Chantal Pilon church planting among the Konyagi meet my new team
Thank you to everyone who prayed for our meetings last week! One evening, a few days before the meetings, some of the Konyagi from church came to my house so we could pray together. It was such a joy to pray with them! God has answered our prayers – the meetings went very well and He directed us in all our decisions. I’m thrilled to be able to share with you the outcome of these meetings!
First of all, let me introduce you to my new coworkers…
Brian and Sherri Hofer, with their kids Elise, Braden and Landon
The Hofer family is American. They arrived in Guinea in October 2008, and for several months, they were my neighbors in Guinea. I know many of you remember Jody who used to work with me. Sherri is Jody’s sister. At this time, Hofers are working at the mission center in Guinea. Having said that, this week their daughter fell and seriously injured her arm. We thank God for His protection throughout this trying ordeal. They are returning to the United States so that Elise can receive the medical care she needs. Lord-willing, they will be moving to the Konyagi region around June.
As well as…
Jakob and Lina Nachtigall with their kids, Colin and Timon
The Nachtigall are from Germany. They arrived in Senegal in March 2011 and are about to complete their orientation and French language study. They will have to return to Germany for a few months (due to necessary paperwork) before they can move to Guinea.
I thank God that after so many years, we finally have a good missionary team to work among the Konyagi!
You may have noticed that everyone is going to Guinea… yes, it’s true. After praying, evaluating, and discussing the situation among ourselves and with Bonéré, we decided that the best way to impact the larger Konyagi community would be for us to focus our church-planting efforts in the Konyagi homeland in Guinea. Having said that, we certainly don’t want to forget what is happening in Senegal, for we want to see God do His work in the lives of Konyagi in both Guinea and in Senegal.
In order to have an effective ministry among the Konyagi, our first priority is to be fluent in Wamey (the language spoken by the Konyagi). It is obvious that the best place to accomplish that is within the large Konyagi community in Guinea. Therefore, I too will eventually be moving to Guinea.
But for now, I will continue to train Bonéré in the chronological Bible-teaching method. He will continue to prepare the Bible lessons in Wamey, and we will check them afterwards with the help of another Konyagi to make sure that they clearly communicate the truths of the Bible. Bonéré also plans to begin teaching these Bible lessons to the church in the village on Sunday mornings. He wants to begin this Sunday, so be praying for that!
Once we think that Bonéré is able to continue with this work without my full-time presence, I will also move to Guinea so that I can concentrate on mastering the Wamey language. Even though we won’t have a full-time presence in Senegal, we still plan to make regular visits there in order to stay in touch with the church and help Bonéré in his work.
During this time of transition, I will continue studying the language. This time will also allow me to make sure that the village understands the reasons for my move to Guinea. It will also allow me to see the completion of the well project. I expect that I will be in Senegal for many more months yet.
In March, we plan to send a delegation (of which I will be a part) to the Konyagi region in Guinea in order to present to the Konyagi there our desire to bring God’s Word to them and to ask for the permission and advice of the Konyagi leaders as to how we can proceed with this task and integrate into the community. Our next steps will be determined by what the Konyagi leaders decide.
You can see that there is a lot of change in the air, a lot of unknowns, questions, opportunities, and work. So, continue to pray for us and for the work among the Konyagi! Praise the Lord with me for all that He is doing!
Prayer & Praise
• Ministry among the Konyagi
Pray for Bonéré as he prepares Bible lessons in the Konyagi language. He is presently working on lesson 11. Pray that these lessons will be well done and be a great help in sharing the Good News with the Konyagi.
Pray for the lesson checks as it’s a demanding job. This week we hope to check lesson 6.
Pray for Bonéré ,who plans to being teaching the Bible lessons to the church this Sunday. Pray that he may teach well, that many people will come and, of course, that the people will understand.
Praise God for His help and direction during our meetings! Pray that He would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.
