• Monday:  Seize Opportunities in Times of Crisis
• Tuesday:  See God in Your Crisis
• Wednesday: Understand What God is Doing in Times of Crisis
• Thursday:  Believe God is Doing Something Good
• Friday:  Get involved in What God is Doing
• Saturday:  Strive for the Faith of the Gospel
• Sunday:  Assert Your Youth in Times of Crisis

Today I feel the tiredness of the week, but this is nothing compared to the “showers of blessing”.  I was really blessed during this week.  Many people have seen this camp as a healing camp.  I am just thankful to be involved in the Camp.  I was moved in my spirit to see these young people, despite the crisis, singing, praying and praising God with all their all heart.

• I was moved in my spirit to see how the Lord has provided for the many financial needs.  
• I was moved in my spirit to see joy and faith in action as 275 campers, mostly displaced, gathered every day to celebrate God’s faithfulness and our unity in Christ.  
• Three young people received Jesus as their Lord and Savior and many dedicated their lives to Christ.

During the week, I was privileged to meet the Minister of Social Humanitarian Affairs of our Government who paid a visit to the displaced and gave three oxen.

Please pray for these following items:

• Peace and security in our country
• Health and wisdom in preaching on September 1 for the wedding of Sara Walet Mohamed and Ibrahim Sagara, both are displaced.
• September 3 to 6 for the visit of Dr JL Williams from Burlington, North Carolina. Dr JL has been partnering with our churches for many years.
• From September 10 to 16 for our Evangelistic Crusade. We expect guest speakers from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Burkina, etc. Pray for wisdom and safety and good results.
• The Bible Institute as we are trying to resume our classes by October 1.
• For the needs and health of the displaced.

Grace and peace,
Mohamed & Fatouma

• On Monday morning April 30, we had a general assembly of all the refugees’ leaders to pray and discuss issues pertaining to our respective ministries. What can we do and should do while we are here.
• On Monday afternoon we were able to move to a new site all the refugees staying in Campus Crusade guesthouse. The rent was very expensive but the new site was given for free. Thirteen families moved to the site.

• We have now six sites for the refugees. Four are rented houses and two are given free.
•  Early on Monday, before our general assembly and before moving we had a baby dedication. The baby girl born to Alfaki and Zeinabou was named Rebecca. It was a great time of celebration.
• We have actually 229 people on our sites.
• On Tuesday afternoon, we had a worship service on the new site. We praised God for His goodness and provision. Many were sick with malaria but by God’s grace they are all improving.
  

• Pray for the country situation. On the night of April 30 to May 1, around 6:30 PM we were in shock when we heard the sound of automatic and heavy weapons.  The Red Berets, the former presidential guard took up arms to attack the garrison town of Kati, Bamako International Airport and the headquarters of state television. All these three places were occupied and controlled by the Green Berets in favor of the military junta.  There was a widespread panic in the city. I was caught in the most dangerous traffic of my life.  I was just coming from the worship service on the new site (15kms away from the Evangelical Baptist Mission [EBM] missionary station). But by God’s grace we made it safely home.  Heavy fighting has continued almost all night by the sporadic firing of heavy machinery and automatic weapons which could be heard crackling several miles around. We were reminded of the events and attacks in Gao and Timbuktu. Yesterday, the military junta said to have foiled an attempt to destabilize the process of returning to a normal constitutional order in the country. They showed pictures of soldiers apparently captured and an impressive military arsenal consisting of automatic weapons and grenades.  Pastor David Douyon who was staying close to the military camp has reported a big number of military and civilian victims. Today, we were able to go about our work. There is a relative calm. School is cancelled till next week and people are asked to be careful and cautious. Please pray for our country. After we have fled our homes and land, we realize again more profoundly that the safer place is in God’s hands.
   
•  On Wednesday noon, the guard of the EBM missionary station, Moussa Sagara was promoted to glory. Please pray for Mussa Sagara’s family.  He leaves behind a widow and a young child.
   
•  My family and I are doing well. We were told this week that the rebels visited two times our house and also my associate, Cindy’s house. I instructed Cindy’s guard to move what he can of Cindy’s belongings to Mohamed Alhousseiny’s house. My neighbor is moving today what he can from my house. The crisis is growing. What worries us the most is that AL Qaeda fighters are now indoctrinating many young people and have opened military training camps. They do the same in Timbuktu. According to our contacts, Christian homes and offices are targeted in all our cities.
   
