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Life is??? # 55 stranded in Timbuktu, Mali
*** " God loved us so much that He allowed us to meet at the ends of the earth!" ***
Date: 5/9/2017 12:12:55 PM ( 7 y ) ... viewed 671 times
Here is a true story about a man {Stephen Saint} who became stranded in Timbuktu, Mali in 1986, after attempting to get a flight out failed. Being a westerner - he was told to go to the Market place to find help. Yet there were few who offered help because suspicion was understandable in Islamic NW Africa. Nothing could be trusted here.
Finding a Gendarme who spoke french; he learned that there were no trucks available over the Sahara, plus he was not a local - several westerners had disappeared in the desert over the years. Drought was rampant in North West Africa, where thousands had died in recently.
In Mali for the first time in his life, he was surrounded by people who did not share his views or faith. In fact the Islamic locals were hostile to anyone with the Christian faith - both local and the Western Relief workers!
This reminded Stephen, of the death of his father, Nate Saint a bush pilot, who had flown a group of missionaries into the jungles of Ecuador in 1956. They were killed by Auca Indians. The message that his father left among the Indians was: "My God is real He is a personal God, who lives within me, with whom I have a very special, one-on-one relationship! " Thirty years later, the massacre still left an impression upon him.
Stephen prayed for help and guidance. Then he remember what a fellow worker had told him earlier that he should visit the famous mud, mosque built in the 1500's; where many Islamic pilgrims visited every year. There was also a tiny Christian Church, which no one visited often. So he ask some local children, " Where is l'eglis Evangelique Chretienne?"
The children led him that way. Finally arriving there he found not a church but just an open doorway of a tiny mud-brick house. No one was home, on the wall opposite the door was a poster showing a cross covered by wounded hands.
Within minutes the gag-tag bunch of children had melted away back into the labyrinth of walled alley ways of Timbuktu. Then a dark skin - handsome young man in flowing robes came forward; {his name was Nouh Ag Infa Yatara} signaled he knew someone who could translate for them. He led to a compound on the edge of Timbuktu where an American missionary lived. Since Stephen from the moment he had seen Nouh, had the feeling that they shared something in common!
Then he ask Nouh; " How did you come to have such Faith!" - which the missionary translated. Then Nouh, answered: This compound has always had a beautiful garden.
As a small boy one day, a friend and I though we would steal from the garden. It was a dangerous task as the Toubabs {white men} ate children... But I was caught by one of the missionaries; Mr. Marshall did not eat me - in fact he gave me a ink pen.
Only government men and the head master of the school had Bic pens; therefore when I showed up with a pen, my teacher knew I had spoken with a Toubab which was forbidden - so the teach beat me! His parents then kicked Nouh out . But then something happened; Nouh had came to know that what the Bible said was true...
Nouh's mother became desperate, her own standing as well as her family's was in Jeopardy. Finally she decided to kill her son Nouh. She had him come eat meat which she had poisoned. Nouh ate the poisoned food and survived with no effect... While one of his brother took a piece of the poisoned meat became violently ill and became paralyzed. seeing God's intervention the family and towns people were afraid to make any further attempts on his life, but condemned him as a outcast.
after a moment Stephen ask Noul the same question he had ask his father! Why is your faith so important to you, that you are willing to give up everything, perhaps even your life?
His answer was: " I know God loves me and I will live with him forever. I know that! Now I have peace where I used to have fear and uncertainty. Who would not give up everything for this for this peace and security."
Mr Marshall; could not take me in without putting my life in jeopardy, therefore he gave me books about Christians who had lost their lives to take God's message to the world! One of my favorite was about five young men who willingly risked their lives in the jungles of South America; to take the Good News to the stone age Indians. Having lived all my life in the Sahara, how frighting the jungle must have been. The book said that armed the men let themselves be speared to death when they could have killed their attackers!"
" Yes," Stephen said " one of those men was my father!"
"Then the story is true?" Nouh replied.
" Yes ' said Stephen " Is is absolutely true!"
Not long after a flight was arranged to leave Timbuktu, and Nouh and Stephen hugged at the airport and Nouh said " God loved us so much that He allowed us to meet at the ends of the earth!"
A true story!
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