It's Tough Being a Chief

As I had visited a nearby neighborhood last year, I began making a special effort to visit the chief. We had a couple of good conversations. Once, I was able to tell the story of creation and fall. Another time I was able to share with him that being a leader is a position of great responsibility in which God places people. I prayed with him to have wisdom to know how to lead and solve the problems of his people. When the team came to visit, the formerly open chief was less open than he had been in the past. As long as we did not share from a road other than the way he knew, he was ok. Then he shared about being concerned about his aging and inevitable death, as well as his concern over whether his sons would be ready to take over the tasks of chief. These thoughts weighed heavy on him. Our team left feeling saddened that he was unwilling to listen to the Way, especially in light of facing death. He was confronted with something, but he refused it. He had a choice to make and he made it. Thankfully though, this chief has not closed the door to the Good News for his village.

Another chief from another village made a choice as well. Several years ago another volunteer team went to a village. They made relationships and eventually had an audience with the chief. That chief could have refused to have the team return to the village, not wanting to have another way disrupt what they thought they knew. However this chief was open to having teams come to visit and even went so far as to invite them to stay in his compound whenever they came to town. After several years of working there, the chief was blessed by the teams financially and had many opportunities to hear the Good News. Unfortunately he also saw strife between the believers, which is never good. One of these teams was out before the end of 2013. A week after they left, the chief passed away. We do not know yet who will be the next chief. I do not know if anyone knows where this chief was in his heart's relation to Jesus.

Lift up the sons of these chiefs that the Word will come in power among their people.