•  I have a full schedule in May with several meetings, speaking and teaching engagements. Starting on May 5, I will be preaching at the wedding of Benjamin Thera and Nathalie Keita in Bancoumana. Benjamin is the first IBB graduate in 1991.  He really needs your prayers. Starting on Monday 7 and for a month I will be teaching a course on Christian Ethics at the national Seminary called FATMES (Evangelical Seminary of Theology and Missiology of Sahel).  On May 27 I will lecture on Youth and Sexuality to the evangelical youth of Bamako.
   
•  Please continue to pray for the 36 families made of 235 souls:  88 children, 69 women and 78 men.

Mohamed-Ibrahim Yattara

5. Please continue to pray as we have now a new prime minister. He needs wisdom on how to deal with the partition of the country, the political and religious situations.

6. We praise God for His protection and provision. Today a baby girl was born in the camp.  Last night at the end of the musical concert I was asked to drive the pregnant lady at the hospital. She was in labor all night and gave birth to a beautiful baby around noon today.
    
7. We praise God for a good time of concert of praise. The youth massiveley responsed to the call. They brought clothes, money and all kinds of items to the refugees. We collected almost $1,500 for the refugees
    
8. After the concert, some police officers send by their hierarchy told us to be very careful and avoid big gatherings and crowds because some Al Qaeda and Boko Haram fighters have infiltred the city. 15 fighters were arrested yesterday here in Bamako.  We were also told not to let people we don't know visit with people in the camp. We need to be very careful when we gather.
    
9. On Sunday, just after the worship service we were still at church when the son of the Bible Institute guard called us. He explained that the rebells entered again into one of our offices.  They removed the books to the yard and burned them. They are now staying in that office. We called some people we know to go check and they confirmed what happened. They already looted my office, stole the computers but we are afraid they will go into the library.
    
10. Yesterday morning, another family with four children made it safe and sound to bamako from Gao.
     
11. In Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu, Al Qaeda is reinforcing the sharia law and is recruting and training many young people. A massive exodus is taking place while people in those cities are starving and exposed to severe living conditions.
     
12. Today we had a meeting of the pastors and leaders of the fellowship of our churches to pray and brainstorm about what we can do to in terms of ministry for the people in Bamako and the displaced.

Please pray as we are making major decisions.

Thanks again for caring and praying for us.

Grace and peace,

Dr. & Mrs. MOHAMED-IBRAHIM YATTARA
INSTITUT BIBLIQUE DE LA BOUCLE

To donate, click here (100% of your donation will go to Mali).

Dear Friends and Partners in Christ,

Shalom.

By our matchless God’s grace and mercy answering to the saints prayers, we made it safe and well to ATLANTA yesterday afternoon.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your understanding and prayers for our sojourn ending by May 10^th in USA.

While being in Paris, we were called by a relative to tell us that the rebels broke the church sanctuary’s doors and are looting everything.  Late last night, we talked with Pastor Mohamed Ag Infa Yattara for more details:

• The Guest house was looted: beds, fridge, TV, etc. were all looted

• All sewing machines of the Women’s Center: new ones to be distributed to the graduated and the old ones for training were all taken

• They had to insult and spit on the face and threatened the security guard, crying for actions on the church ministries looting

• Friends, relatives, and driver: Abdallah and Mossa ensured the Church's two gates and refused to the vandals to take what is left from the rebels

• The rebels said that they will be returning today for more actions

So, our Church is the first one in Timbuktu to be under the Ansar Dine rebels sacking. What they are going to do to other churches and Christians homes in Timbuktu will be our next focus on prayers.

May God bless you abundantly for your support and prayers in Christ

Your servant in Him, 

Pastor Nouh Ag Infa YATTARA

Eglise Evangelique Baptiste

Please view the brief exclusive Al-Jazeera video regarding the rebel takeover of Timbuktu.  Also, please view the second Al-Jazeera video concerning former Gaddafi troops’ invasion of Timbuktu.

Greetings to all,

Thanks again for your kind and encouraging words. It is like a cup of cold water to someone who is thirsty.  The Lord is so good to us we can’t help but to rejoice over his wonderful blessings! 

It has been a very busy week. We were finally able today to send to school 56 children.  Some parents are not settled yet and we hope by next week to send the remaining to different schools. Because of that, I was not able to work on my schedule for the Bible Institute. I had some meetings with the students but they didn’t seem much focused. I think they need some time to forget all the gun shots, the violence, as well as when most of their belongings were taken away from them. I also understand that it is very difficult to study when you share one room as a family and several people in the same house. They really need your prayers and help. We will see how things develop.

We thank God for all the people in our refugee camp. We are now 201 people together.  Some people are staying with families in the city. As the number grows, the needs also grow. The biggest need is housing and feeding the 34 families. It is hard to adjust to the new conditions of living but by God’s grace we are all doing well and the Lord is providing for our daily needs.  Starting on Monday, every family was able to have their own meal instead of the common pot for all.

