Right now I need you Jesus. Even in saying that I think I diagnose what is wrong with my heart. I am not saying that I don't need Jesus. Hang with me for a minute. What I am saying is that I don't always believe what God has already done. God says in His word that I already have Jesus' help. God says I already have His Spirit living in me. If I come bumbling to God every day begging Him to give me some extra grace, then I fail to believe that I already have it. I believe, help my unbelief…

Continue

One night Tricia and I went to visit Clana and his family (they are an Ivorian family living on the ICA campus). When we get there we found out that a man was staying with the family and we were introduced to him. He is a Biochemistry teacher from Abidjan and he is in Bouake to administer an exam for high school students. Clana and he both know English pretty well. The man told us about himself and then asked us questions. He asked us what we plan on doing after we leave here. Tricia…

Continue

So it's been awhile since I last blogged and I've felt like I should post one but I've had the hardest time thinking of what to write about! All the crazy stuff that happened in the beginning is pretty much just normal living for me. When I’m walking down the street or riding my bike and I have to dodge a cow or a goat that’s in the middle of town, I don’t even think twice about it. When people pull out their phones to get a photo of me because it's so rare to see a white person, that's just…

Continue

I just returned from West Africa where I meet with our pilot team. I heard many stories about God's faithfulness. Do you know that Scripture text that talks about God being able to do more then we ask? It goes like this, "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,".  Well that is exactly what God did in West Africa this past year.  I desperately want you to see it for yourself,  but you…

Continue

A lot of little things have happen in the last month, but they do not write themselves into stories well.  The political situation has changed significantly, but for me the victory of Gbagbo’s capture only meant a splurged dinner that day.  Our group here has been reorganized, but the story is more of an internal processing of people leaving and where we are going.  There have been fun cultural events and a few personal stories, but as I looked back through my journal for this blog entry I find… Continue

Ok so this blog I guess I’m announcing some pretty big news/changes in my journey here in Africa…

 

The Big news is... I've moving from Korhogo back down to Bouake. I'm doing this because there are more opportunities to work with animals in Bouake then in Korhogo as of now. It's sad because I do miss my family in Korhogo and I'll visit them often. I was a really good goodbye to them and explaining what I wanted to do in Bouake. But I'm moving in with a different Ivorian family…

Continue

Hi everybody :)

Alright so I am living in Korhogo now with my new family I’ve written below some of the things I’ve done in these last weeks. Enjoy.

1/26 and 27 was ALOT of walking around meeting the different pastors in Korhogo and getting to know the…

Continue

Our new home is interconnected with a couple of other houses and courtyards in an African apartment complex. The floor and walls function as a continuous concrete “u” that is open to the hot sun. A hallway leads back to a series of metal doorways breaking an otherwise continuous concrete wall about eight feet high. These doors open into small household courtyards for each family. Ours is the first courtyard and you have to carefully creak through a door without a bottom hinge. The courtyard is… Continue

It is difficult to reconcile the impracticality and hassle of having a computer at home with my desire to facilitate a living partnership with those praying and supporting me at home, particularly after reading the bio of James Fraser.  I do not know the frequency with which I will continue updating this site for it takes me longer that most to compile thoughts, but I will not give up because I need people willing to pray for me now more than when internet was only a temperamental luxury and…

Continue

In light of the recent reports coming out of Côte d'Ivoire, we wanted to update everyone.  We are continuing to monitor the situation and we are in frequent communication with our missionaries on the ground.  Their input combined with the international reports give us a good picture of what is going on there. The Africa Director is in the neighboring country right now and is planning on visiting our team in two weeks.  The following email was sent by our Journey Corps West Africa (JCWA)…

Continue

In a sermon I preached a while back I unpacked this idea based upon Paul's prayer in Colossians 1.9 to know the will of God:

 

Paul begins by telling them why he prays for them, it’sbecause he has heard about the glorious effects that have sprung up in theirlives because of the Gospel. So Paul is infatuated with the gospel message andhe relays this even further when you look more intently at his petition ontheir behalf…

Continue

Last Friday we went on a driving tour through town during the Muslim’s time of prayer. Within the town of Bouake’ we drove past about five different mosques and the sides of the road were filled with people walking, usually carrying a mat under their arm. We stopped for a bit to watch them as they prayed, but what stood out to me were all the children among the crowds of people also participating. Some were more interested in us as we drove by, but some carried themselves with a sureness and… Continue