Cook Weekly - le 1 decembre

Dear friends and family:

We started out Saturday, mid morning hoping to spend the day looking for a car.  Being a 3rd world developing country, there are always sewage pipes that need repaired here and it's not uncommon to have to go through parts of roads that are covered in "water". Today we went through one of those areas near our home and got our right front tire stuck in a hole. Matt had to get out of the car and wade through it to get our car pushed out. Being the gentlemen that he is, he let me do the driving. :-) Wish I'd had my camera as he and 5 other African men pushed the mission car out of the water. We went back home, got him cleaned up again (and disinfected) and headed back out.
This week we've found 2 Toyota Corolla's (in which we're interested) on the market for a good price; at least good for here. The one is a 2007, the other a 2006. We're trying to figure out which one is the "winner" based on our mechanic's opinion; and will hopefully buy one or the other this week. Thank you for your prayers and financial help in all this. We are still not quite able to pay for it all, but the mission is willing to loan us some to make up the difference until the rest comes in.

I also had this week a wonderful opportunity to visit 4 homes of FATEAC wives who've recently had babies. 6 of the FATEAC teacher's (all women this time) went from house to house congratulating all of these families. (One of them had twins...adorable!) We then presented them with a gift of soap and money to be used for their newest arrivals.

Keep praying.
Love, Cindy

COOK Weekly - 24 novembre 2008

We thought we were ready for our return to Africa, but we aren't.  We're good on the emotional shock; good on the reunion with old friends, good on the work load, good even on the heat.  We were not prepared for sticker shock when trying to purchase a car.  The reason for the shock is a 40% tax imposed by the government for importing.  It would be great to get the one year old corolla which we found (except we need another $17k).  Instead it's likely we'll buy a new Hyundai Getz.  We only need $7k more for that.  Africa is hard on cars (and everything else), but we need something that will last a good long time.

Pray for wisdom and resources.

Matt & Cindy Cook
Republic of Cote d'Ivoire

• Our significant financial need, at this point, is help to purchase a car in Abidjan,.  Click here.  ("Matt Cook Vehicle special")  Please let us know if you are making a donation so we'll make a better decision on the car.
  

COOK Weekly - 15 novembre 2008

Greetings from sunny & sandy Dakar. We've had a great week attending teachers meetings, catching up on sleep and accompanying our kids to school events. Holly, this week, has started being a statistician for the boys varsity basketball team. Both Andy and Holly are trying out for the spring musical and are working hard to learn the audition songs.
Thanks for praying for a wonderful week with the kids.  It has been just that.  We're encouraged to see them settle into life in Dakar (and the dorms).  Thank you for continuing to pray for them to excel academically even without us around to coax and coach.
Matt & Cindy Cook
Cote d'Ivoire

COOK Weekly - 10 novembre 2008

Greetings from Dakar, Senegal. It's been great these last 3 days to be with Holly and Andy once again. We've had special times alone with each of them, been to Secret Beach with friends, had meals with friends and started to plan our week of meetings with teachers and dorm parents. Much of Monday and Tuesday are dedicated to this already.

The highlight of our weekend was Holly's play. She had a main role in Bone- Chillers! We were very pleased with her performance as Eloise and the performances of all 12 of the HS participants.

Thank you for your prayers that have brought us this far.

Serving Him together,
Matt and Cindy Cook
RCI Missionaries with the CMA

COOK Weekly - 03 novembre 2008

It's our 24th wedding anniversary today!!!!!!

Even though our possessions are strewn over 6 cities on 4 continents at least we are renting a space on this world which we will call home.  As of November 1, we have officially started renting a house in Abidjan into which we'll move when we finally get there. 

Our meetings these two weeks of the World Evangelical Alliance - Theological Commission; then the World Evangelical Alliance - General Assembly; Now the World Evangelical Alliance - Missions Commission have been very good for learning, networking, informing others what we're going at FATEAC and in the world.  We're encouraged by the developments in missions and theology that means the church is thinking and growing.  We're excited to be part of it.  (More details would be generally boring to the majority of readers, but if you want to know more, just ask.)

Thanks for your prayers - Keep praying for us to rest this week: we leave Thailand Tuesday evening to arrive in Paris Wednesday morning; We leave Paris Wednesday evening to arrive in Dakar Thursday morning.  I don't expect us to accomplish anything this week except get our bodies from one place to another.

Blessings,
Matt & Cindy Cook
On our way to Africa (finally)