On the night of November 18th 2019, I received a message from Rev. Moise Toumoudagou saying: “My brother, we have lost ‘old Djédjé’… I am in tears.”

We called him affectionately “the old father” because he was the oldest among us and he was also the one who would come and meet us in the cool of the night to advise us. “Old father” we will miss you.

Yao Clément Djédjé naturally modeled key African values and lived them as a disciple of Jesus-Christ. He demonstrated the values of hospitality, friendship, loyalty, selflessness and generosity.

His strong passion for souls and love for missions led him to open the work of the Church of the Nazarene in Guinea Conakry and to respond later in his life to the call to serve in the Sahel countries. At an age when many are considering retirement, he decided to go and serve the Lord out of his country: Côte d’Ivoire

I thank God for the example and life of Djédjé and for being an apostle of God’s work in the Sahel.

Rest now from your labor dear Yao Clément for your deeds will follow you. (Rev. 14.13)

Daniel AKL Gomis