Dad read my blog from yesterday and reminded me that it was not Steve or anyone human that saved him from drowning at the beach that infamous day - he thought he was going under when angels lifted him up and landed him on shore. He still remembers well the experience. And we are all thankful for God's messengers to him. The Lord still had work for him to do!
Dad and I had invested our total lives in evangelism, church planting and training believers and leadership for Christ's church in Burkina. We accepted the assignment to staff the Guest House in San Pedro when asked to do that, never realizing at the time what a wonderful church experience we would have as well. I was especially delighted when we arrived and began to receive visits from several students who had attended Maranatha and were in my classes. They came to the house to greet and reminisce and invited us to have a part in preaching and teaching in the churches as well - which we were most happy to do.
The church leadership in San Pedro and the surrounding district was an educated cadre and fun to work with. We soon got used to working with Ivoirians (in contrast to Burkinabe) and found them welcoming, including us in helping to develop Christ's church in that area. It was interesting to work with Ivoirians after so many years investing our lives in Burkinabe. When the Ivoirian students used to attend Maranatha, we not only taught them in class, but for some reason our house was also their hangout, and they came often to visit us in our home not far from campus.
The Alliance district church of San Pedro consisted of the mother church which worshipped in a large building, built by Ray Stombaugh; a smaller new church right downtown, staffed by good laymen and/or various district pastors, a group of business people and students, a very educated congregation; and a number of smaller churches scattered throughout the Ivoirian forest, several pastored by Maranatha grads. We felt right at home and all of these groups involved us in ministry. Dad was asked to preach in some of the villages and he also spent time helping to train the church's young people. When we did not have an assignment in a church, we attended the downtown church where the services were all held in French. I was asked to preach in the mother church on Mother's Day which I enjoyed. Dad spoke there also from time to time.
The church committee of the downtown church was composed of highly educated business people and professionals. They had been trained in their field of work but had not had a lot of Bible training and yet sometimes one of them had to preach on Sunday. They knew that I had been a prof at Maranatha and came to me one day, asking if I would teach them each Sunday morning to train them in Bible and theology. Wow! What a privilege that was - I readily agreed! The class started at seven am, and every Sunday morning found me at the church with a group of about eight men and women, leaders in the church, anxious to learn all they could theologically and biblically. That was a highlight in my week during that year!
The Ivoirian church tends to celebrate all church holidays and Palm Sunday was an outstanding memory that year.The whole church body was individually given palm branches and we walked together in parade through the streets of San Pedro, waving our palm branches and singing!
Another Sunday was memorable as we had received the news of Marilyn Hanscome's terrible head injury in the car accident on the highway from Atlanta to Toccoa. She was in the hospital, in a head cast-cage, in terrible pain - and the family wondered if she would make it! The church got the news that morning and they went to prayer - I mean they really prayed. Dad and I had never been in such an intense prayer meeting, people raising their voices all together and imploring God to save their missionary, Marilyn. God did a miracle - she lived to go back to Africa again and is now in Mali working at the Hospital in Koutiala.
Well, all good things come to an end. And our good year in San Pedro was coming to an end too. The church organized a big fête for us on a Sunday afternoon. (Tim and Ruth were visiting us that week so were present also.) They had great singing - and of course finished with the traditional African Christian shuffle. There were testimonials and fond goodbyes, they called us up front and presented us with African material clothing. Then more dancing and a meal together. It was a great afternoon.
The church leadership also wanted to honor us with a meal in the lovely home of one board member. Again we were heaped with thanks and blessings and had a wonderful evening visiting with these good friends who had become close to us during that year in San Pedro!
The icing on the cake of that year was to be able to attend the dedication of the new FATEAC campus in Abidjan. Debbi and Steve, you had worked hard and long to help make a success of that school, and I had been on the very first board of the school when we were first organizing. I used to fly down from Bobo for meetings or else we would come together by car if Dad also had business in Abidjan. We had gone through a lot to see that school become a reality - meeting in a less than adequate rented campus for some time, looking always for buildings to rent or land to buy and build, and nothing seemed to pan out. We needed patience, as God all along had this beautiful property in a perfect location.
I was on tour in the States and the board insisted I fly back for the board meeting. (They paid my way!) I stayed with Tite and Marie, and Tite took me out to show me a property he had found. It seemed just perfect, a half finished building already there and lots of room for a beautiful campus, not far from the sea! It was worth the trip back to Africa to see the possibilities of this property!
Building started, Dave Knickerbocker was principal builder, working with an African crew, and the buildings went up. At the end of this year we spent in San Pedro a large part of the main campus was completed; classrooms, library and other facilites were in use. Plans were drawn also for dorms and other facilities. So it was decided to have an official dedication.
We were there for that, before we returned to the States after our year of ministry in San Pedro. How special of the Lord to arrange for us to be there for that beautiful dedication ceremony. I was even asked to pray during the ceremony and was escorted across the field to the podium for my prayer. The RD at that time, Dennis Westlake, gave a good, short speech and I complimented him afterwards on his French and delivery. His answer was, "Thank your daughter, Debbi - she helped me write the speech!" Debbi and Steve, you were both such an important part of the staff there during those first years of class in the new campus and I know Isaac really appreciated you.
After the ceremony we were all invited to another building for a huge sit down meal and fellowship. Again this was a joyous time and capped the day just perfectly. Soon afterwards we headed back to Georgia, thanking the Lord for the great year He gave us in Cote d' Ivoire!
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