Some say that some places
in the world are just too hard
00:01:09.13\00:01:12.41
to reach with the Gospel
and the three angels' messages.
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Guinea would probably
fit into the hardest to
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reach of this group.
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Dominated by a resistant
religion, racked with poverty
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and corruption, bordering
on the brink of political
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and social meltdown,
her need of the Gospel
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is apparent. The
outlook would leave the average
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evangelist shaking
his head in dismay.
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This is truly a story,
the story of the Gospel going
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forward in Guinea,
that only God could write.
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For on the hearts of
many of the beautiful, vibrant
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spiritually hungry
people of this land, He is
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inscribing His Gospel.
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Marc and Cathy Coleman founded
the Susu Project of Adventist
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Frontier Missions in Guinea
in the year 2000. And after
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several years of learning
the culture and language,
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launched into an active
ministry of medical missions,
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friendship evangelism,
and development work.
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As young people started to
convert, education later became
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part of this program.
Now, many years later,
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a thriving church and
school, a lay training program,
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and local leaders fill
their places. God has shown once
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again that no place is
impenetrable, impermeable
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to the G ospel, because
God is bigger than all of
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the challenges.
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Hello, we are the Colemans.
My name is Marc. I'm Cathy.
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I'm Rebecca. And I'm Chelsea.
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Many people have asked
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us what it was like to live
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in a country like Guinea,
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where we worked and
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lived for 10 years.
If I were to think of one
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word that describes the
country of Guinea, I would
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have to say,
colorful, very colorful.
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Vibrant.
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It was very hot.
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Expressive.
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It was a place that was often on
the brink of war, very unstable.
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Often lonely.
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The food was really good.
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Full of corruption.
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And we could go on and
on with both the good and
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sometimes the bad,
but these words together
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describe a picture of a
place desperately in need
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of the Gospel. Come with
us for just a few moments
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and let us take you
deeper into the story of what
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it was like to be
pioneer missionaries in the
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country of Guinea.
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I'm with Isatta Coker.
She is the eldest child
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of the seventh wife
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of a very prominent
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government official in
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the country of Sierra Leone
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at that time when she
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was a child.
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Everyone has an
assigned role, an assigned place
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based on the mother's
age and the mother's position
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as the wife. And Isatta had
a special role as the oldest
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child of the seventh
wife. In fact, her brothers and
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sisters call her
to this day, "Mom. "
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At the age of 16,
Isatta was already consumed
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with the cares of taking
care of her younger brothers
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and sisters, and
helped her mother extensively.
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But she had an interesting
experience at this age
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that led her to Christ.
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It is very difficult having
to live with your parents -
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all of them are
Muslim, and you decide to pick
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up the cross and follow
Christ. When I was around
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the age of 16, I was staying
with my siblings, my half
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siblings. And I am
very close to one of them
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clalled Jusefo.
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So one day he came over
to me. He was so excited,
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running and he came and
said, "I want to share something
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with you, and I want it
to be just a secret between
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you and I.
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I was accompanying my
girlfriend, and I heard
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a sermon. And this is not
my first time I've been hearing
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about Jesus, and it kind
of touches me a whole lot. "
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Then he went on and
started sharing everything
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about how Jesus Christ
is our personal Savior,
00:05:17.29\00:05:20.67
what Jesus Christ went
through dying on the cross
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to save us from our
sins. So I became interested.
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So one day, he and I
decided to go to the church.
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There is no way my
father should get to know about
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this because he would
disown me and drive me
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out of the house. But
by then I had a boyfriend
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named Sheik. He, too,
got interested at some point
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in going with me. But
there was some kind of
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misunderstanding. He got
angry, so he said I'm not
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supposed to go back to
the church. I said, "No, I'm
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going to go there.
Nobody will stop me.
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So one day there was
a fundraising service.
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I was in the service. I
was really enjoying the service
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and singing good songs,
and suddenly I had somebody
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tapping my back. "Somebody
is calling you outside.
