Africa, which covers an area of about 30.2 million square kilometers and accounts for 20.4% of the total land area in the world, is the second-largest continent in the world and now the second most populous continent with about 1.286 billion people.
In the African land, from the Apostolic era to the present, countless missionaries have devoted themselves to the soul of Africa. Among their accounts, the Chinese book Biography of David Livingstone, which records the Scottish missionary's story, is well-known among many Christians in China. It depicts Livingston's lifelong efforts to spread Christianity to African aborigines in order to comfort their souls and to set up evangelistic meetings throughout the African continent. Nowadays, the most famous of those pastors is Reinhard Bonnke, who is known as the "Flame Evangelist".
Recently, there are also two international loving missionaries who have dedicated their whole lives to the land of Africa.
Dr. Faye: "I know my illness, but God told me to go with you."
The hero of the first story was called Dr. Faye. He grew up in a rich area of Africa, and his father was a professor in a famous local hospital. He received professional medical education and training in France and became a nephrologist, but at the same time, because the situation in Africa was complicated, he saw everything. Dr. Faye's learning ability was also very strong, and he could quickly learn how to use medical instruments that he had never used before.
Since 2004, Dr. Faye had been doing free clinic service in leprosy villages in Africa, and he worked in a hospital in a Christian community for two days every week. One day, the hospital organized doctors to visit patients in leprosy villages. At that time, Dr. Faye's physical condition was not very optimistic. He had high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, accompanied by diabetes and asthma.
So, Dr. X, who went with him, advised him not to go. However, Dr. Faye insisted on going with them to the leprosy villages to help the patients there.
However, on the way to the leprosy villages, Dr. Faye began to get sick. His blood sugar level was as high as 400, and he got a little better after receiving an insulin injection. However, when he arrived at the leprosy villages, he began to fall into a coma. He did some tests and found that his blood sugar level was normal, but his whole state was not very good.
Around the leprosy villages, only the local provincial capital had a hospital, which was very small. And the villagers themselves did not have any medical facility, so the accompanying Dr. X could only immediately send him to the provincial hospital. Dr. X thought it was ketoacidosis. Although ketoacidosis is a serious disease, it is relatively easy to treat, needing only intravenous fluid infusion; what was not expected was that the provincial hospital at that time did not have the medicine they needed. They had to go to the nearest place to buy a bottle of medicine to maintain the blood sugar level of Dr. Faye.
At the same time, patients in the leprosy villages had been anxiously waiting for the doctors' arrival. Dr. X could not stay with Dr. Faye, so he went back to the leprosy villages to see the patients.
Two hours later, the hospital called. Dr. X was treating patients in the leprosy villages when he heard someone say: Dr. Faye died.
Dr. X was lying on the desk of the clinic tent, crying bitterly: "Dr. Faye is both a teacher and a friend to me. When I heard the news, I didn't know what to do. I feel very, very bad... He works for the Lord and doesn't even want his own life. With his life, he explained the great mission given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ: 'You have to go and make all the people my disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.' I cried like hell. For the sake of the Lord, Dr. Faye gave his life. Why don't people like me work for the Lord?"
"In that hot summer, Dr. Faye came to the leprosy villages with us by car, but when he left, he was in a coffin."
"He urged us to always contribute to the African people and always work for the Lord."
Pastor Anna: Willing to embrace leprosy patients with the love of Christ and save children suffering from female circumcision
The second hero was Pastor Anna who had served in leprosy villages for 10 years.
In 1997, when Pastor Anna was 27 years old, she had just graduated from seminary and went alone to Africa, abandoning everything. Who would have thought that such a young single sister stayed in leprosy villages for more than ten years and that even her daughter was born and raised in leprosy villages in Africa?
The leprosy villages where Pastor Anna went were more than 700 kilometers away from the capital. Because of the poor road conditions, it took 13 to 14 hours to drive to the leprosy villages.
When she first arrived in the leprosy villages, Pastor Anna did not know anyone. She had to find her own way to contact the people in the leprosy villages and build trust with them.
From her observation, Pastor Anna noticed that women came out to fetch water in leprosy villages, and the good rope used for fetching water was very thin, which often drew blood from the hands of those women. So, she bought a good rope and gave it to the local villagers free of charge, enabling her to begin establishing contact with the villagers, and starting her gospel ministry.
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy patients are therefore disgusted and deserted by people. No one wants to touch these patients and embrace them.
But because of Christ's love, Pastor Anna often embraced those lepers. Even her daughter who was born and raised in a leper village embraced the patients like Pastor Anna.
