Wilderness Wanderings

It has now been 3 and ½ months since we set foot on this nation’s soil and it would seem that it is now time to get out of here. It has been an interesting few months filled with visits, phone calls, meetings, trips, fuel stations, restaurants, rain storms and sunny days. We have put over 5000 miles on our little Nissan Sentra and it is still rolling. We have hiked into some of the most beautiful county in God’s creation both in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness area in southern Oregon and in the Sister’s Wilderness area of Central Oregon. We were able to taste some of the best huckleberries in the world (the ones just picked off of the bush which don’t make it to the can) and enjoy the sound of the forest away from the highways and mechanized world we live in.

I don’t think one can beat the feeling of getting up in the early morning in the mountains, starting the fire while brewing coffee and watching the valley floor stir to life as the sun creeps up over the eastern trees and hills. It’s at moments like these that one is reminded that we serve an awesome God who has given us so much. It also forces one to reflect on the responsibility that we must have before God for the way in which we treat this creation. I don’t suppose that there are many other spots in the world where one gets such a profound sense of how great this world we live in really is. My guess is that if we were to live in Michigan, Georgia or some flat place like that, we would have a harder time coming to such conclusions.

Besides having been profoundly impressed and blown away by douglas firs, hemlocks, sugar pines, mountain lakes, springs and mossy glades, I have also found several books very interesting in the past few months. The one that topped my list for interesting recently has been The Starfish and the Spider – the Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom. The basic idea is that, “If you cut off a spider’s head, it dies; but if you cut off a starfish’s leg, it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditional top-down organizations are like spiders, but starfish organizations are changing the face of business and the world.”

They go one to describe seven principles of decentralization in the first half of the book before trying to give meaning to the legs of a decentralized organization in the following section. They finish by pointing out that hybrid organizations might do better in situations where there is still need for a central clearing house approach to business, such as your bank or a flight program. One of the things that struck me in particular is the principle that a “starfish” organization finds its raison d’être in its ideology rather than in a strong leader at the top with a clear “vision”, such as it is, as with a spider organization. Wow! That has some serious ramifications. You gotta read the book!

Another book that I have been reading is Jared Diamond’s book, Collapse – How Societies choose to Fail or Succeed. Perhaps that is why I have been thinking about the beauty of Oregon so much recently. According to his tell (and one does need to take him with a grain of salt) we are not all that far from what could be the end of western societies as we have come to know them in recent history. Of course much of his discussion is centered around our use or poor use of natural resources that we have and the huge conflicts of interests that are played out in a single valley of the United States which are amplified a million times in other parts of the world with far more dyer consequences. He does a good job of pulling one’s head up and making one ask how he could be more conscientious in the use of the resources at his disposal. Of course as I read this stuff from the perspective of life in Africa it certainly has other implications that the average American may not pick-up on simply because the impact of global warming may not be as severe. That is not to say that there may not be implications but all indications are that the tropical parts of this world may be affected far more severely by global warming.

I have found it disturbing that more Christians do not give this issue much thought. It seems that global warming has become a “liberal” discussion point which simply means that we who follow Christ need not be concerned. I am concerned that the “labeling” of an issue like this has taken so many good thinking people out of the discussion. I guess I would hope that more of us would find the strength and courage to begin thinking about a more sustainable industrialized world. Walking the forest paths of Oregon, running down streams and swimming in pristine mountain lakes has moved me with a sense of our responsibility to take better care of this place.

Now before you write me off altogether, let me end these ramblings by making mention of another idea that has recently caught my fancy. I have been impressed by some of the articles one can find online concerning “missio dei” or the sending of God/mission of God. There is an excellent summary of this concept found on Wikipedia which I recommend. Mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God. God is a missionary God.

“It is not the church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world; it is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the church. There is church because there is mission, not vice versa. The Church must not think its role is identical to the missio Dei; the Church is participating in the mission of God. The church's mission is a subset of a larger whole mission. That is, it is part of God's mission to the world and not the entirety of God's work in the world.”

“Our mission has not life of its own: only in the hands of the sending God can it truly be called mission. Not least since the missionary initiative comes from God alone … Mission is thereby seen as a movement from God to the world; the church is viewed as an instrument for that mission. There is church because there is mission, not vice versa. To participate in mission is to participate in the movement of God’s love toward people, since God is a fountain of sending love.”

Try wrapping your mind around that idea just a little. It has huge implications for us today. The reasons for the church’s existence have become fairly convoluted as the church and church organizations become more organized. This of course leads to a top down spider looking organism which no longer finds its life in an ideology but in its leader. When its leader falls the organization takes a hit and at times it is fatal. There is a foundational readjustment needed within the church to make the mission of God our raison d’être. This fundamental readjustment can make the difference between life or death of any given church. For too many years we have fought about the color of our floors, the songs that we sing, the clothes that we wear rather than the real reason that we get together in the first place.

The Wild and Crazy Month of May

The month of May came and went in a whirlwind which left me spinning. By the end of the month I had made three trips to Abidjan (5 hrs away), I had said goodbye to Angelika (as she flew off to Germany) and I had welcomed the 15th installment of the French LICORNE peacekeeping forces to our campus. Of course within the same month I tried to bring a close to a year of teaching at IBB (Bethel Bible Institute) in Korhogo (2,5 hrs away) and with the help of a great team from the US, put the roof on a church in the village of Dagba (at least 2 hrs away from Korhogo). All of that and I had papers to grade, packing to do, exams to write, and meetings to be at. In the end all got done or happened as it were and I find myself in Germany where I finally caught-up with Angelika!

One of the interesting things of note that happened the 3rd of June which in retrospect should have taken place at least 4 years ago, was a match between Côte d'Ivoire and Madagascar in the run off to the CAN (Africa Nations Cup) which took place in Bouaké. Our star player Didier Drogba was there along with the rest of the national team to trounce the Malagasy team 5-0! Of course it was a real celebration as for the first time since the beginning of the war we saw government troops along with the presidential guard sitting along side the former rebels cheering their team on for the win. It was exciting to see many faces in the stands who, since September 2002 have not set foot in Bouaké, there for the first time in five years to cheer on the national team. As one of the government officials said as they were leaving the stadium, “We Ivorians are made for celebration not for fighting, we do much better at dancing than shooting!” That was well said and we are praying that we will find more reasons for celebrating than for shooting.

Of course the roofing of a church is always a big thing in a village like Dagba. We were there for a little less than a week which meant early mornings and late afternoons. We worked solid from about 7h00 until 18h30 each evening. The team that came was composed of college guys all of which are in the middle of paying for school and looking for how to finish out their college years without too much dept. Not only did these guys raise the roof and the necessary funds for traveling to Côte d'Ivoire, but they also raised enough to roof the church again this year. That means that they raised $6000 extra each year to bring with them for roofing churches. Wow! And it was simply our job to welcome them and do a little organization and everything else happened just like that. Our national crew led by Nicodème was fantastic and they worked also like dogs to get the job done and safely. Our crane worked again lifting each truss without drop any on anyone which is always a good thing!

At the same time last month while I was with the crew in Dagba, Angelika was working with a couple of girls who had come to work with orphans. They had a great time painting and spending time with kids who otherwise have few distractions. Two American girls where an amazing distraction for them and we hope that through their time that the orphans were impacted with the love of Christ but also that the girls were impacted with the needs of kids in Africa.

All in all, I think that next year I am going to try to skip the month of May. Oh yea, I got a year older in May as well, another good reason to skip it next year!

Bonne Année 2007 !

As 2007 begins I thought that it would be reasonable that I write down a few reflections and notions concerning the year gone by and this year coming. First thing on my mind is to thank God that my father is now home and doing quite well for a 72 year old man who has been sliced open twice in the past 6 months by doctors trying to get him to feeling better. We have spoken several times on the phone with both him and my mother and it is good to hear they are doing well.

One big surprise over the holidays this year was to hear that my sister Carmel (Debbie), her husband Victor and their family flew back to the US for an early home assignment due to the failing health of Victor’s father. We were glad to hear that their field permitted an early departure due to family concerns. We are also glad for my folks who must be tickled pink to have more grand kids than expected at this time of year.

