Last month we were blessed to have a group come from the Second Church of Christ in Danville, IL work with us in several different projects. There was a lot going on at the same time, but everything seemed to come together and a lot of good work was accomplished for the Kingdom. All the various activities gives us a good glimpse into what has been going on here in Abengourou with the Mission Chretienne en Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast Christian Mission).
Dental Clinic
A dentist, Dr. Phil, headed up the dental team with Dr. Sally (an emergency room physician) assisting him. Over a span of four days, they were able to see over 120 people (I think they lost count of how many teeth they fixed or took out). Many of the patients were some of the PIM clinic's HIV+ patients and members from our church. During the weekend they went along with our clinic chaplain, Wisdom, to make a few home visits of some of the HIV+ patients. It has been quite some time since the last time our mission hosted a dental clinic (at least 7 or 8 years) and good dental care is something most cannot afford nor find for that matter. It was a nice added bonus for our two missionary families to be able to get our teeth checked out and cleaned as well.
Mother-in-law Moral Support
Stephanie's mother also made the trip with this group. The kids were pretty excited to get to see Granny. It was nice to get to visit with her, though personally I was rarely home during her time here. But the rest of the family got a good dose of family that makes missing home a little easier. She also helped Stephanie paint our living room and side porch (not all her time was fun and games with the grandkids). It was nice to see her and get a bunch of goodies (which has not helped my weight-loss program... oh well) from the States.
Mission Compound Landscaping & Training Center Maintenance
A handful of folks worked hard on getting things looking a little better around the mission property. They helped get the church entrance looking better and created a few walking paths with some stone and brick pavers. They also painted the large meeting/classroom in the training center and making a few repairs throughout the center's interior (many thanks goes to Dr. Sally's husband, John, who headed it all up and did much of the work himself). It will help the mission and Association of Christian Churches in Ivory Coast have not only a nice place to hold their various trainings and meetings, but also rent out to other groups in order to help with the ongoing costs of the training center.
Leadership Training Seminar
Over the past several years the Mission and national Association of Christian Churches has been working towards the transition of oversight of the church planting and leadership training programs among the Agni and Attie people groups from the Mission to the Association. Two years ago Stephanie's Uncle Dale, who is the Executive Minister at Second Church of Christ, came to teach a seminar on strategic planning to the Executive Bureau of the Association.
Dale returned with this group and lead another seminar called "Lead Like Jesus." All the national and regional directors of the various ministries of the Association along with the Executive Bureau (a total of 30 people) took part in the three day seminar. Not only did we expand on the strategic planning principles previously taught, but the necessity of following Jesus' example not only as disciples, but as leaders as well. We talked about how leading and serving are not antonymous as most believe, but two essential aspects of leading like Jesus.
Coco-terrain Prayer Walk
On one of the final days of their trip, we went down to the region of Coco-terrain, where we are hoping to start a CHE plant. We spent the morning walking around seeing the area and meeting some of the folks we have been getting to know over the last couple of months. It doesn't take long to see the needs surrounding you, but at the same time the generosity of the people of Coco-terrain. We ended our walk on the outskirts of town, overlooking the region, praying for its leaders, the various families, that CHE would take hold, but most importantly that Christ would take hold of their lives.
I sincerely thank the Second Church of Christ Mission Team for not only their hard work, but that they poured their hearts into the lives of the people here in Abengourou. May the Lord bless them and those they came to serve.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
EVANGELIZING THE "HOSTILES"
Part Three: The Message… Worshipers in Spirit and in Truth
Seeking to have peace with God is at the heart of Islamic faith. Throughout the day, many Muslims pray for God to bless them in a variety of ways: providing the necessary food, strength or health for the day; granting good crops or success in business affairs; helping keep them and their families on the right path. For most Muslims, what they seek after for themselves and their family is noble and good.
It is important to understand that there are some significant differences between the Christian and Muslim beliefs about God: His character, role in daily life, and our relationship to Him. However, our ultimate goals of correctly worshipping Him and finding ourselves following His will place us in similar situations. Christianity’s relation to Islam is strikingly similar to that of the Jews and Samaritans in Jesus’ day. The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4 teaches us some very important truths concerning a right relationship with God.
The Samaritans, like Muslims today, worshiped the God of Abraham. Like the Samaritans, Muslims “worship what they do not know.” Because of the negative history between the Jews and the Samaritans, the woman was shocked that Jesus would even ask her for a drink of water. And when Jesus originally offered her eternal life, she turned it down because she knew that her people could never join the Jewish religion (nor would they want to).
The same problem exists for us today. Almost all Muslims would turn down flat an invitation to salvation through Jesus Christ simply because they could not imagine joining the Christian religion, its supposed enemy for hundreds of years. The thought of any Muslim going to “Church” is equated with apostasy. But Jesus has taught us how we can remove this barrier.
When the Samaritan woman pointed out that her fathers said they must worship on this mountain, but the Jews said the place of worship was Jerusalem, Jesus confronted the heart of the matter. He told the woman, “A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” The issue is not about changing religious forms, Jesus clarified that, “A time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers God seeks.” (John 4:23)
The message for Muslims today is that it’s not about trading sides, turning against their cultural norms to become a part of the enemy, but worshipping God in spirit and truth within their own cultural context. You don’t have to go to “Church” (their negative idea of an “outsider” hostile religion with different forms) to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Worshipping in spirit and truth doesn’t mean having to get all the forms done exactly right, but getting your heart right and dealing openly and honestly with God.
