Schedule of Troesters visits to Supporting Congregations

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Deborah, Christa, and I are visiting our supporting congregations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Below is a tentative schedule that we have worked out. Several of the dates (especially those toward the end of the list) have not been confirmed by the congregations. So please call your local church to confirm and to ask about the exact time of the event. If you would like us to visit your congregation and it is not on the list, please let us know and we will try to work it in. We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Yours in Christ,

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester
ELCA Missionaries in the Central African Republic

May 24: Grace Lutheran Church in San Juan, Puerto Rico
May 24: St. Johns Episcopal Cathedral in San Juan, Puerto Rico
May 28: Puerto Rico District of the Caribbean Synod ELCA
May 30: Son Lights in Puerto Rico Emmaus Community
May 31: Union Church of San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico
June 2: Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Venice, Florida
June 3: ECHO in Fort Meyers, Florida
June 7: First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale, Illinois
June 14: United Lutheran Church in Cavalier, North Dakota
June 14: Our Savior Lutheran Church in Grafton, North Dakota
June 15: United Lutheran Church in Langdon, North Dakota
June 16: First Lutheran Church in New Rockford
June 17: United Lutheran Church in Brocket, North Dakota
June 18: Our Savior Lutheran Church in Rolla, North Dakota
June 21: First Lutheran Church in Williston, North Dakota
June 23: Western North Dakota Synod, Bismarck, North Dakota
June 23: Zion Lutheran Church in Ashley, North Dakota
June 24: Eastern North Dakota Synod, Fargo, North Dakota
June 27: Resurrection Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Illinois
June 28: St. Peter Lutheran Church in Emden, Illinois
June 28: St. Paul Lutheran Church in Peoria, Illinois
June 28: St. John Lutheran Church, Hartsburg, Illinois
July 1: St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Urbana, Illinois
July 7: Zion Lutheran Church in Farmersville, Illinois
July 8: Central Southern Illinois Synod, Springfield, Illinois
July 8: Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sparta, Illinois
July 19: Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in De Soto, Illinois
July 19: First Lutheran Church in Murphysboro, Illinois
July 23: Epiphany Lutheran Church, Carbondale, Illinois
July 23: First Presbyterian Church Dinner at Giant City Lodge
August 2: Blessing at First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale

Note: This schedule was corrected after the summer was over.

World Water Day: March 22, 2009: Sharing Water . . . Sharing Life

The United Nations has designated March 22 as World Water Day.  The theme for this year is about sharing water and sharing opportunities. For the more than one billion people on our planet that lack access to potable water, sharing water is about sharing life. For without access to potable water, people, particularly children, die from entirely preventable diseases.

 

The entire world is struggling with the current economic crisis. Just as in the developed world, the employers here in the Central African Republic have had to reduce the number of their employees. There are more needs and suddenly fewer resources, as NGOs and mission agencies are facing cutbacks because funding sources have less money. If you can give, now is a time when your gift would be most appreciated.

 

Please remember that through your support, prayers, and contributions you are sharing water and life with the people of the Central African Republic.

 

On a personal note, we are traveling to Puerto Rico and the States this summer (May 21 to August 5) for our Home Assignment. We hope to see many of our friends, family, and our supporting congregations. However, these are spread from Puerto Rico to North Dakota and it will be difficult to see everyone. Be watching for additional emails on where we will be when.

 

I will end with a quote from Kofi Annan, "We shall not finally defeat AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, or any of the other infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking water, sanitation and basic health care."

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

March 2009

"Sing to the Lord a new song.!" (from Psalm 98:1)

A new year fills us with new hope.  Like a blank slate that has not been written on, it represents new challenges and new opportunities. What do you have planned for the New Year?  What will 2009 bring for you and your family?   In the United States we hope for a better economy, perhaps a new job for ourselves or for a friend who is unemployed.  We hope for peace in the world and wisdom for its leaders.  We may wish for better health, for better relationships, in short, for all that is good in life to come our way. 

 

What will the New Year bring for the people of the Central African Republic?  Peace is uppermost on the minds of many:  the chance to live life in tranquility and without fear.  Food is another wish for many Central Africans—enough manioc to fill one's stomach, and maybe a little meat and vegetables besides, at least on some days.  Good health would also be uppermost on the minds of people whose average life expectancy is less than 40 years of age and dropping. 

