Decker Update

Dear friends and family,

**Please be in prayer for the country of Guinea, and for the missionaries there. Guinea is in the midst of serious political turmoil, and there has been much angry, violent protesting in Conakry as well as in Kankan, where our SIM missionaries are based. Burt Koppendrayer, the SIM Associate Director for Guinea, and his wife Trish are here in Dakar for meetings with our Deputy International Director (and SIM leaders from many West African countries) this week. Burt continues in close contact with our missionary family and single teacher still in Kankan. They are well, and are praying for wisdom as to whether it is best to stay where they are, or attempt to leave the country. At this point, the anger has been directed at government and security forces rather than at Westerners. Obviously the question is whether that will hold true or the violence will begin to spill over indiscriminately to foreigners.

**Please keep the meetings here in Dakar in your prayers as well. We are looking forward to three full days with field leaders from Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Benin, and Ghana, sending office leaders from France, England, and Switzerland, as well as our field leadership from the WAFA countries of Liberia, Senegal, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire.

**Jacob and I are doing well in Dakar, while Dave reports that his meetings with SIM Treasurers are going well in Thailand. Thanks for your prayers for all of us! He is scheduled to return on Friday.

**Tomorrow is Joey's 19th birthday! Please pray for him as he celebrates this milestone in his college community. We are thankful for all that God has done and is doing in Joey's life! Please keep him in your prayers as he completes his first year of college, and as he prepares for a short-term mission trip in May, to N. Ireland with his rugby club.

**We are looking forward to time in the U.S. between June and December, it's not far off! Please pray for the right person to live in our house here in Dakar while we are away.

Many blessings,
Mary
for the Dakar Deckers