Mali
has had a history of missionaries come through the country, however most of the
missionaries have either been Muslim, or if they were Christian, they did not
associate well with the people of Mali and were distant from the Malian people.
Islamic missions is a major part of their religion just like it is in
Christianity, and from the looks of the religious make up of Mali, the Islam community
is doing a tremendously better job in Mali than the Christians are. According
to the Alliance organization, “less than 1 percent of the Malian people follow
Jesus” (http://www.cmalliance.org/field/mali)
This is a very sad number and should be disturbing to Christians and should
break our hearts that so many people in the country of Mali are lost and going
to hell. However, there are some Christian missionaries in Mali that are
spreading the gospel, but they are being met with adversity and hostility.
One
missionary family that my home church supports is the Beckley family. I had the
privilege to meet them over Christmas when they were in America on furlough.
Ken and Sarah Beckley are the parents and they have four sons, Marc, Andrew,
Benjamin, and Stephen. They have been missionaries in Mali for many years, but
because of threats to their family from some Islamic radical groups, they moved
to the nearby country of Benin. The church that they had started in Mali is
still active and meets in secret to keep the members safe. The Islamic
community does not like Christian coming into Mali because that causes people
to turn away from their religion and it is starting to threaten the control
that Islam has in the country of Mali. It was incredible to talk to this family
and see how much peace they had about living over there and how even though
their lives are in danger quite often, they are trusting God to keep them safe
and they have no fear. Pray for the Beckley family as they continue to live in
Benin, but are hopeful to go back into Mali soon to continue their work in the
wonderful country of Mali.
References
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