Please take a look at our short video clip.  You will see how the Lord Jesus Christ is helping us teach French to His people!  He is sending the poor and the needy into our church in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, West Africa.

Thank you,
Pastor Chris Jones

Over 40% of the people in West Africa are illiterate.

Click here to see how you can support this work!

While I was away in the USA something very important happened here in Africa. My wife got a call from some Elders in a village in the interior. They wanted to offer us some land. We were completely shocked to find out that it was between 17 and 18 acres. We gladly accepted this gift from the Lord. We plan to build a primary school for the village children and a Bible Training Center which will be used to train Pastors and Church leaders. We had been praying for the past year for land in the very area where this village is located. We are in the process of finalizing the agreement for the transfer of title. If you would like to partner with us, we need funds to finalize the paperwork and begin development of the land. The initial amount needed is $12,000.

I learned many things on my trip back to America. I was excited to go back and see old friends. I also looked forward to a new adventure with the Lord in meeting new friends. It’s a good thing I didn’t know I would spend more than half of the entire trip in pain. You see, just before I was scheduled to leave for the USA I was with our church evangelism group ministering to some village kids. During that day I had stepped into a hole and twisted my knee. For the next week all was well. I had a little pain, but nothing to speak of. Then it was time to leave for America. I got on the plane at 2 AM and by the time I got to Casablanca for the first stop my knee had swollen up and the pain was terrible. I prayed and reminded the Lord that I had appointments scheduled that I could not miss. He would have to heal me. But, He did not heal me and I went on the appointments on crutches. I spent the next week in so much pain I thought I would loose my mind.

After the first week I finally got to see a doctor. He said I had a damaged tendon in my knee. I was in a knee brace for three weeks. I continued to keep my schedule walking on crutches and crying out for the Lord to heal me. The pain continued no matter what type of medication I took.

Through it all I learned that I could make it, even when I thought I couldn’t take one more step. There were times at night when I was alone that I would cry and say, “Lord, why did you allow me to come here knowing that I would be in this much pain?” To top it off, I was alone, without the comfort of my wife and son. I couldn’t tell anyone how bad it was, especially my wife. She would worry too much. By mid February the pain began to subside and I was able to go from two crutches to one, then to none.

You might be wondering why I’m telling everyone this story. Many times in my life I have quit doing something when things became too painful. Sometimes it was physical pain. Sometimes emotional pain or fear of the unknown. Whatever it was, I would quit. Each time I quit the blessing that the Lord had for me after going through the difficulty was lost. I never received it because I quit. I know some of you out there have experienced similar situations. I thought I might encourage you with my little story on perseverance through the pain.

Psalm 86:6-12
6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works.
9 All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, and shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.
11 Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore.

Another wonderful thing happened on the trip home. God is so good to us. He takes care of every detail of our lives if we will let him. My plane was scheduled to arrive in Abidjan at 2 AM. I had told my wife to wait until 6 AM to come and get me at the airport. In Abidjan, it is dangerous to be out at 2 AM on any road in the city, especially for a woman and a small child. Little did I know that God had placed me right next to someone who lived near the same neighborhood as me. We talked during the flight and became friends. I discovered that he was a Ivorian who became a German citizen. He has a big family in Abidjan and his brother, who was a policeman was coming to pick him up at the airport. We never talked of my need for transportation. When we arrived in Abidjan and went to get our luggage he came over to me and asked when my wife would come and pick me up. He said it would be too dangerous for her to come now. I said I was waiting until 6 AM. He then offered to take me home. My heart was filled with thanks to my new friend and thanks to my Father in heaven who spoke to a perfect stranger and ask him to take me home.

Thank you for your prayers and continual support. May God bless you as you seek to serve Him in spirit and in truth.

God Bless You,
Pastor Chris Jones

Request A Free Gospel For Africa Newsletter

Help us provide Literacy Training, Medical Help, School Tuition, And Bibles!

Gospel For Africa Video Links!

• Support Gospel For Africa!
• View Outreach, Interviews and Testimonials!
• See what’s happening in the ministry!

Traveling from Africa to the USA can be a trial for the strongest individual. The trip started a 2AM GMT from Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire. My first stop was Casablanca at 7am GMT. After a 4 hour layover, 11:30 AM GMT, we departed for New York’s JFK Airport. A 9 hour flight arriving in New York at 2:45 PM EST. There is a 5 hour difference so it would have been 7:45 PM GMT. Unfortunately my connecting flight to Salt Lake City was changed and I had to wait until 6:45 AM which was a 14 hour layover.

