Author name: Bob Gillespie

“Wednesday July 17, 2002, at about 6:30 PM, a vehicle stopped at the front gate of ICA. When the guard approached to ask what they wanted, the occupants of the vehicle asked for a contract worker who frequently comes to ICA to repair different things. The guard told them that the worker was not on campus. At this point the men drew pistols from hiding places and forced the guard to open the gate.

“Once inside the wall, they entered the house of a staff family near the gate and took as many valuable items as they could find. The parents were struck by the robbers but the children were not physically harmed. 

“As the robbers left the house with the parents, they saw Mike Cousineau’s vehicle approaching up the road. Mike had been called at home to tell him there were armed men on campus and was coming to handle the situation. The men let the staff family go briefly and shot at Mike’s car to make him stop. At this point the staff members ran and escaped into houses. The robbers forced Mike to take them to Brethren Dorm. 

“There was a team visiting from the US for a work project who were staying at the dorm with the dorm parents. The robbers entered the dorm, searched a couple rooms and took any personal items they could find. They struck several people and forced everyone to lie on the floor. One of the ICA guards was being held by the robbers and forced to kneel on the floor near the door. 

“When the robbers decided to leave with Mike to get more money at the office, one of the men holding a pistol to the guard, shot and killed him instantly. The group then left the ICA campus in Mike’s vehicle with Mike in the car. They headed into the bush and stopped, threatening to kill Mike, and roughing him up pretty badly. When Mike was forced out of the car he began immediately to run, weaving through bushes and trees. Despite several shots fired in his direction, Mike escaped without further harm. He found a car on the road that brought him back to ICA. 

“The US Embassy has a team here to investigate and help us with advice on security. The Police have been helpful, placing guards at our gate overnight, and have been searching for Mike’s vehicle. The Mobile Member Care Team based in Abidjan is coming this afternoon to offer their help to those involved. Mission leaders in this country and in the US have been contacted and will be kept informed of what is happening here. Late last night I visited the family of the guard who was killed and we are in the process of helping with burial arrangements. We just received word that Mike’s car has been found here in Bouake and he has gone with some people to check on it and possibly bring the car back to ICA.

“I have been impressed with the way in which everyone on campus is dealing with what happened. The most frequent question I hear is “What can I do to help”. People are disturbed and concerned about what has happened but there is a sense that we are under the protection of God, and He is in control. Many aspects of this situation could have been much worse, as we think through what might have happened. We mourn the death of a friend and employee while we thank God for His protection over many others who were on campus at this time.

“ICA staff met this morning at 9 AM for a time of prayer and to better understand what happened. Please be in prayer for all those involved as we work through this situation and decide how to handle things for the future. 

“One of the difficult things at a time like this is to know how much information to share as we try to protect the privacy of the people involved. Please be considerate of the ICA staff and be careful in how you communicate this to others. 

“Thank you for your expressions of concern and your prayers for all those involved.”

The third trimester is underway and the students seem to have an added motivation to finish the year strong. Time has gone by very quickly. Before we know it the summer vacation will be upon us and time to prepare for next year.

Thanks to all for your prayers. Our trip to Mali was well worth the effort. It was great to work side by side with people form our home church. They were able to get a little taste of what our life is like out here. We wish everyone could have this opportunity. The team worked hard to finish the second story of the only Baptist church in Gao, a city of about 60,000 on the Niger River at the edge of the Sahara. We were glad for our little 4X4; it came in handy as a shuttle bus through the sandy streets. We were also glad to have had some experience buying things in Africa since the missionary who was to arrange our meals could not arrive until almost a week later. We met some wonderful dedicated believers there. They are a great testimony for our Lord in this city that is 99% Muslim, and an inspiration to all of us.

The school recently sponsored an outreach ministry building a church in a village out in the ‘bush’. Many staff and students worked to get the roof up and build benches. All these people had for their worship was a little hut. Their new church was only four bare walls, a tin roof, and a dirt floor, but they were thrilled to death. The next Sunday we attended the dedication service along with about 300 Africans who came from villages all around there. The building was packed with people outside at every window. We celebrated with them as they sang praises to God in their own style. It was good to see that people in a different culture can praise God, too, even if it is different than what we?re used to. They did not need a piano or American hymnals. Their rejoicing was still a sweet savor to God that day, more so than many big wealthy churches in the States. If more Americans could see this, missions giving would increase.

