Greetings from Bamako, on an unpleasantly hot and sticky evening. We have now been here for four weeks and you may be wondering just how long we will stay. Unfortunately the situation in Côte d'Ivoire is largely the same as when we left. The rebels and the Ivorian government have been talking about peace for weeks but there seems to be no real breakthrough.
It has been difficult to live without a clear idea of where we will be from one week to the next. We finally reached the point where we had to know for sure where we would spend the coming months. A decision was especially important in the light of our exciting BIG NEWS. In case the grapevine hasn't yet grown in your direction, we are expecting a baby in May!
Greetings
from Bamako, on an unpleasantly hot and sticky evening. We have now
been here for four weeks and you may be wondering just how long we will
stay. Unfortunately the situation in Côte d'Ivoire is largely the same
as when we left. The rebels and the Ivorian government have been
talking about peace for weeks but there seems to be no real
breakthrough.
It has been difficult to live without a clear idea of where we will be
from one week to the next. We finally reached the point where we had to
know for sure where we would spend the coming months. A decision was
especially important in the light of our exciting BIG NEWS. In case the
grapevine hasn't yet grown in your direction, we are expecting a baby
in May!
Now that you have got back up off the floor, you may better understand
why we have decided to return to Britain for the rest of the school
year. This decision wasn't made lightly and has a big impact not just
on us, but on our fellow missionaries too. A number of them have faced
similar difficult choices because of the situation in Côte d'Ivoire.
Please pray for our whole group as we struggle to support Bible
Translation work in the current circumstances. Others will have to take
up our normal responsibilities.
We will arrive back in the UK on the 10th of December, flying from
Bamako to Paris and then on to Heathrow. As yet we don't have anywhere
to live, but Christopher and Emma have been offered places back in the
primary school near Bristol where they were last year. Please pray that
we would be able to find a suitable furnished house in that area at an
affordable rent. We have to give up our apartment in Abidjan, but need
to keep paying rent for a few months in lieu of notice.
Our hope is that some degree of stability will return to Côte
d'Ivoire, so that at least some of our expatriate colleagues will be
able to return soon. At present the telephone exchange and e-mail
system in the Abidjan office have stopped working, so it is much more
difficult to maintain contact with national colleagues such as Carlos
and Eliézer in Gagnoa.
Provided there is no further deterioration in the situation, Paul is
planning to make a visit to Abidjan for a day or two next week. The
purpose of this visit is to encourage those who remain in the country
and explain some of the decisions which the group has made about the
conditions necessary for our return. He will probably go with at least
one colleague. Please pray for a safe and useful trip.
We will look forward to seeing some of you sooner than expected. Thank you for your support at this time.