By Sarah, an SIM DMG mission worker
The Association of Protestant Churches in Benin was founded in 1979 by the SIM missionary organisation, which is a local partner of DMG. Cooperation between the mission organisation and the church is of central importance to us. Growth brings energy and new ideas, which can be enriching. It can also bring tension and misunderstanding. Working within an international team has forced us to ask difficult but necessary questions. Have we remained committed to working with the local church rather than alongside it? Have we built something that can last beyond our own presence?
It was within this context of shared leadership and responsibility that another question began to follow me …
Was it enough?
Toward the end of our time in Benin — and even long before that — this question kept returning.
Was it enough?
After Lee and I met in Burkina Faso in 2004, our goal was to undertake a long-term missionary assignment together in French-speaking West Africa. So it came to pass that in May 2012, we travelled to Benin with the DMG and our three-month-old son.
Lee served first as a financial manager and later as a team leader with additional responsibilities. I cared for our (now four) children, supervised their German distance schooling, and opened our home to neighbourhood children. Much of my ministry unfolded in the ordinary rhythms of daily life — through hospitality, children’s clubs, church gatherings, and time spent listening.
As our time in Benin came to an end, the contrast between the lives of children there and those in Germany felt especially stark. Again, the questions surfaced.
Did I give enough? Did I invest enough?
At times, doubts about our impact quietly crept in.
Among the people
In many West African cultures, relationships are built through hospitality. Trust grows when you are invited into someone’s home — or when you invite them into yours.
From our years in Benin, I remember countless encounters with local families. Many friendships began with simple visits, often unplanned and unhurried. Over time, acquaintances became friends.
Still, I found myself asking: Did we invest enough in these relationships? Did we open our hearts fully to the people around us?
In their hearts
For the past four years, we ran a weekly club for Talibé boys — young boys who live at the mosque and study the Qur’an, hoping one day to find recognition and a place in religious service. Every Tuesday afternoon, they come to our compound.
They have the opportunity to wash, play (football) and learn French or writing. During evening devotions, which are translated into Fulani, they hear about God’s loving plan for them.
Has our work in recent years been enough to help children accept Jesus as their Saviour?
With God!
Today was Saturday Children’s Club, which is a welcome opportunity for children from our neighbourhood to visit the green mission grounds with their playground. Pierre, a Beninese teacher, enthusiastically recounted the Bible story in which Jesus fed 5,000 men and their families. As I sat on the mat with the children listening, the image of the little boy who shared his picnic with the disciples spoke to my heart once again. All the child brought to Jesus were five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus used this small amount to feed thousands of people. More importantly, he used it to show his greatness and power to his disciples – and to everyone who has read about this miracle in the Bible since then.
God uses the little we have to offer for His plan of salvation and for His glory. In inexplicable ways, He allows us to be part of His work. There are many things that Lee and I still do not understand well or that make us feel small because, from a human perspective, we may not have achieved much. But God not only has an overview, He also has complete control over world events. He is always at work, and changing people’s hearts towards Jesus, the Saviour, is His heart’s desire. We can boldly fulfil Jesus’ commission and, wherever God has placed us, joyfully and freely share God’s saving love in our own lives.
The children who carry more than we see
On Saturdays, there was a children’s gathering. It was a blessing that our children could play with other mission children — they spoke the same language and shared similar experiences.
This gathering grew out of the SOGO ministry (“Men from the Street”), which was created to support the children of these men. Often, it is the children who carry the weight of instability most quietly.
It is the little boys who help with decorations. The children whose faces light up when they see a picture of Jesus. The children who hear about Jesus even when their father does not come home.
The children who rejoice over a small gift. The children who hear about Jesus even when they do not know what tomorrow holds.
Faith is not easy when the future feels uncertain.
When you do not know how the rent will be paid. When work feels overwhelming. When you are unsure how to raise your children well. When school feels like a struggle. When leadership feels heavier than expected. When world events feel out of control, shaped by decisions beyond your reach.
Not knowing what comes next is hard. And yet, I hold on to what I do know: Jesus is our Saviour, even when the future remains unclear.
It is a miracle that God leads us. It is a miracle that God loves us. It is a miracle that God does not abandon or forget us. It is a miracle that God does not give up on us. It is a miracle that God sees us, even when we feel small.
It is a miracle when God works deeply in human hearts.
This article was originally published in DMG’s magazine.