I had an interesting thing happen to me the other day. I was in town and a street boy asked to guard my car just like usual. However, this time I did something different. I asked the boy what his name was and talked to him a bit. There is usually no opportunity to do this since there are so many of these children who crowd around. That next Sunday, Lois and I visited a church planted by Baptist Mid-Missions with which the Holmes and Abernethys work. Just that week God had prompted Mrs. Abernethy to talk with this same street boy and she was able to lead him to the Lord. What a surprise it was to see my new friend Guy in church that Sunday. It was his first time in church, and he has been faithful ever since. One never knows what even a small kind word can do when God is in it. Please pray for Guy; he has a tough life out here on the streets.

Lois stays very busy with ongoing computer and network concerns. This week she even installed software on a computer running Windows XP in Korean-an operating system she’s rarely used with all the menus and choices listed in Korean! Every day definitely presents new challenges.

Satan was busy during the second trimester at ICA. Our administrators had to make some tough decisions which are never popular, but we pray that God will be honored in the new trimester as a result. Decisions are also being made about staff for next year. We still have a number of positions that need to be filled. For more information about these needs, visit our website at http://www.ica.ed.ci, click the blue footprint, and then the little toe-really! Try it!

We ask for your prayers for the following: 

• continued political stability and domestic safety
• our efforts to communicate in the French language
• continued outreach in to the surrounding area; another outreach weekend is planned or this trimester to Toulepleu, a village near the border of Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire which has a large number of Liberian refugees
• victory in the daily lives of our students (and our staff) during this new trimester
• staff needs for 2002-2003 school year.

I’m not sure when you’ll get this since the phone lines have been working off and on here in Cote d’Ivoire. We’re told they’re working fine, only to loose them again in another half hour or so. Hopefully, this will slip through the pipeline.

What a whirlwind weekend. Five vehicles with some trailers and 48 staff and students left the campus at 5:00 am on Friday morning. About 7 hours later we came to the end of the road – the paved road that is. We had another hour and a half on dirt road through little villages until we got to a village in the middle of nowhere. There were paved roads, lots of people and animals but very few cars – and a gas station?!. We arrived at the school for Liberian refugees who were all standing by the gate singing songs to welcome us.. They were so happy that we got there. That afternoon after pitching our tents for the night, some of us went to the school rooms to work on the roof. We had to fill in the floor with dirt and ready the roof for the tin. That evening there was a big rally in town. An African choir made up of people from the area churches sang and people started arriving from ‘nowhere’. By the time our team got up to sing there must have been 1500 people gathered around. There was singing, drama, preaching, and a gospel film. It lasted about 3 hours. Lightning was flashing all over that night but not a drop of rain fell; one African pastor was sure it wouldn’t since that’s how they had prayed. The next morning was full with efforts to finish the classrooms. Everyone worked very hard. The African men were impressed at our girls who shoveled dirt all day just like the guys. (I was impressed too!) That evening the rally crowd was about 2000. Our sound system got the message out and there were about 90 decisions for Christ between the two rallies. The next morning was church at 7:00 AM and then on the road by 9:00. We got back to the school in time for evening service to share the whole thing with everyone at ICA. 

Lois and I took off Saturday afternoon and drove back to where the paved road starts. There we found the home of Jim and Rosie Johnson, missionaries supported by our home. It was good to fellowship with them and see the church that was built with the Thanksgiving offering from our church. We went to their church service until the caravan drove by and we joined them for the trip back.

We can tell that there were prayers sent up on the team’s behalf. There are so many things that can go wrong and destroy all the best laid plans. We could see God?s hand in guiding all things to work for His glory. We feel fortunate to have been able to help these African school children who have nothing, and we thank you for your partnership of prayer for this past weekend.