Author name: Lois Gillespie

While most of you are attending graduation and open houses, we still have another month of school, with graduation being June 27th. Senior activities still fill our schedules though. The ICA Class of 2002 returned yesterday from their senior retreat at the beaches in San Pedro, on the Atlantic Ocean. This Friday night is the Junior-Senior Banquet which is entirely hosted by the juniors for the seniors – they even do the cooking! 

The Seniors are also in ‘transition’; a time where they don’t have to show up for meals or classes etc.; they have to do their own laundry and cook their own meals for which they have done their own shopping. They are still responsible for all their coursework and for their work credit. The intended goal is to better prepare them to live on their own when they return to the USA for college; mom and dad won’t be an easy phone call away when they are still here in Africa.

Our best news is that our daughter Gina and her husband (of one year) Brian are coming to visit us this summer. We’re sending them a list of things to bring us, things we didn’t think to bring and can’t get here in Bouake. They will also be able to visit the Abernethys, missionaries here in Bouake supported by their home church in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. As you can imagine, we’re counting the days in anticipation of this visit!

Excitement is building for our seniors, just as I’m sure it is in the states. They aren’t exactly driving around in cars with “Class of 2002” painted all over, but senioritis has arrived at ICA, too. They have five more weeks until graduation. For some, that seems like forever; others have started dreading the good-byes.

Last weekend was ‘long’ weekend; classes were over at noon on Friday so that students could travel home or to a friends’ house. Very few students stayed on campus, and the ones who did were treated to very special times with their dorm parents. Bob and I were asked to housesit a house in Bouake which allowed us to get away from the campus for a few days, too. Bob even got to watch the Discovery Channel on the satellite TV!

I was blessed by attending a ladies’ retreat for the past three days – yes, even in Africa. Sixty-five missionary ladies from all over Cote d’Ivore gathered to encourage and be encouraged. In each of our Bible sessions, we were reminded that “God is Able”, each session concentrating on specific areas of our lives. It was a very special time of sharing what God has done and is doing in our lives.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us, and for your e-mails and other notes that show us you are thinking of us,

I want to thank those of you who shared our prayer request for staff concerns for next year; I especially want to thank those who have been praying. We have received some very promising ‘leads’, even from some people we know! We’re excited to think we may have some old friends join our new friends here at ICA.

We ask that you continue to pray for the application and approval process for those who are indicating an interest. Bob and I felt the process took forever; we can’t imagine it happening any faster when we consider all the agencies involved. But God can do this thing, and He chooses to work through the prayers of His people.

Students are taking mid-terms this week. It’s hard to believe that our first year is only 6 weeks from being over. We thought life would slow down out here – we were wrong! (But now that we know our daughter and her husband are visiting us in July, I’m sure the next 2 months will crawl.)

Pray for ICA tonight as we pray for you.