Looking around me, I see children in colorful clothes walking the steep uphill path effortlessly. Of course, they are used to this terrain, but still, their stamina is amazing. I, on the other hand, stumble my way up, sweating like never before.

It’s around 9 AM on a Saturday in March in Verapaz, a small village in Nicaragua’s Matagalpa Department. This morning, I join Pastor Álvaro on a long walk through the forest to pick up children who will attend a Bible study meeting later today.

Dented Truck

Reaching the children of Verapaz with the love of Christ, that’s what Pastor Álvaro and his wife Miriam are passionate about. Each Friday, they leave their high-end jobs as lawyer and accountant, load their dented truck with Bible study materials, food, and drinks, and drive to their ministry location in the forested hills of Verapaz.

Off the main road between Matagalpa and El Tuma, an unpaved track leads to Pastor Alvaro’s place. A few feet beneath the road, there’s a corrugated steel awning covering a flattened stretch of land. At the far end is the couple’s simple home. As I was standing under the overhang, overlooking the deep valley, I marveled at the idyllic scenery. However, the couple was quick to point out that behind the natural beauty hid a great deal of sorrow.

Erratic Behavior

“Materially, people here lack many commodities,” they explained. “There is no water or electricity, and the food is insufficient.” Sadly, the social and economic distress in Verapaz often pushes parents to all sorts of erratic behavior.

• Sexism
• Machoism
• Alcoholism
• Domestic violence

“These are the influences Verapaz’s children grow up with,” the couple summed up.

“Girls often get pregnant in their early teens and marry very young. You’ll see 14-year-old boys staggering drunk at the roadside.”

The Love of Christ

Álvaro and Miriam know that the people of Verapaz need more than just a solution to their social issues. What they need is spiritual transformation.

“If the parents don’t have Christ in their hearts, they are not going to give love to their children,” they stressed. “As they don’t give love, things like envy and revenge will grow. We need to make them understand that they must love God in order to love others. We want to break the chains that come through the generations. Through God’s Word, we want to transform the mentality, starting with the children. We want to fill them with the love of Christ!”

“We want to fill the children with the love of Christ!”

Zeal

It’s that godly love that motivates Pastor Álvaro to undertake the exhausting forest hike each Saturday. His zeal deeply impresses me as I struggle alongside him.

For the first part of the journey, we use his truck until we reach a mountain stream. We disembark and walk down a slope to a suspension bridge that can only be crossed on foot. Some children are already at the bridge, but instead of continuing their way to Pastor Alvaro’s place, they join us as we move deeper into the woods.

Pastor Álvaro leads us from the river up a slope that is so steep and long that I’m panting like a steam engine when we finally reach the top. A fresh bottle of water helps me regain strength. At the top, we find more children.

Steep Slopes

The area is known to be rainforest, but it’s the dry season, and there’s no lush green canopy to protect pedestrians against the scorching sunlight. My, it’s hot! The dirt road winds across the landscape, following the curvature of the hills. While climbing the steep slopes, my feet often slip because of the loose gravel. Still, I make sure I’ll take in as much of the scenery as I can. Large, colorful butterflies flutter around us while cicadas produce an almost deafening, uninterrupted noise.

Then, finally, we have assembled all the expected children from their simple huts. We can return to Pastor Alvaro’s place. As we descend all the way to the mountain stream, I ponder the measureless vastness of God’s grace. Every single one of these children that surround me is precious in the eyes of the Lord. He doesn’t want them to perish. He wants them to receive the light of Christ in their dark and difficult lives. That gratifying notion makes the strenuous, sweaty hike more than worthwhile.

Mandarin Juice

Around 1:30 PM, 120 children, youth, and some mothers have found a place under the tin roof. Reinvigorated by a cup of fresh mandarin juice with ice cubes, offered by Miriam, the children sing a few songs at the top of their lungs. Subsequently, they pray together and listen quietly to Pastor Álvaro as he leads them through a chapter of the Bible study booklet.

“We are using Bible League materials because they are great tools to make the children participate,” Miriam pointed out. “We don’t want the children just to listen, but we want to actively involve them in the lessons. The booklets help us deal with the children’s emotions, positive or negative.”

