Our hearts were turned once again to Guinea as we heard of clashes between Christians and Muslims in the southeastern part of the country late last week. At least three people were killed and dozens more wounded as residents and soldiers alike clashed over religious disputes. Pray for peace and for the Gospel to prevail in this needy land.

December 26 was David’s 30th birthday. We planned to get together with our colleagues at 8 p.m. for cake, cookies, prayer, and worship. At 7:30, after the buffet was set and the cookies were just coming out of the oven, a co-worker called to cancel. They had already baked a birthday cake for David when they remembered it was the first night of a country-wide 8 p.m. curfew. The wife quickly brought the cake to us, returning to her own home minutes before eight o’clock.

Just a few minutes after 8, gunfire could be heard all around our home. David quickly ran in from the office, bringing the computer with him. We turned on our two way radios so we could be in contact with our colleagues, turned off all our solar lights so we wouldn’t draw unnecessary attention to our home, locked all the outside doors and retreated to our bedroom on the back side of the house, the furthest room from the street. We prayed that a stray bullet wouldn’t hit us, our car, or our solar panels.

As we waited for the gunfire to stop, we watched a recently borrowed movie. About half way through, an extremely loud bang came from the office building that sits just beside our bedroom. “What was that?” I asked. David paused the movie, turned, with wide eyes and said, “I don’t know, and I’m not going to look.”

At about 11 p.m. the shooting stopped and David was able to go to the office to call his mom for a birthday chat. He opened the office door and saw that a stray bullet had come through the tin roof and landed beside his office chair.

It was later reported that soldiers were firing into the air to both to honor the late president, and to celebrate the fact that the new president is a military man.

We were thankful there was no serious damage to anyone or anything, and we were able to reschedule David’s party for the next day.

Today, we are living in a changed country.  This past Tuesday, the announcement came that the president of Guinea had died.  That very day, a military faction launched a coup in order to topple the government.  They took over the radio and television broadcasts announcing that the constitution was suspended and the current government dissolved.  For a day or so, the outcome seemed uncertain, with the government denying the success of the coup, but eventually, the government leaders were forced to concede defeat.  And so, today, Guinea is a changed country.  The old government is dead and we must wait to see what the future will reveal.

Personally, we feel safe for now.  Living seven hours from the capital has its advantages.  In our city so far, life goes on.  We haven’t gone out much, but when we have, we haven’t seen many signs of change.  Shops are open, people are buying and selling, people are going about their daily lives.  We appreciate your prayers during this uncertain time.