Since arriving in the Kono District, our family has worked closely with the local church in Koidu City. Whereas the church services used to be chaotic, with children running up and down the aisles and youth staying outside during service, the Lord has worked through us to make the services more attractive and engaging to all. The youth and children now fully participate in every Sabbath worship. As a family and a church, we have helped raise young people into leaders.

Our daughters Patricia and Florence divided the children and youth into two Sabbath school classes, with Florence teaching children ages two to 12 and Patricia teaching children 13 and up. We introduced the Berean Bible Club in the school and the Pathfinder Club in the church. We even have a thriving choir now.

One of the children who has always come to church since our first visit is little Joshua Kandi. He was nine years old back then when he came with his family. Now he comes alone. His dedication throughout this time has caught our attention.
Joshua, now 14, was born in the church, the firstborn of six children. His father, a former Seventh-day Adventist, left the church for reasons best known to him and started his own church with a different doctrine, taking his entire family with him; Joshua was four. He removed Joshua from the Adventist school and enrolled him in a non-Adventist one. This was the beginning of separation from the Seventh-day Adventist Church for Joshua and his siblings. Despite the newfound faith of the family, Joshua finally found himself inclining back to the SDA church.

In his new school, they had classes on Sabbath. So, little Joshua would wear his uniform and then attend the Adventist church instead of school. The headteacher at his school reported Joshua to his parents, who were angered by his actions. They punished him and forbade him from attending the Adventist church. Joshua relented a little but was determined to return. When his father had to travel to the village for a month, Joshua seized the opportunity to start attending the Adventist church he loved and cherished.

When his father discovered what was happening, he visited the church one Sabbath morning. It was not a friendly visit. He accused the church of misleading his son and threatened to take the church to court. We were new back then, so we didn’t do or say anything. However, the elders were able to contain the situation. Still, the little boy would not relent. So the father adopted another tactic that would stop little Josh from attending.

Like most Kono men, Joshua’s father heavily depends on local mining, which brings very little income and, therefore, very little food to the table. Because it is unlawful for children to mine, Joshua’s father instructed his wife to give the boy baby clothes to sell on Sabbath; otherwise, he wouldn’t be allowed to eat that day.

By God’s grace, soon after our girls started their Sabbath school classes, they discovered that almost all of their students would come to church without breakfast, and some, like little Joshua, would not have food for the day or would only have one meal. In fact, you can hardly find a dining room in the home of an average Kono family. They will have a separate bowl for the father’s food while the children eat together from one big bowl. So, if a child is not at home at mealtime, he or she will go without food unless the child is Daddy’s favorite. For Joshua, this was not the case. He was not Daddy’s favorite. Notwithstanding these obstacles, Joshua continued to attend church. And to help solve the hunger for all of their students, Patricia and Florence advised us to provide meals before and after class.

I remember the first time Joshua’s mother gave him baby clothes to sell on Sabbath; he brought them with him to church. I tried to teach him how to keep the Sabbath holy, to practicalize doing good on the Sabbath. After the service, I bought all the baby clothes from Joshua and asked, “Who do you think needs these baby clothes the most?”
“I know a pregnant neighbor. She always gives me food when my parents don’t because I come to church,” Joshua replied.

When we went to visit his neighbor, the lady was thrilled. She burst into tears as she was not expecting Joshua’s gift. He went home and told his parents how he sold the clothes. His dad was furious; he was about to spank him for disobeying his order when the pregnant lady stepped in.

The father adopted another tactic. He then asked the mother to give Joshua difficult house chores every Sabbath morning, which would prevent him from attending church. Still, Joshua would go to church even if he was late, whether he finished his chores early or not.

Given all these barriers, he continues to attend all the church programs. He is delighted in the Pathfinders program, which has helped him find community and given him opportunities to have fun and engage with other members in meaningful dialogue. The church choir also excites him; though he has not yet joined, he is there during rehearsals.
On June 22, 2024, Joshua got baptized. During the summer holidays, he boldly told his father that he would no longer attend the non-Adventist school. “My church has a school, and there I want to attend.”

“Since you have defied me, who will pay your school fees?” his father questioned.

Upon hearing this, my wife and I decided to help Joshua by paying his school fees as long as we continue to remain in Kono. We are ready to take him in if his father kicks him out. Joshua’s witness to his father through his commitment to truth has marked a massive milestone in his spiritual journey. He desires to know more about God. Now attending the Adventist school, he is a member of the Berean Bible Club. On Children’s Day, Joshua invited his family. His father did not show up, but his mother did. She was in tears when she saw her son reciting a memory text.

Little Joshua has demonstrated that he is “persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 KJV).

Please pray for Joshua and his family. If you feel impressed to support outreach efforts that help people such as Joshua, please donate to the Kono Project.

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