Fruitful Partnership

Before they became acquainted with Bible League, Álvaro and Miriam bought Bibles with their own money. “That was very expensive,” they told me. “We couldn’t afford it. Also, there were no children’s materials available at all.”

Their partnership with Bible League solved both challenges. “God’s Word says, ‘My people are destroyed because they have no knowledge,’” Pastor Álvaro said, quoting Hosea 4:6. “We need those Bibles and study booklets to educate children, youth, and adults. We greatly appreciate you for providing these for free!”

“God’s Word says, ‘My people are destroyed because they have no knowledge.”

“Our principal sword is the Word of God,” Miriam added. “We thank God for giving you the passion, faith, and desire to serve the Lord and reach these souls that few people visit. Thanks to God, we have taken the materials to many corners of Nicaragua. Your support is truly beneficial for us!”

“Indeed,” Álvaro agreed. “We are very grateful for your contribution because this project wouldn’t work without you. Our Bibles and study materials come through your donations, and that’s how you help spread the Word of God to everyone here!”

Explicit Teaching

After going through a chapter of the So Choose Life booklet with the children, Pastor Álvaro teaches them about purity, based on the story of King David and Bathsheba. She was bathing on the roof, clearly visible to the king. Álvaro warns the girls to ensure no one can see them when they bathe. “And boys, don’t look at girls when they bathe!” he adds. I frown at this advice, until I realize the locals bathe in the river!

Given the low moral standards in places like Verapaz, it is understandable that Pastor Álvaro is very explicit in his teaching. In conclusion, he points the children toward the only true and good King: Jesus.

Three roaming dogs stretch themselves out on the ground near the gathering, taking a siesta break from the heat of the sun. The children, however, keep listening to Pastor Álvaro with concentration. Before the meeting, I had asked him and his wife if they saw a change in the children’s lives. They nodded fiercely.

Children’s Transformation

“The change we have seen is that the children are now disciplining themselves, taking responsibility, and attending the meetings,” Álvaro pointed out. “They have acquired characteristics such as punctuality, respect, and discipline. For instance, we invite the children to come at 2:00 PM. Now, we have in Nicaragua what we call Nica time, where 2:00 PM easily becomes 3:00 PM. But not with these kids. No, no! They have acquired punctuality and are always here before 2:00 PM.”

“The other thing is that they know what is good or bad in their homes,” Álvaro continued. “They observe that it’s not right for dad to hit mom. It’s not right for their dads to drink alcohol or to do drugs. I always tell them that when you are drunk, you’ll do things you would never do when sober.”

Faith is Proof

Faith is proof of what we cannot see, Hebrews 11:1 says. That’s precisely what Álvaro and Miriam desire to instill in the children’s hearts and minds.

“We teach them they should have faith that their fathers will change,” Pastor Álvaro said. “We tell them that God will solve their problems, that God will provide for them, that God will restore their families. We teach them to believe in what you can’t see.”

“We teach the children to believe in what they can’t see.”

Choosing Life

The meeting draws to a close. With a reference to the title of the Bible study booklet they use, So Choose Life, Pastor Álvaro tells the children:

“This is the moment for you to decide what life you want to choose. Do you want to choose a life of alcohol? A life of drug addiction? A life of promiscuity? A life on the streets? Or do you choose a life with God?”

Well, the answer to these questions seems obvious to the children. They will choose a life with God! As they process the pastor’s lessons, I scan their faces. They seem to drink in the message. It reminds me of something Pastor Álvaro had said earlier:

“When we ask them, ‘Are you coming for the food?, they reply they are not looking for that,” he had smiled. “They want to study God’s Word and ask us, ‘When will the next discipleship class be?’ They feel our Bible lessons are enriching their lives.”

Rice Soup

Nevertheless, Álvaro and Miriam always serve a proper meal for their pupils. During the meeting, I had witnessed two young ladies cooking a thick, nutritious rice soup in an enormous pot over a coal fire.

