In less than three weeks, we will be leaving cold country behind - back to Abidjan, then drive to San Pedro.  Pray for our trip to go smoothly; namely, for the plane, the luggage, us seven adults, and seven little kids.  (Dan, I and Gideon with Matthew, Susanna (praise God for her pregnancy), Selah and Lucas on one flight, and Nathan and Hannah with their 5 on a different flight, but all in the same day —December 3rd.)

 

My new motto in America is every car has a driver; I call it parking lot visitation.  I can put lots of tracts on the windshields of cars.  Besides great gospel conversations, no one has ever told me to stop.  Pray for the tract ministry.  SOS - Salvation of Souls.  Just be bold.  It would be a super-minor “persecution” if someone told me to stop. 

 

We have had SUCH a great time visiting friends, supporters, and family in Florida.  There is one thing second only to someone getting saved, and that is a delivery.  Unexpectedly, I had the privilege to help a friend’s daughter with the delivery of her firstborn.  Her mother is my long-time childhood friend from Liberia.  It was SO sweet to reconnect with them!!  Wow.  Such sweet friends—fellow evangelists here in America.  Praise God that the mother and baby boy are both healthy and well.

 

Back in July we mentioned that due to heavy rains, a section of wall at the church property fell down doing damage to a neighbor’s house.  One of the first things that Dan will have to do is to complete the clearing of the mess and to do the rebuilding.  Some of you have already given toward this project, and we thank you very much!  We still need funds to complete that work.  If any of you wants to give toward this project, money can be sent to the mission and we would so appreciate that help.

 

Thank you for your faithful prayers!  Happy Thanksgiving!! We are praising God for His many blessings; no more long road trips for a while.  Let’s stay strong to the end; may we hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” 

 

In His grip,

Servants together of the Most High God —nothing could be better than that.

 

Dan, Joan, and Gideon – Lydia is already there.

 

 

September 2025

 

   We have been ENJOYING reconnecting with our friends and making new ones.  One predominant theme in our lives continues to be: very Sad to Leave but very Happy to Arrive. (I got that from my sister, also an MK.)  It was great to see our friends in the northern states and also to visit Dan’s 95-year-old mother numerous times a week. 

We spent much time with Dan’s family and were also able to attend our niece’s wedding; weddings always turn into fun family reunions. 

    If you see a turtle on a shelf, you know it did not get there by itself.  I’ve heard, “It takes a village or a team.”  All this to say that we are encouraged by those who have prayed and supported us. One of the highlights of our trip was seeing and helping for a day with the John and Roman’s project.  We had a wonderful time in fellowship, helping to assemble the pamphlets that we distribute on a regular basis.  Praise God for groups of faithful people who do this on a regular basis. 

    Joseph is a senior, and Esther is a freshman at Ambassador Baptist College in North Carolina.  Also, Nathan and Hannah Schrock decided to take a short furlough and came to town on the 9th and are returning to Ivory Coast on December 3rd.   This is a wonderful surprise!! 

    It has gotten cold and rainy, mixed with some nice afternoons.  That being said, Dan has bought tickets for December 3rd. On top of that, PRAISE THE LORD, Mathew and Susanna are at full support and have tickets on the same flight as we do!!  Nathan and Hannah are on an earlier flight that same day; we will all be in Abidjan at the same time; let the fun continue. 

    Meanwhile, we are headed to Virginia, Florida, and Georgia to see as many friends as we can.  I almost forgot: Gideon is doing Driver’s Ed this month, and we are also hoping to help Esther get her license.  Pray and pray some more.  Thanks for all of you who do pray for us and the ministry in Côte d’Ivoire!

 

In His grip,

Dan and Joan, Esther, and Gideon

 

July 2025

 It has been great to reconnect face-to-face with many friends and family.  In May, we enjoyed warmer weather, sorting through “stuff,” feeding the college young men as they concentrated on finals, and taking care of a few household projects.  Then Josiah graduated from Ambassador Baptist College and went to Côte d’Ivoire to help Nathan and Hannah until the beginning of July. This has been a sweet time with all those graduation activities. 

 

On May 25 the church plant in Petit Pedro officially became an autonomous church when they voted on their members and leaders.  That is what we are always working toward.  Then in June, a section of the main wall around our church property in Lac collapsed during an exceptionally hard rain storm.  Please pray for the funds and the effort necessary to rebuild.

