Energy of a 65 year old

Abba has the energy of a teenager. His smile runs ear to ear. A former long distance runner, his energy still takes him from early in the mornings to late at night.

He always smiled. He seemed always ready to tell someone about Jesus. At one point we were walking around Dakar looking for a place to eat when he started telling a merchant (those guys aggressively follow you around selling stuff) about Jesus right there on the sidewalk.

Abba is one of those guys who inspire you to be more bold, who make you wonder what your hang up is about being a confident witness for Jesus. We need guys like Abba. They are a gift to the church, just like Paul said they were.

Abba has the heart of an evangelist. He even told us that he gets ill if he goes too long without telling someone about Jesus. I'll never forget the first morning we arose and he looked like he had been up for hours. He said he had been up praying. His smile suggested he knew something we didn't. He was so eager to go out to the villages to tell people about Jesus. He clapped his hands together and said in his native Wolof, "are you ready?"

Passion like this rubs off on you. Call it influence or whatever you will. In fact, his pastor Peter told us that he used to spend all his time focusing on his church in Dakar. He would hear about Abba's trips to the villages and thought it was a good thing, but not for him. However, one day he decided to go out with Abba to see what all the fuss was about. And, ever since then, it's where he wants to be. He sees God working in the villages, bringing people to him. Abba's own pastor caught the vision and now goes out as often as he can.

Abba shared with us that he still gets frustrated - as evangelists often do - with the lack of interest people have in telling others about Jesus. He talked about the people in his home church in Dakar that are content to come to church but show no interest in spreading the gospel. He said he doesn't understand. It sounded familiar.

Abba is someone worth supporting. God is using him. He is a man of inspiring and challenging faith. We were honored to travel with him, serve with him, watch him at work, and even worship in his home.

At the end of our time with him, we had a wonderful heart to heart about the future of his ministry and how he could begin to really share the burden with the pastors around him. He was very receptive and we look forward to staying in touch with him. Our contact with Abba runs through a missionary named Rodney Duttweiller who serves with United World Mission in Dakar. Rodney and Abba meet weekly to discuss ministry and mentor one another.

Remember Abba who lives in Dakar, ministers in prisons, and preaches in the villages. Remember the entire team that serves with him.

Jeff