Dear Friends,

Linda and I want to wish you a blessed New Year 2008!

2007 was a remarkable year for the growth of God’s Kingdom in Mali, West Africa!

Breakthroughs:

• We now have 62 churches; two new churches were planted in Bamako and two more in the Koulikoro region.
• David was privileged to lead a Bozo to Christ a few months ago. He is now one of less than 20 believers among this ethnic group of Mali.
• We also had the privilege of winning two of the 3 known believers among the Jamiseyi-Dogons.

Compassion Ministries:
Bob Pagett with Assist International, GE, and Rev. Steve Savelich with the Oregon Rotary, helped us leave an indelible imprint on Mali’s medical community and the people they serve. Together, we offered state of the art cardiology monitoring and intensive care equipment to the main hospital in Bamako. The value of this gift, including the training of the hospital staff, came to about half a million dollars. The lives that this project is helping to save each week is inestimable! Mali’s president, Amani Touré, inaugurated the new facilities.

Training:

• Both Linda and I continue to teach at our Bible School.
• We also held impacting seminars in Bamako, Koro, Kumantu, and Koulikoro.
• For two weeks every year, the West Africa leadership also loans David to train Asian ministers and missionaries at the Institute of Islamic studies in Baguio, the Philippines.
• Over 150 African ministers and missionaries received training in how to effectively reach out to Muslims.

As Regional Directors for Global University-ICI, Linda held her first West Africa Director’s Conference, which opened or strengthened offices in Guinea, Togo, Liberia, and Senegal.

Timbuktu Christian School:
With the generous help of the WMs of Northern California/Nevada, a new elementary school opened its kindergarten and 1st grade doors to the Tuaregs and Songhais of Timbuktu. Each year we’ll open an additional grade, and each year more children will be taught not just the 3 R’s but also moral values and character development.

Special Thanks:

• We’re grateful to Rockford First Assembly (Rockford, IL) for their help in the construction of one more building at our Timbuktu school.
• Praise God for the help given by Bethel Church of Red Bluff, CA, for construction on the Timbuktu school.
• We’re deeply indebted to the Northern California and Nevada WMs who made it possible to open the school this year with their generous gift that paid for all the finishing work on the classrooms and also purchased most of the furnishings (desks, closets, playground equipment, blackboards, etc.)
• And last, but certainly not least, our hearty thanks to all our faithful supporters who sustain our work in this Muslim land.

With heartfelt gratitude,

David (Faouzi) and Linda Arzouni

Fourteen years ago, we helped Daouda, a construction worker, learn how to read and write, using the Bible as a textbook. Daouda didn’t however learn just his letters and numbers! He was transformed by Christ, called to ministry, graduated from our Bible School, and has been pastoring one of our largest churches here in Bamako, the capital city of Mali. Recently, Pastor Daouda was elected to be one of Mali’s Assemblies of God Executive Officers.

But the story doesn’t stop there!

Pastor Daouda’s Muslim family, formerly his persecutors, have since entrusted their sons to him to raise and to educate. We are sponsoring two of Daouda’s nephews in one of our Christian elementary schools. The boys, Dramane (12) and Seydou (9), are today Spirit-filled followers of Jesus Christ!

Recently, we had the privilege of leading two more Dogons of the Jamiseyi clan to Christ. Both of them, one a young man and the other an elder, are secret believers. They know that they will, sooner or later, face harsh persecution from the Muslim community. The elder gentleman’s wife and son also want to follow him in his faith.

What a privilege for Linda and me to have been used to affect their eternal destinies! Though there are now still only 5 believers in this unreached people group, we believe that God will soon multiply their numbers.

Thank you for sending us to the Jamiseyi-Dogons!

During a recent trip to Timbuktu I was reminded of Mahatma Ghandi’s words: “For some people, the only way for God to appear is in the form of a loaf of bread.” Were he living in Mali, I think he would probably rephrase this to say, “...in the form of a cup of water.”

For those in and around the city of Timbuktu, water is precious. In the Tuareg language they say, “Amman, immaan” — “water is a person’s very soul”.

I was privileged to travel to Tamashek country with John Bongiorno of WorldServe International, and with Doug Pitt and Matt Miller, Springfield, Missouri businessmen. We sat together with desert men and their children, and John shared the story of how God provided water for Ishmael and Hagar, saving them from sure death. God answered Ishmael’s desperate cry. John told these men that the same God who saved Ishmael will also respond to their cries for help. How thrilled we were when these Tuareg men extended their hands and prayed with us in the name of “Issa-Al-Massih” (Jesus the Messiah).

In this dry and thirsty land, “living water” must be served in a cup of clean well water.

Will you help us dig wells? Will you give?

Will you pray that God grant us more opportunities to share “Living Water”?

Please respond.

David (Faouzi) and Linda Arzouni
AGWM, Mali (West Africa)

Thank you for being our partners in the Lord’s harvest in Mali!  As we report to you, we are reminded again that the work is about lost people seeking, and about found people being transformed, even in this Islamic context.  Please consider the following:

Sidik
For two years Sidik resisted the Gospel witness, especially our insistence that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”  His Islamic upbringing would not allow him to believe that Issa Al-Massih (Jesus) is the only way.

Believers kept him on their prayer list.  In June of this year a single persistent thought kept him awake at night: “No other Name, No other Name!”  He came to our church in Kouri, and, convicted of his sinfulness and of the grace of God in Christ, he gave his life to the Lord.  The next day he came back with a bag full of Islamic baraka objects (amulets for protection, power, and blessing) and had them all burned.

Mamie
As a Muslim Mamie believed that Jesus was a great prophet, and that’s all.  But she grew curious about the Gospel as Linda and I witnessed to her on and off over a period of three years.  On Easter eve she sat with us to watch “The Passion of the Christ,” and was overwhelmed by the love and sacrifice of Christ.  Mamie decided to go to church with us on Easter morning.  On the edge of her seat, Mamie watched the re-enactment of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection. She eagerly surrendered her life to Him.

Lamine and His Wife Maimouna.
Lamine too resisted for over a year the idea that “there is no other name” than the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.  He often parroted the Islamic teaching that the message of the Gospel had become obsolete and was replaced by the Qur’an.

