Dear Friends,
Celebrate with Us!
February 24 marks the 70th anniversary of Christian Mission for the Deaf. Truly, the Lord has been gracious to us, and it is a privilege to continue serving Him through this unique ministry to the deaf in Africa.
We currently have several pressing needs at our school in Chad, located on the edge of the Sahara Desert. The water pump that was installed about 15 years ago has been deteriorating for some time and needed replacement. We thank God that we were able to rebuild it last month and maintain this precious resource.
Another need relates to our new multi-purpose building, which serves both the deaf church and the school. Until recently, we had been making do with aging furniture from our previous building, much of which was in poor condition. We are thrilled that Mission Project Fellowship has stepped in to help meet this need. They have raised more than $4,000 to purchase chairs for the building. Praise God for that!
Director Pililo reports that the border between Uvira (DR Congo) and Burundi has reopened now that the militia group M23 has withdrawn from Uvira. For the many weeks that the border was closed, desperate Congolese attempted dangerous crossings into Burundi, often lashing together plastic jerrycans or air-filled trash bags to float across the river that separates the two countries. According to a report by the BBC, more than 20 people are known to have drowned during these attempts.
One of our former students, Debaba Esimba, has recently started a school for the deaf in the small town of Luvungi, near the Burundi border. In order to maintain connections with family, friends, and students, he has made the river crossing several times. He sent me several photos and videos of people attempting the crossing. We are thankful that he has been able to travel in relative safety. We are also grateful that conditions in Uvira and the surrounding region are beginning to stabilize now that M23 has withdrawn from that region. However, the situation farther north in Bukavu and Goma remains very unstable, as M23 still maintains a presence there.
Truly, your prayers are coveted.
Tim Foster
Director
