if the gospel is not relevant...

"Before DTS, I didn't think that I could be a missionary, but now I am ready to go wherever the God calls me."

" I can say that the Lord has not just renewed my first love during this time, but given me more than my first love for Him."

It is exciting and humbling to look back at how the Lord has worked during these last three months of the Discipleship Training School that we have been leading in Sarh. He has been faithful to work among us, and all of us, students and staff alike, have been changed in the process. It has been especially good seeing how the Lord has provided for the school in many different ways - we've had gifts of chickens, goats, sheep, charcoal, and fruit, as well as many friends and relatives of the students coming to help pay for their school fees. The three month lecture phase came to an end the end of June and we now have two teams on outreach. Please pray for them as they work with local churches in southern Chad, serving in practical ways, teaching and encouraging the believers, and sharing the love of God through evangelism and mercy ministries.

As a family we are enjoying a few weeks off in Kenya - a much needed break from the responsibilities of leadership and the physical stresses of life in Chad. It is good to spend time with family here and share what God has been doing in Chad. Jo's brother Steve will be coming to Kenya and then back to Chad with us (at the end of July), so we are looking forward to spending some time with him as well.

We will be back in Chad during August and September, visiting the outreach teams, and finishing up the school the end of August. In September we move on to Switzerland for three months of intense study - the Applied Principles of Communication course. (see box) We are grateful for this oppurtunity to be better equipped to bring God's Kingdom to Chad.

Why APC?

"Martin Luther is quoted as saying that if the gospel is not relevant to the issues of the day, it is not the gospel at all. Then we may ask, is the gospel we are preaching today dealing with the issues of the day? How can it be if we say for instance things like: 'Africa is 80% evangelised south of the Sahara,' When that same Africa is poorer, more corrupt, more diseased and less educated today than before Christianity came to the continent? How can we have potentially the largest Christian church in history and that Christianity make no observable difference in the communities where it is the majority force?

I have a dream that we will see reformation in our continent. That as God teaches us to think differently, or we could say to think like He does, we can see the reality of transformation. I don't just want to talk about it, I am desperate for us to meet with God together, and learn from Him and his Word how to address the hard core issues of education, political involvement, job creation, land reform and health care in our nations. I do not believe we can disciple nations without being involved in the above. (from info on APC Burtigny, Switzerland)

As you can see, we are looking forward to an exciting time of being further equipped through the APC in Switzerland. We'll keep you updated!

As we look at the rest of this year we are facing several large financial challenges which we would like to bring before you as our partners. We desparately need our own vehicle in Chad, and will be buying a 4WD double cab pickup from missionaries who are leaving in September. We will need $7000 USD for that. The tuition of the course in Switzerland is largely covered by a scholarship, for which we are very thankful. We do however, need to raise quite a bit of money to cover our living expenses in Switzerland and tickets there. (Approx. $4000) Please prayerfully consider if the Lord would have you give towards these or our regular expenses. Thank you.

Love,

Moses, Jo & Josh