It was 2015 in northern Sierra Leone, when Duba, a churchgoer with no personal relationship with Christ, had a dream, “God spoke to me with the message that I was to leave all to follow him”.
It was the beginnings of God’s call on her life. She moved to Freetown and friends encouraged her to start going to Grace Community Church, where she noticed a unity and care amongst the believers.
Thriving under Biblical teaching and fellowship, Duba’s faith and understanding of the gospel grew. Hungry for God’s Word, she joined our Tyrannus Bible Institute and we saw her develop a Christ-centred character, and love of Scripture.
Almost immediately, we saw Duba’s passion for mission and the least- reached. After a short-term mission trip, to northern Sierra Leone, she began to think about her family’s remote village. After much prayer and sharing the need with others, she joined a mission team there in 2018.
Spiritual breakthrough in dark places
What happened in that village is an amazing testimony of God’s grace, and his work through one person with a heart to see the gospel penetrating spiritually dark places. It is a place of spiritual fear where charms and sacrifices are common. Traditional ‘healers’ use magic, and blood-covenant membership to male and female secret societies 7 is required for coming of age. As the team have shared the gospel message of one mediator to an all- powerful God, who calls allegiance to him, a number have come to faith. Despite the challenges, a church has been established. Please pray for further spiritual breakthrough, and for new believers to walk in the truth of Jesus’ power over forces of evil.
Counting the cost
Meanwhile Duba has been loving and serving others, volunteering with a Christian organisation in a slum community. Through our ‘Standing for Christ’ discipleship group, she has become better equipped to take her stand for Christ amid the dominating cultural practices. We have learnt much from God’s Word and from each other in one-to-one Bible study this year and I am thankful for her friendship.
‘God has changed me completely; he has done wonderful things in my life.’
Duba’s decision to follow God has cost her. She has had to wrestle with family and cultural pressure to marry. We continue to encourage her in her desire to serve God faithfully in singleness and only marry someone she can serve God alongside. Duba experiences the normal physical and societal problems endemic in Sierra Leone. Most of her family do not understand her commitment to serve God. But in the challenges, Duba sees God’s work in her life and testifies of his constant help, and the support of believers, ‘God has changed me completely; he has done wonderful things in my life.’
We are thrilled that Duba will be volunteering with us from November, primarily in youth ministries. Pray for her, and others like her, who boldly follow God in this culture.