Moving GACX’s 2020 Global Forum online created many unique opportunities to connect and involve co-laborers from around the world. One of the workshop opportunities for participants focused on Orality-based strategies and was facilitated by staff from StoryRunners.
Dost* has served with StoryRunners since 2013 in West Africa. He and two other co-workers have trained thousands of people how to use Oral Bible Stories to start a story group in their languages to multiply disciples and plant churches. They have also taught over 400 others how to develop these kinds of stories.
Though excited by the opportunity to train others around the world during the forum, last-minute complications almost kept him from participating. Here is Dost’s story in his own words:
That morning nothing went right… I had planned to ride my motorcycle 45 kilometers away to my West African country’s largest city so that I could have a stable internet connection as I led the workshop; but, a storm came, and I was forced to stay home.
I felt stressed, worried. Never before had I led a training for so many people, people from so many countries, from multiple continents! What if the internet cut out? What if the storm was so loud that people on Zoom would hear it? I knew God would do something. But how?
My wife quickly created a makeshift studio out of mattresses for me so any sound of rain would be quieted. Minutes before we began, the storm stopped.Dost leads the Orality workshop during the forum.
For the next hour, my two co-workers and I taught 48 GACX [forum] attendees how to lead a story group or the oral equivalent of a Bible study.
I prayed in my heart during the entire workshop, and God was faithful! The internet connection remained stable! And the rain did not return! And people made such encouraging comments in the Zoom chat as our workshop progressed! What a gift to show so many church planters how they too could use oral Bible storytelling in their ministry context. Everything went perfectly well, better than we ever could have planned.
In my culture, we dance when we are happy. When the Zoom call ended, my heart leapt for joy. I began to dance and sing to God, worshipping, and praising Him. God is the master of time, events and even technology obeys Him! And He used me, just an ordinary man from West Africa, to demonstrate for church planters all across the world how to share His story with oral learners. God is faithful!
* Name changed for security