• Culture and language study
Praise that the language seems to be coming back to me little by little! On the other hand, I am realizing all over again how difficult this language is, so please pray that I may have the motivation, perseverance and ability to learn this language and culture well. Once a week, instead of my regular language session, I participate in an activity with the women – going to the well or preparing a meal. Pray that these times will allow me to build some good relationships with them and help me to progress in the language.
• Konyagi missionary team
Hallelujah! Praise that God has added two new families to the missionary team! Pray for each of us in this new adventure, that we will work well together as a team. There is much planning and preparation for each of us and plenty of unknowns, so your prayers are appreciated!
• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. The book of Genesis should be complete in March! What a privilege it will be to use it during the teaching of the Bible lessons! Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them. Sue has been feeling better lately – thank you for your prayers!
• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! Praise that there is another group of Konyagi who has recently expressed a desire for Bible-teaching! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi to hear the message of salvation and that it will transform their lives.
• Well project
Praise that World Vision may be willing to help with this well project! It would be a great help to me! Pray that they will follow through and do it. Pray for the arrangements and decisions that must be made and that soon the water problem in the village will be resolved.
• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and the decisions to be made.
• Spiritual well-being
Pray that my top priority each day would be to know God better and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.
• Physical well-being
Praise that I am healthy. However I often battle fatigue. Pray for health and strength to do all that needs to be done.
• Mental well-being
Pray that I may stay encouraged despite the challenges. During the past weeks I’ve had moments of discouragement due to the difficulties in learning the language, which made it difficult to have meaningful relationships, which in turn meant that I felt lonely. Thank you for your prayers.
• Safety
Praise for God’s protection (even when a gas stove exploded)! Pray that God would continue to protect me. Elections in Senegal are planned for February. Pray that there will be calm and peace during this time and pray that God’s will be done.
Tags: New Tribes Mission, NTM
back in Senegal
Hi and best wishes for the new year! I hope that you have enjoyed this time of celebrating the coming of our Saviour and that you are ready to see God at work in 2012!
Yes, I did arrive safely in Senegal. I arrived 41 hours later than planned due to cancelled flights, but I made it! This time I had a really hard time recovering from the trip and the jet lag, so it wasn’t until December 20th that I arrived in the village.
When I got there, I was happy to see that most of my things were still in working order. The less pleasant surprises were that all the filtered water I had left behind had disappeared and so I had nothing to drink, and the other surprise was that large quantities of earwigs had moved into my house – in my bed, my desk drawers, etc. It was a big job to clean everything out and settle back in, but it’s now done. This week I also had the help of another missionary and so now everything is in order.
I must say that I found it a bit difficult to readjust to life here. My language was very rusty and it’s difficult to renew acquaintances without the language. I was reminded once again how difficult it is to be in a village where I don’t understand the majority language. Despite all this, things are falling back into place and I am hopeful that they will move ahead well.
As I had mentioned previously, soon we will be having an important meeting regarding the future of the church-planting effort among the Konyagi. A couple leaders from the mission will be there as well as others who are interested in being part of the Konyagi missionary team. It seems that God is finally sending me co-workers – hallelujah! J We will have much to discuss during these days of meetings on January 15th and 16th,, and many important decisions to make that will greatly affect the work among the Konyagi. I ask that you join me in praying that God will clearly guide us. Personally, I plan on having a time of prayer and fasting on Friday, January 13th. Despite the distance, I would be thrilled if you would join me in this. I know that it may not be possible for everyone, but please consider spending a few minutes in prayer for God’s work among the Konyagi.
I thank you for your partnership and for your prayers!
Prayer & Praise
• Ministry among the Konyagi
Pray for Bonéré as he prepares Bible lessons in the Konyagi language. Pray that these lessons will be well done and be a great help in sharing the Good News with the Konyagi. Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi and pray especially for the meetings on January 15th and 16th.
• Culture and language study
Pray that the language may quickly come back to me. Pray that I may have the motivation, the perseverance and the ability to learn this language and culture well.
