For some months I had been in talks with Pastor Jean Komano (The Pastor whose church plays host to our short term outreach program to Koba) about church planting in Tougnifily, a rather large village that is home to Sousou and Baga people, and other surrounding villages. Tougnifily in the Sousou dialect means termite mounds. Jean had made contacts there and as we prayed together it became more and more evident that we could pool our potentials to better impact the communities in question. Our joint maiden trip was set for the 20^th to 22^nd of March. 

I set off at approximately 10am and after two quick taxi rides, found myself at KM36 ready for the first major leg of the journey. There was only a minibus available for the 60 minute trip (it actually took 75). The wooden seats managed to keep me alert all the way while I kept whispering bits of prayer in a bid to keep safe. One is never sure how well the vehicle has been maintained. This first leg passed off safe and smooth. Hallelujah and relief! 

At Tanene, the point of rendezvous with Jean, it took just a minute to locate him, all fixed up in his dark glasses and safari hat, cool and ready.After the usual warm African greetings and enquiries about our various families, we make a quick check on our equipments; flashlights, walking gear and a bottle of water apiece. We head to the next vehicle available for Tougnifily. A Renault 11GTL cab with a plastic gallon for fuel tank, seat covers in tatters and speedometer, heat gauge, fuel gauge and other signals long out of use. 2 passengers (Jean and I) share the front passenger seat; four others occupy the backseat while the trunk cover is tied down with a rope to keep the overload in place, a last drawl on his cigarette by the driver and we are almost ready to go. For its age and condition, the taxi ran surprisingly smooth. Even the second half of the journey that had a good measure of potholes was not much trouble for the experienced driver. Two hours of squeeze, adjust, re-adjust and shift weights later, Tougnifily shows up and I am glad to stretch my legs again and have my blood flow freely again. 

Jean leads the way to where we will be holing up for the next two days. Within 15 minutes I was experiencing again the legendary African hospitality and forgetting I am supposed to be tired. After a quick lunch and some water (how safe is it for me?), we exchange greetings with our host and explain our plans for the visit. Apart from Tougnifly there are two other villages; Katelli (5km) and Tambaya (7 KM) to visit before returning to
Conakry .Mr Kamano, our host is from the same tribe as Jean. He has lived so long in Tougnifily and he has acquired native status. He claims to be a Christian, and that is simply to say he is not a muslim, even though his wife is. 

KANTELLI
Guessing we had enough reserve in time and energy for the 10 Km return trip, we set off for Kantelli the same day at about 1600 hours. Talking, praying and meditating along the way, it took all of 75 minutes to get there. Fortunately, our contact is home, another of Jean’s tribesmen. The only x’tian in the twin village of approximately 1000 adults, even his wife is a Muslim. We encourage him, share scripture and pray together. We listen to how he has defied various attempts to get him convert to Islam in the 8 years he has served as the head teacher of the local primary school, his loneliness in religion and the plans underway to relocate to his own area and people.After a stroll through the village to pray and familiarize, we head back ‘home’ by another route. We agree it had been worth all the efforts to get to Kantelli and praise God. 

TAMBAYA
The next day we set off quite early for Tambaya, the third community in our plans, but not before I had tasted my first cup of Kankeliba tea. Great stuff! I am all the more glad for the tea. I needed all the energy from that cup. The road to Tambaya kept unfolding in endless roll sand and bush path. The West African sun rose up and blazed with intense ferocity as if angry with us. We stopped at a hamlet to rest and shared the good news with the household there before proceeding. After a few more kilometers we get to Tambaya tired and thirsty. It took three deliberate attempts before we could track down Bro. Innocent, our contact person. He had been making efforts at church planting, praying for people and sharing the gospel wherever possible. He took us to the abandoned military garage that his superiors (he is a military personnel) had agreed to let use for a chapel. After praying to dedicate the chapel, we listen o his challenges and appeal for help to acquire furniture for the chapel. We encouraged him and assured him that he was not alone.The return journey proves even more exhausting with the sun very slow in setting. We stop at a river bank to pray and debrief. We are encouraged by all that the Lord had done with us and for us, and request guidance for the way forward. 

DEPARTURE
Our departure from Tougnifily had been planned to coincide with the village market day thus facilitating transport availability. True to form we have no problems getting a taxi ready by the time we got to the taxi rank in the morning. However, some 5kilometers into the journey, the taxi breaks down necessitating boarding another vehicle. The new vehicle has nothing new about it, crawling along and at one point even having a passenger on top of the roof for up to 30 minutes of the trip. And then the driver had to change his fuel tank from the 20 litre plastic gallon to a 1.5 litre used water bottle so we can complete the journey by all means. I have no explanations for this; I only watched in wonder. 

CONCLUSIONS
This trip afforded me an Easter away from every form of Christian community setting. Whiles Christians celebrated the greatest spiritual event in history, I watched as people just strutted about their daily lives without any idea of their predicament or hope of knowing.I was particularly glad for the opportunity be a source of encouragement for the few brethren we met in the place and to see the joy of fellowship as we visited with them.We gained first hand information and experience on the area with a fair idea of the challenges we are up against in our bid to bring God glory among them. I am particularly glad for the times we spent in strategic prayer on the ground.Finally, I lack the words to express the feelings of the first taste of Kankeliba tea!!

