Ivory Coast / Liberia

Silas Harris, Director

Love Line Crisis Center in Ivory Coast, Africa, received Director's Training Manuals from the United States in April of 2001. After an extensive counselor training for telephone counselors in both French and English, the Center opened on January 21, 2002 with four on staff.

We received hundreds calls in both French and English between January and October of 2002. Many made decisions for Christ. Some of which would die soon in the events that were to unfold only a few months away.

Meanwhile, the rebel war spread throughout the Ivory Coast. My family and thousands of others were captured on October 21, 2002. We were taken away and forced to live in the jungles among the rebels to be used as human shields in the fight against government troops.

Added to this was the pregnancy of my wife with our second child. The rebels had scant food for themselves let alone any quanity for the captives. The only medication my wife had were roots, leaves and tree bark. It is only by the grace of God that we were able to surive.

Relief came on April 27, 2002, as French troops intervened and we were air lifted to Liberia, our home country. However, we were not out of harms way. A conflict in Liberia caused scores of deaths and many people were wounded. But, God stood with us again and saw us through this also.

In spite of the evil around us, I am committed to resume our life and ministry. I bought a cell phone and am planning to begin the promotion of our Love Lines ministry in Liberia.

(Webmaster note: They had two phone lines in their home. One for French and one for English. These at a cost of $300.

The Minneapolis Center lost contact with the Harris' and we had no idea what had happened to them. We only knew the communications were stopped between our two countries.

Naturally, with such turmoil and disruption of their lives, it will take some time for them to bring everything together again and rebuild what they once had for another Center.

Their old address that may not be correct was:

Pastor Silas Harris

Life Tower Outre 11 ach Mins 12 BP 316

Abidjan 12 Ivory Coast

Africa

Not knowing their situation when we lost contact, they were kept on our prayer line for God to protect and bring them through whatever had befallen them. They were part of our global family. We are overjoyed to have heard from them.)