Dear Friends,

As we write these words, at least 15 heads of state are gathering in the city of Timbuktu, Mali, to celebrate the birthday of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.  This highly publicized event has been sponsored by Ghadaffi, the president of Lybia.  He is personally leading this remarkable group of African leaders as part of his efforts to promote “a purer and greater Islam” on the continent.

Timbuktu is considered an “Islamic holy city” not only in Mali, but throughout West Africa.  Historically, it was the entrance point of Islam into all of West Africa.  It has been known for its resistance to outsiders and to the Gospel, and it has been a place of persecution of Christians from time to time.  And yet, the Church is alive in Timbuktu! It is a suffering church, but it remains triumphant.

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The work there was pioneered by Pastor Mohammed Yattara who is a native of Timbuktu.  He has faced many obstacles, but God has granted him to see growth from 5 believers to 50 converts from Islam.  You can read some testimonies of wonderful grace under pressure and persecution in Timbuktu here at our website.

The resistance and sporadic persecution is the work of the imams, the religious leaders in Islam, not the common people.  The main ethnic groups in the entire region are the Tamasheks (also known as Tuaregs), the Songhais, and the Bellas (basically a slave nation to the other two groups – unfortunately, though outlawed, slavery still exists in Mali!).  All of these ethnic groups are nomads, they are extremely poor and most of them live just above subsistence level.  And they are still unreached!

How do you reach constantly moving desert caravans?  We have often driven up to them in places where there were no roads and brought them cool water, the good news of the Gospel, prayer for the sick and medical help when possible.  But though many have responded positively, once we part company we stand little chance of ever seeing them again.

As I reflected on this, the Lord clearly spoke these words into my mind and heart: “Meet them at the oasis. If they don’t have one, give them one. If they have one, make it better.”

This is what has motivated us to focus on Timbuktu, the main stopping place of these tribes:

Timbuktu is a strategic work in the reaching of the entire northern region of Mali and the main ethnic groups classified as “Unreached People Groups.”

Timbuktu represents a significant ministry among the Muslims of Mali. What happens there will have a positive ripple effect for all our work in Mali.

Timbuktu represents a great humanitarian concern. Its people are among the poorest inside the 3rd poorest nation on earth — and all of our ministries there, including the school project which is at the heart of this appeal, will be reaching the poorest among the poorest in that city.

Last but not least, Timbuktu holds great symbolical value for outreach among Muslims — it is a place where God is demonstrating to the world His power to do the impossible. It proclaims that there are no places too hard for the Holy Spirit, there are no hearts beyond the reach of Christ’s grace, and there is no place too far for the Gospel to go.

These unreached people have made Timbuktu their oasis. But is is a dry, desolate and desperate one. However, one of the compelling reasons for nomads to linger there is their conviction that their children, tomorrow’s hope, must become educated. So the Holy Spirit impressed on our hearts that we should build the first evangelical Christian elementary school there.

We also aim to reach the unschooled adults — especially the women — of this needy community. So we have already begun a literacy center for them under a raphia structure while we work to find funds and volunteers to build the school itself.

The Muslim parents there have welcomed this project. In fact, the government authorities took the unusual step of contradicting the local imams and granted us free of charge a large piece of property for this school. This is nothing short of a miracle!

This school is primarily an instrument of outreach. It creates inroads into Muslim homes and families. It will solidify our work at a critical time in a community that has now just opened a door. It gives credibility to our message of compassion.It will reach to the poorest of the city who have no school in their area and cannot afford basic education (the property is smack in the middle of what is called “the poverty belt” of Timbuktu).

We thank you for prayerfully considering this project for your Missions endeavors.

In the spirit of Isaiah 43:19,

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