Ramadan in Abidjan

Photo by mohamed.shaaz

We are more than half way through the month of Ramadan. It has been the best one that we've experienced thus far for having opportunities to spend quality time with our Muslim friends. One thing that I've done differently is to make my visits in the morning. People are less stressed and are more open to talk. I've also had more opportunities than ever before to eat with friends when they are breaking their fast.

Heavenly Father, thank You for these opportunities you are giving Mike and Sue. Bless their friends with dreams and visions about Jesus and His love for them.

Learn more about Ramadan at http://islam.farho.net

John recovering well

Your prayers for John's recovery from shoulder surgery are being answered. He is still having some trouble sleeping, as would be expected with his surgery and his arm brace. He's working some every day at Gold's Gym. Soon he will be going away for 3 weeks at US Army National Guard Camp. That will be a challenge!

Ramadan is off to a smooth start here in Abidjan. I'm visiting my friends in the morning. Traffic is crazy in the evening as frazzled, starved and thirsty people are in a hurry to get home for food and water.

Heavenly Father, thank You for touching and healing John's body. Give him strength and good sleep at night. Continue to give our friends dreams and visions about Jesus our Christ and Savior.

Grateful for simple pleasures

Downtown Abidjan across the lagoon

We're grateful for so many little things in our lives here in Africa. It's true, we miss much about our lives in the USA, but God meets us here in simple and pleasant ways. As I was making my visits today on my motorcycle under a clear blue sky, cool breezes were blowing off the Atlantic Ocean. August is simply the best month to be alive in Abidjan. Before putting Joshua to bed tonight, we enjoyed another simple yet precious pleasure. We watched a one hour resume of today's Olympic events on French TV5.org.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the beauty and cool weather in Abidjan. Give Mike, Sue and Joshua much joy as they serve You in this city of about 6 million needy souls. Open doors each day to share the love of Jesus. Protect John as he serves at the Nebraska Army National Guard Camp this week.

God, if you exist, prove it to me!

A Lebanese man became frustrated and angry at what seems like God's indifference with what is happening in Abidjan. He climbed on the roof of his house in front of his friends and cried out, "God, if you exist, prove it to me!" That night he had a dream in which God spoke to him. He reached out and grabbed at a red star that was flying by him. The star burned him. Then he awoke, to find his right arm burned and blistered to his elbow. Now many Lebanese are telling his story of new faith in God to their friends.

Heavenly Father, we know you exist and thank You for Your presence in our lives. Open closed hearts to Jesus as they hear this man's story. Give Mike and Sue opportunities to encourage them in their faith.

Taxi strike day 3

The strike continues. No danger to most people, just a huge inconvenience for those who use them to shop and get to work. There is a strike of government workers planned for tomorrow.

Here are some photos from http://Abidjan.net:

Send us your questions advice, comments or prayer requests!

Taxis on strike in Abidjan

This photo by Abidjan.net pretty much sums up the problem. No taxis, means no way for most of the population of this city of nearly 6 million to get to work. The taxi drivers are on strike because they can't afford to buy fuel at the rates they are authorized to charge. The drivers set up road blocks to stop people from taking other forms of transportation. We were warned that there could be trouble, so we've stayed here in our neighborhood.

Heavenly Father, help the people in Abidjan to find ways to make ends meet during these extremely inflationary days. Give the government authorities wisdom as they try to calm down the situation.

Fuel went up 44% this week.

Overnight, the price of diesel fuel for our vehicle went from $4.93 to $7.10 a gallon in Cote d'Ivoire. Gas is now $7.19 a gallon. We're grateful that our vehicles get great mileage. How much do you pay for fuel?

We went to the grocery store today and stocked up. All food items will soon cost more, because of the increase in fuel costs. We're finding ourselves doing more of our visits by phone, to cut ministry expenses. We're as careful as we can be about making any purchases for our ministry that will influence the cost of our work here. Our Toyota gets much better mileage than our old Peugeot. We drive our tiny Suzuki Samurai or motorcycle when possible. Last year, we used our Farho Work gifts to purchase a laser printer. It dramatically reduced our printing costs compared to our inkjet printer.

We're grateful for your generous and sacrificial gifts to send us here to share the Good News in Abidjan. What ideas can you share, to help us lower our ministry expenses?

Summertime in Abidjan

Many of our friends and neighbors have already left Abidjan for the summer. Others will be leaving over the next few weeks. Most are flying home to Lebanon or France. Summertime is the most beautiful season in Abidjan. August is the average coolest month at 80 F. May through July, we get a total of more than 44 inches of rain. For comparison, May through July are the wettest months in Omaha, NE, totaling almost 12 inches of rain. Helena, MT gets less than 12 inches of rain in an entire year. See your city's normal rainfall

During these cooler and wet months, we spend more time with the folks who can't afford to travel. We will miss our closest friends and neighbors who will be far away.

Heavenly Father, we ask You to open new doors and windows for ministry in Abidjan. Guide the Farhos and the leaders of the Modeste Church, as they continue the construction that the recent Omaha Team is financing.