As for things in Côte d'Ivoire, they continue towards what we all hope will be a peaceful solution to the now, four and a half years of a divided country. As previously mentioned, we are now living under another UN resolution - 1721 which is more of the same and which has many people frustrated due to the constant ambiguity of the language used in calling for change. This resolution also calls for presidential elections this coming year in October, as has been the case for the past two years. In order for this to happen everyone agrees that there needs to be disarmament and a census taken which, will provide for open and fair elections. The rub comes in figuring out how to go about disarming and taking a census so that people can register to vote.

It sounds simple enough although in Côte d'Ivoire turning a rock over can be done a number of ways and with varied results, not to mention such a complicated affair as turning in weapons and getting one’s name on a list so as to be allowed to vote. The real solution is with the politicians who are still discussing from which side we should push to turn over the rock, not to mention how to deal with the results of a turned over rock! It leads one to believe in the end that most politicians must be half stoned any way and if not they probably need a good stoning! At times we wonder if they are even talking about the same rock!

Be that as it may, we have plans for this next year. At the Bouaké campus (former ICA) we are going to go forward as if there is a future. To put that dream in the ground we have an almond tree project under way even as I speak. We have about 70 almond trees in a nursery which we hope to plant in the next few months on campus. We have begun digging holes in which we will begin to put good soil to give our trees a fair chance at becoming mature and productive trees. Knowing very little about almond trees, I am going with the local advice I have been given which is to plant them no closer than 10 meters which leads me to believe that this is a tree of considerable size. Anyone out there who might have experience with the almond tree, please feel free to chime in with any advice you might have.

My major interest in planting almond trees however, is in with the flowers that will provide early foraging for my bees. Yes, we are still going after the bee deal. We have about 25 hives that are producing honey even as I write. I am excited about a project that we are hoping to get underway to provide each of our students at Bethel Bible Institute (IBB) in Korhogo with a hive, a bee hood and a smoker as well as instruction on how to produce quality honey. I am hoping to connect next week with an older man south of Korhogo who has received training in apiculture and who is willing to help us train the Bible school students. He is a believer and is excited about sharing his understanding with future pastors. Beekeeping is the kind of activity that is well adapted to rural village settings in northern Côte d'Ivoire and an activity which does not demand a lot of time and money to initiate and manage. The results are pretty good tasting too.

Of course we will continue our other activities of providing the best French military experience possible while hosting the Licorne Forces. We don’t have a lot to do with the guys staying on campus but we try to be as helpful and welcoming as possible. One of the realities of them being a long ways from family and home during the holidays is an openness which might not be true at other times and in other places. Keep us in mind as we play the role of being their hosts and also the caretakers of the campus which they have occupied while attempting to keep Côte d'Ivoire from degenerating into another Rwanda. I have begun meeting with four soldiers several times a week to help them with their English. We have had some interesting conversations. We hope to have them over soon for a meal where we can exchange on a more informal basis. Of course through all of this it is our hope that they will not only hear of Christ but that they will also see Christ through our lives.

As we enter into 2007 we will hope to continue working with our church in Bouaké and encouraging them to reach out to Muslims. There is and continues to be a certain resistance to sharing with Muslims concerning one’s faith. Many times it is simply because of a fear that in an honest discussion with a Muslim one may become convinced to follow Islam. This happens on occasion and is not an unreasonable concern. But as in so many areas of life, if one doesn’t dare to reach out, to do the unusual but to simply keep the status quo, nothing happens and nobody is challenged and no impact is made. Pray for us that we might be able to bring about change and impact this city through the lives that we touch. We do not want to settle for mediocrity when we serve a God who is anything but mediocre.

I continue to teach two days every two weeks at IBB as well as serving on several committees and boards of training institutions. All of that and the pressures of running the Bouaké campus can at times be overwhelming. Pray that I would find time to “smell the roses” and not get stung by the passing bee!

Continue to pray also for Angelika who is still very involved in women’s ministry through our churches in Bouaké and has numerous contacts with Muslim women in Bouaké. She and Abby Silué, one of the women from our church and good friend of ours, have been working faithfully together to edit Bible stories in Dioula (Jula) and telling them to several Muslim women. Pray for them as they walk the fine line of speaking the truth and not offending the sensibilities of those with whom they are sharing the truth of who God is and what He is like.

So it is that we enter into 2007 with hearts full of praise for the opportunities God places before us. We know that it is no simple thing to walk as Jesus walked but this is our prayer for ourselves as it is our prayer for those of you we know who might have taken the time to read this stuff. Bonne Année ! Que Dieu vous bénisse dans l’année 2007 !

Christmas Eve 2006

Written Christmas Eve, 2006 from Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire

I am sitting here in Bouaké reminiscing just a bit this morning about my dad. We received a call from my mother this morning saying that dad was admitted to the hospital and had emergency surgery to remove an inflamed gallbladder. As many of you know my father has been on a 6 month course of chemotherapy due to colon cancer. Apparently a few days ago he began feeling pain associated with this inflammation. At that time the doctor ordered a CAT scan to determine where the pain was coming from. Upon the discovery that the pain was coming from an inflamed gallbladder he was scheduled to have surgery on the 26th of this month. Yesterday however, he woke up with considerable pain and the doctors decided to operate immediately.

Of course we have been thinking and praying for him for some time now as we have been relatively concerned about this colon cancer. Several months ago dad was operated on to remove a tumor from his colon before beginning chemotherapy. As you can imagine we are not at ease about this most recent development and we are waiting to hear what the results might be from the test to be done on the tissues removed during the surgery. This morning on the phone mom said that according to the doctor the gallbladder looked “normal”, whatever “normal” must be, aside from the inflammation. I cannot for the life of me think about what could be “normal” looking about a gallbladder outside of the body and lying in some tray waiting testing.

The last time I saw dad was last January when we were in South Africa for a short vacation and research trip. We were staying with my younger brother John and his family in Kempton Park and had a great time with the folks who were down to help take care of kids at a WorldVenture conference which had been organized for its missionaries. Another bonus was that my sister and her family were also there for that same conference. With Carmel and Victor’s four kids and Jean and Carol’s as well, we were quite the crew. By the time we left South Africa the Madsen family and my folks were off to the WorldVenture conference.

Before leaving South Africa however, we dropped by at the conference to say goodbye to everyone and spent a couple of hours with mom and dad who, at the ages of 72 and 71 respectively, were in the middle of running after 3 and 4 year old missionary kids, trying to keep track of them as well as have a good time. I guess that when you see that kind of service at that age one can’t help but be impressed. I know that I was! All that to say that this was the last time we saw the folks as we left shortly afterwards to return to Côte d'Ivoire where we had other pressing matters to attend to.

As I think about all that has happened since that short and intense visit together with the Madsen family, my folks and John’s family I am amazed that it was ever possible to have been together at all last January. Since April, when Dad was diagnosed with colon cancer, he has had colon surgery in which he had a tumor removed that turned out to be cancerous and has, since then, been doing chemotherapy. Then in November John’s oldest, Jean Marc, had emergency brain surgery to remove an olive sized tumor which turned out to be benign for which we thank God. And now for dad the doctors have determined it necessary to remove his gallbladder post haste on the 22nd only three days before Christmas.

In all this we are thankful that my brother Ray and his family are still in the US where they can come to the aid of our mother during these difficult days. And so it is that during this time of so much family joy and fun we would ask that you think of my old man and our mother who, this year, will be spending it in hospital and most likely alone. It is not that they begrudge our being overseas at all. On the contrary, my folks and Ray and his family are amongst our most ardent and committed supporters in our efforts here in Côte d'Ivoire, the Madsen’s in Uganda and John and Carol’s in South Africa. But that makes life particularly difficult at times like these when we would rather all be together and with the folks rather than spread out all over Africa and North America.

I know that neither mom nor dad would want us to be concerned about them at this time, knowing that they are in the hands of a God who knows far better than we what we need for each day. Mom is a rock and I believe that she will do fine regardless of what happens. Even so, it is difficult to think of them alone at this time. As she wrote us in a note today, “Pray but do not worry. The Lord is with us and we trust Him completely.” At times it is hard to do as she says but we know that anything else is to multiply folly with folly because the Lord is forever in full control of all that comes our way. We don’t like it sometimes but as Job so well reminds us when he needed hope, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” I know this is true today and we look so forward to that day when He will stand on the earth.

