First Term Updates – Cote d’Ivoire/Senegal

If you’ve been praying that God would encourage our hearts, we’re writing to tell you that He is answering your prayers. This has been an encouraging week for some of us as we have realized that ‘we are getting fed’ at church – in French! That doesn’t mean we understand every conversation we hear, even when people are speaking directly to us, but it’s good to realize that we are progressing. We are encouraged! 

Tomorrow night, Marcel (Bob’s language partner) and Jeanne (Lois’ language partner) are coming to church with us. One of the adult Bible teachers in our church is from Cote d’Ivoire and will be talking about that country, to be followed by a time of prayer specifically for Cote d’Ivoire . Please pray that they will see a difference in our worship of and relationship with God – up close and personal. We’ve had chances to share what we believe. When we leave Quebec in a few weeks, we hope to have introduced them to new friends who will continue to live Christ before them. 

If you visit www.abidjan.com, you can read the news from Cote d’Ivoire (remembering that it may be understated/overstated). It hasn’t been good this past week, and some feel that the fragile peace has been shattered. The leaders of the different political movements aren’t ‘talking’ any more. None of them trusts the others. The UN peace-keeping force will be deployed in Cote d’Ivoire this next month. Please pray that they will be able to bring the parties together in working out their differences without further hostilities. Also pray for the protection of God’s people and that they will remain strong. Pray that this political unrest and absence of peace will bring to light the unrest in the hearts of the people, and that God’s people will have more and more opportunities to share the news of true and everlasting peace.

Bonjour ? tout! I truly wish that I were capable of writing an entire e-mail in French without errors, but then since a lot of you wouldn’t be able to read it, what’s the point? I’ll focus on English, which is challenging enough when I focus on French all day long. 

Here in Qu?bec, as elsewhere, many people are seeing The Passion, the recently-released film about the last 12 hours before Jesus’ death. We’ve had many new opportunities to explain why Jesus had to die and what it means to us. We’re reminded again of I Pet. 3:15 which says: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear :” 

Thanks to many of you who prayed for us during our week of mid-terms. I felt calmness when taking these exams that I haven’t felt before when taking French exams. I credit that to your prayers. God is also answering your prayers for increased support. We recently received word of a ladies’ missionary group who has taken us on for monthly support. How very, very special! I am quite often asked about the relevance of women’s missionary groups in today’s churches. Now I have one more example of how God uses us ladies. 

Some of you who are not able to support us financially each month have asked how you can help us get back to Cote d’Ivoire . We have many extra expenses associated with moving. Like all of your missionaries returning to the field, we need to purchase not only our plain tickets, but several years’ worth of things that aren’t available in the country where we minister. As you can imagine, the expenses add up. You can help us with these expenses by sending your gift to our mission at the address below and VERY CLEARLY marking them for our ‘Moving Expenses’.
Evangelical Baptist Missions
2115 W. Alto Rd.
P.O. Box 2225
Kokomo , IN 46904
Gift for Bob and Lois Gillespie – Moving Expenses

Fifteen Weeks – that’s really not long for all there is to do before we return to the Cote d’Ivoire .

First we need to learn French – really! We know that we will be much more prepared for life in a French-speaking country after this year, but we certainly won’t be speaking French like the natives. 

Secondly , we need more supporters to join our ‘team’. We always need prayer supporters; we can never have too many. If you know of someone who would like to receive our updates by e-mail so that they know better how to pray, please have them e-mail us at this address. We will never forget the lessons about the importance of prayer that we learned during our first year in Africa ! 

We also need a few more financial supporters. Please praise the Lord with us for one of our supporting churches who increased our support this week. What an encouragement they are to us! As of this e-mail, we have 87% of our support; we need $460/month more. Please prayerfully consider how you can help us move towards full support. 

Our ICA director, who is in Cote d’Ivoire right now, wrote and shared with us some of what God is doing in one of the local churches in Bouake. There is a group of believers who have continued to meet all throughout the war and God has blessed them. Sunday after the service, the believers started a bonfire so that a man who has recently been saved could burn his fetishes and idols. 

How special to hear what God is doing. We love to share these stories with you, but we’d like to share in your blessings as well. Once again, we invite you to share with us how God is working in your life; He IS working!