Their lives, a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace!
(Steve Green)
From a young Nigerian missionary to Cape Verde Islands – a nation on a volcanic archipelago off the North west coast of Africa:
Being a missionary has been a great experience! I remember when I got to Morocco (on my way to Cape Verde), I just couldn’t help but sob like a baby, thinking of the unknown.
The mission field can be like an action movie!
One Wednesday I went out to call some church members for a church service. From no where, a police van appeared and we were rounded up like criminals.
They started searching us, almost stripping us naked.
I was in a state of complete shock and fear, all sorts of thoughts running through my head at top speed.
They kept saying something in Portuguese I couldn’t quite understand.
‘What if they are asking me a question I can’t answer to vindicate myself’ i thought to myself.
Apparently, there had been a robbery in that area and we had been rounded up as suspects!
Thankfully after a while of searching they let us go. Sweet relief!
But witnessing to my first convert (who is now a shepherd), Dorival Miguel was one of my greatest and most fulfilling experiences!
It was another beautiful Wednesday evening. After going to a church member’s house 3 times and not meeting him, I met Dorival sitting outside his porch in the dark doing nothing.
I walked past him to church, coming back the same route to get someone else. Dorival was still there. I said to myself, ‘if on my return, this guy is still here, I’ll preach to him’.
And there he was on my return! I approached him and asked in Portuguese ‘voce fala inglis’? (translated: ‘do you speak English’?) ‘Mais ou menos’ he responded meaning ‘more or less’.
What a relief this was for a very green Portuguese speaker.
So I shared the gospel with him and He gave his life to Christ! The feeling, inexplicable!
I invited him for a service that evening.
I asked Dorival to wait for me and I’d be back in 5 mins to pick him up.
He said something you’ll hardly hear in Cape Verde when you invite anyone to church.
He said ‘I’ll be here waiting for you’. On my return to pick him up, to my surprise he was there!
Today, through Dorival, 2 other people are in church, and he is now a translator of English to kriolo and Portuguese.
He travels 2 hours from home to church when he is on vacation from the university!
The fields are indeed white! Many hearts ready for the gospel. Just waiting for that one person to share with them.
Nothing compares to the joy of seeing a soul saved and established in the kingdom! Nothing! Not even the joy from the relief of release after an arrest.
If I came to Cape Verde so this one soul could come into the kingdom, it’s been worth every bit! Let’s keep preaching!!!
Glory Okokon