November 2023

When someone asks me, “How are you?” I want to be ready with the reply, “Beyond Blessed.”  Praise God for all His mercies that are new every day!! Rebekah gave me this rug; sweet.

There seems to be too much rush and urgency in the world news today when the greatest urgency is to be IN Christ.  I am teaching at our Christian school, a wide-open opportunity of witnessing to kids.  Noah’s message, get IN the ark!  I love teaching the Gospel through the Old Testament.  Please pray for our school to grow and for kids and parents to get saved.  I have not quite figured out how to give an invitation at school.  The children love to please the teacher and follow the crowd.  We are not looking for false professions or self-deceptions.  May God bless His Word.

On October 9, Ivan was born to Seth and Paige in Sassandra.  Praise God the timing was super. I was able to make it on time.  Lydia came as well and also Paige’s mom made it on time from America; a regular party — for us that is. Paige and Ivan are doing great.  Praise God for another wonderful birth abroad.

Dan and I started back teaching in the village of Petit Pedro. Pray that the ministry continues to grow and get organized and established.  Dan and Nathan take turns preaching through the doctrines of the Bible and those of the church both here in Lac and in Petit Pedro.  

Nathan has continued to preach and teach there every other week.  His French is fabulous!  Really, he is doing excellent in his speaking and continues to use a tutor — wow.  We, in languages, tend to get satisfied with our level of communication and then go from there.  It is wonderful to keep learning and sharpening each other’s speech. 

Stephen and Martha came to Sassandra on October 12 to work with Seth and Paige for a year.  Praise God for them as they settle in and adjust to a new culture and climate. They continue to seek exactly where God wants them in this huge harvest field.

Dan and I praise God for the ministry of helps He has given us; helping new missionaries get settled in.  My niece said it well, “Using our experience to make their experiences better.”  Praise God that, many times, these are our own kids; a double blessing for sure.

Happy Thanksgiving to you.  Thank you for your prayers!

 

Beyond Blessed,

Dan and Joan

September 2023

June, July, August???  What?! And NOW it is September!! Every day is one day closer to Jesus coming back. Here is just ONE title of a message — LIVE like You are LEAVING.  Amen.

The first week in June, my mom, sister Pam, and her daughter Emily came out to visit us.  During their very first week, Pam fell and broke her wrist.   Praise God that she received prompt treatment and a cast on that same day. Mainly, we got to witness to the doctor and to all those involved.  Just pray for so many people who have heard the Gospel. I have witnessed to this doctor over the years many times and it seems that God is working in his heart (and sent me over there again - against my will - for another opportunity to witness to him.).  Pam enjoyed going for walks to the clinic to pass out tracts and witness to any English speakers she could find. 

Opportunities to witness abound.  Praise God that this country is still wide open to the Gospel.  We keep sowing the seed and praying for God to give the increase.  Just know that the Sunday all-day teaching and preaching, Wednesday night prayer and Bible study, Saturday morning kids’ class and afternoon visitation continue.  I read an illustration of bees flitting here and there spreading life-giving pollen. That is our job. We need to just be faithful in spreading the Words of Life and discipling those who are saved. My personal heartbeat is evangelism and teaching.  Praise God He has put us in a place where we can openly preach Jesus.  We are only limited by our energy.

The Africa Soccer Cup is coming in February 2024.  We are going to print tracks in French and English to give out; we are running on empty with the tracts, though it is not hard to get some printed. We use this opportunity here in the states to take back lots of tracts with us. 

June 22, Malachi Andrew was born to Nathan and Hannah Schrock.  I had the privilege of delivering the baby.  Praise God for a healthy baby and mom and that all went smoothly.  They were also able to get his birth certificate and then Certificate of Birth Abroad, and then an emergency passport, so that Hannah could make this trip for Isaiah and Alyssa’s wedding.  Each of those things was a small hurdle. 

The 4th of July, we spent at the pool.  We never go on a weekend and during the week, it is just us.  What a beautiful day it turned out to be in the middle of our rainy season.  Pam managed to not get her cast too wet.

Two boys got baptized the first week of August; it was great.  Praise God for them. I am planning to add another class at my house for some serious discipleship. 

The end of July, Dan cut Pam’s cast off.  The doctor had had a family crisis and had left town.   Pam had her arm in a cast practically the whole two-month visit!  We DID take it from the Lord as the witnessing continued. 

August 7, we took Momma, Pam, and Emily to Abidjan for them to go to America.  Our flight was two days later and now, we are in America helping Joseph (freshman) and Josiah (junior) into Ambassador Baptist College. 

Isaiah and Alyssa were married on September 1, and we ENJOYED all the family time and getting to know Alyssa’s family a bit as well.  This was a whirlwind trip and we are headed back tomorrow!!  Nathan is doing a super job keeping up with all the preaching and teaching.  He has Daniel and Azariah, while Hannah has Olive and Malachi here.  It is very difficult to be apart; we miss them and they us.  We have had a better trip knowing that the ministry is still moving forward in our absence.  Some of the difficulties have been resolved, and we are excited to see what God has for us in this new year.

Thanks for your many prayers.

 

In His grip,

Dan and Joan

May 2023

Rainy season is back! The road to church is impassible. This was AFTER someone tried to “fix” it.  I am still wondering if we need a small tractor. On the way back from visitation, we were practically driving through a small river.

