Category: Update

Dear Friends,

Emmanuel Ilabor, the director of our school in Nigeria, reports that a driver lost control of his truck and plowed into our school van while our driver and several other cars were waiting in line to purchase gas. Our van was totaled, and before the truck came to a stop, the driver hit several other vehicles and, sadly, killed several onlookers. We don’t know the affected families, but they surely need prayer. The driver was arrested and had no insurance. He was only able to pay $257 towards that $15,000 to replace the van. Our second van will have to do double duty until we can afford to buy a replacement.

After a long court battle, a judge has finally recognized us as the lawful owners of the 39-acre site we’ve been slowly developing over the past few years. So far, we have the frame and roof for the females dorm, and hope to start the interior. Construction of our Classrooms building is underway, with the dining hall and property fencing still ahead of us. We anticipate the total cost for this phase to be 177.5 million Niras (approx $250,000 USD).

At our newest school in Barka (DR Congo), parents are pleased to see their children gaining a formal education – something many thought would never happen. The parents are now realizing that they need to learn sign language in order to communicate with their children’s rapidly expanding vocabulary. Pray for director Shukuru as he plans parental training classes for January 2023.

Indeed, your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf

Dear Friends,

There has been quite a bit of civil unrest in the Kivu province of the DR Congo this year. Since the end of March, a militia group called M23 has been stirring up trouble. The UN High Commission for Refugees reports that the violence has displaced about 50,000 locals. We partner with several churches for the deaf in the affected areas. We partner with the deaf church in Rutshuru, and they’ve been heavily affected. Pray for the church in Goma, as they send delegates to the refugee camps to minister to the refugees seeking shelter and peace. Pray also that this recent eruption of violence will come to an end so that the people can resume normal lives (1 Tim 2:1-4).

In Chad, the Chari River’s annual flooding was much heavier than in years past. In 2021, about 256,000 people were affected, but this year, almost 1,000,000 people have been affected in the October flooding. More than 465,000 hectares of crops and 19,000 heads of livestock were destroyed and the government declared a state of emergency for 18 provinces. Several parents have brought their children to our school in N’Djamena, asking us to board their children until they can rebuild their homes.

We’re happy for the opportunity to serve the community, but the extra mouths to feed have certainly added to the financial burden. We’re thankful for the American friends who quickly stepped in to help shoulder some of the growing costs.

Indeed, your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf

School is back in full swing for us in Nigeria, Chad and the DR Congo!

In Chad, construction of our 2-story multi-purpose is moving along smoothly as funds slowly come in. We won’t complete the building by the end of October as we had originally hoped, but construction for the first floor is mostly complete, and is now being used. Director Yves says that they had their first church service in the new building a couple weeks ago, and school classes are meeting in the downstairs rooms. Pray with us that we’ll be able to get the second floor completed soon.

In Likasi (a small town in the southern part of the Congo), Director Mwamba informs us that his administrative staff were able to attend a conference for directors and headmasters. Such conferences are rare in his area, so we’re thankful they were able to get this additional training.

In Baraka, in central/east Congo, we’ve completed our first phase of our new school, praise God!  We’re behind on getting new furniture into all the classrooms, but that didn’t stop the kids from being excited to see the completion of the new building!

Indeed, your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your faithful support and prayers last month as we taught God’s Word in two different conferences in Goma (DR Congo). Our trip lasted just shy of two weeks.

The first conference that I spoke at was a 3-day conference titled “The Sovereignty of God and the Responsibility of Man”. The topic was chosen by our friend and associate Pastor John Gakuru. He had about 60 pastors and church leaders from his network of churches in the region, along with a small group of deaf church leaders. The course material was well received, and the feedback was excellent. Perhaps the biggest complaint from the pastors was that it was too short, and they wanted more time to absorb the information since much of it was new to them. It’s definitely a case of mixed emotions to hear pastors and teachers of God’s word say “I’ve never heard that before!” after reading a laundry list of verses dealing directly with the issue of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. Many of them insisted they were going to take the material to their home churches and teach on it. Pray that God will give them wisdom as they challenge dominant cultural narratives (ie, misunderstandings) about the nature and work of God.