However, Lamine carefully watched the lifestyle of Christians.  Believers continued to pray for him.  He too had sleepless nights, as the Holy Spirit reminded him of his sins and his need for God’s forgiveness in Christ.  Early one morning he came to church and confessed his need of Jesus.  His life was so transformed that three weeks later Maimouna accepted Christ as her Savior.

For security reasons we cannot put the following persons’ real pictures in this letter ....

Tiémogo is a Muslim to whom we gave a Bible.  At one point during his reading he began to weep.  He is seeking.

Issa is a Muslim who is also reading the Bible and seeking.  He recently told us that he dreamed of Christ, but he is afraid to tell what Jesus told him in this dream.

Hussein, a Shi`a Muslim, agreed to come to our international English service on Sunday evenings.  The very first time that friends prayed for him, he began to sob.  I have had long conversations with him about Jesus.  He is seeking.

“Ali,” another Shi`a Muslim, comes to a Bible study in our home.  He is confused, but positively seeking.

Tidjan, a Dogon by birth, a husband of two wives, and a Muslim went hunting with me.  We spoke of Christ.  He humbly bowed his head and asked God to forgive him in Jesus name.  Tidjan was lost.  He is found.  And he secretly goes to church with us.

Hamma is a 10 year old boy who attends one of our Christian schools.  One of the men in his Muslim family is known in the neighborhood for his great magic and as a mighty dispenser of baraka.  He is the ‘Houdini’ of the town, because of his ability to walk out of chains and sealed rooms.  This man says that his power comes from the greatness of Islam and the Qur’an.

But Hamma had heard in our school that Jesus has greater power than anybody.  In childlike fashion, Hamma told the man that he had said a secret prayer that would prevent him from coming out of a locked room.  Sure enough, the man’s powers were paralyzed by the boy’s prayer.  He remained for hours a prisoner in that room and finally begged the boy to release him.

Hamma ran to tell his Christian teacher what had happened, how he had secretly prayed in Jesus’ name, and that Jesus had answered his prayer!  Hamma said that from now on he wanted to believe only in Jesus.  He has taken his first steps as a follower of Christ.

Take these real cases of lost Muslims seeking, and found Muslims transformed, and multiply them at least a hundredfold.  This is what is happening, now more than ever before.  This is what your commitment to Missions and ministry to Muslims is accomplishing.  Because of you, and because of them, we are committed to stay the course, whatever the cost.

We thank you for making it possible by your prayers, your giving, your sending.

In the spirit of Isaiah 43:19,

David (Faouzi) and Linda Arzouni

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.

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)

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

Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe that ten months have already gone by since we came home for furlough and deputation. We have so deeply enjoyed visiting churches, friends, and family. What a privilege to be your partners in the cause of Christ and Missions!

Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land
Proverbs 25:25

We rejoice for the continued growth in the work among the Muslims of Mali. Our colleagues, Rick and Elaine Caswell, have encouraged us with these recent events:

• A new church has been planted in the city of Kayes. This is our first work among the Malinkés, an unreached people group in the western part of Mali.

• In spite of efforts by opposing Muslim imams (religious leaders) in the city of Timbuktu, we were able to secure our deed to the Christian school property which had been donated to us by the local government there. The first classroom building (a modified ‘tabernacle’ pre-fab structure) is finished. This school is strategic to our outreach among the Tamasheks. This desert tribe is the main unreached people group of northern Mali.

• The youth camps held in July were particularly blessed. A substantial number of young people were baptized in the Holy Spirit, and some have responded to God’s call to full-time ministry.

• $20,000.00 were received from the World Assemblies of God Relief Association for famine relief in Mali. Praise the Lord! This is timely, because of the invasion of locusts that has decimated so much of this year’s harvest in this already very poor nation.

On the Home Front…

• Visiting and reporting to our supporting churches takes up most of our time. We are facing a huge challenge to raise an additional $1,200.00 in monthly pledges before we will be allowed to return to Mali. This is the first time in 28 years of missionary work that we’ve confronted such a big challenge in needed monthly support. Much of the increase in our budget is due to the extreme weakness of the US dollar overseas. It is believed that this situation will worsen in the next few years. So we humbly request your prayers for this deputation. Please pray that every one of our supporters will increase their monthly support.

• Because we have had to connect with new churches for additional support, we will not be able to visit some of our longtime supporting churches. Please, dear friends in the churches that we cannot visit during this furlough, do forgive us. We trust that you will continue your partnership with us.

Two Urgent Needs….

• Gédéon Poudiougo is one of our Malian pastors pioneering a church in the village of Ogosayin. Many years ago Brother Gédéon injured his right eye. There were recent complications and the pressure and pain in that blind eye require that it be removed. We need to raise $600.00 for the surgery. But we are believing the Lord to actually supply us with twice that amount so that a glass eye could be put in place. Can you help? Please contact us right away .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
• In Timbuktu Pastor Mohamed Yattara and his family have been forced to abandon their house because of age and dangerous deterioration. They are actually using two small storage rooms as their shelter on the church property. We need financial help in any amount to solve this problem. If you can help, please reach us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Thank you for your faithful partnership and your prayers. We are grateful and privileged to be your servants for an increasingly redeemed Africa.

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

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.

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

Greetings again from Mali, West Africa!

Some of our friends and faithful supporters have been wondering if all was well with us, since we missed sending a newsletter this past quarter. We are doing fine and are so grateful for your prayers and partnership as we minister in this predominantly Muslim land.

So much has happened that we are struggling with a mountain of information to share in this report. Here are some of the highlights:

Our Teaching Ministry

The task of equipping national ministers and Christian workers has taken us beyond Mali’s borders to other African countries and beyond, even to far away places such as the Philippines. Part of our teaching ministry involves work through the new ICI-Global University center which Linda has launched in Bamako.

Follow Up On Timbuktu

The construction team from Oak Grove Assembly of God (Springfield, Missouri) has put up the first classroom building of the very first Christian school in the Muslim stronghold of Timbuktu. We also thank God for new believers like Gheli (pictured below at left) and Muhammad (pictured below at right). Gheli has recently announced to his family and clan that he has become a follower of `Issa (Jesus) al-Massih (the Messiah). Please pray for Muhammad and others who are faithful, but still secret believers.

Five New Churches Established!

Praise the Lord for vibrant new works in Koury near the border of Mali and Burkina, in the eastern town of San, and for a second church in Sikasso. We also have pioneer works in the villages of Blajé and Heramakono.