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Somebody is calling
you outside. " I said,
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"Hold on. I'm coming. "
He said, "Somebody wants
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to see you. The person
said that if you refuse to come
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he's going to come in. "
I said, "Okay. Hold on. Let
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me go and see this person.
" To my greatest surprise,
00:06:32.30\00:06:35.14
it was my boyfriend waiting
outside. I said, "Come in!"
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He said, "I told
you not to come here. "
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Then he grabbed my
hand forcefully and started
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pushing me. "Why are
you treating me like this?"
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He said, "I am not coming
to the church anymore, and I
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don't want you to
come to the church. "
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I said, "I'm sorry. It's
not going to work that way. "
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He actually beat me.
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He said, "Well, I'm
going to talk to your dad."
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It was the saddest day.
He said, "What? You mean,
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my daughter is going to church?"
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But I just stood
silent, speechless, because it
00:07:08.97\00:07:12.72
was a shock for me.
And my dad asked me,
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I said, "Yes, sir.
I've been going to church. "
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He has a big ring, a heavy,
thick silver ring on his hand.
00:07:17.56\00:07:22.52
He hit my face.
"Who allowed you?
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It is an abomination for
you to be going to church.
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Don't you know that? Are
you trying to disgrace me?"
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I stood there
speechless, just crying.
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At some point he calmed
himself down, and he said,
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"I want you to promise me
you will never go to church."
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I actually accepted in front
of him, but my intentions were
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different. The day he
found out was the worst.
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He said, "So, you defy
me. You defy my words."
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He was so angry. So my
mom, as soon as she overheard
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the
conversation, she came running.
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She said, "Let us drive
her out of this house because
00:08:09.78\00:08:12.71
she is a
disgrace to the family. "
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My dad drove me out of
the house, and they took
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all my things. I only had
one outfit with me - the one I
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had on is what I went out
with. In the evening I would
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come around the house
when nobody sees me, just my
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siblings, and they
would give me food.
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Finally, my mom went to
some people, all the people
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who are well respected
in the community, she spoke
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to them, and they came to
my dad, and they talked to
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my dad. He asked me
again that I should promise him
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that I will not
go to the church.
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I could not make
the promise again.
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By then, he fell
sick, seriously sick.
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My dad and I were so
close. Even with all that
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had happened, I was
the only person that he
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allowed to cook his
food, sit beside him to eat,
00:09:05.82\00:09:10.11
give him his medication.
Everything is all Isatta.
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One day, it was getting
worse. It was hard for me
00:09:14.29\00:09:18.30
to understand that he was
dying. I said, "Dad, I want
00:09:18.34\00:09:21.61
you to take Jesus Christ
as your personal Savior. "
00:09:21.64\00:09:24.88
I said, "He's the only
one that can save you. "
00:09:24.91\00:09:28.21
I said, "Prophet
Mohammed cannot save you.
00:09:28.25\00:09:30.94
You have to accept
Jesus Christ as your
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personal Savior. He is
the one that died on the cross
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for you and I." By
then I was crying anyway.
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I said, "Dad, this is the
only opportunity you have.
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When you die, it's finished.
Just talk to me. I beg you. "
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I was pleading with him.
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He said, "I will never
ever accept Christ as my
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Savior. Prophet
Mohammed is my savior. "
00:09:56.86\00:10:00.06
That was the end of
our discussion. I left
00:10:01.43\00:10:04.40
crying because
it was hard for me.
00:10:04.44\00:10:06.83
Coming from a Muslim
background, accepting
00:10:14.61\00:10:18.66
Christ as your
savior is not an easy task.
00:10:18.69\00:10:22.70
I just want to encourage,
whether you are a Muslim,
00:10:25.30\00:10:30.02
Buddhist, whosoever
you are, that Christ is the
00:10:30.19\00:10:35.39
only way, the truth and the
life. There is no other way.
00:10:35.42\00:10:39.67
Holidays are important
in Guinea, just as they are
00:10:50.02\00:10:52.77
in every other country.
