Growth in the Beoumi Region

In 2013 two church planters lived and ministered in the Beoumi Region.  Two churches had already been started the previous year with many new believers.  The first couple months were extremely difficult, but they and the new believers persevered and God blessed the work.  Just after this past Christmas we headed back to Beoumi to bring them back home.  Again, we encountered vehicle trouble with the van starting to overheat after only 1/3 of the way home.  Thankfully, the new truck is amazing and we were able to take it slow and tow it back the rest of the way without incident.

During this last year they were able to see three new churches started along with another cell group.  They placed a primary emphasis on discipleship and leadership development among the new believers.  They completed three training courses and already have four young men who participate in the teaching and preaching.  Instead of focusing solely on growing things quickly and trying to win as many as possible, they mentored the new leaders and together they taught and spread the good news of God's saving grace through Jesus.  16 new people were baptized and many others are currently being taught the baptism class by the new leaders among the five churches.

This past year was a great learning experience for all of us.  There were many difficulties encountered and overcome: the loss of a pastor's wife on the field, too many vehicle problems to count, some conflict among some leaders, but as James tells us, the trials we encounter test and purify our faith.  I am truly proud and excited about the resiliency and solidarity of the young leaders in Beoumi.  Greater things are yet to come among them.

I am really excited to see how things develop this year.  We have another church planter working in Beoumi this year.  Jean Kouame will be there with his family.  He is an incredible leader.  He is filled with passion and humility and lives his life with great integrity.  He will be training and mentoring the young leaders in T4T (Training for Trainers) which is a disciple-making program focused on training people not only to share their faith, but how to train those who come to faith in Jesus to do the same.  We will also be training the churches in CHE later this year.  The opportunity and potential for growth this year is so tremendous.  The young leaders have the desire, passion and unity to do great things for God's kingdom among them.

Please continue to pray for Jean Kouame along with the four new leaders: Laurent, Arnold, Guillaume and Privat.  Pray for Andy as he teaches, trains and mentors our pastors and leaders in God's work.  Pray for the new believers in Beoumi as they encounter spiritual warfare and difficulties in living out their new-found faith.  Pray that the region of Beoumi will be transformed holistically by the good news that Jesus brings.

Our two vehicles loaded down with the baggage our our returning pastors.  Our new vehicle was able to tow all that without any problems.  Really thankful and enjoying the new truck!

Praying over the four newly chosen leaders for the Beoumi Region.  Left to right: Laurent, Guillaume, Arnold, Privat

The new church planter in Beoumi Jean Kouame.

Even through the difficulties, God is faithful.

In January, we were able to send our two church planters along with their families to the Beoumi region to live and work there for all of 2013.  Last year we were able to start two churches in the region, and our goal is to start four new churches this year (two in the first half of the year and two in the second half).  The first three months for our church planters in Beoumi have been very difficult, however God has remained faithful and we have started to see tremendous growth and the Spirit's moving in the ministry out there.  

It started with the trip out to Beoumi.  What normally is a half-day trip (6 hrs.) took a day and a half (they left at 10am on Monday January 7th, but didn't arrive until Tuesday around 7pm: 33 hrs.).  During the trip they had 3 flat tires.  After their second flat tire (the spare) they had to drive slowly with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere to the next village in order to spend the night in safety.

They were able to find another spare the next morning and headed toward the big city of Bouake, about 90 minutes away, in order to purchase a new tire and finish their trip.  Before arriving in Bouake, they had their third flat tire. Nestor, one of our pastors and coordinator of leadership training who was accompanying them, got on public transportation to Bouake, purchased the two new tires, then took public transportation back to the stranded Land Rover.  Beoumi was less than two hours away, but the errands took all day and they arrived just as it became dark.

Not even two weeks later, on January 20th at the very end of the worship service in the Beoumi church, Clementine, Pastor David N'Dri's wife, collapsed as she was closing the service in prayer.  Pastor Jean-Claude (David was visiting the Belakro church) carried Clementine to the nearby hospital and called us back in Abengourou to pray for her.  Soon after, the doctor arrived and pronounced her dead.  To say that it shook the two young churches and our two pastors is an understatement.  The mission assumed the cost of the paperwork and transporting her body back home near Abengourou.  The total was around $1,300.

January 31st, we headed out to Bouake and Beoumi to help bring Clementine's body back for the funeral in Kodjina and accompany David, Jean-Claude and the Beoumi church members.  On our way to the morgue February 1st, I started having vehicle troubles.  We sent everyone on ahead and I returned slowly accompanied by my friend Joel.  Thankfully the others arrived safely without any problems, but Joel and I finally broke down and had to call our mechanic to send the Land Rover to tow us back to Abengourou. We arrived late at night and headed out to the funeral early the next morning.

Following the funeral, Jean-Claude returned to Beoumi with the other church members while David stayed back in Kodjina to recuperate (he had been battling a case of dysentery) and recover.  Later in the month another one of our pastors, Emile N'Goran, went out to assist Jean-Claude in the work in Beoumi.

