24 Hours and Counting? You Got That Right!

In a little over 24 hours I will be driving to the Portland Airport to collect my bride who has been, for the past 3 weeks, in Germany, helping a good friend of ours get married. She has also had some good times with her mother and sister as well as others of her family and friends. I am glad that it worked out for her to be with them for this short spell but I can tell I need her back here. I case you are wondering just why I need her back let me begin by saying that I have, of late, been sleeping in a car. Now you must understand that this has been entirely by choice but nonetheless, in a car. In fact, I have slept in a real bed once in the past week!


You see, because of the distance to the DZ (a term used by skydivers referring to the location where they can drop out of planes, the drop zone), I decided last Wednesday that I would spend the rest of the week at the DZ. That meant sleeping in the car. Of course the main reason I was ready to stay at the DZ and sleep in the car was because Angelika was not home! So, now you might understand why I need her back, to get me out of the car!

The car is really not so bad though and it has been plenty comfortable. Last week I cut a ¾ inch piece of plywood off at the end and laid it out on the seats of my VW Vanagon which I had purchased from a friend in Medford several weeks back. I took the backs off the middle seat and had just enough room to lay down my sleeping bag on the plywood. I thought it was great.

We had a boat load of tandem students show up at Skydive Oregon over last week and the weekend. I lost track of how many skydives we made but I know that on some days I was certainly happy when there were no more students on the books. Of course in all of that, not having Angelika about made it less than enjoyable. Although, I am not sure how much she might have enjoyed our accommodations at the DZ in the car. Like I say, it is a good thing that she is coming back!

Now, I should let you know that as of today I have tickets for a return trip to Côte d'Ivoire the end of July for about 10 days. I am planning to return, this time without Angelika (What Am I Thinking?!?), to be there in Bouaké at the time of the turning over of the responsibilities for the ICA campus from the school’s administration to our team. The actual director has asked that I be there for the turning over of the campus, as it will be my responsibility for the next 2 years to oversee the good management of this campus by request of our team in Côte d'Ivoire. There are still a lot of issues to sort out and things to get lined up to be ready for the turnover. If you are the praying kind of person, this is a big area of concern. Having never been in such a position, it is hard to know how this is going to go. True, we did manage this very same campus for a time before leaving our last term in Côte d'Ivoire but that was under the direction of a very wise man. He will no longer be there and it is our heads that will roll if this doesn’t work out.

I guess rolling heads may be overstating the case but you get the picture. Speaking of rolling heads, you need to be thinking about Côte d'Ivoire the next few days. Today all of the big players in the conflict in Côte d'Ivoire were to be meeting in Pretoria, South Africa with the South African president, Thabo Mbeki. This meeting is to be an evaluation of the progress towards peace as outlined in the previous peace accord signed by all of the parties the 6th of April earlier this year. Unfortunately the process has ground to a halt due to the massacre of around 100 people in the west of the country after inter-ethnic fighting flared up. There has been a shake down in the Ivoirian military due to some of the statements made which cast a shadow of doubt on the Ivoirian military’s ability or inability to respond to the unrest in this part of the country at the time of the massacres. Please do not forget to pray and think about Côte d'Ivoire.

The Moose Foundation

We have a special friend who lives in Mackay, Idaho and heads-up a foundation called the "Moose Foundation". Marty is one of those people who is generous, resourceful, energetic, and prays a whole bunch and we think a great deal of her. This foundation was created for the promotion of moose, one of those great ideas that she and a few others came up with to promote the largest species of ungulates in North America. Check out the link to the Moose Foundation.

Kind of like Ducks Unlimited, they promote moose for both conservational and enthusiast ends. Both go hand in hand in effect. No one wants to preserve moose and moose habitat more than those who live off of the animal. Any thinking conservationist knows that the death toll for many species has been when society forgets about a species and has charged ahead without thinking of the long term effects of its charging. I would say though that moose are hard to forget if you’ve ever seen one.

