With the departure of the Harral and Baldwin-Noutehou families, Toussaint and I are now the only missionaries left on the AFM Otammari Project, and it sure is an odd feeling.
I remember quite well how I felt back in 1999 when my missionary partners, the St. Clairs, left for an extended furlough. I had arrived in Benin only two months earlier, and Suzy Baldwin had not yet joined me. I barely knew the town and only a few people. There was basically no Internet connectivity, and the phone system was unreliable. I felt utterly alone. How would I survive? Who could I turn to in times of crisis? How would I be able to deal with loneliness? Did I actually know what I was supposed to do during their absence? I was not ready for this! The day St. Clairs left Natitingou, I sat on my bed crying, feeling totally helpless. But by God’s mercy I survived and grew through the experience.
This time is different. Now this town is my home. I work side by side with my husband and several local evangelists. In an instant I can get in touch with pretty much anyone I want in this world to get counsel or encouragement or just to share. My missionary partners’ departure doesn’t leave me helpless or lonely, although I certainly miss them. However, after serving in an assisting role for so many years, it is a new experience to be the only AFM missionary, and I’m wondering if I am equipped for all the things that are left to wrap up. My role will be to coach our evangelists, to encourage and lead them as they take over the frontline work and plant new churches.
Actually, the evangelists are already quite well equipped for their work. Jason was an excellent teacher, and they are entirely dedicated to their tasks. They really only need me for some organizational things (although that part can be quite overwhelming at times).
For about three and a half years we’ve been meeting every Monday with our evangelists and anyone else who wants to join us to study the Bible and evangelistic methods together. It was in this setting that we wrote more than 100 Bible studies that are now being used in several Otammari villages to spread the gospel. Most of the time, Jason led these meetings, encouraging us to dig ever deeper into God’s word, helping us discover astonishing and beautiful truths. Naturally, our biggest concern when the Harrals announced their departure was the training program. Would it continue? Who could possibly replace Jason? In one of our last team meetings we unanimously decided to transfer this responsibility to Hyacinthe, who has been faithfully working with us for many years. He is very spiritual, gifted yet humble, and he has a profound knowledge of Otammari culture. At first he was reluctant to accept the responsibility. He couldn’t see himself filling Jason’s shoes. But when we laid out a plan of how we would cooperate and what the training would look like, he accepted.
The last Monday before the Harrals’ departure, Jason taught for the final time. After finishing up a study on the end of time and the book of Revelation, which we had been studying for several weeks, he gave us 2 Tim. 3:10-17 as his legacy. He asked us to continue focusing on studying the Scriptures and not to forget all the things we had learned together. Then he officially handed over the training responsibility to Hyacinthe. In a symbolic act, he moved Hyacinthe to the chair and table he had been using and gave him his clipboard and a new box of chalk.
Then it was time for some special words from our side. All three evangelists gave beautiful speeches, expressing their gratitude for all they had learned and received from Jason, and articulating how much they will miss him. Hyacinthe gave a very personal and touching testimony referring to a letter Jason had written to him before the Harrals even joined us in the field. He said that Jason had more than fulfilled all the promises and plans he had made way back then, and he could leave the field knowing that he had accomplished what he had come to do. Finally, they presented a goodbye gift to the Harral family, and then it was time for a special meal and some fellowship. It was a bittersweet meeting and a beautiful goodbye ceremony.
So how will we continue what is left for us to do? Over 100 Bible studies are written and in use. The biblical foundation is solidly laid, thanks to Jason’s teaching. However, if Christianity remains only theory, and Bible lessons and doctrines are only taught in a classroom, they will not change lives. We want to develop lessons that answer very concrete questions on how to live as a Christian in Otammari culture. How should people deal with marital problems, infertility or sickness? How might they celebrate important events? How do they dedicate their babies or bury their dead? How can they express thankfulness for a good harvest or initiate their youth into adulthood? Animistic life has spiritual ceremonies for every event from A to Z. Should Christianity be any less spiritual? Certainly not, but what will it look like? These are topics we will grapple with over the next 18 months, and we invite you to pray for this ongoing process.
Today was the first training session after Harrals’ departure. Hyacinthe was back at his old chair, and we teased him about it. But he led us in an in-depth study on the experience of salvation and how we can explain the concept in this culture.
So do we fit into Jason’s shoes? No, we don’t, but we don’t have to. We have our own shoes, and the next part of the journey will take us down different roads. We are thankful for the time Jason and his family were with us and for the direction he gave us. Without him we wouldn’t be where we are today. We pray we will have the privilege of harvesting what others, together with us, have planted, weeded and watered. But only God gives the growth, and that’s why all the glory goes to Him!
