Some before and after pictures of work completed in several apartments in the etage. The etage is married housing for the students at FATEB. Walls and staircases were painted, plumbing is being replaced to include new toilets and electrical repairs are being done. The last picture is of the men taking a much needed lunch break and rest.
Fresh coat of paint on the walls
Bennett and his wife, Janet, are graduates of FATEB. They run an orphan center in Bangui. At this center they train the students in practical skills, mechanics etc that will be a job and future for them. They also provide Christian training and pay their school fees. They even have one of the orphans graduating from University.
Bennett purchased this land back in 2006 and has a great vision for this place. Currently, they have planted manioc, sorghum, banana trees and mango trees. The produce provides food for the orphans and the extra they sell to support the orphan center.
Mtelo Ministries assisted in providing funding so Bennett could plant teak trees as a boundary around the property so others could not take the land. He has built a medical building on the property. It is not up and running yet. His plan is to build a school on the farm for the orphans and children in the surrounding villages with a Christian worldview. He is mentoring and training many of the orphans to not only take over the farm and agriculture but grooming some to eventually take over the orphan center. Succession planning.
As part of the sanitary improvements at FATEB that Mtelo made, 15 non-functioning toilets were replaced with news ones. In addition, three new latrines were constructed, totally nine stalls.
Wonderful time with the women in the women’s school at FATEB yesterday. I may have shared a recipe or two with them to make but they continually teach me how to cook over a charcoal oven and to improvise using what I have. They are such a joy to be around. There are 40 women in the school under the direction of Marcelline. Gertrude teaches the cooking class. We made a cabbage soup. one day and egg salad sandwiches another day. Bon Appetit!
Cooking over a charcoal oven.
The teen girl program started last Monday night. These girls are beautiful, inside and out. Our message was on being a daughter of the King and what that means. Then they made a craft that says” daughter of the King” (“fille du Roi” in French) for their doorknobs and then the greatly anticipated moment when they were able to choose their yarn and knitting needles. I would not be able to do this without my friend and translator, Yolande, to whom I am deeply grateful. Each week we have a time of singing and praying, devotional time and then the girls make a craft to remind them of the devotions. It is fun to see their creativity and personalities and to watch them growing into young ladies. One of the young ladies has been coming for many years. Her dad teaches here at FATEB so they have lived on campus for many years. The others girls come and go as their fathers and mothers complete their degree. It is always sad to return and they are gone but it is wonderful to get to know new girls. On Valentine’s Day we talked about God’s unconditional love for them. The night the girls made necklaces and bracelets the lesson was on God giving us a “Clean Slate”. Our last night our topic was “We Need Each Other” and the girls had to help each other braiding their embroidery floss to make a pendant.
Mtelo Ministries renovated six of the duplexes that are used as rentals. These rentals help to provide an income stream for FATEB. Improvements include painting, tearing up old concrete floors and pouring new concrete floors, new tile on the sink counter tops and backsplash.
The children’s program began a week ago Monday, with the help of my amazing translator, David Mowa. Without him, this would be impossible. He loves these children! We sing, pray, memorize a Bible verse from the lesson, Bible story time, we then play a modified game of hangman (without the drawing of a hangman) for the older children (using words from the lesson), and then the much-loved time of coloring. Yesterday’s devotion was on salvation and the memory verse was Isaiah 1:18. We meet three times a week and each time the children color a picture from the Bible story and lesson.
| FACULTE DE THEOLOGIE EVANGELIQUE DE BANGUI called B.E.S.T. in English, abbreviation for BANGUI EVANGELICAL SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY Dear friends, Warm greetings from our colleagues in Bangui . We have some sobering news to share with you today that directly impacts FATEB. Ten days ago the highly respected New England Journal of Medicine published an article called, “Africa in the path of COVID-19.” Its authors wrote, “Africa has so far been largely spared the kind of impact that has thrown China, the United States, and Europe into chaos.” But, “the numbers from Africa are like the early drops of rain before the clouds open up. Despite the slow arrival of COVID-19, a storm is building, and the 1.2 billion people living in Africa are at tremendous risk.” Central African Republic is now experiencing what these scientists predicted. The rate of infections is picking up speed. In the past few days it went from one case to eight to twenty two and yesterday to fifty known cases. These numbers are, so far, insignificant compared to the devastation wrought by COVID-19 in other parts of the world. But, because of the fragile health of so many people in C.A.R., combined with a weak health system of the country, the epidemic could explode very quickly with devastating consequences. For the past two weeks the country has already been under a partial lock-down. Schools, including FATEB, churches, and businesses have been closed. However, more stringent confinement measures may be necessary to slow the spread of this deadly virus. FATEB’s general manager, Dr. Paul Mpindi writes, “At FATEB we are confronted with the practical but hard reality of personnel salaries. The school is closed to the theology students and to the more than 3,000 children and youth in the general education programs. Our facilities and guest rooms may not be rented out. How can we continue to pay salaries when all sources of local income have dried up?” President Dr. Nupanga, with the General Manager, writes, “We have decided to reduce the salaries of the leadership by 50%, 40%, and 30% according to seniority. We have also laid off non-essential workers and reduced most of our daily expenses except for water and electricity. “Given the seriousness of the situation, we wonder if you could consider making a gift to help us cover the cost of salaries for seminary teachers and for water and electricity for our employees. “We know that COVID-19 is having a negative impact on the world’s economy, but your small sacrificial gift will go a long way here at the seminary where a single dollar does a lot. “Thank you for praying and supporting us during these trying times. Persevering through this pandemic is hard on us all. But we thank God for the way you and others have sustained this institution of Christian education and leadership training for the past 43 years. You have also greatly encouraged the men and women who have taught and mentored and served its students as well. Many blessings! Rev. Dr Nupanga Weanzana, PhD President FATEB/C.A.R. If you wish to assist FATEB through this difficult time of the COVID-19 pandemic, you may make a gift to FATEB through its IRS approved fiscal agent below: www.mteloministries.org for “FATEB COVID-19 assistance” Or, you may send a check made out to Mtelo Ministries. Memo: “FATEB COVID-19 assistance” Address: Mtelo Ministries, 302 W. 5th St. Suite 210, San Pedro, CA 90731 |
The work continues at FATEB’s Leadership Center! The center is able to be used now as the North wing is almost completed. The conference rooms are completed and 8 of the guest rooms are completed and six of them have been used. Solar power has been installed for the guest rooms and more solar power is to come for the kitchen and south wing.
FATEB is grateful to God and to the donors that provided a new bus for FATEB after their van had been totaled in an accident. The bus is used to transport visitors and students and is vital to the operation of FATEB.
A dedication service was held on Saturday, February 1st. It was followed by the “maiden voyage” around the city of Bangui, Central African Republic.