Ongoing Projects

Thank God for the college team of six from Neighborhood Church of Castro Valley, California, and for construction volunteer Dale Chastek from Bemidji, Minnesota. Together we put in foundations for the churches in Koulikoro and Garalo, erected the pre-fab church building in Segou, and built trusses and frames for the two churches in Bamako. When such volunteers come, they not only minister and model missionary commitment, but they do in a few weeks what would take us months to achieve on our own. This frees us to focus on evangelism, teaching, and discipling. Praise the Lord!

Relief Work

We believe that our service and worship to the Lord in this Muslim land must extend to issues of justice and care for the poor whenever possible:

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Isaiah 58:6-8 (NIV)

We thank God for the privilege of distributing food (above) and medicine in famine areas and in prisons, and we pray that you will continue to help us with the needed funds for next year.

In the grip of His grace,

David (Faouzi) and Linda Arzouni

It is a joy to tell you about our work at the “Ends of the Earth” — in Timbuktu! The Lord is doing great things in this famous and mysterious city which in the past has murdered many Christians and still persecutes believers today. It is just amazing to realize that here, at the edge of the Sahara Desert, in one of the most Islamic and hostile environments in the world, the Church stands and souls are being saved no matter what the risks are. Praise the Lord for the two growing evangelical communities there, the Assemblies of God and the Baptists. Our French colleagues pioneered our work in Timbuktu a little over three years ago, and now at least 25 adult believers, and also many children, attend regularly. It was my privilege to meet some real trophies of grace, and I would like to tell you about them ...

Sidi al-Wafi Ag-Issa Cissé

Sidi al-Wafi Ag-Issa Cissé is the son of a well-known Muslim cleric in Timbuktu. When it was learned that he had accepted Jesus Christ as his savior in 1998, his family persecuted him publicly. He was beaten and then tied up and exposed on the main street of Timbuktu for three days without water or food in order to make him recant. When he was released he headed straight for the church to worship. This happened three different times, but Sidi held firm.

Finally, a mob of more than a thousand people, led by Sidi’s own brother, took to the streets of Timbuktu shouting Islamic slogans, burned tires to protest against all Christians within the city, and then headed to the Assembly of God church to burn it along with Sidi’s spiritual leader, Pastor Mohammed Ag-Mossa Yattara (pictured to the left of Faouzi). God delivered them in that the Malian army unexpectedly felt compelled to intervene. Three years later, Sidi is still serving the Lord, and the church is growing!

Mohammed Ag-Tangaw

Mohammed Ag-Tangaw became insane — some say it was due to sorcery. He was unkempt, totally incoherent, and often violent. There were brief moments of lucidity, and these seemed to always coincide with encounters he had with Pastor Yattara. One day he came to the pastor’s home and to everyone’s amazement he asked for prayer. This was the start of a spiritual journey that led him to Christ and to a restored mind! He is one of seven such insane people who have been strangely attracted to the community of believers in Timbuktu. Thus far two have been saved and healed. We are praying for the others.

Zayda

Zayda’s life was shattered when she discovered that her 14 year old daughter had been raped by the girl’s own father ... Zayda had a nervous breakdown and ultimately became insane. For over a year she wandered aimlessly in the desert around Timbuktu. God’s grace reached her in that dark place with the love of Christ. Her life has been transformed! Praise the Lord! She and the other church women helped in the construction of the new “Tabernacle” church.

Issa Ag Muhammad-Diko

The Gospel came to Issa Ag Muhammad-Diko through his radio on a hot July morning last year ... “That Christian talk,” as his Muslim friends would say, got into his mind and into his heart. So he walked 15 miles to Timbuktu to talk to pastor Yattara ... Issa (his name means “Jesus”) had a life-changing encounter with Christ. He still faithfully makes that 15 miles trek to be in church every Sunday!

Zaynabou

Zaynabou heard that when the Christians of Timbuktu pray, God hears and answers them ... and she needed a miracle. Her promiscuous life had left her sick with a swollen body, an ulcerated leg, and unable to walk ... So this “Samaritan woman” encountered Christ and was totally delivered! In spite of persecution she has been boldly witnessing to the people of her past about the Gospel’s power to transform anyone!

Please Pray For The Unreached Tamasheks

The trip to Timbuktu with the construction team from Oak Grove Assembly of God (Springfield, Missouri) was an unforgettable experience. The crossing of the desert between Douentza and Timbuktu is the hardest trek I have ever undertaken anywhere in Africa. On the way to “the ends of the earth” we took time to greet caravans of Tamashek Moors (desert people) traveling on camels, most of them with slaves who walked behind herds of donkeys laden with wood, rock salt, millet, and other commodities. These “Photo Ops” soon turned to opportunities of ministry, as we shared our news and our water, gave medicine for various ills, and invited both masters and slaves to join us in prayer to “Issa al-Massih” (Jesus the Messiah) for healing. We know that the Holy Spirit planted a good seed in their hearts, and we trust Him to make it grow.

Pray For Hamadoun and Hawa

Pray for Hamadoun (we are not free to give his full name), who was converted to Christ while he was an informer sent by his Muslim leaders to spy on our church in Timbuktu. Due to severe persecution we sent him off to another town. Pray for Hawa (not her real name), an elite Tuareg lady in Timbuktu who has expressed her desire to follow Christ secretly. She stands to lose everything on the day she decides to follow Him openly.

Praise God For The New “Tabernacle” Church In Timbuktu!

Please pray with us for the Oak Grove Assembly of God team that will return to Mali in January 2002 to build the first ever Christian school in Timbuktu!

We thank you for standing with us and your spiritual brothers and sisters in Timbuktu and throughout Mali by praying, giving, and sending!

David (Faouzi) & Linda Arzouni

Holiday Greetings from your partners in Mali, West Africa! We have much to rejoice about as we look back and consider what has happened in our stewardship since we got back to Bamako, the capital of this Muslim nation, since January 2000. Allow us to share some facts and faces, as well as a word about the future.

