Category: Update

Dear Friends,

Grand Opening in Fizi, DR Congo

The 2018-2019 school year is off to a healthy start in Nigeria, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Summer construction and renovation projects are nearing completion: In Uvira, Director Pililo has had to rebuild the toilet facilities. In Fizi, Director Shukuru has completed preparations for their newly rented facility, and hosted a grand opening-day ceremony, with local dignitaries in attendance. Pray with us that these improvements will serve the deaf well.

We’ve started a new program where we offer financial assistance for some of our senior faculty and staff to pursue higher education at local universities. So far, we have about six people in Chad and the Congo who have submitted applications to take advantage of this opportunity. It is our prayer that their continued education will improve the quality of their teaching and administrative duties as they work to bring education and the Gospel to the deaf.

In Him,

Tim Foster

Fizi school renovations

Dear Friends
Our Fizi school is now renting space in a larger facility, and ready to begin the 2018-2019 school year. Director Shukuru Heritier has visited Burundian refugee camps in his region, and paved the way for deaf Burundian refugees to enroll in his school. Pray that the remaining logistics will be ironed out soon. In Uvira, we’re having to do some extensive renovations to the school building. Pray that we’ll be able to complete the repairs before school starts.

Toukoura Irrigation

At our new school property in Chad, the newly installed water pump has been put to good use irrigating the small farm, resulting in a bountiful crop.

Thank you for your continued prayers.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

We thank God for His blessings on our annual Congo Bible Camp. About 1/3 of the 120 attendees were first-timers from Burundi, so we’re thankful to be able to make inroads into the deaf churches in that country.

One of the attendees was a Muslim young lady named Ramla. Since our camps are targeted at pastors, evangelists and church leaders, it’s rare for us to have Muslim attendees. By the end of the week, Ramla had decided to follow Christ instead of Mohammed. We have no idea what her conversion will cost her, but please pray for Ramla as she begins discipleship under the Burundi church in her town.

Director Yves and his staff have lost no time in putting their new well to use.  They set up an irrigation grid and planted some crops and trees on the property.  If all goes well, the crops will grow quickly during this rainy season and be able to weather the coming dry season. 

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

Praise God for several big answers to prayer regarding our Chad school:

• A new motorcycle has been purchased to replace the school’s aging motorcycle. Pray that it will serve the school well.
• A new well has been installed at the school’s new property. Limited funds have allowed for only one small building to be constructed so far, but in the mean time, one of our staff members has moved his family to the 6-acre property, and has planted a small farm. Pray that the first harvest will be bountiful, and that more funds will allow for continued construction.

Our Annual Congo Bible Camp is July 16-20. Pray for safety for the many who travel to the camp, and that God will be magnified in the teaching of His Word. 

Shukuru Ramazani, the director of our Fizi school, has made contact with a refugee camp several miles north of his town. He was able to locate about 20 deaf refugees at the camp, and is working with officials to allow the refugees to attend the school in Fizi. Pray that the officials will allow the deaf refugees to attend our school and receive not only an education, but an introduction to the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

Plans for our annual Congo Bible Camp are picking up speed.  This year, we’re meeting at the Ephphatha School for the Deaf in Bujumbura, Burundi. My father, Dr. Andrew Foster, opened the school in 1981, and since 1988, it has been locally supported and operated in partnership with the Community of Emmanuel Churches (CEEM), the Brethren movement in Burundi.  Lord willing, both Cliff and Sherri Bodiford will be able to help us at the camp this summer. Cliff serves as an elder at New Life Deaf Fellowship in Fort Worth, Texas, and both have a deep passion for church-planting and mission work among the deaf.  Since we are working with new team members from America and Burundi, we are facing a new set of logistical hurdles, and covet your prayers. 

Director PIlilo Amani (Uvira, DR Congo) had to undergo hernia surgery 2 weeks ago and is recovering well. Thank you for your financial support, as the cost of this surgery was well beyond his means.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

Chad 2018 Easter Camp

Praise God for an excellent 22nd annual Easter camp in Chad. This year’s camp met for the first time in Bebedja, a village about 12 hours SE of N’Djamena. About 350 people from 6 different regions of South Chad were in participation. One man was so enthusiastic to attend the camp, he rode his bicycle over 120km (75 miles) to get there! Praise God for the strong attendance, and pray that the study and messages from Ephesians will strengthen all who attended.

We’re pleased to announce the official addition of the Fizi School for the Deaf to our network of CMD schools. The school was started by one of our Uvira (Congo) graduates, Shukuru Hertier. Despite being located in a small city, the school has over 30 students and is poised to grow rapidly. After demonstrating 3 years of consistent Godly zeal and administrative excellence, our board voted to bring the school on as an official CMD school, and increase their funding so they can expand their Gospel and education work.

Camper biked 120km (75 miles) to get to camp

Pray for Shukuru as he continues to learn from our seasoned school directors and stay faithful to God’s direction.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

Berta Foster
1939-2018

After several years of declining health after her 2009 stroke, my mother, Berta Foster, slipped into eternity on January 27, 2018.  She was buried at Restland Cemetery in Dallas, TX, and her obituary is online here: https://www.restlandfuneralhome.com/obits/berta-foster. She will always be remembered for her love for her family and her faithful service to our Lord.  She served as the faithful administrator for Christian Mission for the Deaf since my father’s passing in 1987 until 2010 when she retired due to her health. 

CMD is proud to announce the addition of Cliff Bodiford to our board of directors. Cliff serves as an elder at New Life Deaf Fellowship, and is passionate about missions and church planting among the deaf both in the USA and abroad. Lord willing, he will be joining our team for our Congo Bible Camp in July 2018.

We just received word that Mission Projects Fellowship is donating $2,500 for a new generator for our center in Ibadan, Nigeria. The electricity in our part of Ibadan is not very reliable at all, so this generator is will meet a great need. Praise God for this wonderful gift.

The Berean church that has hosted our Bukavu (D.R. Congo) school for the past two years has expanded their church ministry and is no longer able to accommodate our school. God has led us to a Baptist church on the outskirts of the city. Although the space is not free, the rent is reasonable, and it’s much closer to our director’s home and several of the students. Pray that the facility will remain available while the school continues to grow and serve the deaf.

In Him,

Tim Foster
Director

Tim and John

After many long months of prayer and preparation, my wife and I picked up John Linus at the airport and drove him to SouthWest Collegiate Institute for the Deaf in Big Spring, Texas.   John will study there for at least two years before going to Bible college and then back to his home in Nigeria, where he will continue leading the Nigerian churches for the deaf. Resisting the temptations of American wealth and leisure is a struggle many people from developing countries find difficult to surmount. Pray that God will sustain John as he continues his education in service of Him. His scholarship was provided by the Andrew Jackson Foster Scholarship Memorial Fund, headed up by Jim Walterhouse, a former missionary to the deaf in Mexico. Jim now functions as the school counselor at SWCID, and will be guiding John during his time in the USA.

Keep Shukuru Hertier in your prayers. He has been involved with us for many years and recently started a school for the deaf in the Congo. He is not yet fully supported by us as we’re still going through the process of bringing him on board. Despite the number of financial hardships he faces, he still has a great burden for the many deaf in his surrounding area that he is not able to reach.