Now, with the Bible study done, all of the children receive a steaming bowl, which they empty with great enthusiasm. Indispensable fuel for their long hike home, I figure. I enjoy watching some kids wash the dishes at a water basin after lunch. They are hardly tall enough to reach the faucet, but they complete the chore with lots of chattering and giggling.

Profound Experience

Around 3:00 PM, the children head back to their homes, their stomachs filled with solid food, their hearts with God’s message of love. Álvaro and Miriam clean up the place and get ready to return home–only to prepare for a new ministry meeting next week.

I’ll probably never see the warmhearted couple again, but what a profound experience it’s been to witness Álvaro and Miriam living out the love of Christ. I pray they will faithfully continue their ministry in Verapaz, guided by the Holy Spirit.

I pray that the children they serve will break out of their multi-faceted misery and find a life of freedom in Christ.

At 56 years young, Robin doesn’t have many working years left to impact the young people of Bario, Malaysia. In four years, he will retire as principal of the local school. But in these next four years, he’s got his eyes set on spreading the Gospel.

“I’ve been teaching for 30-plus years. As a teacher, I have a very big influence on the students,” he says.

“I think in the next five years to come, if I have the opportunity, I will encourage the young teachers to take the job seriously and not just look at it as a job but as a calling.”

He knows this is his calling. Robin was raised in a Christian household, and he considered himself a believer until a friend began questioning the depth of his faith. “From that point, I started to think very seriously about my faith. I believed I was a Christian, but I didn’t have any personal relationship with Jesus,” he says. His friend led him in a prayer of salvation, and Robin dedicated his lives to the Lord.

Today, he understands how important it is to help young people be rooted in the Word of God so their faith can grow and they can stand strong when questioned.

“We need to ground our children with God’s Word,” he says passionately. “That’s the only sure way to help them. They may have knowledge, they may have a lot of things they know or have, but without God in their life, they won’t go very far.”

More than 50 years ago, Bario was a place of spiritual revival. The Holy Spirit moved on thousands of individuals, sparking a movement that changed this community for generations. Today, many of the people who experienced the revival firsthand are gone. But those who remain are desperate for that same type of movement for the younger generations.

They are Craving Another Revival.

“If we seek the kingdom of God, we make it first in our life—all the other things just will be added to you,” Robin says. “I believe that is the most important thing we must impart on the younger generation so they will seek God. They go to school, they study, they get their degree, but they must also seek God earnestly.”

To do that, they need more Bibles and more materials. Most in this area speak Bahasa, and thanks to your faithful giving, Bible League materials are translated and provided in their native language. They have watched these young people grow in their knowledge of the Gospel because it’s available in a language they understand.

“We have limited books. I tried to look for other books, other materials written in Bahasa,” Robin says. “[The Bible League books] are written in Bahasa so it’s easy for them to understand. If we really use these Bible League books, it can help our students grow in the Lord.”

There’s always more need and more work to be done.

“At the moment, we need more materials. We need training—proper training—for the students,” Robin says. “The church is going down because there’s no discipline in studying the Bible. We get asked very hard questions, very tough questions. If you don’t read the Bible, you can’t answer.”

“We need proper training for leaders so they can build the next generation,” he says.

Right now, Robin is hopeful that they will receive more Bibles so each student can have their own copy. A few months from now, he will finish the last of the Bible League materials they have. He’s praying more will come.

“There is no gift that is too small. A Bible given to a student—when they really understand it, that is a very big impact to their life. We don’t have much material in Bahasa, so that’s where we need Bible League to provide us with the proper materials. No amount is too small.”

Marie Julienne was born in 1957 in Ankazondandy, a small town in central Madagascar, where she still lives. Despite the challenging circumstances—Madagascar ranks 10th in the top 10 of the world’s poorest countries—she laughs easily. Her narrow eyes blink from under the edge of her blue-grey beanie. Her clothes are simple and stained, her bare, sturdy feet covered with dirt.

As she sits on a large square rock in one of Ankazondandy’s dusty streets, three dirty-faced children huddle around her, exchanging places on her lap. The children’s facial expressions constantly mirror the elderly lady’s emotions. “Two of these are grandchildren of mine,” Marie Julienne says. “Their parents are in the field right now. They are farmers.”

