Recently, an SOM team traveled to Northwest Africa to teach and minister alongside African brothers and sisters in Christ. Twelve nations joined together to learn the Discussion Discipleship Method (DDM) as God worked in a powerful way from the time leading up to the trip, while they were in Africa, and through the Holy Spirit’s ongoing work.
One African woman told the team that when missionaries came from Europe and worldwide, they would eat in separate rooms during their stay. Their actions gave a superior tone to the Africans. She said she hated missionaries for years.
During the visit, the Spirit of Martyrdom International team of washed the feet of groups of men and women wherever they went. The woman said this act of love washed away her hatred and replaced it with forgiveness and love filling her heart.
The SOM team had so many stories to tell of transformed lives and empowered leaders.
Listen to a few words from David from the field while they were there.
Highlights from the time in Africa:
The SOM team had breakfast at a street vendor on the side of the road after being stopped at a checkpoint overnight. They gave little handmade gifts—”prayer pockets”—to the women working in the primitive kitchen to remind them someone loves them and is praying for them. Then they washed their feet too.
Nearly a dozen national leaders all interceded for Venezuela and for leaders in jail in India. They continually pray Revelation 2:10 over brothers and sisters to “be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”
A man from the village of the SOM-Northwest Africa Director served as a driver for the team. He began the journey as a Muslim and had his prayer mat with him. Fast forward a short time, and he graduated DDM as a believer in Jesus. The man said that by the example of the Christians he saw, the love of the group, and the teaching from the Word of God, he discovered that Jesus is the way. The man said, “He is the power. Jesus is God!”
One precious connection for the team was with a three-year-old little girl, a miracle from God who loves to sit on laps and draw. The US team had been praying for her parents since the girl’s mother was pregnant with twins and miscarried five years ago. And then, the family tragically lost a son at two years old. They asked the US team to pray that the Lord would give them a child. “I never had a prayer answer that would fit in my lap before,” a US team member said.
These stories are a tiny representation of how God is at work in Africa.
