Learning Greek, Hebrew and Suffering

As I had suspected, I was not able to teach this morning. However, I decided to give it a try this afternoon and things went relatively well. I felt very sick last night and was a little dizzy this morning. It makes me wonder because the Dean of the seminary was also sick yesterday with similar symptoms to mine. So it could be related to the sumptuous meal we ate on Sunday. Oh well, I hope I am back to normal tomorrow.
My students, with my translator (left)

Today I enjoyed getting to know my students more after class. This is the time when they talk about their personal lives and also ask me personal questions. We stand outside under a tree and talk until my ride comes.

I wish I had time to tell you all that these students and faculty have experienced. First, there was the rebellion in 2002, when all the students of both Bible Institute and seminary had to run to the woods to escape certain death. They walked 86 miles to another village and many of them had to stay there for 8 months, living under very squalid conditions.

The students who are now in the seminary didn't experience the rebellion in Bata (though they may have been victims in their own villages), but then came the bandit phase. At least twice bandits came to the campus and harassed students and faculty. One time they took more than 12 students and beat them because they wanted to take their possessions. One student pointed to an area on his back where they had hit him with the barrel of a Kalashnikov. From then on they could never be at ease on campus. They couldn't be in their houses at night until the bandits passed through with their guns and they knew they were relatively safe. Theodore, the professor who is also my translator, pointed to several students who were in Hebrew class with him one day, when one of them said: "Professor, there are people running outside. Should we run too?" They looked outside and sure enough they started running too!

The last attack happened a few months ago. Dr. Ngumape, who is the Dean of the seminary, was taken hostage for a couple of hours. His captors were probably from the Chad, as they didn't speak Sango and were using Arabic. They were Muslim by origin. He was on his way out of the village of Bata, where the school was, riding his motorcycle, when 4 bandits stopped him and told him to take them to the village of Bata. Smartly, he acted like he didn't know where Bata was. He didn't want them to suspect that he was from there. Well, they gave him the general direction of the village and forced him to take them there.

Dr. Ngumape, left, with Professor Theodore, my translator

Upon arriving in the village the students, faculty and families all understood what was going on. But instead of running to the woods, as people usually did, they stayed in the village. The women were praying out loud and the men approached the hostage takers from a distance. The bandits would shoot to disperse the crowds, the people would duck, but then rise again and continue to make noise. The bandits had long discussions among them. They tried to take Dr. Ngumape outside the village, but the people began to get closer and closer, and every time they would shoot and they people would do the same that they had done before.

Finally, the bandits got scared. They shot Dr. Ngumape's motorcycle and ran away. Later on he heard a report from another village where he has acquaintances. The bandits went around asking who was this person who look thus and so and upon hearing that he was the Dean of the school, they replied that he was the one they had been after for a long time. "But he looked so young," they replied. Hey, youthful look has other advantages than mere vanity. In this case, it probably saved his life, in addition to the bravery of the people from the school.

If anything, it was a clear demonstration of the love with which these people love this man chosen by God to lead a work in such difficult circumstances. Had he been driving the school vehicle rather than the bike, he would have been taken right away for ransom. Normally the bandits, whose entire goal is to disrupt the government and create chaos in the hopes that some radical Muslim government be installed in the Capital, give two weeks and if the money is not paid, they simply execute the person.

Ah, yes, the bandits did also say about Dr. Ngumape: "His God is big, but we will eventually get him." The fact that these students are sticking with it at all is another demonstration of the power of God. I wonder how many of us would have the patience and courage to continue on this career path after so many close calls like these men and their families have had. I am humbled to be in their presence and take this responsibility to impart them something from the eternal Word of God very seriously.

About three weeks ago they moved the seminary to Bangui at great sacrifice to students and faculty. They only have 15 students now and two faculty members. They have no building (they are meeting in a house that has been donated for them for a short period of time). They have nothing in terms of an infra-structure. But they have a conviction from God and a dream to train hundreds of men and women to faithfully give God's Word to the people of this country who still need to hear about Jesus Christ. The need for qualified Bible expositors and well trained church leaders is great.

It costs about one thousand dollars per year to sponsor a student at the seminary. Are you willing to sponsor one? I hope God will touch your heart and you will give generously to ensure that men and women like the ones I am teaching will receive the kind of training they need to continue the work God has called them to do. Talk to me if you are interested in helping.

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

itrindade@woostergrace.org

Building Update

Today, Pastor Tom was able to buy all the steel and clear roofing materials. That's a big answer to prayer. He was talking about how hard it is to spend money, as he spent 300,000 Central African Franks today (about 800 U.S. dollars).

