Thursday, September 1, 2016

Summer Harvest 2016


Our month long Summer Harvest trip in Europe just ended last week and you can click here if you'd like some news and to see some pictures from it. It was a very full and varied month, and we believe that God's hand was in it.





Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Where in the world are Paul & Laety?

Dear friends,

Linked below is a brief summary of our travels and experiences these past five months since leaving Benin back in April, plus an update of our plans. This transition period has been a great opportunity to spend a little extra and quality time with families and friends in various places, and to have an extended time at our "home base" and church in Baltimore, before moving on to the next step.


Click on link to see it:

Isaiah 42.16
And I will bring the blind by a way they they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. 

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Building much progressed

It's been a wee while since the last pictures of the building progress of our new church meeting place, so here's a brief overview of the past couple of month's advancements:

The gate. (We had to break a hole in the wall to be able to access our portion of the land)
The fence.
This would serve as a separation between us and the neighbouring "cafe".
Digging the holes for the fence posts.

Thank God for pastor Luigi's building expertise!

The materials for making the fence: we had to go fetch them in "the bush"!

The building project on the new land has been a center for Body-life fellowship!
Isn't that nice :-)











Isabelle's Medicinal herb garden!









The "grace-oasis" - a place of healing: spirit soul and body!











The church has already met for several "agape" meals together at the grace oasis.

And many precious "rap" times (Q&R) on Sunday evenings: these have been very rich and edifying times of joy and interactive fellowship!

The provisional covered meeting place / "hangar"!

In order to finally be able to move out of where we have been meeting up until now, a provisional covering has been set up in one corner. It will serve as our chapel until, the bigger, and more solid roof has been put up...

Vision for the more permanent chapel. This is the space where we want to set up a solid roof, creating a chapel for about 200 people.
A few more details remain before we "move in": E.g. A few more touches and the well will be finished; This week a team of men from the church have been building a storage room on site, where one brother will also sleep (as a watchman/doorkeeper). Once the room is finished, we'll be able to make the move (probably in about a week from now - 22 May)!

 Thank you for your prayers for this, as the work will continue (even once we're on the land). We believe that God has been putting the pieces together, and also raising up the available workers to make this all happen. Why? To have a nice building? No! But to have a true "Grace Oasis", appropriately sized and placed, to where souls can come, and be saved, healed, restored, refreshed, instructed, encouraged, and built up by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God communicated ; and through the loving nature of God being expressed in the fellowship of the Body of Christ gathered!

That's our vision for the "Grace Oasis"!





Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Building in Progress #1


FEB 25th 2014 : Destruction Before Construction!

Today we gathered on the land to begin the preparation stage (or "Demolition stage") of the building project of our new church. It turned out to be a whole lot of fun!





Wheel or rather "hand-barrow"


How to dig a tree out of a hole in 30 minutes ...

... without machinery!


Now that's impressive!


This one next!
We also had to deal with this rather large obstacle!

Monday, February 10, 2014

Conferenci!

This past month we had 2 Conferences. Mid-January in Ghana, and Last weekend here in Benin!

Ps Scibelli was with us for both and we were glad to spend time with him … And, he also brought plenty of precious seed with him!


We heard many great messages from the word of God, such as: “God doesn’t force or push us, he carries us”; “All we really need is to ‘Hear Him’”; “We’ve not yet seen, heard or thought of the things God has prepared ahead for us”; “God is faithful: He will never put us down and he’ll never walk away!”

#1: Ghana Convention

Dusty road trip called for special measures! Leaty removed her mask only to witness to the guy sitting next to her. Good contact: and of course there were other ears quietly listening to the gospel.
Here it’s 7 to a taxi! (T.I.A. “this is Africa”)

MMMMMM, one of our favorite local “dishes” (or rather, “bags”) on the way: ABLO (like moist cakes made with rice), and hundreds of tiny, deep fried fishys! (Probably not advisable for newcomers! :-D)

Laety and I came about a week early to Ghana to be there when Ps Scibelli arrived (Ac 28:15), and while we were there we got to visit 6 of our GG churches where Ps Scibelli and others were invited to preach:

 Ps Sunu (Ps Lawson Do’s son) with his wife (below), and the church where he’s pastoring (above).

I wouldn’t risk it! :-D

One visit was to a large Taxi/bus station, where one of our churches had a public graduation ceremony!
Great, creative way to evangelize and to promote Bible College!

It was just a follow up to this, the main graduation ceremony at the conference in Ashaiman (the church where Ps John Jason is pastoring).


Then we made our way back to Benin,
“Any volunteers to help replace a tire?” ("tyre" – UK).

#2 : Benin Conference

We had our 1st ever full graduation ceremony! 6 students received their 3 yr diplomas.

A memorable occasion: the pastors present prayed for the graduates.

A memorable turnout too: about 300 at the ceremony; one third of which had come across the border from Togo! So encouraging!

Among the visitors were the Togo-Parisian “Zooglie-sisters” who stayed with us for the weekend.
Then, with Ps Scibelli gone, yet many Togolese remaining, Sunday morning we had a full house!

Ps Arnold (Kpalime, Togo)
“The 6” (Graduates)

Well, now we’re preparing for the beginning of this new Bible college semester: Thursday.

Thanks for your prayers as we also have in view the moving of our church from the place where it is, to a plot of land that we’ve begun renting close by. There are just some coconut and palm trees there for now, but within the next 2 months or so we wish to be already in place, having church and Bible College in what we’re calling a “Grace Oasis”!

So, we’ll see you at the Conference?! :-D (Which one?)

Well, whatever God has prepared for us, it goes beyond what eye has seen,  ear has heard or any idea that has ever entered into anybody's heart!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

New Years Event


A big turnout! NYs eve is one of the most attended events in the year.  An opportunity for visitors to hear the gospel: Some who heard responded to a call to salvation!




(King) Paulin
Our dear "Maestro" - Joss


We had personal NYs video greetings from Ps Scibelli, Ps Pierre Andre Gigon (Lausanne, Switzerland), Ps Texier (Paris), Ps Yohann (Montpellier, France), Ps Bamouni (Burkina Faso), and...

our dear, dear Ps Schaller! It was great for the Body of Christ here, and deeply encouraging to have this personal connection.