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| n The present Bible Society depot in Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire |
The vehicle he uses is constantly breaking down and needs a complete overhaul, and the only facility he has is a small storehouse located next to his home. And the Scripture needs in central Côte d’Ivoire are great. Mr Atsé has many stories about the joy he encounters when he manages to take Scriptures to people in remote areas.
Waiting so long
“During one distribution trip,
an old man near Dimokro [a small settlement south of Bouaké]
was overjoyed when he saw our vehicle,” said Mr Atsé. “He
told us, ‘I have been waiting for a Bible for so long and today
I have found one!’ He was holding his Baoulé Bible close
and it was so moving to see.
| “We are truly concerned about the state of things here in Bouaké...many churches are still unaware that the Baoulé Bible is available and do not know about the work of the BSCI.” |
“Another time we stopped by the
roadside near some charcoal sellers and one of the women seemed very
curious about what we had in the vehicle. She told me she was a Mooré
speaker from Burkina Faso and had been trying to find a Mooré
Bible for some time.
“We did not have Mooré Bibles
with us, but the next time I was going that way I took some in case
I saw the woman. I stopped at the same place and she immediately recognised
the vehicle and came over. When I gave her a Mooré Bible she
was visibly moved, her face radiating with joy. She could not speak
for some time. When she found her tongue, she thanked me again and again.”
The BSCI is aware of the great Scripture needs in inland areas of Côte d’Ivoire and is developing two new depots to meet these needs.
New depot
Funded through Opportunity 21, work has already begun on a new depot in Bouaké, and another is planned for Daloa. These will serve central and western Côte d’Ivoire.
Antoinette Ablé is an active member of the board of the BSCI, based in Bouaké. She is concerned about the development of the work there.
“My heart is for the work of the
Bible Society,” she said. “We are truly concerned about the
state of things here in Bouaké. It is good that Opportunity
21 is helping to build a new depot, but we have a lot of groundwork
to do – many churches are still unaware that the Baoulé
Bible is available and do not know about the work of the BSCI.
| “Some pastors have refused to be involved because they are ignorant of what the BSCI is” |
“When we visit churches and talk to them there is usually a good response and they start fundraising for the Bible Society, but our vehicle here is very old and needs replacing. With additional vehicles we could muster enough volunteers to speak about the Bible Society in churches.
“Some pastors have refused to be involved because they are ignorant of what the BSCI is and perceive it as a threat to their church. Some people still think that the Bible Society is a church. We need to dispel all the myths.”
Jean Kouassi, BSCI General Secretary, also believes that new vehicles are key to the development of work in the new depots.
“Apart from the main Abidjan to Korhogo highway, most of the roads are dirt roads subject to the vagaries of the weather,” he said. “You have to have a good off-road vehicle to cover the region effectively.” (WR 362/12 - 09.01) PHOTOS]