Growing up in a great church and a pastor’s home, I always had a heart for missions. As a young man, the words of I John 2:17 seemed to be a personal message from God to me: “The world passeth away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” I wanted to follow God with all my heart…anywhere that road would lead. God touched my life in a powerful way through the ministries of several Ivory Coast missionaries. In my teenage years, I sensed God’s special calling and committed to serve Him in Cote d’Ivoire.
During my junior year in college, I heard of CAMP BIMI and was immediately intrigued with the prospect of receiving some practical insights into missionary life. I signed up! This experience only reinforced my decision to join BIMI with my wife, Janice, in 1999. After deputation, we were on our way to France for language school and eventually to the Ivory Coast for ministry. We couldn’t wait!
Officially known as Côte d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast is a country of over 19 million people situated in sub–Saharan West Africa. For many years, Ivory Coast had been a model of stability and peace among other West African nations. In 2002, all this changed as rebels from the north attempted to overthrow the existing government. This armed conflict lasted several months. The result was a country divided in two: the rebels controlled the north, the government controlled the south, and UN and French troops occupied the central zone.
During these events, we were studying French at the Centre Missionnaire in Albertville, France. By 2004, Ivory Coast was considered safe enough for missionaries to return. God directed us to begin our ministry by helping the Mach family at L’Eglise Baptiste Fondamentale de Bingerville. Bingerville is a city located 20 minutes east of the capital, Abidjan. We were thrilled to be used of God to see lives changed by the Gospel! One Sunday morning, I had the privilege of leading my first Ivorian, 18–year–old Donitian, to Christ! Frederic was also among a number of several other teenagers who gave their hearts to Christ in those wonderful months of ministry. Bingerville was an exciting place to minister. People were saved and baptized on a regular basis. We were thrilled to serve where the Lord had called us!
Sadly, in November 2004, conflict erupted between the French and Ivorians. Several French soldiers were killed. In retaliation, they killed numerous civilians. Violence escalated, eventually leading to the evacuation of nearly every foreigner within the country. (During these events, armed bandits had actually surrounded our home, but God was our wall of protection!) Eventually, we also recognized the need to evacuate. This was a great disappointment to our family, but thankfully there were two men who volunteered to continue our work. Pierre and Abel are still faithfully serving at the church and doing a wonderful job with the young people.
Following our evacuation from Ivory Coast, God led us to continue our first term in northern France. The Ardennes is a region of France composed of small villages along the Belgian border. We served alongside Don and Joy Williams at L’Eglise Biblique Baptiste de Hierges.
I quickly learned that a ministry in France is vastly different from Africa! The typical French person tends to be callous toward spiritual things. They are extremely skeptical of religion and typically have no interest in church. Personal relationships are imperative to opening doors for the Gospel. With this in mind, I joined the local basketball club as a creative means of meeting other young men and witnessing. I found many opportunities to talk with my teammates about Christ. Many of them heard a clear presentation of the Gospel without making a decision. Sergio, however, did choose to trust Christ in December 2007!
Throughout our time in France, we saw God work in the lives of French and Belgians alike. Danielle, a life–long atheist, visited our church on a whim and ended up getting saved. She then led her husband and 90–year–old mother to Christ. She now teaches a children’s Sunday School class. Olivier, a local truck driver, trusted Christ in 2006 and now faithfully drives the church van on Sunday mornings. Sebastien is a young man who trusted Christ just a few weeks before our summer youth camp in 2006. He is currently making plans to attend a Christian college in the spring. I also enjoyed teaching several courses at l’Institut Baptiste International. Located in southern Belgium, this institute trains men for the ministry and also offers laymen a deeper knowledge of the Scriptures.
Of course, throughout our ministry in both Africa and France, Janice has been an instrumental part of our ministry. She taught classes in Sunday School and Saturday Bible Club. She has also organized a children’s festival and numerous special dinners for the church. Her most important role, however, has been wife and mother. She has fulfilled those roles with love and dedication under the most adverse of circumstances. Lydia is seven and enjoys reading, nature walks, painting and playing with her brother. Kara is four. She likes to go to the park, color, have tea parties and help her mommy bake. Lincoln is one. He likes to listen to stories, empty kitchen cabinets, and play with his sisters’ toys. We thank God for all three of them and for how they have blessed our lives.
We are now enjoying our first furlough. It is amazing to look back at where the last four years have led us!
After furlough, we plan to return to the original place of God’s calling’Ivory Coast. Things have settled enough that we sense the Lord permitting us to return. The opportunity to minister is great as the population of Abidjan has recently swelled to nearly eight million. We will be planting a church in Riviera III, a growing suburb to the east of the city. Ivory Coast has been relatively calm for several years and we are confident that God’s hand of protection will be upon us. However, the greatest threat to the Ivorian people remains firmly in place and is growing. Islam has replaced Catholicism as the dominant religion in the country. We trust in God’s protection and look forward to returning to Africa with the Gospel of Christ.
I am so grateful to CAMP BIMI and the blessing they were in the formative years of my missionary journey. God used the experience to solidify the decision that I had made to follow the Lord into missions. The leaders continually stressed the fact that missionary life is fulfilling and rewarding. Even after some difficult experiences in Africa, we have found this insight to be absolutely true. CAMP BIMI also offered me a forum to receive a better perspective of the daily life of a missionary. It is good for people considering missions to rub shoulders with missionaries. CAMP BIMI provides personal contact with actual missionaries who are serving in foreign cultures. The relationships that I forged at CAMP BIMI continue with me to this day. The Baughmans and others continue to exhibit a personal interest in the lives and ministries of those of us who were fortunate enough to go to CAMP BIMI. This personal accountability and contact is a great encouragement to those of us who discover that the missionary road sometimes presents unexpected detours’even those that lead through war–torn nations!
