The third-year class was studying John’s Epistles. As a way of interacting with the third epistle, they set up a short, improvised drama in the classroom. Four students took on the roles of the John the Elder, Gaius the Beloved, Demetrius the Good and Diotrephes the First (who put himself first). The students playing John, Gaius and Demetrius did a good job, convincing the class of the wisdom, love, and goodness of the characters. The student who played Demetrius, however, stunned the class with his acting. He portrayed a man who looked and sounded like anyone they might meet on the streets or in the market. He was brash, self-centred, boastful, and concerned for his own well-being. He used cunning and craftiness to wheedle good deals for himself. He enriched himself at the expense of others. He clearly loved the world and everything in it. He was everyman and familiar to all. The drama had brought the scriptures alive.

Every year the students went out on mission into areas of the country that were little evangelised. One year, we had a student who had been involved in traditional witchcraft before he became a Christian. As a result, he was not afraid to preach in houses where others held back. In one such house, a medicine man challenged him to a duel. He claimed superpowers that enabled him to eat unpalatable foods without harm. If the student’s God could protect him, then the medicine man would also become a Christian. Our student had 24 hours in which to fast and pray. He then went back to the house and joined the man in the meal. When nothing untoward happened, the medicine man declared that the student’s God had overcome his own powers and true to his promise, he became a Christian.

Praying aloud in the hostel during the hours before dawn was a spiritual discipline valued by many of the young Christians who came to train for the ministry. It was a cool time of day that gave opportunity for personal prayer and fellowship with God. To these students, praying out loud so that others could hear showed that they were earnest about their faith. The problem was that it did not take into consideration the needs of other students in the hostel. Inevitably, the practice caused conflict and led to intense debate. Eventually, the matter was resolved when the college issued a new rule. Out of consideration for others, those who wanted to pray out loud were asked to do so further down the road, away from the hostels.

A long-standing employment dispute had reached deadlock when I was asked to take on the role of acting principal of a theological college. The file was brought to me in my first week and I read diligently through it. It appeared that both sides had a valid argument and that neither was prepared to compromise. I contacted the lawyers, who were quite happy to continue with the impasse. Every time the matter went to court and was subsequently postponed, they could charge their fee. What we needed was someone to act for us before the aggrieved party and find a way to resolve the dispute. Someone who would plead our case and present a solution that would satisfy the complainant. Thankfully, the right person was found, and the dispute was settled swiftly and satisfactorily.

An applicant presented excellent credentials for entry to the theological college. During his admission interview, he convinced the lecturers that he was a first-class student and would apply himself eagerly to his theological studies. Indeed, during the first semester at college, he appeared diligent and engaged. However, when time came to mark his first semester examination papers, the student had performed very badly. The academic dean enquired why the grades were so poor when his school results were so good. “Ah, well!”, the student replied. “The previous results were not my brain. The teacher wrote the examination answers on the black board and I just copied them!”

Have you ever been afraid of the dark? In some regions of Africa in which we have worked, the dark is the realm of the spirits. People can be afraid to go outside at night without wearing an amulet for protection or chanting incantations to ward off evil spirits. For Christians, however, the night often becomes a special time for prayer and worship. Students in theological colleges regularly hold all night prayer and praise sessions, using the time afforded by the dark as an opportunity to draw near to God. Thus, the darkness is transformed by the light of the gospel and joy in his presence is the fruit of the night vigil.

A graduation ceremony usually calls for celebration. After years of hard work, students rejoice when they reap the rewards of their sacrifice and perseverance. It was an especially joyous occasion for students from South Sudan, who missed much of their foundational primary schooling when they fled the civil war and had to complete their secondary schooling in refugee camps in Kenya. Post-secondary education at theological college was not easy for them, but when they graduated, their joy was palpable. Family and friends celebrated when the degree was awarded and after the ceremony, the entire community rejoiced together, sharing food with singing, and dancing.

The Harmattan is a dry wind that blows fine sand dust from the Sahara Desert across West Africa during the dry winter months. It reduces the visibility in the whole region. When we were teaching at a theological college in northern Nigeria, the Harmattan would sometimes be so dense that we could not see more than a few metres in front of our door. When someone entered the compound, we would initially not be able to recognise them. An eery shape would appear in the mist, looking like a tree or bush. As it walked closer towards the door, we would begin to see a vague human shape that gradually became more distinct until, a few metres from our door, we could see the student’s face clearly and hear their voice ring out. We would then respond joyfully and announce to the household that we had recognised the visitor who had come.

Augustine of Hippo was born in north Africa to a pagan Roman father and a Christian Berber mother.  He spent his youth as a true pagan and in his Confessions, describes his time in a heretical sect in Rome and how he came to Christ by the grace of God and the preaching of Bishop Ambrose of Milan, who baptized him in 386.  Having entered fully into the way of Christ, Augustine returned to Africa to become bishop of Hippo, and is recognized as one of the early Church's greatest theologians.

*Thanks to Barbara Gauthier for helping to arrange and contribute this devotion.

After several decades of teaching and leadership in theological institutions across Africa, the time came when we heard the Lord calling us to devote our time to training the next generation of lecturers. We put together a proposal and approached various organisations without success. We got to the point where our contract was about to end, and we had no direction. We were only asking for a small amount of funding, but it seemed that no one shared the vision. Desperate, we cried out to the Lord to make his will clear to us. Previously, we had only sought the absolute minimum, but our desperation made us bold. We multiplied the amount we needed tenfold and laid it out before the Lord in tears, asking for him to provide if it was his will for us to do this work. The next day, we sent the re-worked proposal to two organisations, packed our bags, and went on a retreat while we waited for an answer. When we checked our inbox six days later, we had received positive responses from both organisations, one of which had received a donation specified for lecturer training of the exact amount we had asked for. With the doors wide open, we were able to walk forward into the Lord’s will for the next stage of our lives.