Having returned for furlough it is natural to pause and look back over the last four years.

One of our big prayer requests last furlough was to find the right house in the capital city. God answered that prayer. It was not the house itself that was an answer to prayer but our neighbors. Our house was good but our neighbors made it great. We were surrounded by wonderful people. There were neighborhood children our children could play with and their parents for us to visit. Our children helped open some doors to be able to visit with our neighbors.

We found the biggest need there is to train pastors. There are not enough trained pastors lead the believers there are now. We were involved in the Bible school and operated a correspondence program to equip men and women to teach in the Bible school.

We built a tabernacle building for a church in the capitol of a northern province. Sadly, just before we returned to the US, the support cables were stolen and during a storm it fell. The pastor plans to rebuild it.

One of our reasons for being in the country was to be a witness to our neighbors.  As the years went by we saw how we went from being the foreigners on the block to part of the block.

We have been privileged to share in weddings, funerals, births, and everyday happenings.

When we were about to leave and return to the US, the ladies of our neighborhood honored Lucy by visiting her for tea.

Our Future

In July 2011 the south separated from the north.  The North is now over 98% Muslim.  We are planning to return to the north and continue to work with the church.  The needs are even more pronounced in this new environment.  We will continue to be involved in training and being a witness to those around us.

We believe the need for leaders in the Church will grow. We want to meet that need by starting extension sites for the Bible school around the country. There are men and women wanting to take courses but find it impractical to stop everything they are doing and move to another city for up to four years.  Instead, they can attend classes in a nearby location for a week at a time, never moving from their home and continuing to impact their community.

Matt has been going to a city to help build a tabernacle (a simple structure to offer the congregation a roof to meet under). In December he and some others went to dig holes and pour cement for the foundations.

Recently they went back to put up the tabernacle. The plan was to get it done in four days…… Some of the cement did not set correctly and had to be redone. Getting the trusses up needed scaffolding that was difficult to find. Ten days later it was up. There is now a new church in that city.

Currently the building is in an open field but the city plans show it on a important road in the middle of a neighbor hood.

Looking out on the empty field that separates the church from the closest buildings the pastor said, “We will not build walls yet. We will have open air meetings so all the neighbors will hear the Gospel.”

Please pray that the church will reach this city