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.
