A Divine Appointment
By Jane Schmitz and Hugette 5/29/03
Having just arrived in Cotonou, Benin on a temporary assignment, I was asking God to show me what He had for me to in Cotonou. My experience in Togo, where I served for 13 years as a church planting assistant, had been very fulfilling. But now, I found myself alone in the large, dirty, and busy city of Cotonou. I missed having missionary coworkers, and I was having a hard time adjusting to a new culture on my own. I could not see why I was there.
One day, at the height of my frustration and loneliness, I fell on my face in complete brokenness before the Lord, asking Him to help me and use me in Cotonou, however He desired. I went out for a walk in the city, wondering whether I would ever make a difference in Benin.
On my walk, just like the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts, I found a young lady sitting under a tree, reading her New Testament. She was reading Revelations with a puzzled expression. I told her that book was rather hard to understand, and offered to show her some other verses. As I shared the gospel with her from the New Testament, I explained that we needed to believe in Christ to be saved-but just as I was finishing this point, I was called back to my apartment by a friend. I pointed out my home to the young lady, and told her to stop by if she wanted to talk more. I asked her name: Hugette. Only minutes after I had returned home, she came to my door. "God is speaking to my heart," she said, "I need to understand more."
Once again, I explained the gospel to Hugette. With tears in her eyes, she told me her life story: "My life is one problem after another. I was orphaned at the age of 13 when my parents died only months apart. As the oldest child, I was responsible for my siblings. At 18, I was violated by a man, became pregnant, and was forced to marry him. I bore another child to this man, suffered physical abuse at his hands. When he left, he literally took my two boys from my arms. In my despair, I sought God in many different religious groups, yet never found Him. Unable to provide for myself, I have been living with another man for four years, all the while not knowing where my children are. My life feels utterly hopeless.
I had decided to commit suicide today. The pills were ready. I wrote my farewell note, and called my boyfriend to tell him I wouldn't be there when he came back. I went out for a walk and sat under a tree to read my New Testament, thinking things through. I was going to kill myself once I got home.
But then you sat down beside me. The things you said seem to clarify what I have been seeking for. I have heard many religious messages, but I never understood that it is faith alone in Jesus that could save us. I desperately want God in my life. I do not want to die."
Then Hugette prayed to receive Christ as her Savior. I realized that God had brought me to Cotonou to meet this woman. God had orchestrated the entire encounter with perfect timing. He chose to send an American all the way to Benin to bring the gospel to this woman. He chose to save Hugette on the very day she was planning suicide. God has enabled Hugette to find her two sons, lost for four years. Now she is able to visit them.
Hugette is radiant with joy and new hope: "I know how much God loves me. He has called me to be His child. I am so thrilled to be saved. I still have lots of problems, but God is helping me with them." What a blessing to be used of God in this way, and how extraordinary to see the story of Philip and the eunuch—or Hugette and the lady missionary—come alive in our own time. Truly God is sovereign.
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