• Konyagi missionary team
Praise that God is providing coworkers to be part of the team – we’ve been praying for that for so long! I look forward to presenting them to you officially in my next update! Pray that God will clearly guide them so that we have the team that He desires.
• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them. Sue has been struggling with sickness these past weeks so your prayers would be valued all the more!
• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation and that it will transform their lives.
• Well project
Praise that World Vision may be willing to help with this well project! It would be a great help to me! Pray for the arrangements and decisions that must be made, and that soon the water problem in the village will be resolved.
• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and the decisions to be made.
• Spiritual well-being
Pray that my top priority each day would be to know God better and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.
• Physical well-being
Praise that I am healthy. Pray for health and strength to do all that needs to be done.
• Mental well-being
Pray that I may stay encouraged despite the challenges.
• Safety
Praise for God’s protection in all these travels! Pray that God would continue to protect me.
and let the changes continue…
I’m leaving for Senegal in a few days and I have lots to do to get ready. Yet, I still wanted to take a few minutes to let you know that there are changes on the horizon.
The good news is that I may have co-workers in the new year! That would be a wonderful answer to prayer. Pray that God will clearly guide these people so that we will have the missionary team that God desires.
With the possibility of new co-workers, we will be re-evaluating our church-planting strategy among the Konyagi people. In December or January we will have a meeting with the leadership, those interested in joining the team and myself to discuss the future of the Konyagi work. One option would be to return to Guinea, therefore, I will wait untilthis meeting before making a decision regarding the importation of my vehicle. For now, I am able to borrow a Senegalese vehicle. Please be praying for this important meeting so that we can clearly see God’s direction and that we will make wise decisions according to His plan.
I would appreciate your prayers for my upcoming flight, the many kilometers (over 1,000) I will have to drive on my own, my return to the village, my readjustment to village life and my return to language study.
Thank you very much for your prayers!
more changes
October 31, 2011
I’m now back in Canada after two trips. First of all, I went to Missouri to visit a church that has adopted the Konyagi people. It allowed me to get to know them better and also to discuss with them what God is doing among the Konyagi. This church sends several teams each year to evangelize the Konyagi. While I was in Missouri, I took the opportunity to spend several days with Jody and her family. It was great to have this time with them and to meet their second daughter. I was also able to purchase many things that I’ll need once I’m back in Senegal. So, it was a very productive trip!
My second trip was down south for holidays. A friend offered me this special gift and I really enjoyed this week of refreshment in a tropical paradise! What a blessing!
Since my last letter, I’ve considered numerous possibilities and scenarios concerning the situation with my vehicle. Although I’m still lacking a lot of funds to import the vehicle, I have decided to move ahead by faith. So, my plans for my return have changed a bit. I now plan on returning to Senegal at the beginning of December. Shortly afterwards, I will take a flight to Guinea and then a taxi to get to the mission center. I will attend the annual missionary conference and then will drive my vehicle all the way to the capital of Senegal. It will be quite a trip! For that reason, I’ve adjusted my schedule so that I can travel at the same time as another family. Once in the capital, we will begin the importation process, which should take ten days or so. Then, I will make the long trip to pick up my dog and return to my village. If all goes well, I should arrive there towards the end of December or the beginning of January. I have to say that I’m not looking forward to all the traveling and I’m really disappointed about not being in the village sooner, but I can’t really see any other solution. I’d appreciate your prayers for all of this planning and travelling.
Thank you so much for partnering with me so that the Konyagi may also know our Lord!
Prayer & Praise
• Ministry among the Konyagi
During my absence, Bonéré plans to continue preparing Bible lessons. Pray for him as he works on this and pray that he’ll find time as he’s very busy these days. Pray that these lessons will be well done and will be a great help in sharing the Good News with the Konyagi. Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.
• Culture and language study
Pray that I won’t forget what I’ve learned and that my language-learning will progress well when I return.