 

While we in the U.S. might wish for a new car or a bigger house, someone in the CAR might hope for a source of clean water to drink that lasts through the dry season.  A woman who has to walk a mile each way to fetch water out of a dirty stream for her family might dream of having a well just a few hundred yards from her house.  Others may wish they had a latrine—never mind if it's a very nice one or not.

 

Many challenges face the people of the Central African Republic, one of the ten poorest nations in the world.  Many challenges face the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR as they strive to help their neighbors through programs such as PASE (the French acronym for "Water Resource Management Project").  Your prayers and gifts in the past have helped us serve together with our Central African colleagues in providing clean drinking water and hygiene training to villagers in the CAR.  Thank you for your support as we continue to work toward meeting the challenges of 2009!

 

On a more personal note…

 

Audrey Plisch arrived from Chicago on December 9 to help Christa finish sixth grade as a home-schooled student.  Audrey is an energetic retired teacher, with lots of experience in middle school, as a former guidance counselor and dean of students.  Pray for her continued adjustment to life in Africa—especially the warmer climate and the French language—and for continued good health.

 

Also last month, Mariel Viera-Bernier returned to Puerto Rico where she will resume her studies in anthropology at the University of Puerto Rico.  Mariel was a big help with Christa's studies, and enjoyed trying to speak Gbaya with local kids!  She enthusiastically tried eating boa, antelope, manioc, peanut sauce, and ndole (kind of like turnip greens with ground up pumpkin seeds in them).  Much to her disappointment, she never got to try caterpillar sauce.  Mariel's excitement about new experiences was catching. You can read her blog at boricuainafrica.blogspot.com

 

Please pray for our continued good health and energy for our work.  We have had a few relatively minor illnesses this past month or two, but are all now in good health.  We thank those of you who continue to pray for us.  It has definitely helped! 

 

We wish each of you a blessed and joyous 2009.  May the peace of Christ accompany you and your family throughout the year.

 

Sincerely,

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

January 2009

 

Dr. Joe Troester serves as technical adviser to PASE, the French acronym for Project for Water Resource Management.  This is a program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in CAR, sponsored in part by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  PASE seeks to provide safe drinking water through construction and maintenance of wells, spring boxes, and slow-sand filters, while also teaching good hygiene practices that can lessen water-borne illnesses. 

 

 

 

Advent in the Central African Republic

Dear friends,

 

Christmas greetings from the Central African Republic (CAR)! 

 

As I write this newsletter, we are in Bangui, the capital city of the Central African Republic (CAR). The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) recently purchased two new Toyota pickup trucks for the mission work here. We brought them to Bangui to get them through Customs. Unfortunately, getting new vehicles through Customs is probably not an easy job in any country. We had hoped to return home before Thanksgiving, but we were unsuccessful.

 

As Thanksgiving passed, we noted that we are thankful for many things this year. Despite Deborah's appendectomy in March, we all remain in reasonable good health. Mariel Viera-Bernier (a college student and friend from Puerto Rico) is here this semester helping us with Christa's education. [Her blog can be found at boricuainafrica.blogspot.com] Audrey Plisch, a retired teacher from the Chicago area will be teaching Christa next semester. The Lutheran Church in CAR will soon have two new vehicles. We are also thankful that we are part of 60 percent of the world's population who have access to a toilet. I know that many would consider it inappropriate to talk about bathrooms in a missionary newsletter, but since I work with potable water, it is appropriate for me to mention it.

 

November 19 was officially World Toilet Day, but the 2.6 billion people worldwide who live without access to safe, private toilets do not get much press. Here in the Central African Republic, very few people have access to a toilet. Most use the nearest bush alongside the road, unwittingly committing what the Unicef calls "the riskiest sanitation practice." Open defecation shares disease-carrying materials with neighbors and the community as a whole.

 

Educating people about construction and proper use and maintenance of latrines does not seem like typical missionary work, but it is important to the health and well-being of the people of CAR. Our partner in ministry, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR, is concerned about the health and well-being of all Central Africans….