All of that to say that several weeks ago we were up in northern Idaho seeing some friends and prayer partners (not Marty this time). They have a home that backs up to some hills and forests and is rather secluded. One afternoon I took a walk up to the highest point on the hills behind their place where there are a number of communication towers. It was one of those spring days in northern Idaho when the sky is full of "wannabe" clouds, the sun is brilliant and there is a nice breeze but not so stiff that you can't hear the forest talk to you. I was headed down the mountain, after going to the top, just picking my way through the brush, trying to be quiet but not so much as to not enjoy the walk. I was headed down a ridge that was forested with a fairly thick thickets of willow in both ravines. I had been seeing a fair amount of sign and I was thinking that there must be moose in the area, a fact that our host had pointed out earlier in the day.

At one point I began to pick-up noise off to the left both down in the willow thickets and straight ahead of me. I decided to sit down and watch whatever it was come on up the ridge if it didn't smell or see me first. As I sat there I watched in amazement as a cow moose emerged from the willow thicket straight in front of me and begin to walk straight to the tree where I was crouched. I happened to have my camera with me and I quickly got it out and as it walked towards me I stood, whenever its head was down, and began to click off photos. It was interesting to see the girth and height of this animal. I do believe it is the first moose I have ever seen in the wild and it was a special event. When she was within 3 meters she stopped and looked back over her right shoulder down to the left and there in the willow thicket was her calf chewing on willow branches. It looked like the calf was a yearling, although, who am I to say so, we don't have such beasts in Cote d'Ivoire and for all I know it was an over grown white tail! As I stood there taking photos the cow discreetly walked around the tree where I stood and calmly continued browsing her way up the hillside on her way to the wooded crest through which I had come only several minutes earlier. It is an amazing thing to see wild creatures walk about you and ignore your presence as they go about their uncomplicated lives.

It makes one think about what is truly essential in life. I think we can become so caught up in the happenings in our lives that we forget to look over our shoulder to those younger or weaker than ourselves and then move on taking life in, all the while listening for the tell-tale signs of distress which are, at times, barely audible above the sound of the wind in the trees. Pray that we would be careful to not let the sound of the forest drown out the cries of distress that God puts on our forest path.

As I watched this cow moose disappear into the tickets behind me I thanked God that he had allowed me to see such an amazing animal that has wandered the north country for eons. Making my way down off the ridge I was careful to not get too far off to the left side where that cow moose had a calf chewing on willow, wondering what it would be like to run through willow thickets with a mad cow moose hot on my tail.

It is interesting how life comes at us, different points converge and things make sense that never did. I am not sure what you would call that but for me the "moose thing" is one of those convergences that is somehow strange but comforting. It forces me to think that there is indeed a God who is there and interested in every aspect of our lives as mundane and common as they may seem. I doubt that that moose had any idea why it was walking by this bearded man next to a tree in its woods but God certainly did.

You see, last August on our way to Denver for meetings we stopped in Mackay to see Marty who has been praying for us and supporting our work in Africa ever since I started in 1988. I not seen Marty since 1981, when I finished my course work at Multnomah Bible College. For some strange reason Marty and I continued to correspond. Although not frequent, at least once every two to three years we would hear from each other.

Paris

13 – June 2005, Paris – Gare du Nord

I am sitting in front of Gare du Nord having a drink and just watching life happen in this rather interesting part of town. Paris is of course a big city like many others, although, it has been said that Paris is for France what LA, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia are for the US. It is the economic, business, entertainment, and historical capital of France. If you look at a map of France you can see that even though Paris is in the north of France all roads and trains lead to this great city. Gare du Nord is just a great place to get a good beer or café, if you are so inclined, while having a plate of good North African couscous. It is also the railway station at which all trains coming from north of Paris arrive from all across Europe. It is from this gare that Angelika and I, for the first time, boarded a train to go and meet her family over 6 years ago. Even though I was not with Angelika, you can see why I needed to come to this place.

