OP-ED: HE HAD ONE TOE
Acts 1: 8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
By Van Yandell
Have you ever known where you were, but not exactly? We were working an area in East Africa north of Nairobi Kenya, in the Embu province somewhere between Kerugoya and Nyeri.
Not knowing exactly where we were prohibits me from giving an exact location; however we knew Nairobi was south of us and that was enough.
This is in the Mt Kenya (17,057 feet) area. Being the second highest mountain in Africa, it is a sight to behold. With its rugged peaks, that mountain has a beauty all its own.
Traveling through such an area preaching the Gospel is a unique experience and one I would like to have again. We met some unique people and found the Africans to be very gracious.
It was not uncommon for villagers to invite us to a meal. To feast on githeri, a mixture of corn and beans is a pleasant surprise, especially when one has been walking the bush or jungle for hours.
Where there were roads, we had an old Toyota pick-up truck we used for a speaker’s stand. With microphones and speakers in the back, we would pull into a market, town or village and someone would speak to gather a crowd. Then one of us would provide, with an interpreter, a Gospel message.
The people were anxious to meet and talk with us. One man wanted his grandson to meet me. He left for a while; then returned with a young boy about seven, maybe eight years old.
I was the first white man the little boy had ever seen. He could not take his eyes off me. White man in Swahili is “Wazungu.” He could not stop staring at my blue green eyes. My eye color was a new experience for him.
In one village we were called the “Umbaba” meaning “going around in circles.” The British occupied Kenya until 1963 and the nationals saw them as constantly “going around in circles” thus the name.
In other villages the children always gathered around to get a closer look and feel. They always wanted to feel my arms. The African men have no hair on their arms so here I was the main attraction once again. Thinking of the children running their hands over my arms still brings a smile.
In the market in Embu, was a vegetable stand; it had plantain. I’d never eaten plantain and thought it was a kind of banana. I bought one for two schillings and proceeded to try to peel it like a banana.
My trusty pocket knife managed to get into the “tasty” part. Not realizing it had to be cooked, it puckered me up like a persimmon and the locals couldn’t stop laughing. Laughing when puckered is not easy but an effort was made.
One man that educated the Wazungu wore one flip-flop on his right foot. He only had one toe on that foot and none on his left foot. He was probably seventy plus years old and had walked so many miles on the sandy trails and roads, the abrasion had worn off all his toes but one.
His flip-flop was wired to the one toe. He didn’t seem to be in pain and appeared to be a happy guy. We sat on a log by the entrance to the market. I explained to him the beliefs of Christianity. He prayed to receive Jesus on that log that sunny day in East Africa. What a great blessing that was for both of us!
When we leave such a place, we know we’ll probably never be back. Parting words are usually “If I don’t see you again here on earth, I’ll see you in Heaven.”
Another time we were close to the Indian Ocean. In one village an elderly lady received Jesus. I’ll never forget the tears in her eyes as she heard the Gospel story. No one had ever told her that God loved her so much He was willing to shed His blood and die for her so she could have eternal life.
The next Sunday the Utange church held a baptism in the ocean about two miles from the church. She walked for those two miles, barefoot on a gravely road to be baptized. I will never forget the look on her face when she came up out of the water.
Christ Jesus voluntarily, sacrificially shed His blood, gave His life for the sin of all mankind. Salvation is because of His sacrifice; because of what He did.
We have found people of many nationalities, many ethnic groups, many skin colors, and many other differences that embrace Jesus when they hear of His sacrifice because of His love for them.
We must always teach that eternal salvation is attained by a faith based belief (Ephesians 2: 8) in Christ Jesus crucified (Matthew 27: 35) for the remission of sin (1 John 1: 9), resurrected (Matthew 28: 6) and ascended alive in to Heaven (Acts 1: 9).
Reaching people for the Lord Jesus has been one of the most satisfying and blessed things I have ever participated in. We don’t have to go to the ‘uttermost parts of the earth” to find someone to tell. Go for the blessing and tell someone. You’ll be glad you did and so will they.
Van Yandell is a retired Industrial Arts teacher, an ordained gospel evangelist and commissioned missionary. His email is vmy3451@gmail.com