Africa Update

Now that I am finally past my jet lag (I think)... it's time for an update. I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend 10 days in Cote d'Ivoire. For those of you that don't know Cote d'Ivoire is MSU Cru's overseas partnership. I mentioned this in my last post but I'll say it again here because it speaks a lot to what I'm about to tell you in this update. I love our partnership for many reasons but one of my favorites is how strategic it is. Islam is making a huge push from Northern Africa down into the South (The 10/40 window is not far away from Cote d'Ivoire). But at the same time the country is so open to the gospel! Students are willing and excited to hear about Jesus and many are placing their faith in him. Many countries are closed to Christian missionaries, but we can come into Cote d’Ivoire without restrictions. Another reason is that the country is rebuilding from a civil war a few years back. The country’s future leaders are on college campuses right now and they have a huge opportunity to change their country for Christ. Finally, Abidijan is the third largest French speaking city in the world! What an amazing way to reach beyond Africa and into other French speaking countries. Beyond strategy I LOVE the people in West Africa. I got a pretty good picture of the people two summers ago when I went to Mali so it brought me so much joy to come back and experience their kindness and love all over again. A day by day account may be too much, but for those that are interested read on (if you're not, at least check out the photos).

Day 1 - We leave Kansas City VERY early in the morning. A long layover in Chicago and even longer overseas flights make for one very tired girl.

This was a common site in the airplane. God has blessed
me with the ability to sleep anywhere.

Again: blessed to be able to sleep anywhere.
I'm the one with the pink shoes poking out.

Day 2 - 5 hour layover in Brussels, Belgium. We had enough time to wander in the city a bit so we left the airport and ventured into downtown. I enjoyed an authentic Belgian waffle! The freezing cold (I was going to Africa and didn't bring a coat) and overpriced train ticket were totally worth it because that waffle was AMAZING. Next: Brussels to Abidijan. That evening (or is it morning in my mind? Time change is a funny thing) we arrived in Cote d'Ivoire. We were greeted by Craig (American Cru staff member ministering in Abidijan with his wife, Bryn, and their three kids), the Kouadios (Ivorian staff couple), and a few Cru students. Finally we get to sleep in a bed!

Beautiful architecture in the city!

Train station in Brussels.

Day 3 - This was a Sunday so we went to Craig's church. They speak in French in Cote d'Ivoire and I can say a total of three words in French: bonjour, oui, and merci beaucoup. Needless to say, I didn't know what was going on most of the service, but it was really fun to worship the Lord anyway. A theme I've noticed in West Africans is the passion in which they worship the Lord. It's contagious and even I didn't know the songs they were singing my heart couldn't help but praise God. That afternoon we got to meet students involved in the local Cru movement. We sang praise songs, mingled with students, played soccer, and heard Stephen's (one of the student leaders) testimony.

Loved spending time with these ladies. L to R: My roommates Kelsey,
Chrissy, Me, Lizzy, and our friend from K-State Chrissy.

Day 4 - Our first day on campus! We went to Abidijan's largest campus called Cocody. There are 60,000 students that attend Cocody University. There was definitely a buzz around campus because a bunch of Americans where there. We spent the afternoon near the English department sharing with students and doing follow-up lessons with new believers. I mentioned before how open students were to hearing the gospel. We could literally walk up to someone, ask if they wanted to talk about having a personal relationship with Jesus, and they would agree! That would never happen on even the most open campus in the United States. The first day I got to share the gospel with 2 Ivorians in the English department. I found out that they were Christians, but had a limited understanding of the gospel. They still lived in a performance mindset. I got to show them in God's word that grace is a free and undeserved gift. If they have surrendered their lives to Christ they are free from the guilt and shame that sin brings. It was a great day and the best part is they wanted to meet the next day to start follow-up lessons. After meeting with students we went to their Cru meeting. It was outside in this beautiful wooded area on campus (I wish Missouri weather was nice all year so we could meet outside). It was so fun to see all the students there, much like they would be at Missouri State. Although we are worlds away, we serve the same God! It was a huge blessing to be a part of that.

Davy sharing the gospel.

My roommate, Kelsey, sharing the gospel. These girls were precious!

Worshiping at the Cru meeting. 

 Day 5 - Back to Cocody! I spend the morning doing follow up lessons with the students from yesterday. The first follow-up lesson deals with confidence. New believers can have confidence that their eternity is secure in Christ. It was so fun to see their eyes light up and for them to understand that salvation isn't the result of good works and neither is God's love as Christians. In the afternoon we went to Bingerville where a local Cru movement has started in a all boys school. We attended their Cru meeting. We got to dance with them while they worshiped and encourage them to keep pursuing the Lord. After that we went to the Kouadio's (Ivorian staff couple) house. I'm incredibly encouraged by their faith. They raise support just like me and I can't imagine how much harder it is in Cote d'Ivoire. They are committed to college students hearing the gospel and even though they have little, they are so incredibly joyful in their service of the Lord.

Doing follow-up with new believers. 

Dancing with the Ivorians.