1633 to 1721

1633 to 1721

As of the end of October Côte d'Ivoire is supposed to have had a new president according to the UN Security Counsel’s Resolution 1633 which has been, until the end of last month, the ambiguously worded document which permitted the actual president to remain in place as the actual president even though Côte d'Ivoire has had a UN named Prime Minister since last year at this time. In the former UN Resolution, 1633, the powers of the acting president were “limited” and the powers of the Prime Minister were “beefed up”. Just what that meant and how it was to be applied was left ambiguous last year.

According to last year’s resolution we were supposed to be identified and disarmed so as to open the way for elections. There was a significant difference of opinion as to whether the disarming of the different fighting factions should happen before, during or after the identification process. On one side you had folks saying that if they disarmed then the president would not allow a fair and open identification process to go forward.

On the other side you had folks saying that if disarmament didn’t take place that the entire identification process would be faulty, having not been done before the proper state authorities, state appointed judges and the like. In the end some people were identified and some people were disarmed. Not enough of either happened however so as to allow us to have elections this last October.

That said and the UN Resolution 1633 re-visited has resulted in a new UN Resolution 1721. This new resolution is about the same as last years, again “limiting” the authority of the President and “beefing up” the powers of the Prime Minister. Apparently the language is still fairly ambiguous as seen by the different kinds of messages we have heard from both the President and the Prime Minister.

As with 1633 the new UN Resolution 1721 does not supersede the Ivorian Constitution. This has also been a hotly debated issue as it would seem to some that for the past several years the constitution has hindered significantly the peace process. Much to the surprise of certain observers, the United States supported the strong constitutional clause along with Russia and China. France and several others traditional allies of the United States on the Security counsel had hoped to see a change in this regard.

The President has of course been very positive in his accolade for the new 1721 Resolution, saying that he is going to take his responsibility seriously as indicated by the constitution, bring an end to the war and organize elections. Just how he intends to do that is what frightens many in the north of the country.

One needs to understand that some of those who have been the most belligerent in their refusal to disarm are pro‑government militias in the south as opposed to rebels in the north. These militias have been active in harassing and exacting tribute of all sorts from anyone who might seem opposed to the current regime. Of course it must also be said that with this kind of talk the rebels in the north are in no hurry to lay down their weapons.

The Prime Minister on the other hand, when he spoke last night, left us all thinking that if he does what he has said he will this next year there may be some difficulty between him and the President who continues to claim that as a dully elected president, although his term was over in October 2005. According to the President he will retain all of his authority as president as stipulated in the Ivorian Constitution. It would seem that we are somehow at an impasse.

That said we should note that some observers feel that this year is going to be much the same as last year. We will make little steps toward peace and elections. Due to the ambiguity in the language of the UN Resolution 1721 however, there will continue to be some very different interpretations of a text which, in trying to please everybody has really pleased nobody to the extent that everybody reads it simply the way he thinks it should be read which means that even though it pleases nobody it really pleases everybody. I have to take my hat off to the UN! They should call this art or something! I know I don’t understand it!

Excuses, excuses

So, what does one write after not having written for over 3 months? Maybe “Sorry” would be a good place to start. Excuses? You bet, I could start an entirely different blog listing those but I don’t think it would make for very interesting reading.

Since our last entry we have hosted at least three other major groups here at the school, besides the French Military who we continue to provide housing for due to the continuing unrest in the country. Our most recent event was just yesterday with the arrival of 30 young girls from our churches in Bouaké. They came out to greet Angelika and Tiémogo (another lady who along with Angelika has been a counselor to the young women in our church). Greeting can mean saying “hello” or it can be as involved as spending the afternoon and evening together eating and talking and just sort of hanging out. Yesterday the 30 girls were here for one of the latter types of greetings!

This meant feeding them and the Tiémogo gave them and excellent talk on how to depend on God for things such as a husband, work, schooling, etc. Tiémogo has been married for a little more than half a year and during this time she and her husband have not had the joy of living in the same city together. Her husband studies in Abidjan and she has been teaching in Bouaké. Through all of this and the difficulties this causes her and her family she has remained faithful first to God, our fellowship, and to her new husband. She has been an inspiration to these young girls as well as an encouragement to the rest of us who see life from a different perspective.

After Tiémogo shared with the girls her journey as a young woman and how God lead her to her man we took some the girls to the water tower (13 meters high) and had them rappel off the sides. We had a good time and the girls enjoyed getting out there beyond the comfort zones. It is always interesting to see who is willing to try and then what happens when they get up top. Nobody refused to go down the rope once they were on the top! Of course some went down more willingly than others but all went down. I use a safety rope for the descent as you can see from the photos. Our water tower is of course nothing compared to Smith Rocks in Central Oregon but it works. One has the definite notion from that height that a fall would kill you or at least break you up a bit. It is a great teaching tool on trust. Just what does it mean to have faith in God, in someone, or in something? It is a lesson that I am still learning and on some days not so well.

Of course the really big news since I last blogged my way onto the web was the passage of our national football team to the World Cup in Germany. We had a rare opportunity to travel to Germany and attend the Côte d’Ivoire – Holland game in Stuttgart. After flying all night we met up with friends from the US who brought us tickets for the game and we had a great time cheering and meeting other Ivoirian fans there for the game. It was a wild a crazy thing to do but who could miss such an opportunity. As we were tight on time we did not get out of southern Germany to see family in the north but we did get a chance to spend time with Jens and Silke, Angelika’s cousin who is himself a very big football fan. It was a wild few days traveling from venue to venue. One of the great things about this World Cup was that, regardless of the place of the match, there were giant screens setup in fan parks in all of the game cities where you could watch the games alongside hundreds of other fans. Perhaps the wildest party we attended was in Berlin alongside a million other German fans cheering for the Germany-? game. We saw the final matches in Côte d'Ivoire having returned before the end of the first round. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime kinds of experiences. It was great fun to be with friends and doing something like that together.

Hey, hope next time will be sooner than later, but then again, you may not! Tough, this is my blog!

Sepikaha Church Story

For the past two weeks we have been running up and down the road to Sepikaha, a village outside of Tafiré in northern Côte d'Ivoire with a crew of 6 young men from Bethel College in Indiana, USA and a seventh from Canada who joined the Bethel crew for this trip. The reason for this visit was to roof a chapel that has been sitting for close to 12 years waiting for a roof. This chapel was the 6th chapel that Sepikaha has seen since it built its first back in the early 60’s following a difficult beginning. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Sepikaha is how this fellowship began and why in the last two weeks we have been roofing a chapel this size.

Chloe (pronounced “klo”) began having eye problems as a young man. While working in the south of the country he began to loose his eyesight and returned to his home where he found that his aunt had received Christ while in Korhogo trying to take care of a daughter who had died from a short illness. He along with several others put their faith in Christ and began to study together the Word of God even though he was loosing his eyesight. Because of what they were learning they decided that they could no longer participate in the secret society called the “Poro” because of the idolatry involved. This refusal to belong to the poro angered many in the village who made threats against them and made life hard on this new band of believers. Through a series of events the government officials where eventually implicated in the attempts to pressure the new believers into participating in the poro. To the surprise of the poro supporters however, the representative of the government, after reviewing the case and a visit to Sepikaha, decided to support the Christians saying that the village was even blessed to have them present in Sepikaha.

During this time Chloe decided to attend the Bible School in Korhogo even though his eyesight was gone.
He had visited the hospital several times to try to reverse his failing eyesight but in the end he lost it altogether. While at Bible School he would study as the others but from memory. While others took note in class he listened and learned. He learned to find biblical passages by learning the thickness of the pages of the book. Chloe became one of the best evangelists in the region and after his time in Bible School he returned to the Tafiré region where he continued to lead this small group of believers in Sepikaha. Being blind Chloe would walk many kilometers to share the gospel and to teach the company of believers. Through his faithful teaching and the faithfulness of the other believers in Sepikaha the little group of believers grew in spite of the treats and mistreatment.

