Beles’ Belief about Entreating the Eternal

September 28, 2010

Our neighbor Beles once told Kirk that it was wrong for Jesus to address God as “Father.” To him, using such language implies that God had fathered Jesus like a man fathers his children. No amount of explaining could get Beles to understand that this term need imply no such thing, but was rather a figurative way of expressing the close relationship between Jesus and God the Father.

Balanta Believers Visited by Landuma Missionaries

July 4, 2009

THE BALANTAS Of the half million Balantas in West Africa, about 3,500 of them live in northwest Guinea, in a few villages scattered among other, larger people groups. The Balantas of Guinea are animists, having resisted for generations the pressure exerted by their neighbors to convert to the majority religion. In fact, the Balantas’ name means “those who resist,” and their obstinance regarding religion is proverbial.

From Diabetes to Doctrine

June 3, 2009

Kadi is a Landuma woman in her 70s. She has diabetes, and last year we helped her when she needed a foot amputated due to complications of the disease. She and her daughter Ami were very grateful, and told us they know that no one else would have helped like that, not their family, not their neighbors, not their leaders, no one. They said they knew that God sent us and that they know that we missionaries really know the truth of God, that the message we preach is the truth.

Spelunking with Spirits

September 18, 2008

Alfa and Mamadu and their families were hungry. In these last few weeks before the harvest food was very scarce. But they knew that there was meat available for the taking. They would just have to go and get it. They knew what they were up against. The meat has wings. And the meat lives in the deepest part of a large cave. And the cave is inhabited by something other than the meat. They believe it is inhabited by demons.