They attended the Discipleship Class in June (see them in the class picture below), and we were happy to meet them again.
We listened for hours to the wonderful stories of God’s
grace and power in this lovely ministry couple. Lulu, his mother, and his
siblings suffered greatly when they became Christians. His father is a wealthy
landowner and powerful witchdoctor who beat them in an attempt to get them to
renounce their new faith in God. When he refused, his father went to the courts
to legally disown him, his mother, and his 5 younger brothers. He no longer had
a home, no longer had access to the field on his father's land (therefore, no
food), and no money for anything.
Though Lulu has been a Christian now for a number of years
and now has a beautiful family and a stable home in Katesh village, he
continues to face persecution as a church-planter and disciple-maker among his
tribe, the "unreached" Barabaig people. Lulu and Margareta go together
as a couple to the extremely remote Barabaig villages. Though the tribe is very
resistant to Christianity's message (viewing it as a religion of the
"foreigners"), they become very curious as this Christian couple display
a life of love and respect for one another. As their curiosity rises, the
people become hungry for the kind of life that is built on love, peace, and
joy. The Gospel then may slowly be introduced, and they listen...not because
someone came with a direct word, but with a word spoken rather by actions.
Lulu reports that when just five Barabaig become believers, they
start a church. These new converts pay a significant price to claim the
name of Jesus because their tribe is hostile to new ideas and practices.
However, once they have counted the costs and decided to accept Christianity,
they are steadfast and will not be dissuaded!