Through the years this group of believers had built 5 different meeting places and had out grown each of them. Their most recent chapel which we roofed had been built to accommodate 300 plus believers but they lacked the funds and the skill to roof the chapel. For several years they had been requesting help but with the recent changes in Côte d'Ivoire their request had been all but forgotten. Thankfully, when the crew from Bethel College asked about a building project through Bill Grudda, the WorldVenture ST coordinator for West Africa, Katiénéfoa Timothée, the president of the Association of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Côte d'Ivoire (AEBECI), remembered the plight of the fellowship in Sepikaha. Through a series of events, visits, much prayer and the faithful support of churches in the US, Canada and Germany, the Bethel crew arrived in Sepikaha the 3rd of May to raise the trusses into place.
As we raised the trusses the guys developed relationships with both members of the church in Sepikaha and other believes from Korhogo and Bouaké who had come to help in the construction and roof-raising. Every morning we woke up to breakfast prepared and brought to the home we were given for the time of our stay. We ate very well and there was always more than enough. It was a joy to see how involved the members of the church were as we raised trusses, tied them down and attached the metal sheets. Our home was actually the newly finished home of Chloe which he had finished a few days before our arrival. I was impressed and humbled to see the way the believers engaged themselves in the project. By the time we had finished roofing the 14 by 20 meter building we knew each other pretty well and we were pleased that no one was hurt. Lifting the 1.5 ton trusses was a bit of a challenge as well as raising and bringing down our home built crane. In the end we learned quite a bit about lifting heavy things up in the air and about how to do it safely. As with any project this size and crews this big, we struggled some with communication and illness. Thank God however, only a few were feeling down only part of the time which meant that we were mainly up most of the time, which when raising a roof is a good thing!

Thanks for your prayers and support during these past few weeks. We are trilled to have spent a few days with the Bethel Crew and to have been the liaison between them and the Sepikaha believers. Lot of work but the privilege was out of this world!

He is Risen!

Today is the big day! He is Risen, He is Risen indeed! This morning when we got up were just a little bit tired out from all of the activities leading up to this great day of Easter but as ever thankful for what it means to each of us to know that the King Lives!

Being into the kingdom building stuff let me give you a run down on our more recent activities. Angelika has been running flat out for a week preparing and helping teach girls at a retreat for young women which was held at our church over this weekend. The retreat was the first of its kind ever to have been hosted at our church in Bouaké and it was a hit! About 35 girls arrived from the surrounding region for two days of cooking, teaching, singing, drama, and all the other stuff young women like to do when they get together. Needless to say, my involvement was at a distance trying to support Angelika as she jumped into it with both feet. What a woman, that one! I couldn’t believe it when I saw her load up a stove and haul it into the church to teach the girls how to bake cakes and cookies. Now, you might think that I got some of the goodies; after all, it was my stove they took! No way! I think that the only thing I got out of the deal was a clean stove. Don’t be feeling sorry for me though, I really don’t need all that cake around here. Angelika was thinking about me after all!



While Angelika was busy with preparations for the girl’s retreat I have been busy cutting and welding steel to make a gin pole of sorts to help lift heavy trusses. This is in preparation for a church roofing project which some of you have been following in recent months. The church in question is in a village called Sepikaha which is north of Bouaké about two and a half hour’s drive north. Sepikaha has had walls built for over 10 years and they have been asking and waiting for technical help on how to build the trusses for their span and then lift them into place. We will be hosting a team of 8 young men who plan to arrive in Sepikaha the 2nd of May. We will work for two weeks and hope that within that time frame we will be able to get the trusses built, place them on the walls and put up the roof.

It sounds easy enough when you think in terms of cranes, rental lifts and building supply stores in every town. Our problem is that Sepikaha is a long way from a building supply store and it is impossible to rent a lift or a crane for raising trusses. Therefore I find myself cutting and welding steel these days with the hope that what I am building will be useful for many different church roofing projects. In the end what I am putting together will be a cross between a "pole derrick" and a "jinniwink" according to the US Army FM 5-125 chapter 5 "Lifting and Moving Equipment". I plan to mount an 8000 lbs truck winch (donated by a friend in Medford, Oregon for this purpose. Thanks loads Jim, it works great!) at the base for lifting purposes routed through a pulley at the top of an 8 meter long and 18 cm steel "I" beam pole. My counter balance is a 14cm steel "I" beam which will be chained to the 8 meter pole as well as guyed to a 5 ton in-line cable come-along. All in all I think it is going to be able to lift a fair amount and for a good while. The plan is to set it up next week and have the French military engineers look it over for problems and then try it out. I figure if it can lift the front end of one of their trucks we should be in business. No, I will not try it out on my truck first!

I hope to include some rudimentary drawings of my invention which might help you pray more intelligently for this fool and the gang that is coming out to work with him! Those of you who know the fool well know that this is one of those things that I get a kick out of. So far I have scrapped only one job but if I think and draw and plan any more I may start all over again. After last week and the sore muscles I am hoping that this plan is for good.


Oh yes, I have now over 10 bee hives with colonies in them and they are getting active this time of year. The other day the Catholic sisters from down the road were by and they asked if they could purchase two of our hives. They have had some more colonies move in and apparently need more place for them. They have agreed to trade wax foundations for the hives which will be great for me having started to mess around a bit with the European style hives. I have certainly enjoyed the hood and smoker I got from South Africa. They are so much better than the stuff we were using. It is reassuring to know that no matter how angry the bees get they just can’t get to you. Of course anyone else in the vicinity not so well protected can get the ride of their life if they are not careful. So it is with the bees.

South Africa and Back Again

Today finds me sitting in the Java House in the Nairobi airport in Kenya waiting for our flight on across the continent and back to Abidjan. We have just spent 3 weeks in Johannesburg with family. We had the rare and exciting possibility be with my younger brother John and Carol his wife for the duration. They hosted not only us but my sister Carmel and Victor Madsen, her husband, and their four kids as well as my folks, who had flown down from Uganda where Victor and Camel serve with WorldVenture. John and Carol work with Trans-World Radio serving in Johannesburg.

We had all come to South Africa for different reasons but found time enough to spend a few days doing stuff together and sharing. It was a rich time marred only by the absence of my younger brother Ray and family who has a normal job in the Bend, Oregon and felt, reasonably so, that a trip of that magnitude for his whole family might well be his financial ruin! Of course we did not dwell on this and had a good time anyway!

We should explain however that this trip to the southern part of the continent was not entirely vacation and fun. I spent several days at TWR headquarters working on radio related questions to enhance our programming in northern Côte d'Ivoire as well as other local FM stations in West Africa. I also worked with a couple of engineers looking into how to better install radio towers in the future. TWR has asked that I help them with the installation of some of the medium and short wave towers in Parakou, Benin in the future. This is where TWR has installed a transmitter site and they are hoping to get authorization to move forward with a short wave installation within the next few months.

Another thing that occupied our time and thinking while in South Africa was the question of what to do with the ICA campus. If it does not interest the mission community as a boarding school we need to think of other options and wove forward. While in South Africa we were able to make some good contacts and pickup some interesting ideas that we may pursue in the near future.

We were also able to work some more on the French version of Battle for the Hearts which should be finished up within the next few weeks according to the executive producer, my brother John! We are certain looking forward to this release. In our opinion the French version is far more interesting than the English version is, especially with regards to our context in Côte d'Ivoire. At the same time I was able to get some pointers from Michael Comse, the camera expert for the Battle for the Hearts, concerning future filming possibilities with some of our church theatre troupes that would like to put together stories. Ambitious sounding it is but if you don’t dare to try you will never do anything.

One other topic that occupied my thinking and my pocket book were some professional South African fabricated bee supplies. I was able to get a great little smoker and some good face and neck protection. I made contact with a fabricator of wax foundations who could be a supplier in the future as we have no way of making our own foundations… yet! This contact that I made also informed me about a reality that I was sort of aware of but he confirmed my thinking. Africa has about 11 different species of bees. The sort that we encounter in West Africa makes a smaller cell for the larva and food storage. This being the case, foundations made with the European and North American bee species in mind are too large. I always knew Americans liked big cars and big houses but I had no idea that the bees in the States have the same tendency!

Of course you may be wondering why this foray into beekeeping. As I stated in an earlier blog, bees are an insect that is very industrious and in West Africa they are particularly so. Beekeeping is an under-developed industry in our part of the world. As I have previously stated, I am working closely with a guy from our church trying to develop better ways and means of working with the bees we find here. We have recently fabricated about 30 hives of different sorts which we will be trying to populate and then harvest next year. I am hoping to use beekeeping to give young men and women in our part of the world a supplement to their normal income. One of my dreams is to get the young men and women who are at Bethel Bible Institute trained and setup with an initial hive with which they might supplement their income made bring some sweetness to the life of the churches they lead. I am also working with young Dioulas, trying to get them setup and helping them to understand the importance of honey production as an alternate occupation.

