2006 TRIP BACK TO AFRICA! .........................................

It is a good thing the Lord has not endowed us with unending sources of money, or we would probably be going back to Africa every year!  When our family planned the 50th anniversary reception for us in 2005, they also gave us a surprise check - for a cruise! What a lovely surprise.  Instead of using the gift for a cruise ship experience, we decided to use the money to go back to Africa and visit our people and our children who lived there.  It was a beautiful and encouraging trip. 

For a person who has lived a long, happy life of serving the Lord, it is always a delight to see again people in whom you have invested your life and teaching.  The Apostle John spoke of this in one of his letters: "It gives me great joy to hear of your faithfulness to the truth....I have no greater joy than to know that my children are walking in the truth!"  This is true of our birth children - all of you give us great joy - and it is also true of our spiritual children, people we helped into the New Birth and were instrumental in encouraging them to grow in God's grace.  What a privilege that is! We are blessed by many children who continue to grow in God's truth.

That trip in 2006 to West Africa was such a blessing to us.  We flew first to Ouagadougou,  the city where God allowed us the privilege of working with that baby church from its beginning. To see how it had grown - to several congregations all over the city - was a surprise and a delight.  We stayed with Clousers in Ouaga and that was a fun family time for us all.  One evening Debbi hosted a lovely reception in their home, inviting all of our old friends who were available to come and enjoy a time together. She made all kinds of beautiful snacks and had punch and the people loved it.  They kept coming - not all Christians even, but all friends who had meant a lot to us in our years in Burkina.  It was fun for me to also participate in teaching English along with Debbi in a couple of Centers in Ouaga.

When we got to Bobo, once again the Schaeffers hosted us for meals and special times with old friends.  Everyone prepared meals for us and we were abundantly entertained. We even had a picnic out on the Rocks with missionary colleagues.  Esther Schaeffer had arranged for me to speak to ladies' groups and give a message over the Alliance radio program. Dad and I were both interviewed over the radio one morning and given a chance to greet the people of our old city of Bobo-Dioulasso.  One morning I had devotions with the radio staff, all men we had known as boys.  Dad spoke at Maranatha and elsewhere as well.  Streams of people came to the guest house where we were staying, to welcome us back and sit and talk of old times and the current news. It was all such a delight to us. I was asked to speak at a joint ladies' group one afternoon and had prepared my message in French. At the last minute they said, "Just speak in Jula instead - we all understand that!" And so I took my French notes and mentally transcribed them into Jula!  I think I even surprised myself by being able to do that!

We had planned to get all of our Bobo Madare pastors together for a couple day seminar while we were in Bobo. We held this at Maranatha Institute.   This was to teach them how to use their new Bible. They loved getting together and we spent several hours a day for a couple days teaching them and answering questions. I had prepared a "how to" booklet, to show all of the various ways to use their Bobo Bible: small groups, public reading, Bible study, etc.  And we showed them all of this, as well as giving a copy of the booklet we had prepared for this week of training.  It was great getting together with all of our Bobo Madare pastors - as well as Maurice Sanou, our Catholic translator - and this gave us the first opportunity we had had to study together the Bible in our language.

The Koutiala hospital was being dedicated and Clousers and we made the trip over to Mali to be present for that. What an event that was - we wouldn't have missed it for anything.  There was a large tent errected for the service. Dignitaries were there form all over Mali.  I sat next to a very official looking doctor from one of the services in Koutial, a Muslim gentleman.  He was thrilled to have this new hospital in his city and asked many questions as we sat there together.  We had been there when the hospital missionary personnel arrived in 2004-5, and it was such a delight to see them realizing their dreams as they worked there in the hospital.  We took a tour of the new buildings, enjoyed the big meal they had for the dignitaries and invited guests.  It was just a very special day for us,

Joel and Elin were in Bamako and they were asked to fly to Thailand for a world-wide meeting of Alliance field directors.  The children were all in school and so we went there to stay with the children during the  parents' time away.  Again this was a special blessing for us. The kids were in school so gone during the day. But we had fun with them when they were home and I enjoyed fixing meals, using French and African products again. I read for hours to Nadia and listened to her read too.  The kids were a delight, and we were so glad to have that special time with them.

While we were there in Bamako, Kassoum Keita, an old friend and wonderful Malian church leader for so many years, went to be with the Lord.  We had been friends with Kassoum for years.  He had been a military man and had been led to the Lord and baptized by Grandpa Kennedy. Kassoum was originally from Bamako. He studied to be a pastor and since only the GMU were in Bamako then, he became a pastor with the GMU church. When we were starting the church in Ouaga, Kassoum had been there for the Sunday right after Sankara was assassinated.  He was an encouragement to us all at that time. 

Kassoum had been ill for some time - he was my age - and died while we were there in Bamako.  So a large funeral was planned to take place in a huge stadium in the city. It was quite the event. The military were there and many government officials, also crowds of Christians and other friends.  He was given a real military burial and great Christian funeral and we were right there, with Joel,  to participate in all of that! 

During our time in Bamako we also enjoyed many visits from Malian pastors - some dating back to Maranatha days whom we had had for students there. 

So it was a marvelous "cruise" which you kids made possible for us, and we have so many happy memories from that visit.  As I write this, we have just received the surprise news of your planning another trip for us to Africa, including Tunisia.  We could never have dreamed of a trip of this kind,  but you are all blessing us with it.  And we will live in anticipation until the day comes for us to leave for Africa once again!  God bless you!