Dr. Ettien Koffi is a professor of linguistics at
St. Cloud State University. Until Ettien
began, the language for the Anyi people in Cote d’Ivoire was an oral language only and was unwritten. Ettien created a written language, and he
began the translation of the New Testament into Anyi in 1991. Translation with final edits was complete in
2016! Since 1997, Ettien’s brother,
Yable, has been on the Cote d’Ivoire end of the Anyi Literacy Project running the
literacy center and coordinating the learning and teaching of adults to read in
Anyi. Currently, there are 27 villages
with classrooms, with over three thousand adults learning to read! The more advanced adult students have been
reading the Parables of Jesus and various health-related brochures that have
been translated into Anyi. (For more information on the Anyi Literacy Project, please go here.)
For this mission trip, we will be leaving Tuesday evening,
June 13th, and flying from Minneapolis to Paris to Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire), arriving
Wednesday evening, June 14th. We
will be in Cote d’Ivoire until Monday night, June 26th, a total of 12
days in Cote d’Ivoire. While we are
there, we will have three main outreach and ministry opportunities: New Testament dedication ceremonies, youth
basketball camp, and painting the literacy center.
Prayer Requests:
First, the printed New Testaments have shipped from South
Korea, and the Bibles are estimated to
arrive in Cote d’Ivoire April 24th! Please pray for the logistics
around the shipping itself, as well as the import of goods at the port in
Abidjan, meeting local codes, and successful applications to clear the goods.
Second, Yable, Jules (friend of Ettien and father of one of
our group going on the trip), and committees of the church leaders and teachers
in each area are coordinating the dedication ceremonies. There will be three ceremonies taking place
in three counties where the largest numbers of villages with classrooms are
located. Please pray for the
coordination of those events.
In addition, another brother of Ettien’s is a pastor in
Paris, and he will be coming to lead the dedication ceremonies. It will be an evangelical outreach event, and
they are planning to expect between 3,000 and 5,000 people to attend each ceremony,
including government officials. Please
pray for Ettien’s brother, as well as those who will be attending, that the
word of God will be clear and hearts will be changed.
Third, Jeremy Koffi, a junior at St. Cloud State
University, is planning and organizing the basketball camp. We are expecting 100 kids to participate in
the camp, around the age of 14. In addition, the local
high school has two basketball teams that will also be getting some “tips” on
improving their game. Some of the more
sports-gifted individuals will be doing the “teaching” or leading of the camp,
and the rest of us will be taking photos, organizing equipment, and providing
and organizing food and beverages. Pleas
pray for the kids that come to the camp and the high school basketball teams, that
they would improve their game, have fun, but also clearly hear and see the love
of God.
Fourth, one of Ettien’s distant cousins will be our lead on
our service project to paint the Literacy Center. Please pray that the paint and tools will be
ready and available and that the job we do will help to continue to maintain the
Literacy building.
Finally, Ettien, Yable, and Jules are working through the
rest of the details for our transportation and stay. Please pray for their efforts, as well as for
our safety while we are in Cote d’Ivoire.
Thanks so much!
