February 6, 2007 by Beth.

I guess this is a good place to start as we are sort of at the end of all the most recently trouble, the strike and all. For a while it looked like it might start up again today, so we thought of actually cancelling Andrea’s arrival yet again, but waited till closer to the date. All is totally calm today, a normal day here in Conakry. So Andrea will arrive tomorrow night. Tim and Heidi Norton will come down the next day and we’ll all work to get stuff done while they are here…shopping for Andrea for supplies, etc., orientation stuff, and a field meeting. On Saturday we will head to Dalaba, a town about 6 hours or so away. It’s higher up so a bit cooler which will be nice. We’re looking forward to the time together.

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January 29, 2007 by Beth.

Just wanted to jot a quick note and update on the situation here…

After the last letter we began to hear all kinds of rumors as to what was going on and where things were headed. It was really hard to know what to think or believe. We heard a prime minister was chosen, then heard that it wasn’t the one we’d heard about, then that there was no PM chosen at all! The strike is over; no, it’s suspended; no, it’s still on. Very confusing!! Even looking on the internet you can read the title of one article, “Guinea to get new premier; Strike ends” right above one that says, “Despite agreement, Guinea populations says strike is by no means over.”

It was finally announced this weekend that yes, a prime minister has been chosen and the president has agreed to delegate some power to him. Unions are hoping for a transition in power. People are hoping for improved conditions in the country. One thing is certain: prices must come down and food become affordable. Therefore while the strike is not “over” is has been suspended/put on hold if you will. Stores are reopening and people are beginning to work again. But all are waiting to see what this all has come to mean for them in the long run.

While we know that God loves us and cares for every aspect of our lives, we know that he is heart is for the lost, so please pray with us that God will use these events and this time to draw people to Him; to give them the desire to know who He really is. He is the bread of life and the living water - spiritual drink in this dry, dry land. And praise Him with us for holding back the evil that could have set this country aflame during all this. May it continue peacefully and, in the end, glorify Him!

If you are interested in reading more I suggest: http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2007-01-29-voa5.cfm

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January 25, 2007 by Beth.

I feel like we are on a roller coaster sometimes with the ups and downs that have plagued this strike. One day there is good news, the next falls apart, then we’re back up again.

Not long after I wrote yesterday we had a message on the radio saying that people were dancing in the streets in a neighborhood between us and town. Word was that a new prime minister had been named and it was someone that was approved of by the unions and the people in general. He was said to have been in the government in the past but was ousted when he tried to clean up corruption. You could almost hear the jubilation as news made its way down the street…first a ways away, then louder and louder. Soon cars were driving by honking their horns and people were laughing and shouting right outside. They all said that it’s finished, the strike is over, we have a new prime minister.

Could it be that easy? The news was definitely good and a huge step in the right direction, but would things just go that simply? We had to wonder. Still it was hard not to get wrapped up in the hope and joy that was evident on each face. Maybe our lives can be different? Maybe we can afford to eat again. And hour later the lights came on at what had to be the closest we’ve been to full force in weeks!! And it stayed on all night. Even if it wasn’t all right, life just felt really good. I think everyone’s stress level dropped about 10 notches.

I’m not going to speculate on where this is going. I wish that I could report that the strike is totally finished, we have a new prime minister that will change the country for the better and life is going to go on as before but better. Maybe I still just want to bask in the hope. Word has it now that the strike will not officially end until there is a new constitution in place. That makes sense as, like I said, so many promises have come and gone. People want to SEE a difference, not just hear it. So by all means, keep praying!! But for this morning, as I sit and listen to vehicles back out on the road (Tim even went out today to try and find some of his leaders) I’m thankful that in this crazy, sinful, and often evil world, there is a God who keeps ALL His promises. And just as I am a visitor here in Guinea, I am a visitor here on this earth, just passing through on my way to a much better place.

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January 25, 2007 by Beth.

Well, yesterday marked the beginning of week 3 of the country wide strike here in Guinea. Most things continue to be at a stop and few vehicles are on the road - a far cry from the normally three-deep-on-a-two-lane-road we usually have to battle daily around here. Much has happened since I last wrote but things keep changing so quickly it’s hard to keep up.

Monday was bad. It was really the worst day in terms of negative activity going on. I’ll let the news report cover it for me…if you haven’t already seen the article you can read about it at:  http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/764468a80976126c9f361b39f005d019.htm . Honestly it was the first time we started wondering if we might really have to up and leave for a while. Should things continue in that direction it would only get worse. Tim’s bag is packed behind me as I write and I have my list of things ready to grab should I need to. A call to Tim and Heidi revealed that things had turned extremely sour in Siguiri where they are working, in the upper northeast part of the country. The Peace Corps was ready to evacuate their people and the Nortons were considering heading to Bamako (Mali, just north of Guinea) as well.

