October 2024

 God’s timing was superbly perfect for us: we know it always is, but sometimes we are super happy with it - smile.  Jeremiah Daniel Jertberg was born on August 28th after a short labor and delivery.  Praise God that Ruth and Jeremiah are healthy.  He weighed 9 lb 7 oz—a bit of news that is probably only interesting to the women.  Since I was in Madagascar for the month of October, Ruth and Richard were able to leave the kids with me while they made the trip to the capital for his Certificate of Birth Abroad and his passport.  God was in every detail and every contact that was made; I just want to “start in.”  I had a fabulous month with them and great times witnessing on both trips there and back—and wow, the hotel was beautiful.  I felt pampered by God Himself.  

The last week of August, Dan, Nathan, Seth and an Ivorian pastor taught a seminar in the nearby village of Blahou. About forty-five people came in order to be taught the Word of God.  We are blessed to be here with so many preaching and witnessing opportunities.  Thank you for your prayers for safety on the roads, for God to work in people’s lives, and for continued health and energy.  

The cars continue in their maintenance phases.  The new-to-us car is soon to be drivable.  Thank you for those who gave money for this.  Dan does a great job keeping the cars running, especially since Lydia uses our car as the school bus throughout the week.  

 

In our last prayer letter, we included a picture of the boy’s hand, cut with a sardine can; it has healed nicely.

 

In my absence, the family was able to welcome and host our long-time friends Steve and Beth Gault and their friend Bryan MacPhail-Fausey.

Much construction is happening at the church property, and school has started again. We are all involved in making this a great gospel outreach. Nathan has been teaching the Bible class and also trying to visit the parents. Also, the Gideon Bible Society came and passed out New Testaments in our school. I am so happy for anyone who has a hand on the plow physically or in prayer.

 

One of my goals is to keep our letters short: a very hard task.  Seth and Paige are hosting a seminar in Sassandra this week.  If you are willing to house and feed people, they are willing to come—especially if it is free.  Please keep us in prayer; we need God’s power and energy. Seth, Dan, and Nathan are a great team of teacher - preachers.  

 

Gideon’s owl is still with us.  We pray that the owl will learn to eat on his own soon.  Our goal is to let him go as soon as he is able to survive.  

 

Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support for us and the ministry here.  We praise God for His mercy and goodness!  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

In His grip,

 

Dan and Joan

August 2024

Hello from Madagascar (Joan writing),

Dan, Lydia, Rebekah, Esther, and Gideon are still at our home in Cote d’Ivoire.  I have the privilege of being here waiting for Ruth (and Richard Jertberg) to have their baby—that is for the next letter, so pray for us all.

I have a hard time keeping letters short, but the more often you hear from us, the more you can say a prayer right then.

Meanwhile, since the end of June, praise God for the safe delivery of three difficult births.  Praise God all went well with healthy moms and babies.

Joseph came out for the summer just in time to help with the kids’ camp. The first week of July, our young adults organized and carried out a camp at our church for children ages 11 to 14.  This camp ministry is now becoming a new ministry for our church. During the summer months, when school is not in session, we can use the facility to do summer camps.  Out here you can do as much as you have energy and funds to do.  So many were involved in this, from planning the schedule, speakers, food, buying the food, cooking, repairs, keeping water available, setting up mosquito nets, building 9-square and gaga ball, and inviting counselors …. I cannot really name them all.  Our group slept at the church with the campers serving as counselors, game organizers, cooks, etc.  That little “etc.” covers a lot.

Dan’s sister Debbie and her daughter Heather came out in the middle of July, just in time for the singles’ week of camp, which was also taking place at our church. They were able to participate in many of the ministries going on. Heather even slept at the church; this is on a mattress under a mosquito net in a foreign culture with strange food and in a different language. Way to go, Heather!!

This last week of August, the men are coming in from the village works and are having a men’s conference at the church, which is the same idea as the camp.  Kids have gotten saved, singles have gotten saved, and decisions for Christ have been made; this is what we are here for.

This place in Madagascar is WIDE open for the Gospel!!  Please pray that God will send laborers.  Yes, we pray that.  It takes a language learning.  We need some young folks to learn THIS LANGUAGE in order to be useful. Language opens up the world to the Gospel.  If you are my age, encourage your children to learn a USEFUL language—one they are intending to use somewhere for the Gospel of Jesus.  Amen!!!!

Saturday morning class continues. I do love to help these kids; they need a lot of love and patience.  One of them came with a cut hand from a sardine can and I was able to sew it up.  Rebekah and Gideon had 59 last week.  Dan, Joseph and Gideon re-did the backboard and net for the basketball.  YAY.

Pets:  Rebekah's pig is getting big and is great for finishing up ANYTHING. Gideon also has an owl brought to us by hunters who cut all its flying feathers.  He is doing well and will soon be able to be let go. Esther’s mongooses continue as the “grubs.”  I call them that because they are fat and dig in the back yard.  They are male and female so everyone is hopeful of a mongoose family someday.  Most Africans cannot understand this kindness to God’s little creatures.

Many praises:  

Joseph came for the summer and is now back at Ambassador.  
Debbie and Heather came to visit and are back home safely.  
Joan arrived safely in Madagascar.

 

Please pray: 

For the church, school, and camp ministries to grow.

For Ruth to have a safe and smooth delivery.

