Adapted from reports by Alliance workers serving in a creative-access country
One of the members here at our center just decided to take the Jesus road!
Rejoice with us as she is the first of our members we are aware of who has accepted Christ since we opened nearly five years ago!
In recent months, we’ve seen a softening toward the gospel at our center, where we provide ESL classes, job-skills training, and biblical teaching as well as show hospitality to more than 200 young people. (An estimated 1 million millennials live in this city; most are unemployed or underemployed and susceptible to delinquency.)
We’ve also witnessed some intense spiritual warfare.
A Steep Cost
Some may think, Just one Jesus follower after five years of outreach? However, following Christ comes at a steep cost in this region, which is bound by the predominant religion.
“. . . Unless you live in this culture, it is hard to truly appreciate the social implications of believing something different,” wrote a West Africa Alliance worker in Alliance Life magazine several years ago.
“Honor and shame figure prominently in any major decision here, and it is common for Jesus followers to be completely ostracized. . . . In an American context this would be akin to risking your family, job, and insurance coverage to publicly take the name of Christ.”
The young woman who accepted Christ is now facing persecution from her birth family. Join us in praising God that she is now a member of God’s family. Please also pray for our staff to provide quality discipleship in her new walk and the Lord’s strength to face challenges to her faith.