Guinea-Bissau is a small country along the West African coast where culture is very diverse, and the people are quite hospitable. The population is composed of Muslims (51 percent), animists (47 percent) and Christians (2 percent). My family and I have many opportunities to preach the gospel here, and we are thankful that God has brought us to this AFM project, where God will open many doors for us.

We face many challenges in our work in Guinea-Bissau. The electricity, water, internet and mobile phone services are not reliable. It is very common where we are staying to go three to five days without light, so a good solution is the installation of solar panels and their associated equipment. Transportation is also a problem in this region. To get around without owning a vehicle, you must depend on taxis or small buses (called toca-toca), often driven by those who do not take us to our intended destinations. The streets and roads are also in poor shape. Because of this, many cars break down. All of these transportation issues mean trips can often take quite a long time. For example, it takes four hours and thirty minutes to travel 200km (approximately 124 miles). As we are discovering, purchasing a car will increasingly become necessary for our family to travel to our appointments both throughout the countryside and within the city.

We are starting a beautiful project in the city of Gabu, where 98 percent of the population is Muslim, and most are of the Fula ethnicity. We are doing studies and conducting evaluations there, but, once again, travel is difficult. We plan to open a Center of Influence to educate and assist people with their health and teach many people, primarily women, to read and write. We believe that providing these services will enable us to make the connections necessary to share with them a knowledge of Jesus’ love and salvation.

At the moment, our efforts are focused on creating a structure in Bissau where we can further carry out God’s mission of reaching people for Christ. We are confident that God will help us, and we invite you to join us on this splendid missionary journey.

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