BLOG CORRECTION

In my April 14th Blog I recounted a weekend visit from my brother, John, and his wife, Jean who started farms in Kenya under the auspices of International Fellowship. Each family agrees to take four extra children who are orphaned or whose parents are no longer able to care for them due to illness. In addition to growing fruits and vegetables cows and goats are raised to insure a good protein supply.

I also told about my older sister, Helen, now retired in Kamloops. I said she had spent 54 years in Ivory Coast but when re-reading her book, “Chosen to Go” I see she spent 52 years in the Ivory Coast. She had learned French which is the main language but there are several others including Dioula. It is best to travel in pairs so she and Adeline hired a shoemaker who knew both languages and they paid him to go with them on trek to translate. Being a Muslim, they gave him time off when the call to prayer came so he could join the rest to do prayers for twenty minutes. Another time our Pastor Bamoussa told us about his experience. He had been blind for eight years and was led about by a boy holding a stick for him to grasp. Our African Pastor Samuel prayed for the sick, lame and blind and many were healed. He talked to Pastor Samuel and asked to be prayed for but said he would never become a Christian even if he were healed. After three days of hearing the testimony of many who were healed, he got up one morning and found his eyes were opened and he could see. He asked Pastor Samuel where this was written in the Bible and wanted to read it for himself but had never gone to school and was not able to read. He asked the pastor to pray for him and open his intelligence so he could read it right away. “Do you believe Jesus could do this for you”? Pastor Samuel asked. “Didn’t he open my eyes and give me sight.” The pastor prayed for him and then handed him the New Testament. He started to read. He then said he would no longer be a Muslim and wanted to become a Christian. Helen is having 100 additional copies of her book printed because of many requests for it. After Independence in 1960 Houphuet Boigny proved to be wise and greatly loved leader and the country made progress. He died in 1995 and Helen watched huge crowds at his funeral singing their thanks and praising him for all he had done for them. In 1997 Helen returned to Canada after recovering from a broken hip. At a farewell party she was presented with the "Knight of the National Order" - the Ivorian Government's highest medal.