The rear brick wall is about three quarters of the way up and they will be able to finish that tomorrow. They leveled out the floor and rock is going to be broken up for the cement. The frames for the door on the front are made. Dug the ditch around it to keep the water from flowing into the workshop.

As you can see, work is progressing really well. It's incredible that all the parts have been found and purchased. Having a master builder on the site has been a God sent. Rob has made a contribution to the overall deterioration of the culture here, as he introduced kids to some kind of a contraption that lets out some pseudo gases of unknown source. It seems like even the adults got into it quickly with the result that work had to be interrupted for a while...

The guys also took time to play basketball with the kids and they are ready to put a volleyball net out so they can play that as well.

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

itrindade@woostergrace.org

P.S. Rick is not in the pictures because he was the photographer. Since I have not been to the building site, I have not been able to take pictures there. Sorry!

Daily "Irregular" Schedule

Pastor Ivanildo here.

I just posted more pictures. I hope you enjoy them. The photographers are Pastor Tom, Beth, Harleys and Rob. I haven't had time to to upload any of my pictures since last Saturday. Can't wait to do it!

I thought I would give you a run down of what happens here on a typical day. We wake up between five and six and have breakfast at seven. Try to be in the van at seven thirty. I have the Dean of the Seminary picking me up at seven-thirty. The last two days I have preached at chapel from seven thirty to eight, then I teach until eleven fifty. The team meanwhile goes to the orphan care center where the project site is and where some other activities with the orphans happen as well.

I am then taken to the entrance of the road that guest to the seminary so that I can be picked up by the van with the team returning from the work site or other activities. I know I haven't put pictures of the progress in the job site because I haven't been there since last Saturday. But I have been assured that the job is progressing very well. The Africa crew working alongside our team is of the best caliber you can possibly have. They work so hard, but I have to admit that one of the African guys called our team "workaholic" yesterday.

Have you ever wondered what it is that makes people take vacation time to come on a trip like this just to work three times as hard as if they were at home. I know, this is not intuitive, it doesn't make sense for the world. But we are dealing with God's economy here and to see the joy in Rob's eye, for example, as he plays soccer with the little orphan kids, to see Beth and Jeana giving themselves to tend wounds of the least of these, to see Tim and Tom work so diligently to see to it that every aspect of this job will be done with excellence, to see Rick share so openly about how He believes how God Himself led him to be on this trip. You need no further explanation...

Sure it sounds crazy, but hey, if this is what it means to be crazy, bring it on.

I haven't sat for so long in a classroom in a long time. On a wooden chair, teaching with the aid of a lamp because power has not been available at the seminary the last couple of days. The room is dark. Yesterday I didn't have the lamp so I had a hard time seeing the letters of my small Greek New Testament. I realized then that the whole of my humanity is programmed for light... I wanted to reach for that switch every other minute.

But my students are very astute. They make it all worthwhile. Most of them speak at least three languages (Sango, French, and their tribal language). One student from the Chad speaks five languages. My lectures are translated to French. One of the seminary professors, who also has a Masters in English literature, does a phenomenal job translating. There are few books around, one blackboard but this does not stop the students from interacting with the subject being taught. The upperclassmen know how to read Greek and they have corrected me a couple of times when I wrote something on the board from memory that was not exactly the right spelling. Their families are large. I have ten students, 9 male and 1 female, the wife of one of the students. Today we did the math and figured out that between the two professors in the room and the 10 students, one being the couple, they have 57 children. No, this is not a typo...

We are slowly plowing through the book of 1 Thessalonians, having completed chapter 2 today. I am not sure I will be able to teach tomorrow, but if I can't, I will miss the students. My whole body aches now. I am sitting here waiting for my ride, stealing one more moment to keep this line open with all of you who have so graciously been encouraging us through your comments.

Ah yes, we do leave in the afternoon again, at 2:30, back to the job site and me back to teaching. I teach until five, five thirty, but today stayed a little longer, as students kept prepping me with questions. One remarked: "This time is so precious and we have you for so little." Yes, they all try to speak English. Some of them do a better job than others, but they all try. I am very impressed with their intelligence and eagerness to learn. I hope to tell you a little more about what these families have been through over the last couple of years. But let me just say that they are not your average pastors-in-training. Yet, they are so gracious.

We return to our guest house some time after 5:30, usually more like six or seven, if we have to do Internet, like it happened today. The team has now left, had their supper and team devotional and I am now waiting for Pastor Tom who just called saying that he is on his way to pick me up. So, I've got to go!

Stay with God,

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

P.S. If anyone of you see my wife, please tell her I've been trying to get a hold of her since Saturday. Send her my love (and my children too!) and let them know I will keep on trying. I tried to call all my children, my wife, and my sister yesterday... Miss everyone so terribly. Keep praying!