The essential truth is that none of us can seek out and find God through our “good works,” because we can never find Him through them. But thankfully He has sought us out as the good shepherd searching for his lost sheep and the Father waiting for his lost son to return home. (Luke 15) Salvation is found through Jesus Christ His Son. And Following Christ and worshipping God can be done in any cultural context. After all, God can speak and understand Arabic too.
(*I must ackowledge Tim and Rebecca Lewis for their article on Church Planting in Muslim contexts in the Jan./Feb. 09 issue of Mission Frontiers. Their pratical experience and insights helped me developed some of the themes in this three part series.)
Seeking to have peace with God is at the heart of Islamic faith. Throughout the day, many Muslims pray for God to bless them in a variety of ways: providing the necessary food, strength or health for the day; granting good crops or success in business affairs; helping keep them and their families on the right path. For most Muslims, what they seek after for themselves and their family is noble and good.
It is important to understand that there are some significant differences between the Christian and Muslim beliefs about God: His character, role in daily life, and our relationship to Him. However, our ultimate goals of correctly worshipping Him and finding ourselves following His will place us in similar situations. Christianity’s relation to Islam is strikingly similar to that of the Jews and Samaritans in Jesus’ day. The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4 teaches us some very important truths concerning a right relationship with God.
The Samaritans, like Muslims today, worshiped the God of Abraham. Like the Samaritans, Muslims “worship what they do not know.” Because of the negative history between the Jews and the Samaritans, the woman was shocked that Jesus would even ask her for a drink of water. And when Jesus originally offered her eternal life, she turned it down because she knew that her people could never join the Jewish religion (nor would they want to).
The same problem exists for us today. Almost all Muslims would turn down flat an invitation to salvation through Jesus Christ simply because they could not imagine joining the Christian religion, its supposed enemy for hundreds of years. The thought of any Muslim going to “Church” is equated with apostasy. But Jesus has taught us how we can remove this barrier.
When the Samaritan woman pointed out that her fathers said they must worship on this mountain, but the Jews said the place of worship was Jerusalem, Jesus confronted the heart of the matter. He told the woman, “A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” The issue is not about changing religious forms, Jesus clarified that, “A time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers God seeks.” (John 4:23)
The message for Muslims today is that it’s not about trading sides, turning against their cultural norms to become a part of the enemy, but worshipping God in spirit and truth within their own cultural context. You don’t have to go to “Church” (their negative idea of an “outsider” hostile religion with different forms) to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. Worshipping in spirit and truth doesn’t mean having to get all the forms done exactly right, but getting your heart right and dealing openly and honestly with God.
The essential truth is that none of us can seek out and find God through our “good works,” because we can never find Him through them. But thankfully He has sought us out as the good shepherd searching for his lost sheep and the Father waiting for his lost son to return home. (Luke 15) Salvation is found through Jesus Christ His Son. And Following Christ and worshipping God can be done in any cultural context. After all, God can speak and understand Arabic too.
(*I must ackowledge Tim and Rebecca Lewis for their article on Church Planting in Muslim contexts in the Jan./Feb. 09 issue of Mission Frontiers. Their pratical experience and insights helped me developed some of the themes in this three part series.)
Monday, April 20, 2009
EVANGELIZING THE "HOSTILES"
Part Two: The Method... Searching for a Man of Peace
Serving as peacemakers is what we seek to do. First, between the Christian and Islamic faiths, but ultimately our prayer is that Djoula Muslims will find the peace they earnestly seek with their Father, Who seeks them. That being said, how do you evangelize a people who are staunchly against being evangelized and acutely aware of the consequences (not just from conversion, but even in seeming to show interest)?
Hence, we generally avoid going door to door or setting up a stage in the middle of town with microphones. For most Muslim Background Believers (MBBs), accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is a process... and often a long one at that. Typically, we, the American Church, understand conversion to Christianity as an event. The Gospel message is presented and one either accepts it or doesn't. A Muslim who has been hearing the message put it best, "you prepare the soil, you plant the seed, you wait for rain and then pray that it grows." (Interestingly, this man has yet to be baptised, but expresses the process well... even using biblical imagery - 1 Cor. 3:6-7) We start by preparing the soil, loving our neighbors as Jesus would.
What initially drew most people to Jesus during his ministry? His ministry of compassion and healing brought people into contact with the power and love of God. The crowds not only heard messages about the Kingdom of God, but witnessed the difference this kingdom made in people's lives. It's equally important to note that this ministry of compassion and healing was not just for Jesus, but when he commissioned his disciples to go out preaching about the kingdom of God, he also empowered them to do the same ministry as well. (Luke 10:9)
Often, the soil is hard when initially working with Muslims. It can be difficult breaking through the hard layers of mistrust that have compacted over many years. That's why you serve people at their greatest felt needs. That's why we have a clinic open to all people, treating each person with dignity, respect and love that they deserve regardless of their ethnicity, social status or religion. It's why we engaged people on the street and visit them in their neighborhoods, trying to relate to them where they live, not waiting for them to come to us. It's why we seek to help communities start CHE (Community Health and Evangelism) programs to bring about both physical and spiritual transformation. It takes time to work hard soil, but the seed we carry is worth the effort. Its fruit produces eternal life. However, you can't bear fruit if you don't plant seed.
After engaging people with the compassion and love of Jesus, we also seek out those who are ready to receive the seed. In Luke 10, Jesus gives us an essential model to follow when sowing seed. He tells his disciples, "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house." Literally, this is our prayer, that God will lead us to men and women of peace whose hearts He has prepared to receive His message of the kingdom.
