A Busy Week in Yamoussoukro!

We have had a busy and fulfilling week of work for the kingdom here in Yamoussoukro! Each day we've been in the neighborhoods surrounding the school where the Nazarene church meets. A typical neighborhood has dozens of small compounds, where one compound may have three or four concrete buildings that make up the sides and surround a central area. The small buildings then have three or four rooms each, representing the homes of three or four families. After spending time in these areas this week, it seems that all of the activity takes place outside the rooms, aside from sleeping. Women cook, people come and go to the outhouses, laundry is done by hand and dries on lines hung between trees, and mothers bathe their children in buckets of soapy water. We spent three days in these homes inviting people to church on Sunday and telling them about Jesus. Pastor Gomez and 3-7 laypeople came with us each time to translate. There are 60 different tribal languages in Cote d'Ivoire, with Baule being most common here. Many times we speak in English to Pastor Gomez, who translates it to French, and a woman from the church translates it to Baule. Through the language barriers, the message was evident and it was incredible to see several lives led to the Lord, and many more seeds planted. At each stop we made, we prayed for the people of that household. Many times we prayed for the sick, and at one home, a women told us that we'd been an answer to a dream she had. In her dream three nights before, people had circled her and prayed she would be healed... exactly what we'd done. Talk about getting goosebumps!

We were also able to minister to the children of the neighborhood two days this week, and had around 100 children each day! Again, it is incredible to have the opportunity to explain the salvation colors from a soccer ball to 100 kids who might otherwise never hear about Jesus. On the second day, Pastor Gomez prayed the sinner's prayer, and dozens of children followed along. I'm hunbled at the ways God moves. Our team believes we've already been able to work with over 1,000 different children this summer!! The boys got to play soccer and share the gospel with the youth on Saturday night, while Sarah and I were occupied with all the neighborhood children watching.

Sunday morning we attended the Nazarene church. We were slightly confused when we asked Pastor Gomez what time service started (8:30) and what time he'd pick us up (8:30). It quickly became evident that the first hour is for church members to trickle in, while we prayed and sang. Pastor Gomez did a Sunday School lesson, then we moved directly into the celebratory worship - aka sing, dance, and sweat! After we finished, they brought us up front, where we stood awkwardly until they handed us the microphones and explained that we were singing for the congregation. We pulled off He Will Make a Way, Amazing Grace, and He's God the Whole World in His Hands! During the time of testimony, several said that they had come for the first time based on the invitations given during the week. Logan got to preach the message and Pastor Gomez translated for the congregation. Based on the number of "Hallelujahs!" I think they were blessed :)

Because Sunday was the 4th of July, the Sellers invited us over to relax! We appreciated their hospitality, especially on a day we were all missing home so much! They grilled hamburgers, and we had french fries, plantain, and apple cobbler!! Who knew how much better American food and American company could make you feel? We are truly blessed by their generosity. We finished the night with a movie, lots of talking, and laughter. We have a day off today, so we went to the market this morning, then met Joe and Leigh at the pool of a nice hotel in town. It's been warm and sunny here, and we really enjoyed a day to relax!

The rest of our week will be similar to this past week. We typically wake up at 7:30 and eat omlettes at the hotel restaurant at 8. They use different ingredients every day! From 9-11 we do whatever is on the program for the day, then eat salads back at the hotel. From about 1-4 we rest - read, nap, make bracelets, watch soccer - then 4-6 we do the program again. We finish with dinner at another restaurant within walking distance. We only have 3 weeks until we're back at home - please pray that we finish strong for His kingdom!!