January 27, 2012
By Evan and Jewel Evans, staff at Dakar Academy—a boarding and day-school program (K-12) largely for the children of international workers
During our recent Dakar Academy outreach (January 20–22), we were able to share the gospel with some 3,500 people through drama, vacation Bible school (VBS), and evening evangelism campaigns.
“Rejoice with Us!”
Evening meetings were held in six villages, two of which heard the gospel for the very first time. Rejoice with us that over the course of the weekend about 100 people indicated that they wanted to accept Christ as their Savior!
In one of the two villages that had never heard the good news, the village chief not only gave permission to hold the evangelism campaign, he sent someone around the village to announce the event.
The chief also said that he would welcome a church in his village. Maybe this is where we will hold a future outreach!
Weekend Outreach Activities:
- Evangelistic drama presented in 14 villages
- VBS conducted in 11 villages
- One church painted; another roofed
- 150 meters of wall foundation dug
- 400 bricks hand-made
- 250 patients treated for health issues
- One church mural painted
- Well digging begun
- Four tons of sand moved
- 960 meals served
YOU Prayed, HE Answered
Thank you for praying for safety—146 of us traveled in 15 vehicles more than 4,350 miles that weekend!
We had four flat tires, two buses broke down because of wheel bearing issues, and one van had to limp back to Dakar because of engine problems. However, we are happy to report that we were kept safe—thanks to your prayers. We are so very grateful!
What You Can Do
Praise God for the successful outreach! Pray for the new believers to grow strong in their faith and for Alliance workers the world over.
Donate to the Great Commission Fund—partner with workers like Evan and Jewel to share the Light of Christ with many who have never had opportunity to hear the good news!
Read the Evanses’ update about the 2011 Thanksgiving weekend outreach.
January 25, 2012
Updated: Janaury 27, 2012
“Early this morning, Isaac Keita succumbed to liver failure,” reported Laura Livingston today from FATEAC (West Africa Alliance Theological Seminary), in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
“He is now in the presence of his glorious and deeply-loved God—singing in that wonderful voice of his, I am sure. Dr. Keita is no long suffering, but we are all left behind with broken hearts. ”
The seminary’s respected dean for a number of years, Keita had been recovering from cancer surgery. His health had taken a turn for the worse this week, Alliance workers report.
Under his able leadership, FATEAC trained dozens of Alliance church leaders to minister in Africa and served 14 denominations in French-speaking Africa. (Since it’s inception, the seminary has trained students from 18 countries and 48 denominations.) Dr. Keita was also the Africa representative on the Executive Committee of the Alliance World Fellowship. Prior to his service at FATEAC, he was president of the national Alliance church in the Republic of Guinea.
Dr. Keita held a doctor of ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, Illinois).
“Isaac’s last hours were difficult,” said Laura. “And that has left a mark on those who were with him. Rachelle, his wife, is in shock.”
FATEAC staff members have been planning for a large celebration to take place January 26, officially inaugurating the new MDH program (a doctoral program in health). Guests are arriving from several other countries. School staff members are now trying to sort out how to manage the event appropriately.
“We serve a Father God who will walk through the valley of the shadow of death with us all,” observes Laura. “Please pray that He will be honored and we will be comforted.”
January 23, 2012
By Brian Davis, serving in Senegal
West African youth are passionate about soccer; Alliance people are just as passionate about why the “world’s sport” is a platform for outreach. “If you can imagine the following generated by U.S. professional football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf and NASCAR, with hunting thrown in for good measure, it would be summed up in one sport—soccer!” exclaims a marketplace ministries worker in West Africa.
A young man in my church, Samba, senses God’s call on his life to reach the lost with the good news of Christ. I want to encourage and challenge him to go for it!
So when Samba showed interest in starting a kid’s club for elementary-aged boys and girls in our neighborhood, I was right there alongside him, playing games, singing songs, having fun. But after a few months without much growth (only the kids from our church were coming), we re-evaluated. It became clear to Samba that we needed to do something different.
Soccer, of course! Kids love soccer here!
Success
From the first week we started the soccer outreach, we have never had a shortage of kids eager to participate. We run a skills clinic, scrimmage, and then discuss the skill we practiced—and hopefully used!—in the match and how it correlates to a life skill. (For instance, one week we focused on juggling—keeping the ball in the air, using only a prescribed part of the body, such as our head, foot, or thigh, etc.). We then talk about how this skill is important to control the ball during a match.
