns.
+
Pray that Gilbert has wisdom from God for how to approach his 3 wife situation.
+
Pray for Gilbert's three wives. One does
not attend Bible study and another might be consulting a witch doctor still.
+
Pray for the church that Gilbert attends.
Recently the pastor has resigned from the church and we are not sure about
the future of the church.
+
Pray for more experiences with God that will grow Gilbert's trust in God.
+
Pray for Leah and I as we continue to teach the gospel in Andovoke and the
surrounding area.
Since
you've read this story, help us glorify our Father by telling the story of this
answered pray to your church, friends, and family!
God
is Awesome!
For
His Amazing Work,
Andrew
 |
| Teaching Gilbert (seated on the log in front) a way to share the gospel with his neighbors. |
"that according to the riches of his glory he
may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your
inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your
hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may
have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth, and to know
the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled
with all the fullness of God." Eph. 3:16-19