It was December 30 and all the local hotels were completely booked for the New Years Eve celebration. I had to spend the next 14 hours in the airport trying to sleep on a bench. The temperature outside was below freezing and it felt like it was just as cold inside the airport. I was used to a daily temperature of 85 degrees and 100% humidity so this was hard. I put on everything I had and laid down on a bench with all my baggage under my feet.

Just as I was dozing off someone said, “hey mister can I give you a blanket?” I looked up and there was a man about 30 years old standing over me smiling. I looked around and there was no other person within distance to see us. I was a bit startled and didn’t know what to say. He was all bundled up in a jacket and had a blanket wrapped around him. I said, “excuse me, what did you say?” He smiled and replied, “Do you want a blanket? It’s really cold in here and I had some extra blankets in my storage area and decided to give them away.” He had some kind of cart with boxes and blankets on it. I took the blanket and said thanks. I put the blanket around me and turned to the man to thank him again and he was gone. I looked for him and could not find him.

God has helped me in many ways, but this was the first time he ever sent a messenger to give me a blanket because I was cold and tired. He cares for our every need. Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. - Lk 12:6-7

Sleeping was almost impossible. Maybe, I got 2 or 3 hours in. Finally it was time to check my baggage and board the plane for Salt Lake City. A 4 hour flight with a 2 hour layover. The plane was completely packed with tired travelers. The last leg of the flight I started having some trouble with my left knee. It began to swell up and really hurt. When I boarded the plane I asked the man in the seat next to me if I could switch seats with him so I could have the isle to give me room to stretch out my leg a bit. He agreed and had his three kids all move and I ended up sitting with him. I later found out he was a Christian and a medical Doctor. He told me what medication to take for it and then prayed for me. When I left the plane I thought I knew exactly what to do for the knee problem.

Again, God knew I would need this man to help me on the last leg of the flight. He sat me right next to a Doctor who could help me. Who could ever say that God is not real and does not intervene in the lives of His people? I am so in love with God, the Father of My Lord Jesus Christ who works all things together for the good of little old me…and you if you are His.

I arrived at the 2010 Calvary Chapel Missions Conference Center on the 31st of December at 7:30 PM. The conference would begin on January 4th. I spent the next 3 days resting and finding the medication and a pair of crutches I needed for my knee injury. As it turned out, I had a stretched or torn a tendon on the inside of my left knee. You might say, “How do you know that?” I met some wonderful people at the conference who set up an appointment for me with their brother who is a practising Othopedic Surgeon here in the Southern California area. He saw me for free and diagnosed the problem. I was now on crutches and the pain was under control.

God is so awesome. It’s like He runs out ahead of you and moves people around like chess pieces so you have to run right into them. Then He moves their heart to offer help to you. He’s incredible…after all…He is the only true and living God.

The confernece was great. There were missionaries and Pastors from all over the world. The teachcing was awesome and the fellowship was even better. I had a small display set up with information about our mission in Africa (Gospel For Africa). Many people were suprised to see that we were ministering to French-speaking Africans. Some did not even know that Africans spoke French.

Many contacts were made and relationships formed. I roomed with a brother who runs a school and orphanage in Uganda and met other missionaries from many countries in Africa. After the conference I visited with some local churches here in Southern California. The Pastors and staff of those churches were very happy to receive me. They were excited about what the Lord was doing in West Africa.

I’m looking forward in faith to see what God will do with all these new relationships and contacts. God wastes nothing, least of all time. He knows exactly what He is doing and in time we will see how all this brings fantastic fruit for the Kingdom of our God.

Pastor Chris

$20 will help one person learn to read and write!
With this one time gift we can provide all the books and materials needed to teach one person for a year. After leading someone to Christ, it is important to help them become established in the faith through the study of God’s Word. Many people here in Africa do not know how to read and write. Gospel for Africa provides free French language instruction at Calvary Chapel Abidjan-Cocody. It is a blessing to see someone begin to read the Bible in their own language.

