Category: Update

Dear Friends,

Students and teachers from one of our old schools in Goma (DR Congo) had quite the scare last month. A nearby volcano in the Virunga National Park erupted on May 26th, causing 30,000 residents of Goma to flee their homes. At last count, 31 people died in the disaster. A number of our deaf friends in the city also had to leave the city until the lava cooled and the earthquakes ceased. One of them, a young evangelist named Temo, sent me several photos of the volcano and ensuing damage done by the volcano. Pray that their lives will be quickly restored.

We’re happy to report that Director Yves Beosso is nearing completion of the new administration buildings on their property in N’Djamena (Chad). We have about another $500 worth of construction to go and the buildings will be complete. Meanwhile, the 2-story multi-purpose building is moving at a much slower pace, so pray with us that both sets of buildings will be completed soon.

In Nigeria, construction of our new school continues to move forward. Praise God with us that Mission Projects Fellowship has awarded our Nigeria center a $9,800 grant! This is a huge blessing, and I’m excited to see how the project leaps forward.

Indeed, your prayers are greatly coveted!

Tim Foster
Director

Dear Friends,

We’re pleased to report that we have completed the purchase of two parcels of land in the Kivu province of the DR Congo. One is near our Uvira school, and the other is near our Baraka school, and we’re excited to begin construction. Pray that the designs will be satisfactory for our needs, and that funds will be prepared so we can begin construction soon.

In order to address some of the challenges at our school in Bukavu (DR Congo), Pililo Amani, our regional director, was able to have a lengthy meeting with our Bukavu director and missionaries Kathy Lindquist and Renee Lindquist. The main challenges facing our Bukavu school frequently stems from a lack of training. Pray with us that we’ll be able to arrange the training needed so that the school can flourish.

By the grace of God, Covid fatalities are not a major challenge in the DR Congo, and fewer than 100 Congolese have succumbed to the pandemic. The fear of Covid, however, has made a large impact on the country. Schools were the first to close, and students are now foregoing their summer vacation to make up for lost school time. As a result, it’s looking like we won’t be able to have our usual Congo Bible Camp this year. I’m hoping we might be able to have a small training event in Goma (DR Congo), but it remains to be seen how many people will be able to participate. If the numbers are sufficient, we’ll plan to go forward and meet.

Indeed, your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster
Director

Dear Friends,

We’re excited to see so much progress with the construction of new buildings at our N’Djamena (Chad) school. The sizable gifts we’ve received over the past few months have been depleted, and construction is now slowing down. The rain season will be here soon, and if the work is not completed by then, we’ll have to move at a much slower pace. Pray with us that we’ll be able to continue construction and complete the new multi-purpose building soon.

In Bukavu (DR Congo), we’ve added new staff members for our growing school, but we also need to get them trained ASAP. Their lack of strong sign language skills is a hindrance that needs quick resolution. Pray that we’ll be able to get them trained quickly.

To the northwest of Bukavu, in the city of Kavumu, a school for the deaf has been struggling for several years. It was founded by a group of local parents concerned for their deaf children, and they’ve had a tumultuous time with less-than-honest people vying for leadership. Despite this, the school has grown to over 70 deaf students. They have asked us for financial and academic assistance, but at this time, we’re not able to commit resources to their effort. Fabien, one of our deaf teachers from Bukavu, has been spending a lot of evening hours working to help them stabilize and get competent leadership in place. He’s brought in a former classmate from his high school in Goma, and both men are working there at their own expense. Pray that God will give us wisdom about whether and how we might assist the Kavumu school.

In these uncertain Covid times, we’re exploring an opportunity to go to Goma in July and host a Bible camp. Pray for wisdom about making these arrangements.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

Dear Friends

January has been a busy month for us in the Congo. We’ve completed the purchase of two parcels of land. One is in the city of Baraka, and the other is in the city of Uvira. After all the legal paperwork is completed, we’ll need to finish the plans for construction and then proceed with building the classrooms. Finalizing the blueprints for construction has proved to be a bit of a challenge in Baraka. We have limited access to construction expertise, and the people willing to do the work are very keen to try and make a tremendous profit off our project. Pray that we can get these buildings underway and completed within the next few months.

We have recently promoted Pililo Amani from director of our Uvira school to regional director for the Eastern Congo. In this position, he will have oversight over our Bukavu and Baraka schools. We are confident that his years of faithfulness in developing the Uvira school will be invaluable as we also try to grow the Bukavu and Baraka schools over the next few years. Pray that his transition into that role will be smooth. Also pray for him as he will travel quite a bit more than he has in the past. The roads in his part of the Congo are not always safe, and the road to Baraka is almost useless. The two-hour boat ride across Lake Tanganyika is almost three times faster than a bus or motorcycle ride on the dysfunctional roads.

