Teeth, Love, and Stories

I’m now back from spending three weeks in Mali. In my four years in Mali I didn’t see the Maninka people as ones who voiced there love very much, but these last three weeks I heard it many times. As we would close the day of clinics and give our thanks and greetings, many expressed how they felt loved by us that we would leave our home and travel all the way to their village to help them. In the villages we’ve previously been to, they also expressed how they see we love them because we would come back. That we didn’t forget them, and came back when we said we would spoke volumes to them and really testified about what followers of Jesus are like.

I have many amazing stories from this trip but for now I wan to share a story about a translator name Modi.

After the dental team left I stayed an extra week and met up with a volunteer team from Tennessee to share stories in a couple Maninka villages.

At one of the villages we decided to gather people and show them how followers of Jesus worship.  Two of the translators started leading the singing, one was a follower of Jesus, the other, Modi, to the best of my knowledge was not. So I was a little surprised to see him sing and lead with such enthusiasm worship songs to Jesus. I’ve worked with him before and was starting to notice something was different about him, but couldn’t figure out what it was.

After the singing, one of the volunteers shared a story from God’s word in English while Modi translated it to Bambara. It was the story of how the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to look for the one that is lost. As we were discussing the story, there was a Maninka seeker who said he didn’t understand why the shepherd would leave the 99 sheep behind. As Modi listened to the man, he went up to one of the volunteers and was saying, “Oh he’s not getting the point.” So the volunteer encouraged him to share what he thought the story meant. So Modi shared with the group that to him “the story was saying how much Jesus cared, and would leave that 99 sheep, those 99 believers who are gathered and are safe, to go and look for the one that is lost so He can bring him back to join the rest.” I was again surprised by his insight, that this man who walked a different road would speak such truth about Jesus.

Well one night after the team came back from a village we all gathered at Pastor Samuel’s house to have dinner and worship. As we were giving praise Modi spoke up and said “I have an amazing news. I have been translating for the Americans for a long time, and I have heard them tell others stories about Jesus. I have seen it is true and I confess!!! I believe in Jesus too!

I learned later that it was just on the car ride back from the village that Modi made this decision. Some of the volunteers were talking to Modi and another translator. They talked about someone making that confession to be a follower of Jesus and someone asked Modi if he’s ever made that confession. Modi said “not yet, but the door is open, and I can see the room, and I’m looking to see if it is comfortable.” One of the volunteers then explained that to be a follower of Jesus won’t always be comfortable, in fact he would face persecution and trouble. As they talked with Modi some more, by the time they arrived Modi made the decision that he wants to be a follower of Jesus.

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’  In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! (Luke 15: 4-7, NLT)

As we celebrated with Modi that night in the compound, I was reminded there is much rejoicing in heaven as well because one was lost and now is found.

Throughout the last three weeks, and in the different villages we visited there were others who have heard God’s word, and have chosen to walk the Jesus road as well. Rejoice with me and praise our God that he would make a way for the lost to be found, for the light to shine in the darkness, and for His truth to be made known.