Cacao Beans Drying
Why Chocolate?
Ahh, chocolate! To some, this is almost the “food of the gods.” But how does chocolate compare to the Word of God? The Bible is our spiritual food from God, isn’t it? Let’s take a trip to West Africa and visit with Paul and Marina Briggs in Ivory Coast.
“Cocoa originated in Central America, but Ivory Coast in West Africa is the largest producer of cocoa beans, growing around 40% of the world’s total,” they said. “Yet, ironically, very few Ivorians, especially in the north of the country, have ever tasted chocolate. Many hundreds of Loron people work on cocoa plantations in southern Ivory Coast, and some even have their own cocoa orchards, but most have never experienced the delight of a Toblerone Peak or a Hershey’s Kiss or a bar of Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut.” Few have tasted and seen how good chocolate can be. But what does this have to do with God’s Word?
Paul and Marina
The Bible and Cocoa
The Briggs have recently received their first shipment of chronological Bible lessons in the Loron language. They wanted to have all the lessons on basic evangelism in one professionally produced book.
“Each book [comprises] over 300 pages of chronological Bible teaching, and the content was written and developed primarily for Loron people who live on coffee and cocoa plantations in southern Ivory Coast (and also other places) who have little or no possibility of receiving Bible teaching in their own language.”
You’ve got it. These people who live and breathe cocoa on these plantations have never tasted and seen how good chocolate can be, but more importantly, they have not tasted or seen how good God and His Word are.
Cacao Tree
Lorons Taste the Word
Paul and Marina concluded with this request: “Please pray that the Lord will use this new resource to help widely scattered groups of Loron people to come to an understanding of their need of the Savior, and that through reading or listening to Scripture and Bible teaching in their own language, God will draw Loron people to Himself and that many will taste and see that the Lord is good.”