While much has happened in each of the countries across WACA, what is happening in Benin is of special note. Benin was the first country I visited on the trip that ended in Senegal with me having a mid-brain bleed. Back in early November 2017, our Benin coordinator Virgile and I had an amazing Pastors Meeting in Cotonou with the heads of mission-minded church networks and denominations that Rev. Nazaire hosted for us. Brother Nazaire is the head of the church association that serves as an umbrella for the other three church associations. Kiddingly, I like to refer to him as the Protestant Pope of Benin…only without all the popery. When I counted up how many Live Schools those men and women believed they would START WITH, it was 122! Virgile had planned only 8 Live Schools for Benin this year! Eph. 3:20! Needless to say, Virgile has been busy between training facilitators in Benin, and also doing the same in overseeing Togo!

A couple of weeks ago I could not get in touch with Virgile. When I finally did, about 4 days later, he was in Kandi, a town in the far NE of Benin holding some training for Live School. The day I presumed he would be back home in Cotonou in the south of the country, again I could not get ahold of him. Two days later we made contact, and he was planting a church in Comé, an unreached village in the SW of the country! That Sunday he held the first church service of Comé.

The following week, we had a team of three friends in South Africa bring us 100 Live Schools. Virgile received them and took them to the second church service in Comé. What a blessed time they had! The church gathered under some Mango trees…a far cry from the ornate buildings that we in the US erroneously call “church.” (Eph 2:19-22; 1Co 3:11-18; 1Co 6:17-20). But by God’s grace these new believers will have a building to meet in soon, which will shelter them from the rain and elements. But their joy is not in the comfort of their seat; they now know that God loves them through faith in Jesus.