New house

After 4 years living in the big family house on the Sahel Academy campus, we've moved back into town.  There are several reasons for this move, the biggest being the desire to be closer to our friends from church.  After the death of our pastor in April, my (Jonathan) duties have increased at church, and we felt it important to be closer to where our congregation lives.

So, we found a small place a little over a mile from church, and yet less than three miles from school.  We really like the neighborhood, it is a short walk from a market, several restaurants and stores.  Our street is a dead-end, so it is very quiet traffic-wise, though it is generally crowded with kids playing soccer, and herds of sheep and goats wandering around.  If we leave our gate open, the sheep and goats will come right in the yard, looking for anything green to eat!

Timmy is really loving the new house and the independence it affords.  He rides his bike to church most Sundays, goes out in the evening to buy snacks (or even supper), and is learning his way around the neighborhood.  Most Sundays some of the kids from church will come home with us and stick around, playing with Timmy (or at least playing with Timmy's toys).

Church update

After the shock of Pastor Alassane's death this past Easter weekend, our church took a Saturday in May to spend some time together, looking at a number of issues.  Dave Wright, a missionary colleague, brought a series of messages based on 1 Timothy.  We talked about the church as a family, and about church organization and leadership.

Then at the end of May, we had a congregational meeting and elected a new Elder Board.  We spent most of the summer just getting organized, figuring out how much Pastor Alassane did for the church.  Now, finally, we feel able to look forward and begin to dream about the future.

The church had purchased a piece of property a couple of years ago, where we were just beginning to break ground on a building.  For a number or reasons, we decided to go ahead and move our services to the new property, even though it would still be under a grass shelter.  So, the first week of August, we moved and began meeting on our own property.  On 23 September, we had a second Construction Day (the first was just weeks before Pastor Alassane's death), digging and pouring the footers for the rest of the pillars.  You can view photos on the Web at http://bangabana.jbratmoore.net/album/index.php

We have a team coming from my (Jonathan) brother's church in Virginia to help put the roof on the building.  Pray that we will be able to get all the preparation work done in time.

 
African Bible Commentary

A couple of years ago, we mentioned a SIM project to help in the production of the African Bible Commentary, a new Bible study tool specifically for the African Church.  We have the privilege of announcing the release of the English version this past June, at a ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya.  The French version is due to be released in 2008.  BBC News had a good story on the Nairobi ceremony.  If you are interested in helping with the ongoing costs of this project, or just want more info on SIM's involvement, go to http://www.sim.org/categorylist.asp?fun=6&sid=1367  We are very excited about the possibilities that this resource will offer the Church here in Africa.

 
Merry Christmas

As we approach the Celebration of Christ's Birth, we pray each one of you will have a very blessed season.  May the Light of Christ shine through you to those around you.

Jonathan and Bonnie Moore