• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

ARZOUNI.COM

Your Missionaries to West Africa

  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • West Africa
  • Updates
    • Family
    • Islam
    • Newsletters
    • Prayer Requests
    • West Africa
  • Contribute
  • Contact

January 2013 Newsletter

January 23, 2013 By Linda Arzouni

Dear Friends, Colleagues, Supporters and Prayer Warriors,

Thank you so much for your many concerned calls and emails about the war situation in Mali, and especially for your prayers and encouragement.  Linda and I want to reassure you that at present we are in the relatively safe zone of Mali, West Africa.

U.S. Army Soldiers in Mali. Photo courtesy of US Army

Even though the Al-Qaeda-backed rebels tried to push south, an international force led by France and the Malian army stopped them some 300 miles northeast of the capital city, Bamako.

Mali Bus with Flag
Mali Bus with Flag

The Malian bus, pictured to the left, is sporting a French flag, to indicate the Malians’ hope that their former colonizers will come to their rescue in their time of need.

Linda is presently in the USA while I continue with the outreach at our self-sufficiency agro-pastoral project.  I am usually there every week from Monday through Friday, keeping me geographically far away from any unrest.  Our other AG colleagues are also continuing with their work in the capital city.

Even though our U.S. Embassy has recommended that all Americans leave the country, (they always prefer to “err” on the side of caution), we three couples have prayerfully committed to remaining in Mali unless the situation worsens.  We neither want to downplay the seriousness of the circumstances, nor do we want to react with panic to everything that we hear.  We feel it is imperative for us to stay and serve with our Malian brothers at this point in time.

So we need your prayers, as we are sure to face off with many urgent needs stemming from this war – refugees, displaced Christian brothers and sisters needing food and medicine, and basic goods.  Please help us to be able to respond quickly to emergencies.

  • Pray for more open doors of ministry, as this is a time when the hearts of men are troubled, and we have God’s answers to their questions.
  •  Pray for a quick resolution to this conflict and that as few people as possible would slip into eternity without Christ – our Lord does not want anyone to perish!  (2 Peter 3:9)  And He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.  (Ezekiel 33:11).
  • Pray for a double portion of wisdom in all that we do here at such a time as this.
  • Pray that we have favor with the man in the street, and I say this because Malians have been anxious that America will not come through for them in their time of crisis.  They fear that, since Mali recently went through a military coup and since democracy hasn’t yet been restored, the U.S. will not honor its counter-terrorism partnership established with Mali in 2005.  Many Malians think that the U.S. won’t come to their rescue because they don’t have valuable commodities like oil to make it worth our while.  Correct or not, this is the perception on the street.  In so many ways, Mali needs your prayers!
  • Pray for our protection, because even though we are removed from the war’s front lines, terrorism can quickly find its way to the capital city where expatriates often are the target.

Thank you for faithfully standing with us,

David (Faouzi) and Linda Arzouni

Filed Under: Newsletters Tagged With: al-qaeda, france, january 2013, keating, mali, newsletter, refugees, smith

Linda Arzouni

Linda is the daughter of Reino and Bonnie Tilus, Assemblies of God ministers and longtime professors at Bethany University. In addition to work she has done to promote pastoral training and distance education for Malians, Linda has been active in ministry to Malian women.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Filter by Topic

  • Family
  • Islam
  • Newsletters
  • Prayer Requests
  • West Africa

Most Recent

  • Spring 2019 Update
  • Wara Ministry Platform Update 2018
  • 2017 Year-End Update
  • Spring 2017 Update: Baptism!
  • Weekly Roundup of West African Prayer Points: January 29, 2017

Footer

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2001-2016 David and Linda Arzouni. All rights reserved. Many of the photographs on our website are courtesy of Doug Pitt.