First Term Updates – Cote d’Ivoire/Senegal

Our hearts want to be with you today. We were so blessed to hear about your prayers last Sunday. Today, please share with everyone that God has heard and answered in a very special way. In spite of a flat tire and rather serious mechanical difficulties with 1 van and the bus, we made it to a hotel in Sikaso, about an hour inside of Mali, around 12:30 last night. We were greeted at the Mali border by 2 World enture couples who had already done a lot of the clearance work for us; all they needed was a list of names and passports numbers which I happened to have on my laptop. We hooked up a printer, printed 3 copies for them, and were on our way. (OK, it was a little more complicated than that…)

Today we\’ll travel on to Bamako with 2 escorts from the American Embassy because we are traveling without official papers for our persons and vehicles. The embassy will take care of that in Bamako. We\’re told our \’rescue\’ has been big news here in Mali.

Chris Marine, our field director, will meet us in Bamako. Along with the other missions, we will spend 2 days in \’debriefing\’. Hopefully, we\’ll be home by the weekend.

God clearly led his people out. Nowhere on the trip were we ever in danger – that we know of…

Tomorrow we leave ICA probably for the last time – at least as ICA. Our stuff is packed away, hoping we will be able to retrieve it later, but knowing full well that we may not. We have given many things to our workers, especially all the food that remains (many things brought out by our friends 8 weeks ago), and we have said some rather tearful good-byes. We look forward to reunions with loved ones; they look forward to unemployment in an environment where jobs are non-existent. But we all share the hope of being re-united some day. With Abby, our house girl, we know we will see her some day in heaven if not here at ICA. 

About half of the staff and students will fly to Bamako, Mali, tomorrow on MAF planes, leaving Bouake airport around 10:00 – with limited luggage. The others of us will travel by convoy, taking as much of the luggage as we can fit in our vehicles, and hope to arrive in Bamako sometime on Sunday with all that we are taking. We will be traveling with a New Forces (rebel army) escort; the French commander here feels we will have no problems in this kind of convoy. Please pray that he is right.

Last night in our dining hall, we hosted our traditional fall banquet. This time, however, instead of serving our students, our students served the french military while the staff did the behind the scenes work of preparation and cleanup. It was an effort to not only say thank you for their protection – now, in the past and in the future, but also to allow them a time to come together and grief their fallen comrades. Their appreciation was expressed by an impromptu receiving live – about 20 of us and about 90 of them. We fervently pray that they have seen Christ in us.

Today, pray as we say our good-byes to very special friends and co-workers, but also to a dream. None of us fully understand why God brought us back to the ministry we love only to be torn from it once again a few short months later. Pray for our safety in the air and on the road tomorrow. Pray that God will soon direct all of us as to a future ministry – we need His very clear direction in this time of confusion.

We hope to be stateside for Thanksgiving. We\’ll see some of you soon.

We want to thank you for your prayers. We had all hoped that the peace process would continue here in Ivory Coast. No one would have ever expected that the government of Cote d?Ivoire would attack the French peace keeping troops in order to get at the Rebels. Once again Satan had destructive plans for ICA but God had other plans. He even used the French to carry out His plans. After the French took out the entire air force of Cote d?Ivoire, we once again felt safe. We can fill you in on the details later. 

As for now, things are bad down in the coastal city of Abidjan. Many of our friends there have been hiding in their houses from people who are angry at the French and who go after anyone with a white face. We at ICA are in a very safe place, but the political situation is very unstable and there are no good options for leaving the country at this time. We are better off staying here until it is safe to drive out without the risk of loosing at the very least our vehicle. If things continue to deteriorate, we may have to be airlifted out. 

When we get home we are going to catch our breath for a while, possibly starting our furlough year 8 months early (although originally we had planned to take our furlough a year later – after a 5-year term). We know that God has given us these experiences for some reason and we trust that He will lead us into a new place of ministry. We will be looking to our home church and EBM (our mission board) for wisdom in this matter. I am confident that God has the perfect fit for us and soon we will be serving where our gifts, abilities and experiences have prepared us for. 

We trust that you will continue to pray for us in these matters and as we seek a window of opportunity to get out of the country. While here, we do not want to forget the impact that we can have as we minister to the French soldiers and the foreign refugees that are on campus now. They are all so thankful that we have been here when they needed help. God has always used ICA as an outreach to others. This time the outreach is coming to us, right here on campus. Please continue to pray for the students as well. Some have parents living in Abidjan are they are fearful for them. 

School is still going on in order to keep some kind of normalcy. We realize that this can be some of the most important learning times the students will ever have. We can?t teach children how to trust in God; they have to learn it for themselves and by example. What an awesome opportunity we have to demonstrate our trust in the goodness and faithfulness of God! I don?t think that these kids are going to forget these ?classroom? lessons soon.