It was Sabbath, and I was scheduled for preaching. As I sat at the pulpit and glanced over the congregation, I spotted a visitor. His face looked somewhat familiar — and then again, not. He reminded me of a handsome young man I had known years ago, but this was an older man with many scars on his face. Also, the man I was thinking of had always resisted Christianity and was strongly attached to animism. Two of his siblings were church members and had often invited him but to no avail. It must be someone else, I thought.

However, as I was preaching, my eyes kept returning to this man. He looked worn out, thirsting for something different in life than what he had experienced so far, and he was very attentive to the sermon. Slowly the pieces came together in my mind. I had heard that the young man I once knew had been imprisoned for corruption and falsifying documents. Someone else had also told me that he was a heavy drinker.

It was him, and the signs of his bad choices were written across his face.

After church, I greeted Janvier; he remembered me quite well. Seeing him up close, I saw even more of how bad and skinny he looked. It almost brought tears to my eyes. Seeing him now didn’t match the picture of him I had in my mind from several years ago. Satan really had destroyed this intelligent, promising, good-looking man. But there was hope; there always is.

Later I learned how he happened to be at church that day. During the week, there had been a week of prayer in a house group near his home. On top of his general bad condition, he had been quite sick recently, and his wife had suggested going to the prayer meeting so that people would pray for him. After the first meeting, he felt so much better that he went every night and decided to attend church at the end of the week. He realized that he needed to change his life lest he would die. He needed Jesus.

Janvier still has a long way to go. He needs to overcome alcoholism and several other bad habits. When he succumbs to his addiction during the week, he is ashamed to attend church on Sabbath. He also needs a job to provide for his family. But God looks beyond the scars and sees a precious soul worth dying for.

When I sent a message to his brother with the news, he answered: “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear that. Ten years of intercessory prayer —I really hope God can save him from his condition. Keep praying for him!”

Our team has been praying for him, and we invite you to join us.

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