One of our newest church plants is located in the village of Koukoua. Last year, the group started with just a few people, so we organized a regional Pathfinder campout in the village to facilitate evangelism. Esaïe, a young Adventist who had been discipled by one of our former STMs, shares his experience during the campout:
“Every night, there was an evangelistic meeting, and during the day, we would go out into the village to invite people. On the first day, I entered a courtyard where two ladies sat, a daughter and her mother. I invited them, and they assured me they would come but did not. I returned the next day and invited them again, but they still did not come. The invitations continued for a few days.
“Then, on the last night, the mother finally came to the meeting. When she saw me, she approached and said: ‘I just had to come and tell you why we have not been coming as we promised. My daughter has a horrible sore on her leg and cannot walk, but she did not want you to know.’
“I accompanied the mother to their house to look at the sore. It was badly infected. I had a nasty sore last year, so I knew how to treat it with charcoal. I promised to return the next day and walked back to the Pathfinder camp to spend the final night of the campout.
The next morning, before returning to my home in Boukombé, I went to their house and applied a charcoal poultice to her daughter’s leg. After that, I drove 12 miles every other day to treat the sore until it healed. She was so thankful.”
While Esaïe was treating the sore, our local evangelist, Daniel, visited the daughter and prayed with her. Esaïe and Daniel’s acts and words of kindness bore fruit; today, the daughter is a baptized member.
This spring, the members of this group, with the help of some members of other area groups, built a humble place of worship where about a dozen adults and many children meet every Sabbath. Thanks to a special donation, we helped purchase materials to put the roofing on before the rainy season, toward the end of which they plan to reach out to their friends and neighbors in an evangelistic campaign.
Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin (Zechariah 4:10).
