NTM

 Has it real only been two weeks since my last update? It seems as if so much has happened during this time.

 First of all, I returned to where I live but I had to borrow a vehicle to get there since I still didn’t have the necessary paperwork for my vehicle. A friend travelled with me making the nine hour trip much more enjoyable.

 Once I was back, it was a challenge to get settled back in and get back into life here. Everything seems to take so much time since just surviving takes lots of time and energy and of course there is always the element of the unexpected. I was able to go get my vehicle on Thursday but I still don’t have the necessary paperwork. One of the documents from Guinea has an error and it must be corrected before we can proceed.

 Last week we had our first two studies with Bonéré the Konyagi pastor. The main goal of these studies is to provide some training so that he can clearly teach the Word of God chronologically. We thank God for Bonéré’s interest, his enthusiasm and especially that he’s grasping so well the truths taught. We plan to meet three times per week – Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Having said that, up to this point it hasn’t been easy. The first meeting was put off until the next day because of a death and on his way to the second meeting Bonéré was attacked by a swarm of bees. He arrived here all swollen up but it didn’t stop him from studying. During the service Sunday, Bonéré asked the church to pray for these studies. He said that it was really helping him but that we needed prayer as Satan was attacking. We also ask for your prayers.

 I must say that these studies have been a great encouragement to me. Things, such as problems with the vehicle paperwork, a cell phone that is continually on the blink, a toilet that thinks it’s a waterfall, an electric counter that still doesn’t work can become discouraging. Sometimes I spend so much time surviving that there isn’t much time and energy for ministry. It’s a frustration but these studies remind me why God wants me here and in that I can rejoice.

 As for learning the language, it’s not easy since there are no Konyagi in my neighborhood. Tomorrow I plan to go to the village to settle into a hut next to Bonéré’s family. I hope that that will help me to learn the language and culture even if it’s not a Konyagi village. I’m thinking of spending two or three days each week. Today my guard Sara is supposed to come to help me with the language. It will be the first time so we’ll see how it goes.

 Well, I think that’s all the news for now. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Prayer & Praise

● Vehicle

Praise that I have my vehicle back. Please pray that I will soon have all the required paperwork so travel freely in Senegal and Guinea.

● Ministry among the Konyagi

Praise for the studies with Bonéré, the Konyagi pastor. Pray that they might continue without problems and that they will be a great help to Bonéré and the Konyagi church. Pray that God will clearly direct us in the direction He desires us in the future. We are also still doing some investigations to choose a Konyagi village in Guinea into which to move in the near future. Pray that God will clearly direct us to the right location.

● Culture and language study

Praise that Sara will help me today. Pray for me as I continue to learn the culture and language of the Konyagi in a less then ideal situation. Pray that God would provide some good helpers and that I might be highly motivated to learn.

● Konyagi missionary team

Pray that the Hofers would have a refreshing time at home, for Sherri’s pregnancy and for their future plans. Pray for Jen who has her French and culture evaluation from Feb. 10-13. Pray that Jen and I might get to know each other better and work well together. Pray for more co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

● Konyagi people

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 and that we will

be sensitive to God’s guidance.

● Spiritual well-being

Praise that God is with me at all times. Pray for my walk with Him and that I will trust Him in all things.

● Physical well-being

Praise that I am healthy! Please continue to pray for my health, for the energy and strength to accomplish what needs to be done and for the wisdom to know when to rest. Praise that I’ve been sleeping quite well at night. Please continue to pray.

● Mental well-being

Pray that I may remain encouraged despite the challenges.

● Safety

Praise for my safety during my trip! Pray for God’s continued protection.

● Country of Guinea

Praise that the country seems to be getting more stable and the situation is more positive. Continue to pray for this country, its people, and for the missionaries who serve there.

 Thank you for your prayers!

Hi and best wishes for this New Year!

The move to Senegal was quite difficult and I must admit that by the end of it, I was pretty drained. Then, to my great surprise, God allowed that I return to Canada for 2 ½ weeks. I was actually able to spend the Christmas holidays with my family and I greatly enjoyed this time with loved ones and got some much needed rest. I must say that I was greatly humbled that God would remind me in such a tangible way how much He loves and cares for me!