Marie Julienne with two grandchildren and another local child. She watches the kids while their parents work in nearby farms. She still has to work odd jobs to afford food.

A Poor Farming Community
The family makes a living by crop and livestock farming. Marie Julienne has 9 children and 16 grandchildren. Not all of them live in the village; some have moved to Antananarivo, Madagascar’s capital. Because of the limited job opportunities in the countryside, large numbers of rural people migrate there in search of a better life. The elderly, like Marie Julienne and her husband, stay behind.

“I’m 66, but who is going to feed me if I don’t work?”

On regular days, the couple goes fishing, labors in the field, or tries to find small paying jobs to do. “We have to!” she exclaims. “Who is going to feed me if I don’t work? all my children are adults trying to take care of themselves. I have only one daughter left at home. She’s separated from her spouse.”

Rural communities in Madagascar face multiple challenges. Their craving for spiritual help is huge—help only God’s Word can bring!

Marie Julienne weeps as she continues her story, and the children wipe their eyes, too. The elderly lady points at one of the children around her. “I feel sorry for the child,” she sobs. “That boy is my daughter’s son. My daughter has a mental problem. After her husband left her, she returned to Ankazondandy. But then, she went to the witch doctor, and after that, she went a bit crazy.”

Although Marie Julienne disapproved of her daughter consulting the witch doctor, she couldn’t stop her. “I don’t want to be involved in things like witchcraft at all, not at all!” she stresses. “Yet, my children are adults…” She adds with sadness, “They even practice exhumation.”

A Malagasy Custom
With that phrase, Marie Julienne refers to a Malagasy custom. According to Wikipedia, it’s a funerary tradition in which people bring forth the bodies of their ancestors from the graves, rewrap the corpses in fresh cloth, and carry them over their heads around the tomb before reburying them again.

“I will not participate in such things because I stand firm in my faith,” Marie Julienne states with vigor. In Ankazondandy, where she lives, a local pastor named Jacques runs Bible League’s Bible study ministry.

With your support, spiritually needy people like Marie Julienne can have their own copy of the Bible. They are craving the truth!

Jesus’ Healing Power
“Pastor Jacques showed me the right way. He did an amazing thing, teaching me about Jesus Christ. If it weren’t for Jesus, I wouldn’t be alive today! I had an infection in my face; you can see the scars.”

Marie Julienne lifts her beanie and touches her forehead, where a sizable patch of scar tissue is clearly visible.

Marie Julienne still bears the scars from a terrible infection that made her blind and deaf. God miraculously healed her, one of many answered prayers in her life!

“It was really disgusting,” she recalls. “My eyes could not see anymore. People cried because in two days, I became deaf. In the Bible, it is written that the deaf shall hear, the mute shall speak, and the lame shall walk—and it became true to me! When the Bible says Jesus took mud and put it on the blind man’s eyes and then the man could see, that’s true because I have experienced it.”

 “In the Bible, it is written that the deaf shall hear, the mute shall speak, and the lame shall walk—and it became true to me!”

Marie Julienne’s wrinkled face beams with gratitude. “At that time, whether the pastor was with me or not, I prayed continuously,” she recalls. “No matter where I was, in the field or walking, I prayed for my healing. Before that, I also prayed, but out of hypocrisy. I didn’t mean what I said. But now, I do believe, with all my heart, that God will answer me whenever I pray. Sometimes, we don’t have anything to eat at home, and I pray, and God provides.”

God Provides
A couple of geese come waddling by, squawking loudly. It brings an example of God’s provision to Marie Julienne’s mind.

“This morning, I had nothing to eat,” she says. “My husband and I are breeding ducks for sale, but they are still ducklings right now. Yet, the lady who wanted to buy our ducks already gave me the money. She said, ‘I’ll get the ducks when they are bigger, but you can have the money right now.’ That’s all God’s doing!”

