As the team arrived back to B@mako from the village we knew that our time was not finished to share Father’s W0rd, declare His name and demonstrate His righteous among the people in M@li. The time that we had left we desired to spend with our friends, that we have come to love, on the street. Through all the time that L0ri and I have spent sitting on the street speaking B@mbara as well as selling peanuts and ice we have never had the opportunity to share with our friend, Ou, Father’s W0rd. Excited to have this opportunity to have a translator with us we all thought of certain testimonies, our favorite v3rses and stories of Father’s W0rd to share with her.
It had been over a week since we have seen or greeted our friends. Arriving on the street we saw their faces light up, eyes get big, excitingly waving embracing us in hugs. Always taking care of us Ou and friends seated us in the shade and out of the sun before beginning the introductions of our friends and catching up after being gone for so long. As we wanted for our translator to arrive, we joked around, sold some ice and peanuts and simply sat with her trying our best to formulate sentences so Ou can then translate to everybody else.
As the time kept passing and our translator did not show up, we realized we would not have an opportunity to share with Ou our t3stimonies, our favorite v3rses, or stories from G0d’s W0rd. So we decided that we would give Ou an mp3 player that had the N.T. in Bambara. Not knowing exactly how to communicate with her we simply handed her the mp3 player, showed her how to place the ear phones into her ears and turned the mp3 player on as we attempted to explain how to use the device. Once we turned on the mp3 player, she instantly began to listen intently to it. It was like Ou was in a different world and we did not exist anymore because she was listening to Father’s W0rd.
Ever since we have given her the mp3 device she has listened to it every night. One day I have even saw her wearing her ear phones and carrying the device around while selling ice on the street. Father showed us that it wasn’t our t3stimonies or our favorite v3rses or the stories that we had planned to tell that He wanted Ou to hear. It was His W0rd starting with the book of M@tthew that He wanted to share with Ou.
Ever since we have given her the mp3 device she has listened to it every night. One day I have even saw her wearing her ear phones and carrying the device around while selling ice on the street. Father showed us that it wasn’t our t3stimonies or our favorite v3rses or the stories that we had planned to tell that He wanted Ou to hear. It was His W0rd starting with the book of M@tthew that He wanted to share with Ou.
This moment made us realize that all we ever need is Father’s W0rd…nothing more and nothing less. He tells us that My W0rd is all you need to know that I am G0d. It is not my testimony or my opinion on a particular v3rse or my opinion of a story of G0d’s W0rd that leads the people of M@li to Father. It is only our Father’s W0rd and nothing but our Father’s Word that guides them. This day Father wanted to lead Ou to Himself through His Word not through our words. Pr@y with us as our friend Ou continues to listen to the N.T. every night. Pr@y that Father will open her mind to the stories that she is hearing from His W0rd. Pr@y for the opportunity talk with her about Father’s W0rd.
c@therine
