Congo “I can’t stand living with you,” he said. “I would rather die.” With that, Manu picked up the bottle and drank the poison he had prepared. Gasore The Stubborn Husband Gasore Bazungu M anu and Naomi live in a small village near the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The couple raise and sell goats to earn a meager living. Manu and Naomi attended some evangelistic meetings in their area. They liked what they heard and began studying the Bible to learn more. Although the couple did not make a commitment to Christ during the meetings, they often talked about things they had learned. Three months later an Adventist pastor announced a camp meeting near Manu and Naomi’s village. The couple decided to go, and they even talked about being baptized following the camp meeting. Every day they walked to the camp meeting site. Naomi talked to the pastor about being baptized. Surprise Decision On the Sunday morning of the baptism Naomi prepared East-Central Africa Division some clothes to change into after her baptism. As she prepared to leave home, she called to Manu to hurry. To her surprise, he said that he was not going to the baptism. Naomi was disappointed, and as she hurried to the river, she wondered why Manu had changed his mind. But she was comforted to think that he would make his decision the next time a baptism would be held. After her baptism Naomi hurried home, eager to share the day’s events with her husband. But when she began telling him what had happened, Manu became angry and turned away. When she kept talking, he began to beat her. Stunned by her husband’s sudden attack, Naomi managed to escape his blows and flee to the deacon’s home nearby. Naomi wept as she told them what her husband had done. The deacon told her to stay with his wife while he went to find the pastor. The pastor arrived and advised Naomi to remain with the deacon’s family that night, and he would go talk with Manu in the morning. Naomi agreed. That night as she lay on her sleeping mat, she kept asking herself, What happened? Why did Manu treat me this way? Early the next morning Manu arrived at the deacon’s door asking to see his wife. The two talked for a few minutes, then Naomi left with her husband. When the church pastor came by, the deacon told him that the couple had worked things out and Naomi had gone home. Reconciled? The pastor and head elder returned home, glad that the misunderstanding had been cleared up. Or so they thought. But when the pastor went to Manu and Naomi’s home a few days later to see how things were going, he found Naomi crying. “What is wrong?” the pastor asked. Naomi replied that Manu was still angry that she had been baptized. 25 Naomi watched in horror as her husband turned ashen and began to sweat. Will he really die? She wondered. She fell to her knees and prayed. The district leader, who had come with the pastor, tried to explain to Manu the good things that can happen in a family who give their hearts to God. “Naomi has given her life to the Lord,” the leader said. “Now it is your turn.” But Manu refused to listen. He declared, “She cannot stay here. She must return to her parents’ home.” Naomi started crying again. It was a shame to be sent away to her parents’ village, and she refused to leave her young children, ages 4, 6, and 8. “My children need me,” she said. “They are too young to stay with their father.” Again the pastor tried to reason with Manu, but the man refused to listen. “Before we go,” the pastor said, “let us pray with you.” The small group, including Manu, knelt to pray. When the others left, one man stayed behind to talk with Manu, but the stubborn husband refused to change his mind. Naomi was once more told to leave. Naomi refused to leave her home and her children. She remained in the home in spite of her husband’s daily beatings. Manu’s anger only grew more intense with his wife’s refusal to leave. took his poison home and made it into a drink. That night Manu announced to his wife, “I can’t stand to live with a woman who will not obey me. I would rather die!” He held up the bottle of poison, tipped it toward his mouth, and drank it down. Naomi watched in horror as her husband turned ashen and began to sweat. Will he really die? She wondered. She fell to her knees and prayed. Weak with fear, Naomi could not bring herself to leave her husband to get help, so she continued praying for Manu. Manu fell asleep, but all night he perspired and groaned as if he would soon die. And Naomi prayed. Early the next morning Manu opened his eyes. Naomi stood beside the bed bathing his head with water to bring down his fever. “Are you still here?” “You are alive!” Naomi said. “Now I will go.” Naomi turned from her husband, packed her suitcase, picked up her youngest child, and walked out the door. “Wait!” Manu muttered weakly as he crawled out of bed and made his way to the door. “Come back,” he said. “I want to talk to you.” Naomi turned and said, “No, I am going.” “I Would Rather Die” One day Manu went to the chemist to buy some poison that he could take to die. “I can’t stand to live with a woman who does not respect me,” Manu told the chemist. “It is better to die than to allow my children to grow up in my home without respect for me.” Manu “I’m Convinced” “Let me tell you one thing, then you can go,” Manu said weakly. Naomi walked slowly back to the house. “Put down the suitcase,” Manu said quietly. She set her suitcase by the door and faced her husband. “I have beaten you, and you 26 stayed. I drank poison, and I did not die. Now I know that your God is the true God and is worthy of worship. You are free to keep your Sabbath. You can stay in my house. I will not harm you again.” Naomi set down her son and picked up her suitcase. She carried it to her room and unpacked. She would stay. Manu never beat her or shouted at her again. When he bought some pork to eat and realized it was unclean, he did not make her cook it. He threw it away and said, “Pork will not come into our house again.” A year later the pastor returned to hold evangelistic meetings again. He visited Manu and invited him to the meetings. When he invited Manu to accept the Sabbath, Manu answered, “I have already accepted the Sabbath, and I have already decided to be baptized.” Soon after the evangelistic meetings, Manu was baptized while Naomi looked on. Tears of joy fell from her eyes because at last her husband had given his life to God. Mission to others includes praying, sharing our faith, and giving of our time and our means so that others, such as Naomi and Manu, can join God’s family. ¸ Gasore Bazungu is executive secretary of the Central Kivu Field in Democratic Republic of Congo. Manu and Naomi Kobusinge are active members of their church in Nyamilima, Congo. Fourth Quarter 2006