No one could know what they were really doing. Scattered among a cove in the Indian Ocean, six men prepared to publicly declare their belief in Christ through baptism, symbolically cleansing them of their sin and old life – not that it could be legally celebrated or recognized in public. The group scattered, swimming nonchalantly nearby as one after one were submerged in water by the ministry team members. The missionary team members weren’t sure all six men would commit. Due to religious persecution, fear sometimes tempts people to leave their vows unfulfilled. Only a few missionary team members could attend the baptism to avoid drawing attention to the act.

This country in Southeast Africa is 99.9% Sunni Muslim. It is illegal for citizens of this country to practice any religion other than Sunni Islam. Cleansing and the act of being clean is central to the Islamic faith. Having a clean body and a clean soul is of great importance. Foreigners who attempt to share their religion with citizens can be subject to deportation, fines, and imprisonment. There is no evangelical church building present in the entire country.

In this country, women possess the property, homes, and decision-making power. The biggest fear of many new believers is that their mother will discover their devotion to Christ. Despite the strict religious structure in this country, sharing about Jesus is generally welcomed. “From the very beginning, we want everybody to have a Jesus identity so that they know we're religious people and that we believe in God. They tend to respect that we believe in God, love God, and try to serve Him. Here, talking about God is just what everybody does. You can have conversations about God,” said Macy, Assemblies of God World Missions missionary to Southeast Africa. Although citizens should legally report the missionaries for talking about Jesus, they perceive the missionaries’ “good” of having an English center greater than the “bad” of them openly sharing their faith in Jesus, allowing the missionaries to reach more people with the truth of the gospel.

People are generally willing to converse and are known for being warm, hospitable, approachable, and community-oriented. “The beautiful part of our country is the citizens are so hospitable and easy to find. It's very safe here and the risk is low for crime,” said Macy. “We don't have to live behind a wall, have a security guard, or a gate which is very common, especially in Africa. Here, we don't have to live like that. We can live with the people.” Although this country is known for being extremely poor and underdeveloped, it differentiates itself from many other African countries because its agriculture can feed and sustain its citizens. There is poverty throughout the country, but communities unite around providing food for one another and caring for those in need. They are resourceful with what they have and know how to make food and other resources last.

The challenging spiritual climate intertwined with poverty and physical need makes guiding people to Jesus difficult. However, prayer and fasting have led this missionary team to many spiritual victories. The missionary team consists of single missionaries, missionary couples, and their children. To obtain permission to reside in this Southeast African country, the missionary team leaders run an English center for national citizens. Team members spend the morning studying the country’s national language or working at the English center. Evenings are typically reserved for spending time in the community and getting to know locals. On Wednesdays, the team gathers for prayer, language learning, and decision-making. “One of my favorite things is listening to the Holy Spirit. We ask Him where He wants us to go that day. Then, we go out two-by-two and look for any treasures that He gave us,” said Macy. These “treasures” can be a specific color, gender, physical characteristic, or other identifying factors. Then, with an evangelical lens, the team travels out to connect with what “treasure” the Lord placed on their heart and see how He moves.

Another key component of this missionary team is fasting. After experiencing difficulties getting the proper governmental approvals for their English center to gain residency, the missionary team prayed, fasted, and asked for the Lord’s favor in the approval process. As a group, the team broke their fast in a restaurant together. As they were leaving a man was hanging outside of a taxi on a busy street corner shouting down Macy’s husband, Greg. “Greg, Greg, I have your paperwork. Come get it on Monday. It's all ready,” the man said. The man hanging out of the taxi was the very person they needed approval from. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the missionary team committed to 40 days of prayer and fasting. Each member selected something to fast, progressing in difficulty every 10 days. Due to COVID restrictions, the team spent less time in the community and more time in prayer, waiting on the Lord. Over the next few months, six different people knocked on various team members’ doors and asked to learn more about Jesus and the Bible, but the most profound miracle occurred a year later.

Just after he woke up, Zamil began walking to the Jesus followers’ house. He knew what He had to do. There was no denying what He saw in the dream and the answers it demanded. He knew where to find them. He raised his fist and knocked on their door, waiting for it to open. On the other side of the door was the home of one of Macy’s team members. They heard the knock and opened the door to an unfamiliar, local man with a glowing face – they could tell he had been in the presence of Jesus. They invited the man, Zamil, into their home. He began to speak. “I've had a dream of Jesus. Jesus was standing there, and He had his arms around my family, and He was cleansing us,” explained Zamil. “I looked up at Jesus, and I said, ‘How can I be cleansed? How can I be clean?’ Jesus said, ‘You go to the people who follow me, and they'll tell you how to be cleansed.’ So, how should I be cleansed?” Zamil asked. That day, Zamil accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He has matured in the faith day after day and continues to be a spiritual leader, ministering and sharing Jesus with other with other Southeast Africans. He disciples two faithful believers and has brought His brother to the Lord. “He was going to the market every Monday and sharing truth,” said Macy. “He has been praying for 200 Southeast Africans to come to know Jesus. In his mind, if 200 people come to know Jesus, then nobody can stop them. When God showed himself to Zamil, it was him and his family. It wasn't just him that Jesus was saying, ‘I'm for you’ to. It was, ‘I'm for your whole family.’” Zamil began hosting small gatherings for other locals to get to know Jesus. As interest in Christ has grown, the need for caution is increasing. The more people gathered at Zamil’s home to hear about Jesus, the more police started coming by. Groups have had to separate to attract less attention.

Now the team is disciplining these new believers and helping them understand what it means to be the Church. The team is sharing what a true church is, empowering local believers to understand that they are the Church, the body of Christ. “A church is not walls with pews. A biblical church comes out of Acts 2. We look at them and we see them as the first church in Southeast Africa, but we're waiting for them to own that identity,” said Macy. Slowly, people in this Southeast African country are realizing that Jesus is the only one who cleanses. He is the only one who can wash us clean of sin, shame, guilt, and the past. No other religion can do it, no other god can do it. He is the one who cleans us, redeems us, and purifies us. He, alone, is the one we approach to be cleansed.

By Holly A.V. Knapp