It looks like the police are about to take a couple of guys in. They must have been driving a stolen car. Interesting, a whole crowd of them showed up at the same time. Maybe it is a drug deal that they are trying to put down. The police keep verifying the car numbers and their papers. They are now taking their finger prints. They had what looks like 4 nanas (girls) with them. Maybe it is a prostitution ring. Who knows, unless they come over and tell me what is happening I will never know and what do I care anyway, this is Paris!

14 – June 2005, Paris – Charles de Gaulle Airport

So, I am standing in a very long line trying to check-in for American Airlines to Chicago. It would seem that all the Americans in Paris decided to fly home today! I arrived here at 11h30 and it is 12h00 and I am still out in the hallway. It is a real zoo.

Well I got up to check-in and someone found an unattended bag. They have had us all evacuate the area and they will blow up the bag, so it is said. I am standing in front of McDonalds and it is jam packed. I wonder if they didn't leave it?:-) We have been standing here waiting for an hour while they make announcements over the intercom for Monsieur and Madam so-and-so to come and pick up their bag. I think that Monsieur and Madam so-and-so must be flying over the ocean some where and would not be able to hear the announcements anyway.

It is now 12h30 and we are still waiting for the bomb squad. I really have no intention of ever taking American Airlines again. This might simply be Air France's attempt to show the US that they know more concerning security in France than does the US. I would guess that they do although you would have a hard time convincing any US security nut of that. This Homeland Security stuff is beginning to irk the rest of the world who has been living with these kinds of insecurities for a lot longer than the US.

Boom! So they blew up some one's bag and we are all trying to get into the same queue at once. I find myself at the back of the line once again and I figure it is no big deal as AA is going to hold the plane until we are all on anyway. Otherwise they need to put us up in the nice airport hotel! I am sure that AA is too cheap to do that.

Finally, I am sitting at the back of a Boeing 767. Everybody is talking English and we are all anxious to get on the road. It is ironic but I hear some folks asking why we are taking so long to get out of the dock here in Paris and the stewardess is saying that it is because Tony Blair flew through a while ago. Of course she does not know that there was a bomb scare in the Paris Airport and she is speaking with that false kind of authority that one can see right through. America Airlines has probably taught her to say such thing when they are late. Never mention the “B” word! In some ways returning to the US turns ones stomach.

Finally, about an hour late, we are backing out of our parking spot and we have been given clearance to get on our way. Of course I am writing this after the fact because we were told to put away all electronic devices for takeoff.

So, our next stop will be Chicago, or at least that is our hope!

13 June 2005 – Reflections over the Sahara Desert

This morning after catching a taxi to the Patisserie Abidjannaise, a coffee and a croissant, I caught another taxi to the Airport where I checked in and found my way to the waiting area for Air France flight 703 to Paris. My flight to the US is not until tomorrow afternoon. Thinking about getting a room in a hotel not far from the airport.

Unlike our flight out of Oregon three weeks ago, the spectacular view that we see on the in-flight bird's-eye-view screen (one of the interesting features of the 300 series Airbus aircraft) is the vast Sahara Desert. It is impressive to fly mile after mile at 550 miles per hour, 37.000 feet above the earth and to see little or no change. We are in a 330 A Airbus which has 7 seats across in the economy section of the plane and 6 across up in the front of the aircraft where folks like us only pass by as we board or de-board the plane.

As I fly north to Paris and on to the US I cannot help but reflect on what has transpired over the past few days and weeks. We have been asked to oversee the good management of the former International Christian Academy for the next two years in the hopes that some group will manifest a desire to use the station for MK education in the future.

At this point World Venture (formerly known as CBI) has only 12 fulltime missionaries engaged in CI. This request must be seriously considered as we look to our future in CI. The situation in the country is still considerably tense, with no one really being sure that any real peace is in sight. It would seem that the current president is loosing favor with the international community although we have said so before.

After speaking with the different church leaders with whom we partner in CI, as well as our mission colleagues, we have decided to take on the challenge with specific conditions. First, we will be answerable to a 3 member oversight committee (OC). This will be far better than having to answer to a whole field. It may also help us to see other possibilities and avoid certain pitfalls that come with such an affair.