While we were in South Africa we received word that a friend and colleague of ours, Kayleen Merry (Slater), passed away after a long battle with leukemia. Steve and Kayleen Merry had been with WorldVenture at our hospital in Ferké where Steve had hoped to begin a training program for doctors. At the beginning of the war they were evacuated along with their 5 children. They re-located in Togo serving at a hospital there until they returned to the US for their home assignment. While in the US they learned of Kayleen’s leukemia. They began treatment during which time Steve was asked to work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Due to this change and Kayleen’s illness they had resigned from WorldVenture in January of 2005.

Kayleen’s home going is a blow to many us around the world who had been praying for her healing. Kayleen was the daughter of Dwight and Barb Slater one of several families who have played an essential role in the beginning and continuing ministry of the Hospital in Ferké. All but one of Kayleen’s 5 siblings has been in full-time ministry in Africa at one time or another. The Slater connection to world missions is a strong one and her loss impacts many around the world. No one is as affected however as deeply as her 5 children and her husband Steve. Please pray for them when you think of it.

Steve and the family have setup a memorial fund to help support doctors at the Baptist Mission Hospital in Ferkessédougou. You may send your check with a note or memo stating the target of your gift to WorldVenture, 1501 W. Mineral Ave., Littleton, CO 80120-5612 or go on-line at https://worldventure.com and follow the links for on-line giving. If you would please enter "Kayleen Merry Memorial Fund" on the line beside the 4th option for giving ("other"). Gifts given to the fund are 100% tax deductible.

Thank you in advance for your prayers for Steve and family. It is hard to imagine anything quite as hard to understand as why God would take a young mother and wife from a family of five young children like this. Trite can be our answers to such devastation and they often ring false. Perhaps Isaiah says it best when he asks the question, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.”

Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention that while in South Africa I was also able to help my brother John setup a model train track table. We had a good time fabricating a table that swings on pulleys from the roof of his garage. This way he can park his car in the garage when he is not playing with his train set. Needless to say, his car didn’t see much of the garage while we were there! With nieces and nephews running about for a few days there it was a fun project to work on. Like all toys for children however, the question as to who had more fun with the train set is still up for debate! For those who want to know the table is simply two pieces of plywood put side by side with a hole cut in the middle so that you can reach all sides of the tack, villages, hills, rivers, stations, roads, and all that jazz. Obviously we had a good time.

ICA Reflections

by Braden Mugg, ICA Grad 2001

I must say that it was odd to come back and visit Cote d’Ivoire and ICA after having been gone for almost five years. Although the places that I knew as a child have remained very much the same, almost all of the people that I knew in those days are gone. Surprisingly, even with all of the changes, I was particularly struck by how much my visit reminded me of the time I spent here and the people I knew.
I was particularly struck by the changes in the country itself. In the rebel controlled North traffic has slowed to a trickle under the pressure of the rebels whose main source of income seems to be extorting money from travelers. The people here speak of a hard life where jobs are in short supply and the future is unpredictable. The overall climate, however, remains surprisingly hopeful and peaceful as people go about making the best of a bad situation.
It is interesting to note the many ways that ICA has changed in its current incarnation as a military base. Although the infrastructure remains very much the same, the campus now prominently displays barbed wire, spotlights, and fortified defensive positions. Basketball courts where children once played have become parking lots for armored vehicles. Perhaps the change is most visible at meal times when the voices of grown men fill the cafeteria that once resonated with the joyful cries of children.
The strongest tie to the past is the workforce many of whom speak fondly of the days when there was peace in Côte d'Ivoire and ICA was a school. It was especially interesting for me to see that Joseph and Thomas both of whom worked in Beth Eden when I lived there are still here. It was fun to bring them and others news of students they had known years ago.
Coming back to Côte d'Ivoire and ICA brought back a flood of memories from a childhood that I had more or less lost. Therein lies the importance of my trip for me. Although the people I had known long ago are gone and the places have changed, during my stay here I felt more strongly connected to them then I have in years. In spite of the fact that these memories and connections will probably slip away as quickly as they returned, it was nice to have one last chance to say goodbye to the world of my childhood.

Yahoo, ambiguity!

As you may have heard by now, there has been renewed unrest in Côte d'Ivoire due to what seems to have been a simple misunderstanding of what had been said by the UN’s International Working Group (GTI) assigned to help in the resolution of the continuing conflict in Côte d'Ivoire. Wednesday, Obassanjo, the president of Nigeria, flew into Abidjan to meet with the leaders of the government and the new prime minister to explain what was meant by what the GTI had said concerning the National Assembly. Unfortunately, because of this little misunderstanding four demonstrators in the southwest of Côte d'Ivoire lost their lives because those who knew better incited them to demonstrate. Being in the rebel held part of Côte d'Ivoire these demonstrations do not affect us directly, though we find ourselves concerned for those friends and colleagues who find themselves living in the middle of it.

Besides the country being in a bit of a scrap right now, both Angelika and I have been hit with some bug that we are finding quite debilitating. For the past four days in my case and for the past two days in Angelika’s case we find ourselves running to the toilet far more often than we would wish. We have had a serious bout of the runs and an inability to keep most foods down. When the only food that looks attractive to you is boiled rice and rice water, you know that you have been hit by something. Fortunately we have a fairly understanding French military doctor and staff right here on campus and we find ourselves making regular trip to the infirmary for meds and advice. At this point we have no clue what has hit us so we are trying to lay low and build up a little strength. If you are of the praying sort you might want to mention this to the Great Physician. We are confident that He knows what is going down and what is coming up!

This week we began a 15 weeks theological training course at our church in Bouaké. We had about 7 students turn up for the first lesson this past Wednesday which was simply a test which I had prepared to try to help each student realize where he might need to do some study as we go into this class. The main reason for the class is to help those who want to learn how to better preach and teach the Word of God as leaders in our community. We have an interesting collection of young men, older men and a couple of women who have signed on and have agreed to pay the 250 CFA (approx. 50 cents) per 2 hour class. We are encouraged by the enthusiasm and interest expressed by the students and their involvement in the life of the church. Pray that the things shared in this class will be useful and helpful to our community here in Bouaké and beyond. We have some interesting situations that are certain to come to a head as we go through the different aspects for what it is to lead in the church and what exactly it means to teach in the church context. In the words of Alfred Kuen, the teacher is tied to what he teaches. Unlike other occupations, to teach or preach the Word demands a corresponding lifestyle which attributes honor to the One who is the subject of our teaching. To do or live otherwise is to neutralize the message and in many cases brings more harm to the Kingdom than good. As I think about that I am more impressed than ever of the weight of the task before us.

On the lighter side of life, we need to let you know that we are planning to fly to South Africa around the end of February for about 3 weeks to visit family and to do some research concerning the future of the ICA campus. We will be getting in touch with several vocational schools and technical colleges to see what they are doing. We will also be looking for possible partners who would be willing to help our association of churches in Côte d'Ivoire dream about how to make the most out of a property which is uniquely setup for live-in training/teaching. This is only exploratory at this point as we still have a 5 year commitment to hold the school against the possibility that there may be other mission agencies interested in running a school on this campus. You can see we have a curious dance to follow right now. We are to care for this place for a given period in hopes that it may once again be useful as a missionary kids training institution. At the same time we are being asked to look into other options for the use of this place while at the same time it is already spoken for at the moment. Ambiguity has never come easy to me but I am finding that right now I have to embrace it.

Yahoo, ambiguity!

Beekeeping African Style

Several months ago the thought came to me that with all of the trees that we have on this campus that we might be able to make a go of raising bees in the hopes of harvesting a small bit of honey. Of course any of you reading this and who have raised bees and done the honey collection dance in the more temperate zones might find our methods a little curious at best. However, there are several reasons for why we do the honey business as we do here and perhaps the most compeling reason has do do with the bees themeselves, the apis mellifera adansonni, which are said to be aggressive.

While in Germany we had a chance to talk to former colleagues of Angelika, Arnold & Marie-Louise Vogt who used to work with SIM in Burkina Faso. They had been working in agricultural development for several years and he had helped the church leaders in the Fada-N’Gourma region understand the importance of bees and the honey industry. He worked to help them become self sufficient and competative as well. He had concluded that the best kind of hive to use was what is called the “Kenyan Top Bar Hive”.

