Shanksteps
Is it true that missionaries eat little children?
About 2 months ago I was sitting with a 15-year-old
girl outside of the pediatrics ward. She was trying
desperately to teach me the Mafa language. She would
tell me the name of a body part, show me on her body
and I would attempt to repeat the word. This brought
many laughs among those listening but it was great
fun. When I discharged her from the hospital, I made
her promise that she would come back to visit me. One
Sunday afternoon she showed up on our doorstep to
visit. Greg answered the door and came in saying that
there was a young girl who would only talk with me.
When I went outside I realized immediately that it was
Tukaye. She looked frightened to death. Now, many of
the children here are fearful of white people. I have
never had anyone tell me why this is exactly; I have
just always assumed that it was because they had never
seen one before. But Tukaye and I had been friends
and she wasn’t afraid of me when she was in the
hospital. So I asked her why she was so fearful. She
told me that when she told her father that she was
coming to visit me, he told her that we (as white
people) would hold her captive, prepare her, and eat
her. He told her that he knows of some in several of
the bigger cities in Cameroun who were eaten by the
white people. Now, I can understand being fearful of
being taken away (the slave trade is still present in
hearts and minds of some here), but I have no idea
what would cause someone to believe that white people
eat black people. It really broke my heart for her,
and endeared her more to me as she braved her life to
come and visit.
When people ask me what percent of the population
here are Christian/Muslum etc, I answer that about one
third are Christian, one third are Muslim, and one
hundred percent are animist/traditional tribal. Even
for those who profess only Christianity or Islam, the
traditional beliefs are still very alive in every
aspect of their world. It is hard to find anyone
without some kind of charm (Gri-gri) around his neck
or waist. When Tukaye came, she brought for me a
handmade Mafa-god idol to protect our house. We are
supposed to place it somewhere in our house or yard to
fight off the bad spirits that bring disease and
strife to a family. If the father of the house
believes that there are problems within his family, he
is to pour bili-bili (homemade millet wine) into this
statue, drink it with his family, sacrifice a chicken
over the top of it, then eat the chicken. After the
ritual is complete, he is to consult the spirits as to
whether the Mafa god has been appeased. I have asked
God to remove any connection this statue may have with
the spirit world, and I keep it to remind me of
Tukaye, and the great need there is in this village to
bring the good news of God’s love to the people here.
Please pray that the hope of Christ can release these
people from their bondage. Audrey