Ilondo was born in a village on the banks of the Congo River in Africa. His parents were heathen and had never heard anything about the Lord Jesus. One day Ilondo saw one of the village boys with a book in his hand. Although he could not read, he was very curious about this book, and asked the lad where he had obtained it.
A few days later, Ilondo came to the missionary’s home and said, “I want to learn to read. I will gladly work for you if you will only teach me to read.”
The missionary felt the young lad was very sincere, and so he was permitted to go outside and help make bricks. Part of the day he worked, and part of the day he studied to learn to read. You may well imagine that the school on the banks of the Congo River is not quite the same as the school you might attend here in this country. But Ilondo was very anxious to learn, and after about four months, he had learned to recognize all the letters and was just barely beginning to make out a few words. However, just at this point his father came and took him away from the school. Before he left, he begged the missionary for something to take home to read.
“Oh, if you please,” he said, “if you will only give me a part of the Book of God.”
The missionary gladly gave him a copy of the gospel of Luke, and asked him to read something before he left. Very slowly Ilondo looked at the strange words, but he could find only one or two that he knew.
“See, you can’t read yet.”
“No,” he said, “but I know the letters and if you will only give me the book then God will help me to learn to read.”
With a joyful heart Ilondo accepted the book and set off for his own village. For several months nothing was heard of him except that he had learned to read. About two years later the missionary went to visit Ilondo’s village and was very much surprised at what he found. Not only had Ilondo learned to read, but he had also accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. He had gathered a number of boys of his own age, and was teaching them to read. They had even gone so far as to build a little school of their own. Here the missionary found them, diligently reading together the same gospel of Luke which he had given Ilondo.
He heard the story of their sufferings since he had seen them last. When Ilondo first made known to his father and to the boys of the village that he had accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour, they were very angry with him. He was mocked, teased, and beaten for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but he was so happy that he went about his work singing all through the day. And it was not long before some of the others in the village became anxious to hear of the Saviour who had made such a change in this boy. So he had the joy of reading to them the wonderful story of God’s love as seen in Luke’s gospel.
Perhaps the boy or girl who is reading this paper has often read Luke’s gospel, but it may be that you have never yet accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Saviour. Perhaps you think that because you do not live in a heathen land, you are already a Christian. Perhaps you feel that because you go to Sunday school and can read your Bible quite easily, that you are already fit for heaven. But the Word of God tells us: “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23).
You are just as much in need of being saved as was Ilondo the heathen, and I hope that you may accept the Lord Jesus right now, as you are reading this paper.
I hope that if you do belong to the Lord Jesus, you may have the courage that Ilondo had, and freely tell others about the Saviour who died for you.
ML 11/18/1956