Here it's been interesting
00:10:52.80\00:10:55.67
for us to notice how
much people will, who are just
00:10:55.70\00:10:58.54
barely eking by in
existence, will go into
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six months debt just to
be able to pay for one set
00:11:01.90\00:11:06.70
of clothes to wear on
this very special religious
00:11:06.73\00:11:11.50
holiday.
00:11:11.53\00:11:12.50
One day, Abubacar
came dressed in his fine,
00:11:15.22\00:11:20.44
what we call a boubou, a robe.
00:11:20.47\00:11:23.49
And he did a little dance
00:11:23.53\00:11:25.40
as many people do when
00:11:25.43\00:11:26.84
they get new clothes.
00:11:26.88\00:11:28.21
And he was showing it to me
00:11:28.25\00:11:30.12
and dancing around. And
we joked around and talked
00:11:30.15\00:11:33.87
a while, and I admired
his robe. Then he got deadly
00:11:33.90\00:11:37.55
serious. He went and he sat
on my motorcycle. And he said,
00:11:37.58\00:11:41.70
"You know, this is my
last Muslim holiday." He said,
00:11:41.74\00:11:46.00
"I want to sell all my boubous."
00:11:46.03\00:11:47.86
Well, what do you want
to do that for, Abubacar?
00:11:53.50\00:11:55.78
"Well," he said, "I
want to follow Christ."
00:11:59.30\00:12:03.21
He was dead set on
selling his boubous, and I said,
00:12:07.34\00:12:10.87
"Well, you really don't
need to sell your boubous.
00:12:10.90\00:12:14.36
I mean, it's all right for
Christians to wear boubous."
00:12:14.40\00:12:17.64
But to him it symbolized
all that he wanted to leave
00:12:17.67\00:12:20.88
behind.
00:12:20.91\00:12:21.88
He told me later. He
said, "What happened was
00:12:28.60\00:12:32.02
I had a dream."
00:12:33.02\00:12:34.39
And in that dream, he had on
00:12:36.94\00:12:39.79
a stained, dirty dark robe.
00:12:39.82\00:12:42.64
And people were ridiculing
00:12:43.21\00:12:47.07
him and saying, "Look at
your life. Look at you. "
00:12:47.10\00:12:49.52
And in a social society like
this, the criticisms of people
00:12:49.56\00:12:53.97
hold extra weight. So
he felt his sinfulness.
00:12:54.00\00:12:58.07
But before him on a
table in this dream was folded
00:12:58.10\00:13:01.68
a beautiful white
robe. He understood this to
00:13:01.71\00:13:05.28
mean that Christ was
offering him a new robe of
00:13:05.31\00:13:08.84
righteousness.
00:13:08.88\00:13:11.78
Abubacar recently has been
00:13:14.38\00:13:16.74
facing many trials.
00:13:16.77\00:13:18.53
One day, during the
month of Ramadan, which is the
00:13:22.58\00:13:25.65
fasting month for
Muslims, I made a plate of rice
00:13:25.68\00:13:28.71
and sauce for him. So
I went to hand him the
00:13:28.75\00:13:32.27
plate of food, and he refused.
00:13:32.31\00:13:36.46
Then a couple of days later,
I said, let me try this again.
00:13:40.78\00:13:44.34
So I said,
"Abubacar! Abubacar, here."
00:13:44.38\00:13:47.62
He said, "No, no, no,
Mama. I'm not eating."
00:13:47.66\00:13:50.69
I said, "You're not eating?"
I said, "Abubacar, have you
00:13:50.72\00:13:56.72
become a Muslim again?"
00:13:56.75\00:13:58.30
He put his head down,
and he said, "Mama, you know
00:13:58.33\00:14:02.31
when I went for my vacation
in June?" I said, "Yes."
00:14:02.35\00:14:05.97
He said, "Well, you know,
I traveled all the way there
00:14:06.00\00:14:09.58
to spend time with my
family and my friends."
00:14:09.62\00:14:12.15
And he said, "My aunt greeted
me coldly. And the first thing
00:14:12.19\00:14:17.08
she said was, 'Take the
kettle and do your abolutions. '
00:14:17.12\00:14:21.98
Which is your
preparation for your prayer.
