“A Week of Resurrections”

wp-imagesThe following is an adapted excerpt from international leadership couple Jeter and Laura Livingston’s recent update about West Africa Alliance Theological Seminary (FATEAC) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Flying into Cotonou, Benin—on the first leg of our journey back to Abidjan from Dakar, Senegal—we saw our Easter sunrise. With good news to tell on many fronts, this feels like a week of resurrections.

We arrived without incident and are delighted to be settled back into our own home—in spite of the dead rat rotting in the guest room and the drug-crazed man who insists on living in our front yard. Order is slowly returning to the country, although there are still frightening and dangerous pockets of resistance. Cooking oil is still unavailable, vehicle fuel is hard to obtain, and banks are not yet open.

A Wreath of Smiles

Thanks to your generosity, we were able to give the students their full allowance—plus a food supplement. It felt like the campus was wreathed with smiles when your gifts arrived. Students who had food had been sharing with those who had none, but now everyone can purchase something.

We received word this morning that Rachelle Keita has obtained her visa in Guinea, enabling her to accompany her husband, Isaac (FATEAC dean), to the United States for his doctoral graduation, May 9. I will make that trip to attend his graduation and that of our son, Joshua, who has finished nursing school.

Trauma Healing Needed

Pray for Jeter, who will stay behind to begin an accelerated teaching schedule for FATEAC in order to finish the school year in a timely fashion. As soon as I return, I’ll be looking for opportunities to start trauma healing ministries.

Côte d’Ivoire’s road to peace and reconciliation is going to be long and hard-won. For example: one member of our church here, a former government minister, was captured and saw all of his body guards killed before his eyes. His own life was spared when one of his captors’ leaders turned out to be a relative; this fractured family’s situation is multiplied over and over throughout the country.

Please continue to pray for peace. And thank you again for walking this long, hard road with the FATEAC family.

Keep struggling with us (Romans 15:30),

The Livingstons

What You Can Do

Donate to Alliance Great Commission Ministries. In doing so, you partner with Alliance workers-like the international FATEAC team-to ensure that God’s healing grace and provision reaches those who have no hope.

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