Facts & Faces

Here in Mali, the Land of Timbuktu, where ox and plow are a common sight even in this third millennium, there is a saying that “It is not how wide or straight you plow, but how deep and long.” With the Lord’s help, we are striving to plow deep and long. It has been a year of significant events and strategic involvement in the work both in Mali and in the West African region:

• Joining Hands!
  We joined hands with the church leaders from such West African nations as Burkina Faso and Togo to reopen our Bible School and to target key cities in Mali where their African missionaries would help us plant new churches. Some professors, 15 Bible School students, and 18 new pastors from the Burkina Faso Assemblies of God are coming to Mali to meet those goals. A new work has just been established in the city of Koutiala. It is our shared objective to have a church in every major city within the next three years.

• Thirty-Four Attend First Kinshasa Extension Courses
  Training of key workers for the harvest has been our priority. We work with WAAST, which is our advanced school of theology operating out of Lomé, Togo. In February and March, we taught the very first WAAST extension school session in Kinshasa, Congo. We’ve been touched and encouraged by some extraordinary moves of God in the pastoral training sessions that were assigned to us in our region.

• In The Philippines
  We continue to train Asian leaders for evangelism in Muslim nations through the annual Institute in Islamic Studies which was held again last Spring. That’s a long way from Mali, but well worth the effort! Asian missionaries, pastors, evangelists and lay workers are poised to make significant inroads into heavily Muslim areas.

• Miracle Of Reunification In Mali
  In June, the Mali Assemblies of God experienced a special move of God that healed this church that has been divided for over 8 years. Ever since the US Assemblies of God missionaries have come to labor in this Muslim nation, we have had to contend with the Malian church’s division with the French Assemblies of God mission here. It has been a painful process, but God’s Spirit has triumphed over the chaos. As a result of this new unity, individual churches have experienced growth, and the total number of churches has doubled.

• Out Of Islam
  These formerly Muslim women have been beaten, deserted by spouses, and ostracized in their community because of their faith in Christ. They are faithful members of our church in Kati which is providing for them now.

  It is my joy to share the Gospel one-on-one with many Muslim men. Recently, I led Tidiane Diallo, a Fulani, to Christ. The Fulanis are one of Mali’s unreached people groups. Tidiane has been abandoned by friends and persecuted by family, but, praise God, not the victim of violence. He is an able building contractor, fairly fluent in English and Russian, but he has been unable to get any steady employment since his conversion, because the Muslim community has blacklisted him. Please pray for him!

Faith For The Future

• Believing God For A Resolution Of The Bible School Issue
  American, Swede, French and Burkina missionaries are collaborating together with this reunited Malian national church. Therefore, the two Bible Schools (ours in Tienfala and the French Assemblies of God school in Moribabugu), have also been temporarily merged. It has been decided that our campus will be closed until two parallel French-speaking and Bambara-speaking programs are set in place, hopefully next year.

• Believing God For Strong Churches In Timbuktu, Gao, & Douentza
  A construction team from Oak Grove, Missouri is coming in January to put up several pre-fab churches provided by Evangelism Tabernacles. Three of them will be built in Timbuktu, the historic Islamic university city, in the Dogon town of Douentza, and in the Tamashek city of Gao. All three are Muslim strongholds. Two more tabernacles will also be set up, one in Bamako, the capital city, and one in the southern town of Kumantu, where we have several new Fulani Christians. Please pray with us both for protection and for impact, that these small “ends of the earth” churches would flourish.

• Believing God For Desperately Needed Food & Medical Relief
  Large portions of West Africa, stretching from the eastern part of Mali into Niger and Chad will be experiencing famine this year due to a short, uneven rainy season. Our churches in the north desperately need food for their hungry now. Medical help is also urgently needed for our AIDS patients. We seldom, if ever, solicit any funds through our newsletter. However, we are pleading with you, our supporters, to make a one-time gift to meet these needs. If you wish to help in any way, please send your gift payable to DFM Assemblies of God, 1445 Boonville Avenue, Springfield, MO 65802, USA. Thank you so much for letting the Lord work through you to make a vital difference in this part of Africa.

Family & Friends

Our nest is empty. Our son and his wife live in Roseville, California. Our daughter and her husband live in Auburn, California and are expecting our second grandchild in April. Linda’s parents, retired Bethany College professors, Reino and Bonnie Tilus, have just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

More Photos

We thought you might be interested in seeing some more photos of our ministry here in West Africa. These wouldn’t fit in the printed version of our newsletter, but they can be included here on our website!

The Church in Kati

The Church in Selingue

A Beatiful Malian Baby

Greg and Kiralie, Who Came All The Way From Australia To Help Us!

A New Pump

Thank you for your many, many years of faithfulness to us, and we wish you a truly joyful Christmas and a fruitful New Year!

David (Faouzi) & Linda Arzouni

This is our last newsletter for this furlough as we “close up shop” and get everything ready for shipping. In fact, our next report to you will be sent from Africa in the Spring of 2000, since our container is slated to arrive late in March. God willing, David (Faouzi) will fly to Mali on January 10, and Linda will join him on February 7 right after finishing some schooling.

We Will Hit The Ground Running!

Here is a glimpse of what awaits us in the next few months:

• Speed-The-Light has informed us that our 4X4 car will arrive in Bamako around January 13. Praise God for His provision through STL! So as soon as David lands he will have to clear our vehicle with customs. That’s usually a nightmare of paperwork before that car can be put on the road. Please pray!

• Short-Term Missions Volunteers from Australia: On January 16, David will be joined by Greg and Kirralie Smith to help him set up house and office, do some repairs at the Bible School, and help set up a “prefab tabernacle church” in the town of Koro. Please intercede for strength, productivity, and protection.

• Bible School Directorship: Please pray for important meetings that will take place February 11-17 concerning the leadership of our school. Key African leaders from Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, and the USA will convene to discuss the needs of the school and insure its continuity in this needy Muslim land.

• Teaching in Kinshasa: From February 19 to March 11, we will be in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) to teach advanced courses to students participating in WAAST’s extension program.

• More Customs Work: Our shipment arrives mid-March. There is important equipment for the Bible School and for various projects in our container. We covet your prayers to find favor with customs authorities.

• Purchase of Land for Surakabugu: A piece of property has finally been found for one of our Bamako churches, and the $10,000 price is very reasonable. We need help from our supporting churches and friends in any amount to seize this rare opportunity. Can you help? Would you please pray about this need?

• Former Muslims Baptized in Christ’s Name! Rune Högberg, our Swedish Assemblies of God colleague in Bamako, reports that 25 converts have been baptized in recent months. Praise the Lord!

