Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2002
Dear Ministry & Prayer Partners,
We landed safely in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
on Jan.2. All of our luggage made it here
with us also. Everything so far is accounted
for! Thank you for your prayers for safe
travel. The good-byes were difficult, of
course, on us, as well as family and friends.
We were overwhelmed by the amount of people
that came to the airport in Baton Rouge to
see us of. We appreciate you coming and praying
with us and our families.
PLACE OF RESIDENCE
Right now we are staying in the mission guesthouse
in Abidjan, the capital city. It is very
nice here and fairly “Americanized”. We have
a two-bedroom apartment, equipped with a/c
in the bedrooms and ceiling fans throughout
the other rooms. We have a nice sized bath,
kitchen and living area all furnished by
the IMB. We are here for the field orientation
for new comers to the West Africa region
along with 30 other missionaries. They are
helping us with things like grocery shopping,
taxi rides, medical care, etc. The orientation
is over on the 15th, but our house in Tabou
is still having repairs done and we have
not been able to get the furnishing, appliances,
etc. we need for it. Looks like we will be
in this apartment until March. Guy and our
business facilitator, Larry Rowell, plan
to travel the 6-7 hour drive this Saturday
to see the house and meet folks there in
the town we will be living.
DERRICK & ERIN’S PERSPECTIVE
It is hot here!! The flowers and trees are
pretty. We are able to walk to our school
with Mama and Daddy and are in the same class.
Our teacher’s name is Sarah and her helper
is an African lady, Louise. She only speaks
French. We rode in a taxi, took a boat ride,
and went to the African market several times.
It is crowded there and smells verrrry different!
We miss our grandparents a lot, but we are
so glad to finally be here and see what it
is like in Africa. We can speak a little
French, actually better that Mama and Daddy.
Mama tries to make it sound too much like
Spanish, she just hasn’t caught on yet. People
laugh at Daddy’s hair here just like in the
states, except here they think he is Muslim.
PRAYER NEEDS
Pray that we will adjust to this culture
as gracefully as possible so that we can
build relationships.
Pray for the Grebo; that God would begin
to work in each individual’s heart of the
people group.
Pray for the research that we are going to
be responsible for. This is not a specialty
of our’s and with the Grebo being unreached
and we are the only missionaries working
with them; research in several areas and
reports have to be done be for we can begin
any storying, evangelism, or discipling.
Pray that God would call groups out to volunteer
to come in His timing and prayer walk for
the Grebo while we are researching.
God Bless,
Guy, Cindy, Derrick, & Erin
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