00:14:22.02\00:14:25.11
'It's time for
prayer. It's five o'clock.
00:14:25.14\00:14:28.20
Let's go to the mosque.'
00:14:28.24\00:14:30.00
Abubacar thought for a
moment. That's when the
00:14:31.91\00:14:35.01
struggle started.
Because he knew he had already
00:14:35.05\00:14:39.15
confessed Christianity.
So he refused the kettle.
00:14:39.18\00:14:44.07
And we was going through
this battle. Well, finally,
00:14:44.10\00:14:48.42
someone else came by and
said, "Hey, Abubacar's here!
00:14:48.46\00:14:52.75
Abubacar is here!"
They were excited to
00:14:52.78\00:14:54.48
see him because they
hadn't seen him in a long time.
00:14:54.51\00:14:56.60
They asked him,
"Have you eaten?"
00:14:56.63\00:14:59.93
He said, "No." They
said, "Have you gotten water?"
00:14:59.97\00:15:02.51
"No." They said,
"When you're finished,
00:15:02.54\00:15:04.25
food is here for you."
00:15:04.28\00:15:05.25
But the aunt said,
"There is no food here for him.
00:15:05.26\00:15:09.47
Don't you know that Abubacar
has changed his religion?
00:15:09.51\00:15:13.78
He is no longer Muslim?
That he has become a Christian?
00:15:13.81\00:15:18.04
So there's
nothing here for him."
00:15:18.08\00:15:20.78
They even told him, "If
you get sick, there's nothing
00:15:20.82\00:15:25.41
here for you. If you need
to find a wife, go to those
00:15:25.44\00:15:30.35
Christians. That's your new
family. If you need anything
00:15:30.38\00:15:35.25
forget about it. We
are no longer here for you.
00:15:35.29\00:15:38.64
We are no longer your family."
00:15:38.68\00:15:40.24
He hadn't
anticipated this at all.
00:15:40.28\00:15:43.44
He came for a
friendly family visit,
00:15:43.48\00:15:46.61
and there he was rejected.
00:15:46.65\00:15:49.07
They refused him water,
the basic commodity of life.
00:15:51.63\00:15:56.66
They said, "Nothing here -
we are no longer your family.
00:15:56.70\00:16:01.70
Go to those Christians."
00:16:01.73\00:16:03.74
The next day, he came back
to the house, and the tension
00:16:09.25\00:16:13.05
started all over again -
the arguing and the fussing
00:16:13.09\00:16:16.85
and the fighting
started all over again.
00:16:16.89\00:16:18.78
They called him a dog.
They called him terrible names.
00:16:18.81\00:16:23.67
They called him a roach. You're
dirty. Just get out of here.
00:16:23.70\00:16:27.61
So he felt it wasn't safe
for him, and so he found refuge
00:16:27.64\00:16:31.52
in another house for a
period of time until his
00:16:31.55\00:16:34.92
vacation was over.
And then he came back.
00:16:34.96\00:16:37.86
And so I asked him at
that moment after he shared his
00:16:37.89\00:16:42.03
story, "Abubacar,
several months have passed.
00:16:42.07\00:16:46.09
How come you didn't
say anything to us? We are
00:16:46.13\00:16:50.09
your family here." He
said, "My family rejected me
00:16:50.12\00:16:53.23
there, and I was afraid if
I told you that I was confused
00:16:53.27\00:16:57.59
and that maybe I didn't
want to be a Christian anymore
00:16:57.62\00:17:01.13
that you would be mad at me,
too. That all of you would be
00:17:01.16\00:17:04.63
mad at me, and that
all of you would reject me.
00:17:04.67\00:17:06.44
I said, "Abubacar, no way."
00:17:06.47\00:17:11.12
I said, "There's no way
00:17:11.15\00:17:12.91
that we could ever reject you.
00:17:12.95\00:17:14.69
I said, "In
Christianity, that's something
00:17:14.72\00:17:18.02
we don't do." I said,
"The love of God compels us to
00:17:18.06\00:17:21.65
love others and to seek
to draw them closer to Him.
