SEARCH FOR DEEPER KNOWLEDGE

Village medical needs provide learning opportunities

Also available in: Español

June 4, 2007

by Dena McMaster

Observing the daily life of the Baga Fore people in Guinea has helped the missionary team to understand the way the Baga Fores think and how they interpret what happens. Missionaries Gene and Judy Bacon and David and Rachel Burke are studying the culture and language in preparation for teaching.

Recently two ladies were brought to Gene's home with advanced infections in their teeth. Both had been ill for several days. In questioning their families about the onset of illness, there were no clear answers. But they did learn that the Baga Fores believe that any disease that involves swelling can be passed to someone else and medical intervention won't help.

When the infections kept getting worse and the swelling was so great that one of the ladies could neither eat nor drink, they brought them to Gene and Judy's house for help.
Gene encouraged the villagers to bring those with infections to them right away so that they could be helped but the Baga Fore belief system causes them to believe that medicine won't help. The missionaries also learned that the Baga Fores believe that sorcery causes many of the illnesses and the bad things that happen in the village.

Understanding these cultural beliefs helps the missionaries to know more about the Baga Fore worldview so that they can prepare to teach evangelistic Bible lessons in a way the people will understand.

Pray for Gene and Judy and David and Rachel as they study the culture and language. Pray also that God will prepare the hearts of the Baga Fore people to believe the Truth when they hear the Gospel message.