With a gift of $20.00 you can save a life! Malaria is the number one killer here in Sub Saharan Africa. Many people die needlessly because they can’t afford simple treatment. Children and the elderly are especially at risk. Gospel For Africa provides needy families with Doctor-prescribed medicines for treatment of malaria. Treatment for one person costs $20.

A yearly gift of $40.00 will send a child to school.
Gospel For Africa provides tuition assistance to needy families. Public education in West Africa costs as little as $40.00 per year depending on where the school is located. As the Lord provides funding we meet with the family and determine if they are truly needy. We then meet with school officials and provide the school with funding for the child. For less than .15 cents a day for one year, children will receive a good education and new hope for a better life. (Donate)

A gift of $20 will provide 10 needy people with God’s Word in French!
For $80.00 you can provide a case of 40 Bibles! God’s Word is precious, and for Africans who live on less than 2 dollars per day, it is very expensive to buy. With your prayers and support we can provide
French Bibles to those who may have never owned a Bible. One Bible costs $2. One case of 40 Bibles costs $80.

Pastor Chris Jones is the founder of Gospel For Africa. He is married to Noelle, who was born in Cote d’ Ivoire, West Africa. They have one son. Chris is also the founder and senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Abidjan-Cocody. They live and serve the Lord in Cote d’ Ivoire, West Africa.

Gospel For Africa
USA: P.O. Box 6485, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405
Côte d’Ivoire: 27 BP 28, Abidjan 27, Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa
www.gospelforafrica.com ▪ Email:chris@gospelforafrica.com
USA: 561-514-9401 ▪ Côte d’Ivoire: 225.45.01.24.33 Click Here To Support This Work In Africa! ]]> http://www.gospelforafrica.com/?feed=rss2&p=82 http://www.gospelforafrica.com/?p=81 http://www.gospelforafrica.com/?p=81#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:57:49 +0000 Pastor Chris http://www.gospelforafrica.com/?p=81

But God has chosen the foolish things
of the world to show us His glory.

The picture above is Calvary Chapel Abidjan-Cocody on a Sunday morning. We are constantly amazed as we watch God move tremendous obstacles to show us His great love. We know that we are the “foolish things” He has chosen to do His work. It is a great honor to serve the beautiful people God has gathered together here in Africa. God is building His Church.

( 1 Corinthians 1:26-31) For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”

Two Churches, One Bible Training Center and the University Bible Study!
Calvary Chapel Abidjan-Cocody is now two years old. The church is doing very well. Between 70 and 80 persons attend the services. We have also started a second church, Calvary Chapel Yopougon, which meets at the Bible Training Center. There is much excitement in Yopougon about these new works of God. Chris also teaches weekly at the University of Cocody. 30 to 50 students come to study the Bible and learn English during this 2 hour class. Pray that God will bless many through the teaching of His Word.

Teaching people to read and write!
After leading someone to Christ, it is important to help them become established in the faith through the study of God’s Word. Many people here in Africa do not know how to read and write. Gospel for Africa provides free French language instruction at Calvary Chapel Abidjan-Cocody. It is a blessing to see someone begin to read the Bible in their own language.

Saving Lives Through Medical Outreach!
Malaria is the number one killer here in Sub Saharan Africa. Many people die needlessly because they can’t afford simple treatment. Gospel For Africa provides needy families with Doctor-prescribed medicines for treatment of malaria. Treatment for one person costs $20.

Providing French Bibles For The Needy!
God’s Word is precious, and for Africans who live on less than 2 dollars per day, it is very expensive to buy. Thanks to your prayers and support we are able to provide French Bibles to those who may have never owned a Bible. One Bible costs $2. One case of 40 Bibles costs $80.

School Tuition Assistance For The Poor!
Sending a child to school for one year in West Africa costs as little as $40 US. As the Lord provides funding we meet with the family and determine if they are truly needy. We then meet with school officials and provide the school with funding for the child. For less than .15 cents per day for one year, a child can have an education and new hope for a better life.

Pray for our visit to America in January 2010!
From January 3 to March 29, 2010, Pastor Chris will be sharing with churches in America about what God is doing in West Africa. He will visit California, Florida, Oklahoma, Arizona, Nevada, Massachusettes and New York. If you would like Chris to share this message with your church please let us know as soon as possible. To see Chris’ travel schedule click here!

