Sep 6, 2018
By Pastor Bill Shobe
Dodge Center, MN
My first impression of Africa took place in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. After long flights from Minnesota, we were greeted by the leaders of the local church and escorted to our hotel. The next morning they came for us and we arrived for Sabbath worship over an hour late. I hate to be late! We entered the building to find the congregation completing their first hour of worship, and were led to our seats with the elders. As I sat down and looked around the room at these strangers, my ears caught the melody of the song they were singing. I knew that melody, and I knew the words! My heart melted! I had sung this song in the church in Bordeaux, France, where I had received Christ as my Savior 42 years earlier. And the Holy Spirit was using it to welcome me to Africa! When I stepped to the pulpit to preach a half hour later, I no longer saw strangers; I saw the faces of my family, brothers and sisters, each reflecting love for Jesus.
My heart melted several times in Africa this summer, but not due to the heat. ( I did gain the nickname “Uncle Sweaty” during the trip!) My heart melted as I saw God at work in the lives of these people whose experience of life is so different from mine. It melted as I heard the biblical knowledge and wisdom that came from men and women who had less than a high school education. It melted as I heard their passion for taking the Gospel of Jesus to different regions of their country and into neighboring nations. It melted when we finally were able to meet with people who had walked many miles to Goma, DRC, and waited two days to greet us. What a sacrifice for people who work one day to purchase the meal their family will eat the next! The median income in the nations of Ivory Coast and Democratic Republic of the Congo is $600-$800 a year. Electricity and running water are luxuries that are lacking in most homes. When electricity is available, such as in our hotels, it is available sporadically—no constant access to internet, phone charging or even lighting.
I found in these new family members a heart to love and honor God, and to represent Him well in all they do. For these churches the Sabbath is a new conviction—and they desire to know how to properly honor and respect the Lord’s Sabbath. They asked for wisdom about common areas of concern for them. “Is it acceptable to cook on the Sabbath?” This was a big concern, as their cooking requires kindling a fire in their charcoal braziers, and the Scriptures forbid that. They also have no means of keeping food cooked the previous day fresh or cool. Yet as we talked they saw the benefit of making Friday a day of preparation for the Sabbath, a day of gathering bread, fruits, vegetables and nuts to eat on Sabbath. This could be done without the need of a fire! My heart melted as I witnessed their sincere desire to follow the Lord without compromise.
I continue to be in communication with my new African family as they minister in their communities and begin to relate with our Seventh Day Baptist family around the world. I also continue to process all that the Lord is speaking to me as a result of my experiences in the third world. I trust that He is using them to mold me more into the likeness of my Savior, and that I will seek more passionately to faithfully represent our King, just like my African family.