More Pictures. Sorry they are random...

Here is some more, included the bird that Beth refused to eat. Wonder why... let me put it this way: these guys weren't going to the Wayne Co. Fair to show off their prize bird...

Enjoy Some Pictures

These are primarily from the orphan group last Sunday. Aren't these children precious? How can you not love them?

All Work and No Play!

Hello everyone.

Pastor Ivanildo blogging here.

This is the end of a long day with me not feeling 100%. I got a stomach bug and have felt very weak today. I am sure it was the taco sauce I ate last night. I felt it right away. Note: it was food we brought from Wooster. Granted, Jeana just informed me that the bottle was open when she got back for dinner, so she put in the refrigerator right away. Who knows? I felt like I was not on solid ground all day long, and even now sense the tumult rising up inside of me... may God have mercy on us all. Please pray that this stuff stops and I am able to continue teaching tomorrow.

I am going to try to put some pictures here in a little bit, but wanted to give you a recap of yesterday. Everyone except me worked on the construction project. In addition to this, Beth and Jeana made a trip to an orphan care group and worked at the AIDS clinic, as I told you yesterday. At our sharing time, Jeana shared these words: "We are the body of Christ. We have the opportunity to exude Christ and let him be shown in an amazing way through us. Today I had the opportunity to wash many orphans’ feet, with a basin of water and a bar of soap, looking at them in the eye to see the person whose feet I was washing. 'It’s just like washing Jesus,’ feet,' remarked Ernie, one of our translators and culture expert.

The thing that was touching was how Jeana wanted to wash not just the feet, but the whole leg, the arms, and she was doing it with such gentle love and care, carefully holding their leg, their arm, side of the face, touching them in the arm to let them know when she was done. She encouraged us to be Jesus to the ones we are serving. Yes, at times the needs here are so overwhelming, but if you look at one person at a time, we can make a difference in the life of that one person. I was so encouraged to hear those words.

And if you ask me, that makes it all worthwhile. Team members are complaining (in a good way) of sore back and bodies that are feeling the weight of the work. We are all working so hard and I am very proud of our team. I have slept an average of four hours since we got here. Some other team members are the same. We are beginning to feel the effects of our sleep deprivation, but the Lord has been so gracious to us in granting us some incredibly mild weather so far. We are staying close to the river, so we are able to enjoy a nice breeze. There is no price you can place on a nice cool breeze in the middle of the day here. God is helping us conserve some energy in other ways. Praise Him!

I am going to try to put some pictures, but beware: it's dark here and the connectivity is slow.

And please, keep praying. I hope to write something more than daily updates soon as my heart and mind are full of so many unbelievable impressions from the Lord. But writing more will probably have to wait until after I am done with my classes. The schedule is incredibly demanding.

God is working and your prayers are being answered!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

On Familiar Territory...

I am back on my own computer now, but with not much time left. I am sorry about the confused last entry. But this way at least you have an idea of the kind of challenges people have to face here in this country. It was truly a cross-cultural experience and I have to say that I am scared about how much dependent on the Internet we are these days. Can you imagine not being able to ask google -- whenever and whatever I want?

But the good news is that when you keep at it you eventually get it. I was already getting used to that keyboard, kind of...

Challenges here come in all kind of sizes and types. Today one of my students, a pastor here in Bangui, share that last night thieves came to his house during the blackout and tried to break into his kitchen. They were unsuccessful but not to be detained they stole 40 meters of electric cable from their home, which means they are now without any electricity and will be without for who knows how long. When I asked him about replacing it, he said he was not able to do it. One meter of cable costs about 2 dollars, in other words, 80 dollars total, money he doesn't have. Think about it: many pastors here in this county make only $20 - $50 per month.

Yesterday I had the privilege of speaking in two services, a French one and a Sango one. Dr. Ngumape, the director of the Bible Seminary, translated for me. The church was jam packed with more than 2000 people total, and they were full of the joy of the Lord. They sang with their hearts, souls, and also used their voices. It was quite a thing to behold. I spoke from 1 Thessalonians 1: "Are you a mimmicker or an imitator?" I have pictures from the church which I hope to post soon. The rest of the team went to another church, where Pastor Tom spoke.

After the regular services the church was holding an afternoon baptismal service where 230 plus people were being baptized. And the amazing thing was that these people dressed up to their baptism as if they were going to a gala. They had photographers take picutures of them before and after their baptism. After they were out of the tank a group of young men followed them with some local drums, celebrating this great moment in their lives. I was absouletly blown away by this experience.

The hospitality here continues to amaze us. People are so gracious, their ready smile is always there and they conduct themselves with an air of non-chalant-ism, it is hard to believe they have to many trials and tribulations day in and day out.