A duck waddled by as we spoke to Marie Julienne, and it reminded her of the constant provision of our Lord. God shows Himself faithful over and over to her. Despite her challenging circumstances, she experiences His true joy.

A concerned look now clouds Marie Julienne’s face. “I’m just worried about my children because they are not Christians yet, so I pray for them all the time.”

Marie Julienne’s children are not Christians yet. Will you pray with her for their repentance?

The Gospel’s Impact
Simultaneously with the conversation with Marie Julienne, her husband is taking part in a Bible study group. Excitedly, she talks about the impact of the Gospel in his life.

“My husband and I were tobacco addicts,” she recalls. “When I became seriously ill, the pastor told us to quit smoking. I stopped first, and my husband followed me. He also used to drink but quit that, too, saying, ‘I will not drink anymore. I’m going to pray with you.’ He started to thrive in life, and I said, ‘We need to thank God because He’s been good to us.’”

Marie Julienne had started participating in the Bible study program, too, when she was still sick. “My mind wasn’t really on it, though,” she says. “But I would like to continue because it’s a good thing to learn. I love the stories of Joseph and Ezekiel. When God asked Ezekiel to speak to the dry bones, they became alive again.”

“This is what the Lord God says to you: I will cause breath to come into you, and you will come to life!” Ezekiel 37:5 ERV

Marie Julienne’s Bible knowledge is impressive, although she doesn’t currently have a Bible. Her husband will receive one upon finalizing the program, but that doesn’t satisfy her. “Yes!” she laughs, “but what about me?!”

Remembering Scriptures
At home, Marie Julienne had already examined her husband’s Gospel of John booklet, which he uses in his Bible study group. “I know how to answer all the questions in that booklet,” she says. “I do remember a lot of Scriptures. Once I read something in the Bible, I don’t forget it. The story of Joseph touches me every time. It is a sad story because when the wife of Potiphar came to seduce Joseph, he was falsely accused and sent to prison. But when Pharaoh had his dreams, Joseph was summoned, and he could tell everything about the bread and the cows. And then, he became the ruler of Egypt!”

Even though she does not have her own copy of the Bible, Marie Julienne can recall verse after verse. She craves more of the Gospel, and longs for her children to experience a relationship with Jesus. Though they still practice witchcraft right now, Marie Julienne will never stop praying for their salvation.

A Plan for Marie Julienne
God had a mighty plan for Joseph, and Marie Julienne becomes emotional again when she realizes God has a plan for her life, too. “The fact that I’m living today proves God has a plan for my life. My husband and I are very poor. We have nothing at home. We always pray to God and then go fishing and He provides. We catch enough fish. And God’s Word says we have to share with others. So, even though we are poor, we test God on His Word, and we share.”

Despite her own poverty, Marie Julienne shares with others from the little she has. The fruit of the Spirit is obvious in her life!

She falls on her knees, lifts her hands in adoration of her Lord and Savior, and adds, her voice trembling: “When we share with others, God doubles it back all the time. So, I can tell you, there is a God. He exists and has a plan for my life!”

Marie Julienne has witnessed the faithfulness of God over and over. His faithfulness makes her crave His love and His comfort even more. Reflect on the prayers He has answered for her:

• Healing from her infection
• Her husband’s life transformation
• God breaking addictions
• God’s continued provision

A Desire to Read God’s Word
Marie Julienne has a tremendous craving to read God’s Word—it’s the only true source of hope she knows. Your generous support allows her, and many new believers in her village, to receive a Bible. The elderly lady expresses her gratitude:

“Thank you so much for coming here to serve us and for all the work that you’ve done.” Then, unexpectedly, she raises her hands once more and starts praying, “May God bless you richly. In everything that you do, be blessed. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

The Word of God breaks through spiritual strongholds in Madagascar. As you send Bibles, you feed the hunger of people like Marie Julienne to have God’s Word in their hands. It’s the Good News that sets them free from witchcraft and idol worship. It’s the Gospel of hope that helps them cope with their dire circumstances. It’s more than a book. It’s a lifeline.

There is a deep craving for the Gospel in Madagascar. People are longing for help and hope that can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. His love is evident in the life of Marie Julienne. Thank God for faithful servants like her. 

