First Term Updates – Cote d’Ivoire/Senegal

Bonjour mes amis, Sorry ’bout that. I’m having an increasingly difficult time making the transition between French and English – not that I can speak French, but I do think in French. 

We started our new classes on Monday. Bob is also auditing a course on Romans (in French) at the local Bible college, and we’re both attending a Bible study for a new church plant here in Quebec on Tuesday nights that is taught by Tim Vermilyea (in French). In one of my classes (French research on the Internet), there are 17 students from at least 12 different countries including Iceland, Australia, Cambodia, Viet Nam, Russia, Germany, Peru, Ireland, England, Mexico, Canada and the USA – should be an interesting mix. Since the guy from Mexico is a chef and several students play the guitar, we have the makings for another fun evening. Being in this university environment is really giving us an appreciation for the worldwide impact of campus ministries. 

We recently received the following from the director at International Christian Academy :

“As many of you know, the International Christian Academy School Board and Administration will be meeting on the Bouake campus in Cote d’Ivoire  January 27-30. These meetings will be crucial in determining the future of ICA . There are many factors to consider and options to discuss. The school board members and administrators want God’s total direction and wisdom in making these decisions. In the Old Testament before a crucial event (i.e. major battles), we see the leaders of Israel announcing a time of prayer and fasting for the whole nation. I feel that these meetings are extremely important and would like to ask for all of you to mark January 27 on your calendars for a day of prayer…commit to some major blocks of time to pray for these meetings. I think it’s important that we pray before these meetings and while they are in progress. I would also like to request that during your times of prayer you pray for the situation in Cote d’Ivoire . Obviously, what happens in Cote d’Ivoire has a big effect on what will happen at ICA .”

We thank you again for your prayers. God does answer – we are witnesses! We continue to see Him provide for our needs ‘just in time’ – true faith-building experiences!

Yes, we are students again; and like students everywhere, we are very thankful for Christmas vacation! Even though this past semester has flown by, we can see many things that God has been doing. Here are just a few: 

• Not only are we learning French (slowly), we are being reminded of what it’s like to be a student! During some of our frustrating times, we’ve found ourselves saying, “If I ever teach again…” Hopefully, our future MK students will benefit from this! 
• The French program in Quebec is truly a cultural melting pot. We share classes with students from as far away as Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Korea, China, Japan, etc. As you can imagine, it’s also a religious melting pot, and whether just out of curiosity or even loneliness, we’ve had many opportunities to share the gospel of peace. 
• In November, we gratefully received the news that a faithful-in-prayer supporting church has joined our team of financial supporters as well. 
• Even though our vehicle has an ‘owey’, we were not injured when we did a 360 on a 4-lane highway covered in black ice!
• In the past month, we’ve lined up some extra-curricular activities that will greatly help our French studies. 
• New friends, the Totmans, Gayles, Snyders and Bobergs, are helping to make our time in Quebec very special. Thanks, guys!

…if we were to consider all of 2003, our newsletter would be too long…and we thought about starting with the evacuation from the Cote d’Ivoire in September 2002! We thank you for the part you’ve had in these blessings; your prayers have made it happen.

We’ve definitely faced some challenges as well:

• Living in four different countries within a year has been difficult, not only financially, but emotionally as well. Although we feel we’ve said entirely too many good-byes, we’re enjoying the experience of having friends all over the world. 
• Learning another language is never easy, but we’re finding it’s actually hard work! 
• The need to raise more support before we can return to the mission field (hopefully Summer 2004) as well as the uncertain future of International Christian Academy (ICA) in Cote d’Ivoire has kept us wondering what God is doing in our lives. We’re continually reminding ourselves that we are walking in faith.

The biggest blessing of all has been God’s peace. At ICA, we sang a song with these words: “We can rest content, untouched by troubles.” We are frustrated at times, but His peace has been there for us when we let our walk of faith have its perfect work.

Peace – that’s what this time of year is all about. We?ll hear these words of the angels in Christmas musicals and children’s plays, and many of us will read them again on Christmas morning:

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.

While many of you will enjoy a “day off” tomorrow (except for the cooks in the family), we will be attending classes as usual. I am surprised each year that a day so important and full of meaning to us in the United States passes unnoticed by the rest of the world.  After classes, we will be sharing Thanksgiving dinner with four other missionary families. We are very thankful that God has given us these friends here in Canada. All of them have “gone before us” and are so helpful in making our way easier. Tomorrow, they will help ease the “missing” in a very big way. Our EBM team members have invited all of the single American students in our class to share dinner with them – a very special way of reaching out. I wish I had thought of it first!

As we near the end of this trimester, our coursework has drastically increased. Although this is a little (OK, very) stressful, we are realizing that we have actually learned some things. We’re finding it almost fun to put together the presentations in French; even delivering them before the class is not as stressful as we expected it would be when we read about it on the syllabus 10 weeks ago. We’re still not comfortable with conversing in French, but we’re beginning to understand more and more. Being comfortable just takes time, as “those who’ve gone before us” keep telling us. We continue to have opportunities to witness. We’ve never had so many people want to know what we believe.  Antonio has gone to church with us several times. Sarah continues to ask questions. Bob’s language partner has asked him to share the differences between Catholicism and our faith during their next session. He has written up an explanation in French that he has asked another language partner to correct for him – very clever! We didn’t anticipate being missionaries here in Quebec. We thought we came to learn the language, not sew the seed. We’ve always heard in our churches that all of us are always on the mission field – we have really learned that truth here in Canada!  

Thank you so much for your prayers and e-mails/snail-mails of encouragement. Please do not hesitate to e-mail us and ask how we’re doing and share your concerns with us. Have a very, very special day together tomorrow as you reflect with us – even though we’re miles apart – about all that God has done, is doing, and wants to do in our lives. Ps. 42:8 says: “the Lord will command his loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me.” That covers us all the time! 

Praises:

• friends with whom we can share Thanksgiving
• opportunities to share our reason for Thanksgiving
• progress in learning French
• God’s protection (2 members of our family have had serious car accidents in the past month – God has miraculously protected them both!) 

Prayer Concerns:

• those with whom we share the gospel
• continued progress in learning French and the extra ability to finish all these projects well
• financial needs
• peace in Cote d’Ivoire
• wisdom for the ICA school board as they review the situation in Cote d’Ivoire and make decisions about the coming school year.