00:17:21.68\00:17:24.95
You have your Christian
family here to support you
00:17:24.98\00:17:28.37
and to surround you with
love during your trials and
00:17:28.41\00:17:31.76
through your temptations."
00:17:31.80\00:17:33.50
So it's been a long journey
for him, but a very positive
00:17:35.87\00:17:39.53
one. Every day he's
making new steps. We just praise
00:17:39.56\00:17:42.72
God for that experience,
one that showed us that after
00:17:42.75\00:17:45.74
the missionaries have done
all they can do, it's still
00:17:45.78\00:17:48.74
really the Holy Spirit
that must win that heart
00:17:48.77\00:17:52.35
to Christ.
00:17:52.39\00:17:54.83
On this particular
Sunday, it was a normal day.
00:18:08.21\00:18:10.94
I went up top to
put out clothes to dry.
00:18:10.98\00:18:13.90
I heard Bubuti's bowl
topple to the ground, and that
00:18:13.94\00:18:18.30
meant he was thirsty.
So I said, "Okay, Bubuti!
00:18:18.34\00:18:21.72
I'm coming, I'm coming.
I'll be there in a minute."
00:18:21.75\00:18:24.48
After I finished putting
the clothes up on the line,
00:18:24.52\00:18:27.21
I walked downstairs. I
approached him, got his
00:18:27.25\00:18:31.97
little metal bowl, went,
filled his bowl with water.
00:18:32.00\00:18:35.06
As I was placing his bowl
00:18:35.10\00:18:37.60
of water down, suddenly
00:18:37.64\00:18:40.11
he lunged at me.
00:18:40.15\00:18:41.57
We started fighting. I
was flinging him back. He came
00:18:43.81\00:18:46.32
and he lunged at me
again. And I was so angry.
00:18:46.36\00:18:49.33
You know, in my mind, I
was like, what's going on?
00:18:49.37\00:18:52.30
Bubuti, what are you doing?
00:18:52.34\00:18:53.50
Blood was dripping,
dripping and I had been wounded.
00:18:53.54\00:18:58.31
I had this big hole
in my hand from his bite.
00:18:58.35\00:19:03.14
I could just call
out, "Marc, Marc, Marc!"
00:19:03.18\00:19:06.94
I said, "Call our
doctor friend, Dr. Baldi."
00:19:06.98\00:19:11.28
We had our two
student missionary nurses here
00:19:11.31\00:19:15.02
at the time. So they
went and got the gauze. They
00:19:15.05\00:19:18.69
went and got the sterile
water. They went, you know, got
00:19:18.72\00:19:21.41
everything - the suturing
kits, everything. Everybody was
00:19:21.44\00:19:24.87
nervous, and we all knew
at that point, that it was a
00:19:24.91\00:19:28.48
satanic attack. We all
knew that that evening we were
00:19:28.52\00:19:32.06
supposed to start the
culture study that was
00:19:32.09\00:19:34.89
going to be a tool
to opening up an avenue
00:19:34.92\00:19:37.68
to reach the Susu people.
00:19:37.72\00:19:39.72
Prayerfully, Dr. Baldi
went into caring for my hand.
00:19:39.75\00:19:43.68
But the unfortunate
thing was he didnt' have any
00:19:43.72\00:19:47.22
anesthesia. And so as
he started with that needle
00:19:47.25\00:19:51.12
going directly into my
wound, it was so unbearable.
00:19:51.16\00:19:55.59
Tears start streaming
down my face. The doctor was,
00:19:55.62\00:19:59.34
"I'm so sorry. I'm so
sorry, but I have to do this."
00:19:59.37\00:20:02.93
And by the time he
finished, I was so exhausted
00:20:02.96\00:20:06.48
from the pain and the
crying. He had put three
00:20:06.51\00:20:09.40
layers of stitches
between my hand and my fingers
00:20:09.43\00:20:12.75
to close the wound.
