Patriarch, 90, thrown out of village, found Jesus

By Mark Ellis —

Adama*, a 90-year-old man living in a village in Burkina Faso, was wrongfully accused and ejected from his village following a cultic ritual, but God saw fit to rescue him in his time of distress.

It seems a 6-year-old girl in the village had died suddenly and mysteriously, and leaders of the Bwaba tribe near Tuy were looking for answers, according to a report by Christian Aid Mission (CAM).

They initiated a divination ritual to determine what had provoked local spirits to take the girl’s life. The results of the divination pointed the finger of blame at Adama. They accused him of using witchcraft to bring the deadly disease upon the girl.

“He was so stunned he could hardly mutter that he had done no such thing. The traditions of the animist village called for him to be expelled for two years to verify his guilt; if he managed to survive in the wilds, he would be declared innocent and could return,” according to CAM.

Adama knew they were essentially giving him a death sentence, since it would be difficult for him to endure in the wild at his advanced age.

For over a month he was able to survive by eating leaves and grass. His granddaughter even managed to sneak some meat to him. He made a crude shelter by attaching a blanket to tree branches.

“The solitude, the elements and the psychological trauma soon took their toll. Gaunt and broken, he was cursing some rocks when indigenous missionaries spied him,” according to CAM.

The missionaries had visited Adama’s village for a few weeks and had little to show for it. Only one family put their trust in Christ, otherwise, their message was rejected.

As the missionaries were escorted out of the village they saw a strange sight –an old man (Adama) shouting in the distance.

“The old man was at the end of his rope in despair and had already planned to kill himself,” the director of the ministry told CAM. One of the missionaries invited Adama to his house and began to care for him.

After a few weeks, the missionary invited the family in the village who had become Christian to speak with Adama.

“He learned about the love of God for men from the family and decided to follow that God of love who gave his life for the salvation of humanity,” the director said.

The Word and the Spirit touched Adama’s heart and he was born again!

Two months later something unexpected happened. Villagers discovered the real reason for the death of the girl, and it had nothing to do with Adama.

The leaders admitted their mistake in putting their trust in occult practices and invited Adama to return. Adama began leading a house church, and three village leaders put their faith in Christ!

“They were baptized four months ago,” the director told CAM. “The leaders of the village decided to abandon the divination practices, which had made so many victims. Now four families, including the family of the village chief, praise the Lord.”

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*Name changed for security reasons

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