In Chad, we’re excited to announce the purchase of a good used truck! Thanks to Mission Project Fellowship, we’ve received a grant for the purchase of a much-needed vehicle. https://missionprojects.org/project/679 Director Yves and his staff have been praying for this for quite some time, so we’re excited and looking forward to what God will do through this special blessing.,

We have some very sad news here at the home office in Texas. John Foster, my 2nd oldest brother, suffered a heart attack on January 19th and is now with the Lord. He worked in the CMD office from 1988 till July 2019 and was a consistent and faithful servant with his various duties, even while his health was in decline the past few years. After many years of bouts with diabetes, pneumonia, bronchitis, high blood pressure, kidney failure, dialysis and Covid, his body succumbed to a heart attack. He had no spouse or children. We will miss him dearly.

Thanks for your prayers.

Tim Foster
Director

Our update for November is the Winter 2020 Prayer Letter.

Dear Friends,

The new school year is picking up speed as our teachers and students get back into the swing of post-Covid education.

Director Yves Beosso reports that four teachers from our network of schools in Chad (two of whom are from our ECMST school in N’Djamena) will be heading to South Africa to participate in a Deafnet Centre of Knowledge conference in Worcester, South Africa. The conference will focus on education tools and techniques for deaf educators. Pray that their trip will be safe and that the training and materials will be beneficial for their schools.

In Uvira (DR Congo), we have unfortunately missed an opportunity for purchasing new land as part of our expansion. A prospective seller didn’t want to wait for the funds to be transferred, and sold his property to another buyer. Pray that Director Pililo will be able to locate another parcel of land soon and begin construction on our new building.

Our Baraka (DR Congo) school is seeing continued growth. Our four newest students are adults from neighboring villages. With no vehicle for transportation and no rooms for boarding, Director Shukuru brought these four students live with him and his new wife in their one-bedroom home, while they saved up for the usual 4-month down payment for a new home to rent. Although the arrangement was culturally inappropriate, Shukuru and his wife felt it was a worthwhile sacrifice in order to educate and evangelize these deaf adults who had never stepped foot into a classroom. When I found out about the challenge, I quickly sent him the down payment funds so he could move into a bigger home and have designated male and female bedrooms for his new students. Pray for wisdom as we continue to grow.

We’ve increased the number of primary classes in Bukavu (DR Congo), and now offer the full set of six Primary classes. Director Nanza now has his hands full with three new teachers and fifteen new students. Some of the new teachers are also new to sign-language, and our P6 teacher, Fabien Morisho (who also does a lot of outreach ministry) is providing sign-language training for these teachers. Transportation continues to be a big challenge as most of the current crop of students do not live close to the school.

Indeed your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster
Director

Dear Friends,

Now that summer is behind us, we’re preparing for the 2020-2021 school session. Covid quarantines have been lifted, and teachers and staff are ready to get the new year started. Additionally, two of our directors and five of our teachers in Chad and the DR Congo will be returning to university under CMD scholarships. Pray that they will continue to do well both in their studies and in their work.

In Uvira (DR Congo), Director Pililo reports that their school year ended with 71 students. Twelve had to drop out due to various health, flooding and Covid concerns. Even despite the flooding in April and Covid lockdown, most students were able to pass their grades, and all the Primary Six students graduated and are now preparing for Secondary School. We’re still waiting the test results for the students who tested to graduate from Secondary School. Pray that they’ll also have passing scores. Pray that we’ll also be able to finally start construction of our new school facility. The land acquisition has been a challenge, but we believe the final steps are in place, and Lord willing, we’ll begin construction in November.

We praise God for Director Shukuru’s recent marriage to Mpasa, a deaf young lady from Goma. Pray for them as they adjust to married life, and that she will make a smooth transition from the big city of Goma to Shukuru’s small town of Baraka (DR Congo). We’re excited to have her on board as our new Primary 3 / Primary 4 teacher!

Great news in Chad: Mission Projects Fellowship will be sponsoring our center in the purchase of a pickup truck! Praise God for meeting this long-standing need. Director Yves reports that they have added seven new students for the 2020-2021 school year, and three additional students cannot come because they live too far away and cannot afford the boarding room rates. Pray that we’ll be able to find sponsors for these families.

