“Brother Bryce! Please pray! My pigs are dying!” This was the phone call I received while I was in Mozambique.
Pastor Johnson Odoyo had grown his herd of pigs to 35 adults and 180 piglets. At this moment he was on a mission trip to the Hadzabe, and having checked in with his family, heard the horrifying news that many of his pigs had died while others were showing signs of being seriously ill.
The enemy strikes in ugly ways. His tactics are unfair … below the belt and hard hitting. Johnson and Irene had been delighted with the sudden growth in the numbers of their pigs and had made plans for the income from their sales. Suddenly and tragically their dreams came crashing down upon them. Worse yet, this attack came when Johnson was far from home and in no position to provide any possible solution to the problem, leaving his wife and children to fend for themselves.
I quickly did some research and discovered that the African Swine Fever was spreading through the Mwanza region of Tanzania where Johnson lives. It’s a fatal illness for which there is neither a vaccine nor cure. It strikes the internal organs of the animal causing intense bleeding, bringing death within a week. It also spreads easily by contaminated vehicles, equipment and food.
District officials came with trucks to transport the dead animals to a site where they would be buried deep enough to pose no further danger to other pigs. It was a necessary procedure, but the burial of these pigs threatened also to bury the family’s dreams. While many tears were shed, Johnson still summoned the resolve to say, “ … but we still trust the Lord.”
I called Johnson late one evening to inquire further, “How did this virus make its way into your herd?” Johnson’s property is walled with concrete pens for his animals prohibiting contact with the outside world to keep them safe. He told me that a nearby farmer with a large herd of more than a thousand pigs was infected and decimated by the African swine fever. Somehow the devil put evil intent into this man’s heart. If his herd was lost, then no one else’s herd deserved to survive and thrive.
During Johnson’s mission to the Hadzabe this man came to Johnson’s house pretending to be a friend. He met the familly’s oldest son Barak and offered a large supply of swill as a neighborly gesture. Barak received the food with thanks and fed it to his pigs, not knowing that it was contaminated with the African swine fever. It took little time for the entire herd to be affected and to succumb to the virus.
I asked how Johnson knew for certain that the neighbor was responsible for the death of his pigs. His answer was convincing. The neighbor had done the same thing to another farmer destroying his herd as well. That affected farmer did not take the matter lightly and a physical altercation occurred. The police were called and the alleged attacker is now in jail awaiting sentencing.
During our conversation, our connection was abruptly cut off. We are accustomed to this sort of thing happening with international networks, so I called him back but there was no answer. When we finally did reconnect, I discovered that he ended the call when he heard his dogs barking and discovered two thieves had jumped over their wall. These thieves had heard that Pastor Johnson was away on a mission and they were intending to steal some chickens in his absence. Johnson is 6’2”, weighs well over 200 lbs. and presents a formidable figure. The attackers were both youths, no match for Johnson, and surrendered without further altercations.
Village leaders and neighbors arrived at the scene and pronounced a death sentence on the young thieves. If thieves are caught in the act the Sukuma tribe takes justice into their own hands. If the police are called, they will often delay their arrival to allow for this sentence to be carried out. The youth fell to the ground at Pastor Johnson’s feet and begged for forgiveness, pleading for their lives and saying they were ready to receive Jesus as their savior.
Though one could not count on the sincerity of these words Johnson chose to offer them forgiveness. He told the mob that they would not kill the boys on his property and further refused to press charges. This was not received well, for there was great suspicion that other homes had been affected by the thieving activities of these youth. Johnson remained resolute and the boys were set free and they have been faithfully attending church since then.
Johnson has cleansed his pig pens with fire, confident that the remnants of the virus have been eradicated. I sent him a little money and with it he purchased a pregnant pig; the promise of better things to come.
Please continue to pray for our missionaries to the bush people. Their effective ministries in the power of the Holy Spirit puts a target on their backs to which the enemy takes aim. May their ministries and families continue to prosper in his name.