Recently, I asked the group “What is the muscle in our bodies that is the most difficult to control?” We had all sorts of funny answers. For the record: your brain is not a muscle!
But one boy got it. “The tongue,” he said.
Biblical Truth, Senegalese Wisdom
This is significant for Senegalese people, who recognize that there is real power in the words people speak. The tongue has the power to bless and to curse, build up or tear down.
Words are not just meaningless tools—they carry power, and we know it’s not easy to control that kind of power. Through this example, I was able to describe how, as a follower of Jesus, He has given me His Spirit, who lives in me, to help me control my tongue and use it for good.
By using basic soccer skills, we’re able to keep pointing to the love, truth, and power of Jesus so that one day they will choose to follow Him as well. By the grace of God, we are already seeing hopeful signs that these seeds will grow.
One of the boys, Bouba*, has shown much interest. He has come to several church events, hangs out with the pastor’s sons, and has even opened the door for the pastor’s wife to begin a relationship with his mother.
What You Can Do
Read more from Brian about the power of soccer ministry in the January 15 alife.
Give to the Great Commission Fund—partner with Alliance workers, like Brian, who are spreading the good news effectively through creative outreaches that include soccer ministries.
Pray for Alliance workers worldwide who need wisdom for how to effectively reach people in their spheres of influence with the good news.
January 20, 2012
“‘What shall we have to eat today?’ It’s a question that means different things to different people,” says Peggy Drake, a nurse who serves with The Alliance in Burkina Faso.
“In the West we have so many choices for food. But right now in Burkina, for many there is nothing to eat!”
Sporadic rainfall this year has caused severe drought and skyrocketing food prices in the West African nation. In response to the crisis, ACCEDES, the relief and development arm of the national Alliance church of Burkina Faso, is distributing food to 2,000 families in dire need. Assisted families will receive two bags of grain weighing 220-plus pounds each.
“According to our field survey,” says ACCEDES director Robert Sanou. “Many children are at high risk of malnutrition, and many families have begun selling their household goods to buy food.”
Three-Pronged Relief Plan
ACCEDES will carry out relief operations in the Boucle du Mouhoun region and Houet provinces, where it already has a presence. Response to the crisis is threefold:
- Ten communities will receive information about the consequences of climate change and desertification; they will also receive training in how to mitigate these changes and manage disaster.
- Grains will be provided at no cost to the poorest of the poor—without religious or ethnic discrimination; the disabled, widows and orphans, the elderly, and those affected by HIV/AIDS will receive special attention.
- Those who can afford to pay a small amount for the food will be asked to do so; funds raised will be used to set up a micro-finance system to improve the economic situation of 500 families.
“Food supplies will be transported by truck and secured in safe storage areas rented by local churches,” Sanou observes. “We expect to see great spiritual impact in the local churches because of this project.”
What You Can Do
Pray for the people of Burkina Faso who are suffering because of the food shortages.
Give directly to CAMA’s Africa Famine Relief fund. Give Now
Read about the dire situation in Burkina and across the Sahel—the climactic, geographic zone between the Sahara desert in the north and the Sudanian Savannas in the south. Note: Clicking on this link will take you off of the C&MA Web site.
January 19, 2012
By Teresa Bill, serving in the Republic of the Congo
It was a typical children’s club at our home in Ollombo—under the carport that has expanded into a youth shelter. Lekonga, 10, who never misses club, came to me at the end of a meeting in May 2010 in tears. God had been convicting him of his disobedience to his mother, he said, and he asked for prayer.
I have found that when the children ask for prayer, they are really asking for help. (It’s an opportunity to counsel them and talk about real problems; it also gives them the opportunity to confess their sins to God.) So I directed Lekonga to a young man who is our neighbor and recently became a follower of Jesus. Since he speaks the local Lingala language (and I am still learning!), I asked him to counsel and pray with the child.
Victory!
After nearly three years of doing children’s outreach here, it was the first time one of the kids had come to us for spiritual help—a breakthrough for this community that is shrouded in animistic, superstitious beliefs.
