Angola, Africa: “I’ve been waiting 50 years for you.”
This bush expedition went deep into the heart of Angola to tribes that were so remote they had no concept of religion, let alone Jesus. The team camped in the desert and went from house to house, sharing the gospel. They got word that a Grand Soba (the head chief of the region) lived nearby, so they drove to his house a few hours away. When they arrived, he said, “I’ve been waiting for you.” Confused, they inquired more. Apparently, 50 years ago, a Catholic missionary had come and told him about God but had not finished the story explaining Jesus and the gospel. He had been waiting for the end of the story. Our team shared with him, and he and his whole household accepted Jesus. As the grand soba of the region, he has influence over all the other chiefs and their villages, and we expect the long-term missionaries there to be able to disciple them long-term.
Lesvos, Greece: “I have decided to follow Jesus.”
For five weeks, our team served in a refugee camp on the island of Lesvos. This camp allows us to minister to people from places we could never go – places like Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, and more. One of our GeoLeaders, Emmanuel, was tasked with caring for the resident translators (refugees that were given translation responsibilities to aid the staff). He spent every day faithfully bringing them tea and bread for breakfast and engaging their hearts. He met one man who had almost drowned trying to get to the island after escaping Syria, and they began discussions about religion and God. In this camp, you can’t openly evangelize, but you can answer questions. Long story short, Jesus had visited this Muslim man in a dream, showed him his scars, and said, “Follow me.” Emmanuel was able to find him a Syrian bible and bring him to church. Emmanuel also asked if he could stay an extra ten days, which we were able to figure out, and before he came home, we got a text with a video of Emmanuel baptizing this man in the very waters he almost drowned in while the crowd sang “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back.”
Southeastern University is a faithful partner of The Bolick Foundation.