So what do we specifically do? Having developed a relationship with an individual or family (we try to reach out to entire families if possible), we ask them if they would be interested in learning what the Bible teaches. For those who accept our offer, we start a CBS (Chronological Bible Storytelling) group teaching about God's story and plan for mankind starting in Genesis and culminating in the resurrection of Jesus, his Son. Some accept the message, others want to continue the dialogue, while others choose not to make a decision.
Our teammates, the Jones and Hauser families (the Jones are heading back home on furlough and the Hausers are now working with the Djoula in Burkina Faso), have headed up the Djoula outreach in Abengourou, ministering to their Djoula friends and contacts. We will continue following-up with these folks. I am also excited about our new project that Dr. Bernie and I are heading up and hope you will join us in praying for a great outpouring of God's Spirit among the Djoula. This month we have been meeting with local leaders from Cocoterrain (translation: Field of Coconut Trees), a district in Abengourou that is heavily populated by Djoula and hit hard by the effects of poverty. On May 25th we will be doing a health screening, assisted by a short-term mission team from FAME and Hazel Dell CC, in Cocoterrain and hopefully following up by starting a new CHE plant in that community.
Pray that our efforts might prepare the soil well for future seed sowing and that God would prepare their hearts to receive His message. Pray that we will find men and women of peace, where we will be welcomed. Pray that good contacts will be made for learning the Djoula language and culture. Pray that the love of God would permeate all that we do.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6)
Serving as peacemakers is what we seek to do. First, between the Christian and Islamic faiths, but ultimately our prayer is that Djoula Muslims will find the peace they earnestly seek with their Father, Who seeks them. That being said, how do you evangelize a people who are staunchly against being evangelized and acutely aware of the consequences (not just from conversion, but even in seeming to show interest)?
Hence, we generally avoid going door to door or setting up a stage in the middle of town with microphones. For most Muslim Background Believers (MBBs), accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is a process... and often a long one at that. Typically, we, the American Church, understand conversion to Christianity as an event. The Gospel message is presented and one either accepts it or doesn't. A Muslim who has been hearing the message put it best, "you prepare the soil, you plant the seed, you wait for rain and then pray that it grows." (Interestingly, this man has yet to be baptised, but expresses the process well... even using biblical imagery - 1 Cor. 3:6-7) We start by preparing the soil, loving our neighbors as Jesus would.
What initially drew most people to Jesus during his ministry? His ministry of compassion and healing brought people into contact with the power and love of God. The crowds not only heard messages about the Kingdom of God, but witnessed the difference this kingdom made in people's lives. It's equally important to note that this ministry of compassion and healing was not just for Jesus, but when he commissioned his disciples to go out preaching about the kingdom of God, he also empowered them to do the same ministry as well. (Luke 10:9)
Often, the soil is hard when initially working with Muslims. It can be difficult breaking through the hard layers of mistrust that have compacted over many years. That's why you serve people at their greatest felt needs. That's why we have a clinic open to all people, treating each person with dignity, respect and love that they deserve regardless of their ethnicity, social status or religion. It's why we engaged people on the street and visit them in their neighborhoods, trying to relate to them where they live, not waiting for them to come to us. It's why we seek to help communities start CHE (Community Health and Evangelism) programs to bring about both physical and spiritual transformation. It takes time to work hard soil, but the seed we carry is worth the effort. Its fruit produces eternal life. However, you can't bear fruit if you don't plant seed.
After engaging people with the compassion and love of Jesus, we also seek out those who are ready to receive the seed. In Luke 10, Jesus gives us an essential model to follow when sowing seed. He tells his disciples, "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house." Literally, this is our prayer, that God will lead us to men and women of peace whose hearts He has prepared to receive His message of the kingdom.
So what do we specifically do? Having developed a relationship with an individual or family (we try to reach out to entire families if possible), we ask them if they would be interested in learning what the Bible teaches. For those who accept our offer, we start a CBS (Chronological Bible Storytelling) group teaching about God's story and plan for mankind starting in Genesis and culminating in the resurrection of Jesus, his Son. Some accept the message, others want to continue the dialogue, while others choose not to make a decision.
Our teammates, the Jones and Hauser families (the Jones are heading back home on furlough and the Hausers are now working with the Djoula in Burkina Faso), have headed up the Djoula outreach in Abengourou, ministering to their Djoula friends and contacts. We will continue following-up with these folks. I am also excited about our new project that Dr. Bernie and I are heading up and hope you will join us in praying for a great outpouring of God's Spirit among the Djoula. This month we have been meeting with local leaders from Cocoterrain (translation: Field of Coconut Trees), a district in Abengourou that is heavily populated by Djoula and hit hard by the effects of poverty. On May 25th we will be doing a health screening, assisted by a short-term mission team from FAME and Hazel Dell CC, in Cocoterrain and hopefully following up by starting a new CHE plant in that community.
Pray that our efforts might prepare the soil well for future seed sowing and that God would prepare their hearts to receive His message. Pray that we will find men and women of peace, where we will be welcomed. Pray that good contacts will be made for learning the Djoula language and culture. Pray that the love of God would permeate all that we do.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:6)
Saturday, April 4, 2009
EVANGELIZING THE "HOSTILES"
(That’s for all you fellow LOST fans out there)
“How does one start a church among a people who have been hostile to the church for many centuries?” On more than one occasion someone has asked me this or a similar question in regards to our evangelistic outreach among the Djoula Muslims. From our Western, especially American perspective, this question seems incredibly valid. If there is a part of the world that is most hostile to the church or the “American way,” it is the Islamic world.