 

 

 

Joe's colleagues have been able to use many of the things they learned to help in their visits to local villages.   This month they are focusing on building a spring box in the village of Cantonnier. In order to protect the water coming out of the spring, a concrete "box" is built around it.  Pipes are installed so people can fill their containers with clean spring water, instead of having to dip them into a pool filled with mud and debris, where goats, cattle, or sheep may have been wading.  Such small construction projects, plus education in health and hygiene can really help decrease the incidence of water-borne diseases. 

 

 

PASE has been focusing on building spring boxes and teaching hygiene to villager. In the New Year I hope we are able to expand our work and begin working with sanitation.

 

 

Prayer requests:

 

1. Thanksgiving for our tutors:  Mariel Viera-Bernier and Audrey Plisch, who arrives in December to take her place.  Please pray for safe travels, good health, and a quick adjustment to living in Africa. 
2. For peace and security in the Central African Republic.
3. For wisdom for the leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR, especially Rev. André Goliké, church president.
4. For the work of PASE as it continues to provide clean drinking water for villagers and to educate them about the importance of sanitation and hygiene.
5. For ELCA/Global Missions as they seek a new West Africa Director and new West Africa Regional Representatives, to replace Rev. Eva Jensen and Louis and Mytch Dorvillier, all of whom have moved on to other positions.

 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.  We look forward to hearing from you, and perhaps to visiting you personally while we are on furlough in summer 2009. 

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

November 2008

 

Dr. Joe Troester serves as technical adviser to PASE, the French acronym for Project for Water Resource Management.  This is a program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of CAR, sponsored in part by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  PASE seeks to provide safe drinking water through construction and maintenance of wells, spring boxes, and slow-sand filters, while also teaching good hygiene practices that can lessen water-borne illnesses.

Troester October 2008 Newsletter

Dear friends,

 

Greetings from the Central African Republic (CAR)!  We are happy to report that the political situation here is looking more. Because of this, Global Mission has given our family permission to move to Baboua, CAR, a small town about 30 miles from the border with Cameroon.  This area has remained calm and largely unaffected by the unrest.  Joe has been working there each week and returning to Cameroon on the weekends to be with Deborah and Christa, so it will be good for the whole family to be together again.  We hope to be settled in Baboua by the end of October. 

 

We have good news to share.  A college student has come as a volunteer to teach Christa's lessons for the fall semester.  Her name is Mariel Viera-Bernier and she is a second-year student at the University of Puerto Rico.  Mariel is fluent in both English and Spanish and was home-schooled herself, so she is a major asset to Christa's education.  She is a member of the Union Church of San Juan, our former church in Puerto Rico, where Deborah served as associate pastor.  Mariel is excited to be here.  She hopes to apply with the Peace Corps or to do more short-term mission work after graduation.  Please keep her in your prayers. 

 

In December Audrey Plisch, a retired middle-school teacher, counselor, and dean of students, will arrive to finish up the school year with Christa.  We are blessed to have both Mariel, and then Audrey, to help with Christa's schooling this year.

 

Meanwhile, Deborah has been able to spend more time in language study.  She has already been invited to conduct a worship service in Sango at the end of November.  Sango and French are the two national languages of CAR.

 

Joe and Deborah had an exciting experience in July.  We accompanied four Central African colleagues to a week-long Red Cross training in sanitation and hygiene at the village of Dekoa, about three hours north of Bangui, CAR.  Thirty village education workers, including our Central African colleagues, were given 30 hours of training over four days, including teaching basic hygiene, preventing water-borne diseases,  and helping villagers organize a water committee to protect and manage sources of clean water.   Most of the classes were taught by local Central African Red Cross trainers, who did an excellent job.  We were impressed that one woman who attended the seminar walked over 35 miles to get there, carrying her 6 week old infant on her back!  

 

Joe's colleagues have been able to use many of the things they learned to help in their visits to local villages.   This month they are focusing on building a spring box in the village of Cantonnier. In order to protect the water coming out of the spring, a concrete "box" is built around it.  Pipes are installed so people can fill their containers with clean spring water, instead of having to dip them into a pool filled with mud and debris, where goats, cattle, or sheep may have been wading.  Such small construction projects, plus education in health and hygiene can really help decrease the incidence of water-borne diseases. 

