Yasa, Bongwe in Equatorial Guinea

Introduction / History

Yasa villages are located predominantly along the coastal plains. They are also called Bongwe. Their language us Iyasa.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Most are fishermen. Women grow cassava and other staples to supplement their diet. Plantains and wild fruit are in abundance when in season.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The living fearing the dead that's what outsiders would conclude from the elaborate tombstones and explicit memorials surrounding older, plainer homes in a Yasa village. And the outsiders would be right, especially if they learn that these poor fisherman sometimes pay thousands of dollars to bury a loved one.

Church is primarily a social gathering place. Clergy sometimes perform exorcisms or other rituals to help protect believers from the evil spirits they so deeply fear. Few church members understand Christ's work on the cross, and fewer still embrace the freedom and peace implicit in a relationship with the living savior. Until now, churches have always used another language.

Through Oral Bible Storytelling (OBS), the Yasa will be able to impact their people immediately, without waiting until the orthography is complete.

What Are Their Needs?

The Yasas need a complete Bible in their language.

Prayer Points

Pray for a complete and accurate Bible for the Yasa people.
Pray for their hearts to be fertile ground for the word of God.
Pray for many to become evangelists and disciplers.
Pray for the Lord to anoint some of them to write music and skits for gospel purposes.

Text Source:   Joshua Project