Warm Christian greetings from Bamako, Mali, West Africa!

We are already in the middle of our 4th year of this term! Here’s what’s been happening these last few months. Actually, there’s little that you can call routine about our particular missionary lifestyle, except maybe sunrise, sunset, and Sundays. It is true that David (Faouzi) preaches regularly, and Linda meets every week with her Global University students and with various Malian Assemblies of God women’s groups. Otherwise, the rest of our time seems to be a kaleidoscope of special events. Through it all, the Great Commission is being fulfilled as more Malians are being trained and strengthened to reach the lost.

In January, David held a seminar with the churches in the Koro region on “Stewardship.” From there we flew to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to a conference promoting a West African missions movement into North African closed countries. Later, David also held a “Ministry to Muslims” seminar in Kayes. As a result of a renewed concern for Muslims, we are believing God for a greater harvest in that tough region. Hospitality — be it a cold Coke or a week’s stay — is an integral part of our ministry, woven through everything we do. So, we housed an AG Costa Rican missionary family of 6 for the month.

Training Workers To Reach Muslims In Kayes And Beyond

Teaching Young And Old In Koro Region

In February, David taught a concentrated course on Ezekiel in our Bible School. Then he and his construction team of Malian pastors worked 2 weeks on the Mopti church (a prefab from Tabernacle Evangelism), which included putting in a full foundation.

In March, David taught a course on Islam at our AG Bible School. Later in the month we received 2 Guinean AG Executive Officers, who came for both a Global University Director’s training and for the Malian AG General Council. We are happy to announce that the reports presented at this council show that in 10 years we have grown from 4 churches to 45! Praise God, Muslims are coming to Christ! After these meetings we flew off to St. Louis, Senegal, where we joined other West Africa Missionary Field Moderators for a time of prayer and fasting for Muslim countries.

April was a very hot (temperatures in the 120s) but quieter month, with some opportunities to preach or teach in several different localities. We also hosted our Swedish AG colleagues for a 3 week missions trip.

In May, we visited a closed country with our West Africa Field Director, Rev. Randy Tarr. It was wonderful ministering to secret believers. Back in Mali, David held a second seminar up in the Koro region on the “Work of the Holy Spirit.” Many were baptized in the Spirit. Praise the Lord, He is building a Pentecostal church in a hard place. The end of the month was spent working on the Banankabougou church construction project.

In June, the national church held several special meetings with a Pentecostal emphasis, including an all-Bamako Youth Rally, with David as their speaker. Afterwards, David and a French missionary colleague drove to Timbuktu with 7 Malian Executive officers to minister to our community of often-persecuted believers, and to explore ways of finishing the Christian elementary school construction there. We are planning by faith the Grand Opening of Timbuktu’s first ever Christian school in September, 2004, in spite of ongoing opposition.

Linda has been heavily involved this month in two different women’s retreats. Using Global University-ICI’s “The Great Questions of Life,” Linda taught the women of our Sarambugu church and its annex. Then David taught on “The Role of the Pastor’s Wife” at the Pastors’ Wives Conference.

We want to end this e-mail on a note of praise ... In May, while in Dakar, I shared with my Muslim father about Christ’s sacrifice and about forgiveness in His name. Building on previous conversations, I asked him if he truly believed that God loves him. He said yes, and added that he believed everything I had shared with him in the recent past. So I invited him to act on this belief by asking God to forgive him and accept him in Jesus’ name. Dad agreed to repeat the sinner’s prayer with me (in Arabic). What a tremendous step this was for my Dad! Please pray with us that his limited understanding of God’s salvation in Christ will grow and overcome the typical doubts that assail a Muslim who enters this process of conversion.

We’re always grateful for your prayerful support,

David (Faouzi) and Linda Arzouni
Assemblies of God Missionaries to Mali, West Africa