“Why are you here?” the man asked Neil. They were standing in front of a bakery where Neil had just bought bread for our supper. But Neil had a feeling the man wasn’t talking about his purchase. “Why are you here in Kangaba?” the man clarified, “Are you working for a mining corporation?” There are quite a few large mining camps between Kangaba and the Guinean border.
“No,” Neil said, “I don’t work for a mining corporation.”
“What are you doing here then?” the man pressed. Neil explained that he was a missionary and taught interested people about the Bible. “Oh!” said the man with interest. “What if I became a Christian? What would you give me? Could you get me and my family to the United States?” Neil replied that he wouldn’t be able to do that. “Would you give me money?” the man asked.
“No.”
“Well, why would I want to become a Christian if I won’t get anything?” the man said in disgust and walked away without a backward glance. Neil got on his motorcycle and headed home, saddened by the encounter.
Unfortunately this is an attitude we encounter frequently here. People usually aren’t so blunt, but even after four years of living here in Kangaba, we still meet people who want to get close to us just to see what they can get.
Of course, this attitude isn’t a recent phenomenon. In John 6:26, 27 after Jesus fed the 5,000, He told some who came to Him that they were seeking him for the wrong reasons. “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but the food which endures to everlasting life . . .” He told them. Perhaps it wasn’t a coincidence that Neil’s encounter took place in front of a bakery.
Please pray for us as we seek to point people to the true Bread of Life.

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