We had a visit of some Christian medical team willing to freely consult children and all sick people in the group. This week was dedicated to hygiene and health in the camp (please see the attached pictures).

To our knowledge the situation is not improving in the North. Hundreds of families are fleeing the cities of Kidal, Gao and Timbuktu.  Yesterday, the rebels and Al Qaeda fighters looted the radio station and the renovated Guest House in Timbuktu. They also took everything they can from the Living Water Project. Today, they looted the church in Timbuktu and hoisted their flag on the church property.

Reports and phone calls from friends in Gao are very disturbing.  The population is subjected to all kind of mistreatments and humiliation.  I was told today that my vehicle is back in Gao. An Al Qaeda fighter is driving it but there is no authority to complain to get it back.  Before I left, I gave the papers to a friend if he can help me get it back when it appears in Gao. He told me there is nothing he can do.  It’s another republic; he is just helpless and powerless. I feel so sorry for him. Please pray for my friend Ibrahim Toure who repairs motorcycles. He is a Muslim, married to two wives with 12 children. He is decided to stay in Gao andGrace and peace

Dr. & Mrs. Yattara

Christian refuges receiving hygiene training in Bamako

To donate, click here (100% of your gift will go to Mali).

Greetings JL and Patt,

Thanks for asking about our priority needs here in Bamako.  For now, we discern the following needs:

• Lodging costs because many refugees are yet looking for homes or places to stay in. We already rented two houses of 4 rooms each for four families. The cost for each house is $350 per month. We need to rent at least four or five more houses before the rainy season starts.
• Living expenses food, water & electricity. We have today 33 families. 16 families of at least five members and 17 families of more than five members, at least 7 and some have 13.  Bamako is very expensive and the weekly donation for all the families is $2,500; rice is provided.
• Health concerns is a big need. We have a lot of children, pregnant women, etc. We have to take care of prescriptions and doctors fees.
• Schooling fees since some kids are in exams classes: 9^th grade, High School Juniors and university. We have to pay for tuition  for 77 children which is $5,200. The number will grow because we have families coming.
• Micro-credits to allow men and women to cover some essential needs for themselves etc. $225 to start some kind of business for a family.
• Transportation fees to go back home when it can be possible; $60 per person. We are almost 200 people today and the number keeps growing.

Hope this will help you get a glimpse of the many and various needs.  Thanks again for your help and support.

Dr. & Mrs. MOHAMED-IBRAHIM YATTARA
INSTITUT BIBLIQUE DE LA BOUCLE

Dear friends and partners in Christ,

Sincere regards and warm greetings in Christ Jesus.  Our time for my wife Fati & I to leave Mali to USA for 3 weeks is here and we have to leave Mali today by 8:30 PM.  Our battery is low and there is no electricity before leaving to the Airport by 5:30 PM to write back again.

MALI still needs your prayers:

• The Northern part (more than 2/3 of the country) is yet occupied by terrorist groups of Touaregs and Arabs calling themselves "Arabs Front of Liberation of Azawad"
• All Northern regions populations are massively leaving the area.  Only 15% of population are yet in Timbuktu and the rebels are threatening to close the roads by April 20^th, 2012
• Gao has also less than 30% of the population yet remaining in the city
• All Northern populations are under a serious threat of hunger and water supplies problems if a humanitarian road is not opened quickly from South to North.
• In Timbuktu, Beatrice, the Switzerland missionary, was taken in hostage but none of the organization claimed to be behind the action
• In Timbuktu airport area 7 rebels died mysteriously
• MALI and ECOWAS threat to a new war is possible
• Bamako mutiny effects is yet strong and last night a number of high officers and political leaders are again arrested and big gunshots were again heard
• Yesterday the rebels in Timbuktu looted and sacked the 'Living Waters Project' – all equipment and furniture.  Today they are looting and sacking our FM Radio Station and Guest House built by JL

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FAITHFUL SUPPORT AND PRAYERS IN CHRIST.

Your servant in Him,

Pastor Nouh Yattara

Dear JLPF,

Because of the presence of Islamists and insurgents, the churches of the north have left all regions.  All Christians are refugees in a Christian center in Bamako.

The Churches of Gao and Dire Niafunke were destroyed.  Both are in the region of Timbuktu. These rebels were also looting all good of the Marshall Family at Living Water.

We need your spiritual and material support.  We appreciate it even if it's food for one day or something so we can pay the rent or enroll a child in school.  Should God put a donation in your heart, Western Union is the fastest way whether the donation is for family or for all believers.  Today we are at 210 people.

Fraternally in Christ,

Pastor Mohamed Ali Ag Aleyda and Family