For example, we tried to learn and spell each child’s name last year, but then they refused to attend because they thought we would curse them if we knew their names. (Often the children give other names, rather than their own.) One neighborhood family even forbade their children to attend—because white people eat children!
Despite these cultural challenges, club is the highlight of the week for the children. (We began with 25 attending; today we average 90.) Each Wednesday, an announcement is made to the neighborhood on a loud speaker. Celestin and Jeanne Mayala, our Congolese colleagues, help with the meetings, in which we sing, sing, and sing Bible songs in French and Lingala. Our lessons and teachings, such as showing courtesy and respect for others, are all biblically based.
Also, the children earn awards for memorizing verses and the names of the New Testament books. We received a shipment of Gideon New Testaments, which the children can earn by memorizing verses.
Coloring Is a Highpoint
Even the young children learn Bible verses. (Some of the very young confuse my last name, “Bill”, with Bible, so they call me Madame Bible. I love that!) But the highlight of the meeting is coloring a picture of a Bible story; the children had never had the opportunity to color until they attended our meetings!
Steven loves club, but he must bring his fussy baby brother, which is common in this community where children are responsible for their younger siblings. (We are prepared with a blanket that lies on the floor for the nappers and babies.) One day recently, Steven said that he hadn’t heard the announcement the previous week, so he had missed the meeting! He was so sad.
We reminded him that we meet every Wednesday from 3–6 p.m., without fail, unless there is a big rain. We even meet in the extreme heat and humidity (100 F!).
Some local officials have visited our children’s meeting because they’d received good reports about our teaching. God has blessed our group. We account our success to the Lord, who has enabled us to be faithful each week, and to sharing good Bible teaching in a fun atmosphere with leaders who are good Christian models. Most important, we communicate God’s love to love-starved children.
Transformation
As for Lekonga, his life has changed since that spring day. He is happier than he used to be, and his parents say he is less difficult and more obedient. A bright student, he reads and understands French and is a joy to have in club where he actively listens and answers questions. “I like club,” he says. “It is fun and interesting and challenges me!”
Because of your prayerful support of the Great Commission Fund, children like Lekonga have the opportunity to hear and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ at the weekly children’s meeting in Ollombo, Congo.
What You Can Do
Give to the Great Commission Fund—partner with Alliance workers like Teresa Bill to share Jesus with children and families alike, who are all in need of the life-changing good news.
Pray for Alliance workers around the world.
Be sure to check out alife‘s January 15 issue that includes more stories about the powerful, Kingdom-expanding impact of children’s ministries.
January 16, 2012
By Jim Adams, who teaches at Dakar Academy—a boarding and day-school program (K-12) largely for the children of international workers.
Updated: January 19, 2012
I especially look forward to our January Dakar Academy outreach each year; this year it’s the 20th to the 22nd. A missionary friend and I take a small group of senior boys to the site to set up the camp before the rest of the team arrives. We haul and filter water and have everything ready when the main group reaches the site on Friday.
As soon as everyone arrives at the site, they stow their gear in their tents, break into teams, and get to work.
Prayer Needed!
This year we will be going back to the same area we were in for the 2011 Thanksgiving outreach. It’s a challenging place—99 percent of inhabitants are adherents of the dominant religion and have little Christian influence.
If this outreach is to be effective, however; it will be because friends like you are praying for us. Outreach would be little more than an activity if it wasn’t totally immersed in prayer!
I wish I could take you on the outreach with me—it’s incredible! But it’s not for the faint-hearted.
No Complaints
These kids are amazing. They work hard from 7 a.m. to about midnight each day. Depending on the team they’re on, they’re either building a church, painting, performing with puppets and doing drama in the village, or taking care of medical needs; the list goes on.
From about 8:00 p.m. to midnight all of the kids are involved in conducting the evangelism campaigns. (Our plan for this outreach is to share Christ in 14 villages.) No matter how tired they are, you never hear any of them complaining.
When I say that we need your prayers, I am serious. We will be taking 146 people, including students and staff as well as overseas workers, national pastors, and evangelists. We will travel in 14 vehicles, hauling trailers, generators, a cement mixer for building a well, sound equipment, and much more into the bush. Once in the bush, we will drive on rough roads (some little more than cow paths), and we will minister under difficult conditions.
But amazing things happen, and we are looking forward to God working and changing lives! Stay tuned for updates.
