Why would anyone steal your dirty clothes?
And if they did, would you consider it a matter of life and death?
Fatu did.
The Nalu woman and some other women were going fishing, but an expanse of mud was between them and their fishing spot.
“They all stripped down a short distance away from their destination, leaving their wrap-around skirts, shirts and shoes in a pile together,” missionary Marion Jensen wrote.
When they returned, Fatu’s shirt and wrap were missing. Nobody else was missing anything. Fatu told Marion she was especially concerned because she had been wearing the same outfit for three days. So when Fatu got back to the village, she told her father what had happened and he rushed out to see if he could find her skirt and shirt.
Seems like a lot of trouble over a dirty outfit, doesn’t it?
But the Nalus believe sorcerers steal clothing so they can work magic against people.
“If they can get articles of clothing with a lot of sweat in them, they have greater power to do harm,” Fatu said.
Her family went to diviners to find out why the clothes were stolen, and they were told that someone is trying to kill Fatu. And it was someone in her own household who has been looking for an opportunity for more than a year.
Because Fatu and her family take this very seriously, they took steps to protect her from sorcery, and intend to be vigilant for future attempts on her life.
“Can you imagine, living each day with that type of stress hanging over you?” wrote Marion and her husband, Hans. “As we live here, we are beginning to understand and appreciate what freedom in Christ means.”
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