Always Pray

Imagine that you have gone through life without hearing or understanding the gospel. As an adult, you begin attending church where you learn about Jesus. As you grow in the knowledge of the Lord, you become a follower of Christ and your life is transformed. But you are married, and your spouse does not share your new and exciting faith. How do you respond?

In N’Dorola, Burkina Faso, there are several women who attend church without their husbands. This is a common problem – the wife is interested in learning about Jesus, but her husband does not share this interest.

Instead of letting this discourage them, MB Mission workers Blaine and Michelle Warner recall an encouraging story they heard from a friend in Bobo, one of the main cities in Burkina Faso. It is their prayer that God will do the same transformational work in the hearts of husbands and wives among the Nanerige people in N’Dorola.

The story goes like this: a believer attended the church faithfully, though her husband was not a Christian. After work he would go directly to the bar where he would drink until 2am. When he arrived home he would bang on the door until his wife would get out of bed and let him inside. Night after night, she would demand to know where he had been and what he was doing. This always led to fighting.

One Sunday this woman asked for advice from her pastor. He encouraged her to do exactly the opposite of what she had been doing. He told her not to question or respond to her husband when he was looking for a fight, but instead, to pray.

This began a new cycle in the couple’s life. From then on the wife greeted her husband at the door and showed him nothing but loving kindness. She didn’t question where he had been, and when he provoked her, she didn’t respond. She just prayed.

Over time, her husband began arriving home around midnight. Then midnight became 11pm; 11pm became 10pm; and 10pm became 9pm. Her prayers were faithful and steadfast. Months later her husband began coming home right after work. Finally, one Sunday he announced that he would go to church with her.

With prayers of faith and acts of loving kindness, God moved in this man’s life. Now this husband has a home in Christ’s family. The couple are solid believers in the church and their story is an inspiration to many.

Join with the Warners in praying for the husbands of the women in the church of N’Dorola.