Day Nine

It is Sunday night here in Freetown, Sierra Leone – it is 9:07 P.M. – we split up to day and taught at four congregations. Dan and Dan at Calaba Town – Jimmy at Wellington – results 6 baptized at Calaba Town – 14 at Wellington. They met up after services at each place at a creek not far from each the congregations for the baptisms. We pray to God that these babes can be taught the milk to grow. Dan and Dan and Jimmy used our normal two vehicles to go do their teaching – I was picked up by brother Christian Asgil to go speak at Priscilla Street. I spoke at the Bible Study and the worship period – the house was packed – every seat taken it seemed and they listened great! What a group we have as we had discussed what needed to be done at each congregation and we followed that plan – you can see the results of the plan for Dan, Dan and Jimmy – God gave a harvest. My plan? Start teaching about how Christians should be clothed spiritually and where do we sees Jesus. It is very unfortunate but the institutional folks have taught some perverted things. However, these folks have good hearts and told me today that we teach differently – we are not afraid to stand up and confront the issues of perversion.

This afternoon we all met back at the hotel for just a quick period of recollecting ourselves to go to Garrison Street (Youth Center) - what a service! About 9 men – then the crew with us and us – all men. When we arrived we found out that they did not have any items for the Lord’s Supper. Mohammed (yes Mohammed) who was just baptized Friday (but had been teaching at Garrison Street – a sad story that we are having to deal with that all of us feel better explaining when we are home) came to us and stated that it was out of his control about the Lord’s Supper as the items were to come with another individual and that individual was not here. Immediately John Kabul and Augusine (yes – he was just baptized last Tuesday) sprung into action and left to go find some bread and fruit of the vine.

Mohammed, a humble man, was a former Muslim who converted to Pentecostalism a few years back and works as an interviewer at the radio station where we met him when we first arrived. As I mentioned he had been teaching at Garrison Street but through the teaching last week and two on one sessions with Dan and Dan he obeyed the gospel. Well folks we walk in there tonight and after finding out about the Lord’s Supper issues and getting those in a position to be solved – Mohammed shows us his outline for service and says to us “Would you teach us tonight how to worship so we will know how in the future?” What a heart?

Dan Byers taught the Bible Class – he sat down and every one of those men leaned forward the whole time he was teaching – he had them to read scriptures – to answer questions and the other three of us assisted with comments – his subject? Proper worship! Jimmy led us in songs – it was such an emotional outpouring of their hearts into the songs – could they all sing good – not really but they sang from their hearts and the auditorium rang out with this beautiful offering of song. Jimmy and I then served the Lord’s Supper and made comments about the meaning of the supper and what we should do during the supper. John Kabul wanted to take the plate and serve but I said we will serve. I have served the Lord’s Supper many times in my life – it is an honor to do such – but to see these men and the looks on their faces concerning the reason that they were taking the supper was so emotional. Dan Barker then had the sermon on being saved from our sins. The men hung on every word. It was getting dark – we had been there about two and a half hours into the Bible Study and worship – we taught them about an invitation song and we sang Blessed Assurance and the hall rang out with just these few voices. Then we took up the offering after some comments concerning our responsibility to give. It was getting darker and darker. Outside was noisy and we had to overcome this to sing and to teach and try to concentrate on the Lord’s Supper. Jimmy chose to sing Amazing Grace as our closing song – it is now really about total darkness – no electricity – you could barely see the song book – made no difference – the four of us have never sung Amazing Grace that way – it was chilling to the bone to hear these African men blend their voices with four Americans – the outside noise was drowned in the sea of voices singing praises to God about His Grace. About the time the song was over – John Kabul got a candle – lit it and heated the bottom of it and put it on the table – I was to lead the closing prayer – tearfully I commented on I wondered how many times our Lord taught in the darkness with only one candle if any or if when Paul taught until midnight at Troas was there a candle? I do not mind telling you that God has humbled me again and again and tonight was another lesson – noise from the outside – hot as hot could be – nine African men at worship –darkness comes and they stay seated – to do what? Worship in Spirit and Truth.
Tomorrow starts our teaching at Priscilla Street – we are not totally sure what to expect because that congregation has invited EVERYBODY to come and study – we are tired but phase one is now behind us – we planted and we have watered – God has given increase – 42 new babes in Christ. Now tomorrow we start edifying – we have all come to appreciate our New Testament examples of teachers who taught and some were baptized – the teachers left to go teach more – yet they came back and found Satan busy trying to take away the babies they had taught previously – we see this here – in the states we lose patience with new born babes at times – here we need patience – just as our New Testament examples taught us in the scriptures.

We pray that all had a good day of worshipping the Lord back in the USA. We did here in Sierra Leone – you can see the fatigue on the faces of all of us – we have battled through some tough issues (I haven’t even told you about us dressing down the Col. over all the chaplains) and I have not mentioned much about some issues with our stomach’s – but not a complaint from any of us – just a word of thankfulness to you for the opportunity and most of all to God Almighty for letting us be His messengers.