 

Prayer requests:

 

1. Thanksgiving for our tutors:  Mariel Viera-Bernier and Audrey Plisch, who arrives in December to take her place.  Please pray for safe travels, good health, and a quick adjustment to living in Africa. 
2. For peace and security in the Central African Republic.
3. For wisdom for the leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR, especially Rev. André Goliké, church president.
4. For the work of PASE as it continues to provide clean drinking water for villagers and to educate them about the importance of sanitation and hygiene.
5. For our move to Baboua, CAR, that all will go smoothly.
6. For ELCA/Global Missions as they seek a new West Africa Director and new West Africa Regional Representatives, to replace Rev. Eva Jensen and Louis and Mytch Dorvillier, all of whom have moved on to other positions.

 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.  We look forward to hearing from you, and perhaps to visiting you personally while we are on furlough in summer 2009. 

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

October 2008

 

Dr. Joe Troester serves as technical adviser to PASE, the French acronym for Project for Water Resource Management.  This is a program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of CAR, sponsored in part by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  PASE seeks to provide safe drinking water through construction and maintenance of wells, spring boxes, and slow-sand filters, while also teaching good hygiene practices that can lessen water-borne illnesses.

Happy Easter from the Central African Republic

Dear friends,

 

Greetings from Central Africa! We have had quite an exciting Eastertide—Deborah had to have an emergency appendectomy on March 19. She is making a good recovery, after spending Easter in the Protestant Hospital at N'gaoundéré, Cameroon. God was good to us, in that everything worked out for her to receive the care she needed. Dr. Jim Mongé, of Duluth, Minnesota, an excellent surgeon, had arrived in Cameroon just two days before, and was able to do the surgery. Deborah wishes to thank Dr. Arroga, director of the hospital; Jean Baptiste and his team of nurses in the intensive care unit; and Dr. and Dr. Solofo here in Garoua-Boulaï, who diagnosed the problem. Thanks also to Jim and Karen Noss for their hospitality in N'gaoundéré.  

 

During January and February we enjoyed the visits of folks from Michigan, North Dakota, and Texas. Rev. Paul Owens and several other members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Alpena, Michigan were in Cameroon in January. Rev. Owens is a former professor at the Bible College in Garoua Boulaï, Cameroon, just down the street from our house. He and his parishioners came to visit the Bible College and other Lutheran supported institutions in Cameroon.

 

In February members of the Central African Republic's Partner Synods traveled to the CAR for the dedication of the Women's Center and a new church in Bouar. We traveled together with them to Bouar, where we were warmly welcomed by the President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in CAR (EELRCA), Rev. André Golike, and his colleagues. While there, Deborah had the privilege of preaching at the annual women's conference of the EELRCA. She preached in French and the sermon was translated into Sango, the local language. Joe was also present at the women's conference, as one of his Central African co-workers, Josephine Oumarou, addressed the women on the need to use water from a clean source or to treat it before drinking it. Joe and his co-workers still have a lot of work to do regarding hygiene education. Many Central Africans do not know the importance of making sure their drinking water is clean.

 

Even though the women of Central Africa live in one of the poorest nations in the world, in an atmosphere of war and violence, it was inspiring to see how enthusiastically they sang, danced, and worshipped during the conference. We even enjoyed a humorous moment when one group presented a short skit, showing how we are all "sheep who have gone astray"—with some women acting as sheep and others with small sticks trying to guide the sheep onto the "straight and narrow way."

 

Each region brought an offering to help defray costs of the conference. The total offering, from all over the country came to around $150, yet this represented a tremendous sacrifice on their part. This is a nation where people are living on less than $1 a day. According to U.N. statistics, the CAR is the fifth-poorest nation in the world.

 

Sadly, some churches from northern CAR were not represented at the conference, as they had disbanded, along with the entire village, due to violence in that region. Refugees from northern CAR continue to move south and west into Cameroon, in search of safety from bandits and rebels in this war-torn country.

 

We urge you to inform yourselves and your churches about what is going on in the Central African Republic, and to keep the people and the churches of that nation in your prayers. The violence and unrest is directly related to the problems in Darfur, Sudan, and Chad. Unfortunately governments in that region have been unable to stop the fighting and protect their own citizens from rebels and marauders.