The former School Board of ICA had asked that World Venture keep the school in such condition that a school of up to 50 students could be started there within the next 5 years. We have agreed to a one year trial period open to review and evaluation by the OC. The OC is composed of one member from each of the three teams now working in CI (Medical, Special Focus and Church Development).

We are excited about the possibilities for ministry in the Bouaké churches as well as the possibilities we may have with 250 French peacekeepers living on site. Of course we are in need of great wisdom as we go into this new phase of ministry. We will continue to focus on Dioula outreach in conjunction with the churches in Bouaké.

Being in Bouaké again is a dream-come-true in some ways for me. Having worked in Bouaké before getting married, I have always thought that it would be good to return. At this point to live in a Dioula courtyard in Bouaké as I did when I was single is no longer possible. Security is a very real concern just now, not just for us but an entire courtyard, which is why we just cannot live in the city proper. I guess that everyone must make concessions during times like these.

So that is what I am thinking of as we cruise along at 550 mph over the sand and rock below. As for posting these thoughts, I guess it will have to wait a few days until I get back to where I can get online again. Until then, Tiao!

Alone Again

9 June 2005
Monday morning I dropped off Angelika at the Airport in Abidjan. During her short stay we traveled from Abidjan to Bouaké, Bouaké to Korhogo and Ferkessédougou, back to Bouaké and then back to Abidjan. All of that to meet with different and various persons whom we needed to see concerning our future in Côte d'Ivoire and our return to this country in September.

As many of you have read in earlier postings on this blog, we had been asked to return to the field to discuss our involvement in the oversight of the former site of the International Christian Academy which had been evacuated in September of 2002 and then again, after opening for the 2004-2005 school year during the month of November. Because of the second evacuation and the reduction of students it was deemed necessary to close the school indefinitely due to lack of students and more so due to the lack of security in the region. This of course has lead to our being asked to oversee the Bouaké campus for our organization.

After talking with our colleagues in Ferkessédougou last week we decided that we would take on the job for the next year. This means that our time in the US will be cut short and that I will be making a second trip to Côte d'Ivoire the end of July to be here at the time of the transfer of the school from ICA to MBCI (World Venture in Côte d'Ivoire). It is very likely that we will return to Côte d'Ivoire by mid-September of this year. If you are the praying kind, do pray for us in this regard.

Now, about the fun stuff. I need to come clean and let you know that our first day back in Côte d'Ivoire was spent at Assini, a long sandy island/peninsula east of Abidjan where we like to go to swim in the surf. Good fish is usually available but it would seem that the other day both Dave (Dan’s son) and I got too much bad fish and we got the runs. Not a bad case but enough to make us both feel a bit off. He is in the US now and I hear he is better and I am doing great. Before Angelika flew out the Grudda family, Welch family (SIM) and we all went back to Assini to spend the night in a camp/hotel. Nice accommodations and great beach. We arrived a little before noon and stayed until just after noon the next day. We had a great time looking for West African sand dollars, digging for sand crabs, boogie boarding and body surfing, and generally getting burned to a crisp. Needless to say, we had a great time and we will remember it as one of the great times spent with the Dan Grudda family. It is hard to see them go but I have a feeling our paths will cross soon enough.

Well, I am going to try to post this thing today. Yesterday the internet connection was too slow and I was frustrated at every turn. Hoping that today it will work better.

Alone in Bouaké

Yesterday I dropped off Angelika at the airport in Abidjan so that she could get her flight on to Paris and then the train to Germany. We had an interesting week and a half traveling as far as Ferké where the mission hospital is operation and spending the night in Korhogo where Kéo and his wife are living and Kéo is directing Bethel Bible Institute. It was a great time to get caught up on their lives and how God is working through them and the school.

The meeting with the our RCI Team went reasonably well. We have been asked officially with conditions, to oversee the ICA campus for the next two years. As most of you know, the ICA campus is in Bouaké and it is where my folks worked as teachers and administrators for over 27 years. I had never worked at ICA until just before our current home assignment which makes this new ground.

