Story number 1 for 3 Oct 2002

(Ivory Coast)–Headline today’s news, rebellion in the Ivory Coast is causing missionaries to rethink their presence in that country. Last week, unrest forced the evacuation of a missionary school. New Tribes Mission’s Nita Zelenak says this is an important week for the future of their work. “New Tribes Mission has relocated our tribal workers, and also, the folks who were at our school base in Yamoussoukro have all been moved to Abidjan. Our leaders there are evaluating whether or not they’re going to need be evacuated from the country. They’ll be making that decision on Saturday.” According to Zelenak, they have nearly 100 missionaries and family members in the Ivory Coast. She’s asking people to pray: “…that peace would be restored and that missionary work could go on, and protection of the people of the Ivory Coast themselves. And, also for wisdom for the mission leaders as they decide whether or not to pull the missionaries out of the Ivory Coast. That’s a huge decision that they need to make.”