By that time he had given
00:20:12.79\00:20:16.12
me some pain medicine.
And here, the strongest
00:20:16.16\00:20:19.65
thing that they have is
Tylanol 3. So that's not
00:20:19.69\00:20:23.14
too strong,
especially when you're in pain,
00:20:23.18\00:20:25.13
the type of pain
that I was having.
00:20:25.17\00:20:28.24
The next day came, and
the second day arrived.
00:20:30.44\00:20:34.90
And I started
having a lot of pain.
00:20:34.93\00:20:38.44
So we called the
doctor. He came and saw a lot of
00:20:38.47\00:20:41.50
pus, and he saw that
the infection was building.
00:20:41.53\00:20:44.15
And none of us thought
that this was going to be
00:20:44.19\00:20:46.86
something really
serious. We just thought it
00:20:46.89\00:20:49.52
was a wound, and
it was going to heal,
00:20:49.56\00:20:50.55
and go back to
normal. But that's not the
00:20:50.59\00:20:53.96
course that it took.
00:20:53.99\00:20:55.48
By the fourth day, it
became really unbearable.
00:20:56.68\00:21:01.25
And I found myself in my
room with my hand up in the air,
00:21:01.28\00:21:06.46
just singing, saying,
"Lord, just please help me."
00:21:06.50\00:21:09.41
And I went through
hymn after hymn, after hymn
00:21:09.45\00:21:12.37
just trying to occupy
myself so I could bear the pain.
00:21:12.40\00:21:16.89
And it didn't really
help to know that when your
00:21:16.93\00:21:19.73
neighbors came, they
wanted to sympathize with me,
00:21:19.77\00:21:22.50
but they came and they said,
"Oh, we heard that you were
00:21:22.54\00:21:26.46
attacked by a
monkey. And, you know, we had
00:21:26.50\00:21:29.46
some people here in
our same neighborhood that
00:21:29.49\00:21:32.14
were attacked by monkeys,
and they didn't make it.
00:21:32.18\00:21:34.80
They died."
00:21:34.83\00:21:36.42
By the fifth or
sixth day, it became really
00:21:37.22\00:21:40.72
unbearable and the pain
started lodging in my bones.
00:21:40.75\00:21:44.01
And I thought, oh, my
goodness, am I getting
00:21:44.04\00:21:46.99
a bone infection now?
The medications that they
00:21:47.03\00:21:49.91
gave me weren't helping.
It just increased, increased,
00:21:49.95\00:21:53.64
increased. And so, in
the back of I mind, I felt,
00:21:53.68\00:21:57.51
Am I going to die here?
00:21:57.54\00:21:59.11
Dr. Baldi suggested
that we go and do surgery
00:21:59.14\00:22:03.97
at the local hospital.
00:22:04.01\00:22:05.40
Well, that was a scary thought
for me, but by that time,
00:22:05.43\00:22:09.83
I didn't have any
choice. Here the hospitals are
00:22:09.86\00:22:13.74
very scary. It's not
like the hospitals in the
00:22:13.78\00:22:17.22
United States. So my
husband, Dr. Baldi, and myself,
00:22:17.26\00:22:21.34
we went to the hospital.
I really don't remember much
00:22:21.37\00:22:25.42
because by that time,
my state of mind wasn't
00:22:25.46\00:22:28.47
really focused. But
I remember them taking
00:22:28.51\00:22:33.00
me into the operating
room, and he assured me that
00:22:33.03\00:22:37.03
things would be okay.
00:22:37.07\00:22:38.29
He just told me to
relax. And, of course, the next
00:22:38.32\00:22:43.44
thing I knew I was
in the recovery room.
00:22:43.47\00:22:45.37
Well, we got home,
and within two days again
00:22:47.95\00:22:51.84
the infection was
terrible, and the pain was
00:22:51.88\00:22:55.70
unbearable. And we
finally shared with the doctor
00:22:55.73\00:22:58.29
"Doctor, this isn't working."
