Reported by Bill Rudge.
The testimony you are about to read is simple and poignant. He does not speak specifically of voodoo practices as the convert lived them. The story gets to the point and focuses on conversion .
Introduction
In the midst of attempted coup d'etat, embargoes, political uprisings, excessive poverty and oppression of voodoo, the Spirit of God is still operating mightily. The following texts are the compilation of the sayings of people who witnessed the conversion of a voodoo wizard. The texts cover facts gathered during five missionary trips to Haiti. He was known as the most feared man in the community; a killing machine that tortured people with voodoo. His name was Jacques, known as “the voodoo priest” (better known as a sorcerer). I met him personally during my first mission in Haiti. He lived with a woman near Mission Possible.
Apart from what Leila, my interpreter who served as a missionary in Haiti, told me about him, I knew little of Jacques when we first met. Leila told me that she had to barely save a baby that Jacques was about to sacrifice a few years earlier. Another story concerns Idelette, a beautiful Haitian girl who worked in the fields of the mission. Her mother was deeply involved in voodoo with the sorcerer Jacques and she feared that her daughter Idelette would reveal her husband's voodoo practices. Jacques was equally upset about his job at the mission.
One day, those at Mission Possible heard cries of distress and voodoo tams-tams. Some of the missionaries looked through the mission wall and saw that Jacques had tied the naked Idelette to a chair and was beating her, using hot charcoal to consume the spirit of religion out of her. He had cut her head with a machete and was forcing her to drink animal blood and deny Jesus. She refused to renounce Jesus.
I asked the missionaries why they hadn't intervened. They replied that it is against the law to interfere in a voodoo ceremony and they feared that the voodoo practitioners would come and beat them all to death.
Thus, it was given to me to meet people who could attest to the terrifying power of darkness. However, I knew from the scriptures and from years of experience that the power of God was greater. It is this wonderful power of God that is referred to in this story.
Meeting between the sorcerer Jacques and Bill Rudge. Jacques and I only met for an hour that day; but it was enough to plant the seed of the power of God in him. I asked him relevant questions about voodoo that he couldn't answer clearly. I told him then how God had transformed my life. I was convinced that God had compassion on him. The Spirit of God led me to share the love of Christ with gentleness rather than a messageby force. So I spoke to him with love and the message was consistent. I told him that the spirits that gave him powers and instructions were not gods but demons.
I warned him that the spirits would dispose of him like garbage as soon as they no longer needed him. “When they do, the only one who is powerful enough to help you is Jesus Christ; then call on Him! "; I said. Jacques replied that he was not ready to give his life to Christ, but nevertheless accepted that I would pray for him. The seeds of truth were being planted. For the next two years, they were watered by Bettie, director of Mission Possible, who greeted Jacques with “Jesus loves you! Every time they met. The Lord was working in Jacques' hard heart to the point that he was so excited when Bettie told him that I was back in Haiti. One night, shortly after my arrival, Jacques came to see me at the mission.
The conversion of Jacques.
I was leading a team of seven people on this second mission to Haiti. We were listened to in many churches and schools, including the most remote schools that few missionaries had visited. We went from hut to hut, ministering and offering thousands of kilos of food to several communities living in the mountains. This time was the one planned by God for
The day after our return, I went to Jacques with other team members. I stood in front of him while Rosemond, the interpreter stood beside us. Jacques was much taller than me. I shared the Word of God inspired by Revelation 20: 11-15. I made him understand that he had to give his life to Jesus Christ so that his name would be written in the Book of Life, otherwise he would be eternally separated from the presence of God.
After a fairly long sharing of the Word, I told him that I would come back the next day and that we would have a Bible study together. I did not want to press him to a decision, but it was he who held me back so that I would pray for him. I believe he had cast a lot of evil spells on me over the past two years, but as he realized they had been ineffective and I had the courage to show him God's love, he wanted to know the God I served. So I mentioned, during prayer, the power of Christ as greater than that of Voodoo and renounced the implications of Jacques in voodoo, he sincerely repeated after me.
At this moment Jacques' hut was surrounded by people watching; a few men had faces wrinkled with hatred. Their eyes seemed to be burning with anger. During this trying situation, I remained focused on Jacques and little attention to anything else. The pages opened very quickly as a few of our team prayed, and others played with the children to keep them occupied. My wife told me later that when she started to pray outside, she felt the presence of a strong evil power that almost brought her down. It was by quoting the Scriptures that she found peace. She had asked for a protective belt around the hut and the presents.
The destruction of voodoo cult objects.
Jacques led me to an interior room where all his voodoo tools were kept. He lit a candle in that dark room and began to collect all the voodoo figurines, fetishes, leaves and all other objects in order to burn them. The presence of the Spirit of God was so powerful in this little cell that I said to the others: "Let us get on our knees". At the same time, Jacques, with Rosemond and two other teammates who had joined us, we knelt down and I said a prayer of consecration.from James' home to the Lord. As Jacques gathered the items outside for destruction, around 100 villagers gathered there. Jacques even took out the shelf on which he placed his equipment. Rosemond looked for dry herbs, found a neighbor who had a lighter and everything was consumed by fire. Jacques returned to the hut and dug up a few bottles. An inverted cross that was in his courtyard was burned. Jacques uprooted an 'Aloe and Vera' plant which he used for treatment and for casting spells and set it on the fire.
