It all started with a tattoo. Not mine, but that of a young man in a port in Cote d’Iviore, the Ivory Coast in Africa. Tattoos are rare in Cote d’Ivoire, not acceptable to have. So, I knew this one must be important for this young man to display. I saw it as I sat next to him on a makeshift cot in front of his semi-truck where one of my ministry hosts was explaining the Good News of Jesus Christ. Though I understood little of what she was saying in French, the language of Cote d’Ivoire, I could understand quite a bit about this young man from the tattoo on his left shoulder, barely visible over his dark skin.
Che Guevara.
This young man finds his hope in a revolutionary. And I couldn’t help but smile, inside and out.
I know the feeling.
Let me back up a little bit. I am now in Cote d’Ivoire, Africa, also known as the Ivory Coast. My team and I are serving with an amazing missionary couple here in a large port city along the coast. Our ministry this month? Evangelizing to Muslim truck drivers camped out in the port waiting for their shipments to arrive.
I am geeky excited about this month of ministry.
Every day, hundreds upon hundreds of men sit in the port. Semi-trucks line the streets of the port as far as you can see. The drivers, usually middle aged Muslim men, and their helpers, usually teenage Muslim boys, sit and wait with little to do, sometimes for weeks at a time before their cargo is ready to be driven off to the rest of the African continent. And it’s hot here in Cote d’Ivoire. I mean really hot. REALLY hot. (It averages in the 90s with a heat index of over 105. All the sweat. Good thing I like warm weather!) The heat means that during the day, it’s hard to do much besides sit beneath their trucks and talk. Away from their homes and families, for the first time with many of the teenagers, these men are eager for conversation and engagement. Our missionary friends here in Cote d’Ivoire have found that this makes a perfect planting ground for seeds of the gospel. This month we are joining their evangelism efforts. We walk truck to truck talking to the men, learning about their lives and their faith background and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. For many of them, this is the first time hearing that Jesus Christ is the Savior and they jump at the opportunity to start a relationship with him. Thousands of men have accepted Christ over the last four years through the power of Jesus and the work of our ministry hosts. As they take their cargo and travel throughout the continent, the message of Jesus travels with them spreading like wildfire.
So there I sat as one of our evangelists shared Jesus with this young man, no more than early 20’s, looking at his Che Guevara tattoo. But suddenly I wasn’t in the port. Suddenly I was back in Cuba. My mission trip to Havana, Cuba in 2012 was the first time I learned the true impact of Che Guevara. His face was plastered everywhere, large statues, metal frame outlines on the side of buildings, posters, etc. Guevara was one of the primary figures in the Cuban revolution in the late 1950’s and he went on to both take part in and symbolize rebellion and revolution in many South American countries and abroad. His influence remains evident today. For many, the name Che proves synonymous with freedom, liberation from oppression, the fight against the abuse of the upper class, and revolutionary struggle toward equality. Some view him as a hero, some view him as a villain for his often violent tactics, but all agree that his influence as a revolutionary cannot be ignored.
Back to Cote d’Ivoire, present day.
Knowing what I know about Che Guevara, I could begin to understand the fight in this young man’s heart. Cote d’Ivoire has unprecedented levels of corruption, inequality, class disparities, poverty, with little hope for change. This young man wants a revolution.
My heart started pounding and I felt like I was bursting with words from the Lord. Only, for the first time on the Race I couldn’t say them. I speak Spanish. My first three months of the Race I had no trouble communicating, even preaching and translating full sermons in Spanish. I don’t speak French. I’m learning, but unless I’m asking for the bathroom or saying ‘thank you’ I’m not much help. But, I knew I needed to try. I began to share with my ministry host who speaks some French what the Lord was speaking. She then translated in Franglish to our only French speaking ministry host what I was saying and through the three of us, we shared with this young man the words the Lord was giving me for him.
I said, “I see your tattoo. Tell me why you have it.” His eyes lit up, eager to share about his tattoo and seemingly delighted at my interest. He spoke a bit about the Cuban Revolution and his desire for change, that it stands for rebellion. Just as I thought.
“I’ve been to Cuba.” I said. “I’ve seen countless images of Che’s face. It’s a pretty powerful statement.” He agreed. I continued, “You know the man you just heard about, Jesus, he was the ultimate revolutionary. He rebelled against the ways of the world. He came to overthrow injustice, to bring freedom, to bring hope, to break the chains of class divisions liberating the poor, oppressed, and demolishing inequality. He changed everything about the culture and the time. And many people hated him for it. He caused such an uproar and a revolution that the leaders of the time put him to death. He changed so much about the way people live that his legacy has endured for thousands of years. His revolution has changed the world.”
As I spoke and my hosts translated, he listened intently. “It’s kind of like the man on your arm.” He looked back at his tattoo.
“Here’s the difference. You can follow that man, but he’s dead. Jesus is alive. Jesus rose from the dead to live forever. If you follow him, you’re following a revolutionary that will never die. He continues to change the world.”
I don’t know if the young man made a decision to follow Jesus in that moment. But I know I said what the Lord asked me to say. Seeds were planted and in God’s time he’ll reap the harvest.
So now I’ll ask you.
Want to live a life of revolution? Want to live a life that overthrows injustice? Conquers corruption? That changes nations? That brings liberty to the oppressed? That lifts up the poor? That alters the direction of culture?
Follow Jesus. Jesus is no docile wuss. He is the ultimate revolutionary, radically changing the world, and the only one in which we find true hope.
Vive la révolution.
