West Africa

Someone once said, "Africa is a feeling", and Al tried to capture as much of that feeling as he could while traveling through the West African nations of Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Togo. He learned that to speak of Africa is to speak in superlatives. It is the continent with the highest birth rate and the highest death rate. There are over 1,700 languages and dialects, 32 percent of the world's total. Africa has enormous problems: faltering agriculture, the encroaching Sahara, and 18 countries whose economies are in a state of collapse (Johnstone, 44).

Al's last stop was Nigeria, the home of one of every six Africans. The city of Lagos amazed him with its five million inhabitants. When Al commented on the city's size to a hotel clerk, the clerk remarked, "Pardon me for saying so, sir, but the urbanization of Africa is a fact of which most foreigners are ignorant. Nigeria has 25 cities of a hundred thousand or more, and Africa is 28 percent urban. By the turn of the century, most of us Africans will no longer live in green jungles but in what you Americans call concrete jungles. "

A continent of superlatives. A continent of drastic change. That is Africa. But the greatest change in Africa is rarely mentioned in the world's news media. In one century Africa has become the most Christian continent on earth. In 1900, only 3 percent of Africa was Christian. Today, 40 percent confess Christ. Some experts estimate that the majority of the continent will be Christian by the year 2000.

But all is not rosy in Africa, as Al learned one day from Mr. Ekong, a church elder: "The church has three powerful opponents in Africa. One is Islam, which is sending more and more of its missionaries into sub-Sahara Africa. Another enemy is revolutionary socialism or communism. The weak economies and growing urban problems of Africa make many people ripe for the communist ideology. Indeed, Islam, communism, and Christianity are locked in a three-way battle for the souls of Africa."

"What is the third opponent?" Al questioned.

"The third is syncretism. This is the mixing and merging of the truths of the Christian faith with the traditional religious beliefs of the people. Many people have said that they believe in the God of the Bible, but they have not left the old ways. They have not abandoned the idols and spirits of traditional African religions. Their problem is much like that which Israel experienced in the Old Testament. They wanted to worship both Jehovah and the idols such as Baal. In Africa we need many faithful Elijahs to direct people to the true God."

"So, Mr. Ekong, even though Africa has great potential, it also faces great obstacles," Al concluded.

"Precisely! Pray for us, my son."

Brazil

From Lagos Al caught a steamer headed for Sao Paulo, Brazil. Upon arrival, Sao Paulo's sixteen million people overwhelmed Al. The congestion and pollution of the city testified to the fact that it had grown up so rapidly that city planners had had no time to plan sufficiently for the millions who had thronged to this "land of opportunity." A full one-third of the populace lived, or rather barely survived, in the favelas, or slums, that surrounded the city.

Remembering that there was a Lutheran seminary in the city, Al asked directions until he found the Escola Superior de Teologia of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil. On that beautiful campus, he made friends with several students who spoke some English, and between classes they showed him the sights.

The students showed him the favelas up close, as they went to preach at churches in the slums. One thing that amazed Al was that in Brazil he felt almost middle-aged, because the population was so young. His friends informed him that this was typical throughout Latin America. The population is booming, because advances in health have reduced infant mortality. However, child care is not advancing accordingly. In the slums Al saw ample evidence that 19 percent of the children in Sao Paulo are either completely abandoned or must fend for themselves most of the day.

One evening at a Brazilian barbecue restaurant Al remarked to his friends, "I had always thought that Latin America was all Catholic, but now I see that there are many Protestants here, including lots of Lutherans."

Al's observation was greeted by a roar of laughter from the students.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

Leopoldo, who spoke the best English, explained the reason for their outburst. "Al, you have jumped from one misconception--the idea that all Latin Americans are faithful Catholics--to another wrong conclusion. Let me explain. The main reason that there are almost one million Lutherans in Brazil is that many Europeans came to settle here. Today we are gaining converts from the non-European populace of Brazil through personal evangelism, the media outreach of the Lutheran Hour, and social ministries. This situation does not exist in other Latin American countries. Lutherans there are a small minority. In addition, God has caused the other Protestant churches of Brazil to grow marvelously. Today our country is 22 percent Protestant, a figure that no one would have believed thirty years ago."

"So growth is occurring only in Brazil?" asked Al.

"Not only here. Chile, at 28 percent Protestant, has been blessed even more than we have, and Guatemala is 24 percent. But in most other Latin American countries the Protestants are a struggling minority."

"In those other countries, then, the Catholic Church is dominant?"

"Yes and no," Leopoldo replied. "Although most Latin Americans would say that they are Roman Catholics, in many countries the people do not practice their religion. For example, it is said that in Peru only 20 percent are active Catholics, in Bolivia 12 percent, in Uruguay 10 percent, and in Venezuela only 8 percent."

"This is surprising news to me," Al admitted, sipping his drink.

Filipe, another student, spoke up. "Al, what most outsiders do not realize is that neither Catholicism nor Protestantism is the major religion of South America. "

"Then what is?"

"Religions such as Umbanda, Macumba and Kardecism."

"What are they?" Al asked, scraping the legs of his chair on the floor as he leaned forward to hear better over the samba music.