Since there is a lot to this question that I would like to tackle, I think it will be best to address it in three parts. Part one I will discuss our mindset, Part two will cover our method we use and Part three will discuss our message. My hope is that it might help us understand Muslim people not as hostiles, but like anybody else, those in need of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Part One: The Mindset… Our Struggle is not against Flesh and Blood
It is really easy to slip into an “us” vs. “them” attitude, no matter what the situation may be. We tend to be self-centered in our thinking… whether we like it or not. Throw in a history of negative interactions and bad feelings, and you get a situation ripe for mistrust and suspicion. It’s the Christian and Muslim world’s version of the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s family feud.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Andy's Kenya Trip
Greetings all, the Gable clan in Ivory Coast is doing well and have enjoyed being together again this past week after my full week away in Kenya. 8 days is a long time to be away, more for my wife than anybody. But both Stephanie and all five children survived the week (I was more worried about all the children making it). A part of me wishes I could say I suffered through the week, but the weather and landscape in and around Nairobi, Kenya were beautiful. The days were nice and comfortable and the evenings cool. I let David Giles, CMF’s Director of Church Planting and my “boss”, know that if he took potential recruits for West Africa to Nairobi first, I might have to hunt him down and shoot him. (Feeling called to Africa? How about hot West Africa where they speak French or beautiful Nairobi, Kenya where most speak English? Hmm... Tough choice.)
Anyway, it was nice to be around the other CMF field team leaders from around the globe. Many of them we have met previously, but a few were new to me. They truly were a joy and encouragement to be around. I learned a lot in both our formal and informal discussions. We also were able to visit one of the slums of Nairobi where CMF is involved in a GREAT work among the urban poor. In the slum of Mathare Valley, about 800,000 people live in one square-mile. As difficult and heart wrenching it could be to see the vast and utter poverty it was equally encouraging to see the tremendous work being done through CMF’s HOPE partnership. It was a wonderful reminder that the Church shines brightest in the bleakest of situations, void of hope. Not only was it encouraging, but I learned a few things about their CHE program, church planting methods among the poor, child sponsorship program, and many other helpful things as well.
We also took one afternoon to go to the Nairobi Game Park. Even though we live in Africa, the extent of the wildlife that we see in Ivory Coast is mostly lizards, snakes, various rodents and occasionally a pet monkey. We have hippos in country, but they are rarely seen. I was looking forward to it, and we did get to see a lot of things, but missed out on the lions, elephants, rhinos and hippos.
Just before leaving, Clay put a picture of Superman that we drew and painted together in my backpack as a surprise. It was a wonderful gift, so I made sure that Superman followed along on the journey with me during the trip. Check out the “Superman in Kenya” pictures to see where we went.
This past week I have just been running errands around town and working on a paper for my Master’s degree course. So there isn’t much to talk about. It has been good to be home, even if it’s stinkin’ hot. Thanks for your prayers and support. I truly believe that your prayers are the foundation and pillars for the work going on here in Abengourou. Please continue to lift up the work of the Kingdom here to our loving heavenly Father. Blessings and peace to you all.
Anyway, it was nice to be around the other CMF field team leaders from around the globe. Many of them we have met previously, but a few were new to me. They truly were a joy and encouragement to be around. I learned a lot in both our formal and informal discussions. We also were able to visit one of the slums of Nairobi where CMF is involved in a GREAT work among the urban poor. In the slum of Mathare Valley, about 800,000 people live in one square-mile. As difficult and heart wrenching it could be to see the vast and utter poverty it was equally encouraging to see the tremendous work being done through CMF’s HOPE partnership. It was a wonderful reminder that the Church shines brightest in the bleakest of situations, void of hope. Not only was it encouraging, but I learned a few things about their CHE program, church planting methods among the poor, child sponsorship program, and many other helpful things as well.
We also took one afternoon to go to the Nairobi Game Park. Even though we live in Africa, the extent of the wildlife that we see in Ivory Coast is mostly lizards, snakes, various rodents and occasionally a pet monkey. We have hippos in country, but they are rarely seen. I was looking forward to it, and we did get to see a lot of things, but missed out on the lions, elephants, rhinos and hippos.
Just before leaving, Clay put a picture of Superman that we drew and painted together in my backpack as a surprise. It was a wonderful gift, so I made sure that Superman followed along on the journey with me during the trip. Check out the “Superman in Kenya” pictures to see where we went.
This past week I have just been running errands around town and working on a paper for my Master’s degree course. So there isn’t much to talk about. It has been good to be home, even if it’s stinkin’ hot. Thanks for your prayers and support. I truly believe that your prayers are the foundation and pillars for the work going on here in Abengourou. Please continue to lift up the work of the Kingdom here to our loving heavenly Father. Blessings and peace to you all.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
busy getting caught up
Greetings to all. We are doing well and everyone is getting readjusted to life in Abengourou. The past couple of weeks have been busy, but mostly in hearing about the past year and getting updated on where and how the various ministries of the mission have progressed. Here is what is going on...
Djoula Muslim Outreach
The Joneses have continued to disciple a couple who came to Christ in 2007, Fatou and Noufou, and teaching them what a Christian household is to be. Their marriage goes through ups and downs, like many others, pray that they will continue to grow in their faith. Dao, a young believer who was baptised with Fatou and Noufou, has moved to Abidjan looking for work. We helped him get into contact with a church there and try to continue to encourage him and pray for his spiritual growth.
Damon has also been working with several different Chronological Bible Storytelling (CBS) groups this past year. One of them just finished up with the presentation of the gospel, and at least one young man, Salifou, has said he wants to become a Christian and several others are also interested. Pray that the Lord's Spirit would continue to work in their hearts and open their eyes to His message of hope and true peace with God.