Pastor Nick is a cheerful pastor who laughs in a way that makes him stand out from the crowd. I can liken his laughter to the kind that relieves stress. It’s very distinct. Imagine the sound of a husky voice laughing immensely. It is extremely contagious.

Although originally from another province, Pastor Nick’s ministry area is in the indigent yet stunning remote location of Puerto Princessa, Philippines. The locals are from different tribal groups, and their daily livelihoods come from farming and fishing. The majority of them previously had little interest in Christian teachings because they were raised as worshippers of nature and idols.

Pastor Nick has a heart for lost souls, especially for these people in his community, and will stop at nothing to show them the way to salvation. He has tried almost everything, and a clown magic show is one of his unorthodox strategies for drawing non-believers in. In addition to acting as what some refer to as the Clown Pastor, Nick freely teaches leaders to follow his approach. He calls it “Gospel Illustration.”

Nick shares some of the key elements in his Clown Magic Show or Gospel Illustration strategy:

1. Provide a welcoming atmosphere for non-believers.
2. Use an entertaining medium to get their attention. (The clown magic show in this case.)
3. Help people relate the performance to the message of the Gospel.
4. Ask that an evangelist present the way of salvation and guide the congregation in a prayer of acceptance.

He became more effective in sharing God’s Word when he combined what he learned from Bible League’s Church Planter Training with his Gospel Illustration. For this reason, he expresses gratitude for the training he received.

In his community, people crave joy to escape life’s hardships. Nevertheless, they fail to see that true joy is a fruit of the Spirit and only belongs to believers in Christ (Galatians 5:22). People are depressed about their circumstances, and in an attempt to find joy, their minds and spirits turn to harmful activities that are not acceptable to God.

They do things such as getting drunk, smoking, drug addiction, gambling, and cockfighting—cockfighting is a highly popular “sport” in the area. Worldly pleasures mislead their eyes, so they disregard God’s Word.

“From the moment I met Jesus, it is not only that He became my Lord and Savior, but my entire existence turned to Him. I want my community to experience the same,” Pastor Nick says emotionally.

For Pastor Nick, there’s a cure for all these issues, and he points to Proverbs 17:22 ERV, “Happiness is good medicine, but sorrow is a disease.” He explored entertainment using clowns and magic to connect with these lost souls. He had an idea and thought it would work, so he invested in his professional training and purchased his clown costumes and props.

He took his act to the streets for the first time, dressing up as a clown to perform magic tricks with an evangelist behind him. An evangelist is always present with him during performances. He believes that although a clown or a magician can attract an audience, they should not preach the Bible while donning clown makeup and costumes.

While wearing clown makeup and costume, Pastor Nick does a trick where a particular chemical turns a reddish liquid into crystal-clear water. This transformation illustrates what the Bible says in Isaiah 1:18 ERV: “I, the Lord, am the one speaking to you. Come, let’s discuss this. Even if your sins are as dark as red dye, that stain can be removed and you will be as pure as wool that is as white as snow.”

His shows amaze and delight people. As the evangelist takes over, he or she integrates the message of salvation into the performance. In doing so, many people hear the Bible and come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In the region of Puerto Princessa, this ministry alone helps the Church to grow.

Since one of the rules of clowning is to keep your identity a secret to keep the illusion intact, Pastor Nick makes every effort to maintain his disguise, even from his friends. Also, because he is well-known as a pastor, people might not be interested if they knew beforehand that he might end up evangelizing them.

One day, Pastor Nick was performing as a clown at an event. Some of his non-believer friends were there, and they watched his clown show. However, Pastor Nick has a distinct laugh, and he sometimes can’t contain it.

His friends whispered and asked each other if the clown was Pastor Nick. They suspected it but thought it couldn’t be because Nick was a pastor. They enjoyed the show and eventually responded to the evangelist’s altar call after his performance.

Pastor Nick cheerfully went to see his friends after the event. His friends said, “Hey Nick, you should have come here sooner; the clown laughed the same way you did and sounded just like you.”