My patience was at stretch point. It was obvious that something important was on his mind as he sat across from me. He kept looking at the book in hands, fidgeting with it all the time while I waited for him and meanwhile had started to feel the electricity build in the atmosphere.Adrienne did not visit often. He was on the team that went to Koba last year. It was about two weeks since we returned from Koba and now he was here to visit. I easily imagined that he had come for small talk as our relationship had improved following the time together in Koba. Yet his manner told me differently. So why was he here? Did he need money? Was there conflict with his family? Was he sick? Well I waited.Finally, he raised his head. “I have come to thank you for the time in Koba” he started. “My background is Muslim. My late dad was a Muslim and he insisted that we all go to the mosque. I have been a Christian for a while but I have never had the opportunity to understand the Bible the way you helped me to. I have never been able to share the gospel with confidence and responsibility the way you led us to do. Since returning from Koba, my Bible reading has changed. I understand what I read more and more. I am also more confident about sharing the gospel with my friends” he declared. Adrienne went on to tell me that he has since started nursing the wish to become a pastor. He said the experience from Koba has transformed his Christian outlook. He can discover the truth of God’s words for himself and has come to understand his responsibilities in the ministry of reconciliation.Going on short evangelistic trips with mainly students is increasingly becoming a very important part of our ministry here. During these trips, we have training in leadership and in Bible study. Besides there is Christian mentoring in conduct, service and evangelism as we spend time together. Koba 2007 was the third trip, following Koba 2005 and a day’s trip to Dubreka in 2006. Adrienne’s story echoes the case of many others and we are just grateful for the opportunity to play a part in the building of lives. The church in
Guinea is very young and small. The need for committed labourers can never be overstated at this time. Knowing that young hearts are being won over is very refreshing and motivating. We are encouraged to know that as young men like Adrienne begin to understand their Christian responsibilities to their own people, a solid foundation is being laid that will set the tone for the future. I have seen Adrienne a couple of times since. He will not part with his Bible or let go of the smile on his face. He is growing steadily and building on the foundations from Koba. I am just glad that we are walking in the things that God is blessing. Please join us as we pray that 

§      God will continue the good work He has started in Adrienne and bring to a glorious end.

§      Others like Adrienne will be raised up in this country to demonstrate true Christian conduct and responsibility.

§      God will give us more opportunities, means and the courage to continue in the things that He is blessing.

§      Nothing will succeed in derailing or blurring your commitment to God and the things of God, especially in the face of growing opposition.

§      God will bless you indeed. 

For his Glory alone!!!

Meet Martha (not real name). She is a family friend, is about 24 and married with one child. Martha is a Muslim by birth and upbringing.

Growing up, Martha’s worldview of Christianity was informed by Islamic teachings and her interactions with catholic schoolmates. She thought of Christians as unclean (religiously), worshippers of idols and several gods (the cross, the image of Christ, Mary and the Trinity). Then she had the privilege of watching my family closely for a couple of years. For a while she complained that we were different, as her expectations were not met. We seemed religiously clean enough and she did not see all the moral vices she associated with the Catholics she knew (her observations). Then she dared to enquire why it was so with us. So we told her that if there was anything different, we only tried to do what the Bible told us, in obedience to the teachings of Christ. Besides we depended on the power of the HS to remain obedient to God.

Her interest was aroused. She asked for a Bible so she could see what was therein. She kept her Bible secret from her husband and family; it was not acceptable for her to even touch it. She has read large portions of the NT. Time and again she comes up with various questions. We try to answer her best as we can. Sometimes there are steps in the right direction, other times she moves backwards. As at now, it is hard to gauge how close she is to believing. Even though she seems convinced sometimes, we know she has to struggle with a number of issues:

• Pride – how could she have been wrong all this while, and her parents too

• Fear – what if her husband found out
• Isolation – what if her extended family found out
• Uncertainty – what if we were leading astray

We continue to pray for her. We continue to interact with her. Do remember her in your prayer times, and others like her. Pray for us too that we will have the right words and message for her at every moment.

I love the name Andrew. Besides sounding really nice, it means a lot to me personally. As someone observed, wherever you meet the original Andrew in the NT, he is bringing someone to Christ; a true evangelist and missionary.

This other Andrew is one that I know personally, a neighbor to be specific. He is the guard at the house next to ours, and he comes from Sierra Leone.  When Andy came, he presented himself as a believer. He was faithful in church and sometimes even led the singing time. But his master is a staunch Muslim.

Soon it was Ramadan, the holy Muslim month of fasting. Andy’s master insisted that he converts to Islam and imposed the name Mohamed on him. Regretfully, he had no choice but to comply or loose his job and livelihood. He was barred from going to church, had his head shaved and forced to participate in the Muslim fast and prayer.

We wished we could have helped by making him independent of his remuneration at his guard job, but then it was even more complicated than that, his boss doubled as a distant relative so that even if he was not in his employment, he still held a certain sway over him.

Then Mohamed had a dream. I did not catch the details of the dream but it came to something like a celestial being warning him that he was going down the wrong road. We had been praying for him all the time, and continued to encourage him even though he felt he had betrayed his faith and brethren. Following the dream, he explained to his boss that he could no longer continue to be a ‘Muslim’ and was ready to quit. This time it was the master who had no choice, though he threatened and warned and cut off almost every fringe benefit. He became very strict and exacting too.

He is still called Mohamed in the household, but he has since returned to church and even assumed a leadership role. We praise God for answered prayer through the dream and courage that He gave to Mohamed, sorry Andrew.

Is he Mohamed or Andrew? It doesn’t matter any more, does it? He belongs to Christ.

This is the typical dilemma that many face as they dare to respond to the grace of God. Some never get the dream and courage of Andy. Others’ are met with violence and isolation. As you praise God for the victory in Andy’s life, remember those in similar predicaments in prayer, moral as well as material support.

God bless and keep you.