One of the most exciting things happening is that we are working towards starting up with a new worship service for Muslim background believers and seekers. Developing an appropriate service will not happen overnight, but will take a couple months of planning and preparations, including creating and translating some new materials in Djoula. Pray that the Lord will guide us as we seek to help the Djoula worship Christ in a culturally appropriate and meaningful way.
I am also gearing up to start in my Djoula language studies. I have a friend who is Djoula just down the road named Abulay. He has agreed to work with me in learning Djoula. The nice thing is that he not only speaks Djoula, but can read it as well, which many if not most of the Djoula people cannot do. Pray that our time will be fruitful, not only in me learning Djoula, but hopefully for Abulay to learn about the love of God through Jesus.
HIV-AIDS/Clinic/CHE Ministries
There have been some exciting new developments in the AIDS ministry during our furlough this past year. The most exciting thing is the new Lab. God has truly blessed the clinic and has given us a tremendous tool for serving those hurting the most. To say that it has expanded our impact is a gross understatement. Dr. Bernie Bledsoe, our team doctor, has done a great job with lots of help from many others, in getting the Lab functional and operational. When you step into the Lab, you could almost forget you were in Africa! We can now do all the necessary testing for our HIV+ patients without having to send off lab work. In the past year the clinic has doubled the number of HIV+ people they serve to over 750 people!
The CHE program (Community Health and Evangelism) has continued to grow as well. CHE in the village of Bebou has grown and matured well. They are in the midst of an antimalaria campaign and soon their Community Health Evangelists will start making home visits with the various physical and spiritual lessons. CHE has been very active in our HIV+ patient support group as well. The first week of April a team from the USA is coming to do a Microenterprise training to help the support group help those hurting and desperate financially. There are many other good things going on with CHE, that I don't have room to mention them all. Pray that the CHE program and her trainners continue to teach people how to transform their communities not only physically and socially, but spiritually as well.
Association of Christian Churches in Ivory Coast
The number of churches and new church leaders continues to grow. Two new churches have been planted in neighboring villages to the town of Abengourou alone... and no missionary was involved! They are also working hard at training potential new leaders so that the churches will be rooted in God's Word. There are still plans to plant at least two more new churches in the Abengourou region by the Association. Pray that their planning would be fruitful and take root.
We are planning our next graduation for our leadership training program the end of April. We are looking forward to five more men completing their training and continuing in their local ministries as well as helping train more new leaders.
Finally, there was some unfortunate news as well. One of our main church and assocaition leaders was suspended this past year for various reasons and has since fallen away from the church. He was one of our regional pastors and the Vice-president of the Association. Pray that God would lead him to the road of repentance and reconciliation.
Gable Family
Finally, I want to mention our family. Part of what has kept me busy is figuring out new regulations and paperwork for Americans. Though God worked it out for us not to have to get entry visas (saving us $1500), we are required to do many other things (i.e. Certificacte of Residency, Residential Identity Papers, Ivorian Driver's License, Exit Visas, etc.). Most of these don't cost too much, but when you're doing it for 7 people it can add up. Thankfully I am the only one getting the Driver's Permit, it costs $300. Slowly I am figuring out what needs to be done and have done most of them for myself, the rest of the family can wait a bit. Most of these things had to be done for me so I could go and return back from my trip to Kenya this week.
Tomorrow, actually today for me now... it's 1:30am here, I leaqve to take part in CMF's Team Leaders Meeting. It is a week long event, so be praying not only for me, but for Stephanie and the kids s well. As hard as it would be in the States, it is a little harder to care for all five of our kids here in Africa all by oneself. I wish there was something else we could do, but no such luck. Please pray also for safe travel for me there and back.
Thanks to all of you who will and have already been praying for us. They are felt. God's richest blessings to you.
Andy
Djoula Muslim Outreach
The Joneses have continued to disciple a couple who came to Christ in 2007, Fatou and Noufou, and teaching them what a Christian household is to be. Their marriage goes through ups and downs, like many others, pray that they will continue to grow in their faith. Dao, a young believer who was baptised with Fatou and Noufou, has moved to Abidjan looking for work. We helped him get into contact with a church there and try to continue to encourage him and pray for his spiritual growth.
Damon has also been working with several different Chronological Bible Storytelling (CBS) groups this past year. One of them just finished up with the presentation of the gospel, and at least one young man, Salifou, has said he wants to become a Christian and several others are also interested. Pray that the Lord's Spirit would continue to work in their hearts and open their eyes to His message of hope and true peace with God.
One of the most exciting things happening is that we are working towards starting up with a new worship service for Muslim background believers and seekers. Developing an appropriate service will not happen overnight, but will take a couple months of planning and preparations, including creating and translating some new materials in Djoula. Pray that the Lord will guide us as we seek to help the Djoula worship Christ in a culturally appropriate and meaningful way.
I am also gearing up to start in my Djoula language studies. I have a friend who is Djoula just down the road named Abulay. He has agreed to work with me in learning Djoula. The nice thing is that he not only speaks Djoula, but can read it as well, which many if not most of the Djoula people cannot do. Pray that our time will be fruitful, not only in me learning Djoula, but hopefully for Abulay to learn about the love of God through Jesus.
HIV-AIDS/Clinic/CHE Ministries
There have been some exciting new developments in the AIDS ministry during our furlough this past year. The most exciting thing is the new Lab. God has truly blessed the clinic and has given us a tremendous tool for serving those hurting the most. To say that it has expanded our impact is a gross understatement. Dr. Bernie Bledsoe, our team doctor, has done a great job with lots of help from many others, in getting the Lab functional and operational. When you step into the Lab, you could almost forget you were in Africa! We can now do all the necessary testing for our HIV+ patients without having to send off lab work. In the past year the clinic has doubled the number of HIV+ people they serve to over 750 people!
