Story number 1 for 13 Oct 2000

The Ivory Coast tops today’s news as missionary organizations are concerned about the political instability in the Ivory Coast. Traditionally it’s been stable, but tensions are running high after the nation’s Supreme Court disqualified 15 of the 20 candidates running for president. SIM International’s Scott Harris isn’t surprised by the unrest. “That’s part of the cost in being in missions these days is that we live in very uncertain times. They also bring opportunity. People that maybe wouldn’t listen in peaceful or quite times are more apt to be looking for alternatives in times of unrest.” Harris says their year old radio station in Abidjan is giving Muslims an alternative in the north. “SIM has the sole license on the protestant side. Ours, we feel, is a pretty key piece to opening up areas that haven’t been open before to pre-evangelism and the opportunity to send church planting teams in.”