Pastor Chris Jones is the founder of Gospel For Africa. He is married to Noelle, who was born in Cote d’ Ivoire, West Africa. They have one son. Chris is also the founder and senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Abidjan-Cocody and Calvary Chapel Yopougon. They live and serve the Lord in Cote d’ Ivoire, West Africa.

This Year Give A Christmas Gift That Meets Real Needs!

Prayer Requests: Protection and health for Chris, Noelle, Louis and the entire church ▪ the new church plants ▪ new Christians to grow in maturity ▪ Bible Training Center ▪ Bible students ▪ medical outreach (healing from malaria) ▪ schoo tuition program ▪ literacy training program ▪ funding for trip to America ▪ support for Gospel For Africa and the Jones family ▪ video camera for ministry use ▪ 3 laptop computers ▪ music equipment for CC Yopougon (guitars, amps, keyboard, drums, mics, cables, stands, etc…) ▪ continued peace and a successful election in Côte d’Ivoire.

USA: P.O. Box 6485, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405
Côte d’Ivoire: 27 BP 28, Abidjan 27, Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa
www.gospelforafrica.com ▪ Email:chris@gospelforafrica.com
USA: 561-514-9401 ▪ Côte d’Ivoire: 225.45.01.24.33

Support Gospel For Africa

See our new Video Update on YouTube!

I’m sorry this update is a little late. We had a rough couple of months. Chris had malaria twice in the period of July to August. Chris, Louis and Noelle all had malaria at the same time in August and had to be hospitalized. Praise God! He is our healer and ever present help in time of need. Thank you for all the prayers and encouraging letters. We are all doing fine now.

Gospel For Africa Video Update.
I have prepared a video update for you and placed it on YouTube.com for broad and efficient distribution. Many of you have communicated with me and said you prefer the video over the printed or email newsletter. The video is under 10 minutes, so get a cup of coffee and enjoy. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnWqcRKTk8k

Introduction For our new friends!
Gospel For Africa is a missions ministry dedicated to teaching the Word of God, preaching salvation and making disciples. The focus of the ministry is church planting and training future church leaders and Pastors in French Speaking Africa. The ministry is based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), West Africa. Pastor Chris is the founder of Gospel For Africa and the Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Abidjan-Cocody in Côte d’Ivoire. His wife, Noelle was born in Côte d’Ivoire and Louis is their son.

Mission Update!
Gospel For Africa planted the first Calvary Chapel Church in Côte d’Ivoire in 2008. A second church plant is planned for late 2009 or early 2010. The church in Cocody continues to grow and mature. God has given us some great plans and the people are very excited about what God is doing.Evangelism outreaches continue to be a blessing these past months. We have shown three films and gone door–to-door. Over 200 people have given there lives to Jesus Christ. Right now we are targeting a place called City Mermoze. It is a group of 5 story apartment buildings which houses over 5000 residents. We show movies on Friday nights and visit the new converts during the week. We now have a location on the Mermoze site so we can begin a home group meeting there in the next month or two.

God is moving mightily in our midst! He has given us an open door to begin the Gospel For Africa Bible Training Center. The location will be in Yopougon, about 1 1/2 hr drive from our current church location. We will begin training future Church leaders and Pastors in January 2010. The school will provide training, food and housing for 18 to 25 students at no cost. We are praying for a larger facility so we can be a blessing to more students. The second church plant will begin at this facility also.

See our new Video Update on YouTube!

Please take some time and view our prayer reqests at this link!

Thank you for taking the time to read this and view the video.

May God Richly Bless You Today,
Pastor Chris Jones

Welcome to our August 2009 Mission Update. We are so thankful to have so many of you praying for us and partnering with us in this ministry to the people of Africa. See the Mermose Evangelism Outreach

Encouraging the adults to continue in the Lord Jesus. Inviting them to attend church, study the Bible and pray always. Our church is within walking distance of the Mermoze campus. Pray that these new Christians will attend regularly.

The month of July was very difficult for us but it was also very fruitful. Pastor Chris was laid up with malaria for two weeks. Louis has developed an allergy to insect bites and had several reactions this month, none life threatening. Noelle was also sick a couple of times with fever and fatigue. The Lord has been blessing the ministry through it all.

The church continues to grow. The Lord has provided some faithful young men and women who desire to serve. They are working hard as greeters, ushers, intercessors, visitation assistants, musicians, singers, children’s ministry teachers, Bible study leaders, home group leaders, maintenance helpers, and evangelistic team members.

