It has been two years since we moved to Kono. Even though we are originally from Sierra Leone we have much to learn about this noble ethnic group. According to our strategic plan, we are at the second phase, language and culture study, when we look for opportunities to mingle more with our people group.
The Kono language is the primary and most widely spoken language among the Kono people. However, many Kono youths primarily speak Krio with other Sierra Leonean ethnic groups.
The Kono, unlike many other Sierra Leoneans, rarely travel outside Eastern Sierra Leone. As a result, only a few Konos are found in the capital Freetown and northern Sierra Leone. They are polite and hospitable, even allowing strangers to lodge with them or their chiefs. However, they are unified by their language, shared cultural beliefs and ancestry worship, making it difficult for outsiders to fit into their culture.
There is no culture too closed for the gospel to infiltrate if we follow the method of Christ. In her book The Ministry of Healing, Ellen White wrote, “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’
“There is a need of coming close to the people through personal effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time was spent in personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant instructed, and the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep with those that weep and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit” (MH 143.3-4).
During His earthly ministry, our Lord mingled with the commoners, turning far more than his twelve disciples into Persons of Influence (POIs). These POIs took the world by storm.
I prayerfully follow this principle. After each language class and cultural study, I pray and ask God to lead me to a place where He can put me in contact with the POIs. Interestingly, by His grace, He led me to a carpenter shop.
When we moved from Guinea to Sierra Leone (Kono) in 2021, some of our wooden furniture broke and needed repair. I asked the brick masons building the walls around our house to find a carpenter. Their boss sent his son, who returned with a carpenter who calls himself Spice. Spice is not a Kono. He is a Tenneh from the northern region of the country. He did some work and charged me more than customary. I gave him what he charged without negotiating the price. In this culture, when they notice you are not one of them or new in the area, by accent, or by your looks, they want to gain from you as much as they can. I understand this mentality but played along because I sought a friend (POI).
A week later, I met another man that works with Spice. I called him N’Koroh, meaning big brother in Malinka or Kurankoh. N’koroh is a Kurankoh also from the Northern region of the country. I asked him to fix a bed for us, which will be used by future student missionaries. He also overcharged. I was not surprised.
Their humble carpentry shop, without the benefit of modern tools, lies on an unpaved main road leading downtown and is not far from our home. N’koroh rented the property and asked his friend Spice to work with him. They are two young Muslim men struggling to make ends meet. Many Konos, old and young, rich and poor, visit these men because of their talents. They made outstanding repairs to my furniture.
Their skills, and the conviction I received from the Holy Spirit as I searched for a POI, prompted me to continue to visit them regularly. Their shop became my second classroom where I practiced the language. It was also a place where I could connect with people in our community. As our relationship grew, I noticed that they were nice men.
To continue our relationship without having any ill feelings for them and to demonstrate that I understand the streets, too, I began to ask rhetorical questions about our first encounter and how they cheated me. Once this was clear, they began opening up to me, telling me about their personal lives. When thieves entered my courtyard, stole my iPad and Bluetooth speaker through my window, and even attempted to break into our house, N’koroh and Spice took turns as our guards every night until our gate was fixed.
As I continued praying for both men, Spice began showing the signs of a seeker. He began asking general religious questions. As I continued mingling with them, he began narrowing his questions to the Sabbath, food, and the life of Jesus Christ. One evening he visited us, bringing with him a standing pulpit. “I made this for you,” he said.
Time momentarily stood still. A split second later, I found myself yelling, “M-o-m! Come and see what your brother has made!”
My wife came to the door. “Spice, this is very nice!” she exclaimed.
I did not hesitate to ask Spice if he could come to church the following Sabbath to present the pulpit and for us to pray for him. “Sure,” he said as he turned his back and left. The next day, he asked what time the church service started and what he should wear. I told him the time and said he should come as he was. As promised, he attended, and we presented him and the standing pulpit. The elders then prayed for him.
The Lord is doing His work in this young man’s life. Our relationship is growing stronger. Please keep him and his friend N’koroh in your prayers.
