June 23, 2010 was a day filled with anticipation as followers of Jesus prepared for baptism after months of having heard the Word proclaimed. These baptisms were taken seriously and much thought went into whether a person was ready to follow Jesus wholeheartedly; everyone’s names were recorded in a book, new Christian names were taken to replace Dagaran ones and the best clothes that a person owned were adorned after their baptism. It was a truly joyous day among the Dagara when we witnessed more than one hundred people give their lives to Jesus in the “muddy” waters of baptism. They really didn’t care about the mud, they were just glad to have enough water to be baptized.
The village chief, who had first invited the evangelists to come and teach his village, was also the first to be baptized on that day. His name is Kopana Some and he is 72 years old (he has already well outlived most of his Dagara brothers whose life expectancy is 47 years). Following his baptism Mr. Some said “my heart was sick before, but now it is good. Today happiness has entered my heart.” Mr. Some challenged the new believers by encouraging them to remain strong and watch out for each other. And he said that when he dies he wants all his possessions and money to go to the church. What an incredible display of God’s power at work in changing lives and turning hearts to Him! May God be glorified in His new children among the Dagara and may we all lift them up in prayer as they strive to live the Light in a culture of darkness and despair.
Geoffrey Richter and family
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