One soul, our brother in the faith of Jesus Simon Sene, was baptized by Pastor Wesley Gomes in Tenerife, Spain, on Friday, October 18, 2024, Elder Judicaël Mutapayi Luboya confirmed in his missionary report. The daily temperature in Tenerife, Spain, on October 18, 2024, reached 23 degrees Celsius which was, of course, the perfect weather for a Christian baptism. However, behind this blessed event there are many years of missionary efforts and a series of amazing experiences Elder Judicaël Mutapayi Luboya has made together with his wife, sister Dorcas Kabue Luboya, in order to bring brother Simon Sene at the feet of Christ.
“Simon Sene is native of Senegal, but he lives in Spain. I met him through his sister, while I was on foreign missionary assignment in Senegal. I spent almost 5 years in Senegal serving in this very difficult land which had 95% Muslim population with only 3% Christian, mostly Catholics”, Elder Judicaël Mutapayi Luboya revealed.
In 2016, during Elder Judicaël Mutapayi Luboya’s visit to the home of Simone’s youngest sister, where the family wanted to thank him in person for healing “their sick father who was diagnosed with prostate cancer”, but, “after four months of treatment, the old man was diagnosed cancer free”, Elder Judicaël Mutapayi Luboya received a phone call. “Simon was still in Spain and he made a call that day. He also had a health issue that troubled him for years. He spoke to me about it and we agreed to send him some herbs for his treatment. He then visited home and passed by my office where we spoke for quite a long time. He was smoking and drinking at the time. I have advised him to change his lifestyle to enjoy good health. We exchanged contact and began to communicate with each other after his return to Spain...I was also sharing with him some health videos. One day I shared a video about the danger of smoking. He was led to make a decision to stop smoking”, Elder Judicaël Mutapayi Luboya explained.
In 2017, Elder Judicaël Mutapayi Luboya gave Simon's Whats App contacts, after receiving his consent, to brother Hunger, Evangelism Leader of the Spanish Field at the IMS, where two sisters, Melva and Lolly, continued to give him Bible studies. “He fell in love with the truth and became so active in church activities, financial support the work through his tithe and offerings, though not yet baptized...My wife and I continued to encourage him for his baptism. This was a challenge for him. He worked in the hotel industry and Sabbath keeping was an issue...We continue to pray for him and with him. He would say that he would be baptized only after he finds a job that will allow him to have a free Sabbath. This until early this year he told my wife and me that, after hearing a sermon from one of our pastors, he understood that he cannot give God conditions, but only submit to His will, and then he finally made up his mind on his baptism. He first resigned from work to look for another work...He went from interview to interview. The interview would go well, but once he tells about his faith and that he can't work on Sabbath, he was not employed, though the companies were happy about his experience. The sisters, Melva and Lolly, and our pastors prayed. One day we also made a call and prayed together with him. ...It wasn't long that he got a new job without being required to work on the Sabbath”, Elder Judicaël Mutapayi Luboya added.
The experience of the newly baptized brother Simon Sene is a confirmation that the longing of the
Spirit is not only life, but a prayer in the context of Matthew 7:7. And we should dwell on the wonderful conclusion of Elder Judicaël Mutapayi Luboya’s missionary report: “I thank God for the life of my friend Simon. I thank God for sisters Melva and Lolly and all the ministers that participated in this missionary work. One lost sheep is worth leaving the ninety nine other to be searched for.”
Brother Simon Sene and Pastor Wesley Gomes just before the baptism; a photo from the archive of Pastor Wesley Gomes.
Written by Margarit Zhekov
