Out of Darkness Into Light

When I walked across the courtyard toward the simple single-room conference hall, I could hear the djembe beating and hands clapping and voices ringing out, and I knew the morning devotional was already in full swing. Everyone - the 60 plus church leaders from various villages - were all standing when I peeked my head through the doorway, and I was glad because I could slip in a little let noticeably...me being the only white female to attend.   

As soon as I found my place on the front row, the man leading the devotional said a few words in Dagara and everyone fell on their knees wherever they were standing and began praying a loud prayer all together at the same time. Some would call it chaos, but I thought it must have sounded like a chorus to the Lord. Some might say it was rambunctious, but I thought it was quite passionate. I joined them on my knees, thanking God for the opportunity to be a part of this first leadership formation of 2016. 

The heart of our ministry is to strengthen the local churches, and one of the ways we do that by strengthening local leaders. That's what this four-day training was all about. 

After we rose from our knees and returned to our chairs, someone prayed for the teaching that was about to be brought, and then we began to listen as one of our more animated church leaders, Patrice, started to share from the Word of God. 

I couldn't understand a word being said since it was all in Dagara, but I still like to watch. I watch the eyes and the smile of the teacher when he teaches. I watch the intent gazes of the listeners. I laugh when they laugh, even though I don't know exactly why they're laughing. 

But after a while, even I get bored with my observations and my lack of ability to understand, so I fall back in what I knew God had asked me to do with my presence there. When you don't understand, just pray. I spent a lot of time that morning - and the following three mornings - in prayer. 

Prayer for the leaders. For the churches. For their families. Their own spiritual walks and relationships with the Lord. For the lost and hungry and thirsty of Burkina Faso. 

 When I didn't understand, I prayed and did my own personal study and medication, which led me to the end of the book of Joshua. There I found some especially relevant and applicable verses to pray for these leaders, so I circled the reference in my Bible and tucked it away in the back of my mind. Just in case I might get the opportunity to use it. 

These national church leaders have an amazing job. I'm trying to pick a better adjective. A difficult job. Yes. A challenging job. Definitely. A unique job. Absolutely. It's a job that no one else can do. Leading a village church out in the middle of the bush. It's a calling, and I'm not sure they realize just how critical it is that they are where they are and are doing what they're doing. That's why I'll just stick with the adjective, amazing. Because it's true; their role and their work is amazing. 

They aren't like your average preacher. In addition to preaching and pastoring their churches, they have to have a full time job to support their families. So they have small businesses. They work the fields. They are plumbers.

In addition, they don't have your average congregation. They are ministering to people who came out of animism or who are still stuck right in the middle of it and trying to find a way out. They face persecution like we can't even imagine. They are heading face to face against traditions that have defined their people for centuries, and yet they are proclaiming truth and people are coming out of darkness and into light. 

That was our theme: out of darkness into light. 

And that's our vision: to see a vibrant body of Christ in every Dagara village, transforming their communities from darkness into light. 

That's why in the middle of the leadership formation as we were talking about our theme of "out of darkness into light", many culturally relevant questions arose. "How do we deal with practices involving fetishes, idols, and sacrifices that still happen in our communities? Should we go to traditional funerals that involve a lot of animistic practices? If we do go, how should we behave? What do we do if the village chief wants to be a member of the church but still performs sacrifices? How do we do a funeral for a Christian who has died, but whose husband wants to perform a traditional animistic funeral? What do we say to people who accuse us of destroying their religion and culture?" 

These are huge questions. Important questions. Important decisions. The leaders who raise these thoughts are ready to make a proclamation, to make a change. The moment has come. What a blessing to be able to walk alongside them as they seek the Lord, search his scriptures, and decide how to live for his glory as people who are set apart for the sake of the name of Jesus. 

They need our prayers. Their calling is great, and the work before them is great. Their opposition is great. But God is greater, and when they finish their work with faithfulness to the Lord, their reward will be great. 

As we were closing the week's worth of activities, Stanislas invited me to come forward and pray for the return of the leaders to their prospective villages. Remembering that little circle in my Bible, I grabbed my little black French Bible and began to pray for them the exact words out of Joshua 22:5.

"But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Just as Joshua sent he twelve tribes to their inheritance with this charge, will you join me in sending our local church leaders back to their villages, their inheritance, with this prayer? Pray not only for them, but for all national church leaders around the world, whose calling is great, whose task ahead is great, whose opposition is great, but whose God is infinitely greater. May they themselves leave the darkness and enter into glorious light, and may God's Spirit fill them with the strength and grace to transform their families, churches, and communities out of darkness and into Christ's marvelous, radiant light.