Then yesterday morning came and we all waited anxiously for news. The mission community here in Conakry all have short range radios on which we can communicate which makes it excellent in crisis situations. Since we have missionaries all over the city each can call in and report what they are seeing in their neighborhood. We’ve often heard calls come in such as,” There’s a mob of people outside my door gathering garbage to burn…” “Military trucks just passed our house firing guns into the air…” “Gunfire being heard in our neighborhood.” The daughter of one missionary family works at the US embassy so we were also getting regular updates on where they were at and what was happening in that area of town. In this way we can be prepared for whenever the embassy should happen to begin evacuating their non-essential personnel. The photo I sent last time was sent from a CMA missionary who just recently started a radio station and who is continuing to head to work each morning. So we have really been able to keep pretty well on top of things. And with the internet now news is just a click away.

So it was like breathing fresh air yesterday when the first message from our mission radio was that there was to be a “day off of striking” that day as negotiations started. The Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) was planning to send a delegation to meet and try and help resolve issues in Guinea. Guinea is quite an important player in this part of the world. As you’ve probably read, much of the world’s bauxite comes from this country, and that affects parts of the world outside Africa. Also, we are surrounded by countries that have been troubled by unrest for over a decade and are now trying to get back on their feet. What would war here do to countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia where you have a generation that grew up with guns in their hands? Another call to Tim and Heidi indicated that the same was happening their way as well. All had been quiet that day. They had heard that missionaries in Kankan were staying put so they were hanging on as well. We agreed, however, that should ANYTHING look threatening that they would leave immediately for Bamako.

So a large WHOOP when out when the announcement came and shortly after that we started getting messages about what stores were opening up for a short time to give people a chance to restock on some food supplies. Some were even speculating that the strike could be over by today! Out we went. The streets had some cars but we made it to the store in record time with little traffic on the road. I think everyones spirits were lifted as people set out to shop, visit friends and just get out of the house! We all wondered where this would head. But we had doubts even with this good news as: 1) so far we’d heard no indication that either side was ready to compromise, and 2) strikes in the past have led to promises never kept. We could only watch and see.

This morning I found the following on the net: http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2007-01-25-voa6.cfm. It is exciting news but it’s hard to get too excited until we get the feel of what people think of all this. Is this a promise that will be kept? Do people trust it? I’m sure we’ll hear more today and see where we are headed. The situation is critical at this point. The price of rice has skyrocketed to over three times what it was before the strike, IF you can find it. And before the strike people considered it almost beyond their means. The economy is, in essence, at a halt. There is little meat to be found in stores anymore and the electricity is a joke (we’re probably running at about 50 volts instead of 220!)

Prayers are obvious! If this is truly a compromise and a promise kept maybe we can get through this without any more dying or injured. If so it would indeed be the hand of God just from looking at this from the eyes of the people here. Pray that things stay calm and that today brings real good news for the Guineans!!

Thanks for your unending prayers and your many words of encouragement and support!! I can’t believe our internet has kept going through all this!! That has been a huge blessing and we are thankful daily!! God be with you and God be with this country!

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January 22, 2007 by Beth.

Well the week has started out in full force here. While all was quiet through the weekend, reports were coming in that there would be a march on Monday (today). People are reporting in from all over town that thousands are heading into the downtown area. Some of the suburbs are seeing some violence but mostly people are marching peacefully, young and old, men and women. We haven’t seen anything in our area yet but can hear some distant gunfire periodically (still not much more than during peacefully times!!)

We are sitting tight. We have messages from the Embassy now and then and they too are asking all Americans to stay inside. Even in the hottest areas those in their houses have had no problem. We pray that it stays that way, and that there are no deaths or injuries.

Please continue to pray faithfully. We have still been amazed at how few people have been hurt so far, we pray it stays that way. Email has been down on and off today, so will get this out when I can!!

In Christ,

The Heineys

UPDATE: Since I wrote: Some areas look as if people are returning home but there was a report on three large groups of people heading from three different directions toward one of the bridges. We are praying that it does not escalate into anything big. So far it has still remained somewhat calm. The photo attached is a picture taken by one of our missionaries here at around noon today…

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January 21, 2007 by Beth.

This is coming to you directly from Conakry!! The trip home was fine once we got out of Dakar!! The airport experience there had to have been the worst we’ve ever had. It took us four hours to get from the front door to the airplane and that only included sitting in the waiting area less than an hour. And that was in the middle of the night!!

But enough complaining…we arrived finally in Conakry at about 7:00 which was much later than I’d hoped. I comforted myself coming back knowing that we’d come in in the middle of the night and all would probably remain quiet. But we had no trouble at all. The streets were quiet and other vehicles were on the road. Had I not known there was trouble I wouldn’t have been able to tell from what I saw. All day yesterday was completely quiet without a gunshot to be heard. So far today has also been very peaceful. There is still an effort to remain peaceful and other nations are wanting to help as well. For the latest go to http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L21554290.htm.