00:22:58.33\00:22:59.87
He said, "The best
thing that you can do, Cathy,
00:22:59.90\00:23:03.85
make sure that you
get on a plane today or
00:23:03.88\00:23:08.24
tomorrow. You're at a critical
state right now, and you
00:23:08.28\00:23:11.21
you need to get out of
here because there's nothing
00:23:11.25\00:23:14.15
else we can do for you."
00:23:14.18\00:23:15.55
So, without any promise
of a ticket, without any
00:23:15.59\00:23:19.69
assurance, I packed
my bags, and I said,
00:23:19.72\00:23:23.78
"Honey, let's go."
00:23:23.81\00:23:25.46
But by that time, my
hand stank. The odor was
00:23:25.50\00:23:30.52
terrible. It was like
something that had rotted.
00:23:30.56\00:23:35.52
But I didn't want to alarm
my family, so I kept my hand
00:23:35.55\00:23:38.92
kind of close to
me. And even for me to
00:23:38.96\00:23:41.89
raise my hand a
little bit, the stench was so
00:23:41.92\00:23:45.84
terrible, but I kept it
at bay so that at least my
00:23:45.88\00:23:49.36
children wouldn't be alarmed.
00:23:49.39\00:23:51.12
I just received my
ticket at eight o'clock, and
00:23:51.15\00:23:54.26
in less than two
hours the plane would leave.
00:23:54.29\00:23:58.26
As I was on the plane,
it really was terrible.
00:23:58.29\00:24:02.22
There was a lady who
was sitting next to me,
00:24:03.00\00:24:06.40
and she had been complaining.
00:24:06.43\00:24:09.26
"I'm not supposed to be
on this flight," she said.
00:24:09.29\00:24:12.09
And then she noticed
my hand was bandaged.
00:24:12.13\00:24:15.28
And I shared with her that
I was attacked by a monkey,
00:24:15.31\00:24:17.65
and I was going
home to get treated.
00:24:17.69\00:24:19.57
She said, "I'm a Christian."
And she started reading
00:24:19.61\00:24:22.53
from the Psalms.
Then she said, "I want you
00:24:22.56\00:24:24.70
to read, too." She said,
"God has a plan for you."
00:24:24.74\00:24:27.14
She said, "Now I know why I
was not on that last plane."
00:24:27.18\00:24:32.19
She said, "God intended
for me sit next to you, and to
00:24:32.22\00:24:37.20
encourage you, and to help you."
00:24:37.24\00:24:38.59
I didn't feel any
pain any more during that
00:24:38.62\00:24:42.45
time while I was on the plane.
00:24:42.49\00:24:44.24
We arrived in Texas.
The Freeman family was there
00:24:44.28\00:24:47.48
to take me
directly to the hospital.
00:24:47.52\00:24:49.83
The physician there
said, "You need to have
00:24:49.87\00:24:52.64
emergency surgery
right away." He said,
00:24:52.68\00:24:55.39
"Two days ago, I had a
dream that I would be working on
00:24:55.42\00:24:58.16
a missionary."
00:24:58.20\00:24:59.27
All I could do was
just say, "Praise the Lord!
00:24:59.30\00:25:01.29
Praise God! Praise the Lord!"
00:25:01.32\00:25:02.85
I said, "God, you are faithful."
00:25:02.89\00:25:04.86
You know, when we go out
in the battlefield for the
00:25:05.65\00:25:10.02
Lord, Satan is always
nearby to discourage and to
00:25:10.06\00:25:14.40
remove, if
possible, the missionary.
00:25:14.44\00:25:17.82
But I thank God that He
allowed us and gave us the
00:25:17.85\00:25:21.86
strength to continue,
come back, and to do His work.
00:25:21.89\00:25:25.87
I solicit your
prayers for the Susu people,
00:25:25.90\00:25:30.08
for this project,
because Satan is here, and he
00:25:30.12\00:25:33.58
doesn't want these
people to know Jesus Christ.
00:25:33.61\00:25:37.03
I've wanted to be a
student missionary for
00:25:43.18\00:25:45.22
a long time. I kept thinking
about it through college,
00:25:45.26\00:25:48.36
and each year passed.