 

Furthermore, the government of the CAR has not been able to pay its civil servants. This means that public schools are closed, public hospitals may not have doctors or nurses, and other government services have been curtailed. In this humanitarian crisis, church organizations and other NGO's are often the only source of help. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is doing its part as we assist the EELRCA, together with our Lutheran partners in Germany, Denmark, and elsewhere. It is important to continue to support ELCA efforts in the CAR. Contact Global Missions at the address below to find out how you can help.

 

Rev. Twila Schock

Global Mission and Development Services Units

8765 West Higgins Road

Chicago, IL  60631

Telephone:  773.380.2641

Twila.Schock@elca.org

 

Thank you again for your prayers and your support,

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

April 2008

 

Prayer requests:

• For peace in the CAR, and a just resolution to the conflicts in that region
• For wisdom for church leaders and missionaries as to how to respond during this difficult time
• For safe water for all
• For safety during travel in the CAR

For the right teacher for our daughter Christa, who will be entering 6^th grade this fall; we are still seeking a teacher for her, so that Deborah, who is an ordained pastor, may be more active in assisting the local church. For more information see: http://www.elca.org/globalserve/pd/gm2/car_elem_teacher.html

 

Mailing address:

Joe and Deborah Troester

B.P. 111

N'gaoundéré

     CAMEROON

 

Since we are using email via satellite, please do not send attachments, pictures, or forwarded messages. Please do not include our message in your reply. If possible, using plain text also helps cut the costs. Thanks!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Central African Republic!

Since arriving in Africa this fall, we have settled into our new home in Garoua-Boulaï, Cameroon, a small town on the border with the Central African Republic (CAR). Most weeks, Joe spends Monday through Friday in the CAR as the technical advisor for PASE (the French acronym for Program for Water-Resources Development). Deborah home-schools Christa and participates in local church activities, such as the Femmes Pour Christ (Women for Christ) and a program for adolescent girls run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cameroon.

 

Joe's major job is improving access to potable water. In November, he spent two weeks with a drill crew at three different mission stations, including that of the ELCA missionaries in Bouar, who have been carting water in barrels to their home for months, a task which had cut considerably into their time and energy for doing mission work. This fall, he also spent some time getting his home-away-from-home in Baboua, CAR, into a more livable condition. This has involved adding a washing machine and repairing the electrical systems. (The house has two separate solar systems and is attached to a generator.)

 

Recently, a Central African Joe knows came to his door in Baboua asking for money for medicine. He is one of the few who has graduated from high school. He wants to go on to the university to become a medical doctor, but he lacks the funds. Recently he has fallen on hard times. He can no longer drink bottled water, so he returned to drinking stream water and was sick as a result.

 

Worldwide, 1.1 billion people lack access to potable water and 2.6 billion are without adequate sanitation. Statistics for water-related diseases in the CAR are difficult to find, although a recent report by the World Bank indicates that nearly 90 percent of all diseases in the developing world are caused by unsanitary water conditions and that 50 percent of the people in hospitals are there for water-related diseases. Diarrhea alone has killed more children in the last 10 years than all the people killed in wartime since World War II.

 

In 2008, Joe will be working with PASE to continue improving access to potable water through rehabilitating broken wells and building spring boxes to protect the purity of the spring water. In January, Joe plans to meet with representatives of the International Red Cross in CAR's capital of Bangui to obtain educational materials in local African languages. PASE will be using these materials as part of their program to improve health and hygiene in villages through education. It is not enough to provide potable water; people must also learn why it is important to drink clean water, even it if means going a little further to a clean water source, such as a well or a spring.

 

Please pray for the efforts of PASE, for its director, Jean Marc Abbo (a Central African Lutheran layperson), and for Joe as he serves as their technical advisor. This work, co-sponsored by the ELCA and its partner, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic, has the potential to save many lives, and to spread the love of Christ to those living in poverty in one of the most neglected countries in Africa.

 

Yours with best wishes for 2008,

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

December 2007

 

Specific prayer requests include

 

1. Finding the right teacher for Christa (see below)

2. Our continued health and safety

3. The safety of all who live and work in the CAR, due to the insecurity there

 

P.S. If you know of anyone with training in water-resources who would be interested in working in Liberia, please ask him or her to look at the position description found at http://www.elca.org/globalserve/pd/lt/Liberia_water_resource.pdf

 

P.P.S. If you know of a certified elementary teacher who might be interested in spending a couple years in Africa as Christa's teacher, please ask him or her to look at the position description found at http://www.elca.org/globalserve/pd/gm2/car_elem_teacher.html

 

Since we are using email via satellite, please do not send attachments, pictures, or forwarded messages. Please do not include our message in your reply. If possible, using plain text also helps cut the costs. Thanks!