Arnold introduced me to a little know book written by Stephen Adjare from Ghana called “The Golden Insect,” ©1984. Adjare had drawn the same concusion while raising honey in the Kumasi district of Ghana and working for the University at Kumasi in the Technology Consultancy Center. This little book of 105 pages is rich with simple instructions and advice on how to raise honey in West Africa.

Adjare begins by explaining how in most countries in West Africa the honey collector kills bees to get the honey. The notion that one can actually harvest honey and not kill the bees is a rather foreign one in this part of the world. So it was that I have taken on trying to do as Stephan Adjare has outlined in his book and raise honey. My main objective is to try to spread the idea that bees are good and can be managed for a profit as well as harvest some good tasting honey.

So it was last night that I harvested honey for the second time in the past two months from our first hive. To do this one really should have a smoker, which I do not yet have, and a bee suit, which I have after a fashion. As I found out last night, the pockets of the pants I was wearing are excellent places for bees to go and remind you that the honey you are taking is not really yours to take after all. That said, I was able to ignore the pain of the moment and finish the job but several bees died in the process. Of course without smoke these bees were rather posessive of their honey. It would seem that the experts are right when they say that the apis mellifera adansonni are aggressive.

In Côte d'Ivoire most honey is all of the juices of a hive squeezed out of the wax by hand or melted out by putting the honey ladden comb on screens and dumping hot coals on top which melts the wax and lets the honey run through the screen giving the honey a smokey taste. Of course the brood cells also get mixed in with the honey changing its taste. This means that most honey purchased along side the road is very inferior honey if it can be called that. Unfortunately this “honey” often has water added to increase the volume and to augment the purchase gain.

With these kinds of practices going on it is no wonder that good honey is in high demand. At this point I have hived three colonies of bees. I am working with Keho, a Senoufo from the Boundiali area who has experience with traditional bee keeping (which involves killing the bees to harvest the honey). He has shown me a number of techiques to attract the bees to the hives that seems to work fairly well.

First of all we take cow manure and spread a thin coat all over the interior of the hive using a hand full of citronella grass on all of the exposed wood. After letting it dry we then burn some tiama (redhead tree) pods (see photos) and turn each hive over placing it upside-down over the smoking pods. The sweet smoke from the tiama is very agreable to the bees and they are attracted to the risidual smell left in the box after a good smoking.


Once the smoking if each hive is finished and the top bars are put back in place the hive is ready to place in a tree where the bees are likely to come and look for lodging. So far I have found that hiving a hive is best done by moving an older inhabited hive a short distance away and placing a new hive in its place. Smearing cushed wax with honey on the inside of the hive also helps greatly in attracting new swarms.

In Adjare’s discription of the honey bee I could not help but think that it is a small picture of how the Body of Christ should work together, each on doing his part for the good of the hive and for its growth. It would be too much to go into detail here but there are some amazing paralles that we would do well to imulate in the church. Continue to pray for us as we try to make a difference in our part of this big world.

Ramadan is over

Today Ramadan is over. Last night somewhere in Côte d'Ivoire someone saw the new moon and it is now official. This morning after the call to prayer we could hear the drums in the distance announcing that this is indeed a new month and that today at 10h00 all those who can will go to their “Friday mosque” for prayers to mark the end of another Ramadan. In town the next few days there will be concerts and parties as well as a lot of kids dressed up going from door to door asking for a “sambé sambé” or a good year gift. It is one of those interesting customs that has crossed religious borders in cities like Bouaké. Kids will dress up in their new clothes and do the same thing at Easter, Tabaski, the end of Ramadan and Christmas. If you are well off, at each one of those fêtes you would have outfits made for each one of your children and then send them out on the streets to ask for gifts. Of course it is considered good form if you give something to the little urchins and you always receive some kind of blessing from them. Usually it comes in the form of, “May God give you many more years” or “May God accord you another year”. So, that is what is going on today as we go from one shop to another and from one courtyard to another to greet our friends on the ending of Ramadan. Of course this means that the rebels are also asking for handouts to help them celebrate the end of Ramadan. So, we take this little space in the information world to wish those of you reading this stuff another year and especially another year in which God gives you His peace and joy.

Well, it happened a few days ago, that two of the large eucalyptus trees that have been standing around Bethel Dorm for well over 30 years now, fell over in a fairly windy storm. They fell on part of the Dinning Hall where most of the cooking takes place. Fortunately even though it was just before supper the French cooks where not in their usual place. The trees fell in such a way that they punctured the roof and damaged the roof structure. None of the masonry was damaged however and the second tree fell next to, just missing, the large butane gas tank that is used to store cooking gas for the kitchen stoves. One of the refrigeration units was damaged but even as I write now a few days later, it is running and seems to have come though the storm without serious problems. The photos may help you understand what I mean by large eucalyptus trees. It would seem that several years ago, while building the gym and the plaza in front of the gym that roots were cut in order to put in some stairs. In cutting a few roots and putting in the stairs to the east of the trees their footing was compromised. As our strongest winds come from the east at either end of the rainy season, this was a setup for disaster waiting to happen. Again, it was fortunate that no one was hurt by them. One side note however, these two trees took out three other trees when they fell. Five trees at once! Now that is a record for this place I do believe.

Our internet café where we do most of our surfing dried up the other day as they have a fairly large bill with the phone company which needs to be paid. For some reason the money that has been paid them has not been used to pay the phone company and so we find ourselves running around looking for another place to do our surfing. I hope to post this today but a lot will depend on whether or not I can find an internet café which is open.

Not much else in the way of news other than to say that we are glad, as always, when Ramadan comes to a close. For some reason fasting all day puts people in a contrary attitude and it becomes difficult to get anything done especially from 16h00 and on. We had a theft this last night which looks like a kid just trying to find some cash for the fête days coming. It is a little unsettling to know that there are people out there who will come into a French military base to steal. Knowing the seriousness with which the French guard their camp we are not too surprised! So goes life in a country where rich Europeans live in a poor and more and more desperate situation. Of course we know that our protection comes not from the French troops living here but from someone far greater.

Thanks for your prayers and for reading this little blurb! May this find you in good health and relatively well if not excellent. Sorry for the long silence. We will try to do better next time.

Back in Bouaké

It has been over two weeks since I arrived back in Côte d'Ivoire. It has been an interesting two weeks as we are back this time for at least two years before we are even thinking of returning to the US. As I mentioned in my last posting, Angelika and I flew to different cities in West Africa and we met up in northern Côte d'Ivoire one week ago. We are now back in Bouaké and this morning we are listening to the rain come down as we are in the thick of our rainy season. We have a new contingent of French soldiers who arrived last week and so we are in the process of helping the 10th mandate learn how we would like them to treat this place and what the conditions are for their staying on this campus. As you can well imagine, they do have the upper hand when it comes to bargaining as they have bigger guns than we do. No worries though, the US Ambassador sent an attaché up the other day to check on us, or at least that is what he told me! He did say that it was his first time up to Bouaké since he had arrived in Côte d'Ivoire. He was impressed with how calm and laid back things are in the north (rebel territory) as opposed to life in Abidjan.

Right now things have got to be tense in Abidjan as nobody is agreeing as to what will happen after the 30th of this month when the presidential term of 5 years will come to an end. Normally elections would have taken place by then but they have not been organized because the rebels in the north have not laid down their weapons. Of course they will not lay down weapons until the government supported militia lay down theirs. The government supported militia will not lay down their weapons because they claim that they have none. To turn in weapons would be to admit that they had some and on and on it goes. It sounds a little bit to me like the children’s story, “This is the House that Jack Built”. Of course the results of Jack’s house building was only a little spilt milk and a kiss that may or may not have been wanted. If that could only be the case here we would be very pleased. Unfortunately we are waiting for something far more serious to happen in the next few days and weeks.

