|
|
|
|
|
Benin |
Our classroom We
made our first mission trip together as a family in the spring of 2002 to
teach New Testament Survey in Benin. We
purchased plane tickets for the entire family to travel on Sabena
Airlines. A few days after we
purchased the tickets, Sabena declared bankruptcy and discontinued all
flights to Africa. We presented our
problem to the Lord, and he answered our prayer by helping us to obtain a
refund through our credit card company.
We were then able to book a flight through Air France. Rich,
who had just finished teaching Old Testament Survey, met us at the airport
upon his departure. He updated us on
the progress of the school and gave us some local money to get us
started. Rich left Benin on the same
airplane we flew in on, which had to make an emergency landing on the way
back to France due to an engine fire.
For he shall give his
angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in [their] hands,
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Psalms 91:11-12 |
|
The
Benin Bible school took place during the September 11th terrorist
attack in New York. Andy was teaching
the Faith series at that time, and by the grace of God the school continued
on without any disruption. |
The Benin Bible School |
|
Elizabeth playing
Karsten wows them on the trumpet |
Karsten
and Elizabeth made friends with the host pastor’s children as well as many of
the adults in the class. They sat
through all day and night classes providing a good example of discipline. During
a break one of the students asked me, “Have you seen the glory of God upon
you and your family while you have been in Africa”? I asked him what he meant by that. He said he saw the glory of God upon us because “we cared not
for the troubles going on in the world, but came here to share the truth of
the Word with us”. He could tell that
we loved them because “other white men do not allow their children to play
with African children for fear of catching a disease”. He could tell we were different since we
“encouraged our children to make friends”.
In this he knows that we really love them. |
|
Benin
is predominantly a French speaking country with numerous tribal
languages. Faith Tech supplied us
with an interpreter to translate our teaching and class outlines into French. Wendy
had studied French and was able to communicate with some of our French
speaking students. Fortunately for
me, a few of the students spoke English as well. |
Wendy teaching |
There
are large followings of Christianity, Islam, and other tribal religions in
Benin. We experienced our first
close-up experience with Muslims here.
Our villa was positioned across the street from a mosque. In the beginning it was very strange to be
awakened in the morning by a Muslim call to prayer over loud speakers, but soon
it became routine, and we started sleeping through it. There were also large Christian evangelical
meetings being held in Cotonou during our stay. In regard to our ministry, we believe the Benin school provided
sound Biblical teachings for our students enabling them to become instructors
in righteousness.
|
Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even]
unto the end of the world. Matthew
28:19-20 |