The darkest place I’ve ever been was inside Cathedral Caverns, a cave system in Northern Alabama. Stretching about a mile beneath a mountain, these caverns have no natural light source. When the lights go out, seeing your hand in front of your face is impossible.

Well, Cathedral Caverns was the darkest place I had ever been until I came to Fria, Guinea. Since the town’s large aluminum factory closed in 2004, Fria has been having problems with electricity and water. For the past two years, the city lights haven’t turned on.

I have never been fond of darkness. I slept with a night light until age twelve. So for me, living in a city without lights takes a bit of getting used to. My headlamp is my new best friend. Every night as I walk home, my headlamp shining on the path before me, I remember the words of David: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path,” and I smile. Though Fria looks dark, I know the truth. God’s word is here, His light is here. It is in me and in my fellow missionaries. I also see glimpses of it in the people around us.

Please pray that God’s everlasting light will continue to shine through to illuminate this dark world.

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