Our group had made our way from ABWE’s hospital building in southern Togo to the construction site where they are building a new cuisine—lodging patients’ family. I spoke to the foreman and explained what what our film crew was there to do.
In French, he replied, “Oh, so we are going to go to America!” We laughed, and I told him that was exactly what would happen. After filming a few more spots in that area, the man I spoke with came to me again, this time speaking in English, “You have to take a picture of the man in the white shirt, and I will tell you why.” The man he spoke of was off in the distance and I watched him as I listened to foreman describe the man in the white shirt.
“He kills the rain. If he looks at the sky and it seems like it will rain, he just says ‘no,’ and it does not rain. He kills it! He is the Power Man. You must go take his picture because of this. But you must ask his permission first.”
I walked over to the “Power Man” and we exchanged greetings. He asked me how I was doing and how my family was, and I did the same for him. The Togolese love a good interaction of joking and fun. We engaged in to some light banter. Finally, I asked his permission to take some photos, and he said yes.
The Togolese wouldn’t necessarily consider the man a witch doctor, from what I gather—they just believe he possesses the powers stop the rain. But in Togo, near the birthplace of African voodoo, spiritual warfare is real, and can manifest itself as the gospel goes into dark places.
Pray for the salvation of “Power Man” and others like him.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12)