Upon returning to the Bouaké campus last week I heard that Kalifa Coulibaly, one of the former workers at ICA who cleaned the classrooms in his later years, had died of an illness that had taken him at some point this last May. He had returned to his home in Mali, where he died earlier this month. Kalifa was a good man and a good friend of mine. He was one of those jovial, always ready to talk and joke kind of people. Any news that needed dissemination would do well to pass by Kalifa. He had ways of making you feel good even when you knew you should be angry with him. I knew Kalifa however, more as a friend rather than an employee. I am sure that some of you reading this could tell stories about Kalifa that would make us all laugh. He was that kind of guy. I am surely going to miss him. I have not heard yet anything concerning a memorial service at the C&MA Campement Church where he was a member but I am sure something will be done there to remember his life and to encourage his wife and family.

Just yesterday Angelika and I took a walk around the outside of the campus just to look at the wall, the gardens and to greet anyone who might be out on a Sunday afternoon. As we were walking we came upon a herd of cattle and their herder. We exchanged greetings and began to talk about the war and different people we know and he knew. As we talked he mentioned that he was from the same village in Mali as Kiribé, another one of the former workers at ICA. I had heard that Kiribé had passed away sometime last year. As we talked the old hearer, whose name was Mama, he told us of how he started out with just one calf and now has a small herd. He spoke about Kiribé and how he followed the “Jesus Road” whereas he had always followed the road of his father, Islam. He regretted that fact that Kiribé left for Mali just after the war began but as he said many times, our lives are in the hands of God. He told us of being out with his cattle the day that the Ivoirian military tried to take Bouaké and how he had been told to sit down and that they were going to kill him. He had asked to do his prayers first and then the soldiers walked off and left him sitting there. One hears many stories like this these days. Of course the ones which end in death are often not told and families are left wondering where their family members have gone and what has happened to them. Tough stuff. And that was just one walk around our place here in Bouaké.

Again, please don’t forget about Côte d'Ivoire. The next few days and weeks are looking to be troubling for this country. It will be interesting to see what takes place as the actual president is refusing to accept a transitional government and is not talking with the rebels. He is actually refusing any negotiations with the West African leaders who have been encouraging him to step down as president following the 30th of this month. H.K. Bédié, the former president of Côte d'Ivoire, has put out a call to all of his supporters to go out into the streets at the end of the month if the actual president doesn’t step down. It is not looking good. The French are once again asking about how they can use the campus as a point of assembly for any eventual evacuations of Europeans in Bouaké that may need to take place if the government troops decide to attack Bouaké or other points north of the demilitarized zone. So is life in our part of this crazy world.

This Is It!

This is it, as it would seem, for the next couple of years. We are once again this year flying across these United States on our way back to Africa. We have had a great year here in the US visiting many of you, learning new things and in general, having a good time. Now, because of our responsibilities in Côte d'Ivoire, we are on our way back to that part of the world that we call home. On one hand we are glad to return to something that is a little more normal and down to earth than the land of look alike Wal-Marts and Burger Kings. On the other hand, it is always hard to say goodbye to family and friends.

Even today as we gave my folks a last hug and said goodbye, I wondered how many more times we might get to hug them and spend time with them. As supportive as they are about our being in Africa, it is hard for them as they send us off to what is so unknown. Every day is like that though. One cannot know for sure what any day will bring. God does though and we rest in the assurance that He has got it all worked out. That does not preclude struggle and difficulty. Most often it is an integral part of our lives, but He knows what we need for each day.

It is why the blessing given before going to bed at night by the Dioula is: “Ala en kélén kélén wuri” translated meaning, “May God raise us each one up one by one”. The general notion is that if everyone gets up at different times in the morning that there has been no disaster and no death has taken place during the night. Of course as we leave family we are all hoping that during our separation we will not receive a call telling us of some tragedy or difficulty, but again we know and are certain that God is not obliged to have us walk smooth paths in this life. We are His and our lives are literally in His hands, regardless of how much we may think we can control them.

As much as we would like to control the world around us and all that it offers, we have seen that even in this great country, men are not immune to the violence of nature. As we have recently observed in the case of our countrymen to the south in the Gulf States, we can build dams and levies and other great engineering marvels to keep back the rivers and the sea. With these levies however, as in the case of our rivers, we have simply succeeded in raising the level of our rivers and creating even a greater need for more engineering marvels. As in the case of some cities, we have found that the levels of the sea can at times overwhelm our best attempts to hold them back.

Returning to Africa our thoughts turn to the realities of life on that continent. I find myself thinking about the fact that the world’s number one killer, malaria is still alive and well in Africa. I just read, in the Delta Airlines September 2005 Sky magazine, an article that said that every day the number of children that die each day from malaria could fill seven jumbo jets! The fact that the majority of those deaths are in sub-Sahara Africa makes it a rather unimportant issue in the West. Having experienced malaria first hand and having seen colleagues from both Africa and the US loose children to this disease; it angers me that so little is being done to fight it.

Recently I had a high fever which took me one Saturday while at the drop zone. A skydiving friend told me of his neighbor, Dr. Makler, who has done extensive research in malaria research. This skydiver called Dr. Makler who was very excited to see me at his home. That afternoon he had me drive up to see him so that he could take some blood samples and test for the disease. He not only tested me but he also gave me a contact where I could pick-up a self test that he had developed but which was being marketed by someone else. I actually tested negative that afternoon but he was fairly sure I had malaria. When I got home I took some meds that we can get in Côte d'Ivoire but which the FDA in the US have apparently yet not approved. Dr. Makler said that that what I had at home was the best medicine that I could take for malaria. In the end I took the meds and felt better after a few more bad spells.

One of the interesting things about Dr. Makler is that he has come up with a self test using small blood samples, strips of paper and a buffer. If the test is done correctly you can tell that malaria is present in the blood as well as indicating what kind of malaria it is, without having to have a full laboratory available. This is very interesting in light of the fact that it is still a number one killer in our part of the world. So many times we are treating non malarial fevers with malaria drugs simply because we assume that fever is malaria in this part of the world, which many times it is. With such a simple test available we could be more precise in the treatment of this disease. The following websites are interesting for the fight against this disease: http://www.malariatest.com/ and http://www.accessbio.net/.

So, here we are, back in Africa. Angelika is in Bamako, Mali I hope and I arrived in Abidjan last night. Aside from loosing two bags, the trip went well and I slept well last night. If you have just read through all that I have written above you might want to remember that the difficulties we experience are only occasional. For the most part we are healthy and life is normal. I have meetings scheduled for today and I am not too concerned about malaria. We mention these things to raise awareness not to alarm. I guess that at times alarming can raise awareness and that raised awareness can produce action. Yep, we would like to see action! Check out the above mentioned sites and get involved if you think you can.

We're Outta Here!

It would appear that we will soon be on our way outta here ! We have come to the end of our visit to this country and we are on our way back to Africa. We are going with mixed feelings. On one hand we are glad to be getting back to where life seems a little bit more normal, where the lives of pets and people do not hold similar values and where hurricanes and tropical storms are not blamed on the government but are still considered acts of God.

It has certainly been an interesting year back in this country. As we pack our bags we are sadden as well to know that some of you we will not be seeing for a very long time and others of you we may never see again. As with every departure some of you may be more overjoyed than others of you to hear of our imminent leave taking. Whatever your inclination however, our departure is on the books and in the works.

This time back, both Angelika and I will fly to Paris together. In Paris, on the other hand, I will fly on to Côte d'Ivoire and Angelika will continue on to Bamako, Mali where she is to attend a missionary women’s retreat in that city. I think she is excited to go and probably glad to be off on her own again for a spell. We hope to meet up in northern Côte d'Ivoire around the 26th or so when I am scheduled to have a meeting with our field leader.

I plan to get up to Bouaké around the 22nd or the 23rd all things being equal. Of course we know that they are not which would lead us to wonder just when we will get to Bouaké and even if. At this point the situation remains relatively calm although there is talk about renewing hostilities. One thing we are learning to weigh is the weight of words. After multiple peace talks and multiple peace accords signed and agreed to we are beginning to understand that many times men do not really mean what they say or sign. With that in mind, hearing all of the threats to take up hostilities again sounds a little far fetched. At the same time, we realize that it does not take much for a country like Côte d'Ivoire to fall into outright anarchy in a flash.

I had a great time the other day taking Doug Hazen on his first skydive. He is our Northwest Area Director for WorldVenture. He had wanted to make a jump with me for a number of months and it finally worked out for us both to end up at the same place on a sunny day in Oregon. He had a great time and so did I. Thinking about that jump now, I realize that he is the first boss I have ever jumped with! Pretty remarkable when you think about it, that he would trust the likes of me. Not to brag or anything (of course that is just what I am doing having said that I am not) but that should tell you how good an employee I am, or what a fool he is! I will let you be the judge!