00:25:48.39\00:25:50.19
Finally, after my fifth year...
00:25:50.23\00:25:51.76
When my family came to
00:25:53.30\00:25:54.33
Guinea, I was four.
00:25:54.37\00:25:55.34
I was born in Cleveland,
00:25:55.36\00:25:57.54
Ohio. My first time going
00:25:57.58\00:25:59.73
back after we came,
00:25:59.76\00:26:00.89
I was seven. And I don't
00:26:00.93\00:26:04.01
really remember
anything different.
00:26:04.04\00:26:06.12
I mean, I could tell the
difference between Guinea
00:26:06.16\00:26:09.39
and the States, obviously,
like how everything is
00:26:09.42\00:26:12.61
so more modernized there.
00:26:12.65\00:26:14.70
Thinking, actually, got
me looking into it with AFM,
00:26:14.73\00:26:18.53
and from there on,
it's all history. I ended up
00:26:18.57\00:26:22.33
coming out here, and
now here I am in Guinea.
00:26:22.37\00:26:25.20
I go to Sabbath school
with the other kids my age.
00:26:25.23\00:26:28.14
My mom teaches that
class. I'm fourteen.
00:26:28.17\00:26:30.96
I'm in choir. That's
really fun. That's a different
00:26:30.99\00:26:33.72
experience. I don't
think it's like normal choir.
00:26:33.76\00:26:36.67
But it's still fun.
It's fun singing at church
00:26:36.70\00:26:39.54
really cool songs. Different
songs in different languages.
00:26:39.57\00:26:43.45
I have to say that I
don't understand all of the
00:26:43.48\00:26:45.61
languages we sing.
00:26:45.65\00:26:47.21
God definitely had His
hand in bringing me here.
00:26:47.25\00:26:50.71
My assignment here in
Guinea has been to teach.
00:26:50.75\00:26:54.27
Teaching Beca and
Chelsea. Beca is in 12th grade,
00:26:54.30\00:26:57.70
Chelsea is in 8th
grade, and also Fred, another
00:26:57.73\00:27:01.05
part of the team. He's
also in 8th grade with Chelsea.
00:27:01.09\00:27:04.49
I do coordinate for
adult Sabbath school sometimes
00:27:04.52\00:27:07.86
because they like to
rotate people and get the young
00:27:07.89\00:27:11.73
people involved. Sometimes
I get nervous, but I know
00:27:11.76\00:27:15.75
it's helping. It's
helping me to prepare for later
00:27:15.79\00:27:19.60
on in life.
00:27:19.63\00:27:20.60
I'm kind of learning
the ropes as I go. That was
00:27:21.16\00:27:23.19
definitely a challenge,
but it's been very fun as well.
00:27:23.23\00:27:26.41
I've enjoyed spending
time with them, getting
00:27:26.44\00:27:28.51
to know them.
00:27:28.55\00:27:29.52
I can say I have two
homes. Sometimes when
00:27:29.53\00:27:32.90
I refer to home, my
parents, my family have
00:27:32.94\00:27:35.73
to ask me, "Which home
are you talking about?"
00:27:35.76\00:27:38.51
I have to say
Guinea or the States.
00:27:38.55\00:27:40.30
One lesson I've
learned since being here is
00:27:40.34\00:27:45.84
one in simplicity.
It's easy at home to just
00:27:45.87\00:27:50.25
get caught up and
surrounded by so many things.
00:27:50.28\00:27:54.59
And here I don't really
have that. And I've learned to
00:27:54.63\00:27:59.66
enjoy just not having to
worry about so much stuff.
00:27:59.69\00:28:04.35
Through all the challenges
I've faced, I have become
00:28:04.38\00:28:08.90
a stronger person, and
also learned to rely more upon
00:28:08.93\00:28:12.75
the Lord. God definitely
had his hand in bringing
00:28:12.78\00:28:16.57
me here, and I
wouldn't have had it
00:28:16.60\00:28:19.85
any other way.
00:28:19.88\00:28:20.98