After church yesterday a lady prepared some fresh fish, avocado salad, and meat for me and Dr. Ngumape. We ate a feast. The fish was so good I thought I was back in the Amazon eating my mother's cooking. I was so eager to eat the salad that only now I am thinking maybe the vegetables had not been washed the way we wash them at the guest house we are staying. But even if I had remembered this then, how could I have refused the offer of such a lavish hospitality? So I am glad that my eye for food spoke louder than my fear of parasites... there was no hesitation on my part to eat what she had prepared. I was thankful to be the recipient of such care, such love shown to a stranger. May God bless this lady and her family.

On Saturday we also went to our first Orphan Care group meeting. I may have mentioned this before, but have not spoken in details. To give you an idea, one of our team members said that it was one of the most memorable days of his/her life. We were moved with such demonstration of love from orphans who have lost everything but have learned again the value of a touch -- because concerned Christians, both from here and from the U.S., have made it possible for them to eat three meals a day, to go to school and most of all to find the hope and joy that only Christ can give. I sat there with these orphans, thinking: our church ought to do more for these kids, we individually ought to do more, and I ought to do more. There is no excuse, no more waiting around. It is time to act now.

One of Jeana's tasks on this trip is to start laying the groundwork for a plan that will allow people in our church to sponsor orphan kids from Africa. We want to make it easy and significance the experience for everyone who decides to do it. Please, pray for Jeana as she considers what this plan of action should look like.

I have to go now. My ride is waiting. I have not yet had supper, Beth is waiting too and tomorrow is another long day. Please, continue to pray for us here. The days are getting shorter and we still have a lot of work to do.

Keep looking up!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

P.S. Sorry for the typos, no time for spellchecking!!!!

Blogging from the dqrk

I apologize for not being able to blog yesterday. It was a full day with church responsibilities and today was no different. I finished teaching about half an hour ago or so and find myself now at an Internet Cafe, doing battle with an old computer with a very strange keyboard; I cqnt find anything here and the thing takes forever to type. I am at least two sentences ahead of it and have no idea whether my typing is what I want to type, and there is no way to ty to verify unless you wait for the text to catch up with your typing. Its like the Groundhog Day of typing...

Ah; yes, I am also typing in a dim light of a generator, as the city is in the dark again. All to say that I will not be able to do much today. This place does not have the right plug for my laptop and I am stucky. And i will have to wait until tomorrow to try to post pictures from a different place.

We areall well, praise God. Beth is much better, thanks for your prayers. The work in the building is progressing handsomely well and today Beth and Jeana worked at the AIDS clinic in addition to doing more orphan care work. I am through with my first day of teaching and the response from the students was very positive. I have a very astute group of students who asked a lot of questions. I wish I could tell you more, but I am not able with this kind of co,puter. But I did want you to know that we are alive and well. Your comments are a blessing; Everyone says hi. We love you all. Jesus is being lifted up; We are convinced that we are doing good work here qnd we are so humbled by the responses;

Pictures - 2

The famous R & R duo -- perfect combination of hard work and fun

Rick, with some serious flashlight for work in the dark

Not a good picture, but I tried -- first night in Bangui, with a little storm to cool off the morning

In case you are all wondering -- Rob didn't really eat the baby chicken. He and Rick were just having fun. They wanted me to put a caption under the picture: "fresh chicken," but I decided against it. There is also another picture of the chickens with the mother hen, but I decided not to put that on either. As you can tell, these guys know how to have fun, but they are hard working guys too.

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

itrindade@woostergrace.org

Pictues

Jeana and Beth, with "Zorro," one of our translators


No, he has not turned Charismatic, just checking the project...


Older lady, notice the dog -- it was not happy I was getting close to the lady and it started barking, or maybe it was just a camera shy canine...


Beautiful girl who let me take a picture with her


Lady with son at Orphan Center

More Progress

Hello everyone!

It's about noon in Bangui now, Saturday morning, April 5.

Yesterday the work began in earnest at the sight where the wood shop will be in. A footer was completed and concrete is supposed to be poured today. It was neat to hear Rob give his testimony this morning. He said that yesterday his hands were getting a little tired from pounding nails when he remembered why he was doing what he is doing."This is going to be a place where young men will come to learn a trade and be introduced to Christ," he thought. And he kept pounding away, pain or no pain. That is such a wonderful image to keep in front of us all the time. And I praise God for using Rob to give us that reminder earlier this morning.

Both Rob and Rick remarked on how impressed they were with the work of the young Central Africans who are helping them with the project. Together with them we got so much done in just a few hours yesterday. We all feel good about this initial stage of our progress, but there is so much more that needs to be done.