Pastor Nick laughed heartily. He knew the strategy was successful. The Gospel’s seed had been planted and everyone at the event experienced spiritual salvation.

The pastor says gratefully, “People in my community clearly crave joy and happiness, but they can only really experience it if they have Christ in their hearts. I believe drawing them to my clown show or Gospel illustration will allow them to hear about the love of Jesus.”

Thank God for Bible League’s Church Planter Training. It is equipping pastor Nick and other local leaders with the materials and training they need to share the Gospel. Many people are being reached in the area. Churches are being planted across multiple indigneous communities through evangelistic ministries like Pastor Nick’s.

“I was always afraid,” Clément recalls. “Afraid that the evil spirit would punish me for doing something wrong.”

Clément comes from Maharavoandriana, a small rural place in central Madagascar. He was born in 1972, and he used to be the village’s witch doctor.

“As a child, I was already possessed,” he says.

“It was like a generational curse. All my ancestors were possessed, and when they died, they transmitted the spirit. In 1992, I started to care for people spiritually. Not in a godly way, but as a witch doctor.”

Clément has a dark complexion, brown eyes, and short, greyish hair. There’s always a pensive expression on his face.

In a soft voice, he talks about his life as a witch doctor.

“I had to comply with the rules of that spirit, bringing it sacrifices like chicken, alcohol, and sweets,” he recalls.

“When people consulted me, I would invoke the spirit, and then it would answer me and tell me the source and the solution to the problem. The power I possessed made people fear me.”

Clément sits in the shade of Maharavoandriana’s church, leaning slightly forward.

Many memories seem to cross his mind, but he struggles to express them. He often remains silent, thinking long, staring in the distance.

“I was always afraid,” he continues. “Afraid that the evil spirit I served would punish me for doing something wrong.”

The witchcraft practices were slowly destroying Clément’s life.

One time, he couldn’t sleep at all for two weeks in a row. An intense desire for change overwhelmed him.

“I decided to pray to God,” he says, almost in a whisper.

“Actually, I didn’t know anything about the Christian religion. I was even persecuting Christians at that time, so it must have been the Holy Spirit leading me. He told me to fast and pray, and I heard God calling me. That was in 2005. I joined the local church and received Christ.”

The former witch doctor says it didn’t take much struggle cutting the ties with his occultic practices.

“The Word of God says, if you are in Christ, you become a new creation,” he explains. “God delivered me from every chain the spirit tried to put on me.”

When Bible League introduced its Bible study program in Maharavoandriana, Clément was among the first to be trained as a group leader.

“The program taught me so many lessons,” he says. “It has helped me to be more comfortable and motivated to serve God.”

The power of the Holy Spirit broke the generational curse in Clément’s family.

Instead of transmitting the evil spirit to his children, he educated them to follow Christ.

Together with his family, Clément is now preaching the Gospel to the same people that once feared him.

Nana is a 12-year-old student from Koforidua, Ghana. She attends the Church of Pentecost Odorkor Central.

Before accepting Christ,

• She was a thief.
• She would skip school and tell lies.
• She often took her friends to eat out during school hours.

“Sometimes we got to school late and would be punished,” she says. “Other times, we would not go at all.”

But she encountered a powerful Scripture during a small group Bible study.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember your creator in the days of your youth,” she says. “This verse meant much to me and anchored my turning point from my lousy character.”

During one of the Bible studies, Nana had a revelation.

“I knew I was not living as a child of God,” she says. “At that moment, she decided to stop skipping school and telling lies.”

Nana surrendered fully to the Lord and He has changed her character.

At first, she needed a bit of help understanding, but with her teacher’s help and the Bible study materials, she’s been able to grasp the lessons.

Now, she’s ready to serve the Lord.

 “I sense God is calling me to preach His Word to others who don’t know Him,”

she says. “I plan to reach out to my friends who do not know Christ yet. Pray that I am empowered by the Holy Spirit to be able to do this.”

She says, “I thank the Bible League, and may the Lord bless them.

The Bible and the portion will help me, and my family learn God’s Word.”