Testimony - Congo Evangelistic Mission (1933)

 

Genesis 12:3 'And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.'

 

There was a real contest between the swindling money-grabbing witch-doctors and the simple Gospel preachers. Numbers of young believers attended the meetings in fear of their lives, while others did not dare to attend at all, as the witch-doctors threatened the annihilation of every family of which a member attended a Gospel meeting.

 

When this did not avail, they determined to do away with the evangelists.

 

One evening, as an evangelist was returning to his hut from preaching farther down-stream, he was surprised to find that they had taken his bed from his hut, to scrape it, and also they were drawing threads from the lining of his Sunday coat.

 

These, it appears, were necessary to 'bewitch' him, and to cause his death.

 

When the sorcerer who was in charge of the operations saw that he was discovered, he gave a shout of triumph, and said: 'At last we have all that is necessary to bring about your end. You will fall dead at sunrise tomorrow morning.'

 

The evangelist quietly remarked that God was quite able to care for him, but that even if he did die, he was washed in the precious blood of Jesus, and was ready to go.

 

Next morning a big crowd gathered about the door of the evangelist's hut to see if the magic of the witch doctor could accomplish what he boasted.

 

Just at sunrise the evangelist opened his door, and went to beat the drum for the sunrise prayer meeting, when there was an awful cry at the far end of the village, where the sorcerer himself, on coming out of his hut, suddenly threw his arms into the air with a shriek of agony, and fell back dead.

 

Naturally, many realized God's avenging hand in this, and were emboldened to take their stand for Christ.

 

Extract from 'God Working With Them' by W.F.P.Burton (Congo Evangelistic Mission:1933)

Teddy Hodgson with the C.E.M. Evangelists in 1933.

The sign reads 'Some KIKONDJA Evangelists 1933 - Please pray for US'