A small troupe of puppets made a big difference recently in the lives of thousands of African children and adults alike.
The puppets, part of McElwain Baptist Church’s “Small Talk” puppet team, were featured in shows presented by members of the Birmingham church in Malawi, July 26–Aug. 7.
While puppets might seem like entertainment for children, their impact on the people of Africa can’t be dismissed. Steve Nelson, who accompanied his wife, Debbie, on the trip, said the group distributed 8,000 gospel tracts, with 2,000 people expressing an interest in joining a local congregation.
“It was an incredible experience,” Nelson said. “The puppets appeal as much to adults as they do children.”
Stephanie Futrell, 19, was one of four college students who made the trip to Malawi. A sophomore at Samford University studying music education, Futrell said the reactions she heard from behind the puppet stage convinced her the puppets were effective in reaching the children and adults of Malawi.
“You know they’re paying attention to what the puppets are saying and singing about,” she said.
The McElwain team worked with their former pastor, Gary Fagan, while they were in Africa. Fagan and wife Bertha currently serve with the International Service Corps of the International Mission Board in Malawi, where he is chaplain at the University of Malawi Chancellor College in Zomba.
The Nelsons, who are not involved in the church’s puppet ministry, he said they felt God calling them to join the church’s other seven members on the trip.
“God put it upon our hearts to be part of this trip,” Nelson said. “We went in obedience to what God wanted us to do.”
He said he soon found out why God was calling him on the trip. When the missions team visited a local prison, the women were not allowed inside. Nelson was drafted as a puppeteer for the performance.
The prisoners were as captivated by the puppets as children in primary schools where the team made presentations, Nelson said. When Fagan finished preaching, he stressed those who wished to repent from sin and accept Christ should walk forward in front of everyone to pray with pastors of African churches who were there to counsel.
The missions team said it recorded more than 400 people who signed up to become a part of the prison’s church.
“The very best part of the trip was worshiping with prisoners at one of the prisons there,” Nelson said.
Along with the prison, Nelson said the missions team also took their shows to locations such as local African schools and markets.
He said the group also taught African college students how to start a puppet ministry.
The presentations were particularly effective, he said, because the missions team had songs recorded in their native tongues. Following the shows, he said the puppeteers gave testimonies that were translated.
Futrell said she has been involved with the puppet ministry since seventh grade, largely because of her interest in working with children. “I love children,” she said. “Just to hear their reactions, it’s exciting.”
But while she has enjoyed sharing the gospel with people in Malawi, Futrell said the missions trip to Africa gave her an excitement about the need for ministry throughout the world.
“I realized He is a God who is reaching out to the world,” she said. “I think that was the biggest eye-opener for me.”
Nelson said he was also impressed by the Africans’ response to the team’s evangelism efforts.
“God showed us what kind of power He has,” Nelson said.
“I had a personal feeling that if God can do it in Africa, He can do it here.”
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