The CHE program (Community Health and Evangelism) has continued to grow as well. CHE in the village of Bebou has grown and matured well. They are in the midst of an antimalaria campaign and soon their Community Health Evangelists will start making home visits with the various physical and spiritual lessons. CHE has been very active in our HIV+ patient support group as well. The first week of April a team from the USA is coming to do a Microenterprise training to help the support group help those hurting and desperate financially. There are many other good things going on with CHE, that I don't have room to mention them all. Pray that the CHE program and her trainners continue to teach people how to transform their communities not only physically and socially, but spiritually as well.
Association of Christian Churches in Ivory Coast
The number of churches and new church leaders continues to grow. Two new churches have been planted in neighboring villages to the town of Abengourou alone... and no missionary was involved! They are also working hard at training potential new leaders so that the churches will be rooted in God's Word. There are still plans to plant at least two more new churches in the Abengourou region by the Association. Pray that their planning would be fruitful and take root.
We are planning our next graduation for our leadership training program the end of April. We are looking forward to five more men completing their training and continuing in their local ministries as well as helping train more new leaders.
Finally, there was some unfortunate news as well. One of our main church and assocaition leaders was suspended this past year for various reasons and has since fallen away from the church. He was one of our regional pastors and the Vice-president of the Association. Pray that God would lead him to the road of repentance and reconciliation.
Gable Family
Finally, I want to mention our family. Part of what has kept me busy is figuring out new regulations and paperwork for Americans. Though God worked it out for us not to have to get entry visas (saving us $1500), we are required to do many other things (i.e. Certificacte of Residency, Residential Identity Papers, Ivorian Driver's License, Exit Visas, etc.). Most of these don't cost too much, but when you're doing it for 7 people it can add up. Thankfully I am the only one getting the Driver's Permit, it costs $300. Slowly I am figuring out what needs to be done and have done most of them for myself, the rest of the family can wait a bit. Most of these things had to be done for me so I could go and return back from my trip to Kenya this week.
Tomorrow, actually today for me now... it's 1:30am here, I leaqve to take part in CMF's Team Leaders Meeting. It is a week long event, so be praying not only for me, but for Stephanie and the kids s well. As hard as it would be in the States, it is a little harder to care for all five of our kids here in Africa all by oneself. I wish there was something else we could do, but no such luck. Please pray also for safe travel for me there and back.
Thanks to all of you who will and have already been praying for us. They are felt. God's richest blessings to you.
Andy
Monday, February 9, 2009
little by little the bird builds its nest...
That is one of my favorite African sayings. It seems like so much effort for such a small thing (turning your home back into your home), but it's important to get well situated for everyone in the family. It has been a long week, but it's good to be back in Abengourou, Ivory Coast. I have been wanting to write, but just now am able to get online since leaving the States last Sunday evening, and we still don't have it at our house (more on that later). I thought I would give you a rundown on what our past week has looked like.
Sunday
We had a nice last American church day at Lebanon Christian Church, who has been hosting us this past year. It was good to get to say thank you to the church for helping us out so much and say goodbye to the many new friends we have gotten to know this past year. We also enjoyed our last round of Arni's pizza with the Faust family and Schoolers.
In the afternoon, our parents had already loaded most of our bags for us (which we are thankful for, yet strangely suspicious of... :) ) and we loaded up for the airport. Check-in wasn't too bad and a "hey, that is really nice!" to the Indy airport and their family security check-point line. It made getting through security much easier and less hectic. We boarded the airplane for a long flight to Cincinnati, okay it was 30 minutes. We walked down the concourse and straight onto our plane for Paris with no problems.
Monday
The Paris flight was 8 hours long and during the night. Thankfully, there were a lot of empty seats and we got to spread out a bit. Most of the kids slept through much of the flight with only a few outbursts, but they did pretty well. We have decided that the Paris airport is our least favorite airport to date. Still, the kids did pretty well during the 3 1/2 hour layover, spending most of their time coloring and going to the bathroom.
The last flight was good and I will give a shout out to the Air France personal entertainment tv set for each seat. The boys were good to go for all 6 1/2 hours, watching cartoons and playing video games (genius!). The girls took advantage of it too, but did a little more seat swapping. Olivia did really well too.
We arrived in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in the evening and made it through immigration, customs and the parking lot in about 45 minutes without any trouble (or so we thought... more on that later). We got to the Baptist guest house, ate some good Vietnamese food, visited with the Jones family and then crashed into bed. It was hot, but not too bad since it was the evening.
Tuesday
After sleeping in a little bit (8:30 am), Ellie and I went with Damon to a couple stores to get a few necessities then pick up our boss (David Giles, CMF Director of Church Planting) and his wife Linda at the airport. Ellie was just taking it all in with that, "this looks odd" kind of look on her face. Once we started walking through the stores, she started to warm up... especially when she saw some candy in the check-out line.
Damon picked up David and Linda while I went to the airport bank to get some cash. We went back to get everyone else and off to lunch, the grocery store, and then back to Abengourou. Thank you Lord for air conditioning in our truck. I'm sure it won't work next week, but it made a huge difference on the trip home. We got to Abengourou around 8:30 pm. We just settled in a bit, ate, sent the kids to bed, and Steph and I headed towards bed around 1:00 am after sorting our baggage.
Wednesday
We tried to sleep in again, but were awaken at 8:00 am by our doorbell, welcome back to Africa! Stephanie spent all day sorting, I spent much of the day running around town getting supplies, groceries and visiting a few people and friends along the way. It feels really good to be back. The kids played with Isaac, our teammates the Bledsoes, several times throughout the day. The seemed to have a good time. I also worked on trying to get connected online to no avail.
