Many new believers in Mali face backlash from their family and friends. A firm foundation is needed to remain strong in the face of persecution.
While the version of Islam practised in Mali tends to be tolerant and incorporates elements of African traditional religions and superstitions, those who leave Islam to follow Jesus risk violence and pressure from their relatives and communities if their new faith is discovered.
It is against this backdrop that OM is working to bring more people to Christ and support them through their faith journey.
Adama*, the OM team leader in Mali, said that many people are open to hearing about Jesus, but many more suffer persecution or risk persecution if they attend groups.
“Most of the people who attend are convinced about who Christ is, but for them to decide to follow Christ, it is very costly, because they will face persecution,” he said. “That’s why they take a long time before giving their lives to Christ. They are convinced, but to decide it is difficult because of fear of parents, friends and what will happen.”
Unable to stand
For those at the beginning of their Christian journey, the excitement of a new relationship with Jesus can prompt them to share their faith immediately, but the team advises new believers to be cautious.
“One lady, who had come for an internship at the clinic we run, gave her life to Christ. She was very excited,” Adama said. “I gave her a copy of the Bible. She wanted to tell her parents. I told her no, don’t do that yet. Take time to read the Bible, grow in your faith and then, when you reach a time that you can stand and face persecution, then you can tell them.
“But she was too excited. She told them, but she couldn’t stand the persecution and turned away from her faith. Family is everything in this community. Family members from all over were calling her and saying they heard about her conversion.”
Visions of Jesus
Issa*, one of the team's neighbours, also met them through the clinic but wasn’t interested in hearing anything about God, so the team prayed for him after he left. One day, Issa had a vision in which he saw Jesus.
“He came to us and said he saw Jesus in a vision, calling him,” Adama said. “Since that time, he started listening to us, and three months later, he gave his life to Christ.”
After the experience with the lady from the clinic, Adama asked Issa not to share his newfound faith quite yet, but Issa disagreed and shared with his parents that he had become a Christian. This caused a rift in their relationship, and soon after, Issa's father died.
“He felt great anguish, afraid his father died because of him,” Adama explained. “Some of his relatives accused him of that. I took time with that and helped him understand that it wasn’t his fault, but it didn’t stop there. They continued to persecute him.
“Many people invited him to different villages to talk with them and convince him to turn back [to Islam]. People, even within the community, talked about him and were saying things against him because he became a Christian. It was difficult.”
The persecution took its toll, and the team noticed Issa became very distant, avoiding their meetings. In response, the team prayed for him and then spoke with him.
“He said he felt like a kind of pressure on him that was difficult for him to describe," Adama said. “He said whenever he followed us to villages, he felt fear in his heart. He didn’t know how to describe that. I said that was a spiritual attack.
“We decided to fast and pray for him. The whole team fasted and prayed for him. We prayed all night for him. After that, Issa came back. Now, he is part of the team sharing with others.”
Support for new leaders
Adama said he was worried that some people might also be put off joining OM's work because of the mindset that being a Jesus follower means being poor and that working for the Lord means having to rely on others.
“When someone says they want to serve the Lord, people will just see the suffering you go through because of lack of resources, because people depend on what they receive,” Adama explained. “We want to change the mindset — that you can prosper in what you endeavour. Not a gospel of prosperity, but that by working, doing something, undertaking something, people can serve the Lord and continue to develop their own work and businesses.
“The system that I want to see in Mali is that missions workers don’t raise support, but they have their own businesses to help them do the work. We want to develop more leaders in multiple generations and for them to be self-supporting through micro-businesses so that the work can be self-sustaining.”
*name changed