Everyone has a Story

Every shape, size and color is present. From the ivory white of the Scandinavian to the ebony black of the West African, the jet black hair of the Chinese to the bright red hair of the Irish. People are sharing their stories. Faces are lite up with joy and the bystander can see head nod and eye brow raising and a million other cultural ways of giving agreement.

Language after language is heard, some in the clicking Xhosa, some in flowing French, even others in languages to exotic and rare to be named or described, but each one tells a story.

This last two weeks three stories where added to the ones that all believers will hear someday. Each one might one day be told in a different language: Kasim-Nankana, Nzema, or Asante, but the end will be the same, each person received eternal life.

The first stories main character is a a middle aged Nzema lady named Veronica. Veronica's sons have been attending our Bible study for over a year now, and because of her sons, she decided to attend a few months ago. After attending my wife started the Way of Peace Bible study with her. Veronica seemed to be very interested, and learned very quickly. Though she said that she had a lot of questions, she wanted to wait until the Bible study was completed. She told my wife that she knows from being a teacher, that many times questions will be answered if the student will just listen.

The weeks quickly passed and the truths of salvation began to become clear, but still though Veronica knew that she was as sinner it was hard think about dying and what would happen afterwards. No one naturally wants to think about a subject that for many brings doubt and fear.

This two weeks ago Veronica became sick. At first she thought that it was just a another case of malaria, but after two days it would not go away. Could it be more, she thought, as Wednesday came, the symptoms became worse. She told her husband to just go to work, and that she would stay home and rest. (Her husband is a teacher also). Her oldest son Moses had gone to school already, and her younger two boys where getting ready to go to school when she collapsed on the couch. She could not breath! So matter what she did, the air would not come. She felt the lungs closing, and her chest tightening! The two young boys just began to cry and say, "Mommy, don't die, please don't die!"

Veronica, said that only one thought kept coming to her mind, "If I die, then what!" She said that she prayed to God, "Please God let me live, and I will listen, I want to know how I can know what will happen to mean after death! Please let me live!" Just then as she finished her prayer, her lungs opened and she could breath again.

She told the boys to go to school, and she went off to the hospital. At the hospital they told her that she had typhoid, and gave her the proper medicine. By that Saturday, her strength had returned, and she was ready for my wife's visit.

After one hour of study, Veronica would not let Patty and Emily go. She kept asking question, and then told them the story. She told Patty that no matter how long it took, she wanted to understand that day. So after a few more hours of study, Veronica placed her faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and added her name to the Book of Life.

After some time of rejoicing and prayer. Patty told her to take care of herself, so that she could regain her strength, to this Veronica said, "I want to get better, but I am not worried about death anymore, so even if I don't, I am fine, because now I have peace!"

The second stories main character is a Kasim-Nankana man, that is a brother to one of our converts. He arrived in Kumasi a few months ago to gather enough money to start a farm in the north. His family has the land, but if he is to take care of his elderly mother, he would need to money to buy the seed crop for the farm. For this reason he came to Kumasi to stay with his brother.

Andrew and I knew that we only had a short time to reach him, since he was only planning on staying in Kumasi for four to five months. Bismark his older brother, started to bring him to Bible studies right away. Peter, for this is the name of this young ma, does not speak much Twi, since he is from the north, but luckily for us he speaks semi-fluent English along with his local language. Andrew began English Bible studies with him and worked at braking down the false Tradition and Charismatic teaching that had been filling his mind.

Last week on Friday, our little team made the two or three mile walk to they family shanty, hoping that Peter was around. This morning the Lord was at work, and Peter would be working the evening shift at work, so he was available to talk. Andrew sat with him in the small one room wooden house, as I spoke to his senior brother outside. After about two hours, Andrew and Peter came outside.

Peter is a fairly well built man, much like his brother. They both look like body builders, so when he came out with a child like grin, that a person would she on a young child in the United States at Christmas, I was hopeful. After greeting them, I asked Peter why he was so happy.

This is what he told me. "I am happy this day, cause I know truth now. Before I did not know, that a curse was over me, that I was a sinner, and that I could not brake curse with my own power, but now I knows that Jesus blood has broken this, and paid for my sins. He is my only hope, this is why I am happy."

Pray for Peter has Andrew and I seek to have him taught and baptized before he travels. Also pray for the Lord leading for him and us, after he travels to the north.

The finally story for today centers around an Asanta man named Asamoah. I have written about Asomoah and his accident in past journal entries. It has been almost a month since his accident, and the doctors have told him that he is fine for now. He does have a skull fracture, but the hospital has said that they want to wait for the swelling to reduce before they make any further actions.

This last week Asomaoah's story has had a good chapter added to it. Many people have been telling Asomoah that he has been cursed. That someone cursed his grandfather. They tell the family that the reason that they all drink so much is because of this curse, and until this curse is broken, they will never be free from it power.

Taking this idea, I took Asomoah to the Bible. I showed him that no one has cursed him, but that because of the sins of Adam and Eve, we all have been cursed. That this sin curse is in all of us, and covers and controls everything in this fallen world. I showed him that just like in traditional thought, the Bible says that forgiveness and the braking of this curse can only come through blood.

This teaching seemed to be making ground, but there where times that I was not sure how much his head injury was affecting his memory. But finally after tree weeks, the pieces began to fall in place. On Friday, while some young school children in America where praying for me and Asoamoah (I was told this by the teacher, that they where pray at the same time that I was witnessing)the Lord became to really open Asomoah damaged eyes.

After two hours he eagerly prayed and accepted Christ has his eternal hope. Afterwards I tried to encourage him to tell friends of the decision that he has made.

It is a joy to relive these three story again today, but it will be a greater joy to hear them again someday in heaven.