In the village of Abatakura—a community named after its founder—lives a 53-year-old farmer named Abata. As the village patriarch and the custodian of his ancestral shrines, Abata was highly respected. Many in the village attributed his success as a farmer to the “blessings” of the idols he served.
COF missionaries first shared the Gospel with Abata during the Christmas season of 2022. While he was not ready to abandon his role as shrine custodian, he allowed his sons, Ben (25) and Dominic (23), to follow Christ.
By Easter 2023, Abata’s life took a distressing turn. He began suffering from hallucinations and felt pursued by spiritual entities. Recognizing his father’s crisis, Ben and Dominic reached out to their church leaders, Obed and Joshua. When the COF missionaries returned to visit Abata, he was ready. He surrendered his life to Jesus Christ, and after the team prayed for him, his torment ceased immediately.
Today, the man who once guarded the ancestral shrines is a dedicated follower of Jesus. He spends his time listening ardently to the Audio Bible originally given to his sons, proving that the Word of God can reach the hearts of even the most established traditional leaders
