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CAMEROON | At the Logone River, Three Elderly Converts Choose Baptism at the “Eleventh Hour”

Posted on Mai 19 2026

CAMEROON | At the Logone River, Three Elderly Converts Choose Baptism at the “Eleventh Hour”

[Photo: Nakoussia carried out of the waters]
By Louanga Charles Djafsia, Mayo-Danay District Pastor / Abraham Bakari

As the Africa for Christ evangelistic campaign came to a close, the river did not only welcome young believers eager to begin a new spiritual journey. It also received three elderly candidates whose decision stirred the entire community: Nakoussia Jean Bernard, 75; Hawana Gabriel, 93; and Saraouta Marie, 93.
Under the scorching sun of Cameroon’s Far North Region, in Vele, a locality in the Mayo-Danay District, the waters of the Logone River became the setting for an unusual and deeply moving scene of faith.
For Pastor Charles Louanga Djafsia, district Pastor of Mayo-Danay, the moment was more than a baptismal ceremony. It was a living testimony to the promise of God in Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age I am He, and even to gray hairs I will carry you.”
“I saw in their eyes and heard in their cries the powerful fulfillment of that promise,” Pastor Louanga said.

Lives Once Overlooked, Now Embraced
What made the event historic for the local community was the background of the three baptismal candidates. According to Pastor Louanga, none of them had previously entered a church. They had spent their lives outside the Christian faith, rooted in traditional religious practices, in idolatry.
To some in the community, these elderly men and women were seen as people at the end of life, fragile and socially forgotten. But during the campaign, they encountered love, attention, and a message of hope that touched them deeply.
Supported by strong arms as they approached the river, they were not merely going to be baptized. They were stepping toward a new life they had perhaps never imagined possible.
The scene drew the attention of many villagers. The excitement was so intense that a young woman named Graouda, rushing to witness the remarkable moment, accidentally struck herself against the riverbank embankment. The community wanted to see what God was doing in these aged bodies and renewed hearts.

Three Voices, One Confession of Faith
Pastor Louanga described the moment of immersion as a miracle of communication. “With age, speech had become difficult for them,” he said. “But at the moment of baptism, the Holy Spirit gave them a clear voice to seal their covenant with the Master.” Each candidate expressed faith in a simple but powerful way.

“I Want to Be Baptized Now”
At 75, Nakoussia Jean Bernard, the youngest of the three, showed no hesitation. His words were direct and urgent: “I want to be baptized now.”
His decision was a reminder that grace has no retirement age. His baptism was not simply the closing chapter of a long life, but a firm spiritual stand. He refused delay and chose salvation with conviction.

“The Water Is Touching Me”
For 93-year-old Hawana Gabriel, the first response came through the body. As he felt the water rising around him, he exclaimed in his mother tongue: “The water is touching me.”
It was more than a physical sensation. It was the confession of a man who, after nearly a century of life, was allowing the mercy of God to surround him completely.
His strong “Amen!” surprised many villagers who were accustomed to his silence.

“I Want to Die Today with Christ”
The most emotional moment came through Saraouta Marie, also 93. Between traditional cries of joy, she uttered words that deeply moved those present: “I want to die today with Christ.”
For Pastor Louanga, her statement captured the spiritual meaning of baptism.
“I had described baptism to her as a kind of training for eternity,” he said. “As a pastor, my role was to help transform the anxiety of decline into a spiritual victory. At 93, one may no longer be born according to the flesh, but one can still be born again by the Spirit.”
On that day, beside the Logone River, time seemed to pause. These three elderly candidates were no longer seen merely as senior citizens. In the eyes of faith, they had become newborns in Christ, ready to begin the most glorious phase of their existence.
As they came out of the waters, their faces did not reflect decline, but the renewal of the soul. Saraouta Marie’s joyful cry was not a farewell to life, but a welcome song to eternity.
That day, the Logone River became a witness: it is never too late to be born again. Between the flowing waters and the open sky, a promise was renewed—the promise of a God who waits, welcomes, and restores, regardless of age. Time bowed before eternity, and the cry of faith from the banks of the Logone continues to echo as a universal call.