What means of transportation do you take to church on Sabbath mornings? Maybe you walk or go by bus or bicycle, but most likely you go by car.

Here in Benin, most people walk or go by bicycle or motorbike, but there are exceptions. Several months ago, our team started a new group in the village of Kouyoubouyokou. People from Natiponi and Boukombé, two other groups in the area, would take turns going there on Sabbaths to teach and preach since nobody in Kouyoubouyokou can read, and nobody there is baptized yet. However, towards the peak of rainy season, our evangelist reported that the creek he had to cross to get to the village had swollen to an impassible river.

About a month after the end of rainy season, I asked Hyacinthe if they had been able to resume their visits to Kouyoubouyokou. He said that the creek still had too much water for them to cross safely. I expressed how sorry I was that our brothers and sisters there were still without any access to God’s word, but Hyacinthe smiled and answered, “Oh, no. Since they are all used to swimming and are not scared of the water, most of them come over to Natiponi to spend the Sabbath there!”

So next time you sit in your car to go to church, pause a moment and think how it would be if you had to swim across a river to get there!

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