Denis the Menace

This morning Annabella came home crying because an older child had stolen her snail from the fire. She and her friends often collect snails and cook them over the fire for a snack. The child who stole her treat is the older brother of Annabella's playmates. He is often around at playtime, and sometimes he plays amiably with the younger kids, but other times he can be a menace as older siblings often are. Annabella has been learning about forgiveness, so she expressed to me that she wanted this young boy, let's call him Denis, to apologize to her. I told her that we cannot make people apologize, but that I would go talk to him. Annabella often comes home complaining about Denis' latest offense, and I have recently suggested to her that she pray for him, as Jesus tells us to pray for those who persecute us. She had prayed for Denis just this morning.

It was my hope that I would be able to use this latest episode to provide guidance for Denis, who doesn't get much positive parental direction. I went out and confronted the child with his wrongdoing in front of his mother. His mother laughed, as parents here often do when faced with the shame of seeing their child's sin exposed. But as I wanted to display better discipline techniques to her, I continued. I have a relationship with Denis' mother, and we have talked about caring for and disciplining children on many occasions. I told Denis that stealing is wrong and that he should not steal his friends' food, and that I didn't want to hear about him bothering his friends again. I reminded him that he was to be kind to others. He listened to my chastening as respectfully as can be expected, stated that he understood, and then we parted ways. His mom went off to work on her field, and he went to sit under a nearby shelter.

A few minutes later I reminded Denis of the lesson he just learned, but he had his back to me and didn't respond. Then I noticed he was crying. I sat down next to him and asked him what was bothering him. No response. Was he sick? No. Did he feel sadness? Yes. What caused him sadness. No response. Did he feel sadness over the bad thing he just did? Yes. Well, OK!!! We can restore relationship here!! I told him that he can ask Annabella for forgiveness, and I asked if he would like that. Yes. Success! Thank you God for giving him a repentant heart! Baka children do not naturally come to this point so voluntarily.

So I called Annabella over and told her that Denis wanted to apologize. She accepted his apology and relationship was restored. But Denis was still sad. I asked if perhaps he was hungry. Yes. Denis and his siblings don't enjoy plenitude of food very often, and I suspected that was part of the reason why he stole the snail in the first place. It is hard to resist temptation when you are constantly feeling hunger pain. Now was my chance to show him a little kindness and hopefully communicate Christ's love to him with a small gesture of generosity. Would he like some peanut sauce and rice? Yes.

I sat Denis down on the front veranda with a bowl full of food, and he ate his meal quietly, gathering up each grain of rice before asking me to come get his plate. Was his belly full? Yes. Good. I reminded him that the conflict over the snail was over, that Annabella had forgiven him, and that he should not worry about it any more. He nodded. I went back in the house.

I'm going. This simple little statement, made a few minutes later touched my heart. In Baka culture, it is polite to announce your arrival and departure. Most of the kids, including Denis, often overlook this small gesture. But he took the time to take his leave today, and I saw a little change of heart. Perhaps this occasion will open the door for more discussions about forgiveness and love. Perhaps he will be able to better understand God's grace now. Perhaps this is the beginning of a changed life.

I didn't have any grand expectations today as I went outside to discipline a child who is not my own. Though I tried to have good intentions, I was put out by the fact that I had to deal with yet another behavior problem with the neighborhood children. I was weighed down by the fact that much of my interaction with the kids is in the role of disciplinarian. Denis wasn't the first kid that I had disciplined this morning, and he will likely not be the last. My attitude was not good, and my expectations were low. I wondered if Denis would even hear my words, or if he would continue to deny his wrongdoing as the children often do. But God surprised me. Denis had a repentant heart.

Please join Annabella and I in praying for her Baka friends. They desperately need Jesus. Pray that we would effectively communicate Jesus' grace to them. Pray that their little hearts would be open to hear God's Word, and that their lives would be forever changed.

Sunday School!!

We are praising God today that Ngelo was able to participate in a recent Child Evangelism Fellowship training facilitated by fellow missionary Stacey Hare. He began putting his new knowledge into action today with a group of excited kids. Ngelo seems like a natural in this new ministry, and I can tell he is very motivated to continue teaching.

Praise God! We have been praying that someone would emerge to teach the children, and He has provided! Please pray that Ngelo would continue to reach out to children with Sunday school and Bible clubs. Pray that we would know how to encourage Ngelo. Pray that he would be able to translate the necessary Bible verses in advance, so that the children can hear and memorize them in their own language. Pray that other adults would also take on the burden of teaching Baka children from the Word of God. And, above all else, pray that many children would hear God's Word and give their lives to Him.

A New Evil

We, on the Baka team, have always believed that now is an opportune time to reach the Baka with the Gospel. In the last few decades the Baka have gone through a difficult transition. For centuries the Baka lived in the forest. They hunted and gathered everything they needed to survive. Life was challenging, but they had the knowledge they needed to provide for their families. Then the loggers and poachers came into the forest. The plenitude that the Baka had enjoyed turned to need. They had to transition from being hunters and gatherers to being farmers. This new lifestyle clashed violently with their culture, and most have not made the transition well. Instead they have entered into a sort of subtle slavery with neighboring people groups who control the Baka by keeping them subservient.

Alcohol is used as a lure. Many Baka have become hopeless addicts. Often the Baka are paid for labor in alcohol. Sometimes they are not paid at all. I recently learned that when the Baka go into the forest to harvest peke, the nut of the wild mango which is a valuable trade item, individuals from other people groups enter the forest to get first dibs on the peke nut. They bring alcohol. So strong is the desire for alcohol that the Baka gladly sell the peke at a reduced price. Their meager earnings are often spent on alcohol as well.

