It’s not hard to follow Phil Henderson these days as he makes his way around the Mwinika village to visit the people.

Just follow the drawings in the sand.

“I looked out my window while cooking dinner the other night and saw Phil sitting on the ground drawing in the sand and talking with another of the leaders from the area here,” wrote Phil’s wife, Elin. “This is a common sight … lately.”

When Phil encounters people with questions and confusion – a common occurrence – he has found that the easiest way to explain things is to draw a picture in the sand to illustrate the example he has been using from day one. The picture shows the trunk and branches of a tree.

The Mwinika people often say something like, “We understand these truths in God’s Word, but when we start trying to line them up with what we have been taught previously we just come away confused. It seems that God’s Word is contradictory.”

Phil explains that all of the main religions of this area agree to the trunk of the tree (God’s Word) but when they get up into the branches of “man-made religion” things start to get confusing.

“Each branch of religion brings new teaching that conflicts with what the trunk says,” Phil continues. “The best way to avoid confusion is to stick with what we know in the truth of the trunk.”

More times than not the people agree saying, “Yes, you are right. These branches are just too perplexing. I am going to stick with the trunk.”

“A picture (even in the sand) is worth a thousand words,” Elin wrote.

Please pray for Phil and Elin as they continue talking one-on-one with the Mwinikas who have just heard the Gospel. Pray that many of them will truly understand and put their faith in Christ