—Africa for the Africans!—By Father DavidJune 24, 1978DFO No.726

1. I DO NOT CONSIDER AFRICA A PIONEER FIELD. There are millions of Christians there. As far as having heard about Jesus, there are some better Christians in Africa than there are in some other places. The Lord said to us one time,

2. "THIS LAND (THE U.S.) THAT YOU CALL LIGHT, I CALL DARK! BUT THAT LAND WHICH YOU CALL DARK (AFRICA) I CALL LIGHT!" Africa was always called the "Dark Continent" by missionaries years ago, not only because it was mostly black, but also in spiritual darkness and heathenism. But it has been pretty thoroughly evangelised for about 100 years now, since the days of Livingstone.

3. WHEN I WAS A YOUNG MAN THERE WERE MORE MISSIONARIES IN AFRICA THAN THERE WERE MINISTERS AND PRIESTS IN EUROPE! …

12. AFRICA WOULDN'T HAVE ANYTHING IF THE WEST HADN'T BEEN THERE!—Schools, hospitals, industries, sanitation, health‚ welfare‚ prosperity and Christian civilisation! …

21. SO FRANKLY, I FEEL THAT … YOU'RE POURING SCARCE MISSIONARY MONEY INTO AFRICA. … I'm sure the Lord will use you wherever you are and you always do some good anywhere. But I think the same amount of money could probably do a whole lot more good where there is less trouble and where it is less apt to be just swallowed up and gone forever…!

22. SO LET'S PUT OUR FUNDS AND LABORERS INTO AREAS WHERE THERE IS APT TO BE A LITTLE MORE LASTING EFFECT, places which I would consider more ripe harvest areas, like Latin America and Spain, just awakening‚ and the unharvested Mideast‚ Asian and Pacific areas‚ not already overworked Africa!

23. NOW IF YOU'VE REALLY FOUND SOME RICH RIPE HARVEST FIELDS where the people are really receiving, responsive‚ hospitable and you stand a chance of establishing something fairly permanent in the way of Homes, native indigenous Homes or schools for the children, that's fine. But just traipsing around putting on entertainments and TV shows and road shows, it's bound to do some good, but is it worth so much?

24. WE'RE INVESTORS, AND WE'RE LITERALLY INVESTING IN SOULS, and we want to get the best soul dividends that we can get, and not just pour funds and lives down some "black hole" that gobbles up everything with nothing to show for it! Let's be reasonable!

25. WHAT PERMANENT RESULTS ARE THERE GOING TO BE? What is going to be the permanent or semi-permanent indigenuity, or at least some kind of lasting effects or results?

26. IF IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO REALLY LEAVE SOMETHING BEHIND YOU that's going to be able to carry on an indigenous work that writes reports and sends them in so we'll know it, that's what I'd say is something that's worth investing in!

27. ARE YOUR CONVERTS GOING TO CARRY ON THE SAME MINISTRY AND BE INDIGENOUS—SELF-SUPPORTING, SELF-GOVERNING, SELF-PROPAGATING?—That's what I call lasting effects!—Right? Are you establishing indigenous works?—Mission stations? Schools? Homes?—Something lasting! But just traipsing around on television or radio and singing in clubs and a few things like that, that is fine—but what are the permanent and lasting effects?—Where are the souls and soul-winners who can be counted? Paul began churches!

28. LET'S MAKE A SURVEY OF AFRICA and let's see how many native indigenous Homes we have there who are smart enough to fill out a Home Servant's Report or Catacombers who can do the same!—So that if you left, they could carry on!—How many?

29. I MAY BE WRONG, but as far as I can see, many of our personnel in Africa are just travelling around from country to country putting on shows and entertainment, and that's fine and wins souls, but not many are establishing lasting Homes or Catacombs.

30. ARE WE JUST POURING THOUSANDS A MONTH INTO A "BLACK HOLE"? I don't consider Africa a "pioneer" field if you are not establishing any kind of permanent works, bases, Homes, schools, etc.—especially since it's been pretty well evangelised already!

31. IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE SOME OF YOU PEOPLE ARE JUST ENJOYING TOURING AFRICA! Some of you have a great yen for travel and are great pioneers, that's true. You love to explore and pioneer and that's good and necessary.

34. … [S]ome parts of Africa are quite modern, safe and civilised—but already evangelised!—So why waste time on the already civilised Christians where there are already churches by the thousands and Christians by the millions?!

35. LET'S GO WHERE LITTLE IF ANY GOSPEL HAS YET BEEN PREACHED and the poor people are needy and hungry for love and the Word and without already institutionalised Christianity, or are fed up with it and desperate for something better!—Amen?

36. WE'RE A GROWING GROUP BUT WITHOUT MUCH MONEY‚ so let's put it where it really counts!—Amen? Let's get our money's worth! Let's make every penny count!—Especially every precious priceless life!—Amen?

37. STOP WASTING YOUR TIME AND STRENGTH AND FUNDS AND LIVES on unprofitable, unfruitful fields which yield very little lasting results!—Amen? Let's go where we're appreciated—and not slaughtered! Leave Africa to the Africans! …