Even government officials, whose job it is to help the Baka make this transition well, will bring boxes of hundreds of small sachets of hard liqueur, saying "They are lazy. They won't do anything unless we give them something to drink." That kind of backward thinking only causes more laziness and more alcoholism.

As a result of alcoholism and many other social difficulties, the Baka have become apathetic and fatalistic. They are told by others that dirtiness, laziness and worthlessness are their lot in life. Other people groups have sayings like, "you are as lazy as the Baka" or "dirtiness is for the Baka."

Since their parents are often drunk, Baka children live in chronic malnutrition and suffer from frequent, often preventable, diseases. Neglect is the rule, rather than the exception. And these children grow up to perpetuate their parents sins.

But there is a new evil among the Baka. Tramadol is a powerful medication designed to help those who suffer from chronic pain, but it is abused in Cameroon. It is sold on the street and is used by a surprisingly high percentage of young people. And it has reached the Baka as well. Young men often take the drug to give them strength to work hard. They pop 3-6 pills at a time, with no thought of what it is doing to their bodies. Some suffer dangerous seizures and other effects of the drug. But the biggest impact that tramadol has had on the Baka is to perpetuate the slavery that the Baka live under. Young men are lured to work for their non-Baka neighbors with the promise of pills. They get paid very little, but they become willing and faithful workers because of their desire for the drug.

A young non-Baka man that lives near us has taken this slavery to a new level. He has taken in several teenage Baka boys. These boys are given drugs, alcohol, stylish clothes and shoes. They are provided with a place to live. They idolize their "boss." They try to dress like him, wear the same hairstyle, walk like him, talk like him. The gravity of their situation is hidden from them. And as they remain in the service of this young man, their demeanor changes. Their eyes are often glazed over in a drug induced haze, they are becoming skinny and pale, and they no longer care about their families. It is a rain forest version of Oliver Twist.

I had the opportunity to talk to one of these young boys a few weeks ago after he became the victim of an accident. He was carrying a chainsaw on his shoulder and stumbled. The saw gave him a nasty cut on the back of the head. While we worked to repair the damage, we noticed that he was not experiencing any pain from his wound. Afterward, I sat him down to ask him frankly about his tramadol use. He admitted to taking several pills that morning. I explained to him that his drug use had caused his accident and that his body would be suffering more effects from the drugs and alcohol that he used with such frequency. He described to me the situation that he and the other boys were in, that they were supplied with food, clothes, shoes, drugs and alcohol. I expected that he would see this accident as an opportunity to leave a difficult situation, but he instead voiced gratitude for the generosity of his benefactor. I tried to get him to see reason, but I don't think he understood. I presented the Gospel to him. It is true what Paul says, that some plant and others water, but only God can cause growth. Finally I invited some others to join me in praying for this young boy and his friends. We bathed the situation in prayer and offered some advice.

Please pray for God's divine intervention in the lives of those who are affected by drugs and alcohol. Pray for the young men who are abusing tramadol. Pray for those whose lives are ruled by alcohol. Pray for wives who suffer the abuse of a drunken husband, intoxicated couples who engage in mutual domestic violence, and children who suffer both neglect and abuse at the hands of alcoholic parents. Pray that God would give the Baka wisdom to know how to escape the enslavement of drugs and alcohol. Pray that we, as missionaries, would faithfully present the truth of the Gospel as God has called us to do. Pray that God would show us how to love the Baka well. Pray for more workers to join us in the Baka ministry.

The Gospel for Sinners

At church today, we had a visitor. P is well known to all as a drunk who fights constantly with her husband and neglects her children. She walked up to the church shelter exuding a false confidence. She knew she was not in her element, but something drew her there nonetheless. She smelled of alcohol and had a looseness of tongue that often accompanies drinking. The gusto with which she tried to sing was betrayed by her unfamiliarity with the songs.

The message was about Lazarus, how Jesus raised him from the dead, but you could see the conflict that this story produced in her. Her three-year-old son died just one year ago. She spoke up and her questions were addressed. I prayed that God would give the teacher wisdom to handle the difficult situation. Another leader also addressed her, but his response was heavy on judgment and light on grace. We all know that she is a sinner, that her son, who died of measles, suffered from hunger and neglect because of her drinking habit. Most of those in attendance had been first hand witnesses to frequent drunken brawls between her and her husband. It was difficult to hear her objections and respond in grace, so more and more judgmental voices rang out. Surprisingly, she handled the verbal assault well. When the service was over, she tried to go. She hadn't received much of a welcome. The other women didn't know what to do, how to help.

I had an opportunity to speak with P before she left. We sat down and I spelled it out. "God wants to give you good life. You have sin in your heart and have done many bad things, we all have. God is the only one who can heal you and give you good life." I spelled out our need for a savior. I told her who our Savior is. I told her of God's unfathomable sacrifice, how He gave us His only Son, that He would die in our place. I told her how His blood was spilled for our sake. I explained the Gospel over and over, choosing different words, repeating key points, hoping it would penetrate her hard heart, hoping it would get through the fog of alcohol, hoping she would hear, that she would remember my words and open her heart to what God would say to her. We prayed together, or rather I prayed and hopefully she prayed silently along with me. And then I instructed her to go home and think about what she heard. I told her that she should choose her path. I encouraged her to ask God for forgiveness and choose to serve Him with her life. She said she heard me, but God only knows if she really did.

Please pray for P. Pray that God would break through the many strongholds in her life. Pray that the believers that she comes in contact with would be a loving and honest witness to her. Pray for our young Baka church, that they would learn how to reach out to sinners. Pray for the transformation that only God can provide.