Côte d'Ivoire is wealthy in beauty, culture, and history. The Ivorian people are kind, welcoming, and peaceful but marked by the extreme poverty and pain the comes from a long lasting and recent civil war. Even though these people have many needs, they also have much to offer your Journey. Work alongside church communities who have not only remained faithful through the midst of trials but have been bold to preach the gospel through them. Relationship is the foundation to all effective outreach, relief work, and preaching. We invite you to serve these beautiful people with your friendship and your skills.

One of the cool parts of this program is the fact that it is multi-cultural.  We see the global church being strengthened as Journeyers mix with young Germans and Ivorians.  God does amazing things when the global church begins to work side by side. 

Journey Corps Overview from Journey Corps on Vimeo.

The Journey Corps Training Center is located near Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire. It's a 32-acre campus situated just outside the second largest city in Cote d'Ivoire.

The small and diverse country of Côte d'Ivoire lies on the underside of the West African "bulge." Often referred to as "Ivory Coast," the nation is about the size of New Mexico.The southern part of the country has experienced much prosperity compared to other African nations, while the north is underdeveloped and many people there live in poverty. The coastline of Côte d'Ivoire varies from small rocky cliffs in the west to flat, sandy beaches in the east. Moving north, the country's tropical forest changes to savanna. The climate is temperate to hot, with ample rainfall.

Of the nearly 17.6 million people living in Côte d'Ivoire, more than 30 percent are of foreign origin. Côte d'Ivoire is home to at least 66 language dialects. The expanding Sahara, tribal conflicts, political upheavals, and the sway of Islam along with the spread of AIDS have left the peoples of West Africa economically and spiritually impoverished. The church needs workers trained to present the gospel in ways that spark these peoples' interest and feeds their physical and spiritual hungers.

Journey Corps Training Center in Bouaké

For more than 30 years the campus was a state of the art boarding school known as International Christian Academy (ICA).

Tribal conflict from 2000 and 2003 made it impossible to continue boarding students at ICA, and it sat partially vacant for years while being leased and maintained by the French military.

The 32-acre campus is enclosed in a security wall and is located a mere eight kilometers (almost five miles) from town.

Students and staff are housed in the eight dormitories, 10 apartments and 13 houses available on site. The facility includes an industrial kitchen, dining hall, library, shop, 14 classrooms and 10 offices. The center also features a gymnasium, football (soccer) pitches, basketball courts, racquetball and tennis courts, and a seasonally available swimming pool. We are working on providing internet access.

$1,500 Monthly Total ($18,000 annually). You need to have $3,500 in your account (for outgoing expenses) and 100% of your monthly commitments by August 1st for fall and February 1st for spring. Other costs not included in the Program Fee: $100 nonrefundable team deposit Miscellaneous personal expenses Fees charged by academic institutions

Other Beneficial Options

In addition to $1500 every Journeyer will be given the option to raise additional money for any and or all of the following purposes.

• $100 per month for reentry: This money will be held in your account and then given to you when you return to the States. This money is taxable income.
• $200 For School Debt: This money will be used to pay off school loans. The money will be paid directly to your school.
• For Future Ministry: This money will be held in your account for future overseas ministry with WorldVenture. You may raise as much as you want for this purpose. The money will be held for up to one year after you are complete with Journey Corps.

Here in Journey Corps we do missions in community. That means we can’t send people at any old time of the year. Journey Corps West Africa is currently launching teams every fall at the end of October. If you are interested in being a part of the fall 2012 team, you would need to begin the application process by February 15th 2012. This will give you sufficient time to complete the application and build your team of partners.

Bἑnkadi

We call our ministry Journey Corps. Journey, because each participant is on a journey with God into the nations. We like to think of how the disciples walked the dusty streets of ancient Israel with Jesus. It was during those dusty trips that the disciples learned about God’s mission in the world and ultimately captured Jesus’ vision. It was also on those paths that the greatest movement of God began. Corps is about a united cause, a group of people who band together around a single task. We like our name, BUT it doesn’t mean too much to West Africans. That is why Journey Corps West Africa has chosen its own African name. That name is Bἑnkadi.

Bἑnkadi is a Dioula expression familiar to West Africans. It is a loaded little word that expresses the sweetness of coming together in peace and agreement and how good it is to be in good company. It’s kind of like that sweetness that you feel when you are having a conversation with the closest of friends and it just is right.

As Journey Corps made its way into the fabric of the Ivorian Church, this term seamed to describe what happened. Journeyers became sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters to Ivorian families. Journeyers became part of the local churches where they served. Both the Journeyers, and the young Ivoirian’s they made friends with were transformed. So, JCWA found Bἑnkadi, a true sweetness that only God could have come up with.