Called to the Great Commission, Native Missionaries Move Out of Africa
"In God's prophetic timetable, the time has come for us."
(Ethiopia)—An Ethiopian tells how when he landed on Indian soil as a missionary in 1998 it surprised him as much as anyone else, according to an article from Joel News International (JNI) by Sheryl Montgomery Wingerd, in JNI's Great Commission Update.
"Could this be possible?" the East African asked himself. "We always thought only white people could be missionaries." (Ethiopian flag-ethioworld.com)
Wingerd writes that more than a step of faith, this venture created a worldview change for the new missionary. After all, he had gone out from Africa, the continent that for generations has been known as the mission field, the place where missionaries go. Wingerd reports that in the following three months 1,357 people gave their lives to Christ. After their initial success, the home church in Ethiopia sent 20 more missionaries to India and Pakistan. "They are moving into the earth's difficult un-reached communities. Professionals back home, such as engineers and doctors, raise money to support them."
"The Gospel has been in Ethiopia for 1,670 years," said Pastor Langana at MANI SA '08, "first brought here by the eunuch in Acts 8. But I'm sorry to say that, even though we were a Christian nation, we never reached the rest of Africa."
Things changed in 1990. "God brought a missionary," said Langana, "and used him as a key person. He told us, 'It is time for Ethiopia to see the people who are unreached.' We had never been thinking of going outside Ethiopia."
Now, more than 3,000 missionaries in the North African country of Ethiopia have moved from one culture to another in order to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In her article, Wingerd explains that in the same way, thousands of Africans from across the continent are defying old stereotypes and embarking on the cross-cultural missionary adventure. Africans are still mindful of what foreign missionaries have done in their continent, Wingerd states.
"We appreciate you, and what the Lord has done through you for us," said Nigerian Dr. Rev. Nicholas Asamayan, who mobilizes black churches for missions. "And to those who died, thank you for your sacrifice and your love. But in God's prophetic timetable, the time has come for us," he said. He explained that it is time for an Afro-centric approach to missions, for defining mission in the African context, for writing materials and coming up with creative ideas.
