The Witness of Transformation

Mando is a church planter in northern Cameroon. He was trained through a Global Disciples partner program in the region, and doing outreach was part of his training, so he went to share the Gospel.

God led him and a small team of disciple-makers to a people and community that was fairly hostile to the Gospel.

Despite this hostility, a number of young people—mostly teenagers—heard the message of Jesus, repented of their sin, and accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord!

Mando was excited to see this tiny church begin, but then some personal matters came up that called him away for a time. And he promised to return.

What Mando didn’t count on was the parents of the young people.

Like any good parent, these fathers and mothers were concerned about what influenced their children. They didn’t want their kids to leave their own religious traditions to follow Jesus.

So, they decided to attack Mando on his return, to whip him, beat him, and run him out of town!

Several village elders heard about these plans and they sent Mando a warning. He decided to spend time in prayer, seeking God’s wisdom and direction on how to proceed. And the Lord made it clear that he was to return and carry on with his outreach.

As Mando walked back into the community, expecting the full attack of angry parents, he found instead a surprisingly warm welcome.

The parents who’d planned to whip him, now volunteered to set up a tent where the new church could meet!

What changed their minds? Well, they saw what Jesus had done in their lives of their children.

The spiritual transformation was so evident in each teenager that their parents knew this was from God. Here was an influence to be embraced, not rejected! They were now open to Mando, wanting to hear the Gospel message too. Now the new church is growing beyond the core group of teenage believers.

A life transformed is a powerful witness to the new life Jesus offers.

And God is doing His transforming work all over the world, as people like Mando share the Good News of Jesus with the least-reached.