 

Thanksgiving Arrives Early in Africa

Greetings from Cameroon and the Central African Republic!

 

Many folks look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving in November, but here in central Africa we have already been celebrating Thanksgiving for the entire month of October!  It is harvest time here, and it is also the time of the "Don de Récolte" when Christians bring a special offering to further the work of the local church.  Each Sunday for the past month, church members have come forward singing and dancing to present their offerings.  Most people bring their gift in an envelope, as we would, and place it in the basket set in front of the altar, but some bring produce from their fields, such as a big bag of ignamés (a large root vegetable, which tastes a bit like potato).  One Sunday a man brought up a live chicken, which the pastor had to corral!  On Youth Sunday the young people lowered their offering from the ceiling in a basket of flowers.  (They had rigged up a rope ahead of time, and at the right moment, they let it down till it rested in front of the altar.)  Everyone applauds at the end of the service when the amount of the offering is announced.  The people here get really excited about their giving! 

 

Even though most of us who live in more developed nations have far more material goods than our brothers and sisters in Africa, I can't help but think we can learn something from them.  They are happy to give what they are able.  Even though they have very little, by Western standards, they give joyfully, and make the offering a time of celebration.  How many of us would come singing and dancing down the aisle to bring our offering to God?  Perhaps they know something we in wealthier countries do not:  one does not have to have material wealth to be rich in spirit.   

 

For those of you who would like to know a bit about what we have been doing:  This past summer we had a relaxing visit with friends and family in Puerto Rico, Illinois, and Missouri.  At the end of July we left for Africa.  While spending the weekend en route in Paris, we coincidentally were able to see the end of the Tour de France.  (We hadn't realized it was that weekend, so we quickly changed our plans from visiting museums to watching the bicycle race.)

 

Once in Cameroon, Christa and Deborah stayed in the capital city of Yaoundé for Christa to begin her school year.  The SIL mission agency (Wycliffe Bible Translators) graciously allowed us to register her in their home-school program for missionary children.  Students in the program meet three times a year in Yaoundé for two to three weeks of instruction with qualified teachers from the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain.  They are tutored the rest of the year by their parents.  While Christa got started in 5^th grade, Joe went on ahead to visit his work site in CAR, and to meet his new colleagues.

 

On September 7, we all moved into our new home in Garoua-Boulaï, Cameroon, on the border with CAR, just 30 miles over a dirt road from Joe's office in Baboua, CAR.  However, due to road conditions and border formalities, the trip takes about an hour and a half, so he spends most of the week in Baboua, and returns home on weekends.   His official title is "Technical Advisor" to the PASE program (Projet d'Áménagement de Sources d'Éau, or for those of you who do not read French, "Project for Management of Water Resources").  The past two months have been spent in orientation, visiting villages, helping with the accounting system, and preparing the program's 3^rd quarter report.  His work has also included repairing a spring box (concrete and pipe built around a natural spring, to protect water quality for drinking); completing a slow-sand water filter, for purifying stream water for the village of Koundé; and developing plans to drill two wells, to be completed before the end of the year, if all goes as planned. 

 

Deborah and Christa have continued with home schooling, and have had time for reading and baking, two of their favorite hobbies.  We are all enjoying playing with our new part-Labrador puppy, Lady, who entertains us and helps us get our exercise by walking her.  

           

Deborah, an ordained minister, has also been called upon to assist in serving communion and reading the scriptures for the French language church service here in Garoua-Boulaï.   She has enjoyed attending activities of the local "Femmes pour Christ" (Women for Christ) organization, as well. 

 

We wish all our friends, family and supporters a happy Thanksgiving.  Thank you for your support and prayers for us as we live out our mission here in Africa.  We would love to hear from you – just please don't send long files, such as graphics or photos, since we receive our email by satellite, and large files are quite expensive (about $8 per megabyte).  May God grant you grace to live out your mission, wherever you may be.  Blessings to you all!

