Serving amid danger

Summary: His first convert was arrested. A fellow missionary was killed by Islamists. Yet John chose to stay in North Africa. Discover what keeps him serving amid constant danger — and why he believes the risk is worth it.

The joy of getting his first convert in the mission field was short-lived. One Sunday after leaving church, the police stopped the local convert. They searched the car, found a Bible, and arrested the person. They went to the church to arrest anyone else who was there. Luckily, John* (not his real name) had already left, but two other Christian workers were taken.

John escaped, but he was a marked person. He could choose to return to his home country, but the thought of the millions who had never heard the gospel and were also prevented from hearing by their government made him stay. The threat of attacks and arrests could not overpower his love for the lost.

Born in West Africa to a Catholic mother and traditionalist father, life was hard. John’s mother was the fourth wife, and the family was dysfunctional. Eventually, his mother left, leaving John to grow up in a large polygamous household without her. In his desire to reconnect with her, John travelled to a neighbouring country, where he not only found his mother, but also found Christ. John became rooted in the faith and served in the church until the Lord called him to the mission field.

John’s call to missions was not dramatic, but God’s hand was in it. His church wanted to send someone who was mature in the faith and had leadership experience. Many people qualified, but John had something else: he could speak French, a language he reluctantly took in school at his father’s insistence. God had used his unbelieving father to prepare him for the field!

John served successfully for fifteen years, until his sending church decided to pull out from the field. This meant that a critical part of their support ended. He had to either leave the field or find other means of funding. Unwilling to leave, John stayed and served with the little support he could find. Other gospel workers pitched in until John found a sending agency that was willing to provide care and connect him with a new sending church.

Risks and dangers

“Serving in North Africa is risky, but that shouldn’t deter anyone,” John says. “As a God-sent missionary, you should be more conscious of the God who sent you than of the risk involved.”

If a missionary is discovered by the government to be spreading Christianity, the worst that could happen is deportation. The bigger risk is from Islamists who easily kill. John knows one missionary who lost his life at the hands of Islamists.

Local converts to Christianity brave the greatest danger. They could face death from family members, friends, and ordinary people in the community. They can be ostracised and lose their sense of belonging. It is an isolation that few can endure. John says that they help new converts walk the Christian faith without placing them in undue peril, such as asking new believers not to declare their faith in Jesus too early.

Serving by prayer

With regular threats of persecution, prayer has been a pillar for John and for new converts. He wins converts through prayer and teaches them to pray to stand firm. This is critical if you want genuine converts, and not those who convert for material or some other gain.

Other challenges requiring prayer are the numerous unreached, the government not wanting them to be reached, and the higher cost of doing missions in North Africa compared to other African countries. John’s ministry has been rooted in prayer and to date, he regularly runs prayer meetings with and for local believers.

Changing landscape

When he first landed in North Africa, reaching the people was harder than it is now. The government was stricter and more wary of Christians, and the people were more closed to the gospel. With time, things eased. Through the internet, people are now more exposed, and the government finds it harder to restrict them from knowing what is happening outside their borders.

John encourages the African Church to double down on reaching the unreached in North Africa, since it is easier for people from other parts of Africa to reach them than people coming from other continents. Opportunities to reach out exist in agriculture, sports, business, and teaching – especially English language. These are avenues for work in the closed places while reaching the unreached.