I love the way they worship!

Learning song with Colette. She is on staff with Cru in Abidjan. Such a
joyful woman! It was a pleasure to get to know her. 

Day 6 - Today I got to talk for a long time with two Muslim students studying English. Anna and Kadi were beautiful girls with tons of questions about American music, fashion, and culture. It was really fun to talk with them and they answered plenty of my own questions about their religion. Their major hang ups with Christianity are they don't believe Jesus is God and they believe good works will get you to heaven. The conversation was good, but hard at the same time. I want these girls to understand the gospel so badly and it was hard to walk away from them still holding onto false beliefs. However, I know that I serve a good God and he loves Anna and Kadi more than I ever could. I know our discussion didn't fall on deaf ears and I pray God will continue to bring to mind all that we talked about. I'm thankful that these girls, although they are Muslim, are incredibly open to talking about spiritual things. It is extremely rare to be able to have those types of conversations with Muslims.

Sharing with Anna and Kadi.

Me, Kadi, Anna, and Chrissy.

Day 7 - Off to Bouake! We drove 6 hours north so we could share with college students in Bouake. I don't think I can adequately describe the adventure of driving in Africa. Pot holes in America can't compare to pot holes in Africa. I think I saw my life flash before my eyes a few times, but fortunately we made it to Bouake safe and sound.

This is Alloco: fried plantains and fish. We ate this A LOT!

Day 8 - Today might have been my favorite day because I got to see an old friend. When I went to Mali a few summers ago I had the privilege of meeting Barnabas who was one of our translators. When he found out we were coming to Cote d'Ivoire he made the trip from Mali to see me. His mother lives in Bouake so it was perfect! I was thankful the Lord orchestrated the opportunity for me to see him again. We shared the gospel on campus and he very kindly translated for me. We also happened to meet a Christian on campus and got to take him through the first follow-up lesson. Later that afternoon: more soccer (of course). This will forever stick out in my mind as one of the best days of my life!

My good friend, Barnabas. He is very musical!

They had a jam session. 

Day 9 - Headed back to Abidjan, but we stopped in the capitol city of Yamoussoukro to see the world's tallest Basilica. It is absolutely breathtaking to behold. Words don't really do it justice so I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

Didn't look too big as we walked up. Boy was I wrong. 

View from a balcony inside.

View from and outdoor balcony. This is the courtyard.

Beautiful stained glass everywhere!

Day 10 - Back to Craig and Bryn's church! It's funny to end a trip the same way you started, but again worshiping the Lord with believers from across the world is something I will cherish the rest of my life. For me it's a little picture of what heaven will be like and I can't wait for that day! Today was incredibly bittersweet because it was our last day in Cote d'Ivoire. I will miss the people I met in these short 10 days, but I rejoice knowing I will get to come back this summer. More on that later.

Blessed by these women.

Pray for this incredible family! They are doing
amazing things for the kingdom.

Overall here's what I want you to know about my trip:

• God is working in Cote d'Ivoire. It's absolutely crazy how open they are to the gospel. I think we take it for granted in the U.S. that we can openly talk about our faith. That certainly is not the case most places around the world. Thankfully it is true in Cote d'Ivoire right now. The harvest is very plentiful and I think these students are going to make an impact that goes beyond their country. 
• Ministry success is not a result of me... or my team or any human for that matter. God is the one at work and he is working in Cote d'Ivoire and in Springfield, MO and in a million other places in the world. I got to see a lot of fruit on this trip (people coming to Christ, believers growing, students stepping up into leadership) but even when I don't (I think of Anna and Kadi) I can trust that God is moving. I pray for those precious girls and I ask that you would too. 
• Obviously our ministry isn't about numbers. You can't measure success in ministry like you measure success in business or sports, BUT numbers represent real people. Real people that God cares deeply about. So I'm going to share the stats from the week with you. Not for a pat on the back for our team, but for the praise of the Lord Almighty. Because these stats are truly amazing and ALL glory belongs to the Lord. As a team we presented the gospel 135 times. We saw 15 people trust Christ and 2 of those people were Muslims! The best part is that these new believers are going to get discipled! We got all of their contact info and they will be followed up with. I'm so excited for them to grow in their understanding of the gospel. Finally 45 believers were taken through follow-up material. It was truly an amazing week. 

Thank you for your prayers and support. You are a part of reaching Cote d'Ivoire for Christ and I'm thankful for your partnership. 

More exciting news: I get to go back at the end of May for a 6 week summer project (short term mission trips). I will be helping to lead a team from the Great Plains Region. Last summer we had a team in Cote d'Ivoire and the Lord showed up in big ways (no surprise there). I am so excited for this summer and I look forward to seeing the people I grew to love on this trip. Can you please start praying now for this trip? Students are taking a huge step of faith and giving up part of their summer to serve the Lord. They will be raising support (as will I) to go on this trip so please pray that the Lord provides every single cent of their support before they board that plane in May. I can't wait to share with you how the Lord moves this summer. If it's anything like those 10 days, it's going to be amazing.