Right now there are about 250 French peacekeeping troops lodged on the campus. We have helicopters, troop carriers, tanks, and all sorts of other materiel parked everywhere as there in a mandate change going on at the moment. Slowly but surely I am getting to know those who I will need to interact with once the current director leaves the end of this July. Needless to say I view this as a daunting task and I pray that God will give me the wisdom to manage well the campus and at the same time impact both the French troops on our campus as well as those we will work with in Bouaké.

This morning was the "prise d'armes" or presentation of arms in English parlance. It was impressive as it generally is when 250 soldiers start to sing, march and slap their weapons. Lots of ceremony and then plenty to eat and drink afterwards. It is at times like these that one has occasions to meet and talk informally with different chiefs concerning the way things are run and how it maybe should be. Last night was a reception to which everyone who is anyone in Bouaké showed up to say their goodbyes to the roops which are leaving and to greet the new troops coming. Lots of discourse and small talk. One does meet interesting people however.

First Days in RCI

It has been a couple of days since we arrived in Côte d'Ivoire. We spent our first day, after arriving a 7h00 in the morning, on the beach with the Grudda family. Before leaving for the beach we had coffee and croissants at the Patisserie Abidjannaise, one of our favorite coffee and pastry joints in Abidjan. It was nice to see that after the turmoil of November 2004 this place had not been destroyed.

We drove north to Bouaké the following day without any significant difficulties. At the entrance of Bouaké they wanted us to pay 2000 cfa each but we simply told them it was not possible and they finally let us go on through. Once we got out to the school, where we had spent our last year in Côte d'Ivoire, we were shown our digs for the next few days and we crashed.

Saturday morning we went into town and greeted Pastor Metahan, the pastor of one of the few remaining Protestant churches in Bouaké. It was good to sit with him and talk about the events of the past year. Of course he asked that I preach the following day, the sort of thing one should expect, or at least be ready for. We also stopped by an internet café and were able to send and receive messages. It looks like that will be our communication spot in the future. They have a fairly good connection which makes this possible.

Yesterday morning was of course spent at church where we were able to share greetings as well as encourage them from Jeremiah 29. The believers here have not had an easy time and although they continue to hope for a better day, they can become easily discouraged. Every time there is peace in sight something rises up to confuse the issues and frustrate the process. We reminded ourselves that our hope comes from the true word of God, not that of those who say they speak the word of God and give us false hope. In Côte d'Ivoire, since this conflict has begun, we have heard many predictions concerning the end of hostilities in the name of God. Of course true peace is only possible as God lives in the heart of his people. Anything less is only a truce, hiding animosities which may or may not re-surface at any moment.

Every noon and evening we eat with the French soldiers who are living on this campus and who have the run of the place for the most part. It is not an ideal situation but it is one of the best we could hope for given the present condition of Côte d'Ivoire. When the French military moved onto the campus shortly after the first evacuation of students from ICA in September of 2002, they setup camp and took over a fair number of homes and dorms. After several months of working with them the school director was able to consolidate the troops into a certain number of dorms and houses situated more or less in the same area. Following the second evacuation of students in November of 2004 the director gave them the use of the dinning hall and a greater number of dorms and residences. As it stands now, only the residences in the northwest corner of the campus and the classrooms are off limits for the French troops. Dan has done an excellent job of setting up a working agreement that allows the French to use this facility while it is not possible to use it for MK (missionary kids) education.

Since we have been asked to oversee this campus upon our return to Côte d'Ivoire we have come to investigate just how that could be done. We have a meeting with the rest of our colleagues in Côte d'Ivoire next Wednesday in Ferkessédougou at our mission hospital to talk about this and other issues concerning the continued ministry of World Venture (formerly CBI) in Côte d'Ivoire. If you are the sort of person who talks to God about stuff, you might take some time to mention this to Him. If you are not then you might want to check out Nehemiah chapter 1. If you don’t believe that God answers prayer then you may be fooling yourself.

