Dear Friends,

We are on our way back to Bamako, Mali! God willing, on August 14th, we will fly back for our sixth term of service among the Muslims of West Africa.

This has been a long and arduous furlough. We wondered if we’d ever be able to raise our substantially increased budget (up 32% due mostly to the weakness of the dollar overseas), but the Lord has given us favor in your eyes and has helped us raise the necessary funds. We do regret two things: (1) the fact that we were unable to visit and report to some of our longstanding and faithful supporting churches; (2) the fact that our six month extension to pursue our graduate studies was practically swallowed up in travel and fund raising. But we are so grateful for the ministry opportunities and for the time spent with family and friends. We are excited about getting back to the land of our calling. Thank you so much for making it possible!

The reports from the Field have been encouraging with steady growth in all of our 46 churches. The summer youth camps have been tremendous with many saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit. We have recently lost one pastor in an accident and another resigned, plus some Muslim clerics in Timbuktu have renewed their threats against our work. But we are determined to stand firm, expecting a great harvest of souls there. Please pray with us for courage, wisdom, protection, and anointing for the tasks ahead.

Pastor Esaïe Sagara, Superintendent of the Mali Assemblies of God, recently summarized our shared goals for the next four years. They are: (1) Penetrate as many “closed areas” with the Gospel as possible; (2) Plant at least 54 new churches; (3) Increase our dependence on the Holy Spirit and the number of Spirit baptized believers; (4) Train every believer for ministry through local and regional seminars; and (5) Improve our compassion ministries and outreach through Christian schools like the one being built in the city of Timbuktu.

We can do this with the Lord’s empowering and your faithful support in prayer and finances! Thank you for your continued partnership for an increasingly redeemed Africa!

David (Faouzi) and Linda Arzouni
Your missionaries to Mali, West Africa