Missions in an Age of Persecution:
West Africa
By Dana Oldfield,* Dawn Harris,* and Susan Brown*
 West
Africa, one of ABWE's most challenging fields, has an 88% Muslim
population and follows a version of "folk Islam." ABWE missionary
Dana Oldfield describes persecution as a major factor that contributes
to the number of unreached West Africans: "In many Muslim countries,
new Christian believers are persecuted. Although we have not seen
any of the believers here killed for their faith, we have seen them
threatened, ostracized, refused food, and expelled from their villages."
"Worse yet," Dana Oldfield continues, "prejudice towards Christianity
is a great barrier to the church in Islamic West Africa. To be a
Wolof [a traditional ethnic group] in rural areas is to be a Muslim.
To be an American is to be a Christian. The identities don't mix.
Their opinion of Christianity is based on Western television programming,
non-missionary expatriates, and tourists. Bitterness lingers from
slave trade and the colonial era. Christian missionaries do not
begin their ministry on neutral ground-inevitably, they start in
a negative position."
Yet, God has begun to bless West Africa. In the next three stories,
Dawn Harris addresses the question of what it means to feel "safe"
in the West African country where she is stationed, Susan Brown
tells the story of two new women believers who are standing for
Christ despite persecution, and Dana Oldfield describes the need
for more community development programs.
Finding a " Safe Place "
By Dawn Harris
During our family's pre-field ministry, we were happy to tell our
inquiring supporters that our field was not only one of the smallest
countries on the African continent, but the "safest." We were looking
forward to working with a stable government, among peaceful people.
Little did we expect that the country's first political coup would
occur just after our first year, and that we would watch from the
shore as a U.S. frigate carried the fleeing former president out
to sea.
Within that first year, we were hit by a string of troubles: Africa
's worst dust storm in 25 years, our daughter's eye condition, and
a serious gas fire in one of our missionary homes. Was our newly
adopted country suddenly becoming an "unsafe" place for our two
small daughters and us to live? Should we leave?
Certain of God's desire for our presence here, we stayed, knowing
that the "safest" place for us is in the center of His will. In
our troubles, God has always provided peace and stability. We continually
discover the truth of Proverbs 18:10: "The name of the Lord is a
strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."
The government here allows missionaries to enter as literacy teachers
or medical personnel, but tensions sometimes rise between us and
the community. On one occasion, our family was taunted by a large
group of youths, who shouted, "White person, go home!" Others have
sneered or refused to talk to us because we are Christians.
The pressure is even greater for local believers. If they walk
together in the village, their peers jeer at them, saying, "There
go the Christians!" One believer found an anonymous note on his
doorstep, threatening him that unless he stopped proselytizing and
returned to his family religion, they would "deal with him." We
joined with him in prayer, laying out the letter before the Lord,
just as King Hezekiah did in response to the letter from Sennacherib.
Later, this same believer was forced to move out of his house, which
he had rented for many years, on spurious excuses from the landlord.
Most recently, his elder relatives are trying to take away his wife
and children, for fear that he will "make" them Christians.
Americans appear to lead fairly "safe" lives in comparison with
the persecution local Christians face in different parts of the
world. But are we really safe? It is only when we have called on
Jesus Christ as our Savior that we are eternally safe, confident
we are forever sealed and secure in Him.
In the September 2001 issue of The Voice of the Martyrs ,
Tom White writes: "Our only safety is "living in and doing the will
of God'.Our 'safe place' is not where we live, it is in
whom we live, regardless of consequences-lawsuits, ridicule,
imprisonment, death, or the loss of our jobs or our homes. If we
base our safety on anything other than Christ, we will someday realize
that we have been bitterly cheated."
When you pray for missionaries, ask not only that the Lord will
"keep the missionaries safe," but also that national believers and
missions teams will trust Christ for their safety and security when
troubles come.
"Yes, I Am Changed:" The Persecution of Two Wolof Women
By Susan Brown
"Tell me if you are studying the Bible!" her father demanded. "Yes,"
Ama* replied boldly. "I am following Jesus Christ." Her father was
horrified. "You are crazy!" he shouted. But she stood firm and said
that she would not leave the way of Jesus. He threatened to kill
her, and she said, "Go ahead and kill me." Then her sister-in-law
tried to bribe her: "I will give you this beautiful outfit, if you
will give up what you are doing." But Ama replied, "What I have
found in Jesus is worth more than anything you can give me. Even
if you all abandon me, God will never leave me."
