Diary of a Drama Missionary by Segun Badejo

In The Porters Hand  (The Making)

As I was about to start writing this piece, a story I heard several years ago came to my mind. And I decided to use it to introduce the Diary of a Drama Missionary. For better reading, i had fine tuned it and rebranded it for better reading.  As we embark on this journey together, I shall be bringing your way our experiences on the Mission Fields both within and outside Nigeria. I pray and hope this messages will encourage someone, enlighten someone and bless someone in Jesus name.

The Ambiya Tribe

Ambiya people still remain unreached with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus despite the fire of the gospel spreading everywhere bcos of their peculiar terrain. The only route to their village is through a Lion forest. The Lions were so ferocious that no man dare cross the forest. No one really know much about the Ambiya tribe, only fractions information here and there. Few Missionaries who tried to reach them were eaten by Lions.

Longe a young Missionary heard about the Tribe and felt strongly led to go. He started sharing the vision with young people with Lion heart like himself. The fifteen of them kept praying and seeking God’s face. The more they prayed, the clearer it became that God wanted them to go. They prayed asking God to show them if there was an alternative safe route to reach the Ambiya people without passing through the Lions forest. One day as they prayed, Longe felt strongly to check a book given to him by a Missionary sometimes ago. He became excited believing it was the Holy Spirit leading, he took excuse from the brethren and ran with excitement into his room and drew the box out from under his bed. He quickly opened it and brought out the old book. It’s the book about the Lions. He opened it and his eyes fell on an heading – Characteristics of Lions.

An hour later, he came out of the room and stopped the prayer. He soberly announced to the brethren that God had answered their prayers and given him solution on how they will get to the Ambiya tribe. The brethren clapped happily and started talking excitedly and joyfully, perhaps God had shown brother Longe another safe route to the Tribe. But Longe who had his head bowed all this while raised his hand for silence, his dark face hard as he surveyed the brethren one after the other, the silence so thick and tense. Then he dropped the bombshell, ‘The Lord told Him they will have to pass through the Lion forest if they are serious about reaching the lost Tribe, the Ambiya people’. They all bowed their heads in deep thoughts. They have heard of several missionaries who tried reaching the lost tribe by passing through the jungle  but were eating by lions. They never heard of many of them again and no Missionary organization would agree to send anyone there anymore. Suddenly there was a commotion as three of the brethren got up and left. Two brethren got up too and followed them. There was quietness for a while, then two other brothers started arguing back and forth then got up quietly and left leaving 8 brethren on their sits. After some time, Longe stood on his feet. ‘Is there anyone that is still afraid to go, pls you are free to join the rest who had left,’ he declared. After a while, a brother got up, head bowed in shame as he left.

Two weeks later, seven of them stood at the entrance of the Lions forest. All of them bold and resolute ready to take on the World for their Lord and Master. Longe stood in their midst and read from Matt.16:25  ‘For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.’ He prayed further that as they were about to lose their lives for their Lord and Master, may they find it on the last day Jesus name. He now told them that the Lions has a peculiar character when they are eating.  When they bring down an animal and kill it, they all flock there to eat leaving other animals to escape. He said they can explore this to their advantage. He said further that he will lead them and the next person after him should leave a gap of 30 meters and d others too should do the same. When the Lions sees and attack him, others should wait. When they begin to eat him, then they should quickly pass by and continue the journey. If its just two of them that reach the Ambiya people, then their deaths won’t be in vain. So they started the journey after committing their souls to him who is able to keep them 

As they journeyed on silently, Longe began to think about all his services in God’s vineyard. He had settled everything that needed to be settled, put everything in place ready for death. He never had any hope of returning again so he had given away all his earthly possessions. His only regret was his lack of courage to inform his widowed mother about his decision. He had only left a note which he knew his mother would have seen by now. He started to imagine how she will take the whole thing, her reaction and all. He felt sad. 

He was jerked out of his thought by a loud roar nearby. The roar was getting nearer and nearer. His heart jumped into his mouth with fear and his mouth became dry as he stopped walking in fear. He started reciting the Lord’s prayer stammering as he struggled over each sentence. He looked back to see his people who he knew would be passing through the same thing. Then he saw a ferocious and hungry looking male lion coming straight at him snarling angrily as he approached him slowly. Longe knees buckled and his heart melt with fear, the long expected  day has come. Soon he’ll be with his maker. He wanted to close his eyes but the eyes refused to close. He knelt  down, shaking and sweating profusely as he folded his two hands before his face as he saw the martyrs do in pictures of some books he had read. The Lion drew near, still snarling at him, as it made ready to pounce on him, suddenly, it started reacting violently as if an imaginary whip landed on it, it winced and drew back in pain. It  quickly turned back as if in total surrender,  His tail in between its leg as It disappeared into the jungle whinning like a whipped dog. Longe couldn’t recover from the shock of d encounter as his kneels became glued to the ground. The missionary behind him rushed to him to reassure him all is well. He lifted him up and the journey continued as d other missionaries took there places behind him. They saw fresh lion droppings here and there as they journeyed in fear, they even heard lions roaring in the distance few times but no lion came near them aside the only encounter in morning. 

At around 6:30pm, they burst out of the forest without warning they saw a clear cut path that led down the mountains. In the valley below were hundreds of mud houses with thatched roofs. Longe who had been in front beckoned on others excitedly. They made it, the first to reach the lost tribe, the Ambiya tribe. They all knelt down, their hands raised to God, the Lion of of the tribe of Judah who whipped d Lions and declared a compulsory holiday for them.