 

We also celebrated Isaiah’s birthday in May, and then Dan was able to participate in Matthew Schrock’s ordination.   We are proud that he is our son-in-law and that they are almost ready to go to Côte d’Ivoire as full-time missionaries.  Joseph is working as a pastoral intern at a church in Pennsylvania, getting a lot of great life ministry experiences. 

 

In June, Esther and Gideon attended Servant’s Heart Camp in Pennsylvania; they had a great time participating in American teen activities and facing spiritual challenges. My nephew Gabriel Timblin was married in VA the end of May, and another nephew, David Messer, was married in Winston-Salem, NC in June followed by a “Watkins” family reunion. It was also a time of recognizing my mom, who will be 90 in October.  We had a great time with 66 of us at the family reunion.   Again, it is great to see friends and family face-to-face that we have not seen in years; my personal siblings have not been together for 15 years.  

 

And now we are taking to the roads, heading north to Pennsylvania and on to Michigan—more church families and friends await, AND another wedding and therefore another family reunion. Dan’s mom is 95 this year; we will see her as well.  

 

Thank you for your prayers.  We are here to report the many blessings of the Lord on the ministry in Côte d’Ivoire. 

 

In His grip,

Dan and Joan, Esther and Gideon

April 2025

 "Happy Easter" seems very inadequate. Hallelujah—what a Savior! Risen and alive today; the ultimate proof that Jesus was who He said He was: God in the flesh. Wow! I have been enjoying worshiping God here in our own culture.  The San Pedro and surrounding churches got together for a four-day Easter conference with a parade, lots of music, and great preaching—in the heat.  Praise God for them and Nathan Schrock preaching and helping to lead the church.   

March: The church school continues to limp a little.  The week we were leaving, I went to teach my class and saw that the classrooms were extra full.  Why?  One of our teachers was in jail!!  Crazy for sure—a scammer in action. He had stolen the identity papers of a real teacher and had physically assumed the other’s role as a teacher. This had happened at least five years ago. (We hired him in good faith—misplaced as it was.) And now, the law had finally caught up with him. Keep praying for us to have discernment in this world and not to grow hardhearted.  I once heard a quote, "The day you get hardhearted is the time to leave the ministry."

We left the extreme heat of San Pedro on March 18 to Abidjan. Our flight was on March 19 to Kenya (we have now kissed the heat goodbye—I did need a break), and we were able to spend time with the Rains family and visit the Bible college where they minister. It was fun to pet the giraffes and get back to the airport for our flight at 11:30 p.m. to NYC and then to Charlotte on the 21st.  Thank God that all the luggage also came through in fine shape.  

We have been in America for five weeks and are accomplishing what we are here to do: Be still and KNOW that I am God. At noon on the 22nd, Lydia, Esther, and I attended a beautiful baby shower for Isaiah and Alyssa’s baby at Grace Baptist Church. 

That evening was a birthday party for Joseph turning 21. Part of our purpose in these first months is to be helpful to our college boys as they finish the semester.  Josiah is graduating in May.

We spent March 28–31 in Pennsylvania, visiting some of Dan’s family for our nephew’s wedding. The trip was absolutely worth it!

Back in NC, we welcomed Jason Roy into the world on Saturday, April 5.  Seriously, praise the Lord and thank you for all the prayers; this was indeed the easiest, smoothest delivery of a first baby that I have EVER done. All praise to Jesus.  Just to say, this was a two-hour labor and delivery from start to finish; I almost did not make it—glory to God for this new life.

Witnessing in America is a new kind of challenge. I’ve been thinking through some ideas—like canvassing a parking lot with tracts, visiting Dollar General down the street, or reaching out in the neighborhood around our “home” church here. And now a new thought has been stirring in my heart: What makes a street preacher? Is it witnessing to strangers on a street corner? Or using the computer to preach Jesus in love? Jesus had compassion—He saw the multitudes as sheep without a shepherd. That same compassion is what we want to guide us.

Thank you for your prayers! Please continue to pray for us as we continue to travel across America and for the work that continues in Côte d’Ivoire.

In His grip,

Dan and Joan, Lydia, Esther and Gideon