Ministering in PTP Refugee Camp

The last 2 weekends our family went on mission to PTP Refugee Camp.  PTP houses 15,000 Ivorian refugees.

Many of the refugees live in small houses made from tarps.  Those who have lived in the camp for a long time have replaced the tarps with mud walls.  Our mission was to strengthen the church by loving on the children of the camp.

For most of the Ivorians, our children were the first white children they had ever seen.  We simply walked down the street and children came from everywhere.

By the time we reached the school where we taught, a parade of children followed us.

Donny was the first to teach.  We are teaching through the New Testament.  Donny taught about the foretelling of John the Baptist's birth.  The children love it when Donny teaches because he not only teaches them the Bible Stories, he also teaches them how to speak Sign Language.  Each week he teaches them new signs.

Christian taught second.  He taught about John the Baptist's birth.

Grace was the third to teach.  She taught the birth of Jesus.

Tommy was the fourth to teach.  He taught about the Wise Men and Jesus escaping to Egypt.

Last, Christian taught again.  He taught about 12 year old Jesus teaching in the temple.  We are working with the churches that have been established in the camp to reach the children.  Last week over 20 children prayed and received salvation.

We had to take two trips on the motorbike to get our family to the camp.  After teaching in the school, Dad took Grace, Tommy, and Donny home on the first motorbike while Christian stayed back with Mom so he could spend time teaching those he is discipling.

Christian is leading these young believers through 21 lessons that teach the basic doctrines of the Christian faith.  He gave Bibles to those he is discipling.  Each time we return to the camp he brings additional lessons.  

In our homeschooling we are learning French.  As we work with refugees we have to speak through interpreters.  We pray that we will come know French well enough that we don't require interpreters.  We have a long way to go.

We praise God for all He is doing.  Every day we feel extremely blessed to get to do what we do.

Please pray with us that we would see a healthy church in every town and village of Liberia.  Pray also that we would be successful in training Ivorians who have sought refuge in Liberia so that we would see churches started in the Ivory Coast when it is safe for the refugees to return home.