Pray with us as we re-evaluate our strategy in Bukavu (DR Congo). Many of the students travel long distances to attend our school. The need is great, but the resources are limited, and transportation is a huge challenge. Pray for wisdom as we explore new options for serving the deaf in this large city.

Indeed, your prayers are coveted.

Tim Foster
Director

The Lord has been gracious to us during these Covid19 times.

Although school has been suspended across most of Africa, we have been able to make good use of the down-time to greatly improve our facility in N’Djamena, Chad. Director Yves Beosso reports that all the faculty and administrative buildings have been rebuilt and are now in use. Praise God! The one building remaining is the two-story multi-purpose building that has been on hold for the past several months. It will serve as the chapel, with classrooms on the 2nd floor. Pray that the Lord will continue to provide for this building so it can be completed.

Due to scheduling delays, Director Shukuru Hertier has had to postpone his wedding from August 29th till September 5th. In this region of the Congo, wedding dates are assigned by the government after the couple registers for a marriage certificate. Travel and accommodations are all hampered by Covid19 restrictions, and the cost of living (and the cost of marriage) goes up as well, with many unexpected increases around every corner. Shukuru’s new wife will join him as the Primary 3 teacher at his school in Baraka. Pray for a smooth transition as all these pieces come together very rapidly over the next few weeks.

We’re pleased to announce that our university scholarship candidates in Chad and the Congo received high marks across the board. Their scholarship requires high academic performance (in addition to their regular teaching duties), so we’re very thankful that the last round of students will be returning to university this fall. Pray for their continued success.

In Him,
Tim Foster

Dear Friends

Thank you for your continued support for the work we’re doing in Nigeria, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The economic strain due to Covid restrictions is having its toll, especially in Nigeria, and your faithful partnership is greatly appreciated.

In Chad, Director Beosso reports that the rebuilding project is 95% complete – Praise the Lord! The construction includes demolishing and rebuilding offices, kitchen facilities and residential rooms for the director’s family. The kitchen and residential rooms now have plumbing directly to the kitchen and bathroom fixtures, an important upgrade indeed! Previously, the center had one central central spigot and sink that served the whole campus.

The 2-story multi-purpose building has been spearheaded by Clement Abonyi’s AfriDeaf foundation. Due to Covid-19, their finances have been squeezed, so the construction project is on hold. Pray that we will soon be able to resume this important project.

In Baraka (Democratic Republic of Congo), we are getting closer to purchasing new land for our school. The current landlord has significantly increased rent, and we feel that now is the time to relocate and establish a permanent facility. Assistant Director Shindano Andre was able to come from Uvira to help with the process, and we hope to buy and build soon.

As if construction and preparing for the new school year wasn’t enough – Lord willing, Director Shukuru Heritier will be getting married next month, on August 28th! The wedding will take place in Goma, 20 hours north, and Mpasa, thew new bride, will join our staff as a teacher in Baraka. Pray for their families as they plan the wedding and begin their new life together.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

Dear Friends,

Due to Covid-19, schools in Nigeria, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo are still closed. The closure affects each school differently. Our Nigeria school is hardest hit because their monthly budget depends heavily on tuition fees and not foreign support. As a result, they are going through tough financial times and could use your prayers as they work to meet their financial obligations. Several months ago we partnered with AfriDeaf Foundation to send some equipment to the school. The shipment has arrived, but due to Covid-19, the ports are closed and our staff cannot retrieve the shipment. There has been some looting of the shipment. Pray that the rest of the equipment will arrive in Ibadan soon.

In Chad, Director Yves Beosso and his staff are making good progress on rebuilding older dilapidated buildings on the campus. So far, they have completed three smaller buildings while waiting on funds to continue working on the larger 2-story multi-purpose building.

In Uvira (DR Congo), Director Pililo and Asst. Director Shindano have found new homes to rent in the aftermath of the springtime flood that destroyed thousands of homes. Because of your love and faithful financial support, they were able to quickly recover after having lost most of their worldly possessions. We’re hoping to begin construction soon on our new school, and would greatly appreciate your prayers.

In Baraka (DR Congo), Director Shukuru reports that his university classes have resumed, although primary and secondary schools have not reopened. He still has several Primary 6 students that he would like to prepare for year-end exams, so he will be working with those students individually. We’ve not been able to make an agreeable arrangement with the landlord, so it appears we’ll need to relocate the school. Asst. Director Shindano has arrived from Uvira to help Shukuru locate and finalize documents for the new school location. Pray that they will be able to find an excellent location.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director
Christian Mission for the Deaf