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

This is Sidik. For two years he 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.

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. 

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!