The 5-day deaf Bible camp was well attended. We had about 90 people traveling in from different cities (and countries), and about 40 local people. In total, we had just over 130 people in attendance. During the Q&A session, we could see different strains of Roman Catholic and Muslim doctrine woven into the fabric of various notions held by the attendees. We’re thankful for the opportunity to shine the light of God’s Word on the hearts and minds of the camp attendees. In particular, pray for Chance Bakunzi and Didi Luanda. These two young men struggle with Muslim and Roman Catholic teaching from their upbringing. I was able to have hours-long conversations with them individually, working to direct their attention at plain Scriptures that challenged their notions of God, man and salvation. Pray that they’ll abandon the false doctrines permeating their thinking, and cleave to Christ alone.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf

We’re in the final days of preparation for our 2022 Congo Bible Camp. Due to Covid travel difficulties, we’ve had to delay the Bible camp, so I’m glad we’re back on for this year. Instead of meeting in Bujumbura (Burundi) as we did for the past 2 camp sessions, we’re meeting in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As such, we’ll have a lot of locals at the camp, and I’m looking forward to metting up with friends I haven’t seen in many years because they’ve not been able to travel to Bujumbura. Pray with us that our course material on the lives of the Patriarchs (Gen 25-38) will be well received, and that the lessons will not be understood as stand-alone stories, but rather, complex narratives adorning the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ll also be offering additional evening classes on church history, homiletics and hermeneutics.

Prior to the Congo Bible Camp, I’ll be the keynote speaker at a conference that’s being put on by one of the local pastors, John Gakuru. As a certified French/Swahili/English/Signlanguage interpreter, he’s been a huge blessing and service to us over the years. I’m honored that he’s asked me to come and speak at his 3-day conference. As far as the topic for the conference, we’ll be delving into some pretty deep waters regarding the Sovereignty of God and the Duty of Man. Pray that God’s word will be honored, and that the challenging material will be absorbed well, even with the language challenges at hand.

It’ll be an action-packed couple of weeks, so we covet your prayers!

Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf

Dear Friends,

We’re holding off on breaking ground in Uvira (DRCongo) till after the Bible conference. Do keep us in prayer that construction will go quickly once we start. In the meantime, we’re exited to see our new school in Baraka near completion. Lord willing, it will be open in time for the 2022/2023 school year in a few months.

Director Shukuru has put his youthful energy to good work rallying resources, materials and donations from parents and local organizations. The Norwegian Refugee Council donated several thousand dollars worth of furniture: desks, tables, chairs, blackboards, cabinet, fans and more. Director Shukuru had contacted the Norwegian Refugee Council in the past, requesting assistance with our construction project. They seemed disinterested back then. But now that the school is nearing completion, they were happy to donate. We’re very thankful indeed!

In Chad, Director Yves Beosso’s two-story multi-purpose building is coming along nicely. The flooring for the second floor is underway now, and they’ll soon begin the walls. Pray with us that we’ll be able to hit our target completion date in October 2022.

Indeed, your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster
Director

Dear Friends,

The school year is wrapping up, and looking back we can see many blessings from the hand of our Lord.

In Bukavu, one of our young pupils went missing from her home. Her parents were unable to find her for several days and feared the worst. Strangely enough, she turned up three weeks later. Praise God that she’s been returned to her family safe and sound. Pray that incidents like this don’t happen again to our deaf students.

In the northern area of the Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Chad, there’s been an increase in militia violence. A rebel group called M23 has been stirring up trouble near the city of Goma in the past few weeks. This is the same city where we plan to host our next Congo Bile Conference. Pray that the violence will subside soon and that our plans for our conference in August will go smoothly and without delays.

In the southern region of the Kivu province, our construction at our school in Baraka is slowing down a bit. As the summer heat increases, workers are having to bring in water from further distances. Despite the increased work requirements, Director Shukuru is happy to report that construction is still moving along nicely, and we’re looking to having the new school operational in a few months. Pray with us that this will happen!