• Seventy Voices of Hope: 70 of our Malian sisters joined hands for a week of intercessory prayer on behalf of our churches. They were later joined by other women from the French Assemblies of God and a delegation from Burkina Faso.

• Unprecedented Demonstration of Unity: Evangelical Christians from all over Mali will come together for an all night Christmas celebration and evangelism outreach at one of the main stadiums of Bamako. Many Muslims who are resistant to Christianity all year round will permit themselves to attend Christmas festivities. Please pray for a great harvest of souls. All denominations will also share a common service at the Palais de la Culture auditorium on Christmas day.

Future Activities

Looking further down the road, here are events that we will be involved with:

• Institute of Islamic Studies, Baguio City, Philippines: From May 27 to June 3, David will again participate in training key workers from many Asian countries who are reaching out to the Muslim world.

• Teaching in Ivory Coast: It will be a joy to spend three weeks (June 19 - July 7) in the land of our first missionary labors to teach advanced WAAST (West Africa Advanced School of Theology) courses.

• AG World Congress, Celebration 2000, and Other Meetings: We will be in the USA at the end of July and in August for those key meetings in Indianapolis. It means a lot of hard work doing French translation, caring for many African leaders who will be attending, and running conference errands. The African General Superintendents who attend will then hold a special two day session to strategize for the new millennium.

“BARIKA ZAAME!” - ” AW NI CE KUNU!”

In various parts of West Africa these expressions literally mean, “Thank you for yesterday! Whenever you do good to someone, should that individual meet you the next day or a week or two later, the first words out his or her mouth are “Thank you for yesterday!” This expresses exactly our own sentiments toward all of you, our friends and supporters. As we embark on our fifth term of missionary service our hearts are overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord of the harvest and to you. May the Lord grace you with a very special touch this holiday season. Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année 2000!!!

David (Faouzi) and Linda Arzouni

We want to take this opportunity to share with you some of the superlative things God has done in our lives during this, our most encouraging furlough. Linda and I came home from our hardest 4 year term in the 23 years of missionary endeavors in West Africa. We were worn out from grappling with the hostilities that accompanied our ministering in Bamako, Mali, a 97% Muslim land on the edge of the Sahara desert. Yet, both of you, pastors and saints alike, have ministered to us with compassion, encouragement, prayer, vision, insight, and support. How can we thank you enough! We feel so refreshed, refocused and ready to again tackle spiritual warfare, soul winning, discipling, teaching, training, and the sending out of young harvesters.

Additional Furlough News….

Present Activities: We officially finished “deputation” this Spring. We are now concentrating on our graduate studies, on training others in strategic evangelism to Muslims, and on preparing to ship ministry equipment overseas.

We Owe You Thanks…. We are deeply grateful to the now closed New Life Christian Community Church (San Carlos, CA) for a very generous offering that will enable us to carry on our regional ministry in West Africa. The Lord has also graciously provided us with a generator (from Seaside Assembly of God in California) to use in very hot Mali where we have been averaging for months now only 4 hours of electricity a day. The Rueck Company (Portland Christian Center) is donating an invaluable water pump and generator combination for the Mali Bible School. Bethany Church (Wyckoff, New Jersey) has supplied us with computer equipment. Praise the Lord!

4 Weddings: This has been a most remarkable furlough for weddings. Our son was married on Dec. 27, 1998, and our daughter married David Salter on April 3, 1999. Added to our own two children’s weddings, Linda was a bridesmaid in her sister, Judy’s, wedding in March, and we also helped tie the knot for Jenice & Tamer Sabra, a converted Egyptian-American Muslim, discipled by another missionary and myself.

3 Surgeries: Medically, this is the furlough with the most surgeries, first for Linda’s shoulder, torn in a fall in Mali before coming home, then for a knee injury I incurred while hunting, and finally for my heart surgery after two “small” heart attacks in May. We are praising God for the superior quality of doctors and facilities available to us in America for such crises. We are also uncomfortably reminded of the fragility and shortness of life.

Philippines Trip 2 Overseas Trips: In April I traveled to Manila and Baguio City in the Philippines for a two week, graduate level, intensive training course offered to Asian pastors and missionaries from more than 20 countries. I was one of five professors sharing the annual Institute of Islamic Studies session with the purpose of teaching Asian leaders how to penetrate and reach Muslim societies. This will have a tremendous Missions impact, because we’re talking about key leaders who will be going to heavily Islamic countries such as China, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Just 12 days after my angioplasty, I headed out for Bamako, Mali for church business meetings.

During this time, I spent a weekend in Dakar, Senegal, with four of my Muslim brothers, prayerfully witnessing and challenging them to meet the Christ. I was very conscious of the battle for their souls, maybe no more so than when I was hit by a car on one of Dakar’s busy streets, bounced forward, and one foot run over! Praise God that no permanent damage was done!

1 Graduation and 1 Baptism: We are proud of our son and his wife who graduated from Evangel University, Springfield, Missouri, in May of this year. They’re finishing up a couple of additional courses, then they hope to relocate right here in our home in Roseville, California, just 15 miles from our daughter and her husband in Auburn.

To top off our joy, I had the privilege of water baptizing my new son-in-law on Father’s Day this year.

Our Schooling: In and around a busy itineration schedule, weddings, overseas trips, surgeries, graduations and baptisms, Linda and I have been studying for our respective degrees in Biblical Counseling (Masters and Doctorate levels), attending stimulating seminars across the country, reading books, and doing research.

Also, for those of you who know my sister, Rada, we praise the Lord for her excellent progress in her studies at Trinity Life Bible College, Sacramento, California. She is the fifth of thirteen siblings in my Muslim family to serve Christ.

Our future plans: We leave for Africa shortly after Christmas. Our new work profile is regional, meaning that first, we’ll be available to all the West African Bible schools for block courses. Second, we’ll help to plant new missionary couples in our predominantly Muslim Northern Tier countries. Third, we’ll be teaching Muslim converts either in their respective countries (if safe enough) or by pulling them out for short periods of time. Fourth, we’ll be encouraging a Missions vision in our better developed African churches, teaching them to send their own missionaries into the neighboring countries. Fifth, we will continue to be based in Bamako and work with Mali’s new Bible School, which we pioneered last term.