We all get very excited here when we find out that people are reading the blog. And this includes all you family members out there. I saw Bethany choking some tears yesterday, as she read a comment by her sister. And this morning both Rob and Rick were talking about how encouraged they were that their children were reading this! Wow. Thanks for your prayers!

I am trying to post something quick here before I am picked up to go to lunch. I didn't go to the project site this morning, as I had so much preparation to make for my classes today. I am also preaching tomorrow at a church here in Bangui. Please, pray!

I am hoping to have more time this afternoon to post something with pictures, but am not sure. Generally speaking we are all healthy. Beth is the one who keeps struggling some. She has been not able to sleep the two nights we've been here. She stayed at the apartment today, trying to get some much needed rest. Please, pray!

Pastor Tom, my gracious ride, is here. I better go!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

God is Working!

April 4, 2008

We went to the American Embassy this morning to register in case something happens and they need to contact us. I was teasing with the rest of the team that the Embassy would only take me in if I had a sponsor (I am not a citizen yet). Or maybe if I asked for political asylum. Or if I said I knew some guy who is hiding in the mountains of Afhganistan... In the end, they took me in and accepted my passport, no questions asked.

We had the awesome privilege of going to the ohphan care center where most of our activities will be centered in. The guys were able to deliberate a lot about the details of the project -- enclosing an area that is going to be used as a tool shop for orphan boys -- and the ladie met with the nurse in charge of health care and the young lady who is responsible for their literacy program.

Jeana and Beth right away got in the action as the nurse was attending to a little boy who needed some care, cleaning and bandaging a little boy who had some infection and fever. He is coming back Monday to have his bandages changed. The nurse showed them how they can help her. It looks like they will be busy. They will also be go and meet with the orphan groups.

With regard to the construction project, we all feel very good about the fact that even though several of our tunks went missing, most of the stuff necessary to get the project going was in the tunks that came in. They are ready to get started. It does help that they have the expertise help of one brother who is a master builder here in the CAR. This elder statesman was very eager to give advise and as Tom put it "had some ideas that were better than mine." Surprise, surprise.

my Sango teachers

While at the orphan care center I got my first Sango lesson the two people who head up the literacy program. They taught me the alphabet, including a song that helps one remember all the sounds, which I was able to sing well at that time -- but have quickly forgotten since them. I am afraid I will have to repeat that lesson.

Something also I did was clime a mango tree at the orphan care center. The tree was infested with fire ants, but they were the big red ones which are not as lethal as the real tiny ones. I was able to stay five to ten minutes atop the tree and got about 8 mangos or so during that time. I was forced to come down because my body was covered with ants from head to tow. It took a committe of fire ant killing people to help me get rid of most of them. But I had a lot of fun.

Jeana has a theory about this. She says that there is something in my personality that makes me reverse back to my childhood whenever I am in Africa. Maybe something that happened in my childhoood. Wow. I should have gone to counseling. It would probably be a lot cheaper than all these expensive tickets to Africa. Good thing Jeana is not a Psychologist, but I like her theory anyway.

Well, tomorrow we might start seeing a wall go up and the greatest news of all -- I saw 15 sacs of fresh cement, ready to be used come tomorrow. Praise the Lord! 5 more to go... God is good.

One of the reasons we want to make this space for boys is that they don't have anything right now. The girls have their sowing center, which we were introduced to today. I had seen the beginning of this project two years ago and it was very nice to see it in operation today. The girls seem so happy to be working, with supervision and godly direction from Mrs. Hibale. But right away she asked us to pray for the girls in the program. Some of them are having to drop out because they get pregnant. It's a constant battle here. Please, pray.

We have seen God at work already. Thanks for praying and keep those prayers before the throne!

Pastor Ivanildo Trindade

itrindade@woostergrace.org

Another Day in Bangui

Pastor Ivanildo here. Blogging from Bangui.

In the next hour or so I hope to post some pictures and write a little bit here. Thanks everyone who is praying and posting comments on the blog.

We had a busy day yesterday. After our arrival some of us tried to rest, others were busy reacquainting themselves with friends from previous trips. We had a wonderful lunch prepared by our cook and housekeeper extraordinaire, Andre, and then some napped a little more.

From 3-6 p.m. Jim Hocking and several men tried to get the antenna to work. They brought it down a couple of times to try to reposition it so we could have Internet in the place where we are staying. This was one tedious effort and one in which all hands were on deck.

After supper Jim worked another two hours, with his son advising from Indiana, but in the end, no connection yet. Beth and I waited in the little office during that time, prayed a lot and felt somewhat frustrated at the end.