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Garoua Boulaï, Cameroon

November 2007

 

Specific prayer requests include

 

1. Finding a good teacher for Christa*

2. Our continued health and safety

3. The safety of all who live and work in the CAR, due to the insecurity there

 

*This year, Christa is in the fifth grade. Since there is no English language school here, we are home schooling her. However, the ELCA Global Missions are still looking for a teacher for Christa.  This will free Deborah to assist with other mission needs.  If you know anyone who has an elementary teaching certificate and wants to live in Africa for a couple of years, tell them they can apply on-line at www.elca.org/globalserve.  This position offers a stipend, housing, travel expenses, and health insurance, plus two years re-payment of student loans, if applicable. 

 

In addition, for those who might be interested, the ELCA is advertising for a water-resources specialist in Liberia. Please check their webpage [www.elca.org/globalserve] for more information.

 

Greetings from Cameroon!

After nine months of French classes in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and an all-too-brief vacation, our family has finally been deployed to Cameroon. We are currently in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon.

 

On Saturday (August 11), Joe will depart for the village of Baboua in the Central African Republic (CAR) to review the current status of the water project that has been begun in that area by the Lutheran Church. I will return in a month and then we will all move to Garoua Boulaï, Cameroon. We will live there and Joe will travel to the CAR to work when conditions are good..

 

This year, Christa is in the fifth grade. Since there is no English Language school were we will be living her parents will be home schooling her. However, the ELCA Global Missions are still looking for a teacher for Christa, so if you know anyone who has an elementary teaching certificate and wants to live in Africa for a couple of years, tell them they can apply on-line at www.elca.org/globalserve/

 

Please keep us in your prayers. Specific prayer requests include

 

Finding a good teacher for Christa

Our continued health and safety

And the safety of all who live in the CAR, where they have had to deal with so much insecurity

 

 

 

Blessings to all of you,

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Yaoundé, Cameroon

August 2007

 

The Troesters are missionaries with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Joe is a water resources specialist and Deborah is an ordained pastor. Their daughter, Christa, age 10, is in 5th grade. Their contact information is below:

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

B.P. 111

N'gaoundéré, CAMEROON

Cell: (Country Code 237) 9994-8723

Greetings from West Africa!

The rainy season is slowly arriving in Burkina Faso. In the eastern part of the country, farmers have begun planting the traditional crop of millet. There has been some rain here in Ouagadougou during April and May, but not enough to plant crops. Everyone is hoping the rainy season will begin soon.

 

This is also a time of change for our family. After nine months of French classes, we will be returning to the states to visit friends and relatives and prepare for our deployment to the Central African Republic. Regrettably the security situation in that country is not good. So the decision has been made that we will be living Garoua Boulaï, Cameroon, instead of Baboua, CAR. The two towns are only separated by 20 miles of dirt road and the border, so Joe will travel to the CAR to work when conditions are good.

 

This year, Christa attended the fourth grade at the International School of Ouagadougou and she is sad to be leaving all of her new friends. She will start home-schooling in August in Cameroon. The ELCA Global Missions are still looking for a teacher for Christa, so if you know anyone who has an elementary teaching certificate and wants to live in Africa for a couple of years, tell them they can apply on-line at www.elca.org/globalserve/

 

For those of you wishing to contact us or visit with us, Deborah and Christa will be in San Juan, Puerto Rico from June 16 to 23. Deborah will be giving a short presentation at the Union Church of San Juan after the service on Sunday, June 17. We will all be in Illinois for most of the month of July and will be giving a presentation at the First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale, Illinois, after church on Sunday, July 15.  We hope to see many of you, either in San Juan or in Illinois

 

Blessings to all of you,

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

June 2007

 

The Troesters are missionaries with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Joe is a water resources specialist and Deborah is an ordained pastor. Their daughter, Christa, age 10, will be in the 5th grade in the fall. Their contact information is below:

 

From June 23 through July 26: 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

3500 Chautauqua Rd.

Carbondale, IL 62901, USA

Deborah's parents' phone in Carbondale: (618) 457-6637

 

Starting in August

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

B.P. 111

N'gaoundéré, CAMEROON

Cell: (Country Code 237) 994-8723