Update on March 31, 2003
Dear Friends,
We have arrived safely in Ghana. Our flight got to Accra
around 600pm Thursday and we cleared the airport within an hour with all of
our bags. Missionary Ray Davis picked us up and we spent the night at a guest
house in Accra. Friday we traveled to Takoradi where we are currently staying
with the Davis'. The power to our home will be hooked up this week at which
point we will move in. On Saturday, the doctor for our clinic came from the
Ivory Coast and picked me up. We returned to the Ivory Coast arriving in Grand
Bassam by 600pm.
I preached a land dedication service at the Bassam church on
Sunday morning and then went to Bingerville to our church where I preached in
the evening.
I hope to return to Ghana tomorrow or Wednesday. My plan is
to come to the Ivory Coast on Fridays and return to Ghana on Mondays. In this
way the work ought to be able to advance.
Thanks much for your prayers and concerns. Please continue
to pray for peace in the Ivory Coast.
God bless!
Bob Mach
P.O. Box TD1239
Takoradi, Ghana
W. Africa
RCMach@bigfoot.com
Dear Faithful Friends and Family,
Thanks so much for all of the letters, cards, and e-mails that have been sent over the last few months.
They have been a great encouragement to us.
In our September/October prayer letter, I explained that a failed attempt at coup d'état had turned into a military conflict between a rebel group
and the Ivoirian army. It resulted in our evacuating the country in mid-October.
In our November/December prayer letter, I mentioned that I would be returning to Côte d'Ivoire alone during the month of January, and that we
would most likely take furlough when I returned. I did go to Côte d'Ivoire
on January 1st and stayed for three weeks. The trip was a big success.
Our church in Bingerville as well as many other of our churches in the
country were doing well.
While visiting in Côte d'Ivoire; however, I realized that we simply could not take furlough at this time.
It was necessary to find a solution whereby I could at least visit our work there from time to time.
The church had managed well in our absence for two months, but it would be extremely difficult at this point for me to be gone for a year.
The Lord has provided the opportunity for us to go to Takoradi, Ghana. In
Takoradi, we will have the opportunity to help two Independent Baptist missionaries who are in the process of starting their second church, and
who have a Bible institute. In addition to helping with these ministries, we should have two other very important opportunities as well.
Refugees from Côte d'Ivoire are scattered throughout Ghana. We hope to be
able to work with Ivoirian refugees through the churches that are established in
Takoradi. Missionaries working in English speaking Ghana would have difficulty reaching the French speaking Ivoirians.
As well the border between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire is open and friendly.
I should be able to cross the border two to three times a month in order to get to our work in Bingerville, Côte d'Ivoire.
In this way I can continue to help our church and clinic in Bingerville to progress while our family
stays safely in Ghana.
We are flying to Ghana on March 26th. We anticipate being there for a year
and a half to two years. If the conflict in Côte d'Ivoire ends, we can return to our home there in our vehicle.
If the conflict does not end, we will stay in Ghana. Either way, we should be taking our furlough near the
end of 2004.
We appreciate so much your prayers. This evacuation has set us back ministry wise as well as financially.
We hope that we can recover in these two areas in what remains of 2003.
Most sincerely in Christ,
Robert C. Mach
P.O. Box TD1239
Takoradi, Ghana
011-233-27-21-06-51
RCMach@bigfoot.com
|