Nov 12, 2010
Part 1: Beryl Forrester was an American Missionary under Eastern Mennonite Missions to the Balanta people of Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. Held in bondage from centuries of demon and ancestral worship, Beryl found the story of the Exodus (Israelite slavery in ancient Egypt and the subsequent rescue by God who led them out, but through a wilderness on their way to the promised land) to be a powerful teaching tool for the Balanta. As these West Africans chose Jesus, their exodus from a life of bondage and misery was dramatic and powerful, but it could also be a slow and painful process–a wilderness journey.
Embarking on this spiritual journey they (and all who choose to follow Christ) found the trek at times to be overwhelming and not unlike a wilderness wasteland. During these times the Balanta (as well as the Israelites) might look back on their former lives, recalling the good things they had in their “Egypt”, forgetting the painful slavery they were under. It was tempting to return instead of facing the unknown of the barren desert with the mountains up ahead. But Christ beckons them to continue, knowing that the arduous journey of faith produces the muscle, stamina, and strength needed to survive.
As Beryl was discipling the Balanta, he contacted Eastern Mennonite Missions to find an artist to help him bring the gospel to the Balanta through familiar images relating to their own culture.
Part 2: After receiving e-mails and visits from EMM regarding the project, I was also in communication with Beryl who sent me additional e-mails about his vision. Before beginning the project, I anticipated that it was going to be a challenge since part of the instructions from Beryl were that he wanted the images to be very straightforward with not much left to the imagination. Some symbolism was OK, but not too much metaphor.
When I finally began the project, I prayed that God would give me a vision for what the paintings should be, and He did! The inspiration came in like a flood and I couldn’t shut it off. Even when I put my brushes down for the night and attempted to go to bed, I lay awake unable to sleep, seeing various details in my mind which I wanted to incorporate into the series. Finally, after an hour I got back up and went into the studio to continue painting till 4:00 in the morning.
Another night, just as I was drifting off, but not yet asleep, I saw the 2nd (or middle) picture before I created it, depicting the exodus from Egypt and entering the wilderness. It was already created in spirit,
and the next day my brush and hands worked furiously to put onto canvas what my mind’s eye had seen.
What I had anticipated would be a challenge ended up being a labor of sheer joy, excitement, and deep ministry for myself.
Creating the last canvas was a genuine time of worship for me as I felt what the figures in the painting must be feeling as at last, after their arduous journey, they came upon the cool waters of refreshment in a garden of rest, spying the outstretched arms of Jesus.
Throughout our journey of faith in this life, we will find ourselves at times in deserts of hot, stinging wind, and other times in an oasis of refreshment as we fellowship with our Lord. But nothing along the way can compare to what it will be like to one day see face to face, the One we have worshipped from afar, and to feel the embrace of His arms.
It is with deep humility and great honor to have been asked to complete this task. To feel the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through my brushes was an experience I would love to have every time I paint. I certainly wish I could feel that same ease, flow, and momentum that seemed to accompany this project. From the very first brush stroke till the last, these three canvases were created in 2 1/2 days — not because I rushed them or was in a hurry, but because the images flowed out and I could not shut them off, even when I attempted to get some sleep. -Liz Hess • March 2010
These three images are available in the Sacred Collection
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