You should have been at breakfast this morning.  It would have been a great time for you to drop in.  We got into a lively discussion on demon possession.  

Turns out Francis has assisted in casting out demons on occasion.  Doris has witness such things in her church.  And Guy has had experience, too.  They live a very different life than you do in the U.S.  Doris reports that sometimes a new believer will stand during the sermon and start screaming obscenities at the pastor.  Once a woman even began breaking chairs.  Later when the demon was cast out and things calmed down, she had no knowledge of what had happened.  She was shocked to see the broken chairs.  Francis said his pastor does a lot of counseling with a person who comes to him for help with demonic activity in his life.  He discusses their past and points them to the Lord.  He gets them into the Word and brings them to a point where they themselves want to renounce all involvement with the evil one.

Francis told how in a certain tribe there was an old grandmother who died and was buried years and years ago. Eventually a tree grew up right by her grave site.  After some time it was decided that the tree was a god and had strong powers.  So from then on all newborn babies were brought to the base of the tree and laid on the ground.  Then an animal was sacrificed and the blood sprinkled around, some falling on the baby.  Next the baby was anointed with oil.  Finally the baby was given to the demons.  In this way the family is protected and the baby, too.  Lets say that 20 years later that little baby grows up to become a child of God.  When he becomes a Christian, this alliance with the devil has to be dealt with.  If not he can never grow into a strong Christian.  Demons will always be there to torment him.

 We all agreed that God is the All Powerful One.  All the forces of evil amassed together amount to nothing by comparison to Him.  We put our faith and trust in Him and continue to cling to Him.  And we resolve to continue to let Him cleanse us from all unrighteousness, even the things that happened to us and over which we had no control.  The battle is very real out here in Africa. 

.