On Friday, July 24th we hosted an evangelistic outreach at the City Mermoze. It is a college campus with several thousand students living there. There are teachers, professors, single students and married couples with families living there. See
the Mermose Evangelism Outreach

A large turnout for the movie “The Climb”! We showed the movie at the campus Mermoze.
There are several thousand people living at this location.

I was so proud of our team. Most of them had never done this before. They made arrangements to secure the venue, passed out invitations to the entire population of City Mermoze and were at the event location with everything set up one hour before the time to begin the movie. When I arrived with the projector and sound equipment they had everything set up and ready to go. They were all smiling and full of joy…the Spirit of God burning in their hearts.

Chris and Noelle lead the adults in the salvation prayer!

The movie we showed was intitled, “The Climb”. It was a great turnout and 32 adults and about 40 children prayed to receive Jesus Christ.

Encouraging the children to study the Bible, pray and come to church with their parents!

We will begin visiting every person at there home this coming week. It may take a couple of weeks to complete all the visits. What a joy it is to see people so hungry for Jesus. Thanks to you and you prayers and support these folks will spend an eternity with Jesus and with you and us. It was also wonderful to see the Lord using the people of our church to minister to the new christians after the film ended. See the Mermose Evangelism Outreach

Adults giving their names and contact information on decision cards after praying for salvation!

We are doing a follow up movie “Facing the Giants” at the same campus but a different location in two weeks. The last time we showed that movie at the Cocody Campus 63 adults got saved. That same group formed the core of our church and are still with us today. Many of them were the ones who helped at this event.

Please continue to pray for us,
Chris, Noelle and Louis Jones

Gospel For Africa
West Africa: 27 BP 28, Abidjan 27, Cote d’Ivoire, Tel: 225.45.01.24.33
USA: P.O. Box 6485, West Palm Beach, Florida 33405, Tel: 561.514.9401
chris@gospelforafrica.com - www.gospelforafrica.com

Support Gospel For Africa Today!

We had a wonderful service that morning. The teaching was on Worship. The Holy Spirit was moving mightily in the midst of the people and many were blessed. It had been raining for four days and people were still coming to church even in the rain. Many were late, but they came expecting.

The rain continued all day. The transport truck was very large and heavy. It didn’t take the potholed roads very well. Everyone was so filled with joy, singing and praising the Lord all the way to Bingerville. Then we turned off the main road to make our way about 6 miles to Plage Marie Therese where we would baptize. The dirt road was so steep and full of so many holes the people became frightened. The singing stopped and everyone held on as the big truck rocked and rolled down the incline. A few times we thought the truck was going to turn on its side.

At the base of the hill the truck was stopped by a group of young men who had appointed themselves as a road construction crew. They demanded a large sum of money to allow the truck to pass.  We pleaded and begged them to allow us to pass, but they refused. They held us up for almost an hour before allowing us to go. We ended up paying them a smaller amount. The Lord had one of our number speak with the leader of the young men in his own tribal dialect. The young man then felt bad about holding his brother hostage and let us pass.

It was still raining when we finally made it to the drop off point. The truck could go no farther. The roads narrowed to nothing and the ground was soggy. The peple walked the final mile to the beach. As we reached the beach, God answered our prayers and stopped the rain with a burst of sunshine. Everyone began to praise the Lord again. (See baptism photo gallery)

After singing some songs and praying for a while we began the baptism. It was a great joy to see all these wonderful children of God going into the water to bury their old lives and then emerge with a new beginning.

After the baptism we sang, worshiped, danced and rejoiced before the Lord. The ladies of the church had prepared food for all, and we sat down on the beach to eat. Everyone was satisfied with the food and the great fellowship. It was the finish of a beautiful day.

