THE BALANTA PEOPLE

MEETING THE BALANTA PEOPLE...
 
Tuesday, June 07,2011. It is 18 hours GMT.  About 140km, some 2.5 hours journey from home, I find sitting among strangers, not exactly strangers but we are not yet friends. I wonder how they will receive our message. I have prayed and worked and looked forward to this moment with great excitement. So now with some 20 pairs of eyes piercing at us, intense and curious, I pray once more for utterance. What is the occasion? We are holding our first Bible meeting with the Balanta people.
The Balanta are a small group of people who leave in the coastal region of Guinea.  Hardworking but poor, they have remained marginalized by their more illustrious neighbours, the Sousou.
 
I first came into contact with the Balanta in 2005 when I led a group of students on a mission trip to Koba. I was shocked at that time to see how base their standard of life was.  You see,when an umbrella is a novelty for some of the kids in their village, when every single item of clothing visible is threadbare, same colour (dark dark tan) for both soiled and cleaned and mostly darned in several places, when every tool, instrument or utensil bear signs of antiquity, then one can but wonder .  I can still recall the gasps of shock and wonder from the team members as they unconsciously tried to outdo each other for most appropriate words to well capture what they had seen That is how the Balanta captured my heart. Even though they had been exposed to islam on a large scale they showed a greater preference to ancestral worship.
 
So one can imagine my excitement when half a dozen years later, I find myself surrounded by these 20 members of their community as I read and share the creation story from Genesis chapter1. I do not know how much they understood but for me just sowing those seeds is massive enough. They could not steal my joy when a few of them got belligerent. Nor when right from the beginning some of them made clear they knew exactly what they needed –water, school and clinic – and that is all they looked forward to.
 
After the meeting, my colleague dressed the wound of a young girl who had her foot badly injured a few days earlier. He also gave her a shot against tetanus.
Meanwhile, there are some good signs; a couple of mobile phones and radio sets have appeared here and there, some houses have gotten aluminum roofs and the clothes lines are gaudier. I am still looking out for the first umbrella though.
 
For your personal and group prayer times,
  • ·         Thank God for the progress made in bringing the good news to the Balanta.
  • ·         Pray for me and the team. 
         This work is very sapping and challenging, and we will need all the motivation we can get to see it through.
  • ·         Pray for the resources necessary to bring the desired –water, school and clinic- in addition to the gospel.
  • ·         Pray for Divine guidance for the ministry to the Balanta; that we will move in the things that God is already blessing.
 
Much blessings to you,
 
Eugene & Djenabou,
Conakry.
Tel: 00224-66837935.
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