The people of the land were not believers, even their flocks were forbidden from portraying in such a way that connotes faith- that was how terrible the city of Ese was. Valentine, a missionary who happened to find himself in Ese as he wandered through the woods in the quest to win souls, found himself suffering persecution in different forms. First he was rejected and casted out of the city, and secondly denied a land to establish his ministry.
He was determined to see that the people come to light and the only way he could achieve it was to build a church in the woods far from Ese and preach to the passersby. In winter when all the grass was dry, he cleared a large portion of land and settled there and for years he settled alone in the woods.
Photo by @wakeupkitty
No one knows what gave him the courage, but for the sake of the ministry he settled alone not minding the wild and the notorious people of Ese who were enemies of any religion that was different from that which they preached. After a few years, development set in and a company was interested in building a factory that could be of benefit to the neighboring villages. Valentine was glad to hear such news and was happy to know he would live amidst people.
The work began in winter, the trees that surrounded him were cut down and the grasses cleared. The development brought his once hidden building to the open but he would no longer fear the lone woods. He waited patiently to use the influence of trade to reach the people with the gospel. Bringing an industry to this woods was an answer prayer to him.