World Toilet Day 2009

This Thursday, 19 November, is World Toilet Day—a day to celebrate the humble, yet vitally important, toilet and to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis. Forty percent of the world's population does not have a toilet. In the town where we live in the Central African Republic, 70 percent of the homes do not have a latrine (such as the one pictured above). As you can imagine, the practice of open defecation spreads disease and contaminates water sources. This only complicates the task of the Water Management Project (known as PASE for its acronym in French) where I serve as technical advisor.

 

PASE works with villagers to teach them proper hygiene and helps to provide sources of clean drinking water. We would like to also improve sanitation in villages, but we are limited by lack of funding and personnel.   In a country such as the CAR, which has so many problems, most people are not concerned about sanitation, so the first step is raising awareness of the problem.  Thank you for your support of our program, during these times of continued financial difficulties throughout the world.

 

Joe Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

 

Photo: The photographs above are of an improved latrine. The walls are about 1.5 meters (5 feet) high. The hole is about 15 cm (6 inches) in diameter, with a plastic lid to keep the flies down. The dirt floor around the hole is mounded, so that rainfall runs away from the hole.

 

Joe and Deborah Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic.   Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers.  Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. 

 

 

Dry Season

The following letter was sent to our Lutheran supporters regarding cutbacks in funding in ELCA-Global Mission.

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Dear Friends,

Here in the Central African Republic (CAR) the dry season is on the way. Rainstorms are becoming less frequent and shorter. Soon the rains will stop altogether until April. People hope that the crops they have stored will carry them through till the harvest next fall.

It seems that dry season has also arrived at ELCA Global Mission. The church-wide office in Chicago foresees the possibility of a 30% reduction in giving. This is apparently in protest of actions taken in Minneapolis a couple of months ago. This reduction comes on top of a 10% funding cut earlier this year, due to the world-wide economic downturn. Losing so much funding in one year has required GM to make some drastic cutbacks in personnel and programs.

Regardless of anyone's opinions regarding the actions taken by the General Assembly, protesting by withholding funds has serious consequences which are detrimental to the work of our partner churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR (Also known as the EELRCA, after its French acronym). Due to this sudden drop in funding, ELCA-GM has been forced to withhold the 4th quarter grant to its partner churches. The EELRCA counts on these quarterly contributions of ELCA, which constitute almost half of the EELRCA's annual budget of $670,000 (less than the annual budget of some larger congregations in the U.S.).

Without ELCA's promised 4th quarter contribution, church projects are now out of money here in the CAR. Salaries cannot be paid, and may not be paid for several months. With no money for activities or salaries, the development, education, and evangelization projects funded by ELCA in CAR cannot do their work and are closing their doors. Other programs continue, but without the necessary funds, how long will they be able to keep on providing services?

For example, where Deborah teaches at the Theological School, students may have to go without their $40 a month stipend. Some of the students there gave up careers such as teaching to become pastors – and more pastors are desperately needed in the CAR. Now they may have to watch their children go hungry. Money for doctor's fees for their families will be impossible to pay.

Others who may suffer include AIDS patients, villagers waiting for clean water, and families who cannot afford medicines or school fees for their children. We don't think that ELCA members who have decided to withhold funds from Chicago wish for these outcomes, or even know that as a result of their actions people are suffering in the CAR.

Now is the time when you can help turn this situation around. We thank you for your continued support of our ministry, and ask your help to convince others to continue to support the work of Global Mission, especially in the neediest countries, such as the CAR. May God bless you as you serve Christ in your community and around the world.

Your missionaries in the Central African Republic,

Joe and Deborah Troester

Giving thanks: Robin Strickler

 Visit the Hand in Hand blog digest to read the first of the "Give thanks!" series by ELCA missionary Robin Strickler (Rwanda).  Make it easy:  follow the "Subscribe" link at http://blogs.elca.org/handinhand (upper right-hand box) and have new posts e-mailed to you.