Have I mentioned that it's hot?
Thursday
Our nanny showed up this morning so our kids spent much of the morning getting to know Larissa again. Steph was sorting and doing tons of laundry. I started sorting my stuff and the electronics that we brought back with us. That was when I found out that our bags didn't make it through the airport untouched. Our brand new Canon camcorder was stolen out of the box. Nothing else seems to be missing (even all the cords and battery for the camcorder!), but if that's the worst thing to happen, then we are doing okay. It was really disappointing though. I was looking forward to taking video of the kids and also doing better about posting videos of the ministry. I guess that will have to wait until ??
I also ran around town getting more necessities that we didn't think of yesterday and passed by the clinic to see friends, the workers at the clinic and the new Lab. It is really nice. I was both excited and wowed by it's appearance and usefulness. It is already helping out greatly.
Friday
We are getting closer to getting settled in. The living room looks normal, but the bedrooms still have a ways to go. We started pulling things out of storage. Looked at some of the clothing and asked, "Why did we keep this?" The kids were happy to see some toys they hadn't seen in 14 months. I tried the Internet again, but no luck.
In the afternoon we went to the Jones' house for a pool party with everyone else in the mission. We celebrated David and Kate's birthdays. The pool never felt so good! Afterwards, we all went to my favorite restaurant in town, a Lebanese place. We sat on the roof top with a nice breeze enjoying the meal, company and evening.
Saturday
We tried hard to finish getting things in order. I went out and bought us a new TV. The kids were excited to get in their electronic fix and watch a few movies. I went out again to spend more money.
In the evening, I worked on our dryer and was able to get it working again. Steph and I stayed up late again, but pretty much got the house in order. There is still a lot of laundry, but that too is slowly getting smaller.
Sunday
We went to church in the new church building at the clinic. It was very nice. There is so much more space, they already have more people than they could ever hope to fit in the old church building. It was also good to see a lot of people we had not seen yet. It was a good confirmation that this is where we are to be.
We'll stay in contact. Please feel free to email us and let us know how you are doing, ask questions, or whatever. Thanks for praying for us. Keep it up!
Andy
Sunday
We had a nice last American church day at Lebanon Christian Church, who has been hosting us this past year. It was good to get to say thank you to the church for helping us out so much and say goodbye to the many new friends we have gotten to know this past year. We also enjoyed our last round of Arni's pizza with the Faust family and Schoolers.
In the afternoon, our parents had already loaded most of our bags for us (which we are thankful for, yet strangely suspicious of... :) ) and we loaded up for the airport. Check-in wasn't too bad and a "hey, that is really nice!" to the Indy airport and their family security check-point line. It made getting through security much easier and less hectic. We boarded the airplane for a long flight to Cincinnati, okay it was 30 minutes. We walked down the concourse and straight onto our plane for Paris with no problems.
Monday
The Paris flight was 8 hours long and during the night. Thankfully, there were a lot of empty seats and we got to spread out a bit. Most of the kids slept through much of the flight with only a few outbursts, but they did pretty well. We have decided that the Paris airport is our least favorite airport to date. Still, the kids did pretty well during the 3 1/2 hour layover, spending most of their time coloring and going to the bathroom.
The last flight was good and I will give a shout out to the Air France personal entertainment tv set for each seat. The boys were good to go for all 6 1/2 hours, watching cartoons and playing video games (genius!). The girls took advantage of it too, but did a little more seat swapping. Olivia did really well too.
We arrived in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in the evening and made it through immigration, customs and the parking lot in about 45 minutes without any trouble (or so we thought... more on that later). We got to the Baptist guest house, ate some good Vietnamese food, visited with the Jones family and then crashed into bed. It was hot, but not too bad since it was the evening.
Tuesday
After sleeping in a little bit (8:30 am), Ellie and I went with Damon to a couple stores to get a few necessities then pick up our boss (David Giles, CMF Director of Church Planting) and his wife Linda at the airport. Ellie was just taking it all in with that, "this looks odd" kind of look on her face. Once we started walking through the stores, she started to warm up... especially when she saw some candy in the check-out line.
Damon picked up David and Linda while I went to the airport bank to get some cash. We went back to get everyone else and off to lunch, the grocery store, and then back to Abengourou. Thank you Lord for air conditioning in our truck. I'm sure it won't work next week, but it made a huge difference on the trip home. We got to Abengourou around 8:30 pm. We just settled in a bit, ate, sent the kids to bed, and Steph and I headed towards bed around 1:00 am after sorting our baggage.
Wednesday
We tried to sleep in again, but were awaken at 8:00 am by our doorbell, welcome back to Africa! Stephanie spent all day sorting, I spent much of the day running around town getting supplies, groceries and visiting a few people and friends along the way. It feels really good to be back. The kids played with Isaac, our teammates the Bledsoes, several times throughout the day. The seemed to have a good time. I also worked on trying to get connected online to no avail.
Have I mentioned that it's hot?
Thursday
Our nanny showed up this morning so our kids spent much of the morning getting to know Larissa again. Steph was sorting and doing tons of laundry. I started sorting my stuff and the electronics that we brought back with us. That was when I found out that our bags didn't make it through the airport untouched. Our brand new Canon camcorder was stolen out of the box. Nothing else seems to be missing (even all the cords and battery for the camcorder!), but if that's the worst thing to happen, then we are doing okay. It was really disappointing though. I was looking forward to taking video of the kids and also doing better about posting videos of the ministry. I guess that will have to wait until ??
