As the sun sank low in the African sky putting Kuranko land to sleep, the village of Funumbakura was beginning to experience a different kind of light. For probably the first time, the town meeting place was illuminated by electric light brought by a small group of Christian Reformed Church of Sierra Leone evangelists to this small bush village in the Nieni Chiefdom of Northern Sierra Leone. There was a battle raging just beneath the surface of the pleasant early dry season evening: a battle for the souls of a village.
Funumbakora has a very small CRC church which has experienced local persecution. Because of the deep animistic and Islamic roots of the village culture, a Christian in Funumbakura would be subject to constant harassment from their neighbors.
Back in the 1980s Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) built the gravity water system that is serving the village. While the years have taken their inevitable toll on the system, the pipeline has proven durable. The system is still one of the best in the area and is an abundant source of water for the village.
In a culture heavily reliant on oral history, the past is not easily forgotten. The tribal leaders of the village paid their respects to the team and the chief made his promise to ensure unity and equality among his people. In addition to the chief’s blessing on the work, 40 cups of rice were given as a symbol of friendship and approval.
The outreach awakened something in Funumbakora that had been sleeping just under the surface for generations: it stirred the hunger for the Gospel in their hearts. After two long nights of open revival services the time came for the Sunday morning service. The service, which is usually sparsely attended, was full. God truly did a miraculous work in Funumbakura and will continue to build his kingdom in the whole Nieni Chiefdom.
God has been working in Funumbakura for a long time, and now, through the hands of these Sierra Leoenian evangelists. He is harvesting a field that was sown and tended for decades.
Zach Adams
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