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Related topics Scary Animals In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, longtime campus preacher Dieudonne discovered Bible truths he had never understood before during Adventist evangelistic meetings. His acceptance of the seventh‑day Sabbath led to his baptism, his wife’s conversion, and a thriving sidewalk Bible‑study ministry that has already brought many to Christ.
Dieudonne was on fire for God in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His job was to preach on university campuses and bring students to his church. He was good at his work, and he excelled at it for many years. Then, when he was 68, Bible workers unexpectedly showed up at his door and invited him to Seventh-day Adventist evangelistic meetings. Dieudonne and his wife went to the opening night and were astonished to see a giant banner with pictures of ugly beasts.  “Wow!” Dieudonne exclaimed. “What is this?” His wife said she was frightened and didn’t want to stay. “These animals are scary,” she said. “Is this a church, or is it something else? We have never seen such things in our church, so I doubt that these people are preaching the gospel. We might be misled by them.” As she prepared to leave, Dieudonne told her that he wasn’t scared by the animals and that he planned to stay. She shook her head and left. Then the meeting began. As Dieudonne listened, he learned that the pictures were taken from the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation. He had preached for many years, but he had never understood the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation in the way that he heard that night.  He came back the next night and the next. He learned many things that he had never heard.  But his whole understanding of God changed when the preacher read Luke 24:1. The verse describes women going to Jesus’ tomb, and it begins with the words, “Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning” (NKJV).  Dieudonne had always thought that the first day of the week was Monday. So, he had thought that he was keeping the fourth commandment when he read in Exodus 20:8–10, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work.” Now he realized for the first time that the Bible taught that the first day of the week was Sunday, not Monday. He resolved to keep Saturday as the Sabbath from that day on. When the preacher made a call for baptism, Dieudonne didn’t need to think twice. He had been baptized before, but he thought, “This is my opportunity to be baptized into the truth.” He went forward right away. Every night after the meetings, Dieudonne shared what he was learning with his wife. She accepted that the seventh day was Saturday and also was baptized. Dieudonne told other family members about his new convictions, and a number of his grandchildren also were baptized. Today, Dieudonne is on fire for God in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He no longer preaches on university campuses on behalf of his old church. Instead, his new church has helped him set up a tent beside a city sidewalk where he invites passersby to take Bible studies. He also invites them to his new church. In the first few months of his tent outreach, 20 people joined the church. “My greatest joy is to go out into the community,” Dieudonne said. “Every day, I study the Bible with people.”  Dieudonne’s church is connected to the Adventist Clinic of Kinshasa, the recipient of a previous Thirteenth Sabbath Offering, also known as the Quarterly Mission Project Offering. Thank you for supporting the clinic and its church with your prayers. This quarter, you can support a new project in Kinshasa, a future media center that will house Hope Channel, Adventist World Radio, a social media evangelistic center, and a French-language call center in Kinshasa. Thank you for giving generously to this important project.  Story Tips Show the continent of Africa and the country of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the map. Then show the city of Kinshasa, the location of both the Adventist Clinic of Kinshasa and the future media center. Pronounce Dieudonne as: DEE-oh-don-ay. Watch a short YouTube video of Dieudonne at: bit.ly/Dieudonne-ECD . Download photos for this story from Facebook: bit.ly/fb-mq . Fast Facts The DRC is the second-largest country in Africa by area and the fourth-most populated country in Africa after Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Around 97 percent of 10-year-olds in the DRC lack basic reading and writing skills. Wild animals found in the DRC include lions, antelopes, buffaloes, cheetahs, giraffes, and hyenas. Hippopotamuses and crocodiles can be found in rivers and lakes. Endangered animals in the DRC include bonobos, chimpanzees, elephants, and gorillas. The DRC is a large country that includes rainforests, swamps, plateaus, plains, and mountains. Most people in the DRC are farmers growing crops like cassava, sweet potatoes, taro, yams, plantains, okra, tomatoes, beans, coffee, corn, peanuts, and rice. Commonly played folk instruments are the xylophone and the mvet (a bamboo tube with four or five strings and up to three gourd resonators). Get to know the region Related publications More Youth & Adult Mission Stories Topics From the front lines of mission—straight to your inbox

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, longtime campus preacher Dieudonne discovered Bible truths he had never understood before during Adventist evangelistic meetings. His acceptance of the seventh‑day Sabbath led to his baptism, his wife’s conversion, and a thriving sidewalk Bible‑study ministry that has already brought many to Christ.

Scary Animals

Related topics Unexpected Church Visit Gilbert Fimaka woke up on a Sunday with a strong desire to go to church.  The 22-year-old medical missionary shared his longing with his roommate, a fellow medical missionary. The two young men were just wrapping up a three-week mission trip in rural Zambia.  “I’m thinking about visiting a church here,” Gilbert said. “I’d like to share the Word of God and also tell them about the seventh-day Sabbath.”  Then he laughed. His roommate also laughed. The idea seemed preposterous. But in his heart, Gilbert wanted to go. So, he went.  As he entered the closest church, he felt nervous. He knew that he couldn’t just say, “This is not the day of worship.”  To his surprise, the church members quickly made him feel at home. Many recognized him from his medical work, and they welcomed him warmly. They even gave him a seat of honor with the church leaders.  Then it was time for the sermon. To Gilbert’s surprise, he was invited to preach. He felt humbled as he approached the pulpit, but he was scared to talk about the Sabbath. So, he opened his Bible to the book of Job.  As Gilbert spoke, he heard a voice say, “Talk about the Sabbath.” He ignored it and continued preaching. The voice spoke a second time. When the voice spoke a third time, Gilbert turned in his Bible to Leviticus 23:3 and read, “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings” (NKJV). Then he read Matthew 28:1 and Genesis 2:1-3.  “The seventh day does not fall on a Sunday but on a Saturday, so the true day of worship is not Sunday but Saturday,” he said.  When he finished the sermon, a church leader stood up and announced, “I will stop worshiping on Sunday and only worship on Saturday.”  As people left the church, many talked loudly. Some were weeping. “We didn’t know that we were worshiping on the wrong day,” said one. “From now on, we will worship on Saturday,” said another.  A short time later, the church leader was baptized in a Seventh-day Adventist church, and many other church members begun studying the Bible in preparation for baptism.  This mission story illustrates the “Mission For All” objective of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan, which says in part, “Christ mingled, showed sympathy, ministered to needs, won confidence, then invited people to follow Him. The goal is to take a genuine interest in people, leading them to Christ and inviting them to unite with the Seventh-day Adventist Church as disciples of Christ who make disciples.” Read more at IWillGo.org. Get to know the region Resources More Stories Topics From the front lines of mission—straight to your inbox

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