Shortly after we asked prayer for Diatta last month, he expressed his desire to be baptized. Praise the Lord that you have been praying. Dan explored Diatta's understanding of baptism and the implications of such a radical step, but he seems to understand and insists that he wants to be baptized.

Diatta's conversion presented us with a small problem, since our team does not have a church here in Dakar to which to send him. Please continue to pray fervently for Diatta. We believe he is in the kingdom, but our enemy will not allow him an easy walk of faith. At the end of September Diatta's family experienced a death despite his prayer of faith that God would heal the sick. Pray that he will not become discouraged and lose faith, but rather that this tragedy will lead others in his family to turn to Christ. Pray also for the indigenous church and Damien, who is the pastor. Damien has agreed to partner with us to disciple Diatta, and hopefully eventually plant a church in Dakar.

The vision for Evangelical Institute of Dakar seems to be gaining momentum. Not only have we raised our profile in the evangelical community through presentations in the churches, but the board is moving forward in several key areas such as to seek government recognition as an educational institution so as to allow us to apply for a land grant. Also to dream and plan for adequate facilities despite a current lack of funds and to revamp our academic program to better suit the needs of the evangelical community and hopefully broaden our appeal to Senegalese believers in need of theological training. Thank you for your prayers. Our ministry is only as fruitful as your prayers make it.

The ten day visit by the couple considering missionary work here went well. They experienced the culture, and got a good feel for the work here. We had good times of fellowship and prayer together, and we are grateful God kept them safe and the country calm during their visit. Dan's Survey of Doctrine course is going well. The students are interacting with the material and even applying it directly in their own church experiences. Praise the Lord of this evidence that the course is hitting the mark.

We continue to be able to live and work in Senegal unhindered despite the war in Iraq. Please join us in praying for continued stability and calmness in Senegal. Although nothing violent has happened, and the government maintains tight control over demonstrations, the rumors of discontent with the United States seem to be growing gradually as the war in Iraq continues.

Continue to pray for Dan's Survey of Doctrine course, that it will go well and be useful in the students' lives for growth and maturity. Continue to pray for our evangelistic contacts. The only ones we have had spiritual conversations with this past month were Thiao and Diatta, our night guards, but Diatta in particular continues to show interest. Pray that our financial support situation will at least stabilize, if not improve. We are grateful to all our supporters. But over the past year, the dollar has fallen 20% against the West African currency, which means our support dollars do less and less. But God is good and faithful, and He is caring for us generously.

Thank you for praying. Our ministry is only as fruitful as your prayers make it!