It’s day 11 in Côte d’Ivoire. I’m sitting in a well air conditioned, Abidjan mall, mooching off the WiFi of a Burger King in which I “had” to purchase something from in order to get their password. (For the record, this is the first time I’ve spent money on ANY fast food or “American food” so, I’m proud of myself. Also full disclosure, it was not the best choice in foods and I hope to learn my lesson going forward!). Sitting in this mall is a completely different scene than what our day-to-day life has looked like to thus far. But do not get me wrong, we have been beyond blessed by our living situation – running water, electricity, beds, a stove, WiFi (sort of), and 6 hours of air conditioning at night (PRAISE!).
We are doing trucker ministry this month. We make a 2 mile walk to the church 3 days a week to meet with our ministry hosts, then take local transportation to the ports to share the Gospel and love of Jesus with the drivers. (Fun fact: Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s #1 distributor of cocoa and #2 in coffee beans).
Most drivers are from countries surrounding Côte d’Ivoire – Mali, Burkina, Ghana, and Senegal; while others call Côte d’Ivoire home – some from Abidjan, most from the northern territories in “up country.” Their ages range anywhere from 14 (as an apprentice) to well into their 50s or older. The drivers can be here anywhere from 1 day to more than 4 weeks a month because there aren’t enough loads ready to transport (meaning, in some instances, they go months without being paid).
The main language spoken here is French, but since most people are transplants, Bambara is another widely known language. Both have been super challenging to learn, but I’m working on it!
A majority of the drivers we have met are Muslim and believe Jesus was a prophet, but not the Son of God. This has opened a door for our team to learn so much more about the trucker’s faith and to share stories from the Bible about who Jesus is and the power He has in our lives. That’s one aspect of this ministry that is so amazing to me – the ability we have to sit and openly share with strangers and have no hate or negative feelings when we part ways. Honestly, more times than not, they have been super interested and want to learn more! Our hosts play such a pivotal role in this process and have given us so many tools along with a bridge in the language/culture gap in order to share with these boys and men.
Aside from our visits to the ports, we show the Jesus Film in their native languages once a week, and then church on Sundays at the ports – this church looks NOTHING like any church I’ve ever been to and man, is it beautiful. We meet under a sun beaten tin roof, held up by some wooden posts and half screwed in screws, on wobbly wooden benches, with a dirt floor, surrounded by stagnant trucks. Some of these trucks have hammocks hanging underneath them and that’s where these men live while waiting on loads for their trucks. Church consists of songs in French, Bambara, and English; we tell a story of Jesus in English that is translated to the men in their language, they are asked to repeat it back to us in their own words, then one of our hosts will elaborate on that story. We also do offering and it blows my mind how faithful these men are who give. Again, some have been waiting on loads for weeks, but they still pull whatever coins they have in their pockets and give. It’s beautiful. As of today, I’ve personally witnessed 9 of these men & boys accept Christ as their Savior. This number doesn’t include anyone my teammates have shared with and witnessed. It’s been such a sweet process walking alongside them in this journey.
Here’s what I’ve been learning… If you would have asked me before I left the states if I would have chosen between children’s ministry or talking to long-haul truckers, I would have picked children EVERY. TIME. I have a heart for children. They’re happy, they like to play games, they’re easy to talk to, and overall, they’re fun little humans. I love watching their little brains at work and honestly, they love hearing about Jesus and the Bible. Basically, it would have been my comfortable, easy button.
This is where you insert God. He knew this about my heart and He loves this about my heart, BUT He wanted more. He needed me to surrender my wants and comforts in order for His plan to work. Whether or not I surrendered when He asked, His will would’ve been done, but it’s much more fun when I cooperate in the process – Can I get an “Amen!”? Now, I’d like to say that all happened right away. It didn’t. Although I came onto the Race with little to no expectations of what our time in each country should look like, admittedly I had initial thoughts about what “trucker ministry” could look like. (Well, “thoughts” may be a nice word for assumptions.)
What I assumed: I wouldn’t be well received, as a woman, by the men who drove the trucks. I quickly learned that was fear-driven; fear of rejection, fear of my lack of biblical knowledge, fear of being vulnerable, fear of relinquishing control, fear of being fully known. (These were real eye openers for me. They are things that are being redeemed and my team has been so great at supporting & loving me through them – shout out Rapha & Ashley & Katherine & Kaydan!!!).
How I learned it was fear: the absolute genuine openness and welcoming spirit each of the truckers we have met along the way. There has never been a time when any one I’ve met here has ignored me or turned me away. On the contrary, every man has been extremely hospitable – jumping to give up their seats for us, running to find a bench to listen to our stories, offering up their meals, being extremely respectful & attentive. This has been a greatly humbling experience and is teaching me a significant amount about intentionality and hospitality. Any box I’ve put God in has been blown wide open and the heart He’s given me for these truckers is like the Grinch’s – it’s grown three sizes. This ministry is definitely God inspired and amazes me everyday. I’m so grateful this opportunity was put in my path and thank God for my supporters who have funded thus far. I can’t wait to share even more about my journey and those I come into contact with.
Thank you for reading and following along! I promise with more WiFi access I will post more often and they’ll be shorter in length! Also, pictures posted to Facebook hopefully!!
Much love & many prayers,
Paige
P.S. I’m only $6,000 away from being fully funded! Please keep me in your prayers, donate, or share!