Most of the team was already in bed by the time I got to the apartment, but I stayed up until about 1:00 a.m. (true to my tradition). But when I hit the sac I slept like a Maytag repair man. Jeana and Beth, however, didn't have a lick of sleep. They were tired today. I told them not to take a nap today.

Well, all of this to say that the reason I didn't blog until now or check e-mail is that we have to ride all the way to the ICDI office in the other end of town, approximately 20 minutes from where we are staying. This is the same place where I blogged yesterday.

Anyway, this is my blog without pictures. Stay tuned!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

We Made It to Bangui!

Hey everyone. Greetings from Bangui!

We arrived here early this morning. A little "banguied-up" (sorry, I know it's lame...) but we did. Beth and Rob continue to be somewhat under the weather. They have a cough. I wouldn't call it "nagging," but it is "persistent." I ask you to pray that they will be able to rest today and be 100% by tomorrow.

Five of our trunks didn't make it, including the one with Beth's luggage, etc. Some of my stuff was also put in her trunk at the last minute because my bag was a little over the limit. The biggest problem is that by now we don't remember exactly what was and what wasn't in each of our 14 14 trunks, so the team will go over the stuff in the ones we do have and figure out what exactly we are missing.

Well, Beth has a terrific attitude about the whole thing and I didn't notice some of the stuff I was missing until I opened my suitcase and looked for my little black bag to get my truth brushed and realized my bag wasn't there. Well, I guess I will just have to do without a brush (sorry Dr. Wade) for about a week. Just kidding... But I am not kidding about the 7 day waiting period. That's when the next flight to Bangui from Paris is.

Meanwhile, we hope that none of the important hardware and tools for our project is missing. Regardless, though, we know that God is going to provide. We've been in this situation before and He always does.

We had breakfast with Jim Hocking this morning, who is starting his trip back to the U.S. tomorrow morning. Jim is the Director of I.C.D.I., the organization we are partnering with here on this trip. He is still trying to get cement for our project. He got six bags so far, he still needs another 15 or so. So, please, pray. We need some concrete results here (sorry again). I will post some pictures later on. Right now, I simply wanted to let everyone know that we are here and everything is going well.

As you can see, we are all trying to maintain a positive attitude about our problems. Coming back to Africa again has reminded me that my problems are of a complete different nature than the ones faced by people here in this country day in and day out. Everywhere you turn you see people on the streets with not a whole lot to do. Young men hang around market and public places. Several of them this morning were offering any kind of help with our luggage just so they could get a little coin.

The burden of living among abject poverty screams at you wherever you look. In my mind I imagine people walking and everywhere they go they see signs posted: "No outlet." "No exit." The whole world seems to conspire against them. The sign of oppression is everywhere, from the visible sights of pickup trucks with sub machine guns roaming the streets to the more elusive expression of people's faces denoting fear and perhaps allegiance to a force too strong to conquer, so they think.

Well, part of the reason we are here is to help people see that there is hope. We want so much for them to realize that "greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world." We desire that they come to the knowledge of this beautiful Messiah we love so much. We want freedom to ring true in their hearts. We long for them to sing for joy at the appearance of Christ.

We count on you to help us do that through your prayers.

I will do my best to update this blog as often as I can, but with our project starting tomorrow and my teaching responsibilities starting soon, I can't promise that it will be every day.

With God, for the nations,

Pastor Ivanildo Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

P.S. God was gracious to let me sit by a young man who spoke Portuguese on the flight from Paris. His family is originally from Portugal and we had a great conversation. Pray for Rafael. I am hoping to connect with him again, as he will be here for the next couple of weeks visiting his girlfriend.

Dining in Paris

Our team, in front of the restarurant where we ate today in Paris

We arrived in Paris safely and sound, after a very nice flight. We hooked up with Rob & Nichole Plaster, missionaries supported by our church, and made our way to a nice Morocan-style restaurant. We had been to that restaurant when I was here in 2006, so it was a pleasure seeing the owner again. He wanted to make sure we had a picture taken together this time.

Our team is doing well. Rob has a travel tip: when traveling overseas, always carry your passport (I forgot my passport at home before we left, but noticed it before we headed to the airport!). Pastor Tom gave a tip to the waitress at the restaurant: "never hug a burning cat." He was just being funny. We did tip her. I mean, Nichole did. Oh yes, we do have a new addition to our team, namely, "flat Stanley," a laminated boy drawn on a piece of paper that he inherited from a second grade class in Smithville. Well, needless to say, Stanley is being photographed in all kinds of places these days, including the women's bathroom...

