In 2006 when we learned that our mission project location would be changed from Timbuktu, Mali to Kandi, Benin, it was not good news to us. *We were fundraising in preparation to launch, and the change affected most of the material we had produced and been using for more than six months to promote our project. In preparation for our work, I had visited Timbuktu in 2005 and fell in love with the city.

Timbuktu was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988. It is known as the mysterious city of 333 saints, synonymous with the end of the earth and the middle of nowhere. It is shrouded in legends of wealth— a historical center of learning and an intersection of knowledge and commerce; civilized before the civilized world; the El Dorado of Africa. Even today, many people are unsure if it is a real place or just a myth.

Stepping into Timbuktu is like entering another world. Its architecture is predominately adobe-style mud brick, and many of the buildings are faced with limestone blocks giving the town a look unique in West Africa. Metal-studded doors secure two-story houses with central courtyards open to the sky—remnants of Moroccan influence. I was privileged to visit Timbuktu’s Great Mosque (Djinguereber), its oldest mosque. I also saw the famous minaret of the Sankore Mosque and many other sights. Some of our donors were planning to visit us once we were established in the famous city.

You understand our disappointment when we learned we would no longer be launching to Timbuktu. The main reason was the concern of the local Adventist mission that Timbuktu was too far afield to support once a church was established there.

Today, looking back, we understand better why God closed our door to Timbuktu. This past June, when we travelled to the States to fundraise and visit supporters, the Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali was headline news in West Africa. A few weeks later, we learned that the rebels had taken control of two major cities in the North—Timbuktu and Gao—and had taken some Christians in Timbuktu as hostages. In His omniscience, God foresaw the future of Timbuktu and made Romans 8:28 come to pass for our family.
As followers of God, we are under the direction of an infinitely wise Being! All things—all our disappointments, afflictions and trials; all the persecutions and calamities to which we are exposed, though they are numerous and long-lasting—are for our welfare.
We are confident that God always has a plan for the welfare of His children in His service. Thanks for your prayers and support all these years.

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