Ready to Start Writing

Hello Everyone –


We feel like we’ve sent out our update emails, we’ve put up our Facebook pictures, and it seems like we’ve emailed everyone we know, but for those of you who we’re not catching, we just wanted to give you a quick update on life here in Cote d’Ivoire.

We’re coming up on our 10 month mark of our time here. What a crazy/wonderful/hard/terrific time we’ve had so far. We started living in our host family back on March and have been getting to know our family, the youth group, the language (mostly French, but some of the local languages also), the culture and a LOT about ourselves.

Doing a home stay has been a lot like doing research for a big paper/book/project. You know that you’ve put in a lot of work, but you don’t have much to show for it except for a lot of exhaustion and a lot more knowledge in your head. We’re starting to get to the point where we’re ready to start writing. We’re ready to be able to take all the time and energy and patience that people have invested in us, and pour back into our relationships and the church here in Cote d’Ivoire. We’re really excited for what is to come.

Our plans (I think God laughs at these a lot of times) – we like to make them so that we can see how God will change them, but here’s what’s happening right now:

We’re in our host family for the next two months, which will finish off our first year. I (Jessica) have gotten the wheels turning to focus on the youth girls and to organize “girls nights” where the youth girls have a time to come and talk and get counsel on things going on in their life, do some discipleship, and really get them connect with the pastor’s wife (our host mom) .

Steve has been working at the moto shop and talking more and more with Muslims (the shop is right across the street from the Mosque). He also wants to start working with one of the carpenters the we know in the community and another moto shop of a Muslim/Animist friend. Mostly just making connections and starting conversation.

After our months here, we’re going to head up to Ferke, where WorldVenture runs a hospital. Steve may be able to do some much needed repairs for their medical equipment – we’re planning on being up there for a couple weeks.

Then (Lord Willing), we’ll be headed to Benin to work with TransWorldRadio. Steve will be able to do Electrical Engineering there and get a good look at the need in Benin. We’re taking a “vision trip” up there in October, just to see what opportunities there will be for both of us in Benin.

God has been showing us to not be anxious or stressed over the future, so we’ve been really holding our future with open hands (and writing on our calendars in pencil). At this point, we only have enough support to last us through June/July of next year, so that’s been another thing we’ve been giving to Him.

Please pray that God will continue to MAKE us trust Him. I know that’s a risky prayer, but it’s so worth it. Pray that He would be able to work in our lives so that there’s NO DOUB T that it’s Him doing the work and not us!

Thanks for your support. We’re reading Philippians and I could totally understand when Paul said

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…”

Thanks so much!

Steve and Jessica