• Konyagi missionary team
Pray that God will send the right coworkers to be part of the team. A certain family is very interested – pray about that!
• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. They are presently working on the book of Matthew. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them. Sue and her family have been struggling with sickness and difficulties these past days so your prayers would be valued all the more!
• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation and that it will transform their lives.
• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and the decisions to be made (for example, regarding my vehicle)
• Spiritual well-being
Pray that my top priority each day would be to know God better and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.
• Physical well-being
Praise that I am now healthy again. Pray for health and strength to do all that needs to be done.
• Mental well-being
Praise that I have this time with my family. It’s also nice to be where life is a bit easier. Praise for the wonderful week of holidays that I was able to have!
• Safety
Praise for God’s protection in all these travels! Pray that God would continue to protect me especially as I travel in the coming weeks.
the return is in sight
These last weeks have been filled with travel, presentations and visiting with people. Everything went well and I enjoyed the opportunity to share what God is doing among the Konyagi! I also enjoyed spending time with many of you! Lately, I’ve also had a lot of decisions to make. So, with all of that, it hasn’t been a very restful time!
It’s hard to believe that there are less than six weeks left before my return to Senegal! One of the decisions that I mentioned above has to do with my vehicle. My vehicle is presently in Guinea and I’m considering importing it into Senegal. Until now, someone was lending me a vehicle to use in Senegal, but that will come to an end at the beginning of December. Importing a vehicle involves lots of paperwork and expense (about $16,000)! Some of you mentioned that you’d like to help, so here is how you can do so: 1) You can pray for the situation! 2) If you would like to help financially, you can send funds to NTM. Indicate that it’s for Chantal Pilon – vehicle. You will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Thank you!
As of Friday, I will be on the road again for some family time! Then, I’ll be flying to Missouri to spend about a week there. After that, I hope to find a bit of time to rest before my return to Senegal.
Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement and your financial support! You are a wonderful team and I am thankful that we can work together in this way!
Prayer & Praise
• Ministry among the Konyagi
During my absence, Bonéré plans to continue preparing Bible lessons. Pray for him as he works on this and pray that he’ll find time, as he’s very busy these days. Pray that these lessons will be well done and will be a great help in sharing the Good News with the Konyagi. Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.
• Culture and language study
Pray that I won’t forget what I’ve learned and that my language-learning will progress well when I return.
• Konyagi missionary team
Pray that God will send the right coworkers to be part of the team.
• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. They are presently working on the books of Genesis, Matthew and Acts. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.
• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation and that it will transform their lives.
• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and in decisions to be made (for example, what to do about my vehicle)
• Spiritual well-being
Pray that my top priority each day would be to know God better and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.
• Physical well-being
Praise that I am now healthy again. Pray for health and strength to do all that needs to be done.
• Mental well-being
Praise that I have this time with my family. It’s also nice to be where life is a bit easier.
• Safety
Praise for God’s protection! Pray that God would continue to protect me especially as I travel in the coming weeks.
I hope that you are enjoying the summer. I know that I am. It’s true that my time in Canada didn’t quite start off as I had expected. I was sick for over three weeks and my grandmother passed away. The death of a loved one is never easy but I am thankful to know that she is with her Saviour! I am also thankful that ten days beforehand, I was able to visit her for a few days and we had a great visit together. I am also thankful that I was in Canada at this time to share in my family’s grief.
Now, I am once again healthy and time is flying by! Here is the schedule of my upcoming presentations (those that have been confirmed). If you have the opportunity to attend one of them, I would love to share with you what God is doing among the Konyagi! Let me know if you need more detailed information and I’ll be happy to give it to you.
Aug 21 Église Baptiste de Mont-Laurier (French)
28 Église Baptiste de Maniwaki (French)
Sept 4 Église du Bon Berger, Orléans (French)
11 Parkdale Baptist Church, Ottawa (English)
25 Durham Baptist Church (English)
Thank you for your partnership in this ministry among the Konyagi! I hope that I will have the opportunity to see many of you during the coming weeks!