 My return to Senegal went well despite the new airport security measures and I didn’t even have to pay for my excess luggage!

I’ve now been back for almost a week and I’m still in Dakar, the capital. I was planning on returning to my place soon after my arrival but there are complications with the paperwork for my vehicle. In order to be able to use my vehicle in Senegal there are many procedures to follow. I hope that everything will soon be resolved.

When it is resolved, I plan to travel home – a trip of about 9 hours (550 km) but on paved roads. As soon as possible we would like begin our Bible studies with the Konyagi pastor.

Thank you for your partnership and your prayers! I certainly need them in this time of transition!

Prayer & Praise

● Vehicle

Please pray that I will soon have all the required paperwork so that I can use my vehicle in Senegal.

● Ministry amongst the Konyagi

Pray for Jen and I as we connect with the Konyagi church. Pray that God will clearly lead us in the direction He desires us to go. Pray for us as we plan to begin Bible studies with Bonéré, the Konyagi pastor. We are also still doing some investigations to choose a Konyagi village in Guinea into which to move in the near future. Pray that God will clearly direct us to the right location.

● Culture and language study

Pray for me as I continue to learn the culture and language of the Konyagi in a less then ideal situation. Pray that God would provide some good helpers and that I might be highly motivated to learn.

● Konyagi missionary team

Pray that the Hofers would have a refreshing time at home, for Sherri’s pregnancy and for their future plans. Pray that Jen and I might get to know each other better and work well together. Pray for more co-workers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

● Konyagi people

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 and that we will

be sensitive to God’s guidance.

● Spiritual well-being

Praise that God is with me at all times. Pray for my walk with Him and that I will trust Him in all things.

● Physical well-being

Praise that I am healthy. Please continue to pray for my health, for the energy and strength to accomplish what needs to be done and for the wisdom to know when to rest. Please also pray that I would sleep well at night.

● Mental well-being

Praise for the time spent with loved ones which did me so much good. Pray that I may remain encouraged despite the challenges.

● Safety

Praise for my safety during my trip! Pray for God’s continued protection.

● Country of Guinea

Pray for the country of Guinea in the throngs of uncertainty. The situation continues to be very volatile. Pray for its people, for the believers, for the missionaries who serve there.

 Thank you for your prayers!

Check out my new photos – go to the photos tab and click on the link

Has it really been a month since my last update? And what a month it has been! Moving to Senegal has meant a whirlwind of activity. I don’t even know where to begin to fill you in. During those weeks of preparation for the move, I was so often amazed at how God was preparing the way – providing furniture and appliances I could borrow in Senegal, providing the help of a couple men to bring these things and help me with numerous projects around the house, providing Jen my new roommate and co-worker, allowing for one of the mission leaders to visit the area and make contacts and finalize the rental of the apartment, providing a great host family here in town, providing finances for the expenses that quickly add up, and I could go on. You guys must have been really praying – it was amazing to see God work out all of the intricate details in order to make this move possible!

 Before I go any further I want to introduce you to my new co-worker since I’ll be referring to her quite a bit in the coming months. Jen Rabe is a missionary kid who grew up in Senegal. She recently completed the mission training and she returned to serve in Senegal this past February. Since then, she has been living with a Senegalese family in Dakar (capital of Senegal) as part of the NCLA (national culture & language acquisition) program.

 Ok, let me back up a bit now. During all the packing and preparations to move, we also had the visit of a few mission leaders to discuss the future of the Konyagi work. It was good to talk together and see where God is leading us.

For the immediate future, Jen and I are in Senegal and our primary objective is to connect with the Konyagi church, to build relationships and to help them in anyway we can. During these coming months we hope to get to know each other well enough to see how we can partner together to reach the rest of the Konyagi with the gospel. Towards meeting this objective, I will live part-time in a hut in the village where there are Konyagi believers and will attend their church meetings. I am eager to see how God will use this time in my life and in the life of the Konyagi church.

 My secondary objective will be to continue Konyagi CLA (culture & language acquisition). Jen will continue with NCLA (in French) and therefore we will be speaking only French with one another.

