Derek Powell

Missionary to Benin
H-2.
UEEB/SIM
BP 15

Parakou, Benin WEST AFRICA

Phone:011-229-610749

E-mail: simpar@intnet.bj

CMF INTERNATIONAL Prayer Newsletter

October 1998

is actually recommended by the

Bon soir(Good evening) from Parakou, Benin West

Africa land of the friendly, French-speaking

SIM missionaries here (due to the

often extreme heat),

Beninois, land of red dirt roads leading to villages in

the grassland, and land of tropical, sticky heat.
Mike and I have been gone a month. I have never
experienced a month with so many new things to see

3-6 p.m.

ministry work; changes from day to

day. Many illustration projects,
sometimes teaching,

6:30-7:30 p.m.

dinner {diner).

and consider. I cannot help but notice every nuance of

the culture here, and I cannot help but see home with
new eyes. These are good experiences for an artist; this
will definitely have an impact on my artwork. The
people dress very colorfully.

7:30"?

time for letters, reading, or working

The market in Parakou is very loud, busy, and full of

goods from all over the world. Mike and I have been
enjoying walking around in it and practicing our
bargaining skills (in our broken French). People will
bargain a half an hour for half a dozen eggs! These
glimpses of the Beninois culture have given me a
broader perspective on what it means to be a human.
These glimpses of West Africans have made me aware
of what a rich and complex world God has created.

Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, and the good ole

USA. Several of these missionaries have an impressive

in the darkroom developing pictures.

The People
Mike and I have met missionaries from Australia, New

20 plus years of serving God in Benin. They are

excellent spiritual mentors for Mike and me. We have
also made friends with two French short-term assistants,

Thomas and Marc. They are helping us with their

Parisian French.

We also work closely with Gordon and Rosewitha

Baynes, from New Zealand and Austria, respectively.

"Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and

we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His

pasture.... The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; Let the

They are responsible for directing a good part of our

artistic endeavors here. Rosewitha has a real vision for

distant shores rejoice." Psalms 100:3 & 97:1

the aesthetics of the materials we are going to produce;

her enthusiasm has proven contagious.

The Routine

Zacharie, is also a minister of a small church. Zacharie

Our daily routine, though often subject to change, is

shaping up as follows:

works for several SIM missionaries, illustrating

educational materials used to present to Gospel that
inform about health and hygiene, and teach the

We have met several artists in town also. One artist,

8-11 a.m.

breakfast {le petit dejeuner),

devotions, and e-mail (If I am so
fortunate!).

11 a.m. - 12 p.m. lesson defrancais, taught by

Nouerdien, a member of the church

we are presently attending,

12:30- 1:30 p.m. lunch {dejeuner),
la sieste (The standard joke is
1:30-3 p.m.

"Mike! I'm going to see Esta!"). Eat

your heart out nine-to-fivers! A nap

Beninois to read.
Mike and I will work with Zacharie often. We have

been impressed with his heart for the Lord; he prayed

and thanked God for sending us during one of our first
meetings. We will be honing his drawing skills,
showing him new techniques, and giving him ideas for
artwork to sell in order to supplement his income. It is a
real challenge to figure out how to use the limited
materials here.

Please pray that God would grant us creative solutions

to the problem of limited resources. It will also be a

challenge to suit the work visually to the specific
cultures that the illustrations are being done for. SIM
works with ten different languages in Benin. For each
language spoken, cultural differences are also inherent.
These cultural differences call for nuances of change in
our drawing styles and formats. All of this, of course, is
very fascinating to Mike and me. These are problems
that are quite rewarding and enjoyable to tackle.

Prayer Requests
That God would make our French studies efficient and

organized.
That God would direct our decisions on which

)roiects to undertake (there are many possibilities).

Tnat uod would deliver the Beninois of the hopeless

bondage of voodoo and fetish-based animism.
Thank you for all of your prayers and financial support.
Your Brother in Christ,

The Amoebas
Apparently someone informed some amoebas that my
intestines were a hotel, so the amoebas checked in for a

Derek Powell

few nights. However, after a couple of days, these

particular amoebas realized the mistake they had made

and decided to exit the building. Let's just say there was
plenty of reading material in the bathroom for a cot
of days.

P.S. Pictures will follow in the next newsletter! Mike

and I just got our darkroom underway! Note my

".dress:
Derek Powell

UEEB/SIM
BP 15

The Final Notes

Parakou, Benin WEST AFRICA

If any of you have been tempted to worry about my

safety or well-being, don't allow yourself to be. God has
truly proven worthy of the name Jehovah Jireh, as every
need of mine has been met. Mike and I have a nice

house to live in, plenty of supportive people, substantial

meals, and plenty of opportunities for spiritual growth.
"But seekfirst His Kingdom and His Righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well."
Matthew 6:33

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Derek Powell
Missionary to Benin
UEEB/SIM

BP 15

Parakou, Benin WEST AFRICA

Phone:011-229-610749

E-mail: simpar@intnet.bj

CMF INTERNATIONAL Praver Newsletter

December 1998

"Ifanyone is thirsty let him come to me

Conference

and drink..."