What You Can Do
Pray for a successful January outreach; pray also for Alliance workers the world over.
Learn more about our work in Senegal.
By Esther Schaeffer, serving in Burkina Faso
“Break a leg.” It’s not exactly what I said, but I did begin to pray that the Lord would give me another contact with Djeneba.
Our widows’ ministry involves 182 women and their families. Recently, we learned that one of our older widows, who had been sick for some time, had passed away. She was the only Christian in a very large family and had gone to live with her younger brother when she could no longer care for herself.
When we got the news about her passing, a delegation from our widows’ group traveled the hour or so to the town where this woman had been living to greet the family. Djeneba was the niece who had lovingly cared for this aunt. She shared through tears her memories of her aunt and her firm devotion to Jesus Christ.
What would normally have been a brief visit turned into several hours, as Djeneba first asked if we wanted to see the grave and then insisted that we stay and eat some of the traditional foods of the region that she wanted me to try. This gave us a lot of time to spend with her, meet many family members, and share our own impressions of her aunt, who had chosen Christ much against her family’s wishes.
Prayers Answered!
As we prayed before we left the home and on the drive home, I commended Djeneba to the Lord, asking that she would continue to have contact with Christians. Imagine my surprise to learn last week that Djeneba had a fall and broke her foot so badly that she had to come to our city to have it repaired.
We weren’t quite sure of the location of her relative’s house where she was staying, but the Lord led the way so that the very first house where we stopped to make inquiries was exactly where Djeneba was recuperating. She was so glad to see us, explain all the details of her accident, and introduce us to more of her family members—we were surrounded by children and young people.
As we were leaving, I knew that Christ would continue to bring Christians into contact with this family. Even if Djeneba could not make that step of faith, others in her family would.
What You Can Do
Praise God for the strong faith of Djeneba’s widowed aunt; pray for Djeneba’s salvation as well as for that of the other members in her extended family. Pray for Alliance workers the world over to have divine appointments through which they have opportunities to share the good news!
Give to the Great Commission Fund—partner in Living the Call together with Alliance workers like Esther Schaeffer in Burkina Faso.
Read “No Longer Alone,” Esther’s alife article (January 2009) about the widows’ ministry in Burkina.
January 3, 2012
By Jeremy Bergevin, serving in Mongolia
Jeremy and his family live in the town of Darhan, northwest of Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar; the following is an adapted excerpt from Jeremy’s blog.
Recently, I went to the Darhan prison with a team from the Alliance Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA) Project Center. Dr. Pham and his team taught about heart health, and they asked me to give an inspirational talk about the heart’s function in matters of faith.
The prisoners especially enjoyed the board game “Healthy Heart.” Dr. Pham divided the group into two teams; players took turns rolling dice, with the goal being to advance to the top of a ladder imprinted on the board. Some rungs were labeled, “You quit smoking—advance three spaces.” Others had cautionary notes such as “Heart surgery” and “Eating too much grease;” players who landed on those spaces had to retreat a rung or two down the ladder.
Believing with the Heart
My part in the outreach was to teach about, and demonstrate, praying from the heart. The Bible says “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:10).
Mongolians have a similar concept in their culture—they understand belief is a matter of the heart. So I prayed for the prisoners that the Father and Creator of Heaven would give them faith to believe in Jesus and join the family of God. After all, no one in the group had ever seen Mongolia’s founder Genghis Khan, but they all agreed that they believed in him fervently—heart and soul.
The visit ended with the prisoners promising to invite us back to prison soon—something to rejoice about!
What You Can Do
- • Praise God for the Darhan prisoners’ openness to the good news; pray for them to come to faith. Join in praying for Alliance workersaround the world, many of whom are ministering to those who have never heard the good news.
- • Donate to the Great Commission Fund—partner in Living the Call together with Alliance workers like our Alliance team in Mongolia.
- • Learn more about our work in Mongolia.
December 20, 2011
By Dave Bill, serving in the Republic of the Congo
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: . . . the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Marivia, 18, is a baby. That is, he’s a brand new Jesus follower. He’s also our neighbor here in Ollombo, Congo, whom we’ve been privileged to witness God transform.
