It took another 6 days of travel to get our squad from our month 3 to our month 4 locations. We journeyed from Lima, Peru to Madrid, Spain, (where we had a 30 hour layover; if you guessed that I didn’t sleep that entire 30 hours so that I could explore all of Madrid ten you would be guessing right) then on to short layovers in Rome and Ethiopia eventually making it to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. Since the beginning of the race I have been excited to experience West Africa, a place completely unlike any other place I have been before. In some ways it has met my excited expectations and in others… not so much.
My team and one other share a ministry host that is centrally located here in Abidjan. Our ministry host is a missionary couple here from Tennessee, Dan and Rhonda. They were able to set the tone for our month and give us their vision for why they are here in Africa, and what we will be doing during our time here as well. Our ministry is evangelism, specifically trucker evangelism. At first, I had no idea what to expect and was a bit nervous about the idea.
First day of ministry, John, Katy, and I went out with a translator, talked with around 15 young men, and had 10 of them accept the Lord.
The first group of guys we talked with. Two of which had accepted Christ one year ago, and two did that day.
This group of seven young men were hesitant and argumentative in the beginning, but it was amazing to see God softening their hearts to the Gospel. Each one of them accepted the Lord and received audio Bibles.
They are searching. Most of the truckers we meet are younger men that are living a life forced upon them, but they are searching for something more. Dan and Rhonda have started this ministry that has grown to evangelism teams throughout Cote d’Ivoire and other West African countries at many truck stops. They give those that have accepted Christ SD cards to put in their phones (which most have even though they may not have money for their next meal) and have access to the audible Bible. Their ministry also includes trucker churches that they provide at the truck “ports” so that these men are being discipled.
Revival is happening here in West Africa, and it is absolutely amazing to be a part of it. The amount of people that have accepted Christ while we have been here is outstanding. God is moving and he is doing it through truckers and their routes.
For many years truckers were blamed for spreading AIDS throughout West Africa. But now, truckers will be the ones bringing the Gospel throughout this land.
