Greetings,
Hovare is carrying the ministry that Cherry and I started. It is encouraging
to see and hear of his efforts and to see God’s continued blessing.
Hovare faithfully travels the 14 miles each week to teach the Loma believers at Bwaybiye.
The elders continue to resist the message of the Gospel and have placed social
pressure on the young girls who believed. The majority of these girls have been
forced into pagan marriages. Hovare resists the elders of the Loma tribe as they
use their powers to coerce the girls into practices the Lord forbids.
Currently the Loma believers are two men and a couple of women who have resisted
the Loma tribal leadership. During our absence many of the key Loma believers have died.
There are always Loma tribal people who listen to the Bible teaching but have yet to
make a decision. Despite the difficulties Hovare and I feel that a greater understanding
of the Gospel and the call of the Gospel is being revealed.
The church at Bwaybiye is growing this is due to the many Loron who travel to
Bwaybiye to be taught by Hovare. He is a gifted teacher. His gifting has created a
radio ministry. He travels to Burkina Faso and records radio broadcasts once every few
months to be played weekly on a local Christian radio station.
Hovare continues to train men who can teach, and he is hoping that two village groups
that travel to Bwaybiye will soon start their own local fellowships in their villages.
Hovare also maintains a pharmacy were people can obtain medical supplies. It is
self supporting, as he buys medicines and then resells them. He has one of the few
motorcycles that can evacuate medical emergencies to hospitals.
He maintains his motorcycle but the conditions and use makes it very difficult to
sustain this part of his ministry. On our last trip we had to push his motorcycle
seven miles to get it to his house. I believe replacing his motorcycle would be a
worthwhile project for GBF. ($2000) If it is not accomplished soon this price will
double as currently there are no customs charges in the rebel zone. Once the government
takes over, vehicles will have the same custom charges as earlier.
At his home Hovare is often hosting and giving consel to Believers and non believers.
The most important aspect of my ministry as I return to the tribe is to encourage
Hovare and to give him a place to rest from the almost constant demand for his time and
to relieve him of his teaching duties.
The Loron church continues to grow in numbers, in many villages it is rare to find
any youth following the ancestors’ traditions, but that does not say that the church
is growing in maturity. In January a long time friend of mine and leader of the church
confessed that he had fallen into sexual immorality and was no longer able to teach as
he had. There is a need for mature leaders in the Loron church.
Paul Briggs with New Tribes Mission is living in Burkina Faso now and is working
on the Loron translation. He is returning to the tribe in Ivory Coast a few weeks each
year. Paul is encouraged with the work he sees happening in the Loron tribe.
Evangelism continues in the Loron tribe and the whole geographical area. Christ
is no longer a foreign religion. Over the last thirty years God’s word has been made
know in the rural areas. There are many denominations in the larger towns, and I have
meet with one Ivorian missionary from Abidjan, he was ministering in a rural village.
The white missionary community in the area is almost nonexistent. It was shrinking
before the civil conflict but the conflict removed all of the missionaries and the few
who have returned are continuing as an itinerant ministry. Security of possessions
continues to be a concern for living there for long term.
The cashew project continues to expand. Each year there are new trees. I am
encouraged with the Loma tribe for increasing their acreages. The prices and rebels
have not allowed for the full benefit of their effort, but that will change in the future.
Each trip I take to West Africa, I find more of my time being sought by missionaries
who have heard and are interested in using agriculture to strengthen the ministries they
have with the nationals. On my January trip I visited with Wycliffe Bible Missionaries,
WEC missionaries, Freewill Baptist missionaries and went to the US embassy with the
director of the Southern Baptist mission in Burkina.
In January I did my yearly conference teaching, this year I taught on repentance.
In March, 2008 I will be returning to the tribe. My goals are to give Hovare rest
and encouragement. I am planning on securing our house by replacing the doors. This
job was to have been done a couple years ago but the doors were not finished, then I
could not get transportation to the tribe. Hopefully things will be accomplished
this time.
I am hoping that my cashew orchard can regain its productivity. Due to the
thieving and poor work ethics, the field has been of little use. It has been a
learning tool as the villagers have lost many blessing due to its lack of productivity.
On my last visit the village elders were showing a willingness to work in the field
without an immediate compensation. It has been my goal that the field would support
some of the village needs, such as the water pump, and school, as well as meet some
needs in the believers’ lives.
In His Love and Grace,
Jerry Skiles