Christians familiar with Pastor Anna said, "If it were me, I could go to leprosy villages, but I would never let my children grow up in leprosy villages. That's too painful."
Doctors who once served in Pastor Anna's leprosy villages were moved to say: "Pastor Anna not only gave herself but also gave her own children. Missionaries are people sent by the Lord Jesus Christ, they work for the Lord. But they are also living people, and like us, they have worldly desires, families, and children. However, they gave up all this, and they worked in that position, not only offering themselves but also offering their own children."
There is also a very terrible custom in Africa, that is, female circumcision. Female circumcision is carried out between the ages of four and eight, with the aim of cutting off some sexual organs to avoid sexual pleasure. Female circumcision ensures that girls are still virgins before marriage and will be faithful to their husbands even after marriage. The United Nations, international organizations, and human rights organizations have jointly called for an end to this terrible custom, which has caused great pain to millions of girls and women around the world.
Pastor Anna also helped to save girls who were forced to undergo female circumcision in Africa and advised them to resist. At the same time, Pastor Anna also set up churches and schools in leprosy villages so as to ensure that those children were not harmed by female circumcision.
Some villages in Africa are very backward. People there do not know their full name and date of birth, let alone their ID cards and marriage certificates. Pastor Anna established a church in such a village. Now the whole village believes in the Lord, and Pastor Anna has trained a pastor there.
- Translated by Charlie Li
特写 | 两位把自己奉献给非洲麻风村的国际宣教士的故事
非洲（Africa），这块面积大约为3020万平方公里的土地，占全球总陆地面积的20.4%，是世界第二大洲，现在也是人口第二大洲，拥有约12.86亿的人口。
在非洲这片土地上，从使徒时代至今，有无数的宣教士为非洲的灵魂呕心沥血，其中记录利文斯顿故事的《深入非洲三千里》被许多基督徒熟知，记录了利文斯顿一生致力向非洲土著传扬基督教，以慰藉非洲土著的心灵，并深入非洲大陆各处设立布道会；当今最有名的还有“火焰布道家”之称的布永康牧师。
而今天所要分享的两位国际爱心宣教士，也是把自己的一生奉献在了非洲这片土地上。
一、“我知道我的病，但是上帝跟我说要我跟你去。”
第一个故事的主人公叫做法耶医生。他从小生活在非洲的富人区，父亲是当地比较名的医院的教授。他在法国接受了专业的医生教育和训练，成为了一名肾脏科医生，但同时因为非洲的情况比较复杂，他什么病都会看。法耶医生的学习能力也很强，即便是面对以前从来没有用过的医疗仪器，他也可以很快地学会如何使用。
2004年开始，法耶医生开始在非洲的麻风村做义诊和服事，每周会有2天的时间在某个基督教社区的医院工作。那一天，医院组织了医生去麻风村为那里的病人看病。当时，法耶医生的身体情况并不是非常乐观。他本人有高血压和高血脂，并且伴有糖尿病和哮喘。
于是，同去的X医生劝他，不要去。可是，法耶医生坚持要和他们一起去麻风村，帮助那里的病人。
然而，在去麻风村的路上，法耶医生就开始发病了。他的血糖最高到了400，他接受了胰岛素的注射，才稍微好了一些。不过，到麻风村的时候，他就开始昏迷了。他做了一些检查，被发现他的血糖虽然已经正常了，但是整个人的状态已经不是非常好。
在麻风村那里，只有当地省会有一个医院，而且那家省会医院很小。而麻风村根本就没有任何的医疗设施，所以随行的X医生只能马上把他送到省会的医院里。X医生认为是酮症酸中毒。虽然酮症酸中毒是很严重的疾病，但是只要进行静脉点滴补液就可以了。可是没想到的是，当时的省会医院并没有所需要的药物。他们只得就近去现买了一瓶药，维持住了法耶医生的血糖。
与此同时，麻风村的病人们已经在焦急地等待着医生的到来，X医生没法继续陪在法耶医生的身边，就回到麻风村去给病人看病。
2个小时以后，医院打来了电话。X医生正在给麻风村的病人看病，就听到有人说：法耶医生去世了。
X医生趴在义诊帐篷的桌子上，哭得痛彻心扉：“法耶医生对我来说，既是老师也是朋友。当时听到这个消息，我不知道该怎么办才好。我就非常非常难受……他为了主做工，连自己的命都不要了。他用他的生命诠释了主耶稣基督给我们的大使命——‘你们要去，使万民作我的门徒，奉父子圣灵的名，给他们施洗。’我当时只能是哭得一塌糊涂。就是为了主的缘故，法耶医生把命舍去了，那像我这样的人还不要为主做工吗？”