We have never felt such great power from God. It was like a chapter in the book of Acts. With the help of the interpreter, I said to the people who were circling the burning voodoo tools near Jacques' hut in a big circle, “You might want to know what's going on today. The God who created the heavens and the earth revealed himself to Jacques and Jacques decided to dedicate his life to him ”.
The immediate consequences of the conversion.
My daughter Tabitha and another sister on the team saw two men with machetes and a man with a piece of lead pipe running away. Their nostrils and eyes were smoking with hatred and anger.
I knew Jacques was going to be severely persecuted or even killed; then I told the crowd that I would conduct a Bible study the next day and at the same location. I walked over to the men who looked the most respectable and told them I hoped to see them coming. They accepted the invitation. Bettie later informed me that the whole village and the whole community was talking about it. Later that night, Jacques came to the mission on his own and joined in the songs. Everyone at the mission praised God for the obvious miracle He had performed that day in James' life. The next day, James testified to us that God had begun to take care of his heart two years ago, after I had spoken to him. So when I returned to Haiti, he made his final decision: to give his life to Christ and destroy all the objects of his ancient practices. Bettie testified that it was the greatest miracle of that year.
We learned several days later that someone had wanted to hire Jacques' voodoo services for thirty-five dollars. As he had converted, he had waived the benefit and returned the thirty-five dollars. Jacques was now a new man. Testimony of Bettie on the conversion of Jacques. A fax from Bettie to Mission Possible headquarters in Florida with the headline: "A Wizard Rescued in Haiti" read: The air was thick and heavy when large flames burned brilliantly behind the compound. The voodoo gods were being burned. For miles around, people were talking about it and approaching the fire site. “He was converted! "; they said. When they heard the news of the conversionof the sorcerer Jacques Innocent, some came to the scene with great joy, others with machetes. What a miracle !
Bill Rudge left here two years ago. During this stay there, he had asked me to arrange an interview with the sorcerer who tormented us many times. This man was known as a villain and even a criminal. Bill had asked him a few questions, he had told him that he loved him and that Jesus loved him too. He had prayed for him. From that day on, I would stop and greet him whenever we met. Sometimes he would answer, other times he wouldn't.
When Bill returned this week with a group, he asked to meet Jacques again and I arranged the meeting. When they met again, Bill told him about the Lord. He accepted with tears of joy. James remembers the man who took time for him and added that God had worked in him continuously since then.
The flames were his message to the community that he had made his choice. He burned cards, potions demijohns, pearls, feathers and figurines. The last thing destroyed was the 'Aloe and Vera' plant that was in his yard. It was the staple of his potions. After all of these things were destroyed, the power of God was majestic. When our Haitian partners learned about it, they danced in the kitchen saying: “Jacques is converted! Jacques has converted! ". Testimonies of Jacques after his conversion.
Here is what Jacques himself said in his testimony in the neighboring village: “If there is anyone here who does not know me, it is because he has been here recently. I operated in this district as a wizard. You looked at me as your god; but I am here to tell you that I am not your god. ". He then pointed his hand to Heaven and said, “My God and your God is over there. ". He continued and shared what had happened to him and explained how his conversion had affected his life. Immediately after his testimony in one of the villages, a man came forward and said he wanted to have what Jacques had. Soon after, when the Gospel was announced to James' mother, she too replied that she wanted to have what James has, for looking at her son's life, the change was remarkable.
One of the men who had a machete and wanted to kill us on the day of James 'conversion converted to Christ after many years of watching the changes in James' life. I have no doubt that the conversion of Jacques touched several lives in Haiti and that there will be many Haitians in Heaven following his conversion.
Since deciding to follow Christ, James has endured much suffering for the name of Christ. He went through many hardships but he remains faithful because the truth of the Word of God has set him free. He perseveres because of the love and power of Christ which is greater than what he had known in his straying.
Testimony of Bruce, several years after the conversion of Jacques.
During my fifth mission in Haiti, more than ten years after Jacques' conversion, Bruce Lozier was part of the team. It was a mighty journey amidst much turmoil and danger. Jacques was with us to minister. Bruce writes, “During Jacques' testimony he spoke of some dreams he had had. One of them was before his conversion and the other after his knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The first indicated that a white missionary was coming to share with him the good news of Jesus Christ. In the dream he was told that if he did not accept Jesus as Lord, he would die soon. His dream came true when Bill Rudge's team returned to Haiti and Bill had the grace to lead Jacques to Jesus Christ. It was also the beginning of a long friendship between the two men. His second dream was that Satan came to him and promised to make him very rich; but as a condition he had to renounce Christ and serve him. As a proof of submission to Satan, he had to plunge his hand into a black hole. James had refused and his response was that he was consistent in everything he said: "I am serving Jesus now".
I heard many stories about Jacques before I came to Haiti and I was happy to know him and hear him give his testimony. I was very encouraged to see how completely God transformed the life of this man. ".
Word from Bill to conclude.
It's as if it was only yesterday that we met Jacques when he was steeped in voodoo and occult superstitions . God really changed her life. Many other things happened following the conversion of Jacques; but they are too numerous to feature in this article. God's grace and power still touch lives by the light of his testimony. I have met many voodoo wizards in their practices. The power of Christ has always been manifested as superior, and the love of Christ still touches them in one way or another. End of testimony.
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