"They are the major spiritistic religions of Brazil. When you went through Africa, Al, you must have seen examples of how the people fear spirits and offer sacrifices to them so that no harm will come to them."

"Yes. It was mighty weird stuff," Al affirmed.

"Those very same religions were brought to Latin America by black slaves. The African beliefs were then mixed with similar ideas of the natives here, resulting in religions like Umbanda and Macumba, which emphasize the casting of magic spells and the contacting of spirits in seances. And many of the better educated and affluent are adherents of Kardecism, a European form of spiritism. Here in Brazil, 60 percent of the people practice some form, including many people who claim to be Christian."

"But this is only in Brazil, right?" Al asked hopefully.

The whole group shook their heads in response, and Filipe spoke up, "Similar religions are found throughout Latin America. For instance, I have a friend who is a missionary with the Lutheran Church of Venezuela. He says that in the middle of the major freeway through the modern city of Caracas, there is a statue of a muscular, naked lady riding a wild pig and holding a pelvic bone aloft in her hands. She is Maria Lionza, the major spiritistic goddess in Venezuela. My friend says that 25 percent of the people give their allegiance to her. Twice a year over 50,000 devotees gather on a sacred mountain to worship Maria Lionza with all manner of occult practices."

"It is the same in other countries," Leopoldo added. ''The names of the gods and goddesses may change, but the result is the same--millions of people believe a lie of Satan, a lie that costs them the peace with God that they could have through faith in Christ. So, Al, even though the church is growing in Latin America, there is still a lot of work to do."

Coming Home to the World

A week later Al waved good-bye to Leopoldo, Filipe, and his other friends, as he boarded a plane headed home. During the long flights to Miami and then to Minneapolis, Al felt as though he were dreaming two separate dreams at the same time--one of them about a home he could barely recall, and the other about a world he would never forget. He jotted down his thoughts:

Lord, I began this journey on a lark, just for fun and adventure. But you have made it a pilgrimage of faith. I have been exposed to the marvelous wonder and beauty of Your perfect creation: the mountains, the flowers, the forests, and the sea; the people, the laughter, the joy. But I have also seen how man in his sinfulness can ruin it: the filth, the poverty, and the obscenity; the injustice, the crying, the heavy hearts.

I have lived in their homes and have warmed myself by their fires. If only I could go back and give them the remedy for their struggle--the only effective remedy, the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. If only they could hear about a different life, life eternal with You (Brones 1, 9-10).

Nobody getting off Flight 614 to Minneapolis received a more excited welcome than Al got from his parents and sisters. After praying for him every day for sixteen months, they were thrilled to have him home. Showered with questions about his journeys, Al felt overwhelmed.

"I know you want to talk. And I want to talk, too. But right now too many emotions are flooding over me. If you don't mind, would you just let me be quiet and think until we get home?"

"All right," his mother answered understandingly. "Just as long as your father and I can put an arm around you as we walk to the car, to assure ourselves that you are really back."

"Sure!" He placed one arm around his mother's waist, and another on his dad's shoulder.

As they walked, Al noticed an Hispanic sweeping the floor. At the baggage claim a Vietnamese flight agent checked his claim ticket. Walking out of the terminal, they passed an Native American family, apparently headed out on a flight. Sixteen months ago, Al might not have noticed these folks, but now they seemed to be shouting for his attention.

During the drive home he reviewed his journey: the rough beginnings in Australia; the hundred and one cultures; the friends he had made, such as Vinoba, who had told him of the world's need for Christ; the train trip from New Delhi that had begun as a nightmare and resulted in his waking to face the challenge of the Great Commission.

Al would have continued his reminiscing, but his eye was attracted by buildings and signs: an Isuzu dealer, a Thai restaurant, a Jewish synagogue, a Korean Tai Kwan Do martial arts school, a Chinese laundry, and the Islamic Center of Minneapolis.

Al's dad pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. No one spoke for a moment, and then Al prayed out loud, "Thank You, O God, for keeping me safe all the way home, home to this mission field."

"What do you mean, son?" his dad asked.

Al began to explain.

Do Something Now

1. Search Scripture. Make a study of the passages where Christ commanded us to go to all the world: Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:21; and Acts 1:8. Note the similarities and unique features of each reading.

2. Read. You will learn more about unreached peoples, and how the church can reach them at .

3. Look. Obtain a world map or a globe and put it on display in a place where it will serve as a continual reminder that God loved the whole world so much that He sent Christ to redeem everyone. Try to get a Peters map or some other map that shows accurate sizes of the continents, rather than those which stretch the Northern Hemisphere out of proportion (e.g., Africa should appear larger than North America).

4. Converse. Find people who have traveled to another country and chat with them about their experiences. Endure their slides, if you can. Chat with them about the people of that land and their need to know Christ.

5. Pray. To pray more intelligently regarding the global work of the church, obtain the book Operation World: A Day-to-Day Guide to Praying for the World by Patrick Johnstone. This book is both a Christian world almanac and a detailed prayer list for the nations. Your prayer life will reach new horizons.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.