Heartache

We go to the extremes to protect our little ones. We know that a baby left to itself is unaware of the dangers that can rob him of life. Sad news is disclosed each year in Dondo that a child has drowned in a flooded depression like an addendum to the rainy season. Yesterday it was the year-old baby of our mechanic, Sergio. By herself for a brief moment, she slipped away from life and her family. In a parallel event, a baby Christian that I have been trying to nurture in the Lord also slipped away yesterday...back into the enemy's territory.

I walked toward Domingas' and Joaquim's house with a heavy uneasiness. One of the most difficult visits of my ministry in Dondo was about to unfold. Domingas and Joaquim had practiced witchcraft most of their lives. After their son/grandson's death we had witnessed them miraculously come to Christ. For over a year Domingas had been attending the Mafarinha church and we had taken them through an 8-week Bible study at their small mud home. When I returned this year I discovered that Domingas' attendance had become sporadic. I took time in my busy schedule and stopped by to see if she was well. She admitted she had not been going to church because she had been feeling weak and dizzy. I recognized the signs of malaria-induced anemia and asked her to visit our clinic doctor (who later confirmed my suspicions). Even so, something was wrong and I sensed it. I discussed it with my translator Simone and he sensed it too. We prayed for God's wisdom, and I prayed specifically that God would reveal to us whether she had returned to her witchcraft.

Yesterday Simone happened to be walking within earshot of Domingas' house. He heard the beat we had dreaded...witchdoctor drums. He slipped quietly to her house to confirm the sound within. Now I was walking in that direction with an ache in my heart like a mother searching for her lost child. When Simone and I arrived, Domingas and Joaquim didn't offer us their usual greeting. I stood like a stone refusing to be whitewashed. After a few awkward minutes, Joaquim's husband Luis approached us with Domingas shadowing his steps. I greeted them softly and customarily shook their hands. Quietly asking what I already knew, Domingas avoided my eyes. Four times I asked, four times she forestalled the question. Finally Joaquim approached us in a defensive manner I had never seen before. She told me that she was part of the Catholic church which allowed and accepted witchcraft activities six days of the week; the seventh day was reserved for church. She left quickly but I noticed Domingas and Luis remained behind.

I took the opportunity to explain we can only serve one Master. One foot can't be in the house of Satan while the other is in the house of God. I could hear the loud roar of Satan's deluge beating hard to drown out God's vast, wide and deep love for them. I prayed with them that God would open their eyes. After we prayed, Domingas volunteered that she wanted to speak to the leader of the Mafarinha church on Sunday. Perhaps there is still a heartbeat.