“Train up a child in the way he should go . . .” (Proverbs 22:6). When one is a long-term missionary or Bible worker, one has the time to train young people to be workers for God.

One of those young people we have invested in is a young man named Bona, who comes from one of the villages where we have a church group. He became interested in the church because his sisters attended, singing with the music group. He would go and watch. The evangelist at the time started to study with him. Eventually, Bona accepted Jesus and was baptized, joining the church when he was about 16 and still attending school.

Soon his troubles began. His father started to get upset as he refused to work in the fields on the Sabbath. Finally, his father told him that he must either quit school to work in the fields or quit the church and work on the Sabbath. One day while Bona was at church, his father burned his rice field, making it so he would have no money to go to school.

When Fidel heard what had happened, he invited Bona to come and live with us on our farm in Sepounga. Fidel encouraged Bona and taught him how to pray and fast, read the Bible and grow in Christ. We paid for his schooling, and he lived with us as one of our children. Bona continued to go to school and grow in his Christianity. He would walk four miles one way to attend church and prayer meetings when his bike wasn’t working or we were not there to take him.

Now 22, Bona is a smart young man with a heart for serving God. He is a leader in the church and teaches the Sabbath school lesson. He also leads the Pathfinder club in Tanguieta and helps coordinate the children in other groups when there is a Pathfinder activity. Bona took his final state exams this year, and we all look forward to seeing what God has in store for him. Please keep Bona in your prayers to clearly see God’s continued leading.

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