God’s Sovereignty in Desperate Circumstances
(A Story from a Global South Missionary)
In 2008, I met the woman who would become my wife, and after a brief period of getting to know one another, we decided to get engaged. We were married the following year and soon set out on a four-week honeymoon to a mission field in western Africa—an area where we felt called to share our faith and make disciples among an unreached population. Settling into a small town, we found joy in living and serving alongside a community with few Christian believers. Although we encountered numerous obstacles and trials, we remained committed to fulfilling what we believed to be God’s plan and the aspirations He placed within us. After our first child was born, financial struggles intensified; we often lacked money for essentials like food and rent, suffered from illness, and endured exclusion from those around us because of our Christian beliefs. Our family received serious threats, including violence, from some members of the community. Still, through grace, God granted us strength and peace to persevere. By His protection and providence, we eventually witnessed remarkable results, baptizing and mentoring more than fifty young people during our time there.
By 2010, a growing number of people chose to follow Jesus. As more individuals embraced Christianity, we soon faced persecution. I was detained by government security forces and spent 50 days in prison. During the first three weeks, I was held at an undisclosed location, and my wife, despite her determined efforts, could not discover where I was. Thankfully, through God’s providence, our adversaries’ actions ultimately led to my whereabouts being revealed to my wife.
A security officer created an evil plan to go to my home and threatened my wife but before arriving at my house he called, warning her that if she wanted to know where I was being held, she should leave the gate to our home open that night. He told her that he would come and sleep there, and the next day take her to see her husband. This was very disturbing and terrifying for my wife, a young married woman with two small children, alone in a strange land.
Despite her fear, my wife found courage through faith and asked two neighboring boys for help. When the man returned at night, the boys let him in, but he was overcome with shame and left. The next morning, he called my wife to explain his actions. She confronted him, stating she would report his plan to his supervisor. Frightened, the man pleaded with her not to tell the authorities and promised to show her where I was being held. Reluctantly, my wife agreed. Three weeks after my arrest, she finally located me. Remarkably, the situation turned around—the man’s heart changed, and he helped us instead of causing harm. While I was in prison, he became a friend, asking what I needed and even buying items from the market for me. He also allowed my wife to bring me my Bible and discipleship materials.
The prison comprised five small cells, each approximately six square meters. These overcrowded conditions compelled detainees to spend days without lying or even sitting down. The provisions were minimal, consisting only of dry bread and hot bean water, with drinking water sourced from an unsanitary barrel containing mosquito larvae and other contaminants. These conditions led to widespread illness among prisoners, for which no medical care was provided. Despite these hardships, I shared the gospel and prayed for their recovery—oftentimes witnessing sudden healing—which led six inmates, including two regional leaders, to embrace Christianity. The Lord granted me fifty days in this prison which permitted me to disciple these men in their new life as followers of Jesus!
After spending fifty days confined in a cramped, windowless cell plagued by mosquitoes around the clock, I was eventually released and given only 72 hours to depart the region. My wife and I had dedicated nine years serving the local community, but we were expelled abruptly, unable to take any of our belongings and left without funds. We moved to the capital city, yet after a year, we faced expulsion once more and sought refuge in a neighboring country. However, when war erupted there too, we fled again and were finally granted refugee status in another nation.
Thanks to God’s faithfulness and mercy, we continue to serve Him by training new believers to share our hope in Jesus Christ. Through seminars and bible studies, many previously unreached individuals have become dedicated disciples, now worshipping together in home fellowships.
Disciple Makers for the Nations seeks to identify Global South missionaries who are faithful and fruitful gospel messengers living and serving among unreached peoples. We do this by receiving referrals from leaders who train missionaries and maintain contact with them, providing coaching and encouragement, helping these workers begin disciple making movements among the people God has called them to serve. Your support can help sustain these workers by addressing certain needs as they establish their own support networks. Partnering with us helps missionaries continue their work, making disciples among the least reached communities where the name of Jesus is only starting to be shared.
