The persuasive power of the Gospel finally convinced a witch to abandon her animist ways and turn to Christ—even though it took a year for her to do that.
Southern Baptist missionaries Brian Harrell and his wife, Becky, recalled one of the highlights of their mission in Mozambique, a country in Africa facing the Indian Ocean. The two began their outreach mission there in 2004 to serve the 300,000 Makhuwa Nahara people living in the villages along the shores of Mozambique, the Baptist Press reported.
The villagers there practice animism, which they blend with Islam. Because of the infant mortality in the area, the villagers resort to "spiritual protection" in the form of witchcraft.
"Women fear for their children," Becky said. "They perform ceremonial witchcraft to protect that life and to protect themselves from evil spirits during pregnancy."
Helping the villagers with divinations and spells was a witch named Adelina.
The Harrells approached her and tried to win her over to the side of Christ. Surprisingly, she agreed to meet the missionaries and even opened her home to a Bible study where she listened intently.
But after a year of preaching, Adelina showed no sign of accepting Christ.
The Southern Baptist missionaries were about to give up when one day, Adelina surprised everybody when she spoke before prayer.
"I need you to help me to do something," she said. "I know that what I have been doing is wrong and I want to get rid of my witchcraft."
That Sunday a group of believers celebrated the occasion by singing songs, praying and dismantling the witch doctor's hut.
"It was incredible," Brian said. "This was something we had been hoping for and praying for."
Sometime later, Adelina became pregnant with her seventh child. Neighbours warned her that her child wouldn't survive without the "protection" from witchcraft.
But Adelina stood firm in her newfound faith.
The former witch doctor is now sharing her testimony, explaining to people what God has done in her life.