By the middle of November, the humidity had all but

left Parakou, Benin. The tall African grasses are drying
up, and the wind is beginning to pick up the red dust off
of the ground. It is dry; the daily temperature
approaches the middle 90s. Walking around town or
taking a zimijahn (motorcycle taxi), it is necessary to
wear sunglasses or squint your eyes. The winds of the

From Novembc 2-6, SIM Benin-Togo held their annual

conference in Parakou. The featured speaker was
Pasteur Kouminaros from Paris. He proved to have
many interesting insights, stories, and challenges for the
missionaries. It was also a good opportunity for Mike
and me to meet the rest of the missionaries in Benin

and Togo that hadn't previously passed through

Parakou.

harmattan, carried down from the Sahara, will be

coming these next few months. I often smell smoke in

the air as the Africans bum the tall grasses as they
begin to dry.

We set up appointments with many of these

missionaries to discuss artwork that was needed for

their ministries. We have recently spoken with Martin

Klotz, a Swiss missionary working among the Muslims

It will be five or six months now before it rains again.

in Parakou. We will do various materials for Martin,

This all stands in sharp contrast to the cool water the

Lord has been providing me through my quiet times
early in the morning. Some verses in my morning
reading have found a place to"resnn"TlTe"de^ep~or my
soul; God's Word has spoken to me in Benin in ways

including tracts and pamphlets for Muslims done in an

that I've never known it to before.

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your

needs in a sun scorched land and will strengthen your
frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a
spring whose waters neverfail." Isaiah 58:11
These are precious promises that I hold on to on days

Arabic style.
There is also much work to be done for the SIM

hospital in Bemberke, which is about an hour's drive

north of Parakou (that is if your taxi doesn't stop at
every village on the way up, which can take as much as
two and a half hours). They need posters for everything
from rehydration to AIDS (known as SIDA here) and
health charts for the villages. We will travel up to
Bemberke to discuss specifics of the work on December
9 and 10.

that I am homesick or bored or dissatisfied with my

seeming lack of accomplishment, or even when

everything just seems regular and ordinary. That is, on

days I am thirsty. I am thankful for all that flows out of
our relationship to the Lord, and that He reminds us of
the streams of living water, given by His Son, that flow
within us.

I am just beginning to learn how to please Him through

my reading and prayer time. I am becoming aware of
what a personal and loving God He is. Please pray that
as my French gets better, I will have opportunities to
share the peace and joy that I am receiving from my
quiet times.

Additional Work
Up until the conference, Mike and 1 have been working
with our friend Zacharie, who, if you recall, is a
minister to the Dit-a-maari, a local tribal group. We

have spent many afternoons at Zacharie's studio

experimenting with printing techniques, discussing
ways for him to supplement his modest minister's
income with artwork, and working on our French with
him. Zacharie does not speak English, so Mike and I
often find ourselves using hand gestures to be able to
get the point across. We have directed Zacharie's
production of cards and stationery, and hope to get them
placed in the local hotels and bookstoresf

Discussing sketches with Zacharie.

Our darkroom is up and running, and this letter shows

some of the results. Though our technique is far from
perfect, we think that the black and white photographs
we produce are quite adequate. Many of these photos

"Let us see that in theory we hold that God is faithful;

that in daily life we count upon it; and that at ail times
and under all circumstances we are fully persuaded of
this blessed truth." Hudson Taylor

will be used as references for our illustrations. Mike

and I continue to teach at the SIM missionary school as

well. We have been working on crafts pertaining to the
Roman culture with the young boys. We are also in the
midst of planning art history lessons for the older
students. This has proven most enjoyable for us as the
students are eager and well behaved.

Derek

Closing Remarks and Prayer Requests

Mike and I have been here for almost three months. It is

sometimes discouraging to think of what we have

accomplished in this period of time, but we must take

into account language and cultural adjustments. I feel as
if we have established ourselves in Parakou, and less of

our thoughts are centered on the newness of everything.

Our thoughts can now be centered on digging deeply
and wholeheartedly into the work that has been set
before us.

Please pray:

That this work will be guided by God's strength and

direction.

Four our French language leaming. Though we have

made noticeable progress with it, we still have a way
to go.

For our travel. We will be traveling over these next

two months to discuss work.

For our health. This is always a prayer request in

Africa.

For our artwork, that it would be directed by the Lord

and give Him the glory.

A shot of me playing the role ofmissionary to

a "t"in a village in northern Benin.

Once again thanks so much for all of the support,

prayers, and encouragement. All of these are needed
and beneficial for our work here.

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