Malians Interceding for West African Muslims

We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: These plans will only become realities as we are covered by your prayers, which we need now as never before, as we penetrate more deeply Islam and its strongholds. Thank you for upholding us in prayer.

In the grip of His grace,

David (Faouzi) & Linda Arzouni

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 fellowshipping 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

We wish to seize this opportunity to thank you for being our faithful partners in Missions, and to share “good news from a distant land.”

We are proud to report that every one of our Mali Bible School graduates is involved in full-time ministry!

“I heard a voice and saw a bright light for the third time that night….When my Muslim community threatened and discouraged me from ever reading the Bible, the voice said, ‘I will show you things that eye has not seen, and ear has not heard….’”

Meet Dauda Djeme, a Muslim whom we led to Christ following a unique spiritual power encounter, and who responded to the call of God in spite of tremendous obstacles. He is one of our Bible School graduates, and he is presently pioneering a church in Kalabankura, a new neighborhood in the capital city of Bamako.

Sheikna Traore now 45 years old, was preparing to replace his father, a Muslim priest, when he heard the Gospel and was transformed. It was our privilege to train him and see him through to graduation from our Bible School. Even though Sheikna was persecuted in the past, he told me not long ago that he is going back to establish a church in the same town of Kati where his father was a leader in the mosque. “I know it will be hard, but if I perish, I perish. I must go; I can do no less. God has commissioned me.” Please, remember him in your prayers.

The testimony of Makono Jarra is a miracle story. Raised in a village close to our Bible School, Makono was shunned by the Muslim people because he was insane. Unkempt and wandering aimlessly in the streets of Bamako, he came upon a small gathering where pastor Adama Traore was sharing the Gospel. In a brief moment of lucidity, Makono was attracted by the message of love. After another encounter with pastor Traore, and after a period of loving care and intense prayer, Makono was delivered and transformed. He immediately began to share his faith with others. God called him into His work. Makono has graduated from our school, and now he (and his bride!) are planting a church in the ancient city of Koulikoro.

In a nation where women are traditionally illiterate and undervalued, we are proud to present to you our first student wives graduates. Their biblical training and ministry skills will enable them not only to help their husbands in the pastorate, but also to launch Women’s Ministries and children’s outreaches. Makono’s wife, Anne, is first on the right; Sheikna’s wife, Josephine, is next to her; Dauda’s wife, Marie, is in white; and next to her, in red, is Silas’ wife, Cecile.

Silas Ouattara, the young man who was savagely beaten by his Muslim family for his faith in Christ (see our previous newsletter, Converted), and for whom so many of you prayed, is among our first Bible School graduates! He and his wife, Cecile, are sacrificially laboring in the small town of Sirakoro, a suburb of Bamako. God has honored their faith by giving them their first two new converts, and the unexpected early purchase of a piece of property for their future church building!

Meet Abdel-Rahman, a man originally from the country of Zaire (now the Democratic Congo Republic). He was born into a nominal Catholic family, came at a young age to the country of Mali, and was then converted to Islam. His keen interest in religious matters opened the way for him to receive training at a prominent Ahmadiya Islamic center for Muslim missionary work. (The Ahmadiya branch of Islam is somewhat unorthodox and is considered a sect by the majority of Muslims).

Abdel-Rahman heard of me through someone who had attended a seminar sponsored by the Center for Ministry to Muslims where I taught on how to reach Muslims for Christ. He contacted me by mail, and then traveled far to meet me in Bamako. I sensed immediately that though he was well versed in Islamic thinking, his heart was searching for a peace that still eluded him. After many weeks of progressively sharing the Injil (the message of Christ) with him, Abdel-Rahman yielded his life to the Lord. He has been changed! Please pray for him as he seeks God’s will about what he is to do with his life now and in the near future.

We are loving our time in the States with family and friends, even the chilly winter (what a nice change from Mali!), and we especially love visiting with you and the churches. Thank you so much for upholding us in prayer during this furlough!

In the grip of His grace,

The Arzounis

Greetings from “Crocodile Pond”—that’s what the name of our city, Bamako, really means in the local language. This letter is a couple of months overdue. It is true that time really flies, but it is especially so in our pioneering context. Our lives are filled with many struggles and blessings, victories and special moments. Usually, it is hard to choose among them the ones that most accurately convey what our work is all about. But today one of them stands out in my mind.

I would like to lay aside all my previously prepared reports about the steady growth of the church here, about our very first General Council, and about the Bible School construction and miracles of provision for our students. There is so much I could say about these exciting aspects of our work. Instead, let me tell you about Ali Ouattara, whom we affectionately call Silas.

We were together on the roof of our first Bible School building, nailing tin sheets whose reflective surface made the normal 110 degrees heat harder to cope with. As we worked and talked, our conversation led me to remember the first time we met. That was nearly 6 years ago.

Even though Silas’ people are part of the Mandingo clan of Mali, he was born and raised in a Muslim home in the northern part of Ivory Coast, just across the Malian border. He is 29 years old. He grew up in extreme poverty, never studied beyond 5th grade, and went to work as a teenager to help his barber father feed the family. His adolescent life was sunless and grey. His failed attempts to become a mechanic fostered the feeling that he had no future, and this became a terrifying burden. His allegiance to family, tradition, and the Islamic faith proved to be insufficient to overcome his hopelessness and the guilt of secret sins.

His contact with a Christian (incidentally it was Cecile, the one he later married) was preceded by a vision from Christ while Silas was doing his Muslim prayer.  He had been thinking a lot about his life, his sins, his hopelessness, and he had a lot of unanswered questions.  After the ritual prayer, while still sitting on the prayer mat and doing du’a (spontaneous supplication or reciting of personal wishes or needs before Allah), he suddenly saw a bright light in front of him and heard a voice saying, “Go to my children and you will find the answers you are seeking.”  Silas realized immediately this was a supernatural visitation.  And he knew instinctively the meaning of such words, for they were not Islamic words.  Something within him told him that “my children” meant Christians.  The only Christian he knew of and respected was a hairdresser named Cecile.  Silas knew that she was unlike most girls in his town.  She was God-fearing, chaste, honest, and very kind.  So he immediately got up from his prayer mat and went to see her.

