First Term Updates – Cote d’Ivoire/Senegal

No big news to share today – just a few little things:

Although when we wrote 2 weeks ago, we were ‘under the yellow flag’, things have been relatively peaceful since. Then again last night, we were informed that we are ‘under the orange flag’ because of 2 separate incidents elsewhere in Cote d’Ivoire. They don’t seem to have affected us here at ICA, other than a little more hassling at the roadstops (on the way into town, etc.).

Two of the commanding officers of the new French troops are protestant – not muslim or catholic – and are interested in attending our services, along with some of the other soldiers. Sunday, their chaplain – who is a member of the same protestant organization in France to which some of our missionaries belong – read the Scripture passage in french, and we sang several songs in french. It is possible that we may be doing more and more of the service in french (as well as English) in the days ahead so that more soldiers would be encouraged to come.

A friend just returned from the states with new parts (motherboard, etc.) for our network server – all purchased through funds given to ICA from a VBS. This server upgrade with allow the teachers to move into more online course offerings that can even be made available to home schoolers in West Africa – once we finally have internet connection from campus. For now, these options will be used to supplement the current coursework. Lois is excited to have new toys to play with even though there is lots of work ahead – rebuiding the server AGAIN.

Internet connection/telephone land lines on campus – well, it seems we’re no closer to this than we ever were, although we regularly hear of ‘progress’. Caught between political maneuvering and theft of newly installed equipment, the solution seems to be far in the future. Even more than being an annoyance (daily trips into town to do e-mail), this is a security concern for us. Please pray that we see these phone lines on campus – to stay – in the very near future.

IMPORTANT…IMPORTANT…IMPORTANT…IMPORTANT…IMPORTANT

Please discontinue using the following e-mail address:
bobnloisgillespie@hotmail.com
bgillespie@ica.ed.ci
lgillespie@ica.ed.ci

Mail sent to our hotmail account takes much longer to download; the other two addresses will expire at the end of the year.

Instead, use the e-mail address listed below). We can also receive e-mail at lgillespie@ica-ed.org or bgillespie@ica-ed.org; use these e-mail addresses if you want a backup.

In addition, if you haven’t visited our website lately, we invite you back! I recently sent some new material back to the states with a friend, so that content should be available sometime next week. 

We’ve had a few days lately when the ‘yellow flag’ of caution has been flying by the front gate. This means we should only go into Bouake if absolutely necessary. Yesterday we even saw the ‘red flag’, meaning ‘Do Not Leave Campus’. With the French military living among us, we don’t feel threatened in any way. Here in Cote d’Ivoire, tensions are rising as another deadline has come and gone without any real progress towards peace. Another important date is this Friday – the beginning of disarmament – which is unlikely to happen because of the lack of progress in trusting each other. Please pray for peace in Cote d’Ivoire.

This week the French troops will be ‘changing guards’. Those soldiers who are here will be replaced by different soldiers. Please pray that the seeds which have been planted in those who are leaving will bear fruit, and that we will have many opportunities to sew more seeds with those who are coming.

As we approach ‘long weekend’, when all students and a lot of staff leave campus for other locales, we find ourselves reflecting on this past month and the re-opening of ICA and/or the beginning of a new school year. This past weekend, exactly two years from our emergency evacuation, especially gave us the opportunity to reflect on God’s handiwork in our lives.

We took advantage of the opportunity by inviting a classical guitarist and his wife, the Dossmans who are French missionaries in Abidjan, to hold a Saturday evening concert to which we also invited our French ‘neighbors’ (the French military). At the concert, we formally thanked the French military for coming to our rescue 2 years ago and for their continued protection of us and our campus. In the colonel’s remarks, he thanked us (Americans) for having come to their (France’s) rescue many long years ago, and for continuing to stand against tyranny in the world and especially in Iraq. We were pleasantly surprised by his comments. During the evening’s concert, the French guitarist shared how he and his wife searched for peace and where they had found their ‘raison d’etre’.

To finish the evening, our French neighbors invited all of us to a pig roast. We enjoyed a pleasant evening of socializing and bridge building. We have been encouraged by the Dossmans that our reason for being here this year is bigger than the re-opening of ICA; that we have a unique opportunity to live Christ before an audience which cannot leave, which would not normally take the time to observe Christians, and who would certainly never conduct a public search for truth. He says the French are private seekers, but that they are watching us. One soldier’s comments seem to bear this out: he remarked that it was good to be with people who still believe in ‘something’ and whose lives bear that out.

So if you’ve prayed for our encouragement, God is answering those prayers. Thank you again for your support of us at the throne of grace.