Traveling Fools

24 May 2005
American Airlines flight 1168 to Chicago. We just took off for Chicago and caught one of the most spectacular views in the US I believe when we lifted out of the clouds in the Portland area. It was indeed stupendous to see Mt Rainer, Mt St. Helens, and Mt Adams to the north and after turning around to see to the south, Mt Hood, Mt Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Broken Top, Three Finger Jack, Mt Bachelor and then, far off in the distance on the horizon, we could even see to Crater Lake, Mt Pit and the Siskous. Beyond that there was a great bit of haze which must have been California.

Yesterday I was a Skydive Oregon where I made a couple tandem jumps and a couple fun jumps. Of course I hear you asking yourself why tandems are not called fun jumps. Tandems are great fun really. Then reason we don't call them fun jumps is because when you get down and start packing for the next jump you realize that it is a lot more work to get the tandem parachute back in the bag than it was to pack your sport rig. So it is that a tandem is less "fun" than a fun jump. On the other hand, we get paid for doing tandems whereas we have to pay for a fun jump! Now that is a little screwball I'd say. I guess that if we didn't pay anything we would not think we are having fun. Be that as it may, I had a great day yesterday.

25 May 2005
Today happened earlier than normal as we flew eastward towards Paris, France. We had written ahead of time to let Dave, a friend of ours who works for Air France and who we have not seen since we got married, to let him know that we would be flying through and spending the day in Paris. We had not heard back from him but to our surprise when we came out of the customs gate he gave us a call and there he was out of nowhere. We had a great time reconnecting and getting to know his two charming girls of almost two and nearly three. Unfortunately Dave’s wife was on trip to Mexico with Air France. Both of them have made a career of working for that company. We took a little walk around a lake near their home after lunch. It was great to just relax and enjoy seeing Dave as a new father. You see, in 1999 when we got married no one had any idea that something was up. He was not even interested in anyone at the time as far as we knew. Not that we are the kinds of people to know about those kinds of things first anyway.

We are Outta Here!

Rod's Blog
We have comme through security and are sitting here waiting to board our flight outta here to Chicago, Paris and finally Abidjan. Interestingly enough while getting a cup of coffee after checking in we happened to meet Dave Ragsdale and his family who were up from Eugene to pick up his son Seth who is back from Afghanistan. He is with the Air Force and it looks like he is to be stationed next in Ft. Louis, Washington. We have not see these guys since 1999 and it was great to meet them this morning. Incidently Seth arrived with his older brother's (Arlen) fiancée, (I forget her name). Interesting the way paths cross and the way we meet at times.

We are scheduled to be in Paris for about 14 hrs tomorrow and then on to Abidjan from there. We might or might not be able to post anything on line once we get there. For those of you who are in the habit of praying, and I would hope that is most of you, you might mention to God this trip and ask him to keep us from getting too tired.

Talk to you all later.

One day at a time

Rod's Blog
At this point we are two days from flying to CI for three weeks. Today we had a little missions program at FBC in Hillsboro for children. We gave all the kids passports and plane tickets and then "flew" them first to Johannesburg in South Africa where my brother John and his wife Carol work with TWR. They visited with a "Swazi warrior" who told them how the mango got its name. After this visit they boarded the plane and flew to CI where they met some old guy called "BaSouleymane" who then told them the story of the hare and the digging of the water hole in the bush, how he got caught by the tortoise for his mischievousness and his punishment. You need to hear the story if you are curious! After their visit with BaSouleymane they got back on the plane and fly to Kenya to see the Tom Smith family in a Digo village on the coast. There they learned how to open a coconut and how drink the milk. After eating some snacks they all got back on the plane to fly back to the US and to Hillsboro. We had a great time with all of them and I think that they will have a thing or two to tell their parents when they get home. After the program this morning I ran down to Skydive Oregon to make a couple of tandem jumps and pack chutes. Interesting seeing so many good friends at SDO whom I have not seen since last fall when I first got back. Seemed that today was the day that everyone decided that skydiving is an alright activity for the rest of the summer. As it was as soon as I got there the sky began to drop forcing us to get out with our students about 5000 feet lower than normal. We still had a great time and our students were pumped and that is the key!

