Legacy: Seeds Planted to faithful men

     Faithful men who can teach others also.“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”     
     They came down the drive way on that Saturday afternoon; two young men with very long hair. My sister who was working with us at that time brought then to my study. They told me their story. They were with a gang of youth in Pessac, the town where our church was at. They had gone down to the Mediterranean Sea to camp on the beach. Someone had stolen all of their things and they did not know what to do. One of them kicked-up a flyer that was advertising a Christian youth camp which was just across from the beach. They thought, “Well at least we can get a free meal.”
     They found out something else that was free also, the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. Some of them received Jesus as their Savior there. The camp gave them the address of our church at Pessac. So they came to see me. I told them about the church service the next day so they came to church the next day. Several of them came roaring in on their mopeds about 15 minutes late. Since all of the seats were taken in the back they had to come right to the front seats. There were several fellows and a couple of girls. I had been a little concerned how the men of the church would receive them. We had business men, university professors, and a doctor. I was happy to see that they received them with open arms.
     These youth started to come to church and to Bible studies. One day the leader, Gerard, told me that they had a lot of friends that were not Christian and they wondered if I could do a Bible study in their home. I told them that I would but I had to talk to their parents first. The parents were willing to let us do it as long as a priest could come. I told them that would be alright with me. So we started a Bible study in one of the bedrooms at their home with about 20 young people. The priest was there but he came in blue-jeans. I must say that every time that he  intervened, it actually contributed to the study. Over time a dozen of those young people came to know Christ as their Savior and the priest got married.
     These young people gave a new life to the church. They had such faith in God that it was a lesson to us all.  One Thursday night at the Bible study and prayer meeting, Gerard said, “Pray for me tomorrow because I have been convoked before the disciplinary council because I testify at school.” So we prayed for him and they just told him to tone it down.  The next week at Bible study Gerard said, “Pray for me because tomorrow I am going to go ask for a room in the school so we can have a Bible study and prayer meeting.” So we prayed for him. The next day he went and asked about the room and got it. The rest of the year in that High School there was a student led Bible study and prayer meeting. More young people got saved.
     Today Gerard and his wife Martine, who was also among the young people, direct an organization called “Vie et Famille” it is something like “Focus on the family.”Gerard is the director over Europe and French Speaking Africa and they travel around doing marriage seminars in Europe and in Africa.

     Faithful men who can teach others also.“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
     He came to our home for Christmas day. We always had a group of students with us on Christmas. He had come with another friend from Africa who had invited him. They knew that our home was always open to anyone who would come.  Germain was from Congo.  He was not a Christian but that Christmas day he received Christ into his heart. We had to help get him out of a student center where witchcraft was being practiced. We were able to get him into another place.  He was faithful in the church and in the Bible studies and meetings that we had for students.
     Then he went home to Congo. Around 20 years ago we received an e-mail from him. He was business man but he had formed a team of Christians to evangelize in their area. They had started around 20 churches. He wanted us to come down and help him but he said that it probably was not a good time because he had had to hide out in the jungle for a month.
     In a more recent e-mail we learned that there are 60 churches in their group now and he is the leader of this group of churches.

     Faithful men who will be able to teach other also. ^“ And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
      An English girl, Fiona, brought him to our place. I can’t remember what the occasion was but we had a bunch of students there. I know that Mary was fixing the meal. He was standing by a tree out in our yard with a scold on his face. Mary said to me, “Watch out for that guy, I don’t trust him.”
     Kuame was from Ghana, he was an atheist. He kept coming and then one day while he was taking his shower he realized that he was a sinner and he asked Jesus to save him.  Kuame was not the same man.  He became one of our best friends. He was very involved in the church and had a great desire to know God and his word and to serve Him. He helped in our children club.  He went out with teams to do five day clubs in the apartment complexes. He became the Sunday School superintend. He helped out in the Bible studies that we had with the young people. And in time he would even preach if I was not there.
     I had to remind him that he was in France to get his doctorate in literature and he was getting a grant for that purpose. He was doing his doctorate on an African poet. When he became a Christian he changed the direction of his thesis to what this poet would have said if he had been a Christian. When he defended his thesis, he put in his personal testimony.  He got a très bien which mean very good.
     He married an English girl that he met at the church at Pessac. He then went on to the London Bible College for Bible studies. He went back to Ghana and the church there sent him back to Edinburg to get his doctorate in theology. He started a theological seminary in Ghana.
     When he passed away several years ago from cancer there was a 53 page booklet given out that told all of the Christian work that he was involved in.    
     Faithful men who can teach others also.“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”