Cecile told this young Muslim about Jesus. He surrendered his wretched life to Christ in May of 1991. Four months later his family discovered that he was a secret believer. He was immediately mistreated, insulted, disowned, thrown out. His father took away anything that would indicate in any way that he belonged to the Ouattara family, even his ID card. He became totally ostracized.

When Silas was not deterred in his Christian faith, the family and the Muslim community of Abengourou resorted to outright persecution. His father first summoned him and the pastoral staff of the Assemblies of God church which Silas attended. He accused our pastors of ruining his son’s life, and wanted Silas to recant. “The discussion degenerated rapidly,” Silas recalls. “My dad took up a rod and proceeded to beat me. One of the pastors shielded me from the blows with his own body. God protected us from serious injury, and helped us make it to the pastor’s car and leave.”

That was not the end of it. Silas was ambushed by his family one night after a late church prayer meeting. He tried to run away, but was caught just as he was about to rush into the courtyard of one of our Christian brothers.

“They began to beat me savagely. Blow upon blow, and kick upon kick. They nearly killed me. Blood spurted from my mouth and nostrils as I called on the Name of Jesus. They beat me for so long that I became numb and could hardly feel anything anymore. I was on the verge of passing out, but I could hear them rail and say ‘Where is your Jesus now?’ My assailants began to drag my limp body to my parents’ home. As they dragged me past a street light post, I made a desperate grab for the post and hung on to it. They began to hurl my head against it until I could no longer hold on. They succeeded in getting me to my parents’ house. Those who had come out to see what the noise was all about were told that I had become a dangerous madman, and that I had now been forcefully apprehended in order to be sent to my family’s village where I would be cared for.”

The church intervened. The police were called in, but there was little they could do when faced with an angry crowd of Muslims. The church had only one weapon left: Prayer.

Silas was locked in a bedroom and left alone. He too prayed. Later on that same night, his father ordered him to get up, wash, do the Muslim ablutions for prayer, face Mecca and recant. His head was throbbing, his face deformed, and his eyes swollen nearly shut. He was led robot-like to wash and do the ablutions. But then, amazingly, he was left alone to pray on the prayer mat. “I was spared having to be forced to return to Islamic prayers. I was even more amazed when they released me to go outside of the house the next morning.”

The pastor quickly arranged for Silas to flee Abengourou. I had already been alerted to his situation, and we had been praying too. It was our privilege to take him in, love him, disciple him.

Later, while we were still ministering in the Ivory Coast (our last field of work), it was our joy to celebrate his marriage to Cecile and dedicate their child in church. But the most wonderful thing of all is that even before Linda and I made a commitment to come to Mali, God called Silas and his wife to His work in the Muslim country of Mali.

Two years ago they joined us here in Bamako, knowing full well that it could cost them their lives. They have begun to prepare for the ministry in our Bible School. We are taking a man with a 5th grade education, a love for Christ, and a call upon his humble heart, and we are helping him reach the lost Muslims of Mali.

So here we were, in the sweltering heat, building a Bible School together. As we paused for another tin sheet to be passed up to us, I looked upon his face and tried to see if there were scars from his ordeal. I could not see any. Perhaps it was because he was laughing, and his face was perspiring profusely. Or perhaps I could not see clearly for the tears in my own eyes.

That’s what our work is about. You are the one making it possible by your prayers, and faithful financial support. Silas Ali Ouattara, and the many like him whom we are helping, are our victory - yours and ours, together.

Gratefully,

David (Faouzi) & Linda Arzouni

Christmas greetings from Mali, the home of fabled Timbuktu! As we write these words it dawns on us that we’ve been here almost four years, and we have not yet set foot in that city. We live in Bamako, nearly 600 miles away from Timbuktu which is in rough and dangerous Tuareg territory. Most of our present ministry has taken place in the southwestern part of the country. Thus far we’ve pioneered in just two large cities: Bamako, the capital, and Sikasso, further south. We have yet to penetrate the other 8 major centers of Mali. We desperately need laborers in this vast harvest field!

We praise the Lord for everyone of our 16 pastors, and the 10 Bible School men who will soon join their ranks. School resumed in October, because of your praying and giving. Please allow me to introduce to you one of our students, Makono Jarra.

In the poor suburb of Sarambugu where Pastor Adama Traore has pioneered a lively church, Makono was known as the local madman. Literally! As practically all insane people who wander the streets of Africa, Makono was dirty, unkempt, in shabby clothing, and often roamed aimlessly about, muttering to himself. One day he walked into Pastor Adama’s yard and demanded to see him. The frightened pastor’s wife told him he was not home. But Makono refused to leave until much later that afternoon. No one had any idea why he had come, and why he waited for hours, or how he knew of Pastor Adama and his family.

A few days later, when Makono came back, Pastor Adama met him with Christ-given compassion. Though it was obvious that this young man was not fully coherent, Pastor Adama discerned that he had come because God had begun a mysterious work in his heart. It had all started at an open-air evangelism meeting where Pastor Adama proclaimed the love of Christ for people whose lives had been turned to ruin by sin and witchcraft, and had been rendered as useless as stones burned with fire. Makono was there, and in a moment of lucidity, he grasped the truth that Jesus could help him. And so the Lord led him to Pastor Adama’s house.

No doubt, the people in this Muslim neighborhood wondered why day after day, and week after week, the Pastor would spend time talking to a madman. Pastor Adama worked patiently with him, found out that he was the only son of an elderly widow, saw to it that he safely made it home after every visit, searched for him when he got lost in the bush surrounding Bamako, prayed for him to understand more and more of the Gospel story, and unrelentingly surrounded him with love. Finally, Makono understood enough to declare, totally on his own, that he wanted Christ to forgive him and deliver him!

Dramatic change came into Makono’s life with each passing day. His appearance changed. Gone were the filthy clothes and the incoherence. He faithfully attended church to the amazement of all who knew him. He soon requested that he be taught to read the Bible. In just two years he became an ardent sharer of the Gospel and an adept song leader. It was a joy to involve him in our Task Force evangelism campaign. Then in the Summer of 1995, he responded to the call of God for full-time ministry. Last Christmas, it was my privilege to officiate at his wedding to Ane, a young Muslim girl who also came to Christ in one of our crusades. Both of them attend our Bible School today and assist Pastor Adama in church!

Whatever it takes, no matter how hard this pioneer situation is, we believe God will raise up many like Makono and Ane Jarra. Thank you for making it possible through your dedication to the cause of Missions!

