'Journeymen' Missionaries Work Among Remote Tribe

In a desolate area of Burkina Faso, in Africa, lives a tribe called the Manaase. They are a people-group that doesn't know a whole lot about Christ-but they are learning.

Young Baptist missionaries, called Journeymen, are taking the Gospel to the ends of the world, even to Burkina Faso and the Manaase people.

Using a map and a global positioning system, Journeyman Cory Wilson found 25 Manaase villages. Once exact locations were made, individual Journeymen moved alone into various villages to begin the work.

But, even the most willing of spirits found the work emotionally challenging.

Journeyman Paul Preedy said, "Temperatures reach 110 degrees here every day. There's no electricity, no running water, no air conditioning; you're basically living off the land. And it's very hard."

Another Journeyman said the hardest thing was, "Loneliness, being by yourself in the village." Several of the young missionaries said they sometimes cry from the loneliness.

Yet, the Journeymen have found that this life of discomfort and struggle bonds them with the Manaase, who also barely exist in their surroundings. Little rain, poor soil and insufficient food leave the Manaase open to hunger, sickness and suffering.

For most Manaase, the only source of income is the indigo cloth, which they dye themselves. Often death is an all-too-real visitor among all ages.

As God's Spirit moved through the Manaase and the Journeymen alike, change began to ripple throughout villages.

Slowly, the villagers took notice that their visitors journeyed down a different path-the Jesus Path.

Katie Boren said she went away for several hours one day to be with God.

"Back then, that was really a long time. And I came back and everybody was staying at my house wanting to know where I'd been and why I'd gone. And the Chief was at my house. And I told 'em where I went, and they said, 'Oh, that's good!' They all know I follow the Jesus Path."

Through life-style evangelism, taped messages and wordless picture books, people are discovering the Jesus Path to eternal life.

Paul Preedy said, "Through the ministries in our different villages, about 40 have come to Christ. And I'd say about 50 or 60 more are coming to learn, are interested, are saying 'We want to know about Christ, we haven't heard about Him before'."

Just as droplets on a pool cause ripples to intertwine, so have the lives of the Manaase and the Journeymen intertwined.

Katie Boren explained her experience, "There's an old man, he's not a Christian, he calls himself my father. I mean, I'm theirs. Like they say, when I go to market, and people say 'nasada' which is the word for white person. They'll take up for me and say, 'She's not nasada, she's Manaase. She's Tin Auer's child."

Paul Preedy told us what he had learned, "I've taken for granted my walk with God, and what is truly important and necessary in my life. The things that I thought I needed, are completely different than what I ever thought they were before. Once you put aside all the comforts we have. Now, I realize, that I was created to know God and created to be His servant and to be a tool, a vessel for these people to see God through me."

The Journeyman missionary work means: changed lives, changed destinies, and young missionaries learning that strength truly comes in weakness. It means villagers gaining family, and also becoming part of the family of Christ.

Visit the International Mission Board Web site.