EXPLORE
CREATING LEGACY: DIDIER'S STORY
Didier was just an average youth from an average family. He was thin and a bit tall for his age. He loved soccer and played every chance he had, which during the rainy season was not often as he helped his family cultivate the sweeping fields of millet and corn. They attended Catholic mass a few times a year; at funerals, weddings, and major holidays. One day at school, when Didier was in 5th grade, he heard about a film showing that was happening that evening at the soccer field.
He was led to Jesus through the youth leader at a nearby church.
Didier wanted to become a preacher like Karambire, the pastor of the largest church in Burkina Faso whom he saw pounding the pulpit on TV, so he went to Bible school. While at Bible school, God spoke to him in a dream, "Ministere des enfants" which means children's ministry. Not understanding what it meant, he just went back to sleep. Again God spoke to him, "Ministere des enfants." This time, he went to his pastor and asked, "is children's ministry when you give candy to the little kids at church?" His pastor thought for a moment and since that is all he has ever seen, he replied, "Yes, Didier. That's what it is. Why do you ask?" Didier didn't tell him about the dreams. He just left discouraged.
Didier promised God, "If You will provide me with training in children's ministry, I will dedicate my life to it." He thought this was an impossible thing, a fleece before the Lord (like in the story of Gideon). That very Sunday, I showed up at his church to preach for the first time. As a Go To Nations missionary serving in Burkina Faso, I invited the members of the church to join me in evangelizing to the children. The majority of the population was children and what a better way to reach the nation. Didier was in shock and he immediately volunteered.
For the first couple of years, I honestly didn't even notice the tall, lanky volunteer. He was quiet, steady, and hard working but there were too many other, more boisterous volunteers but they came and went. Didier was always there. Finally, in the third year of us doing Give a Kid a Christmas outreaches, I called him over and invited him to a two-week training we were holding to train children's pastors for the Ziga region of the country. He calmly agreed and went on to other things, but I learned that Didier's heart was pounding as I walked away. God had answered his 'fleece'. Didier now knew that he would be doing children's ministry for the rest of his life.
Me and my family eventually left Burkina Faso and put Didier in charge as the National Director of CREE, Centre de Ressources pour l'Evengalisation des Enfants, which means Resource Center for Child Evangelism operating out of the capital city of Ouagadougou. Year after year, Didier continues to train children's ministry volunteers and coordinates hundreds of outreaches throughout surrounding villages annually. His team shares the gospel with thousands of people every year and he travels throughout West Africa overseeing church plants among unreached people groups and preaching the gospel in front of crowds of people, sometimes even pounding the pulpit as he speaks.
After my 12 years of serving in Burkina Faso, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our greatest legacies are the Didiers that we as missionary leaders raise up!
He was led to Jesus through the youth leader at a nearby church.
Didier wanted to become a preacher like Karambire, the pastor of the largest church in Burkina Faso whom he saw pounding the pulpit on TV, so he went to Bible school. While at Bible school, God spoke to him in a dream, "Ministere des enfants" which means children's ministry. Not understanding what it meant, he just went back to sleep. Again God spoke to him, "Ministere des enfants." This time, he went to his pastor and asked, "is children's ministry when you give candy to the little kids at church?" His pastor thought for a moment and since that is all he has ever seen, he replied, "Yes, Didier. That's what it is. Why do you ask?" Didier didn't tell him about the dreams. He just left discouraged.
Didier promised God, "If You will provide me with training in children's ministry, I will dedicate my life to it." He thought this was an impossible thing, a fleece before the Lord (like in the story of Gideon). That very Sunday, I showed up at his church to preach for the first time. As a Go To Nations missionary serving in Burkina Faso, I invited the members of the church to join me in evangelizing to the children. The majority of the population was children and what a better way to reach the nation. Didier was in shock and he immediately volunteered.
For the first couple of years, I honestly didn't even notice the tall, lanky volunteer. He was quiet, steady, and hard working but there were too many other, more boisterous volunteers but they came and went. Didier was always there. Finally, in the third year of us doing Give a Kid a Christmas outreaches, I called him over and invited him to a two-week training we were holding to train children's pastors for the Ziga region of the country. He calmly agreed and went on to other things, but I learned that Didier's heart was pounding as I walked away. God had answered his 'fleece'. Didier now knew that he would be doing children's ministry for the rest of his life.
Me and my family eventually left Burkina Faso and put Didier in charge as the National Director of CREE, Centre de Ressources pour l'Evengalisation des Enfants, which means Resource Center for Child Evangelism operating out of the capital city of Ouagadougou. Year after year, Didier continues to train children's ministry volunteers and coordinates hundreds of outreaches throughout surrounding villages annually. His team shares the gospel with thousands of people every year and he travels throughout West Africa overseeing church plants among unreached people groups and preaching the gospel in front of crowds of people, sometimes even pounding the pulpit as he speaks.
After my 12 years of serving in Burkina Faso, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our greatest legacies are the Didiers that we as missionary leaders raise up!