 My home base for this time is in a town about 12 km from the village. We’re renting a pretty nice ‘duplex’ and I am now enjoying luxuries such as running water, electricity and even internet! We are very close to the local evangelical church and we have a very kind and helpful host family who also live nearby.

 I have to say that this past month has been exhausting, challenging, stretching, and sometimes my undoing J.Yet, up to now I have survived and besides a cold, I have been healthy, for which I thank God! Now the house is almost set up, most of the kinks ironed out and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel – what a relief. I think it will take me a while to recover and I’m thankful that I have a God who specializes in renewing our strength.

 Thank you so much for your prayers – they have been (& still are) greatly needed!

 - Pray for the country of Guinea and its people during this trying time. The situation continues to be very volatile.

- Praise that I am mostly healthy – only a cold is slowing me down. Please pray that I might recover from this trying last month. Please pray for strength and energy.

- Praise that my God is with me at all times. Pray for my walk with Him and that I will trust Him in all things.

- Praise that the Hofers made is safely back to the U.S. Pray that they will have a refreshing time at home, for Sherri’s pregnancy and for their future plans.

- Praise that Jen has decided to join me. Pray for her as she makes final preparations and says good-byes and will arrive here this coming Tuesday.

- Praise for all the help I received in order to move to Senegal. Pray that we will soon be completely settled in.

- Praise for God’s direction regarding my move to Senegal. Praise that He provided a good place to live. Pray for all the adjustments involved in learning to live in a new country.

- Pray for Jen and I as we connect with the Konyagi church. That God will clearly lead us in the direction He desires us to go.

- Pray for me as I continue to learn the culture and language of the Konyagi.

- Pray for the future of the Konyagi work. Praise for the meetings with the leadership. Pray as we continue working towards choosing a Konyagi village to move into in Guinea. Pray that we will be sensitive to God’s guidance.

- Pray that God will continue to work in their lives to prepare them to hear the Truth.

- Pray for more coworkers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

- Pray for Jody whose baby was due Nov. 23^rd. Pray that the baby will soon come and that everything will go well.

 Thank you for your faithful partnership!

Please be praying for the country of Guinea during this time of uncertainty. I can’t give you much information about the situation but you probably know as much as I do thanks to the news. The situation is serious and it’s impossible to know what will happen. Your prayers for this country and its people are vital.

We are presently getting ready for our trip to Senegal. The uncertainty in the country has forced us to make even more preparations than usual. During our time in Senegal, we plan to meet with Bonéré, the Konyagi pastor. In part, it’s to gather more information to allow us to make future plans in the church planting effort among the Konyagi. During our time there, we will also look for lodging possibilities and we pray that God will clearly show me whether He desires that I move there when the Hofer leave. After that, we will go visit Sherri’s parents (who are also Jody’s parents) and I will stay part of the time at the guest house to do some work and finally have access to the internet.

Thank you for your prayers! Please continue to pray for us – especially for the country of the Guinea and for this visit to Senegal.

•  Pray for the country of Guinea and its people during this trying time. Pray also for the safety of the missionaries who live in the volatile capital city (a number of them are preparing to leave).
• Pray for our safety during our trip to Senegal and that we will be able to accomplish our goals for the trip.
• Praise that I am once again healthy! Please pray that I might remain healthy. Please pray for strength and energy
• Praise that my God is with me at all times. Pray for my walk with Him and that I will trust Him in all things.
• Praise that Hofer are healthy. Praise for the progress the Hofer have made in French and Guinean culture. Please pray for their continued progress. Pray that they will be able to attain the required level before their departure from Guinea.
• Pray for direction as to whether God wants me to go to Senegal while Hofer return to the U.S. Pray that if He wants me there, He will provide some suitable lodging during our visit there.
• Praise for the great relationships I have with many of the Konyagi! Please pray that God will continue to work in their lives to prepare them to hear the Truth.
• Pray for me as I learn the culture and language of the Konyagi. Pray that I will be motivated and disciplined and use my time and energy profitably.
• Pray for the future of the Konyagi work. Pray for the research I’m doing and that it will give us sufficient information to move forward towards making some definite plans – pray specifically for this time with Bonéré.
• Pray for more coworkers to join the missionary team among the Konyagi.

Thank you for your faithful partnership!