a true account
by Sylvia Foulds
The old men of Kunsock congregated under the shade of a large mango tree. A
brisk harmattan wind whistled through the branches and whipped up little
eddies of dust around their feet but no one seemed to notice. Several men
were talking at the same time in an animated discussion. Suddenly the oldest
man in the village raised his voice and there was silence. "It's just not
possible for a woman to have a child without having known a man. Just who
was the father of this child?"
Before Togolese translators Joel and Caleb had time to reply, several others
said, "Why, God, of course. Haven't we just heard that the child will be
called the Son of God? And didn't the angel say that nothing is impossible
with God?"
The discussion raged on.
The translators were testing chapter 1 of Luke's Gospel in Moba, a language
of northern Togo. None of those who come to the testing sessions at Kunsock
are Christians. And though there are some Christians in this village, there
is no church. But, even if there were a church, it is unlikely that any of
these village elders would darken its doors. Testing sessions provide a
unique opportunity for these men to hear for themselves-in a non-threatening
way-what the Word of God says.
The discussion doesn't end once the testing is completed.
Last week after one of the sessions, a woman approached Joel to ask whether
women were allowed to come too. She often heard the men talking about what
they had discussed at the meeting and it sounded so interesting. Could she?
The old men take these sessions very seriously. The Word of God is indeed
powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword. Pray for translators to be
sensitive to the Spirit of God. They need to answer questions that
inevitably arise when what is heard from God's Word challenges Moba
traditional worldview and beliefs.
One of these beliefs concerns God's attitude towards his creation. The Moba
believe that God created the world. But because man is so small in
comparison to God, he cannot influence God's decisions or choices concerning
present or future events. Needs and problems are solved by consulting the
ancestors or using occult power, but never by asking God.
A couple of weeks ago one of the old men didn't turn up for the testing
session. "He's ill," they told the translators.
"Would you like us to pray that God would heal him so that he can come to
the next session?" asked Joel. Bemused, the men agreed. Joel prayed in Moba
talking to God as his Father and mentioning His care for this sick man. The
men, flabbergasted, had never heard anyone talk to God in such a personal
way. Unanimous that this was a good thing, they asked, "Would you pray for
us each time you come?"
And just how did the discussion on the virgin birth end? The old men pointed
out to their senior that God created the first man and woman by a miracle.
So why would it be difficult for Him to cause Jesus to be conceived
miraculously?
He refused to accept it. Keenly aware of the issues involved, however, he
threw out this challenge: "Do you realize, that if you really believe this,
you will have to become Christians?"
Sylvia Foulds from the United Kingdom, and other team members, work in the
Moba language on the northern border of Togo, West Africa.
[Thank you to Gail Hutchinson and Carol Brinneman sharing this story]
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