“就在那个炎热的夏天，法耶医生和跟我们一起坐车来到麻风村，但走的时候却是装在棺材里面。”
“他鞭策着我们永远要为非洲人民做贡献，永远为主做工。”
二、甘愿以基督的爱拥抱麻风病人，拯救受女性割礼之痛的孩子
第二位主人公是在麻风村服事10年之久的安娜牧师。
1997年，在安娜牧师27岁的时候，刚从神学院毕业的她孤身一人，抛弃所有的一切来到了非洲。谁能想到就这样一位年轻的单身姐妹，在麻风村一待就是十余年，连她的女儿也是在非洲是麻风村出生、成长的。
安娜牧师所去的麻风村离首都的距离有700多公里。由于非洲的路况非常差，开车到麻风村需要十三四个小时。
刚到麻风村的时候，安娜牧师一个人也不认识。她只得自己想办法接触麻风村的人，和他们建立信任。
在安娜牧师的观察下，她发现麻风村都是女人出来打水，而且打水的所用的井绳是很细的，常常把那些女人的手都勒出了血来。于是，她就买了井绳免费的送给当地的村民，就这样开始和麻风村的村民建立了联系，开始了她的福音事工。
麻风病，是一种由麻风杆菌引起的一种慢性传染病。麻风病人也因此受到人们的厌恶和抛弃。没有人愿意、也没有人敢去触摸这些麻风病人，更加没有人敢去拥抱他们。
但是因为基督的爱，安娜牧师就常常去拥抱那些麻风病人，连她的女儿也是在麻风村出生和长大的，也像安娜牧师一样去拥抱那些麻风病人。
熟悉安娜牧师的基督徒说：“如果是我，我可以去麻风村，但是我绝对不会让我的孩子在麻风村长大。那太心痛了。”
曾经在安娜牧师的麻风村服事过的医生也感动地见证说：“安娜牧师不仅献上了自己，还献上了自己的孩子。主耶稣基督派遣的宣教士，他们为主做工。但他们也是活生生的人，也像我们一样有七情六欲，有家庭，有孩子。然而，他们把这一切都放弃了，他们就在那个位置做工，不仅献上了自己，还献上了自己的孩子。”
在非洲还有一个极大的陋习，那就是女性割礼。女性割礼是于四岁至八岁间进行的，目的是割除一部分性器官，以免除其性快感，并且女性割礼确保女孩在结婚前仍是处女，即使结婚后也会对丈夫忠贞。 联合国、国际组织和人权组织等曾一同发出呼吁——终止这个对全球数百万少女和妇女造成极大痛楚的陋习。
安娜牧师在非洲也会帮助拯救那里被强迫进行女性割礼的女孩，并建议她们反抗。同时，安娜牧师也在麻风村建立教会和学校，这样可以确保那些孩子不受到女性割礼的侵害。
非洲也有些村庄是非常落后的。那里的人不知道自己的全名，也不知道自己的出生年月日，更不可能有身份证、结婚证等。安娜牧师就在这样的一个村庄里，建立了教会。现在这个村庄，全村都信主，安娜牧师还在那里培养了一个牧师。
特写 | 两位把自己奉献给非洲麻风村的国际宣教士的故事
Africa, which covers an area of about 30.2 million square kilometers and accounts for 20.4% of the total land area in the world, is the second-largest continent in the world and now the second most populous continent with about 1.286 billion people.
In the African land, from the Apostolic era to the present, countless missionaries have devoted themselves to the soul of Africa. Among their accounts, the Chinese book Biography of David Livingstone, which records the Scottish missionary's story, is well-known among many Christians in China. It depicts Livingston's lifelong efforts to spread Christianity to African aborigines in order to comfort their souls and to set up evangelistic meetings throughout the African continent. Nowadays, the most famous of those pastors is Reinhard Bonnke, who is known as the "Flame Evangelist".
Recently, there are also two international loving missionaries who have dedicated their whole lives to the land of Africa.
Dr. Faye: "I know my illness, but God told me to go with you."
The hero of the first story was called Dr. Faye. He grew up in a rich area of Africa, and his father was a professor in a famous local hospital. He received professional medical education and training in France and became a nephrologist, but at the same time, because the situation in Africa was complicated, he saw everything. Dr. Faye's learning ability was also very strong, and he could quickly learn how to use medical instruments that he had never used before.
Since 2004, Dr. Faye had been doing free clinic service in leprosy villages in Africa, and he worked in a hospital in a Christian community for two days every week. One day, the hospital organized doctors to visit patients in leprosy villages. At that time, Dr. Faye's physical condition was not very optimistic. He had high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, accompanied by diabetes and asthma.
So, Dr. X, who went with him, advised him not to go. However, Dr. Faye insisted on going with them to the leprosy villages to help the patients there.
However, on the way to the leprosy villages, Dr. Faye began to get sick. His blood sugar level was as high as 400, and he got a little better after receiving an insulin injection. However, when he arrived at the leprosy villages, he began to fall into a coma. He did some tests and found that his blood sugar level was normal, but his whole state was not very good.
Around the leprosy villages, only the local provincial capital had a hospital, which was very small. And the villagers themselves did not have any medical facility, so the accompanying Dr. X could only immediately send him to the provincial hospital. Dr. X thought it was ketoacidosis. Although ketoacidosis is a serious disease, it is relatively easy to treat, needing only intravenous fluid infusion; what was not expected was that the provincial hospital at that time did not have the medicine they needed. They had to go to the nearest place to buy a bottle of medicine to maintain the blood sugar level of Dr. Faye.
At the same time, patients in the leprosy villages had been anxiously waiting for the doctors' arrival. Dr. X could not stay with Dr. Faye, so he went back to the leprosy villages to see the patients.
Two hours later, the hospital called. Dr. X was treating patients in the leprosy villages when he heard someone say: Dr. Faye died.
Dr. X was lying on the desk of the clinic tent, crying bitterly: "Dr. Faye is both a teacher and a friend to me. When I heard the news, I didn't know what to do. I feel very, very bad... He works for the Lord and doesn't even want his own life. With his life, he explained the great mission given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ: 'You have to go and make all the people my disciples and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.' I cried like hell. For the sake of the Lord, Dr. Faye gave his life. Why don't people like me work for the Lord?"
"In that hot summer, Dr. Faye came to the leprosy villages with us by car, but when he left, he was in a coffin."
"He urged us to always contribute to the African people and always work for the Lord."
Pastor Anna: Willing to embrace leprosy patients with the love of Christ and save children suffering from female circumcision
The second hero was Pastor Anna who had served in leprosy villages for 10 years.
In 1997, when Pastor Anna was 27 years old, she had just graduated from seminary and went alone to Africa, abandoning everything. Who would have thought that such a young single sister stayed in leprosy villages for more than ten years and that even her daughter was born and raised in leprosy villages in Africa?
The leprosy villages where Pastor Anna went were more than 700 kilometers away from the capital. Because of the poor road conditions, it took 13 to 14 hours to drive to the leprosy villages.
When she first arrived in the leprosy villages, Pastor Anna did not know anyone. She had to find her own way to contact the people in the leprosy villages and build trust with them.
From her observation, Pastor Anna noticed that women came out to fetch water in leprosy villages, and the good rope used for fetching water was very thin, which often drew blood from the hands of those women. So, she bought a good rope and gave it to the local villagers free of charge, enabling her to begin establishing contact with the villagers, and starting her gospel ministry.
Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy patients are therefore disgusted and deserted by people. No one wants to touch these patients and embrace them.
But because of Christ's love, Pastor Anna often embraced those lepers. Even her daughter who was born and raised in a leper village embraced the patients like Pastor Anna.
Christians familiar with Pastor Anna said, "If it were me, I could go to leprosy villages, but I would never let my children grow up in leprosy villages. That's too painful."
Doctors who once served in Pastor Anna's leprosy villages were moved to say: "Pastor Anna not only gave herself but also gave her own children. Missionaries are people sent by the Lord Jesus Christ, they work for the Lord. But they are also living people, and like us, they have worldly desires, families, and children. However, they gave up all this, and they worked in that position, not only offering themselves but also offering their own children."
There is also a very terrible custom in Africa, that is, female circumcision. Female circumcision is carried out between the ages of four and eight, with the aim of cutting off some sexual organs to avoid sexual pleasure. Female circumcision ensures that girls are still virgins before marriage and will be faithful to their husbands even after marriage. The United Nations, international organizations, and human rights organizations have jointly called for an end to this terrible custom, which has caused great pain to millions of girls and women around the world.
Pastor Anna also helped to save girls who were forced to undergo female circumcision in Africa and advised them to resist. At the same time, Pastor Anna also set up churches and schools in leprosy villages so as to ensure that those children were not harmed by female circumcision.
Some villages in Africa are very backward. People there do not know their full name and date of birth, let alone their ID cards and marriage certificates. Pastor Anna established a church in such a village. Now the whole village believes in the Lord, and Pastor Anna has trained a pastor there.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Feature: Stories of Two International Missionaries Who Dedicated Themselves to Leprosy Villages in Africa
