Tim Foster

Dear Friends,

Director Yves has been pretty busy the past month. He spent a week in Ghana as part of a sign-language training program. Then last week he was in Moundou (southern Chad) for an annual deaf leadership program to discuss various training programs for the deaf in Chad. All of this was taking place while construction of their new multi-purpose building was underway. We’re thankful that donations have helped moved the project along, but we’ll not be able to complete the 1st floor in time for the new school year. We wait on the Lord’s timing and provisions.

Our Uvira (DR Congo) school is about to go online with solar energy. The city’s electrical grid is expensive and unreliable, and many people in this region of the Congo either have no electricity, or are implementing solar. We’re looking forward to this advancement, as our school has not had electricity. After the Uvira school is online with electricity, our Baraka school will follow suit.

Pray with us as our Bukavu (DR Congo) school moves from the outskirts to the city to a location that is in town. The remote school was closer to Director Nanza’s home, but by relocating into town, we’ll have better access to more students and resources. Pray that the transition will be quick and that we’ll be able to get more students in the school.

Your prayers are coveted,

Tim Foster
Director

Dear Friends,

We’re so thankful for a great 2019 Congo Bible conference! We had about 125 people register in advance, but on the first day of the conference, over 150 people showed up. The participants came from 30 churches in the DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. We’re especially grateful to the facility Director Murishi Maurice and his assistant Ntungwanayo Noël for their hard work to accommodate all the last minute influx of registrants. We were especially pleased to see a larger number of church leaders from Burundi attending this year. It was a great time of teaching and fellowship. The Christ-focused teaching of “Abraham: Father of the Promise” was well received, and the Q&A sessions highlighted the hunger for more Christ-focused doctrine derived from the life of the patriarchs. I’m looking forward to next year as we continue through Genesis, teaching on the life of Isaac and Jacob.

Pray with us for two important construction projects we have going on right now. In N’Djamena (Chad), we’re building a new two-story classroom. We don’t have all the funds on hand for the project, and hope to complete at least the first story before school starts in a few weeks.

In Uvira (Democratic Republic of Congo), one of our local school supporters has given us an opportunity to buy a parcel of land for $1,000. The land is valued at almost $5,000, so we’ve jumped on the offer and hope to complete the sale in a few weeks. Lord willing, we’ll begin construction on a 8-room school building later this fall. The initial estimates for building the new school are projected to be slightly under $20,000, and the new facility will be a welcome relief to the cramped space we’re working in now. Pray for provision, wisdom and guidance as we complete the land purchase and begin construction.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

Dear Friends,

As the school year draws to a close, we have two schools going through construction improvements. In N’Djamena (Chad), construction of the new multi-purpose building is on pause as we await further funding. The completed building will serve as a chapel hall and several classrooms. In the city of Baraka (DR Congo), our rented facility is overdue for some basic upkeep. We expect the concrete work and storm damage to the perimeter fence to be finished by the end of July.

If the Lord wills, two of our schools (Uvira and Baraka) will have electricity for the first time by the end of the summer. As we add more laptops and office equipment, the need for electricity increases dramatically. However electricity is highly unreliable in both cities: The entire city of Baraka has been without electricity since May due to equipment failure at the power station. The most reliable option is small-scale solar. With your help, we expect to have both schools online soon.

We’re in the final weeks of preparation for our annual Congo Bible Camp, July 22-26. The theme of the week will be “Abraham: Father of the Promise”, and we’ll be using the life and promises of Abraham to draw out Christ-focused truths in Romans 4, Galatians and Hebrews.

Your prayers are coveted.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

Dear Friends

The spring storms have brought a end to our chapel building in N’Djamena, Chad. Director Yves Beosso reports that the building is too unstable, and needs to be demolished and rebuilt. Their initial funds for construction came from a grant from deaf Nigerians living in America, but much more work remains to be done.

In the mean time, we’ve put in for a grant to get a pickup truck for this school. If this grant goes through, the vehicle will be a great benefit for transporting goods and people. Currently, our staff in N’Djamena only have motorcycles, so pray with us for this special need.