After eating and relaxing it was time to go back to the truck and another bumpy ride home. But this time, nothing could steal our joy. Everyone was so blessed and happy. We were talking about the wonders of God all the way home. (See baptism photo gallery)

God Bless You All,
Pastor Chris

Meet Koffi Kouakou.
This little four year-old is the son of Mr. Kouakou Ernest and Mrs. Kouakou Adjoua Nathalie. Koffi has a big sister, but she lives in the north of Côte d’Ivoire with here Grand Parents. Koffi has a serious skin infection which presents itself with large infectious blisters. In his case these blisters appeared on his head and have now affected his eyes. His eyes have swollen shut and he has problems seeing. We prayed for him and took him to see a doctor. The problem comes from a staff infection which can be fatal if not treated. (See the entire story)

Serving In The Body Of Christ!
One of the things that brings joy to my heart is when the people of God join together to serve Him. Some of our church family decided it was time to give the building we meet in a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint. The room where we meet hadn’t been painted since before the war started in 1999. The paint was literally peeling off the walls and the ceiling. About 30 people showed up on a Saturday afternoon and cleaned the place from top to bottom. (See the entire story)

The Matthew 6:33 Young Adults Group!
We started two new ministries this month. One is the Matthew 6:33 Group: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

This is the young adults group in our church. We minister weekly at the University of Cocody, so many of the students attend our church services. We will be studying subjects which have application to the young adult and single person. (See the entire story.)

The Ephesians 5:31 Couples Group!
A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh…Ephesians 5:31. In this part of Africa it is quite common for people to have multiple wives. It is also possible to be married in the African tradition without a legal or civil ceremony.

There are many issues surrounding the marriage relationship which need to be discussed. So we started a group for the couples in our church. We will be looking at what it means to be a married couple from a Biblical perspective. (See entire story)

Gospel For Africa Translation and Publication Team!
We now have a small office set up at our home with space for four people to work on translating Bible teaching from English to French. We are using the translations to teach in Calvary Chapel Abidjan-Cocody and at the University of Cocody Bible Study. We translate verse by verse Sunday Service teachings of Calvary Chapel Pastors for use in our Bible training Center. We also translate other materials to be used for children’s ministry and other ministry within the church and for evangelism outreach. (See the entire story)

Thank you for your prayers and continual support. May God bless you as you seek to serve Him in spirit and in truth.

Chris and Noelle Jones

To View The Latest Video Update From Chris and Noelle Click Here!

Gospel For Africa Missions Update March-April 2009!

Planting a Church requires the provision of a sure foundation for the new Christians. The Lord has shown us that we need to begin teaching the elementary principles of the faith to the whole Church on Sunday mornings. We have been offering a foundation class during the week, but many can’t come due to work and transportation issues.

We find that a very large majority of the people either have no foundation or a very faulty foundation. Some of them have been Christians for many years. A large percentage of the churches here in Abidjan do not teach the scriptures in context. Many use the scriptures to prove fleshly ideas, demonic doctrines, personal opinions and some even twist the scriptures for their own profit.

Hebrews 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Jesus loves His Church, His Flock, His Sheep. He will always make sure they have the best food and water. He protects them from danger, harm and death. He watches over them at all times, comforts them in times of trouble and gives them sweet rest.

John 10:7-15 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

We are blessed to be able to minister for the Lord to His Church here in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The Lord has been adding to our number and we are full of joy, very thankful and a bit nervous. Our new brothers and sisters are so wonderful and gracious. They come faithfully each Sunday morning and sometimes on Wednesday nights. It is difficult for many to come two times per week because they are working so hard to support their families. Many of them leave before sunrise and come home after sunset, having worked hard all day and then walking long distances from the public transportation routes to get home.

We have prayed for many years to see the Lord bless in this way. Now He is causing things to happen and we find ourselves clinging to Him, depending on Him to guide us and provide the ability, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, resources and strength to accomplish His work. Jesus is completely faithful and has shown us many times that He is everything to us and more.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Worship
Our time of Worship is blessing everyone. We believe the Lord is pleased. We are still praying for additional music equipment (see prayer requests) and more gifted musicians and singers. The brothers and sisters want to start a small choir. We are praying about that.

Teaching
Pastor Chris and Noelle are teaching the Word together. Chris teaches in English and Noelle translates into French. Chris is improving in French, but not yet ready to teach in French. On Sundays they have been teaching through the Gospel of Luke, but this week they began teaching the basic foundations of Christianity. The people were very responsive to the foundation teaching. After the main message Pastor Chris takes questions from the congregation. Sometimes the questions can go on for 30 to 45 minutes. Everyone loves the question answer time.

Childrens Ministry
The childrens ministry is now taking shape. Olivier is the leader and Blanche is his assistant. We had 15 children this week and we can see that it will grow quickly. Half of the children come without their parents. We visit the homes of the children during the week to encourage the parents to come. The children are currently studying the Gospel of John.