Prayer & Praise
• Ministry among the Konyagi
During my absence, Bonéré plans to continue preparing Bible lessons. He is working on lesson 10. Pray for him as he works on this and pray that he’ll find time as he’s very busy these days. Pray that these lessons will be well done and will be a great help in sharing the Good News with the Konyagi.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.
• Culture and language study
Pray that I won’t forget what I’ve learned and that my language-learning will progress well when I return.
• Konyagi missionary team
Pray that God will send the right coworkers to be part of the team.
• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. They are presently working on the books of Genesis, Matthew and Acts. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.
• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation and that it will transform their lives.
• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up and in decisions to be made (for example, what to do about my vehicle, the need of solar panels, etc.)
• Spiritual well-being
Pray that my top priority each day is to know God better and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.
• Physical well-being
Praise that I am now healthy again. Pray for health and strength to do all that needs to be done.
• Mental well-being
Praise that I have this time with my family. It’s also nice to be where life is a bit easier.
• Safety
Praise for God’s protection! Pray that God would continue to protect me especially as I travel in the coming months.
back in Canada
my neighbors, the twins, who follow me everywhere (well, almost everywhere)
Hi from Québec!
That’s right, I’m back in Canada!
My last weeks in Senegal were very busy! I had to pack up my house and belongings for my 4 ½-month absence. This is always a huge job that takes lots of time, energy, and much planning! I hope that I’ll find everything in good shape when I return.
Then my trip began – I drove more than 1,000 km before arriving in Dakar, the capital, to catch my flight. I started the trip by bringing my dog Shadow to stay with another missionary who will take care of him while I’m gone. I then went to attend a workshop on language learning. This workshop should help me to learn the Konyagi language when I return. I then went to visit the Hofer family for a few days in the midst of their preparations to move to Guinea. I spent a few days in Dakar before it was time for my flight and it was one of the smoothest trips I’ve ever had!
So, I’ve been in Canada for about 2 ½ weeks now. It’s nice to enjoy the ‘easier life’ and to spend time with family! I just came back from my first trip. I went to Val-d’Or to visit my grandmother who is sick and in the hospital. It was so good to spend some time with her. I also did my first presentation at the church in Val-d’Or. What a privilege to share what God is doing among the Konyagi!
This coming weekend I will be in Brantford. I will be doing a presentation at Hartford Baptist Church on Sunday evening. If you are in the area, it would be great if you were able to come! My next presentation (in French) will then be at the Gatineau church on Sunday, August 7th.
I have several more presentations to do but the dates haven’t yet been confirmed. I will keep you updated. I would really like the opportunity to share with each of you what God is doing in my small corner of the world.
So, I’ll sign off here. Thank you so much for your partnership in the ministry among the Konyagi!
Prayer & Praise
• Ministry among the Konyagi
During my absence, Bonéré plans to continue preparing Bible lessons. Last I heard he was working on lesson 9. Pray for him as he works on this and pray that he’ll find time as he’s very busy these days. Pray that these lessons will be well done and will be a great help in sharing the Good News with the Konyagi.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.
• Culture and language study
Praise for the progress that I’ve made in the past five months. Pray that I won’t forget what I’ve learned and that my language learning will progress well when I return.
• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family who is in the moving process. They are moving to the missionary center in Guinea, where they will help out for one year. They are still seeking God’s direction as to whether they should join the work among the Konyagi.
Pray that God would send the right co-workers to join the missionary team.
• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. They are presently working on the books of Genesis, Matthew and Acts. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.
• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! I continually hear of others who want to know God and it’s really amazing to see their desire for Truth. Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation and that it will transform their lives.
• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up.
• Spiritual well-being
Pray that knowing God will be my top priority each day and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.
• Physical well-being
Praise that my health has been so good during these past months despite the heat. At the moment I have a nasty cold but nothing serious!
• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways and He really helps me to find my joy in Him! Pray that I may have a good attitude and remain encouraged no matter the situation.
• Safety
Praise for God’s protection – each trip I am amazed by his protection! Pray that God would continue to protect me.
I can’t say that there’s been much excitement around here lately. Actually, if I start thinking about it, I did play the role of an ambulance driver once, the role of a nurse several times, as well as the role of a mechanic and an electrician (not always successfully). Today I was given monkey meat and a couple weeks ago it was warthog meat. I continue to check into possibilities for having a well in the village. So, although life continues with language learning and Bible lesson preparation, it’s true that there are other things happening too.
I continue to need your prayers as I learn the language and culture. It’s so difficult and I must admit that sometimes it’s really hard to keep up the motivation and really concentrate but I am progressing little by little. Please also pray for my relationships with the people. It’s not always easy to know how to go about getting to know people better, especially when you don’t speak the same language!
checking a Bible lesson
Bonéré continues to work on the Bible lessons and tomorrow we plan to go check lesson five. We are very thankful for the help of Jean-Pierre in checking these lessons! It’s obvious that these checks are necessary to improve these lessons so that they will be well understood but overall, Jean-Pierre understands them well and appreciates them. It’s not an easy job and Bonéré must continually be encouraged to prepare these lessons in a natural way that will clearly communicate to the Konyagi (rather than a word-for-word translation). There are still many lessons to prepare and much work to do!
I will only be in the village for another four weeks! After that, I will be going to a language learning workshop. From there, I will begin my trip to return to Canada. I plan on being in Canada from the end of June until mid-November. I’m looking forward to being with you and sharing what God is doing among the Konyagi!
Thank you for your support in prayer, as well as financially, so that I can be here among the Konyagi! Continue to pray that God will do great things among these people!
Prayer & Praise
• Ministry among the Konyagi
Praise for Bonéré’s enthusiasm in preparing the Bible lessons. Pray that he may have a good grasp on how to prepare these Bible lessons well before I leave (as he will continue while I’m gone). Praise for the help of Jean-Pierre in checking these lessons. We hope to do the comprehension check of lesson five tomorrow. Pray that these lessons will be well done and will be a great help in sharing the Good News with the Konyagi. Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.
• Culture and language study
Praise that each morning I can have language sessions with Bonéré. Pray for my language study. Pray for the ability to learn and the motivation and discipline to keep at it.
• Village life
Pray for wisdom in my relationships with the people and that I might get to know them better.
• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family in this phase of orientation. Pray that they may know God’s will for their future. Pray that God would send the right co-workers to join the missionary team.
• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. They are presently working on completing the book of Genesis as well as working on the book of Matthew. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.
• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! I continually hear of others who want to know God and it’s really amazing to see their desire for Truth. Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation and that it will transform their lives.
• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up.
• Spiritual well-being
Pray that knowing God will be my top priority each day and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.
• Physical well-being
Praise that I am healthy and even have quite a bit of energy despite the heat! It’s true that sometimes the heat can really wear me down and that I often have stomach issues but overall it’s going well. Pray that I may continue to be healthy and have strength and energy.
• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways and He really helps me to find my joy in Him! Pray that I may have a good attitude and remain encouraged no matter the situation.
• Safety
Praise for God’s protection – each trip I am amazed by his protection! Pray that God would continue to protect me.
dancing at a wedding – notice the violin-type instruments
So much has happened since my last update.
As it turns out, I decided to take my vehicle back to Guinea. It will be used by missionaries there until I find a good long-term solution. A WEC missionary accompanied me so that I wouldn’t have to travel on my own. It was a long, quick trip (one day there, and the next day back) and of course there were a few adventures along the way… I almost had an accident with a motorcycle, had difficulty exchanging money for the local currency, had some mechanical problems, played the role of an ambulance to transport injured people from the site of an accident, which then meant that we no longer had enough fuel to get to our destination. Despite all that, we saw God’s hand in the circumstances and everything went well.