We are thankful God has brought us here and everyone is in good spirits. I was talking to Beth about Paris and she made a comment that I thought was interesting. This was after I tried to get her to have her picture taken in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. She said: "Paris is OK, but I can't wait to get to Africa." That's pretty much the attitude among all of us.

me with Kemal, the restaurant owner

I am blogging now from the apartment where the Plasters live. Most of the team has left already for a tour of Paris. I am here in front of my computer updating the blog and soon will resume my studies, which got interrupted during the trip. I can't wait to resume studying. It's been a great blessing to study the book of 1 Thessalonians these last few weeks.

Thanks for your prayers again. Tonight we leave for Bangui. At 11:15 p.m. (Paris time, 6 hours ahead of Wooster).

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org

Keeping the Enemy at Bay

Hey all:

I am sitting by a gate at the Detroit Metro Airport. We had an uneventful flight here, considering that we flew one of those commuter planes, and we had all that luggage onboard it. In fact the flight was so weighed that they were not able to take any passenger who was on the standby list plus they asked for a volunteer to give up a seat because of all the weight from our black trunks!

You may be asking: are these people so insane to bring so much stuff in a short-term trip like that? Well, maybe we are, but you need to know that we have brought several of the tools and hardware we will need for the wood shop project at the Orphan Center in Bangui. We also brought a lot of medical supply, thanks to the generosity of the folks from our church who gave so liberally. And I am not even speaking of the equipment we brought for ICDI to use at the Orphan Center. In other words, we were weighed but not down, up. We feel great about how those things will be used as a blessing to so many of the children we will seek to help.

As I look forward to the next couple of days, I am very excited. The last time we were in Africa we visited a small Pygmy village where destitution and desperation were so palpable I wanted to die or to desperately do something to make a change. Some of you remember me talking about it. Well, since then that little band of people has got a water well and some latrines in the village. I am told that they are like a brand new group now and I can't wait so see them again. I am proud of the fact that our church has not forgotten these little people who are so despised among their own countrymen.

I am also excited about the classes I will teach in the seminary. Yes, I still have some preparation to to on the plane, but I have been so blessed by God already by my intense study of 1 Thessalonians these last couple of weeks. I feel that the Lord has answered my prayers already by helping me to bring out points that I believe will be helpful for pastors-in-training in the context of one of the poorest countries in the world. Please, continue to pray for me and my students.

As I speak with our team members, it has become more and more obvious that each one has had to overcome some major hurdles in order to be on that flight that started us on this road to Bangui, CAR. First, our trip was almost cancelled at one time. In fact, we did void our tickets once, after having bought them. But thank God we were able to redesign our trip to Bangui instead of PAMA, where we were originally headed. Then there are the individual stories of the team members. I don't know all the stories yet but it is obvious that some of us were in the midst of some intense spiritual battles as we were nearing our time to go to Africa.

I can tell you that it was not until just a few days ago that I made the final decision to come. I know now for a fact that the enemy was not happy for me to come. I don't have time to tell you all the details and some of it I couldn't even tell, but suffice to say that over the last 30 days or so I had at least three major spiritual conflicts I was right in the middle of. These were not minor battles, like the ones we fight every day against Satan -- consistent prayer, reading and meditation of Scripture, sharing our faith, etc.

These were things that involved major conflagrations, some involving disappointments and sadness with some people I love and care so much about. I felt so overwhelmed at times and didn't see how I could possibly have any energy left to give to so many people who were expecting to hear a word from God as I spent some hours with them. I couldn't see how I could find joy in serving people. I was emotional spent in so many ways.

I kept asking God for His grace for each day, one day at a time, like Jesus said -- each day has enough trouble of its own. This was how I was able to deal with the entire situation. Moment by moment, stealing every hour I could to get my notes ready, and all the while second guessing whether I would even use them at all.

In the midst of the struggle there were some signs of hope. Last Friday I was able to lead someone to the Lord and that was a major victory. Someone who was so close to despair and saw the light of glory by accepting the forgiveness and peace that Christ alone gives. Things began to improve but I have to admit that not everything is what I have been praying for yet. There are still victories to be had and struggles to face. But Satan has not succeeded in stopping us. Like I told my son earlier this morning, as I took him to school: "It's a miracle that I am even getting on that flight today. The enemy pointed all his guns at us but we fought back with a bit of Holy Ghost power and he baulked."

Needless to say the enemy is not dead. The Bible says that we are not unaware of his schemes. Therefore, he could pop his ugly head at any moment. That's why we need your prayers more than ever. Satan would love to attack our families back home. All of our team members have left children back home whom they hate to be away from. One is planning to get married soon after we get back. Kids practices are being missed and games will not be followed.

But we believe with all our hearts that God has us where we are now for a reason and we count on you to believe with us. And the best way you could do that is through your prayers. Please, pray for us every day as God bring us to your mind.

