- Pray for Karl and Paul as they adjust to their new job, school and home.
- Pray for our whole family, as we are separated by many miles. In just a few days we will be living in three different countries on two different continents.
- Pray the Karl will make new friends, and be a good Christian witness to all he encounters. That his own faith grows stronger. That he won't be too lonely for the rest of us.
- Pray for me (Sheryl) as I try to finish up the work left here in order to return to Congo.
- Pray for me as I miss Paul and Karl.
- Pray for Erik and Kristina, that they will not miss Karl too much, and that they will have patience with me when the weeks get long.
- Pray for Congo and our dear Christian friends, and the leaders that struggle in so many ways.
- Give wisdom to our Congolese Church leaders.
- For the political situation both in Congo and in Central African Republic.
- For Karen Benson, Barb Boca, and us, as we begin work in Central African Republic with the United Brethren.
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FROM AUGUST 1997
Being flexible, and willing to go when called is what you need to be if you are a missionary! Let me share with you what we are doing as of today.
Karl and Paul left for Africa last Monday. Karl decided to go to the Rain Forest International School in Yaounde, Cameroon instead of being home-schooled in the Central AFrican Republic. RFIS is operated by Wycliff. In order for Karl to get to school before it started, Paul needed to leave ahead of our earlier estimated departure. It meant a lot of changes, scrambling for tickets, visas, shots, and packing, but we made it. The Lord worked out all of the details better then we could have imagined. Paul will stay in Yaounde for a few days to help Karl get settled into his new home. Karl will live with a Wycliff family along with 7 other high school students. Kimia, and Jordan Cone are friends of Karl's from Congo, so he does at least know them.
Paul flies on to Banjui, Central African Republic on Sunday. There he will work on getting a resident visa, CAR driver's license, and meet with different people of the Grace Brethren Mission we will be working with during the time in which Congo is unsafe for us. Hopefully, he will be able to do some travelling around to the three different Bible Schools and some of the other Brethren stations to meet both with the missionaries, and African leaders. He will also visit the house and town we will live in.
What are Kristina, Erik, and I doing? Erik has started school here. Kristina started school right after Labor Day. I am busy trying to shop, pack, close up this house, and finish studying the classes I am taking here. Our plan is to leave for Africa on October 11th, flying via Yaounde, Cameroon so we can visit Karl and see how he has adjusted to his new school, friends, and home. If we don't get see him in October, we won't see him until Christmas vacation. Since we already miss him, Christmas would be too long!
Paul will be working with the Brethren Bible school students and directors to help set up gardens and orchards to help provide food for the students and their families. This is very important since food is often is hard to get. The Bible School students come to the school, where previous students have been making gardens for years, and the soil has been seriously depleted of nutrients. In the past students and their families have often gone hungry. Paul hopes to help teach them what to plant to help the soil become more fertile, and to plant other crops to supplement the normal foods.
I (Sheryl) will be home-schooling Erik and Kristina, and studying Nsango, which is a new language for me. I hope to learn quickly enough to become involved in women's mission work in some way. I would like to help teach or at least understand enough to participate in women's Bible classes with the Bible School wives. We also will be evaluating what the Moslem community is like in this area, and what future ministries could be started there.
Please continue to pray for us, the concerns are many!
Thanks in advance for your prayers, Paul and Sheryl
Revised November 7, 1997
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