Miracles in the Jungle
Last week I was touched by an article that I came across about Dr. William Leslie, who moved to a remote part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1912 to live and preach to the Yansi Tribe. He spent 17 years of his life there, but felt like he was not making any progress, so returned home deflated and regretful. He died nine years later, and would never know of the incredible impact he had made.
In fact, no one knew what an incredible impact Dr. Leslie had made until recently. In 2010 a man named Eric Ramsey with Tom Cox World Ministries, led a team back into the jungle and discovered a miracle. After chartering a small plane, hiking for miles, canoeing across a half-mile river and ten more miles of trekking through the thick jungle, they came across, “a network of reproducing churches hidden like glittering diamonds in the dense jungle across the Kwilu River from Vanga, where Dr. Leslie was stationed.” Dr. Leslie had planted a thriving Christian community that spanned over 30 miles; he just wasn’t there to see it sprout.
Ramsey explained, “When we got in there, we found churches throughout the jungle. Each village had its own gospel choir, although they wouldn’t call it that. They wrote their own songs and would have sing-offs from village to village.”
When Dr. Leslie arrived, there was no real form of organized education among the Yansi. All he had was a French Bible, with which he taught how to read and write. His work not only awakened the Yansi to the teachings of Jesus Christ, it created the very basis of their education system. Today, there is a stone Cathedral that seats 1000 people, and Ramsey learned that it became so overcrowded in the 1980s that a church planting movement spawned out into the surrounding villages.
This story reminds me that the seeds we plant may not bear fruit according to our own timeframe. When doing mission work of any kind, or when following our calling or sense of purpose, it is common to have to face difficulties. We are often rejected by our friends, questioned by our peers, and constantly challenged by our own limit of faith. It must be especially hard when we work at something for years and years, seemingly in vain and with no recognizable progress from our efforts. This is how it was for Dr. Leslie, a pharmacist turned missionary, who gave everything and died without knowing the value of his work.
When doing God’s Will you will never fail, even if looks like you did. If you have anything to do with the Will of God, then your work too will bear fruit in the end--guaranteed.
Works Cited
Mark Ellis. Missionary Died Thinking He Was a Failure. Godreports, 2014. Web. http://blog.godreports.com/2014/05/missionary-died-thinking-he-was-a-failure-84-years-later-thriving-churches-found-hidden-in-the-jungle