Author: Simon Bartz, 2 February 2024
Emmanuel escaped from a cult in Africa, went to Dubai as a migrant worker, and it was there that he found his calling as a Bible Storyteller. This is his story.
‘I am from Ghana in West Africa. My father comes from an animistic faith. I used to observe him doing all the rituals. But for some reason, he respected Christianity and would force me to attend the local church. I found the church boring so I stopped going. When my father found out I had stopped going to church, he beat me hard.
‘In a quest for the truth, I tried another religion which has a strong presence in Ghana. I accepted this faith and practised it faithfully for some time. Then I was attracted to a music group that turned out to be a cult. I went through the ceremony to join the cult – cuts on the hands, shoulders and back. You can still see the scars.’
‘Then I discovered this cult was bondage and God freed me from it. The turning point was street preaching. I witnessed a conversation between a street preacher from a local church and a passer-by. I was so intrigued by the preacher’s answers that, there and then, I decided to attend that church.
‘From there, God brought me from West Africa to the Evangelical Church in Dubai where there is a feast of God’s word. After the church service, I would get free Bible story training, which your support of Bible Society in the Gulf makes possible.’
‘One day, it was my turn to do the Bible story. I did the story of Zacchaeus. It was the last time Jesus went to Jericho. After that, Jesus went to Jerusalem to be crucified. One of the main points of the story is how amazingly God rewards those who seek him. At the end of the story, I shared my testimony with other migrant workers.
‘I am an engineer and I handle the equipment used in drip irrigation. Several months ago, I lost my job. As our company did not have any more projects, I went back home to Ghana.
‘I shared the Bible stories in two tribal languages I can speak. I would sit under a tree and read the Bible stories to people who would gather around me. The young men listening to the Bible stories heard them eagerly. My interactive way of teaching that I learnt thanks to Bible Society in the Gulf held their attention fully.
‘A few months later I was called back to Dubai. Now I am continuing to enjoy learning and presenting more Bible stories, helped by the storytelling manual, A Strong Foundation. God’s ways are amazing. It is by the grace of God that I am here today, doing my best to reach as many people as possible with the word of God. I thank all the supporters of Bible Society in the Gulf for the storytelling method and for being there for us.’
Emmanuel’s story first appeared in our prayer-focused Bible a Month newsletter. More than 20,000 Bible a Month members are supporting flourishing Christian communities in the Gulf states and worldwide. Join them today.
A total of 24,400 copies of A Strong Foundation and the booklet Who is Jesus Christ? were distributed in more than a dozen languages in the Gulf in 2023. Four hundred Christians completed a full course in Bible storytelling. Your support of Bible Society in the Gulf has helped to achieve this.
Listening to stories, rather than reading, is a cultural tradition for many migrant workers who arrive in the Gulf desperate for work. And when then they return to their homeland, whether that’s in West Africa or the Indian subcontinent, they share the gospel through storytelling.
On arrival, many of the Gulf’s migrant workers find themselves in a dreadful environment, working long hours for poor pay, and being housed in camps separated from the rest of society. These people are finding hope in Jesus thanks to you.
Pastor Isaac (Urdu Congregation, Bahrain)
‘The book, A Strong Foundation, is like a manual for discipleship. Our desire is to train all those who attend our church regularly in discipleship so that when they go back to their villages in Pakistan or move to other countries, they will be good Bible teachers.’
Sister Beulah (Hebron Telugu Church, Bahrain)
‘I used the Bible stories during our weekly visits to prisons. The impact was heartwarming, as the inmates started asking questions and showing interest in our church.’
Pastor Yousef (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
‘I come from a West African country. The storytelling method is extremely suitable to us as most of my people are oral learners. Thank you!’
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