The Beoumi region is known as a place of tremendous spiritual warfare.  There are faith "healers" throughout the region and idolatry is rampant (including various sacrificial offerings).  Though our leaders have been praying regularly, they decided to increase their focus in prayer and since the beginning of March, everyday the church in Beoumi lead by our church planters, begins the day from 5:30am-6:00am in prayer.  Since then God has opened wide the door to two new villages near the town of Beoumi.  

They have visited the village of Assenzé at least three times.  The first day they were able to meet and evangelize 14 people.  The following week the met with 16 for Chronological Bible Storytelling (CBS) and last time they met with over 20 people.  The other village of Diacohou has been a tremendous experience. The first day they met with the village chief who said they are welcome to do as the wish and consider it their village.  That same day they met a family and began teaching in their courtyard.  People passing by kept coming to them as they heard them speaking and teaching.  By the end of the day 14 people were listening.  The second visit over 20 people were waiting for them to arrive and over 30 people were listening to the CBS lesson by the end.  The last visit, they were not sure how many people were there (because it was nighttime), but of those they could see and count in the darkness the number was over 106!

Already in both villages people have expressed the desire to be baptized (4 in Assenzé and 8 in Diacohou).  We have not started Sunday morning services in these two villages yet, but already more than 15 people travel by foot from their village to attend the Sunday morning worship service in Beoumi (Assenzé is 4.5 miles away and Diacohou is 2 miles away).  The believers in Beoumi have been accompanying Jean-Claude and Emile and have grown in their faith so much already by seeing God's faithfulness despite the trials our leaders have experienced.  Their example of faith, zeal and courage builds the faith of these new believers.

Please continue to pray for Jean-Claude, Emile and their families as they continue to serve in Beoumi.  Pray for the new believers to grow in their faith and service to Christ.  Pray also for these four new churches to grow and shine as a testimony to the power and truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We know that the spiritual warfare will continue and there will be other difficulties and trials to come, but we also know He who is greater than any other power in this world.  Pray for us too as we continue preparations to do a mobile clinic and evangelism campaign in Beoumi mid-June.  Pray that the light of the gospel would shine brightly and the darkness would flee before it.

Exciting News in Béoumi

I'm so excited to be able to update you all with great news about the new church planting project in Ivory Coast. The Association of Christian Churches in Ivory Coast in partnership with CMF have been praying and planning to plant 4 new churches in the Béoumi region, with the hope that is will start a new church planting movement in central Ivory Coast. Several of the leaders and missionaries have visited the area and have taught and preached on several occasions last year. They were well received and invited back.

Once the political turmoil hit the end of last year, no one was able to travel throughout the country safely. We had hoped to send two church planters this past January to the region, but it just was not possible. We continued to pray for those who had heard the message of Jesus Christ and that God would open the doors for us to go again.

Last month, the door opened back up. Since the dramatic political changes happened in April and May (the conclusion of the electoral crisis), things in Ivory Coast quickly began to improve. Our teammate, Christina, along with our friends and fellow CMF missionaries from Burkina Faso, the Hausers, returned to Ivory Coast. When the Hausers returned to Burkina a week later, they made a side trip, accompanying several of our church leaders to Béoumi to encourage and share God's Word with them.

One group in particular were overjoyed to receive them and their message. In fact, their story is amazing. They actually come from an odd religious sect. Unlike so many other indigenous groups, they worshiped and prayed to the one “Creator God” while also rejecting the traditional amulets, charms and statues that permeate the african culture. Their founder had even at one time cleared their region of the various masks, charms and idols and stood up to many different witch doctors. However, they had no concept of salvation and had never heard the good news of Jesus Christ!

Upon hearing the story of Jesus and the salvation that God has given through Him, they cheered and praised God for revealing the complete truth to them! They listened so intently, that even our national church leaders said they had never experienced a group of people so hungry and thirsty for God's Word. On the final day of teaching 58 people stood up to say they wanted to be baptized into Christ (everyone from the local sect who was present that day).

In one week, four church leaders accompanied by our teammate Christina, will travel back to Béoumi. They will make a trip to a nearby lake (because there isn't sufficient water in their area for baptisms) with those who have put their faith in Christ for a baptism celebration... rejoicing for their new lives in Christ. One of the leaders will stay with them; teaching, encouraging and visiting others for a month. Pray for Nestor, one of the national pastors, who will be staying and sharing with the Béoumi believers.

It is so exciting to see God’s Spirit leading us to harvest fields that He has been preparing well in advance. It has been exciting to see people respond with incredible enthusiasm to God’s love through Jesus Christ. We wait in great anticipation to see where God leads us and how the Holy Spirit will move in this new region. This coming January, Nestor along with another national church planter, will return to Béoumi to stay and work for an entire year. Please lift up these two church planters and their families as they serve the Lord sacrificially.

May God be glorified and honored in our service to Him!

Andy