Time Out ConferenceIn this section of our website, we explore various “kingdom opportunities” to which we can lend our prayers, time, and resources. Presenting this information on the website allows our members to explore these avenues of service without undue pressure and while maintaining the atmosphere of safety for which Time Out is known.
Our webmaster and fellow Time Out Conference participant, Frank Johnson, has deep and dear friends named David (Faouzi) and Linda Arzouni who are missionaries to Mali in West Africa. One of the Time Out Conference founders, Dave Dias, is also acquainted with David Arzouni.
David recently made Frank aware of an urgent need which has arisen connected to the Arzounis’ work with the poor in Mali as they do their best to meet urgent tangible problems. They are focusing on self-sufficiency projects which meet the concerns of the poor and help the national church with resources.
Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, with the average worker’s annual salary being just US $1,500. Mali’s key industry is agriculture, with approximately 80 percent of the workforce employed as agricultural workers. Unfortunately, seasonal variations lead to regular temporary unemployment of agricultural workers.
Various studies have shown that if modern agro-pastoral projects were done on the banks of the Niger River, particularly if the “Niger buckle” were adequately farmed, this would feed not just Mali, but all of West Africa! The problem is that to this day 99% of agriculture done on the banks of the Niger is still subsistence-level farming, even as the farmer continues to depend solely on rainfall while sitting right next to an abundant supply of water that could irrigate his field. Someone has to show the way. Why not the Church? The agro-pastoral project the Arzounis are working on holds the promise of playing a part in revolutionizing agriculture in West Africa!
But the Arzounis urgently need help with a key component of this agro-pastoral project, namely the purchase of a used tractor, and they are facing a July 16 deadline to raise $15,200 in funds in addition to the down payment they have already made and a small amount of additional funds they have raised to date.
We are inviting you to visit the Arzounis’ website and read more about their ministry and this specific project (especially the strategy document entitled The Waramajanna Project Proposal: A Self-Sufficiency Agro-Pastoral Project and consider whether you might be able to help them with this urgent need. Thank you for your consideration!
UPDATE FROM THE ARZOUNI’S: Some additional funds have come in for the purchase of the tractor. The businessman from whom we are buying the tractor experienced a catastrophe of sorts when a semi-tornado ruined his garage structure. This made the need for money urgent to him. At first I saw this as a strike against us in the sense that this disaster would make him impatient with us and cause him to sell the tractor to one of the many people pestering him to buy it. As it turned out, instead of being demanding, he became flexible and willing to work out an arrangement!
So we gave the businessman a substantial chunk of money (50%) with the additional funds that came in. The rest of the funds are to be paid in increments as the deadline was extended to August 14. Linda and I are hoping that donations will continue to come in. We trusting that the Lord will provide the remainder of the funds for this strategic self-sufficiency project. Thank you for praying with us regarding all of this.
Posted on Jul 10, 2009 
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Posted on Oct 27, 2008 Print This Article Bookmark/Share Post to Twitter