Expelled from Kenya and on to Uganda
When the gospel, the power of God, meets head on with the power of Satan, something has to give way. Can the light shine in the darkness and not be overcome? Can life, that life that is in the Word who has been from the beginning, defeat death? First a little background.
You will have read in "The Man from Zambia" that Marvin spent time in jail in Kenya. In the village of Magadi, he was arrested on false charges of having come to destroy native traditions. After two days, people from Nairobi came and proved his innocence. Marvin was released and began his journey back to Kajiado, a day and night walk. While on this journey Marvin met up with two brothers from Uganda. He wrote:
"I shared the gospel with them and they were glad to hear it. When I arrived in Kajiado, these two guys refused to leave me and continue their journey. They insisted they could only leave if I walk back with them to Uganda. They wanted others there to receive the same light they had received. The chief heard of the matter and called them and told them I was his guest. They stayed for four days and we fellowshiped together under the light. They cried when leaving and gave thanks. Tomorrow I will be going back to Magadi. I had a strange dream of the enemy trying to uproot what has been planted there.
In Magadi, Marvin took the literature he had been distributing and showed the police. They were satisfied that what he was doing was not a threat. However when the Superintendent heard that Marvin was back, he took Marvin, drove him to the border between Kenya and Tanzania, and watched until Marvin was on a transport truck headed for Zambia.
Busesa, The Power of God Is Over All
After a short time in Zambia, Marvin began his journey to Busesa, a rural area in Uganda where his two friends lived. And this is where our story begins.
Marvin preached and distributed literature until he considered it time to leave and go back to Kenya. He felt led to stay. So he waited longer and again thought it time to leave. The transport truck he was to take back to Kenya broke down before the journey began. Again he waited in silence before the Lord and had the discernment given him that there was something the people were not telling him.
He had a meeting with the people, asking them what it was they wanted him to know. A woman came to him privately and explained they were troubled by witches. While Marvin was there, the witches had stopped troubling them, and they were afraid that when Marvin left, the witches would start troubling them again. Marvin wrote:
"I asked her how the witches troubled them? She said these witches turned into lions at night, attacked their cattle for meat, and sometimes a child would go missing. Every time the witches would come in the night no one could go outside the village for fear of being killed."
An elder of the village told Marvin that the witch lived in The Dark Forest and no one dared go there. Marvin said he had to go and speak to the witch. Early in the morning, Marvin and one companion went into the forest to find the witch. Marvin wrote:
"It was very thick and dark. At times we couldn't see where we were going, we followed bush trails. Late in the afternoon I came to a grass thatched house it was the only one I found on this trail. I stood outside it. I didn’t knock. I was quiet. After 30 minutes a boy about 12 years old came out and found me standing there. He ran back inside and then came back again. He said his aunt was not around. She went somewhere and would not be back until the following morning. There was only his grandpa who couldn't walk or talk, I asked if I could see him. He told me no man has ever visited them before. I insisted and went in. I saw strange things: animal heads, bird feathers, human organs, and other strange things. The older man was seated there and couldn’t talk. But I could tell in his eyes he wanted to say something. So I got a pen and paper and gave him to write. He understood English and said I should leave as soon as I could or else I would hang on the wall!
I told him I was there to lead them to repentance. I explained to him how we have been saved from darkness to light and that captivity has been overthrown. I told him it was the day of his salvation. He wrote 'I can’t be saved, I am a child of the devil'. I told him to take heed to the light in him, no sin was beyond forgiveness! I told him I was going outside and would be back after an hour!"
"When I went back inside the man was able to talk. The boy was surprised because his grandpa hadn’t spoken for three years. I asked the man how he was able to talk now. He said he had repented in his heart and reconciled his heart back to his creator. He hoped one day he would encounter light. I told him to stand up. With my assistance he stood up, we walked slowly outside. When we reached the outside, he gained strength and felt free. He smiled and was able to walk. I told him to leave everything in that house behind. He didn’t hesitate and agreed. I shared the word with him."
"When the woman, who was the active witch, came back she couldn’t believe she was seeing her father walk and talk. She was with her elder brother who was also a witch.
I told them it was their day of salvation, they had to repent. She said they tried every charm in their power to get him healed. But how did this happen? The old man told her it was the light and asked her and the brother to come to it! The brother got upset and got a chunk of wood trying to hit me but the sister stopped him. She told her brother that she wanted to know the power I had. I shared the word with them and told them the greatest power is love, to love God and to love your fellow humans."
"I told them to burn everything they had for witchcraft, and they did, the power of God was over them."
"We came out of the forest with them. They decided to have a new beginning in the village. Every one was surprised and believed in the light."
In the beginning was the Word. In him is life and the life is the light of mankind. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can neither comprehend nor overcome the light. And the Word was made flesh and dwells among us. Jesus, the Word made flesh, said, "I am the light of the world." He commanded all who would follow him to "Walk in the light that you may become children of the light." Where this light is obeyed, unquenchable life grows.
You can read more about Marvin in his My Life and Ministry: A Brief Account. We are charging $1.00 for that and those proceeds will go to support his work. You can make larger contributions to his work at https://gofund.me/15ca8f05.