I also ran around town getting more necessities that we didn't think of yesterday and passed by the clinic to see friends, the workers at the clinic and the new Lab. It is really nice. I was both excited and wowed by it's appearance and usefulness. It is already helping out greatly.
Friday
We are getting closer to getting settled in. The living room looks normal, but the bedrooms still have a ways to go. We started pulling things out of storage. Looked at some of the clothing and asked, "Why did we keep this?" The kids were happy to see some toys they hadn't seen in 14 months. I tried the Internet again, but no luck.
In the afternoon we went to the Jones' house for a pool party with everyone else in the mission. We celebrated David and Kate's birthdays. The pool never felt so good! Afterwards, we all went to my favorite restaurant in town, a Lebanese place. We sat on the roof top with a nice breeze enjoying the meal, company and evening.
Saturday
We tried hard to finish getting things in order. I went out and bought us a new TV. The kids were excited to get in their electronic fix and watch a few movies. I went out again to spend more money.
In the evening, I worked on our dryer and was able to get it working again. Steph and I stayed up late again, but pretty much got the house in order. There is still a lot of laundry, but that too is slowly getting smaller.
Sunday
We went to church in the new church building at the clinic. It was very nice. There is so much more space, they already have more people than they could ever hope to fit in the old church building. It was also good to see a lot of people we had not seen yet. It was a good confirmation that this is where we are to be.
We'll stay in contact. Please feel free to email us and let us know how you are doing, ask questions, or whatever. Thanks for praying for us. Keep it up!
Andy
Thursday, January 15, 2009
getting geared up
It's hard to believe that our furlough time has gone by already. We are gearing up to head back to Ivory Coast February 1st. We have enjoyed being back this past year, seeing friends and family while getting to meet some new folks at the same time. I've been thinking about all that has happened over the past year.
Getting involved at the Lebanon Christian Church, who has graciously hosted us this past year, has been both refreshing and fun. The kids have loved going to "church class", especially since it's something they haven't really experienced before this year. For Stephanie and I it has been great to be involved with other adults without having to keep track or worry about the kids. We've been able to develop some good relationships along the way.
I also was excited to get back to my formal education. This past fall I started the Masters Degree in New Testament Studies through Johnson Bible College. It has reminded me that there is a big difference between my personal Bible study and doing class work. I can say I have mostly enjoyed the process (though at times stretching parts of my brain that haven't been stretched in a while!).
We also have traveled around a bit, but not too much (gas prices helped with that some!). Catching up with our partnering churches is always enjoyable. I love sharing about how God is moving and active in Ivory Coast, but it's equally good to hear what God is doing in the life of the church. We are incredibly thankful for our partner churches, they have stepped up in big ways for us. Our monthly financial support raising needs were an increase of $2500/month and over 2/3 of that came from current partners. To say that they encouraged us does not suffice. We feel exceptionally loved!
We are excited too by our new ministry partners from this past year. A small church in Brandywine, West Virgina with big hearts (our kids really enjoyed the visit) and another church in Troy, OH who have some great plans. We look forward to developing the relationships with these two churches! As you might imagine, support raising hasn't always been easy this past year, but God has provided as He always does in His time.
Our one-time Outgoing Budget has done well over the course of this year, again mostly because of the faithfulness of our current ministry partners. Whether it was a VBS over the summer, a special offering for plane tickets or a large gift from the church, you all have been wonderful. We still have about $5,000 left to raise for the up-front expenses of getting reestablished, but fully trust once again that God will provide.
So, thanks for praying for us during this time. Please continue to pray for our family as we make the transition back to Ivory Coast: that the kids would adjust well (little more to it this time), that the last bit of needed funds would come in, and that Mom and Dad would remain sane through it all!
Thanks again. We love you all deeply.
Andy
Getting involved at the Lebanon Christian Church, who has graciously hosted us this past year, has been both refreshing and fun. The kids have loved going to "church class", especially since it's something they haven't really experienced before this year. For Stephanie and I it has been great to be involved with other adults without having to keep track or worry about the kids. We've been able to develop some good relationships along the way.
I also was excited to get back to my formal education. This past fall I started the Masters Degree in New Testament Studies through Johnson Bible College. It has reminded me that there is a big difference between my personal Bible study and doing class work. I can say I have mostly enjoyed the process (though at times stretching parts of my brain that haven't been stretched in a while!).
We also have traveled around a bit, but not too much (gas prices helped with that some!). Catching up with our partnering churches is always enjoyable. I love sharing about how God is moving and active in Ivory Coast, but it's equally good to hear what God is doing in the life of the church. We are incredibly thankful for our partner churches, they have stepped up in big ways for us. Our monthly financial support raising needs were an increase of $2500/month and over 2/3 of that came from current partners. To say that they encouraged us does not suffice. We feel exceptionally loved!
We are excited too by our new ministry partners from this past year. A small church in Brandywine, West Virgina with big hearts (our kids really enjoyed the visit) and another church in Troy, OH who have some great plans. We look forward to developing the relationships with these two churches! As you might imagine, support raising hasn't always been easy this past year, but God has provided as He always does in His time.
Our one-time Outgoing Budget has done well over the course of this year, again mostly because of the faithfulness of our current ministry partners. Whether it was a VBS over the summer, a special offering for plane tickets or a large gift from the church, you all have been wonderful. We still have about $5,000 left to raise for the up-front expenses of getting reestablished, but fully trust once again that God will provide.
So, thanks for praying for us during this time. Please continue to pray for our family as we make the transition back to Ivory Coast: that the kids would adjust well (little more to it this time), that the last bit of needed funds would come in, and that Mom and Dad would remain sane through it all!
Thanks again. We love you all deeply.
Andy
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