David, also known as Faouzi, is a Lebanese-American, born and raised as a Shi’ite Muslim in Dakar, Senegal, West Africa. He came to know Christ through the ministry of missionary Don Corbin (who is presently the Field Director for Africa at the Division of Foreign Missions of the Assemblies of God, in Springfield, Missouri). After a season of persecution during which God called Faouzi into the ministry, the Lord opened the way for him to study at Bethany Bible College in Santa Cruz, California. This is where Faouzi met Linda, the daughter of Reino and Bonnie Tilus, Assemblies of God ministers and longtime Bethany professors.

After graduating in 1973, it was our privilege to pastor in Weaverville, California until our appointment as Assemblies of God missionaries to the Ivory Coast, West Africa. We rejoice in the fact that the Lord allowed us to undertake pioneering efforts in what has become one of the strongest and most vibrant of West Africa’s national churches. After 14 years of ministry in the Ivory Coast, the Lord led our steps further into the heart of West Africa to pioneer evangelism and Bible School ministry in the Muslim nation of Mali. This is the land of the famed city of Timbuktu which has been a historic center for Islamic study.

We have just completed eleven years of labor in Mali during which we saw a growing harvest in the midst of incredible odds and resistance. It was our privilege not only to establish our first Bible School there during our first term, but to see the growth of the national church from 2 local congregations to 46 churches today.

Through the years, the Lord has allowed Faouzi to conduct leadership and Muslim evangelism seminars through the Assemblies of God sponsored Center for Ministry to Muslims. Faouzi has been involved in the development and writing of evangelism courses for ICI University.

Faouzi and Linda both did their graduate studies at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Linda is presently pursuing a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling, and Faouzi is pursuing his Doctroal degree, also in Biblical Counseling.

We are looking forward to returning to Mali to begin our sixth term of missions service in West Africa. Our new assignment has expanded our responsibilities, especially in the area of pastoral training, to the whole region, but with a keen focus on the needs of the work in the more Muslim areas of West Africa.