Highlights of Africa - Part IX

At the closing ceremony on our last day there, our hosts put on a wonderful show for us. They brought in their youth group to dance and sing Christian praise songs in captivating African style, a real treat. Then they put on a skit. The youth portrayed a husband and wife and a critically ill teen-aged son. In the skit, the parents had summoned a witch doctor, who, after much chanting and dancing around, declared that the son was cured and demanded payment (as the norm, in the form of cows). When the youngster was not cured, the couple summoned another witch doctor, who claimed that the first one wasn’t any good and didn’t really know what he was doing. The actors mocked the witch doctor and the entire audience found comic relief in laughing at the ridiculousness of the whole mindset of trust in witch doctors. The second witch doctor couldn’t heal the child either, but of course demanded even more payment (more cows). Then a pastor happened by the family’s home and came in to pray with them. He shared the Gospel with them and together they prayed for healing.

Now most of you know me well enough to know that I have a real issue with the idea of outcome-based prayer; that I believe prayer is for changing people, for bringing us closer in our relationship with the Lord, and that advocating outcome-based prayer only sets one up for disappointment and confusion when “prayer isn’t answered” in the way we want.

But I don’t want to focus on that right now because the skit wasn’t about that. The skit put on by this youth group was to show how they do not have to put their trust in witch doctors any more, to trust only in God for all things. And in that, this youth group performed such a great skit that I know the angels in Heaven must have been rejoicing and laughing right along with us all! How excited and proud I felt that these people who barely have food to eat and clothes to wear, have adults who are willing to be youth leaders, to bring up their children with the teachings of Christ!