 

Thanksgiving in the Central African Republic

"Osoko, Jesu, Osoko!" – "Thank you, Jesus, thank you!" sings the choir of young people as they march into the sanctuary, swaying to the beat of their thanksgiving song.  In Baboua, Central African Republic, it is the time of the Don de Récolte – the Harvest Offering.  Like our Thanksgiving celebrations, it is a harvest festival, when congregations bring in the best of their harvest, along with a special offering, to thank God for the blessings of the past year, especially for good crops and food on their tables.  Women wearing colorful floor-length African dresses come bearing dishes full of manioc or a large bunch of bananas to place before the altar.  Men dressed in long robes, or in their best T-shirts and jeans, bring their envelopes containing a special monetary gift for the Thanksgiving Offering.  Little children, led by their Sunday School teachers, file down the aisle, clutching their few francs to deposit in the plastic offering basket.  One little girl, about three years old, has to be persuaded to let go of her money and drop it in! 

 

At the Tongo Lutheran Church in Baboua, the entire congregation waits as the money is being counted.  As a choir sings to the accompaniment of drums and rhythm instruments, deaconesses serve us coffee and bananas.  This is the first church I have ever attended in which we stopped and took a coffee break during the service!   (Since the service lasted three hours, it wasn't a bad idea.)  At last the good news is announced:  the total offering comes to over $300.  "What an offering!" exclaims the president of the congregation.  Everyone cheers.  This will ensure that the work of the church can continue for another year.  Perhaps they will even be able to afford to buy communion wine.  The lay pastor will receive his small salary.  Of course, offerings are taken every Sunday, but the Thanksgiving offering helps to carry the church through the dry season (November through May), when times are leaner, and food is not as plentiful. 

 

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, remember your brothers and sisters in the Central African Republic, and rejoice with them that the God of the harvest is good. 

 

Pastor Deborah Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

In Memory of Jonathan Kühne (January 27 to October 5, 2009)

The average life expectancy here in the Central African Republic is just under 40 years. That means we attend a lot of funerals. Yesterday we attended one that was especially sad.

 

Jonathan was the 8-month-old son of the Rev. Mirco and Rahel Kühne. They are missionaries from Germany serving here in Baboua. They both teach at the Bible School and have been busy raising their three boys: Aaron, Daniel, and Jonathan. On Sunday, Jonathan became ill with malaria. On Monday morning he died of complications from a disease that kills way too many people. The funeral was held at their house in the afternoon. He was buried yesterday by his swing, down by their garden.

 

Please pray for the family and for the many others affected by this series disease.

 

Joe and Deborah Troester
Baboua, Central African Republic

 

Hope for the Future?

This past Sunday I visited the Sango Lutheran Church, a brick structure with a cement floor and an aluminum roof just a quarter-mile down the red dirt road from our house.  As I arrived, I saw people in colorful clothing gathering for the service.  The catechist, wearing a scarlet robe, greeted me at the entrance, and I was shown to a plastic chair placed strategically near a window, so I could get some fresh air during the three hour long service. 

I went to see my friend Rosalie's baby Fortuné baptized.  Rosalie is my Sango teacher.  In exchange, I help her with her English.  She is studying sociology at the University of Bangui, but has taken the year off to have her baby.  Her husband, Jean-Paul, is also a student.  Fortuné was born with some problems; even though he is six months old, all he can do is cry, nurse, and sleep.  The doctor is not sure that he will develop normally. 

Yet, I am glad that Fortuné was born into a loving family.  Both Rosalie and Jean-Paul are Lutheran PK's – pastor's kids.  Rosalie's father is director of the Bible School, which trains catechists (lay pastors) for the Lutheran Church of the CAR.  Fortuné's family will do the best they can for him.

The service begins with some 20 or 30 young people filing in, singing lively praises in Sango.  After more singing, the service begins.  Finally, the moment everyone is waiting for:  the catechist calls the names of the infants to be baptized that day:  Fortuné, Stefan, Annette, Christa Elise, and five others.    As their parents carry them up to the font, I notice that little Fortuné is decked out in a red and white striped hand-knitted outfit, complete with cap.  He has the privilege of being baptized by his paternal grandfather.  Afterwards I see that Rosalie is crying.    

When I got home, I reflected on these nine children, and what the future might hold for them.  If statistics are right, at least one, and maybe two of them will not live to see their fifth birthday.  This is a country where infant mortality is high – 20% die before age five.  Of the eight or so who will live, about half will attend school and learn to read and write.  If there are four girls and four boys, three of the boys will probably attend elementary school.  Only one of the girls will. 

