“She died with the greatest joy” – Pt. 2 missionary moment

In part one, our Nigerian brother, fresh out of missionary school, traveled with his colleague into the far interior where they encountered cultural shocks. Continuing the story . . . .

Their foods weren’t the types we were used to. The grains were familiar, but not the preparations, and the water was milky. But we were taught how to live cross-culturally, so we accepted the people and their food, trusted our lives to God, blessed the meals and the water, and had our food with joy and sometimes with much difficulty.

We targeted a young man named Babangida of around 19 years who had just got married to a beautiful young girl but who was always after us. She tied her wrapper over her chest, but would throw it off whenever she saw us, following us and finding ways to reveal herself to us even while her husband was present. She targeted me, and finally I gave her a sharp rebuke in front of her husband, who didn’t seem bothered, but that ended the harassment.

We mobilized their youths to join us in digging a well, and after two weeks we found water. This brought great joy to the people. We preached in every compound of this community, extending further out. The majority rejected the faith, but 20 months later, I returned to spend my birthday with them and to revisit the work. I was overjoyed when I realized many of them who rejected the Lord had become believers.

One spectacular case was that of an old woman. After we preached the gospel, she said she was in love with her husband of her youth who had died and that if she accepted Jesus she feared that she might never see him again in the afterlife. Therefore she asked us to excuse her. But when I returned, I was told how she accepted the gospel, telling her grandchildren that anytime they ever saw me again they should inform me that my Jesus had become her Lord before she died and that she died with the greatest joy.

This was my first mission trip after training and it was a good preparation for my precious career in missions.

Bro Ugochukwu G.U. is a missionary with CAPRO reaching the northern migrant Muslims in the diaspora in Eastern Nigeria.