Noelle and some of the women of Calvary Chapel Abidjan-Cocody!

Women’s Ministry
Noelle is leading the Women’s ministry. The women will be studying about the woman’s role in the family and in the church. Noelle meets with everyone on Sunday’s after the church service. She also has the women come to her home for study and prayer.

Men’s Ministry
Pastor Chris leads the Men’s ministry.  He meets with the men after the church service on Sundays with other meetings scheduled during the week at his home and other men’s homes as needed. The men are studying about their role in the family and in the church.

Evangelism and Outreach
The church just completed an outreach to the village of CHU Bas-Fonds. It is a small village of several hundred families close to where the church is meeting. A team of people from our church went door-to-door for two weeks inviting the residents to come and leading them to Jesus Christ as the opportunity arose. Many were saved during the visitations. The event took place of Friday evening, March 20, 2009. The movie, “Facing The Giants” was shown in French. The response was fantastic. Many gave their lives to Jesus Christ. Afterward we offered to pray for anyone who had needs and we were overwhelmed.

Noelle and Bridgette also offered a short time of encouragement to the ladies after the movie. Our visitation team will be calling all who responded to the Gospel. We will make appointments to visit every person who allows us to come. The last time we did an outreach like this many more people got saved through the visitations. When you visit an African family they take it very seriously. They will invite their whole family to meet you and ask you to pray with all of them.

University of Cocody Bible Study
The Bible Study has been postponed for Easter, but we will begin again after April 15th. We have a good core group of students and we are planning to do some evangelism on Campus after Easter break. We are teaching through the Gospel of John.

The students have asked us to ask all of our friends to pray for them. The University is struggling to provide a consistent course of study. There has been continual strikes by the teachers and in some cases the students are two to three years behind in completion of their studies.

The Student Resource Center
We continue to pray and wait on the Lord to provide funding, equipment and needed resources to complete the project. Plans are scheduled to meet with University administration to discuss where the center is be located. The Student Resource Center would be a place for students to come during the week to use computers and library books. It would function much like a library does in the USA. The University has agreed to provide a building, utilities and security. We will manage and staff the center by inviting missionaries to come and serve with us for short or long term assignments. During school hours students use the center for research and after school hours we use the center for Bible teaching, fellowship, and Christian entertainment. We will also have a permanent office there for Gospel For Africa (our mission name).

Translation of Bible Teachings Into French
We have set up a small work area in our home with access to three computers. We are praying that the Lord will provide more people to work with us until the translation work is completed. All translation work is done using Microsoft Word via internet download and upload. Anyone interested in helping to translate Bible teachings into French can volunteer by contacting us through email.

The Jones Family
Click Here To Download A Video Message For Our Friends!
We know you all want to keep up with the Jones. Do people still use that expression these days?. Click on the link above or the photo on the right for a short video clip greeting from us to you.

Louis, our son is doing well. He has recovered from the insect bites we asked you to pray about. Thank you. They did leave some small scars, but we believe they will disappear in time. He was selected to move ahead a grade in school in two subjects. He is presently in third grade and will be in 4th grade math and English. He also competed in a talent show at school. He performed in a Techtonic dance with several of his friends. See the video clip here. He loves playing soccer and wants to be a pastor and a professional soccer player.

Our situation is good. We are all healthy, although we do become tired often. The ministry can really keep you going no matter where you live. But combine the normal situations you might have in a developed country with all the complications you find in a third world country and it can sometimes be overwhelming.

We love the Lord and love the people we are serving. It is a joy to help our brothers and sisters in any way we can. Most of the congregation look to us to help them when needs arise. Here is a small glimpse of some of the issues our entire congregation faces daily: Inconsistent electrical power, inconsistent water service, crime and home security issues, transportation issues, the lack of or absence of the following: clean drinking water; food; clothing; shelter; employment; education; and medical care. Many are afflicted with malaria, typhoid fever, yellow fever, diarrhea, many types of infections and respiratory sicknesses due to air pollution.

Please pray that Jesus will save the lost, heal the sick, deliver those bound by the devil and take care of all the cares and concerns listed above.

Thank you and may God bless you continually with His glorious presence,
Chris, Noelle and Louis Jones