Thank you for staying behind and helping us to continue on this mission to bring the glory of God to the ends of the earth.

With God, for the nations,

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade
itrindade@woostergrace.org
P.S. In about half an hour we board our flight to Paris. Thanks for praying!

We're off!

Our bags are all packed and weighed. We are putting the last few labels on them and we will be off to Cleveland, then Detroit, right away!

We had an awesome time being prayed for by some of our pastoral staff. We are missing all of you already but VERY EXCITED for what God has in store for us in the next 18 days.

PRAY, PRAY, AND PRAY!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

P.S.: Lord Jesus, help everyone on our team to not grow weary of doing good, to sacrifice ourselves on behalf of the last, the least, the lost of this world.

Team Itinerary & Plans

For those of you who might be interested, here is our itinerary:

Tuesday, April 1: 11:00 a.m.: arrive at the church. Prayer, load trunks. Pray that all our 17

luggage pieces will be handled properly and arrive safely and in one piece in Bangui. Some of our team members are under the weather. They need to get well.

03:30 p.m.: Leave CLE to Detroit. Arrive at 04:20 p.m. Pray that team members will be able to rest. Pray for Pastor Ivanildo, as he will try to use the time to continue preparing for his teaching responsibilities at the seminary in CAR.

09:25 p.m.: Leave Detroit to Paris. Pray that all the ticketing process will go smoothly and that team members will be able to rest some during the 8 hours plus flight.

Wednesday, April 2: arrive in Paris at 11:35 a.m. Hook up with Rob & Nichole Plaster, missionaries to Paris, France. Pray for a good time of rest and relaxation in Paris. Pray for Pastor Ivanildo as he continues his preparations.

11:15 p.m. Leave Paris to Bangui, CAR. Pray for a good flight. And for all our luggage to be on the same flight with us! Pray that everyone will arrive safely and in good health.

Thursday, April 3, 04:55 a.m.: arrive in Bangui. Pray that all interactions with authorities will go smoothly. Pray that team members will be able to recoup and rest the rest of the day. The team will get orientated to the city.

On Friday, April 5: work at the Orphan Care Center will start. Pastor Ivanildo starts teaching this day as well. Three hours in the morning, three hours in the afternoon, for five days.

Prayer Requests:

Pray that we will bring glory to God with all we do;

Pray for team unity and a willingness to put others first;

Pray that we will be servants to the people of the CAR;

Pray that this trip will make us more like Jesus;

Pray for many people to be introduced to Christ through this trip.

Remember: we will be six ahead of EST.

Please, feel free to leave comments. We share them with the team as often as we are able. If you are not signed up with Google, you may leave comments as "anonymous" and sign your name on the body of your message, if you wish.

Finally, if you see a a couple of days go by and nothing new is put here, please, understand. Electricity may be out. Internet may be down. Other work may have taken priority over blogging. Or maybe we are just trying to catch some rest!

Pray, pray, pray. Thank you!

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

itrindade@woostergrace.org

Time to Pack the Trunks Again!

Our team, from left to right: Tim & Jeana Harley, Pastor Ivanildo, Bethany Sorg, Rick Ratzel, Rob Miller, Pastor Tom (not pictured).

Hello everyone:

We have a new team going to the Central African Republic. We will be there April 1-18. It's amazing that we are even going. We were originally scheduled to go to PAMA, the village our church is partnering with through ICDI. However, due to some bandit activity in the village that resulted in two fatalities, we were prohibited from going there.

In fact, at one point we cancelled our tickets because we weren't sure what was going to happen next. But the Lord quickly helped us to see that there was work to do in Bangui. So we are headed to the Capital city, to do work in the ICDI orphan center there and to help with orphan care in general. We will also do outreach to a Pygmy village about 30 miles from Bangui and partner with Dr. Yalipendi in the AIDS clinic work in Bangui.

We will be helping getting a woodshop going for the orphan boys in Bangui. Our guys have quickly got this project moving in the right direction, with the help of Pastor Tom Peters, and the design looks beautiful. We just have to pray that Jim Hocking, who is in the CAR now, will be able to secure cement, which is in short supply throughout the whole country right now. He may have to get it in Cameroon. So, please, pray.

We will also be doing some literacy work with the orphans, help the nurse at the health center as she cares for some sick orphans, and do some fun activities with them, such as art, games, Bible stories, etc.

We would ask that you pray for:

1. For safety in our travels.
2. For God to supply all the cement we need.
3. For the project to be completed in a timely fashion.
4. For an effective ministry for God in the lives of people we will be in contact with.
5. For me, as I will be teaching an intensive course in the seminary in Bangui.

Thank you,

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade