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Davy during discipleship with Ivorian students: Stephane, Constant, and Gemaine
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“Personally, I may say that your stay here in Cote d’Ivoire changes many things in my life.” - Said to Davy by a college student in Cote d’Ivoire
Drumroll please… We believe that God has called us to spend the next one to two years ministering to college students with Cru in Cote d’Ivoire! We will be living in Abidjan, the third largest French speaking city in the world. The college campus, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, has a large mission field with 60,000 students. Cru has asked us to be the Short Term International (STINT) team leaders, which means we will be leading a team of recently graduated students that have chosen to spend a year working with Cru overseas. We will be working closely with another American family that lives there full-time and the national Ivorian Cru staff. We have loved our time in Southwest MO, but are excited for what God is going to do in and through us in West Africa. We will be packing up our house and getting on a plane with our team in just seven months (mid-September)!
In 2012 we traveled to Cote d’Ivoire on a short term mission trip. Since 2012, we have both been back two other times and have absolutely fallen in love with this vibrant, hospitable country. Cote d’Ivoire is about 40% Christian, 40% Muslim, and 20% other/tribal religions. The incredible reality is that the people there, regardless of spiritual background, are SO open to hearing the Gospel. In our time there we have seen Muslims place their faith in Jesus and then share the good news with other Muslim friends. This open door is an amazing opportunity that we don’t want to miss. We don’t know how long we will be able to share the Gospel openly in this part of the world. Our vision is that we would reach people with the Gospel and send them north into countries that we as Americans have difficulty going. We truly believe that God can reach the world through the people of Cote d’Ivoire.
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Melissa sharing the gospel with Ivorian students on the campus in Abidjan
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Our job description will be very much the same as it is here in the States: share the Gospel with college students, disciple them, start Bible studies in dorm rooms and around campus, and then send them out to reach the world for Christ.
This news may bring up questions- how do your parents feel about taking their only grandkid across the Atlantic Ocean, is it safe, will you need more or less financial support, isn’t there a huge need for you here on American soil, will I get to ride an elephant if I come to visit? We would love to answer these questions and will over the next few months in our letters. Still, we are very open to you contacting us at any point to ask specific questions. Our information is below.
Davy will travel to Cote d’Ivoire March 11-20 for a ten day trip to prepare for our arrival in mid September. Please pray for him as he makes plans for our family and the team that we will be bringing with us. The trip will cost roughly $2,000. It would be very helpful if you would pray about giving a special gift to assist in covering the cost: GIVE A GIFT.
Thank you for your constant love and support of our ministry. We are so grateful for your partnership with us.
For the display of His splendor,
Davy, Melissa, and Aiden
