Keith Seabourn

The noise from people beside the road was getting louder. Girma was explaining the gospel to some young men who had not yet followed Jesus. As he continued sharing Christ, group beside the road grew increasingly larger and louder.

We could see them through some bushes. They were near our vehicle. The noise was getting louder as the crowd became more agitated. One picked up a large stone, another a thick stick.

Use the left and right buttons to see photos in this photo album.

We were visiting a newly-planted church called Tuchi. As we greeted the new believers, Pastor Ayano informed us that some of those present were not yet followers of Jesus. He invited Girma, the National Team Leader in Ethiopia, to help them understand the gospel.

Just 30 minutes before at Shubigamo, another new church, seven seekers had come to know Christ. We were reliving the experience as we drove to the Tuchi church.

We should have been praying.

Satan knew what was happening. He was ready to wage battle against God’s people.

As the gospel was being presented at the new Tuchi church, opposition arose from some of the townspeople who were not happy to have “foreigners” in their town. They were shouting that the town had their own and didn’t need outsiders. The truth was, Satan didn’t want more people in God’s Kingdom.

We decided to leave so that Pastor Ayano would not have problems.

We quickly loaded into the van, praying for God’s peace to overcome the anger. As we drove away, Pastor Ayano spoke with his fellow townspeople to calm them down. We realized that our lack of spiritual warfare prayer had given Satan an opportunity. Fortunately several of the young men accepted Christ before we left.

It’s been a very full 10 days in Ethiopia and then Kenya. We have seen amazing things and heard incredible stories. The lame are walking. The blind are seeing. The captives are being set free. Small local bodies of Jesus Christ are celebrating their new-found life and their neighbors are seeing the change and joining them.

We visited churches and encouraged new believers and the faithful church planting leaders. Keith spoke to a group of 300 pastors. We trained church planters how to use our new iShare measurement system.

Oliver’s white hair stood out in the room of black hair. His craggy face was very different from the many young faces we were teaching. Some in the room had to leave the afternoon session to go to classes at the local school.

Not Oliver. He had probably not been in school in 40+ years.

Oliver didn’t let his age keep him from pulling his chair into a small group and joining the foundational Bible study about How to be sure you are a Christian or How to walk in step with the Holy Spirit.

Oliver is different that way. Sometimes, older leaders don’t fully engage. They sit at the edges. They let the younger ones do the lessons, especially in hierarchical cultures like Africa.

Oliver is humble. He is also effective.

Oliver walks 2 hours every week to an area outside of the capital city of Guinea-Bissau to minister in the church he planted. Oliver has no car and no bicycle. Oliver is too poor to take a taxi or bus. Part of his journey takes him through the forest where snakes and other dangers lie.

When the team leader asked him why he didn’t choose an area closer to where he lives to plant a church, he responded, “Then who would reach the people in the Oyo area? God told me those people needed to be reached.” But Oliver, what about the snakes, he was asked. “God told me the people in Oyo area needed to be reached. He will protect me or he will provide someone else to reach them.”

Kay and I are not too much younger than Oliver. As we each stood before the trainees to impart our wisdom and knowledge, I was aware of how much I could learn from Oliver about following Jesus.