In April, Nathan and Hannah Schrock arrived to begin their first term.  Nathan is already teaching and preaching in French. They are waiting for their fourth child.

After a one-month overlap, Susanna, Matthew, and Selah went to America at the beginning of May to attend Isaiah’s graduation and to begin the process of becoming full-time missionaries with Baptist World Mission. 

Isaiah has graduated with honors from Ambassador Baptist College and has become engaged to Alyssa Jones.  They plan to be married on September 1. We are PLANNING a trip for that; that always causes upheaval in our lives, but for a good reason.  We will surely be back shortly after the wedding.  Someone has said, “If you want your African missionaries back on the field, just pray for cold weather.”  We do not want to taste American winter even in North Carolina.

Stephen and Martha also graduated from BBTI.  They have started to raise support to come here to work for a year with Seth and Paige while they seek God’s will for their lives for the future.  If you are interested in helping them for this one-year short term or want to receive their prayer letters, you can contact them at: stephencuth6@gmail.com.   

It was another wonderful day when Lucian from our own church received his Bachelor of Theology from our Bible Institute.  He has been a big help to Dan as he did his internship; helping at the church with teaching, preaching, and visitation.  Pray for us as we DO the WORK of an evangelist; IN season and OUT of season.  There were only two graduates.  Pray for more faithful men who can teach others also.

Our Christian church school is at the end of the year.  YAY!!  Rewarding as it may be, teaching little kids (kindergarten through sixth grade) is challenging and exhausting.  Yay, no more bus driving on bad roads with the car full of boisterous, sweaty kids.  I had 28 in the car with some absent that day.  Lydia has done a super job as director.  We are already getting energy - revived and new ideas for next year.  Lydia the director. I Joan the Bible teacher of upper grades.  Praise God for Esther, the Bible teacher of the little ones (That takes even more patience.)  AND Rebekah is planning to come teach the English classes next year. So, we are already excited about all of that.

Dan, Nathan, (Matthew when he was here), and the other Ivorian young men continue to teach and preach here in Lac and in Petit Pedro.  Please continue to pray for growth. 

Last but surely NOT least, Seth and Paige are expecting their fourth child!! Praise the Lord for ALL His many blessings. 

Thank you for your prayers!

 

In His grip,

Dan and Joan, Lydia, Esther, and Gideon

March 2023

While Dan and the rest of the family were celebrating the new year with a film, message, and prayer (that service went through midnight), Joseph and I were on a jet flying to North Carolina so that Joseph could start school at Ambassador Baptist College.  We left 90-degree weather to hit the end of that cold spell in America.  We were freezing and tired to be sure. Joseph is now a freshman in college and is doing very well.  I returned home on January 20.

Oriel O'Gorman and his daughter Ruth came from Ireland for about three weeks in February.  We enjoyed getting to know our new missionary friends. They left freezing temperatures in Ireland to arrive here during our hottest season! They suffered through like on a real safari trip.  Oriel started right in teaching an evangelistic seminar in Sassandra, where Seth and Paige are, and preached that first Sunday.

Then on Monday, Dan, Matthew, and Oriel went on a 12-hour African road trip to our village works in the north.  These trips are for preaching, evangelism, training, settling problems, and to “see more of the country.” They even saw a “sacred monkey” reserve; monkeys free in the wild and not hunted because they are believed to be someone’s ancestor. It was because of this trip that Matthew and Susanna might be feeling called to start a ministry there.  This country remains wide open to the Gospel; the laborers are few.  People are still in bondage to superstitions and falsehoods. 

Oriel has great video equipment and came prepared to make videos of this ministry; their trip, preaching seminars, the school, and the church.  We will soon be making those available to you.  He also helped Matthew get some video for their presentation. 

Meanwhile, Ruth, who was the main one wanting this trip, was able to practice her French and help teach the kids in our Saturday morning class, at church, and at the school.  We even did an English tutorage class.  Ruth and Esther made a great team, able to take care of classes by themselves.

Now we are into March. We have had our first two rains which have cut the heat and turned the dust into mud.  We already had to use the 4WD going to church.  I sometimes wonder if we need a small dirt-moving tractor for all of these new construction projects and road work that Dan does (and soon to be Seth, Nathan, and Matthew).

Our newest baby animal is another civet. We had just let our other one go in the jungle.

Nathan and Hannah Schrock arrive on April 3rd.  We need preachers and teachers, and are so excited that they will soon be here to help.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

In His grip,

Dan and Joan,  

With us now: Lydia, Esther, and Gideon; Matthew, Susanna, and Selah

March Prayer Letter; Stephen and Martha

Another of our sons is stepping out to serve God here in Cote d'Ivoire and is planning to come on a short-term service trip of one year; planning to work with Seth and Paige in Sassandra.  Please be in PRAYER for them.  

This is their prayer letter.  I do not plan to forward their future letters, so if you would like to hear from them, another Cuthbertson Couple —write and get them to send their letters to you.  Of course, if you want to support them financially, that would be much appreciated and is with them and BWM.  

May God bless and keep you,

In His grip,

Joan and Dan

From: Stephen and Martha <happycuthbertsons@gmail.com>

Subject: March Prayer Letter

Date: March 2, 2023 at 4:52:51 PM GMT

To: <cuthbertsons@gmail.com>

Reply-To: <happycuthbertsons@gmail.com>

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