Left Behind
Have you ever been left behind? A few months ago, I was left behind while visiting the Ivory Coast, a French-speaking country in West Africa. Our West Africa Director Abdoulaye Sangho was our host and speaks French and English, so the language barrier with the locals was not a great concern. After spending three days in the Ivory Coast visiting local churches and sharing the Word, our group of five was scheduled to go to Mali for the next leg of our journey. We left our hotel in plenty of time to make our 2pm flight. We had five confirmed tickets booked for our flight, but when we tried to check in were informed only two seats remained open on the plane. The man behind the counter seemed unconcerned by the problem. In Africa, you don’t just wait a few hours for the next flight, sometimes there are no flights for days. After much discussion a third seat became available, but that meant two of us would be left behind. I speak about 10 words of French, but I had been to the Ivory Coast many times so I was the practical choice to wait for the next flight as Abdoulaye had coordinated the schedule and needed to meet with his contacts in Mali. Suddenly, a fourth seat opened up. I rushed through immigration and got my passport stamped. I cleared security and was about to board the plane, boarding pass in hand, when I was told there wasn’t a fourth seat. I had to go back. However, with my passport already stamped, it looked as though I had already left the country. I tried explaining the situation to immigration, but we didn’t speak a common language. I waited to collect my luggage, but an agent insisted on taking back my baggage claim ticket and my boarding pass. I suddenly regretted not having any translator in a foreign city. Everything worked out OK a day later, but that trip brought fresh perspective for me about being left behind. No one likes being left behind, but many will be left behind when Jesus returns. God allows each of us to choose whether we’ll be left behind. In Canada, we’ve all had the opportunity to hear the good news of the Gospel. However, so many in Africa are living in spiritual darkness and many have never heard. We have the resources to bring the hope of the Lord Jesus to them. Working together we can make sure no one is left behind. During my recent Africa trip, we also evaluated how to help our Christian brothers and sisters in Mali. You may have heard about the difficult situation there. In the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali, the small Christian community of about 500 believers lived side by side with Muslims in relative peace. Even though their numbers were small, this small Christian community was growing. They had a Bible School, and an FM radio station.
In March of 2012, a group of fundamentalist rebels destroyed the library at the Bible school, seized the equipment and dismantled the radio station, and instituted Islamic Sharia Law. The rebels now control two thirds of the country, and the Christians were given twenty-four hours to leave or possibly suffer death. Over 400 Christians left within 24 hours, most with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Today the only way to hear the Gospel in northern Mali is from the TWR transmitter station in neighbouring Benin. The local church has rallied to help the refugees, and many are living in a Christian training center. The students are back in Bible school even though the only reference material they have is the Bible itself. Please remember to pray for Mali. Recently, TWR set up a new studio in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. Unfortunately, when our Timbuktu studio was destroyed we lost all of our recorded programs, so, in many cases, these programs will need to be re-recorded. There are so many needs to be met in this troubled part of the world. There's a saying you might have heard: the church in Africa is a mile wide but only an inch deep. Many in Africa come to know Christ through an evangelist who visited their village or they hear a message on the radio, but they lack the resources and trained local leaders to grow any deeper spiritually. TWR is a media ministry and so we have primarily focused on broadcasting the message of hope, but we have always known that it is not enough. We also need to ensure that once people accept Christ as their Savior there is a way for them to grow in their faith. Many turn back to their old ways and beliefs if their faith is not deepened and strengthened with sound biblical teaching. TWR Canada is working to equip pastors and believers. The Way of Righteousness (100 programs) introduces the Gospel to Muslims in a non-confrontational format. Tools for Wise Leadership provides training to church leaders who have no academic training in church leadership. Discipleship Essentials, (265 programs) is being developed to ground new believers in the Word so they can be effective disciples in their local communities. Will you help us fulfill our two-part plan for Africa? Will you help us not only introduce the salvation message of Christ to non-believers but also deepen the understanding of new believers? The hope for Africa is the Gospel and the follow-up of sound biblical teaching. Your gift to Trans World Radio Canada will help with the battle for hearts in Africa and around the world. This is an exciting time to serve our Lord, as we preach into every corner of the world to help hasten the Lord’s return. Thank you for your generosity and interest in speaking hope to the world. Thank you for helping to provide the resources we need to continue reaching anyone, anywhere, at any time. For the cause of Christ,
Ray Alary President, TWR Canada P.S. Your gifts make a difference! You can give online at www.twrcanada.org or by calling 888-672-6510.