Dear Friends,
We bring you Christmas greetings from Canada.
This is our second winter spent here. Boss David has especially enjoyed the skiing, skating and sledding. As for us, the cold weather is not our favorite climate but one can adjust to anything when you decide to just “get on with it”.
It has been good re-connecting with family and friends in this season of living back here.
God has been faithful to show us His plans that are for good no matter how things look at times.
Our church family here in Vernon have been wonderful during this transition of leadership and change within the church. The connection with the S&L leadership here in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. has been a strength to us all. We see these strong ties such a necessity for moving on in what God has destined us as a people and for His Kingdom.
We continue to move slowly regarding the work in Africa. While we are living here in Canada it is necessary to give ourselves to life here and at the same time keeping aware of how we can proceed “there”.
In October we made a trip back to Burundi and Congo to finalize the securing of two pieces of land in Congo. This was an amazing time, with friends there and meeting the traditional king in Congo who we got land from to begin building a training center on.
For those who may not know just what we have been up to in Africa here is a bit of what has happened and how we see moving on.
Working with Pastor Ruben and a team of Africans with him, we have seen a new school built in the high plateau area of E.Congo. Through a number of people who funded this project, the school now is able to provide education for around 200 primary students.
The children’s village we have in this area now has five homes that each house 10 children and two widows (mamas) who care for them.
The children’s village is called Emmanuel Centre.
In the area of E. Congo down near the border of Burundi and Congo, we have a school which was completed several years ago. This school now has primary and secondary students whose number is close to 900.
Our friend David Freeman has done teacher training with both this school (Ecole Shalom) and the school in the high plateau area (Emmanuel Centre).
On the two pieces of land just purchased near the town of Uvira where Ecole Shalom is situated, we will be building a training center which will enable more teachers to be trained, and teams to come to help equip and train people in varied areas.
There are also plans to establish an emergency surgical clinic for women.
There are presently two men from the area who are being trained in Kenya with an organization called Organics for Orphans. The plans are to begin working with food security as soon as these men are back.
The umbrella we are working under is called Najenga Congo. Najenga is a Swahili word which means ‘we are building’. The “building” is not just physical but primarily building into the lives of the people in Congo, especially the youth. There has been no hope and we know God is a God of hope and His ways always bring hope.
We are not going into the country to do things “our way” but moving under the radar so to speak to serve the people, not take from them but to give. So many have come to Congo to take resources and the people are suspicious of whites because of that. They see many come and go and make promises but do not deliver.
We are not making promises but prayerfully pointing them to the God who does keep His promises and the words He has said about Congo will come about in His way.
It is such a privilege to be able to touch what God is doing in that war torn country. His heart is full of love and purpose.
Thank you for your part in our lives. God is so clearly interested in relationship with us and when we walk together in this way we see His blessing.
Love from Ray, Mary Anne and Boss David
We bring you Christmas greetings from Canada.
This is our second winter spent here. Boss David has especially enjoyed the skiing, skating and sledding. As for us, the cold weather is not our favorite climate but one can adjust to anything when you decide to just “get on with it”.
It has been good re-connecting with family and friends in this season of living back here.
God has been faithful to show us His plans that are for good no matter how things look at times.
Our church family here in Vernon have been wonderful during this transition of leadership and change within the church. The connection with the S&L leadership here in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. has been a strength to us all. We see these strong ties such a necessity for moving on in what God has destined us as a people and for His Kingdom.
We continue to move slowly regarding the work in Africa. While we are living here in Canada it is necessary to give ourselves to life here and at the same time keeping aware of how we can proceed “there”.
In October we made a trip back to Burundi and Congo to finalize the securing of two pieces of land in Congo. This was an amazing time, with friends there and meeting the traditional king in Congo who we got land from to begin building a training center on.
For those who may not know just what we have been up to in Africa here is a bit of what has happened and how we see moving on.
Working with Pastor Ruben and a team of Africans with him, we have seen a new school built in the high plateau area of E.Congo. Through a number of people who funded this project, the school now is able to provide education for around 200 primary students.
The children’s village we have in this area now has five homes that each house 10 children and two widows (mamas) who care for them.
The children’s village is called Emmanuel Centre.
In the area of E. Congo down near the border of Burundi and Congo, we have a school which was completed several years ago. This school now has primary and secondary students whose number is close to 900.
Our friend David Freeman has done teacher training with both this school (Ecole Shalom) and the school in the high plateau area (Emmanuel Centre).
On the two pieces of land just purchased near the town of Uvira where Ecole Shalom is situated, we will be building a training center which will enable more teachers to be trained, and teams to come to help equip and train people in varied areas.
There are also plans to establish an emergency surgical clinic for women.
There are presently two men from the area who are being trained in Kenya with an organization called Organics for Orphans. The plans are to begin working with food security as soon as these men are back.
The umbrella we are working under is called Najenga Congo. Najenga is a Swahili word which means ‘we are building’. The “building” is not just physical but primarily building into the lives of the people in Congo, especially the youth. There has been no hope and we know God is a God of hope and His ways always bring hope.
We are not going into the country to do things “our way” but moving under the radar so to speak to serve the people, not take from them but to give. So many have come to Congo to take resources and the people are suspicious of whites because of that. They see many come and go and make promises but do not deliver.
We are not making promises but prayerfully pointing them to the God who does keep His promises and the words He has said about Congo will come about in His way.
It is such a privilege to be able to touch what God is doing in that war torn country. His heart is full of love and purpose.
Thank you for your part in our lives. God is so clearly interested in relationship with us and when we walk together in this way we see His blessing.
Love from Ray, Mary Anne and Boss David