Greetings from our new residence in Roseville, California!
Recent News From Mali
We had reported to you that the church had steadily progressed in one term from 4 congregations to 18. We have now received word that in the past few months 4 more works have been started! Praise God!
Church property has been purchased in the city of Kati where Sheikna Traoré, the converted son of an ‘imam’ (Muslim priest), is pioneering a work in the shadow of the mosques that he used to attend until Christ found him!
Our coworkers in Mali report wonderful growth in our relatively new church in Kumantu where many converts were baptized in water.
Tiékoro Coulibaly, the Assistant Superintendent of this young Malian national church has just graduated from our West Africa Advanced School of Theology (Lomé, Togo)! This is significant because we desperately need Malian teachers for our Bible School. Your support and scholarship offerings have made this possible. Thank you!
Tensions do remain in Mali for us and other missionary agencies working in this nation with a 96% Muslim population. Persecution broke out in the northeastern part of the country recently during a campaign of food relief distribution and evangelism. A church was burned, precious equipment was destroyed, people beaten and the pastor’s home ransacked. The government attributes this to rebel Tuaregs, and not religious persecution. Please keep interceding in prayer for our Malian pastors and for other missionaries laboring there.
Help Needed For Critical Projects
A container full of pre-fabricated “tabernacle” structures is on its way to Mali. This will enable us to provide much needed, yet inexpensive, meeting places for our emerging congregations. We are praying for funds to cover the cost of some lots (about $4,000.00 each) and the cost of labor to set up the structures (about $1,000.00 for each). Can you help in any way? Please call us or write us soon.
We need your help in sending pastor Etienne Kodio to our West Africa Advanced School of Theology. Again, we cannot emphasize enough how desperately we need trained Malian teachers for our Bible School. If the Lord leads you to take part in this project, please be sure to designate your offering for “National Worker.”
Deputation & Family News
This furlough has been exceptional. We have been overwhelmed with the joy of fellowshiping with you saints who have supported us in prayer, some of you for over 20 years! We have also seen miracles of provision. We believe the Lord will release all the monthly pledges we are praying for in the days ahead.
Our son is in his last year at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. Our daughter is in her first year at American River College in Sacramento. My own sister, Rada, has begun her studies at Trinity Life Bible College in Sacramento. As for me and Linda, we are way behind in our own Division of Foreign Missions-approved graduate studies. It is our hope to wrap up our deputation by Thanksgiving and devote the remainder of our furlough to pursue our degrees in Biblical Counseling.
Thank you so much for your continued partnership in Missions. God bless you for being there for us every time we’ve needed you!
In the grip of His grace,
David (Faouzi) & Linda Arzouni
