Ministry Update from 3/9/08

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,

Kolo sat on our front porch and sighed. "Sorry I'm late bringing in the lessons. My wife got into a fight with our neighbor, and it took all my time this morning. The neighbor is from a tribe that we have an alliance with, and we are not supposed to fight. I need a CHE lesson about how to avoid fights!"

Debbie had no lesson on fighting to give him. Instead, she shared with him several verses from Ephesians 4. After reflecting, he noted how hard it is to apologize and be willing to forgive. Yes, she agreed, but we do it, not because the other person deserves it, or because it is easy, but because Christ has forgiven us our many sins.

There is a story behind this story. Several months ago, Kolo showed up to talk with Verlin, a complete stranger, discouraged, barely speaking to his newlywed, pregnant wife, and not having received a salary from his government job for months. He had no money to buy food, and he and his wife constantly fought. We gave them a meal, but also learning that Kolo spoke English well, we encouraged him to try translating some CHE lessons.

Since that week, he has brought a steady stream of lessons to our door, which helps feed his family. He shares the content of the lessons with his wife, and she sits close by and looks up words for him as he translates, bringing them together in a loving, productive effort. According to his testimony, beginning to apply the lessons has transformed his life and helped renew their relationship.

A second endeavor besides CHE consumes a huge amount of our time these days. On March 22, the day before Easter, our churches and the mission are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the arrival of Free Will Baptist missionaries in Cote d'Ivoire. The morning-long gathering and meal will take place here in Bondoukou, and much work remains. Alice Smith and we are preparing to feed 25 people in our homes for 5 days (in addition to many other responsibilities), as
former missionaries and personnel from International Missions in Nashville will come for the occasion. Please pray for strength to complete all the tasks, and for a memorable day honoring Jesus Christ.

Continue to pray for Mai, the convert from a Muslim family. She was able to sneak by our house on Monday for 15 minutes. We had not seen her since mid-December, because her mother still refuses to let her go to church. Debbie prayed with her and gave her an "Our Daily Bread" devotional that Mai hid in a sack, handling it as if it were gold.

In February, The Hanna Project ministered at the Doropo clinic for the third year. Praise the Lord, there were over 130 decisions for Christ, and many people were blessed by the surgeries, village evangelism, renovated elementary school, and construction of a sports terrain for the whole town. Our Cara served on the team this year. It was a wonderful experience for her, and the CHE team was glad to feed the 50-member convoy again as they passed through Bondoukou, coming and going. Verlin helped in additional, unexpected ways.

At the end of this email is a list of upcoming activities and their dates for the next 2 months. How we need your prayers! We hope this format will make it easy for you to print out and pray for the events as they occur.

Thank you more than we can say for being a part of all this. How could we be here, if we were not sent? And how could we be sent, if we did not have partners who pray and give? As we all work together, God is moving in the lives of people in Cote d'Ivoire.

Gladly serving Him here,
Verlin, Debbie, Cara, and Corbin

Anderson Prayer Points
. March 9: Verlin preaches in Tanda (40 minutes south), and we have the opportunity to visit with Pastor Theophile and his family.
. March 11-12: A CHE school health screening will occur in Karako, with 200 children to evaluate.
. March 13: Debbie's mother, Sandra Payne, and her sister, Laura Stafford, fly into Abidjan. Yippee! Also, Debbie and Alice must "shop until they drop" to prepare for the 50th. Abidjan is a 7-hour trip south.
. March 22: The 50th Celebration takes place in an old, deserted soccer stadium across from the Bondoukou FWB Church.
. March 26: Our beloved senior missionaries Jerry and Carol Pinkerton will leave Cote d'Ivoire, after 37 years of faithful service to the Lord. They will retire from International Missions in 2009 after some months of travel to thank supporters. We will miss them terribly! Pray for special grace as they say good-bye to a country and people who have become dearer than life.
. April 7: Grandma Payne returns to the USA.
. April 11-13: A CHE Vision Seminar is scheduled in Nassian (3 hours northwest).
. April 23-26: A CHE West Africa Regional Meeting will happen in Abidjan. Verlin has spent hours (and will spend many more) helping coordinate this meeting with LifeWind coordinators living in Nigeria and Togo.

May activities
. Possibly teach two more CHE training seminars (dates TBA later)
. Provide our CHE team lessons needed during our one-year absence
. Pack up our belongings in barrels for our stateside assignment
. Help our daughter say goodbye to Africa as she finishes high school
. Begin contacting pastors to schedule services in churches for summer/fall 2008