Our Congo Bible Camp in July will feature two teachers who haven’t taught at our camp before. They’re Congolese, and our style and manner of teaching will be a bit of a stretch for them. Most of Congolese church teaching focuses on stories and moral practical application, whereas our study in the life of Abraham will bring attention to God’s plan of redemptive history, with special focus on covenant promises through Abraham to Christ and the Church, and the connections to Romans 4, Galatians 3 and 4 and Hebrews 7. This material will be new for the attendees, and will be a special growth opportunity for the new teachers. Pray for wisdom, guidance and humility as we face these challenges next month.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

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

Dear Friends,

The Ebola virus continues to spread in northeast D.R. Congo, claiming over 850 lives since August 2018. If that weren’t bad enough, rebel groups are sowing seeds of distrust in the IMA World Health Organization, claiming that the virus doesn’t exist and is part of the government’s effort to control the region. In Butembo, violence has broken out against the medical teams and clinics working to contain the Ebola outbreak. Several clinics have been ransacked and looted, and are now closed. Although we don’t have any schools or churches in that area, there are at least 3 deaf churches in the Beni/Butembo area, and a number of deaf friends in the region have participated with us in our Gospel work in the Congo. Pray that they will be protected from both the virus and the violence.

Director Nanza will likely have to find a new facility to rent in Bukavu starting this fall. The church where we currently rent space has suddenly increased the rental fees. The cost of living in Bukavu has gone up in the last year, so we’re having to reevaluate a number of agreements that we have in place, and look for a new facility. The church has a small parcel of land they are willing to sell us, but the current location is still a bit far outside of Bukavu for a permanent location.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

In Him,Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf

Dear Friends

Our Bukavu school has gone through a number of challenges over the past few months. The Baptist church where we rent our rooms is asking for an increase in rent. One of our reasons for moving to this facility two years ago was the low cost, even if it was further from Bukavu. With the rent increase, it is now time for us to now reconsider the feasibility of our current location. Pray for wisdom as we evaluate our options.

The Congolese Internet blackout of January resulted in a breakdown in communication between staff, directors and our USA office. For the most part, we were able to bear with it until the Internet was turned back on, but Satan used it as an opportunity to sow doubts, spread rumors and agitate fears among some of our staff. By the grace of God, and with direct intervention assistance from missionary Renee Lindquist, we were able to see confession, forgiveness and reconciliation among the staff. For those new to the Christian faith, it was an opportunity for them to witness Christ-honoring humility triumph over the usual pride and envy. Pray that the peace will be lasting.

In Fizi, Director Shukuru Ramazani has just completed a trip through the Kivu region, visiting CMD schools in preparation for a first annual CMD Director’s Meeting next month. Pray with us that all 4 schools will be able to participate, and that travel concerns for our Likasi school (1300 km away) will not prevent their participation. Director Ramazani has received an offer from regional school official: If he’s able to raise the installation fee to connect to the electrical grid, they will provide our school with free electricity. Praise God for a wonderful opportunity. We’re praying that the parents of the students will seize the opportunity to pool together their resources to make this happen.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

In Him,

Tim Foster

Dear Friends,

Now that the presidential elections are over in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the dust has settled, the minister of telecommunications has turned the Internet back on, and we’re finally able to communicate with our school directors and church leaders. The Internet had been turned off for almost a month, so we’re thankful that full communication has been restored. When President Félix Tshisekedi was sworn in, hundreds of M23 rebels in the Kivu province laid down their arms in a show of support for the new president. It is the country’s first peaceful transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium almost 60 years ago. Only the Lord knows how long peace will ensue, but for now, this seems to be a step in the right direction. Pray for continued peace.

The first phase of reconstruction work in Chad is almost complete, and the staff are beginning to settle into their newly renovated spaces. Afrideaf Foundation donated enough funds to address several more reconstruction projects, so director Yves Beosso will have his hands quite full for some time to come. Pray for wisdom as we continue the work.

We’re starting plans for our 2019 Congo Bible Camp, and will most likely meet in Bujumbura (Burundi). We’ll continue our study in Genesis, with plans to expand certain aspects of our pastoral training material. A couple of American teachers who are planning on coming have some health concerns, so pray that we’ll be able to get any necessary preliminaries addressed before we head out in July.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director