Saturday, three men were appointed as the first elders and pastors in the Loron church in Ivory Coast.

Representatives from various Loron churches attended the two-day gathering in the main Loron village. Two NTM Africa leaders travelled from Senegal to represent the mission and to participate in the meetings. Their presence and involvement was an encouragement to the Loron believers.

During the Saturday afternoon meeting each of the men gave a short testimony telling how they had come to trust the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.

Moses expressed how he was lost and had lived in darkness before he heard about the grace of God. But then he was told that God loved him, and that Jesus had died for him and had paid the punishment for his sins. He knew that because he had now trusted in Christ he was no longer going to go to Hell and that his sins had been forgiven. He knew that when he died he would live forever with the Lord.

Donald told how he had heard a little bit about God from the missionaries when he was a child, but that his parents had moved to another village. When his parents died he contemplated killing himself but knew that if he did he would be forever separated from God. He realized that he needed to trust in Christ and came to the place where he recognized his sin and weakness, and believed on the Lord Jesus to be saved.

Joel conveyed that many years ago when was in his early teens he heard the Gospel being taught by an NTM missionary who used to teach under a little shelter at the missionary’s home. Joel’s father, like the other village leaders, didn’t really want their children to be listening to the teaching of God’s Word, but Joel respected and loved his father so he asked his father for permission to listen to the Bible teaching. His father agreed and Joel had the opportunity to hear what God had done for him when He sent Jesus to earth to pay the punishment for his sins. Joel thanked the Lord for the love that He showed by giving the Lord Jesus in that way.

Please pray for Joel, Donald and Moses as they nurture and guide the believers and Bible teachers in ten different Loron villages and as they give leadership to the various aspects of the work among the Loron people.