This past summer, reports Deanna Harrison, a professor at West Africa Alliance Seminary (FATEAC) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, “6,000 African women and one old white lady (yours truly)” gathered for a 10-day conference in the West African nation.
Conference attendees, including delegates from Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, assembled to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Alliance Women (a.k.a Great Commission Women) in Côte d’Ivoire.
Tender-Hearted Response
A highlight of the 10 days together, notes Deanna, was the response to guest speaker Arie Verduijn’s talk about his recent visit to the Middle East. Arie is the president of Alliance World Fellowship.
“When he described the suffering and persecution of Christians in the Middle East, these tender-hearted African sisters in the Lord were moved to spend time in fervent, passionate prayer for the persecuted believers.”
Sacrificial Offering
Following prayer, conference attendees spontaneously gave an offering to help support the work in the Middle East. “It was quickly apparent the offering plates were too small!” Deanna exclaims, noting that the women removed their colorful cloth shawls and head wraps to receive the donations that flooded in.
“I was moved to tears,” Deanna recalls. An Ivorian family’s average yearly income is $3,100—less than $8.50 a day.
“These precious ladies, who had saved to leave their villages to attend this conference, gave a sacrificial offering of more than $3,000 to help their brothers and sisters halfway around the world. That, my friends, is the Body of Christ in action!”
Pray
Join our African sisters in interceding for persecuted believers in the Middle East, including the Alliance family in Syria.
Pray too for Alliance personnel in West Africa, the Middle East, and throughout the world, who are taking the good news to some of the most spiritually dark places on earth. Use the Alliance Prayer Requests to assist you.
Learn More
Published in Alliance Life magazine, “Taking Missions to Heart” describes how Ivorian missionaries are sowing gospel seeds beyond their country’s borders.
Check out Alliance work in Côte d’Ivoire.
Photo Gallery
“Next time you sign up for a church retreat or a conference,” Deanna urges, “please remember you have sisters in the Lord in West Africa who also love gathering for times of refreshment. I am grateful for the opportunity and blessing of spending 10 days with these dear ladies.”