A few days after my return from Guinea, I went to Dakar to attend our annual conference. I quickly saw that I was very tired and that village life was taking more out of me than I had realized. It was good to have a bit of time to rest, to talk with other missionaries, to have some good Bible teaching and to enjoy cooler temperatures.
I came back to the village on Friday. I was happy to be back although returning to the heat was a bit daunting. It took me a few days to clean my very dirty house, put everything in order and reconnect with people here.
Yesterday I resumed my language sessions. Each morning I spend three hours studying the language with Bonéré’s help. I’m really happy to be living in the village and to be able to really get into learning the culture and language and to see some progress. Having said that, the task of learning a language is difficult and your prayers are greatly needed!
Bonéré continues to work on preparing Bible lessons. This week we hope to begin checking the lessons he’s already done. Our goal would be to check one to two lessons each week with the help of a Konyagi who speaks both Konyagi and French.
There’s only three months left before I return to Canada on home assignment. There is so much that I’d like to accomplish during that time. On the other hand, it’s also the hottest time of the year and with each passing day everyone’s energy level seems to go down a little. Pray that I will be wise in the use of my time and energy and that despite the heat, I can accomplish what God wants me to accomplish during this time.
I thank you for your partnership and your prayers. We serve a great God who is doing great things among the Konyagi! What a privilege to be a part of it!
Prayer & Praise
• Ministry among the Konyagi
Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. We hope to do the comprehension check of the first lesson this week (by teaching it to a Konyagi and having him tell me back in French). Pray that we would find a Konyagi who will commit to faithfully help us with these checks. Pray that these lessons will be well done and that we will be able to progress rapidly.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.
• Culture and language study
Pray for my language study. Pray for the ability to learn and the motivation and discipline to keep at it. Pray that there will be fewer interruptions so that I can really focus on CLA.
• Village life
Pray for wisdom in my relationships with people and in how to deal with requests for help.
• Vehicle
Praise that my trip to Guinea to bring my vehicle went well. Pray that I will eventually find a long-term solution. Praise for the vehicle that was lent to me!
• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family in this phase of orientation and French language study. Brian has reached the required French level – praise God! Pray that they may know God’s will for their future. Some of the new missionaries have shown some interest in joining the Konyagi work. Pray that God would send the right co-workers to join the missionary team.
• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. They are presently working on completing the book of Genesis. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.
• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! I continually hear of others who want to know God and it’s really amazing to see their desire for Truth. Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation and that it will transform their lives.
• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up.
• Spiritual well-being
Pray that knowing God will be my top priority each day and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.
• Physical well-being
Praise that I am healthy and even have quite a bit of energy despite the heat! Praise that my new house is relatively cool which allows me to sleep at night! Pray that I may continue to be healthy and have strength and energy.
• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways! Pray that I may have a good attitude and remain encouraged no matter the situation.
• Safety
Praise for God’s protection – each trip I am amazed by his protection! Pray that God would continue to protect me.
battling the wind
While you have been dealing with snow storms these past weeks, we’ve been dealing with sand storms. The harmattan, the hot dry wind that blows from the Sahara brings lots of dust with it. It makes life a bit more complicated and also a lot dirtier! Recently I found out though that there are worse things than dust.
Yesterday a bush fire that was burning out of control approached our village pushed by these strong winds. The fire began several kilometers from here. It’s amazing to see the billows of dark black smoke with their nuances of orange but it’s also scary since these strong winds and the very dry straw all around create a great risk. If the fire gets too close to the village the whole thing can burn in no time since the roofs are made of straw. It took the villagers a lot of effort to redirect the fire towards an area that had already been burned. The fire did a big semi-circle around the village not so far away. We thank God for protecting the village. Unfortunately, the fire started up again today and again the villagers had to do battle. The fire did a semi-circle in the other direction so now we are surrounded by a huge circle of black ashes but the village has been spared. It seems that the fire spread in various directions and in some cases went on for many kilometers more. Although we are rejoicing that the village was spared, there are still consequences. The straw that burned was to feed their herds and was to be used to make some much needed new roofs. I continue to be amazed at the challenges these people face.