If current statistics do not change, only four or five of these nine children will reach their fortieth birthday.  The other half will die of preventable or treatable illnesses such as HIV-AIDS, meningitis, malaria, polio, typhoid, or simple diarrhea.    Even if they survive all this, their growth and development may be stunted by a diet high in carbohydrates (mainly manioc), and low in protein and vitamins.  It is quite possible that one of the girls will die in childbirth, especially if she is married at an early age, even as young as twelve or thirteen, which is not unusual here. 

The good news is that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR, supported by the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), is trying to help.  The church sponsors programs to build village primary schools, teach agricultural techniques, diagnose and treat HIV-AIDS, and improve access to medical care, to mention just a few of their programs.  My husband Joe works with PASE, which provides clean drinking water to villages and trains villagers in proper hygiene and sanitation.  These are all programs which can save lives and improve the quality of life for Central Africans and their children.

However, all these programs are in danger of funding cuts.  Due to the world financial crisis and to certain factions in the ELCA, offerings have dropped.  The end result may be that some of these programs must be cut.  In western CAR, where the majority of the population resides, there are few other organizations at work besides the Lutheran Church.  It is not a high profile area that you see on the news every night.  It is a place where people continue to suffer, and yet they struggle on, doing the best they can for their families.  Some, like Rosalie, are lucky – they get to finish school and have some hope for a brighter future.  Most do not. 

If you want to help, now is a good time.  It's really needed.  If you wish to contribute to our support, checks should be made out to ELCA-GM, marked "Mission Support Troesters," and send to 

The Rev. Twila Schock
Global Mission and Development Services Units
8765 West Higgins Road
Chicago, IL  60631
Telephone:  773.380.2641
Twila.Schock@elca.org

 

Back in the Central African Republic

 

Dear friends, 

 

We have arrived safely back in the Central African Republic, after our travels this past summer.  We enjoyed visiting with many of you in Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Dakota, and Puerto Rico.  During May, June, and July, we visited 23 different churches and three ELCA Synod offices.  We gave two interviews to journalists.  Deborah preached 14 times in 11 different churches.  We also visited with several other pastors to tell them more about our work and about the Central African Church. 

 

Wherever we went, we received a warm welcome. Everyone expressed great interest in our work in the Central African Republic, and a desire to help.  Thank you very much for your kindness, generosity, and support.

 

Joe has resumed his work with PASE (the French acronym for Program for Water Management).  PASE is busy constructing spring boxes in the village of Cantonnier (see the photo above), near the border with Cameroon.  This region has received an influx of refugees from northern Central African Republic, due to unrest in that area.  As a result, there have not been enough sources of clean water to provide for the entire population.  With the end of the rainy season fast approaching, PASE's efforts are truly needed. It is people like you who make this work possible.  Thank you. 

 

On another note, Deborah begins teaching at the Theological School on September 21.  She will be teaching Greek to a group of eleven students comprised of ten men and one woman, all prospective pastors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR.  She will also be giving some Bible studies for wives of the pastoral candidates, and teaching English as time permits. Global Mission has also asked her to serve as a liaison person for the Village School Program and Women for Christ of the CAR, until personnel arrive to replace Ian and Joyce Graue, who left the mission field at the end of June.

 

Christa started seventh grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon in August.  She is staying at a hostel with nine other boys and girls—all MK's (missionary kids).  So far she is enjoying her classes, especially history and Bible, although she says there is a lot of homework.  She had excellent grades on her first exams:  French and math.   We miss her, but will see her soon, as she has a one week fall break the first week of October. 

 

Again, we want to thank all of you for your support. We enjoyed visiting those of you that we could. Those that we missed, we hope to see you when we next return to the states in the summer of 2011.

 

Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Baboua, The Central African Republic

Missionaries with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

 

P.S. Unfortunately, our laptop's hard disk crashed this summer and we lost our mailing list. Consequently, we are sending this email to all the addresses in our computer. If you do not wish to receive further emails, please let us know. In addition, if you know of anyone who would like to be on our mailing list, again, please email us.  Thank you.