We pray God’s richest blessings for you during this holiday season. Have a wonderful Christmas and a purposeful New Year!

In the grip of His grace,

David (Faouzi) & Linda Arzouni

Warm Christian greetings from rainy Bamako, Mali. We are well in spite of the unique stresses associated with pioneering a new field. We have certainly had to learn new things as our experiences differ so greatly from those we had in Ivory Coast. The Lord has a way of not letting us get too comfortable, of stretching us. Spiritual warfare has become a daily necessity, not just a book title or a seminar theme. It’s so different putting into practice what one has learned in Bible School!

In the natural, we have had to struggle with extreme heat (140 degrees in May), dust and its devastating effects on all our equipment, new varieties of tropical illnesses, flooding at the school, and recently, electricity shortages giving us as little as 5 hours a day of electrical current.

But these have been the least of our difficulties. Spiritually, we have met concerted resistance by Muslim authorities for every step forward we’ve wanted to take. A simple request for church land, made to a Muslim mayor, often inspires the local Muslim leaders to officially protest. Already granted pieces of property have been taken back because of just such pressure.

Socially and culturally, we’ve dealt daily with bumper car traffic (not just vehicles, but also donkey carts, animals, the insane and the careless) and we’ve anguished daily over the effects of poverty, pollution, and ignorance. We’ve endeavored to understand a self-effacing “opaque” people who are hard to “read” and understand, even among our Christian brethren.

Yet, considering the context, it is no less amazing what God is doing in this country. The American Assemblies of God has been part of the solution for the woes of Mali.

Sacrificial giving from you, our friends, has injected new enthusiasm and hope in Malian Christian hearts. Speed The Light has purchased a vehicle for each of the missionary families, and four motorbikes for the national leadership. Boys and Girls Missionary Crusade provided funds for starting the Bible School French library, and for translating course textbooks into Bambara. Etta Calhoun funds purchased beds for the school. Overseas Relief bought rice and millet for our students when, two years in a row, their fields were ruined by floods. Light For The Lost has poured thousands of dollars into International Correspondence Institute (ICI) evangelism literature, AIDS pamphlets, and Bibles in several languages.

Because of your involvement in construction, in three short years we’ve seen the purchase of property for a Bible School, and the construction there of a twelve bedroom dormitory building, a double classroom building (with two offices, though still unfinished), an administrator’s residence, a water tower, and even a bread making kiln. Three large churches, the first ones for this fledgling national church, are up and running even before completion. Thank you to everyone who shared financially in this!!!

Our Bible School had its first full year of studies with four missionaries and four Malian pastors and three translators (French to Bambara) sharing the teaching load. Each Bible School student works with a Bamako pastor on the weekends. Child evangelism has been given priority with both special training courses for pastors and a children’s literacy and evangelism program.

Numerically, our pastoral force and the church membership has more than doubled, and we’ve formed our first two districts. One of our pastors has been sent for training to our Advanced School of Theology in Lomé, Togo. Women’s Ministries is being set up in some of the churches, and all literature in French from ICI University is available to our churches.

We’re one year away from furlough, from visiting your churches and sharing God’s vision for Mali with you. Please continue to pray for our strength and perseverance on this particular front. Having the confidence that this is God’s time for Mali has not changed the necessity to do battle. Rejoice with us in the incredible progress that has been made. To God be the glory!

David (Faouzi) & Linda Arzouni

P.S. Please click here to read a special testimony from our daughter Tami.

Hello, my name is Tami. I am the Arzounis’ daughter and an MK (missionary kid) in Bamako, Mali. About a month ago, I experienced a miracle, and I wanted to share it with you.

I think that since the day I was born I have been horse-crazy. When I was about nine I started to save my money to buy one someday, somewhere. Finally, when I was fifteen in Mali, my dreams came true. The Lord also blessed me with a young riding partner, Alisa Kosheleff. Together we and our two horses, Jarabi (my horse) and Calypso (her horse), have shared many adventures. It is the last one which I’m going to tell you about.

We were coming home from a ride on the river’s edge. We took the dirt road that would take us right up across the street from Alisa’s house. On the right was a construction site, and fifteen minutes before our arrival, the dump truck delivering sand there had cut an electrical wire crossing high above the road, and fled in fear. We were caught unawares.

We came around the corner at an easy canter, and I was right behind Alisa. Two American Embassy employees were out on the road, chatting. Ahead of them on the left was a puddle from the last rain covering more than half the road. As we passed them, I saw a heavy, shiny wire lying through the puddle and angled halfway across the road. I remember thinking, “I hope that’s not dangerous.”

We were about to go through the puddle when Calypso, still in front of me, fell flat as though he had no legs. I stood in the stirrups and hauled back on the reins, sending Jarabi into a skidding stop. Then suddenly my horse and I were flying over Alisa and her horse. Alisa was thrown to the side. I was in the air wondering what happened, knowing I had been in control, that my horse had stopped, when I felt an amazing amount of electricity shoot through me.

When we landed on the other side of Calypso, we were in the puddle. My mare fell to her side - across Alisa! I had been thrown in the fall and had therefore broken contact with the live current. There lay Alisa under my horse, being electrocuted. The electrical wire passed completely under Calypso, under Jarabi’s legs, and they were all in the water.

In seconds I was at my horse’s head, and so were the American men, and the Africans from the nearby houses. Even though we kept feeling the electricity, we pulled until her bridle broke and the bit ripped out of her mouth. I was terrified for Alisa’s life. I put my arms around Jarabi’s neck, and with my mouth inches from her ear I pulled and yelled to her to get up, “Oh please, get up!” I knew she couldn’t though. She was completely paralyzed by the current.

I believe guardian angels then picked my horse up, with her legs shaking like Jello, looking like she was walking, and put her to the side. Our helpers kicked Alisa’s feet and pulled her out of the water and away from her horse. Alisa’s life was spared. She had no broken bones, nothing more than bruises and scratches, when my horse falling on her alone should have killed her. Her horse, however, never moved again from the place he fell.

If there had been no amazing circumstances, nothing so out of the ordinary as a dump truck that cut an electrical wire, the Lord’s power would not have been witnessed by the entire community, both American and African. Praise the Lord for His intervention, for signs and wonders.

Thank you for your prayers. I know they help me every day!

Tamara Arzouni