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf

Dear Friends,

Here’s a note we received from Yves Beosso, the director of our school in N’Djamena, Chad:

“We praise God for a successful 24th annual Easter Bible conference took place in Sahr, Chad during the middle of April. The city of Sahr is about 15 hours southeast from the capital city, N’Djamena. In all, about 130 campers came in from 8 different regions of Chad. This was the city we last held the 1st Easter Bible conference in 1996 when we moved to Chad from Nigeria in October 1995. God has blessed our ministry and our participants through this camp, bringing light to the deaf. We give Glory to Him and continue praying as we extend educational and Gospel work among the Deaf in Chad.” 

Congo

In the city of Uvira, DR Congo, we’re finally ready to break ground on a new school. It’s been a long delay, but the time is now right. One of the hold ups is that we’ve had a buyer willing to purchase our old property. That deal appears to be falling through, so pray with us that the buyer will go through with his original commitment and complete the transaction.

Indeed, your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf

Dear Friends,

After two years of Covid delays, we’re finally getting back to our annual Congo Bible Camp! Praise the Lord! We’ll be picking up right where we left off, continuing our 4-part study of the book of Genesis, and exploring Christological themes in the lives of the patriarchs. This year we’ll be meeting in Goma, at the site of a school for the deaf that CMD established in the mid ’80s. It was the last school my father visited before hopping on board a charter flight to his untimely demise in 1987.

This year’s conference will be different in several respects: Prior to our conference for deaf church leaders, I’ll be the guest speaker at a special 3-day pastor’s conference that is being organized by one of our Congolese interpreters. I’ll be presenting an introduction to the attributes of God, and guiding conference participants through an outline of Biblical principles regarding the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. The conference will be attended by village pastors, many of whom have little to no formal Bible training. Pray that the teaching will be well received and that the pastors will gain a deeper appreciation for the God we serve.

We’ve been very pleased with the construction work going on at our Baraka school in the

Democratic Republic of Congo. We’re now installing windows, and in a couple of weeks, the doors will be installed, followed by plastering the walls. It’s exciting to see the project getting closer to completion. Meanwhile in Uvira, 90km north of Baraka, we’ll be breaking ground in a few more weeks.

Keep our Chad brothers and sisters in prayers. Their annual Easter camp will be underway in the middle of April. The preachers will be teaching from the life of Abraham.

Indeed, your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster

Dear Friends,

I’d like to introduce you to a few of the students enrolled in our schools to help give you an idea of some of the students that God has sent our way. These stories come from Yves Beosso, the director of our school in N’Djamena, Chad.

Meet Tedombaye Narcisse

His father is in the militia in Chad, and was looking for a way to have his 6-yr old son get an education. Unable to keep him in his home, he brought “Ted” to our school in 2020, and we were happy to enroll him as a boarding student.

At holiday break, a relative came to pick up Ted, but he wasn’t returned when school resumed. The following school year, we reached out to his family to check on him, but got no response. After several weeks, we got an unexpected text message from a prison. It turns out his dad had been in prison since April 2020. He soon received special permission to come and pay his son’s outstanding school fees, and then returned to prison. Ted’s mother used to sell trinkets and would use a portion of her profits to pay for her son’s school costs, but as with most parents, the funds she contributes are very small, and we have to do fund-raising in order to pick up the rest of the cost. Since then, we have not heard anything from Ted’s family. He is doing well under our care and training, and his language skills will soon reach the point where he can understand the Gospel. It’s unfortunate to see that he has been abandoned by his parents, but we are praying that he will one day come to know and love his true Father in heaven.

Meet Koumimadji Gloria

Her grandmother brought Gloria to us when she was six, and she’s been with us for four years now. Gloria’s mother is too young to care for her, so her grandmother is her primary care giver. We have been concerned for her because her grandmother earns a living by selling wine and is occasionally intoxicated when bringing Gloria to school in the mornings. Indeed, some days she was even too drunk to bring her in to school. We’ve been hoping that her grandmother would never give her alcohol, but one day our worst fears were confirmed. After much prayer, we offered to take Gloria on as a boarder so that she would be shielded from her mother and grandmother’s lack of care for her. Praise God, her grandmother agreed. Gloria is now flourishing and happy – so much so that she refused to go home with her grandmother when she came to pick her up. Pray that Gloria will continue to flourish, growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Truly your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster
Director