The Life of David

17-year-old Guinean David Milimono gave his life to Jesus last year and it’s serious; he wants to get to know Him more. However, something sinister shadows his life. He grew up in a village near Guéckédou, in the south-eastern part of the country. His father made – makes – a living as a witchdoctor. “When I was younger, I believed that what my father was doing was good for the family and truthful – he made a lot of money and I saw a man who had been lying down at hospital receive healing after drinking one of my father’s magic potions.” David and his siblings were often ordered to go into the bush to find special herbs for these potions, chopping them up for clients to serve in a litre of water. His father gained such notoriety by being one of the most powerful priests in the region, gaining this power by killing five people in ritual sacrifices. With pain, David reveals that these five human beings were members of his own family.



David (left) and Jean (second from left) celebrate their baptism on Christmas Eve 



David’s dad saw the financial potential in his field by in moving the family to Macenta, just two hours further south-east. A common practice in this part of Guinea is for parents to ‘lend’ their children to other members of the family or friends, to support them in the home or in a particular industry. In return, the child receives free board and lodging, schooling – whatever the terms agreed between the two families are. In this case, Mr. Milimono’s old friend, Mr. Bemba, asked that one of his children come to live with him and his family. David put himself forward, with the idea that he would have a better schooling opportunity in Macenta. He was 12.

So he left the village to move in with Bemba, his wife Vhévhé and their six children in 2007. Mama Vhévhé and the children frequented the local Protestant church and David was obliged to go with them. “I had no choice but to go with the rest of the family but I didn’t feel the benefit in going there and like other children, I messed around,” he describes. “In 2009, I began to take church seriously and became a member of the choir, but when I visited the village, I still had to participate in my father’s practices.” Another visit to the village in August 2011, this time with Jean, his close friend and Vhévhé’s and Bemba’s only son, was tough. “Papa insisted that we wash ourselves with some traditional herbs. I knew that if we refused, Papa would be angry. Jean recommended that we go ahead and take part so that we didn’t offend him, but that we wash ourselves off with hot water afterwards.”

After this episode, David took the step to accept Jesus into his life. “One Sunday at church, a young leader in the Flambeaux Lumiere movement (similar to the Scouts) invited those who wanted to give their lives to Christ to go with him for a special meeting during the church service. It was then I accepted Jesus as my Lord. A month later, I joined a baptism course and on the 24 December, I was baptised, along with Jean my friend.” In the meantime, David joined various church youth groups including the Trios, run by the Mission Philafricaine, where young people between 14 and 18 years of age are encouraged to come together in trios for bible study and to pray together. Sarah is one of the leaders. “It’s great to see young people thirsting after God’s word and helping them unlock it. For me, David shows a special desire to get to know Jesus more, but it’s fairly evident he has some major personal challenges that burden him.”



David receives a copy of a booklet "J'appartiens a Dieu" (I belong to God)
from Sarah on baptism day



The story doesn’t finish here. There’s something else that wears David down: his obligations towards Bemba, Jean’s father. “Bemba has a bar and Jean that I have to work in every day, from 5-10pm. We had trouble getting time off to attend Sunday youth activities that finish later than 5pm as we needed to be in the bar. Bemba knows that we don’t like working there, but as we are the only people he can trust with his money and his stock, we have no choice; if we don’t, he threatens to cut the funds for our schooling and to chase us out of the house. There are some friends that come in from time to time who pressure us to go out with the girls that hang out there.” You can see David’s pain as he struggles to contemplate what he’s able to do about this situation.

David asks that we pray for:

-          Him to be able to resist the temptations presented at the bar and for him to talk with Bemba about finding another manager to run it.

-          His father and little brothers to come to know and love Jesus.