So what are you having for supper? 

Long Beach 

Moving On

May 2005

Have you ever felt as though you had no roots, that the closest thing to feeling at home was when you hopped into the car and started off down the road… again…?

For some reason we are beginning to feel a bit like that. Since the first of this year we have traveled from Oregon to Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Southern California and back home to Oregon. March began with a quick trip to Ohio to spend a few days with colleagues. Returning to Hillsboro, we packed again and left for Medford in southern Oregon where we spent four amazing weeks in the home of the Acords of Phoenix, helping out at The River Church (former 1st Baptist) of Medford. A week ago we returned to Hillsboro were we spent two nights before leaving for Idaho where we spent the last four days. Although this may seem like lot of traveling, we enjoy almost every bit of it. It has been a privilege seeing so many of you … most of you anywaysJ! We have been humbled by your generosity.

It has been exciting to meet with young people interested in giving their lives to the growth of the church both within and outside North America. As we come into this summer packed full of camps and retreats we ask for your prayers. We want to have significant stuff to share with young people. Many of you have heard our challenge concerning the “young girl from Israel” who is the reason that Naaman even had the idea to go to Elisha for healing (2 Kings 5). It is our hope that God would raise up a whole pile of “young kids from the Northwest” who would be ready to share the Good News at the right time to the right people with a right attitude and the love that this little girl from Israel demonstrated.

Our time in the US is coming to a close in September of this year. We have tickets to return to Côte d'Ivoire the end of this month (May) for a meeting of the minds concerning our future there. Our colleagues have asked us to return to discuss our possible involvement in the management of the former International Christian Academy campus in Bouaké face to face. There are some serious concerns that we all have with regard to that piece of real estate and its future usefulness for ministry. We will be there a total of 3 weeks before returning to the US for the summer. With our current lifestyle, a trip to Côte d'Ivoire at this time seemed like a fitting way to begin the summer!

As we consider this request we have to ask ourselves the question that we are asking them, which is; Just how is our involvement at the ICA campus going to help in reaching the Dioula of Côte d'Ivoire with the Gospel (Our reason for being in Côte d'Ivoire in the first place)? We have been able to share with many of you our vision and dream of seeing a strong ministry to the Dioula develop among the churches with whom we are associated in Côte d'Ivoire. Work among the Dioula has typically been difficult and slow because of their traditional attachment to Islam. One of the keys is that the national churches catch that vision and begin to reach out effectively to their Dioula friends and neighbors.

If we re-locate to Bouaké, where I (Rod) have worked in the past, we could work in partnership with one of the larger churches in that city, one of the few that has remained open during the past three years of civil unrest. This church also has a vision to reach the Dioula in their neighborhoods. This is an exciting possibility that may be a great fit for us as we return to Côte d'Ivoire in September. Of course this would mean leaving the region of Gbon, a prospect that we do not relish. That said, we realize that because of the war and the mass exodus of most Christian workers that the tables have changed and we find ourselves faced with challenges we have never asked for. We are convinced, more than ever, that God knows exactly what he is doing with us and with the people of Côte d'Ivoire!

Thanks for your continued interest … (the assumption here is that you are interested because you have read to this point!) and support for your ministry in Côte d'Ivoire. Thank you for allowing us to share from our hearts.

As we move into this summer it looks to be a wild one and we fully expect to see some of you! The plan is a definitive departure for Côte d'Ivoire in September this year all things being equal (which they never are but we might as well hope) in case you had not caught that yet! Hang in there and watch out for the wildlife this summer. We might show up in your neck of the woods!

Fall’in but saved,
Rod & Angelika

PS - If any of you would like to make a tandem skydive this summer, give us a yell and we will see what we can workout! Our cell is: (503) 313-2023, or residence: (503) 628-3828. If you call Skydive Oregon just ask for “The Parsons”!http://www.skydiveoregon.com/