For the safety and God’s blessing of all of the Cuthbertsons scattered around the world.

 

In His grip,

 

Joan

June 2024

 I can’t believe that this much time has passed!!  If I wrote every month, I could keep letters nice and short—maybe.  Besides regular ministry responsibilities, Dan has started more construction at church.  It is exciting to see changes on the property, even if they might be going slowly.  We are in the rainy season, and although we are greatly enjoying the cool weather, the rain and mud are playing havoc with the work and the roads.

The month of May brought an end to school.  We teachers want to teach, but teaching is quite a work that is not to be taken lightly.  As a teacher, you have this book—this material, that you somehow have to get into these little people.  Meanwhile, the little people are resistant!!  I was the Bible teacher and greatly loved to teach the Bible lessons; it’s all about Jesus.  The students and the parents all heard the Gospel, and many got saved—that is the goal: salvation and growth.

The young men in the church have started a rotation of teaching on Wednesday nights and are learning how to teach.  We are happy to see this desire to learn, help, and “claim” this ministry as their own.  Nathan is helping them with sermon ideas and preparation; it’s great.  Our goal is to someday see this as an indigenous, thriving church and Christian school. 

I was able to speak again for the Mother’s Day celebration.  I enjoyed that and am passionate about our roles as godly mothers.  I won’t get started; the text was I Timothy 2:9-15, focusing on motherhood in verse 15.

I also taught a class on “How to Teach Kids.”  I had fun with that and will “do better” next time.

Our latest pet is Rebekah’s porky pig named Raya.  She is friendly like a dog and stays outside for the most part, but she WANTS to be a house pet and loves Rebekah, who is trying to teach her some tricks.  Raya is a female, so she is NOT being raised for meat and can go back to Seth’s farm whenever we are tired of her.

Thanks for the prayers and support.  God has sent in many extra gifts to supply all our needs over and abundantly.  Many blessings on you.

In His grip,

Dan and Joan

UP AHEAD prayer requests: Lydia and Rebekah are heading up kids’ camp (11-14-year-olds) at our church on July 9-13.  After that there will be a singles’ camp also at our church.  Kids and leaders go there and spend the WEEK, sleeping with the mosquitoes (unless they bring a mosquito net), and have a great time with the Gospel and Bible teaching.  Since we are hosting the camps, Dan is working with the rest to fix, clean, have water available, and many other things involved.  Besides soccer, the national sport, Dan and Joseph have built a 9 square game; we have this huge ball, frisbee, foosball, and other activities.  We just need Matthew and Susanna here with their camping ideas. We are envisioning this as a great summer outreach opening our church/school facility for camp and conferences.
          

I expect two deliveries any day and pray for God to bless my hands for smooth deliveries and healthy moms and babies.

In July, Dan’s sister Debbie and our niece Heather are coming for a visit—may God bless this time together.

In August, many are traveling—Joseph is heading back to college, Debbie and Heather are going home, and I am planning to go to Madagascar to help with Ruth’s delivery.

March 2024

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support; God even sends random gifts of love - wow...  This has been a very busy month.  Remember that in the forefront of the extra ministries, the church and the school march on, meaning that they continue to take priority.  We praise God for our kids, qualified young adults, who do so much in the ministry. We do not work alone.

In the background of all the following events is our car, which died and had to have the engine rebuilt. Dan has been actively looking for a “new to us” car. Cars are sold in Abidjan, so it is difficult to shop from here in San Pedro.

We, the grandparents, have been able to take care of our grandkids while Seth and Paige and Stephen and Martha went on a survey trip to the north.  They had an interesting, profitable time and we had fun with their kids.  When the adults travel, I am happy to keep the house running with the little ones and the cooking.  Gideon is so great at helping with his little nephews. I think all the little kids love Uncle Gideon.

Praise God for another safe delivery for a pastor’s wife on February 23.  As always, it is a privilege to help these ladies.  Pray for this ministry as well; two more are planned for June.  Pray that God blesses my hands and for health and safety.

We had a well-attended ladies’ outreach on March 9th with 80 ladies.  The theme was salvation and purity.

Nathan and Hannah are enjoying having the Eric Nyberg family visit them for six weeks.  We have enjoyed getting to know them and having more teens and young people around.

Nathan, Dan, Stephen, Gideon, and Mr. Nyberg, with his three older sons, went on a week-long teaching trip to the northern villages, jammed into Nathan’s Toyota Land Cruiser.

Hannah and Mrs. Nyberg, with her six other kids, went to Sassandra during that same week for an outreach of prenatal and CPR training for the nationals in Seth’s Toyota truck. All that to say, the vehicles were full.

Meanwhile, Lydia, Martha (Stephen’s wife), Rebekah, Esther, and I did our part at the school and church and kept the grandkids:  Daniel, Azariah, and Olive.  Everyone was tired and ready to get back to some “normalcy” at the end of the week.

Pray that God will use the tract ministry to save souls.  SOS - the Salvation of Souls (I heard that in a Florida ministry a long time ago.) I almost forget to mention that Côte d’Ivoire hosted the African Soccer Cup in January and February and WON!  We passed out many tracts during that time.  May many get saved through God’s Word.

Praise God, Esther led a friend Prisca to the Lord and a man named Fredrick prayed with Joan to get saved at the gate today.  That is what we are here for.

Wishing you all a joyous resurrection Sunday,

Joan and Dan