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| Feb 16, 2003 |
| Ireland, Europe |
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God's message reaches around the world
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When we were invited to attend the Team Effectiveness Seminar in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) in February 2001, we jumped at the opportunity. We were not only looking forward to the time of training, but also excited about seeing first hand the country where so many missionaries with CBInternational we had known, lived and worked.
During our flight we looked down at the vast Sahara Dessert and were stunned to realize that only a few hours earlier we had left the emerald green fields of our ministry home in Ireland. This was only the beginning of a week of wonder and contrast as we tasted just a bit of the culture of Côte d’Ivoire. The long hours of warm weather were a welcome balm to our dampened, cold Irish bones. We were astounded at the masses of young people on the streets of Abidjan and later Bouaké, even late at night.
One evening when Sherri Schneidermann, a nurse at Baptist Hospital in Ferkessedougou, told us how she enjoyed going out and eating “street food,” we asked her if she would mind if we tagged along. We gathered that this was the equivalent of the Irish take away restaurants. The food was being prepared in large kettles of different shapes and sizes, and on grills over open fires. The cooks were obviously experts, chatting with their guests as they chopped and stirred.
We were sitting on the dimly lit street enjoying chunks of meat on sticks and fried bananas, when a nicely dressed young man walked up to us and politely asked in English if we lived in the area. He told us that he would like to find someone to converse with on a regular basis so he could improve his English. We told him that we weren’t from there but he could talk with us while we ate.
We quickly realized that his English was very good and he told us how he wanted to speak English like an American. His name was Soungari and he was working on his master’s degree in English at the university. In the course of the conversation we explained what we were doing in Ireland.
After listening politely he told us how his Catholic uncle had reared him although his father was Muslim. His mother’s side of the family was Roman Catholic and his father’s people were Muslim. Because his mother’s brother had no children he was acting as Soungari’s second father.
Soungari had never heard a clear presentation of the gospel and was especially interested in the concept that Jesus took the penalty of all our sin, and that nothing we can do is enough to lead us into a right relationship with God. Tim told him that all he could tell God was that he was a sinner and ask for forgiveness and accept Christ as Lord of his life. When asked if he would like to do that, Soungari said he would. He prayed a simple but seemingly knowledgeable prayer, repenting of his sin and inviting Christ into his life.
Sherri then re-explained salvation in Christ and began chatting with Soungari in his language. She found out that his tribe came from an area close to Ferkessedougou. She told him that he could come to the hospital when he was visiting his family, and someone there would be glad to meet with him. She gave him some Christian literature before we headed back to the conference center.
We have often prayed for Soungari, asking God to give him boldness to go forward in his Christian walk. We were fascinated by Côte d’Ivoire, and have a new appreciation for our missionaries there. We have left a bit of our heart with Soungari.
02040247 |
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