Kabiye Team News
March 31, 2007

Team Update

Everyone here in Kara is glad to have Tracey, Becky, and Caleb back from Kenya and the Come Before Winter women's retreat. They were renewed and refreshed, and we praise God for blessing them with this trip!

Brett, Bryan and David are all focused on the plans for the upcoming All Church Retreat, the annual meeting of all of the Kabiye churches that have been planted in the last 6 years. The retreat will be hosted by the Soumdina Po Wayi church and will take place Easter weekend, April 6-8. Please pray that God would bless all of the the Christians in attendance with encouragement, increased faith in Him, and a bold vision for the future of this church movement.

Reeves Family Update - kabiye4christ@yahoo.fr

We are very thankful for Becky and Caleb's safe return from the Come Before Winter renewal in Kenya. There were 5 women from West Africa who made the long trek to Watamu, Kenya for the renewal and they were all greatly encouraged by their time there. Becky was also happy to reconnect with friends from Harding days and her good friend and mentor, Jeanene Reese. David and the kids are extremely thankful to have Becky back in our home. The biggest change in our home has been Caleb's growth and increased social activity. He is quite a joy to have around as he has begun to look into peoples eyes with a great deal more understanding and has become much more vocal with his "words." He is sitting up by himself and has cut his first tooth! We are thankful also that all of us are healthy at this time. Please pray for continued health for all of us.

Now that Becky has returned from her trip to Kenya, visits to the village are returning to a more normal schedule. This past week David has had good visits to the villages of Hade Te/Kaacade Bodowda and Tchefengda. David is continuing to work through the Sermon on the Mount and emphasizing the importance of living well in the Kingdom of God. There continues to be a constant struggle with the truth about what it means to be a part of God's Kingdom. This understanding is so important if the church in Kabiye land is ever to grow and truly become the hands and feet of Christ and touch the lives of thousands in this region. This past Friday, he spent the afternoon in Bodowda and had the opportunity to challenge the Christians there about living only for God. When he arrived he noticed two dead chickens plastered to the side of their cooking hut. They had just recently re-thatched the roof and had then offered sacrifices to their ancestors and to the spirits so that they would be blessed with abundant food over the next months and year ahead. After a challenging message, the father of the household where we met stood up and tore the fetishes off of the wall. Then he threw them into the open field. Whether or not his intentions were genuine or not, we hope that a message was sent to his sons and wives about the need to worship and depend on God alone. There appears to still be a struggle with releasing old ways of idolatry that have been handed down for so many generations. Please continue to pray for the Kabiye Christians and for each church by name as they grow in Christ and particularly for the church in Bodowda.

The all church retreat is coming up on Easter weekend and we ask that you be in constant prayer for that weekend. We really desire that the Spirit of God will empower each person who attends and that they will see God and be encouraged to live fully for him. The theme of the retreat will be prayer.

We love each one of you and are thankful for your love and concern for us. God bless each of you! The Reeves