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September 08, 2008

Bokoum's story

Reproduced word for word from the CMM website, here is the testimony of Bokoum, who is well known in Djibo today. It is written by Dale Fagerland, whose integrity I can vouch for. I have met Bokoum a number of times but had no idea that his past was so colourful. He is as tall as me (6 foot 6 inches) and very warm and friendly - a real local character. Anyway, here is the article:

Another Source of Power
by Dale Fagerland

Bokoum was born in Mali, West Africa, perhaps 40 or 50
years ago—no one knows for sure. Through a revelation or a
dream, they had apparently been told that their son would grow
up to be a very evil man. Thus, when he was a baby, his
Muslim parents put out one of his eyes. "If he were handicapped," they reasoned, surely he won’t become too wicked."

The parents' fear must have led them to treat their child
horribly, and Bokoum did indeed grow up to be evil. He was
big, strong and violent. Eventually he went to Djibo, Burkina Faso. There he would stake out a path leading to the market and lie in wait for his victims. Attacking several people at a time, he would beat them, rob them and leave them for dead. He was the most feared
outlaw in the region.

Whenever Bokoum went on a rampage, the police tried to
arrest him. At least 10 or 12 men were needed to capture and
confine him. They drained blood from his veins to weaken him;
then they put him in jail. But when Bokoum’s blood replenished
itself and his strength returned, he broke out of jail and planned
his next attack.

Bokoum trusted amulets and fetishes for his power. He collected a pebble from 97 different hills and had a Muslim spiritual
leader bless them. This act, he believed, gave him power
over all the land among the hills. However, as time went on Bokoum gradually became aware of another Source of power.

My wife and I were working with a small group of Christians
in Djibo. When Bokoum heard that we were building a church,
he was curious. He went to the work site and talked to the
Christians who were volunteering their labor. God had already
begun to deal with his heart, and he was not as violent with the
church people as he was with others. In fact, he began to
warm to them.

To construct the building, we had to mix the cement by
hand and make every block individually from a mold. Bokoum
wanted to help, so we gladly hired him. He could do the work
of four men. As they worked, the Christians talked to Bokoum
about his soul.

Later missionary Jim Bryant and his family joined us in the
work at Djibo. Because I had lived there for several years, Jim
asked if I knew anyone who would serve as a night guard for
his family. "Yes," I replied. "I know someone who is better than a
German shepherd, a Doberman pinscher, or a Pit Bull Terrier." Jim hired Bokoum to be his night guard, and the Bryant family continued to talk to him about salvation. They explained that God wanted to change his life. Little by little Bokoum came to realize that he needed this change, and finally the Bryants led him to the Lord.
Immediately Bokoum’s life began to change dramatically
and he burned his fetishes.

Today one would never know that he was once a feared
criminal. He now has a wife and family and he tells everyone,
even Muslim leaders, what God has done in his life. He knows
that true power does not come from fetishes or fists, but from
the Spirit of God.

Posted by sahelsteve at September 8, 2008 02:52 PM