The Missionary and the Witch Doctors
Psalm 14:1: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” When I read it, I realized it was God speaking. We read it twice and from nowhere there suddenly came a power (like the wind), empowering me inside. Incredible courage and power vivified my body.
It started on a Friday evening. A terrible smell filled the air around our house in the bush that night. It was 10 p.m. and I was on my way to lead a late night prayer meeting in the bush. Suddenly I heard noises on the roof. As I ventured into the dark night, flashlight in hand, I saw snakes on the roof. As I went back in the house to ask my wife to keep the windows closed, I realized that someone had smeared blood over our outside doors.
I live deep in the bushes of Mozambique, and have been in the bush as a full-time missionary for only a few months. I immediately realized that this had to be the work of witch doctors. I was shocked and said nothing to my wife about the blood on the doors.
The prayer meeting went ahead, and with what had just transpired, I asked the local church leaders to pray for me.
I got up early the next morning to clean the doors. I was busy when my translator came to me, looking very surprised. He informed me that there were four witch doctors that had come to see me. The witch doctors were clad in their traditional attire, something that was in itself an awful sight. They motioned me to come closer. When I came, one of them, clad in more feathers and paint than the others, loudly uttered some strange, awful words and threw his dolosse and bones my way. He constantly made strange noises and blew black smoke in my direction.
For the first time I felt alone, uncertain and afraid. I was afraid for the safety of my wife and myself. My translator stood behind me, scared and wide-eyed. The three other witch doctors agreed with the main witch doctor by softly echoing his chants and speaking in a strange way. I realized that the head witch doctor most likely specialized in black magic, since his curses were aggressive. I realized that I had to do or say something but was too shocked to speak.
The only words that I managed to get over my dry lips were, “Do you know that God loves you?” He laughed aloud. The witch doctors with him spurred him on by joining him in laughing loudly. My translator spoke softly behind me, “He says that he does not believe there is a God.” Now I was powerless. According to my translator, the witch doctor’s curses were that I would suffer a death sentence and curse in my life. The blood on the door was a testimony to that; my death was announced. My wife’s death was also proclaimed and sicknesses were proclaimed over the rest of my family, far away.
I was petrified by fear. I could hardly pray or remember all my Bible verses, studies, seminars or Sunday school texts. In this condition of helplessness, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind. God had to help me.
There was no flash of lightning or thunder or even an angel to help me, just a silent word, a thought that penetrated my heart, “Tell this person his name is written in the Bible!” The thought was so strange that I did not want to utter it. I mean, I did not even know his name. The thought kept on churning in my mind and finally I decided to say it. As I was taking out my pocket Bible, I said to the witch doctor: “God told me that your name is in this Book.” He suddenly laughed out loud and came a few steps closer. He was so full of confidence that I suddenly realized his name clearly does not appear in the Bible. Thoughts of death flew through my mind. This was my end.
“Do you know what my name is?” I stood petrified. I felt like I had betrayed God by ignorantly saying something that I believed had been from God. Did I not know the voice of God? My translator was gray, overwhelmed by fear. He knew this was the end and that he would be affected by the curse as well. “My name is Alfonso,” he laughed, his big black eyes giving me a fiery gaze.
In my state of fear, even I, with my limited knowledge, realized that the name “Alfonso” does not appear in the Bible. But in milliseconds my thoughts raced from Genesis to Revelation. There was no prophet or sinner in the Bible with the name “Alfonso.” I felt nauseous.
Suddenly, another word came in my heart, “Tell him his name is written in Psalm 14:1!” I did not want to say it, I had already been wrong. I didn’t know Psalm 14:1. I also didn’t believe there was an “Alfonso” in the Psalms. There were a few who had written the Psalms, but I am unaware of an Alfonso.
“There is no God,” I heard him say again.
In my inability to communicate, paralyzed with anxiety and fear (where is God?), I addressed the witch doctor in a rather pathetic way. “God just said your name is in the Bible in Psalm 14:1.” I ask if I may read it. My translator gets his Bible, and with trembling hands, opens the Bible at Psalm 14:1. I also read it. Psalm 14:1: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
When I read it, I realized it was God speaking. We read it twice and from nowhere there suddenly came a power (like the wind), empowering me inside. Incredible courage and power vivified my body. The witch doctor frowned when I read the verse with my translator. “So where is my name?” he asked arrogantly.
“There,” I showed him, now full of courage, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” You are a fool! “Do you call me a fool?” he protested. “No, my God says so,” I now proclaimed with pride, my words filled with the power of the King. I felt and realized it!
The witch doctor and his entourage stood there dumbstruck. The black magic witch doctor stood back, speechless. Suddenly, all the verses that had evaded me returned. I now spoke boldly. The witch doctor grabbed his bones and walked away with his entourage, cursing.
While they were walking away and I was still busy quoting John 3:16, one of the other witch doctors turned around and walked back. She was a woman. She shyly came closer, “What is this power and with what power did you speak that our leader had no words?” I shared the Gospel with her in a simple way.
She knelt in the dirt without shame and I prayed for her. She gave her heart to God and invited me to burn all her witchcraft materials. We did so a few days later and placed her in a new congregation that we had planted. She is still serving God. All glory to God alone!
Testimony from Francois Rauch
Raymond Lombard, Wheels for God’s Word
Project Number 1019041
© 2009 Church of God World Missions