Two women, the bold, young Ama and the meek, gentle-spoken Kumba,*
recently put their trust in Jesus Christ-they represent the first
women believers in a village steeped in the traditions of folk Islam.
Confessing Christ can be perilous for new women believers in a tight
Islamic culture. Their husbands have the right to divorce them,
and their families could refuse to take them in. The pressure to
renounce Christ is strong.
 Frustrated
by her steadfast refusal to return to Islam, Ama's husband threw
away all her clothes and bedding, leaving her only the dress she
was wearing. The village leaders threatened to drive the women from
the village. At the mosque, villagers prayed that the two women
would lose all their possessions. Curses were put on Ama's goats.
At the advice of the local serin, or Islamic teacher, her
mother-in-law sprinkled the ashes of Koranic words into Ama's food,
trying to poison her. When a snake was found in Ama's roof, her
mother-in-law refused to give her shelter. One night, she tried
to strangle Ama.
Yet, God has given Ama courage and joy. One day as she was drawing
water from the pump, she sang worship songs in Wolof. A man asked
what she was singing and why. "I'm singing about the Word that is
true and strong. If you really want to know about it, I'll tell
you." The man replied he wanted to know, and Ama had the opportunity
to talk with him about the Lord Jesus. On another occasion, a man
in her mother's compound asked her, "Ama, what's going on? I don't
even recognize you. Your face is so bright. What has changed you?"
She answered, "Yes, I am changed. Let me tell you why."
Kumba has also faced difficulties with courage. Her friends and
family will no longer help with her responsibilities. Kumba must
trust God to supply her needs as she struggles to provide for her
compound and family. Not as bold and verbal as Ama, Kumba prayed
for the words to answer the village elders when they came to confront
her. When they threatened to evict her from the village, Kumba replied
quietly, "That's left to you. I am not afraid. Nothing that you
do can make me leave the road of Jesus." When Ramadan started, Kumba
and her oldest daughter refused to fast or go to the mosque. Praise
God that Ama's husband and even Kumba's, a Koranic scholar, finally
accepted their wives' decisions and protected them against eviction.
Most of the persecution these women face is emotional and verbal.
At the height of the controversy in the village, both women were
exhausted physically. However, the persecution drew them closer
to God. Though the village leaders do not want other women to give
their lives to Christ, both Ama and Kumba are reaching out to others.
Recently, they made a bold public display of their faith by attending
the Wolof church service. We praise God for how we see Him working
in this spiritually dark nation.
Helping Bukar Help: The Need for Community Development
By Dana Oldfield
One evening last year, a few young men came to my home for help.
There is nothing unusual about people coming to a neighbor's house
for help in West Africa. Many people in rural areas survive on a
subsistence level. Those of us who live there come to expect daily
requests.
After serving some cold water and a snack to my guests, we were
ready to discuss business. I was expecting a request for help with
rice, school fees, or the rebuilding of a house that the rains had
washed away. However, these things were not on their minds that
day.
Bukar,* a Christian, spoke first. "The youth of our village have
so much potential to make a better life for themselves and their
families," he began, "but they have no work. They don't know what
to do or how to do it. We can see them heading for trouble. They
need training. They need opportunity." He went on to list some of
their ideas: the development of new agricultural techniques; the
employment of appropriate technology for shelter, agriculture production
and food preservation; vocational training for young men and women;
and instruction regarding HIV/AIDS.
As Bukar spoke, I saw the passion in his eyes and heard the urgency
in his voice. He earnestly longed to help his people. His desire for
change reminded me of a field meeting held some months before. Our
team had been discussing developing appropriate technology or vocational
training that would not only help meet deeply felt needs, but also
provide opportunities for sharing the gospel. We were convinced that
God could use community development to open the door to many Wolof
hearts and decided to recruit someone to work in this ministry.
Today, we still do not have a person to fill this position. I had
to tell Bukar that although we wanted to help, we did not have the
personnel available to do so. Pray that the Lord will provide us
with more workers for community development programs. If you have
a heart for evangelism and church planting and can see yourself
serving the Lord in this type of ministry, contact ABWE's Missionary
Mobilization department. You may be just the person God has prepared
to "help Bukar help."
* All names in this article have been changed.
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