Assignment: Develop a gospel witness around your personal testimony of how Jesus Christ became your Lord and Savior. Then present the gospel through your testimony in at least five different evangelism encounters.

Testimony of Conversion

I was born in 1949 in Doussi, Upper Volta (presently called Burkina Faso).  My father was a polygamist, but I knew a happy childhood and was raised in the tradition and the Bwaba traditional religion.

After finishing primary and secondary education in my country, I received advanced military training in military schools in France.  In 1980, I returned to Burkina Faso from the Superior School of Military Engineering in Versailles, France and was called to serve in the Government as the Minister of Public Works, Transportation and Urbanism.  I was a captain in the army.  At that time, I took advantage of my position and youth, and my success with no thought of God, assured “that my future was before me,” as one says in my country.  But in September 1982, our government was overthrown by a military coup d’état, and a revolutionary regime was installed.  As was the case for many others both in the military and in civilian functions, I was imprisoned and removed from active military service.  It goes without saying that this was not easy for my family and me.  Nevertheless, it was by this path that the Lord chose to call me to Himself.

In reality, financial difficulties and a series of fatal accidents that directly touched people close to me led me to understand that the only way to salvation for me was the Lord Jesus Christ.  It was in this way that in February 1989, one night, while I was traveling for studies in Houston, Texas, after a telephone conversation with my wife who had stayed at home in Burkina Faso, that we decided to give our lives to the Lord.

From that time, the Lord has transformed my life and I have seen Him do mighty things in my own life and in those of many other people.  I have had the opportunity to witness in public and in private in Burkina Faso and other countries in Africa, as well as in Europe and the USA.

Our three children are all born again and serve the Lord in their local churches where they are students in the USA.  My mother and several other relatives have also come to the Lord.  My wife is today the leader of a national association of ladies. 

I have served as a deacon at Central Assembly of God for 10 years, and I am the National President of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship and Vice President for French-speaking Africa of the Association of Christian Military Fellowships.

The carrying out of the Service Learning Requirement

In December 2004,  it seemed clear to me that the Lord wanted me to speak to some of the your of my neighborhood.  In the street just behind my house is a kiosque where people in the street drink coffee, cold drinks and eat bread to just pass the time. I spoke to the owner of the kiosque  and told him that I wanted to talk with the young men on Saturday morning.  I also bought a number of salvation tracts.  When I arrived on the morning of December 28 at 7:30, there were about 20 men present.  The number continued to grow.

I asked the owner to serve breakfast to those who wished to eat and I would pay for it. While they were drinking their coffee and eating their bread and eggs, I asked for a moment of silence.

I simply told them that as inhabitants of the same neighborhood we should be interested in one another.  For me, I told them that I was there to share some experiences of my life with them.  I said that since I was a Christian, I wanted to briefly talk about my experience and walk with God.  Without waiting for a response from them, I began to tell them about my life in three parts:  what I was before I knew the Lord, how I met Christ, and since I had come to know Him as my personal Savior that which he has accomplished in my life.  I told them the plan of God for humanity.  As I talked the fear began in my heart was disappearing, and my voice was becoming stronger as I was completely captivated by my message.  I spoke for about 35 minutes.  Then, I made a call for conversion.  Six young men responded! 

The local church to which I belong is located at quite a distance from our neighborhood, and there are a number of churches nearby.  But I preferred to keep my spiritual babies for several weeks and have them to meet as a group each Tuesday and Friday morning in my welding shop that is near the kiosque.  I wanted to give them their first Bible teaching on prayer and the necessity of belonging to a local assembly.    Then, Sunday, January 23, I drove them to the worship service at my church and presented them to the congregation.  In the meantime, instead of six converts I had nine.  We arrived very early and found a place on a front pew.  The pastor welcomed them to the church and exhorted the church members to witness around them, using my group as an example. 

I continue to meet with these new converts two times each week.  Next week, I will encourage them to choose a local church to which to belong.