You are probably wondering if we are going to keep up this blogging stuff once we hit Côte d'Ivoire. We certainly hope to but we will be at the mercy of the latest internet café scam that is going once we get there. I would expect that we will write more often, not having all the normal distractions you poor folks have to put up with in the West. Of course the fact that we will even be blogging might be an indication of how “West” we have become in this past year.

Speaking of West, some of you probably knew my good friend Doug West who died last month in London while on a ST missions trip. He had finished leading a team from Illinois in prayer before the morning’s activities and boom, he was down and died a few days later in hospital. The last time I had seen him he was picking up his daughter from Tadmor high school camp. He had been one of those guys that prayed for me and then us ever since we began this missions stuff back in 1986. He became a champion for me in the early days making t-shirts for the “Côte d'Ivoire Skydiving Club” (the t-shirts were his idea and it might have taken off had it not been for this little war we have going on) and even coming out and skydiving with me. Now you know a friend is a friend when he will do such a thing with you! Doug did. But what I am going to miss the most are is short notes of encouragement out of the blue and his dedication to pray for us. I am sure God has got that end of things worked out though or else he would not have taken Doug out of the equation. I know that Corban College, formally known as Western Baptist College, where Doug used to work, is missing him greatly as well. His kids, all three, are missing him a great deal as is Carrie his wife. Our loss, though great, is nothing compared to theirs. If you think about it you could pray for Carrie and Doug’s kids. They are great. God is going to use this in their lives in ways we may never know. Wow, to pray and then die, what an idea. Can you imagine, talking to God and then to find yourself standing before Him! Now that is living right or something.

So it has been an amazing year being back in this country where all Wal-Marts look the same and everyone speaks English for the most part. It has been an interesting 12 months and it will be good to get back to some measure of normality. Think of us from time to time and again, if you are in the habit of talking to God about your friends, you might mention us to him. Then again, if you are not in that habit you might let us know and we will pray for you! To all of our friends and family we say goodbye!

Rod and Angelika

The Turnover

It has happened. On Monday of this last week, August 1st 2005, the International Christian Academy (ICA) campus was turned over to Mission Baptiste de Côte d'Ivoire (MBCI) now known as WorldVenture. Having been asked by MBCI to be the one responsible for the running of the former school campus, I was the one to receive the keys. So it was, less than one week ago, Dan Grudda, the former director of ICA handed me the keys and handed me part of the agreed to sum for the good running of the campus for the next five years. This of course is a major change in our program.

Three years ago had you asked if I would ever be doing something like this I would have laughed outright. I am still laughing in disbelief that this is actually the case. This is one of those cases of doing something one knows needs to be done but not something one really would like to be doing. I have found however, that in helping out our team in Côte d'Ivoire in this manner, God is very likely going to put us in ministry situations that would otherwise be impossible. For this reason, if no other, I am looking forward to what the next couple of years may bring.

Because this campus is now occupied by the French forces of Operation Licorne we are experiencing a fair measure of security. The ICA campus is probably one of the safest places to live at in the country at the moment. However, knowing the way military tends to work, it is very possible that this could change overnight. One call from President Jacque Chirac and voila! As Côte d'Ivoire continues down the road towards peace, the French military presence may or may not be necessary. Time will tell. There are many in the country who believe that they should leave, whereas others are convinced that their presence is the only thing keeping the country from falling into all-out war. When you pray for Côte d'Ivoire you could pray for these troops many who have families at home and the normal concerns that all of us have.

If you were to visit ICA now, you would find it very different that it used to be. We have concertina-wire and barbed-wire all around the campus and on top of the security wall. There is a road that now encircles the entire facility. When you arrive at the entrance to ICA you are looking down the barrels of several guns that could finish you off quicker than it takes to write it down. Sand-bagged bunkers on both sides of the road and rows of barbed-wire everywhere gives you the impression that you are entering a war zone. If you were coming from Bouaké you would have that impression already. If, on the other hand, you were arriving from the east, which is outside the rebel zone, you might be taken back. So it is at the place we hope to call home for the next couple of years.

For those of you who know me and my background, it would seem that my life has come full circle. ICA is where I first went to school as a first grader. I can remember hours spent making tracks in the dirt play ground and driving our matchbox cars along these “roads” with our friends as we learned how to play in a civilized manner with each other (sometimes more and sometimes less as kids are known to do). All that made this place a school for some forty years is now gone. There are no children anymore to play Fishy or Prisoner’s Base.

The classrooms are full of stuff, preserved against the day that another school may perhaps again sing within its walls. The dorms are full, but with men trained to keep the peace. The roads are full with support vehicles, scout vehicles, troop carriers, and the French equivalent of the US military jeep, the Peugeot built P4. Of activity there is no end. Helicopters coming and going, troops coming or leaving, meals cooking or being eaten, it all is in the name of peace and I find myself in the middle of it all. Aside from the few African workers they have hired, I am the only civilian on campus. It is certainly strange to find oneself in such a context.

Outside being in, included though not, a part of the whole and yet apart from it. So is life in this strange twist of life as it has come upon me in these days of standoff, détente, waiting, wondering. Now that I think about it, I can remember feeling a bit this way when I was in first grade! Interesting how life is that way. Guess that I am going to have to think more about this. Maybe it’s a sign of growing young again! Now there is a thought to stick in your pipe and smoke!

Thanks for your prayers these days.

Of Lost Keys and Camp

It would seem that I am off to Côte d'Ivoire tomorrow flying from Portland to Atlanta, Atlanta to Paris and Paris to Côte d'Ivoire. It is going to be a long couple of days and I am hoping that we will actually be able to land in Abidjan. According to the news this morning there have been five police killed in a series of attacks in Anyama and latter in Agboville, two cities north of Abidjan. It seems that the motivation is not clear at this time. Keep that in mind as I hop on that flight tomorrow. The ruling party has called for the departure of all the French troops from the Ivoirian territory, saying that their presence is hindering the peace process. Most of the rest of the country is glad that they are there. It is one of those quandaries that persist in these kinds of situations. Stone casting seems to be the game these days!

We have just spent our second week at camp this summer, this time at the High School camp at Camp Tadmor that had a Green Acres theme. We had a blast hanging out with kids and counselors. It was a special treat to hang out with Jake Hendricks, the son of Luke Hendricks who heads up the Church Next movement of CB Northwest. Jake did a great job explaining what it meant for a kid these days to deny one’s self and to take up the cross. He was right on and a great inspiration to both Angelika and me. One of the less interesting things that happened last week was loosing my VW Vanagon key to the Samtiam River while cliff jumping on the South Fork of the Santiam. It only took one jump and that baby was gone! I was too chicken to go off the highest cliff and then finding the key gone kind of took the bluster out of my sails. I never did make the high cliff jump. We were able to call someone from camp to come pick us up. The next day I drove back with a second key that Angelika brought from home and got the old beater back up the hill. Needless to say, that made the top ten “Things Heard at Camp Tadmor” that week! Moral of that story is: If you want to enjoy an afternoon of cliff jumping on the South Fork of the Santiam River don’t let the old guy that drives you to the river jump off of cliffs with the key in his pocket. The River is fast, the River is cold and the River is deep. Only a fool would swim in such a stream with a key in his pocket. It is like when we skydive, we always ask our students if they have anything in their pockets that they don’t want to loose. Cliff jumping the South Fork of the Santiam is the same deal it would seem!

All told, aside from loosing my keys in the deep dark Santiam, camp came off quite well and we had a great time. We met some great kids and are looking forward to having some of them come and visit some day.

I do want to mention one project that we are working on currently. The association of churches that we work with in Côte d'Ivoire has a number of young men and women interested in doing biblical studies either in our own school or in other evangelical Bible schools and seminaries in the region. The association is going through some rather difficult times financially at this point although they are seeing God do some great things in their churches even in light of the current struggles Côte d'Ivoire is facing these days. If you would like to contribute to the Leadership Development Project simply follow this link and click on “Give now” and follow the instructions. Thank you for your interest in this project. The association currently has several pastors and church leaders who would be in seminary or Bible school right now if they had the funding. Help us partner with them in this endeavor.