The following letter was sent by Stephen and Lori Albright, CAMA workers who partner with other Alliance family workers in Conakry, Guinea through Envision, the short-term missions branch of The Alliance.

We are writing to let you know about an important decision that was made by the Alliance International Ministries leadership. They are asking our Conakry Youth team and all other Alliance workers in Guinea to prepare for a temporary withdrawal of at least six to nine months. This decision came about from the nature of our ministries mixed with the increasing risks due to the deteriorating Ebola situation. This has been a very difficult time for us as we work to close down ministries and say good-bye to friends and contacts. Pray for acceptance and understanding as we communicate this decision to national leaders and colleagues.

All of our Alliance team members are making the difficult preparations to leave Guinea as soon as possible. Thank you so much for keeping each of our families in prayer as we make this challenging transition. Pray for clear wisdom as we try to determine where we might serve and what interim ministries we might be able to do during our time out of Guinea.

In the midst of all this transition, God has been so good to allow us to see His hand at work:

• Yesterday the Youth Center team had to refund money to all the students who had already started studying English. Many of them didn’t accept the money, but instead asked that it be used for the Youth Center! In the poverty stricken country in which we live, that is nothing short of miraculous!
• One International Worker was interviewed anonymously on a radio station here. He was able to clearly give the gospel as he explained why he has peace in the midst of all that is going on in this country.

As much as this decision has our lives in upheaval, it is nothing compared to what those living in these countries are dealing with. To quote Dr. Kent Brantley (Samaritan’s Purse), “This is not about me [us]. This is about our great, loving, compassionate God who has called us to love our neighbors. This about the 3,800 people who have died from Ebola in West Africa.” And it’s about the many more who are struggling to survive or risking their lives to care for the sick.

As an international community here in Guinea  we are setting aside Monday, October 27 to unite together as the international body of Christ to fast and pray for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. We invite you to join us. 

We believe that God honors the united prayers of His people. We want to see things change here and God glorified as a result. In the name of Jesus, we are praying that this virus will be halted in its tracks. Pray that the truth about this illness will spread in these places, pray for the quick and honest dispersal of aid, and pray for able personnel to help with this crisis. Pray that many people will come to know Jesus as a result of God’s hand.

Here is a prayer guide for reference: https://camaservices.org/guinea-prayer-guide/.

Thank you for joining with us in prayer for our brothers and sisters in West Africa.

Stephen and Lori Albright

Read The Alliance press release regarding the temporary withdrawal here.