Dear friends and brothers and sisters in Christ,

We have recently returned from Bangui where we experienced one of the best, if not the best, trip to Africa that we’ve ever had. We had the privilege of leading a team of twelve people, nine from Michigan (seven from Trinity and two from Ward) and three from Texas to serve at FATEB, or in English, The Bangui Evangelical School of Theology (BEST).

Thank you for your prayer support as well as individual financial support, your encouragement, all the medical supplies donated for the clinic at BEST, the yarn for the women’s school and the pillowcase dresses that were sewn in love along with so many more donations, too numerous to list. Thank you for partnering with us as we served God and our brothers and sisters at BEST and in the local community surrounding BEST.

As a team we preached in local churches, spoke to youth groups and women’s groups, held a mini vacation Bible school, planted flowers, taught English, First Aid, Nutrition, Child Development and Beading . Some of the team was able to paint several rooms of a home for a missionary couple as well as working in the library at BEST. As a team, we attended the grand opening of Hope Orphan Center and also visited Loving God Orphan Center. We were able to give clothes and medical supplies to both orphan centers. Doug and Linda Thompson from Ward conducted a marriage seminar for the seminary students and their spouses. Ed McCallum from the EPC instructed the seminary staff as well as the students on the missional church (which was the topic of Ed’s D.Div dissertation).

One of the experiences that totally blew us all away was the expression of community we experienced when we informed that Nan McCallum’s mother had died. Numerous people came by the house to offer condolences and pray with Nan, cry with her, and comfort her. As amazing as this was, we were not prepared for the outpouring of love that evening when close to 70 staff, students and families brought chairs and sat out on the lawn and held a memorial service for Nan’s mom. There was singing, Nan had the opportunity to share about her mom, a sermon of comfort was given by one of the pastoral students, and there was a receiving line of condolences. Finally, the students out of their poverty took a collection and gave it to Ed and Nan as an expression of love.

Truly these brothers and sisters in Christ live their faith and totally live the love of Christ.

We, along with Cindi Cole and Kathy Martin, had an amazing, once in a lifetime opportunity to visit a couple of pygmy villages. One of the local churches we ministered in has a ministry to the pygmies so they invited us to join them. We worshipped with them, ministered to them and gave them some food and clothes. They blessed us with their singing as they glorified and thanked God for what He has done for them. We were deeply touched when in spite of their hardship and need, in love they gave us bananas, manioc and pineapples. We were struck by their extreme poverty, the lack of medical care, food and education. The Pygmies face diseases ranging from malaria, cholera, ear and chest infections caused by lack of protein and extreme malnourishment. We noticed that the majority of the children’s stomachs were bloated from malnutrition. The forest has been their home for years but now they face de-forestation and with the clearing of the land their food resources disappear as well. Please pray for strength and protection from the evil one for the pastor and evangelists that work among the pygmies and that God will provide for their daily needs. The needs everywhere we went were overwhelming and emotionally draining yet we know that God is in control.

We have, for several years now, been convinced that the way we as Westerners can have the most profound effect in reaching people groups in the world with the message that Jesus died for them and to provide sound Biblical instruction is through supporting national pastors and leaders. That is why we are so committed to serving BEST through helping to raise scholarship and operational funds for the school. However, the global economic crisis has hit BEST particularly hard. Two of the organizations that have been most faithful in providing assistance over the years have informed BEST recently that they will no longer be able to contribute to student financial aid. This loss represents almost 10%of the annual income of the seminary. A third major contributor is also forced to reduce support to BEST because of the economic crisis.

This loss of income will certainly require that a number (possibly up to 25%) of seminary personnel will need to be released and salaries reduced to survive this reduction in revenue. This action is painful enough for Western organizations, but for Africans who have a profound sense of community (see above description of how Africans live out their commitment to community), this is a terribly difficult action to take. Please pray for Dr. Nupanga as he will need to be the person to carry out this action.

As you prioritize your giving for 2009 and beyond, please consider how you would be able to assist furthering the word of God and the teachings of Christ by supporting BEST prayerfully and financially. Any assistance would be a marvelous help and a blessing to BEST. I am sure that you will also be blessed beyond measure knowing that because of you countless Francophone Africans may hear the gospel.

Should you be led to help with the cost of the operation of the seminary or to contribute to the scholarship fund, please make your check payable to Mtelo Ministries and send to Mtelo Ministries at P.O. Box 871144, Canton, Michigan 48187. All gifts are fully tax deductible.

Thank you for your support in the past and your continued support for the staff and students at BEST.

Your partners in Christ,
John and Marilyn Roughley