Ivory Coast Update

HEY VINEYARD FAMILY,

I recently returned from a 10 day trip to the Ivory Coast, and rarely in my life have I been impacted in such a short time. During the trip, we held a three-day conference in which we encountered the love of the Father, experienced transformation through Jesus, and saw the miraculous extended through the power of the Holy Spirit. The people I met were amazing, and I was inspired as they made “doing the stuff” a way of life.  The Kingdom of God was advanced and lives were changed.

SET THE STAGE

Life in the Ivory Coast is challenging. Many of the villages in this region struggle because they lack electricity, have poor roads, no indoor plumbing or fresh water from wells. The people work very hard to just survive. The vast majority of the people in the Ivory Coast are secular Muslims. There are many different tribes who speak in their own dialects which can make translation a big challenge.

A typical view of buildings in many cities.

THE MISSION

We are using a strategy called Disciple Making Movements which allows lay people to take the gospel from village to village. They do it with proclamation and demonstration of the love and power of Jesus Christ. In less than five years, we’ve seen 200+ churches started and 15,000+ people have come to the Lord.

Throughout the conference, we talked about the miracles God has done for us, the five-step prayer model, the Kingdom of God and the Holy Spirit, as well as grace, righteousness, and identity.

A view of some of the conference attendees.

THE OUTCOME

The outcome of the 3 days was staggering. The people of the Ivory Coast were hungry and willing to learn. I’ve never seen such willing participants in my life. We found the people are wonderful and sincere. Despite their challenging circumstances, they are joyful and satisfied. Their entire focus is spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so they are continually looking for the next person with whom to share. They believe the power of the Spirit is essential for the gospel to move forward.

They’re quick to pray and often see miracles. For example, we sent out 40 people for 2 hours on 2 consecutive days. They reported 135 salvations and too many healings to count. They often prayed first, healed the sick, and then shared the gospel. After the healing was received, the listeners quickly received Jesus. Their gospel is simple–mostly love and power. They believe that worship and power are the most important things in their lives, and it shows. They put their whole heart and lives into it.

They believe and therefore they do! It was stunning to watch how they went to the streets with hope and joy in their hearts backed solely by the confidence that God would go with them and provide miracles as needed. They were not bound by what they did not know but were released with the realization that they knew enough to help the next person. Wow! I was undone.

A country of many young people and children.

THE TAKEAWAY

The people of the Ivory Coast taught me many things. Their concentration on the things of God, in spite of their lack of resources, made me realize that in the States, we often have too many excuses. We often talk about the things we need before we can go. In contrast, they went and assumed God would provide what they needed. Bottom line: they were overjoyed they could represent Jesus with his love and power to anyone who would listen. May we all be so hungry to share the good news of Jesus to the world around us.

Thank you to the Egli’s

As many of you know, Jim and Vicki Egli (former Vineyard pastors) now work as missionaries for New Generations throughout Africa. They are doing an outstanding job of pioneering with the DMM model. They have visited the Ivory Coast 15 times in the last five years. They are deeply loved and have made a big impact. Their efforts are vital to our fruitfulness in that country.

We are looking for additional partners as we expand our mission from the Ivory Coast to all of West Africa–one of the most unreached areas of the world. If interested, let me know!

Blessings,

Happy Leman
Founding Pastor of the Vineyard Church of Central IL

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