fire near the village (photo was taken from my yard)
The strong winds also complicate my language sessions. I spend my mornings under a mango tree in the yard of my Konyagi family. Wind gusts make it difficult to hear (and record), to see (because of the dust) and to keep my papers in place. It’s been necessary for me to be creative and I discovered that there is another very good use for a cookie sheet – a board unto which you can attach your papers with magnets!
language session with Bonéré (notice the cookie sheet)
Learning a language is hard work! There are highs and lows. Some days it’s a real struggle to stay encouraged. Other days, I see some progress and I’m thankful. The language is difficult and I desperately need your prayers!
Village life also has challenges. For example, what are my responsibilities towards my Konyagi family? They help me a lot and I help them a lot too but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by requests for this or that. Where is the balance in all that and how do I keep that balance?
Bonéré continues to prepare Bible lessons. He is very motivated but it’s not progressing very quickly. The group of Konyagi that are 40 km from here asked Bonéré to come help them do a Bible study that SIL recently given them. Bonéré and Sakou, a believer from another village, went on Saturday. There were around 40 people of all ages that gathered to listen to the first chapter of Luc and to then discuss the questions. It’s amazing to see their thirst for God’s Word! And just to clarify, these aren’t believers yet! God is obviously at work! Bonéré plans on going back next Saturday.
The situation with my vehicle hasn’t yet been resolved but I finally have a plan of action. In about two weeks I will bring my vehicle to another town where I have permission to park it. So, for the time being that’s what I’ll do and during that time I will be able to use the vehicle that was lent to me.
So, I will finish off here, thanking you for your prayers and asking you to keep battling in prayer with us!
Prayer & Praise
• Ministry among the Konyagi
Pray for Bonéré’s training so that he may do a good job of preparing and teaching the Bible lessons. We hope to do the comprehension check of the first lesson this week (by teaching it to a Konyagi and having him tell me back in French). Pray that these lessons will be well done and that we will be able to progress rapidly.
Pray that God would continue to clearly direct us at each step of the ministry among the Konyagi.
• Culture and language study
Pray for my language study. Pray for the ability to learn and the motivation and discipline to keep at it. Pray that there will be fewer interruptions so that I can really focus on CLA.
• Village life
Praise for my friends in the village. My Konyagi family is great! Pray for wisdom in my relationships with people and in how to deal with requests for help.
• Vehicle
Pray that my trip to bring my vehicle will go well and that I’ll easily be able to get the required paperwork to park it. I praise God for the vehicle that was lent to me!
• Konyagi missionary team
Pray for the Hofer family in this phase of orientation and French language study. Pray that they may know God’s will for the future. Continue to pray for co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.
• Konyagi Bible translation
Praise for Sue Jenkins from SIL and Papa who are working on the Konyagi Bible translation. Communicating God’s Word clearly and accurately in another language and culture is an extremely important and difficult job so please pray for them.
• Konyagi people
Praise for the work that God is doing among these people – let’s keep praying! Pray that God will go before us to prepare the way and will continue to prepare the hearts of the Konyagi people to hear the message of salvation.
• Wisdom
Pray for wisdom to deal with the various situations that come up.
• Spiritual well-being
Pray that I may draw nearer to God day by day and that I would become the woman God wants me to be.
• Physical well-being
Praise that I am generally healthy. From time to time I don’t feel very well but I think it’s just part of life. Pray that I may be healthy and have strength and energy.
• Mental well-being
Praise that God encourages me in various ways! Pray that I may have a good attitude and remain encouraged no matter the situation.
• Safety
Praise for God’s protection especially and pray that God would continue to protect me.