Dear Friends,
The deaf churches in Chad had their annual Easter camp in Koumra at a spacious Baptist mission, with about 120 deaf travelers and 60 hearing local villagers. As it turns out, the Baptist church was the same site that my father, Dr. Andrew Foster, stayed at when he first visited the area in 1976. He traveled to the area to meet the late Dr. Simeon, and to enquire about a deaf child that was in the care of the Baptist mission. That deaf child was Alladoum Etienne, and would eventually become a teacher and elder at our school in N’Djamena, and retire in 2016. The same Baptist church was also a source for several other deaf young men who would become leaders in the CMD schools in Nigeria and Chad. The rich history of God’s faithfulness to the deaf through the Koumra Baptist Mission added a wonderful element to the worship and fellowship of the campers.
Director Shukuru Heritier successfully coordinated a teacher’s conference for the CMD schools of the Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of our directors and teachers in the region were able to attend and participate in training sessions to help advance deaf education. We’re optimistic that this teacher’s conference will be an annual event, and hoping to be able to include our Likasi school next year. Distance is a challenge for our Likasi school, but we’re optimistic that we’ll be able to include them next year.
Plans are underway for our Congo Bible Camp, to be held in Bujumbura (Burundi). At this time, the dates conflict with a different camp for the deaf in Texas, so we will probably not be able to have assistance from the deaf leaders at New Life Deaf Fellowship. Pray that this scheduling issue will be resolved, as the NLDF team is a great asset. If they’re not able to make it, they will be sorely missed.
In Him,
Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf
