Witchdoctor wants to hear Gospel again
The Yanomami people of Brazil are begging to hear God’s Word and now a Yanomami church leader, Ademar, has decided to bring his family back to a neighboring village to live for a period of time and teach.
This message of desire to hear God’s Word first came from a witchdoctor, Arico, who shared his personal need to hear the Gospel to missionary Mike Hartman.
Arico explained he, along with his people, heard God’s Word many years ago. The witchdoctor had rejected it, but now he wants to hear again and he knows God could help him leave witchcraft behind.
"Mike, don’t say that you will come and get our hopes up and not come," Arico told Mike.
Arico, in his determination, asked local Yanomami church leaders, Ademar, Brais and Mario to come as well. The church leaders, along with Mike, agreed.
Departure for Mike and the church leaders wasn’t easy. The village they were to visit wasn’t on a river, so they had a five-hour walk ahead of them. The village welcomed the four men and provided food.
When it came time to teach, Mike noticed a man who was formerly opposed to the teaching of God’s Word.
"He was there for the whole time and heard the message and saw the interest," Mike wrote. "He kept saying he was leaving, but never left; so, we were very happy."
Ademar spoke the first day and the Yanomamis affirmed their desire to hear God’s Word. They were happy the men had come to share.
Over the course of their visit more Yanomamis from other villages came and stayed to listen.
"One of them stood up on the last evening and gave a strong testimony of desiring to know God better," Mike wrote. "He said he had a portion of God’s Word and had been reading it aloud in his village."
Other villagers told this man to be silent, but his desire to know God fueled his passion to share and he was excited to hear Mike and the church leaders teaching.
"He said someday, he would like to be a pastor like Ademar," Mike wrote.
Now Ademar is inspired to bring his family back to live in this village and to continue teaching.
"He said there was an awful lot of God’s Word to teach and this was only the beginning," Mike wrote. "They were like a garden that had not been weeded or watered for a long, long time and that now he had come with God’s Word and had watered and planted new seed."
The villagers felt that God’s Word had dried up in their hearts. Now it was coming back to life.
Mike and the church leaders are very excited about what God is doing in the hearts of the Yanomamis. Please pray as they start their second round of visits to five Yanomami villages that have expressed interest in hearing more teaching.
This message of desire to hear God’s Word first came from a witchdoctor, Arico, who shared his personal need to hear the Gospel to missionary Mike Hartman.
Arico explained he, along with his people, heard God’s Word many years ago. The witchdoctor had rejected it, but now he wants to hear again and he knows God could help him leave witchcraft behind.
"Mike, don’t say that you will come and get our hopes up and not come," Arico told Mike.
Arico, in his determination, asked local Yanomami church leaders, Ademar, Brais and Mario to come as well. The church leaders, along with Mike, agreed.
Departure for Mike and the church leaders wasn’t easy. The village they were to visit wasn’t on a river, so they had a five-hour walk ahead of them. The village welcomed the four men and provided food.
When it came time to teach, Mike noticed a man who was formerly opposed to the teaching of God’s Word.
"He was there for the whole time and heard the message and saw the interest," Mike wrote. "He kept saying he was leaving, but never left; so, we were very happy."
Ademar spoke the first day and the Yanomamis affirmed their desire to hear God’s Word. They were happy the men had come to share.
Over the course of their visit more Yanomamis from other villages came and stayed to listen.
"One of them stood up on the last evening and gave a strong testimony of desiring to know God better," Mike wrote. "He said he had a portion of God’s Word and had been reading it aloud in his village."
Other villagers told this man to be silent, but his desire to know God fueled his passion to share and he was excited to hear Mike and the church leaders teaching.
"He said someday, he would like to be a pastor like Ademar," Mike wrote.
Now Ademar is inspired to bring his family back to live in this village and to continue teaching.
"He said there was an awful lot of God’s Word to teach and this was only the beginning," Mike wrote. "They were like a garden that had not been weeded or watered for a long, long time and that now he had come with God’s Word and had watered and planted new seed."
The villagers felt that God’s Word had dried up in their hearts. Now it was coming back to life.
Mike and the church leaders are very excited about what God is doing in the hearts of the Yanomamis. Please pray as they start their second round of visits to five Yanomami villages that have expressed interest in hearing more teaching.