“Before I received Christ,” he explains, “I used to steal money from my mother’s purse so I could go to the movies. If she didn’t give me the money, I’d fight with her. I also used to get into street fights easily.”
Our national colleague, Celestin, has the gift of evangelism, and soon after he joined us here in Ollombo, he began talking to Marivia (pronounced “Mar-e-vee-ah”) about the Lord.
“Celestin’s presentation to me of God’s Word helped me to realize that even if I die, my spirit will be with Christ,” Marivia recalls. “After I accepted Christ, I was really ashamed of how I used to act.”
Soon after his conversion, Marivia began taking discipleship classes from my wife, Teresa. “She helped me become firm in my faith and to resist the world and my old life,” says the 18-year-old, noting that the “weapons of our warfare” (Ephesians 6:10–18) assist him to avoid temptation.
New Beginnings
After his conversion, Marivia also began taking literacy classes from Teresa. (Talk about starting a new life—not only spiritually, but educationally as well!) “I never liked going to school,” he admits. “Even though I somehow made it to sixth grade, I never could read or write.”
It’s possible to stay in school here even if you can’t read or write, because a classroom sometimes holds more than 100 students—and just one teacher. This is the educational system in rural Congo, where a school room is a dirt shack!
Humility Equals Growth
Just the other day, Marivia announced that he was going to use most of the meager funds he has collected doing odd jobs for us and enroll in a private school where he can better learn to read and write. Imagine—an 18-year-old entering primary school!
While I was writing this article, Marivia arrived back from his first day at school, excited to talk about what he had learned.
“I’m excited about learning again!” he exclaims. “I now realize that it’s not a very easy future without the ability to read and write.”
We know it takes being humble like a child to enter the Kingdom of God, but I’m reminded by Marivia’s journey that to progress in the Christian life, we need to remain humble. That’s how God gives us grace to grow not only spiritually, but in every way!
What You Can Do
Praise God for Marivia’s new life in Christ; pray for his continued spiritual and educational progress. Join in praying for Alliance workers around the world.
Donate to the Great Commission Fund—partner in Living the Call together with Alliance workers like the Bills.
Learn more about our work in Congo.
December 16, 2011
By Jeremy Fields, serving with Compassion and Mercy Associates in Mongolia
The following is an adapted excerpt from the Fieldses’ December update.
I visited my son’s sixth grade Bible class the other day to give a symposium on the relative similarity between stable conditions in the ancient Middle East and modern day Central Asia. We concluded that stables are, in fact, quite dark, cramped, cold, and filthy.
If we were to design our own nativity set today, we decided that Joseph would be frantically wrestling cows away from the manger (a contraption made up of 2x4s and old tires). The shepherd would be busy scooping up after his cute sheep, the fancy wise man would be rubbing his head after bumping it on the low ceiling, and Mary would be calming the baby Jesus with one hand—holding her nose with the other.
Jesus’ List
I couldn’t help but contrast that scene with the glorious throne room of God. And I began to imagine what Jesus’ Christmas List must have looked like—not a list of things he wanted, but things He would give up to enter this world: angelic surround-sound, a 3-D panorama vision of the Universe, premium preventative health care, omniscience . . .
These thoughts inspired our family to start a new “Christmas List.” We chose things that we might have to give up if we were to follow the example of the One who “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). The kids pretty much put down everything they enjoy that they’d have to give up in order for the world to share in Christmas, including:
- Our house (and most, if not all, of its plumbing )
- Toys
- Pets (we can get bigger, smellier ones!)
- Books, music, and even our language
- Friends and family
- Comfort and security
We have spent a great deal of thought as a family about what would be on our Christmas list, and it will probably be our “best” Christmas ever. Strangely, giving up most of the things on this list for Jesus has actually magnified our joy! Could it be that this is the essence of Christmas?
So what could you give up this next year in order to share Christmas with an unreached people group that has NEVER heard of Christmas or celebrated it before?
As you gather under the star (which points to the King) or the angel (which proclaims the Savior) on your Christmas tree, would you take a moment with your family to reflect on what Jesus gave up in order to share Christmas with us? Then simply ask Him what He would have you put on His Christmas list so that others can join us in celebrating Him in the coming year.
What You Can Do
For your list, consider praying for Alliance workers worldwide to experience God’s peace, comfort, and joy—the spirit of Christmas all year round.
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