Katie is doing pretty well at her new school. I met some of her teachers and they are wonderful and caring. Her dorm parents are also incredible. That has been comforting for us. She’s taken a big step but we’ve been proud of her every inch of the way.

On the mission front, we have officially asked our mission board to hold Andrea Herman in the US for now until we are confident everything is calm and especially until we are sure that the Nortons will be able to travel down to Conakry safely and escort Andrea back to Siguiri. We don’t have a new date yet but are waiting to see how this all pans out.

Please keep praying. We are so thankful for the calm and pray that God will continue to lead us through all this and that our work can continue. We are so thankful for the many with us joining us in prayer and trust that many petitions are rising this day of worship. This next week may be critical but we go in knowing that God is before us and wants His children to hear His message. May HIS will be done…

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January 19, 2007 by Beth.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. Andrea and I are scheduled to fly tomorrow morning (3:45 AM!! Who comes up with these schedules??) Air Senegal did cancel one flight already, so we are waiting today to find out if our flight will go. If it goes we will go with it. There are other Guinea missionaries trying to get back on this flight, so we will not be alone. And coming in before dawn may be to our advantage. Hopefully the streets will be clear.

Katie is doing a bit better but is still in the adjusting stage. Pray that that goes smoothly for her. We’re trying to find the best classes for her to step into and be able to do since this is the middle of the year. Our leaving will be hard for her but I know she will do well once she is all adjusted. This will determine for her what she wants to do next year in the way of schooling.

Tim reports in daily to let us know what’s happening in Guinea. We can also read about it on the internet. If you want more details about the latest, check out http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=57108&SelectRegion=West_Africa . Also found out from my sister yesterday that we made Fox News! ( http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jan18/0,4670,Guinea,00.html) Either site should get you caught up on what the political situation is there. On the personal level, Tim reported gunfire was heard progressively closer to our place yesterday to within probably 4 km or so but our area has remained calm so far. He’s fine and just stays indoors or around our neighborhood. Donna continues to board with another missionary and is doing well. Uprisings have been reported in several other cities around the country but so far not in Siguiri where the Nortons live and they have reported that they are well also.

The best possible outcome for this is that is can be resolved peacefully. God alone can insure that taking place. Please continue in earnest prayer for the country and for those involved in negotiations. So far three are dead and six seriously wounded (from reports). Pray that no one else will be hurt. God has been so good. There has been so much coming and going these past few days and the Lord has made the way for each one. Pray for our travel. If we do fly out the next letter will be from Guinea. Also pray for Andrea Herman who will be flying in on Tuesday night. Our plan was to have the Nortons come down and meet all together as a field, but upcountry travel will not happen until everything is calm. So we’ll play it as it goes.

Again we thank you all for your words of encouragement and assurances of prayer! That means a lot to us. We would ask that as you worship this week that you also remember your brothers and sisters in Guinea before the Lord in your services as a body of Christ.

Next time from Conakry??

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January 16, 2007 by Beth.

Thanks so much for your prayers for Guinea. It’s really hard for me to write what all is going on from here. Everyone is fine over there and people are still coming and going. If you are interested in reading more about what this is all about you might check: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6XH3J6?OpenDocument or you can go to Google, type in “Guinea irin” and hit “News” just above that (I just learned how to do that!)

We would ask again that you remember the missionaries there and pray that this can all be settled in a peaceful way. It looks like this may be the thing we’ve been expecting to happen for some time. We just pray that it can happen in a way that does not destroy the country and especially that will allow God’s Word to continue going out as it has.

Thank you too for all the encouraging letters and notes. We praise God for communications such that we can know people all over the world are praying. Will continue to keep you posted as I can!!

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January 15, 2007 by Beth.

We are asking for your prayers for Guinea right now. First of all, things have remained calm up to today. The girls and I got off on Saturday morning without incident. We spent Sunday getting Katie’s room all set up and she started class this morning. I’ve been able to keep in touch with Tim daily. I had heard that there was to be a big march today and that there could be some trouble.

Just heard from Tim that the trouble has started. It started with some random attacks on vehicles. Since then there have been outbreaks of riots and rock throwing. At first the police were not around but eventually the police and military began coming out in force. they have been shooting tear gas and Tim said that some people have been shot. They are keeping the streets clear “at all costs”. So far Tim hasn’t seen anything in our neighborhood so we’re hoping it will be contained and settled down and not spread.

So for right now please just pray that everything can stay calm and there is no more violence. Pray for all the missionaries in that area. As I said, Tim is fine. Another missionary gal came and picked up Donna and took her to her house so that she is not alone. That was a huge blessing. I will try to send out updates as I can and as I hear. Thanks for your prayers!

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