He lives in a small round hut. It has mud walls and a grass roof. His house has no windows, so it is dark and damp inside. Often his mother will build a fire in the middle of the floor. She builds the fire for warmth and to keep away the evil spirits.

You see, in Abeedou's village they worship their ancestors, who they believe come back as spirits. They believe that the spirits want revenge for the bad things that happened when they were alive.

Abeedou likes the broth, but it is not enough to fill his stomach. He has to go to bed hungry. Sometimes they eat the broth for many days until the new crop is harvested.

When the rice is harvested, Abeedou's mother prepares a huge feast. She puts the rice and sauce in two large bowls. Abeedou's father and his older brothers gather around one bowl. Abeedou, his mother, and his baby sisters gather around the other bowl. They stoop down in front of the bowl and eat with their hands.

Abeedou loves it when they have a feast. Sometimes they even have meat in the sauce.

After they finish eating, other families join them around the fire. The women begin to clap and sing and one of the young men begins to beat on a tall drum. Soon, several of the women begin to dance around the fire. The dance is also to keep away evil spirits.

Abeedou and his friends like to go out in the bush to hunt for birds and small animals with their slingshots. They build a fire and roast the meat. They must always be home by dark because there are many wild animals in the bush. Hyenas and lions come out at night to catch their food.

"What is God's Word?" asked Abeedou's father.

One of the strangers held up a large black book. "This book has a message from God to all people," he said.

Abeedou's father replied, "I have been searching for the Truth for many years. Does that book have the Truth?"

"Yes," said the man, "the Truth is in this book."

"You may come and live with us," said Abeedou's father.

The first night ...

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