Troesters Moving to Tanzania

We're moving! Because of the continued insecurity in the Central African Republic, Deborah and I have accepted a new assignment in Arusha, Tanzania. We will be the East Africa Regional Representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) helping to oversee projects in Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

 

While we miss CAR, and especially our friends and colleagues in the Lutheran Church there, we look forward to establishing relationships with new friends and colleagues in the East Africa region. This is an exciting time to be working in Africa. Churches here are growing faster than in almost any other part of the world; there are even more Lutherans in Tanzania than in the ELCA!

 

We are grateful to those of you who have continued to support us throughout this transition by your prayers, gifts, and words of encouragement. Due to the uncertainty of our plans this summer, we were unable to visit many of our supporting congregations. We hope to make up for this on our next visit to the U.S. and thank you for your understanding.

 

We welcome your continued support through ELCA Global Mission. However, if you prefer to support another missionary working in the Central African Republic, or with another project, we certainly understand. For more information on sponsoring us, or other missionaries in the ELCA, contact Rev. Lanny Westphal at Lanny.Westphal@elca.org. Rev. Westphal can also give you information about specific projects supported by the ELCA in Africa, and around the world.

 

We look forward to writing more blogs from the East Africa Region, so stay tuned!

 

Joe and Deborah Troester

ELCA Missionaries to East Africa

 

Photo Credit: Edited map of Africa.

 

Joe and Deborah will soon be ELCA missionaries in Arusha, Tanzania, where they will be the East Africa Regional Representatives for the ELCA. Their daughter, Christa, is a junior at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

 

Troesters Departing the Central African Republic

As most of you know, the Central African Republic (CAR) continues to be plagued by violence and instability caused by the coup in March. Due to the continuing insecurity, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has decided not to send us back to the CAR, for our own safety.

The three of us will return to Cameroon this month to gather our belongings, some of which are stored there. Christa will still begin her junior year at the Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon, while we discuss future employment possibilities.

This summer, we had planned to visit our supporting congregations scattered across the United States (California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Puerto Rico). We were able to visit congregations in Puerto Rico, and some in Illinois, but the rest of our plans are now on hold. We hope to reschedule these visits in September and October, but it all depends on our future employment.

Most ELCA projects in the CAR will continue under local leadership, as conditions permit. For more information, or to find out how you can support these projects, please contact Rev. Lanny Westphal at globalmissionsupport@elca.org or Lanny.Westphal@elca.org. The people of CAR need our help now more than ever.

We greatly enjoyed the opportunity we had to work for the ELCA in the Central African Republic in water resource development and theological education. We will miss all our friends and colleagues in the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the CAR, and elsewhere in both Cameroon and CAR. Please continue to pray for peace in the CAR. Click here for details on an interfaith day of prayer for peace on August 12.

Thank you again for your support of our work in the Central African Republic!

Joe and Deborah Troester

Former ELCA Missionaries to the Central African Republic

Photo Credit: Edited map of the Central African Republic.

Joe and Deborah were ELCA missionaries in Baboua, CAR. Joe is a water resources specialist and Deborah is a pastor ordained by the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA). Their daughter, Christa, is a junior at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Troesters to Visit Supporters this Summer

This summer Deborah, Christa, and Joe will be visiting our supporting congregations in the United States and sharing some of the exciting things God has been doing in the Central African Republic. We have over 40 possible visits spread across California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Puerto Rico. You are invited to attend any of the events below. Some dates may be subject to change. For schedule updates and details, contact us at josephtroester@gmail.com. We are looking forward to visiting with many of you.

 

Thank you again for your support of our work in the Central African Republic!

 

Joe and Deborah Troester

ELCA Missionaries to the Central African Republic

Temporarily relocated to Yaoundé, Cameroon

 

Puerto Rico     June 29 to July 3

            Union Church of San Juan      June 30

 

Illinois             July 5 to August 3

            Salem Lutheran Church in Jonesboro              July 7

            First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale          July 14

            First Presbyterian Church Dinner Group          July 18

            Our Savior Lutheran Church in Bradley          July 28

 

Florida                        August 6 to 8

            Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Venice, Florida           August 7

 

Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod    August 8 to 15

 

North Dakota             August 16 to 28

            Olivet Lutheran in Fargo          August 18

            First Lutheran in Williston       August 25

 

South Dakota              August 28 to 30

            Scandia Lutheran Church in Centerville          August 29

 

California       September

            Grace Lutheran Church in Palo Alto    September 4

 

Photo Credit: Outline map of the United States showing States where we plan to visit this summer.

 

Joe and Deborah are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, CAR. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides safe drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation for villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, is a sophomore at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

The Central African Republic: What About the Future?

Two months ago, on March 24, 2013, the government of the Central African Republic was overthrown by a coup. All the Lutheran missionaries evacuated to neighboring Cameroon. We left, but the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR is still there. Western CAR (where the Lutheran Church is most active) has been spared the worst effects of the coup, but still there has been some looting of both personal and church property. The former German Station in Bouar, now used as rental property by the church, was looted. A pickup truck used for vaccination campaigns and a computer were taken from the Lutheran Health Center at Gallo. Homes of personnel and guest housing at the Bohong and Gallo Health Centers were looted.

 

Because of fear and the insecurity, people have fled to their home villages and often stay in their fields at night, instead of in their houses. Fuel is difficult to find. The banks are closed, so money cannot be transferred into the country and salaries cannot be paid. Without much of a functioning government, there are bandits on the road, just like in the Old West. Consequently travel is both difficult and dangerous.

 

Still the Evangelical Lutheran Church of CAR continues to work. Students and professors of the Bible School and Seminary are continuing classes. The Catholic girl's school at Maigaro, where ELCA sponsors over a dozen scholarships, has moved into Bouar for security; their classes are continuing at a youth center there. Some of the Lutheran Village Schools are in operation but without transportation, no one can actually check on them. The health programs continue, but people have great difficulty getting to the clinics. Other projects, such as the Water Management Project, that rely more on fuel for transportation, are having difficulty accomplishing some of their objectives.

 

Today, the church in the Central African Republic needs our prayers and support more than ever. One of their biggest fears is being abandoned: by their church partners and friends in the West. We ELCA missionaries have reassured them that we will be back as soon as it is safe, and that ELCA stands ready to help them in any way possible. Please pray for the church in the Central African Republic. Pray for the government of CAR. Pray for peace and stability, so that the work of the church can continue and grow there. Thanks!

 

Joe and Deborah Troester

ELCA Missionaries to the Central African Republic

Temporarily relocated to Yaoundé, Cameroon

 

Photo Credit: Map showing the location of the Central African Republic in Africa.

 

Joe and Deborah are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, CAR. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides safe drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation for villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, is a sophomore at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

A Mother’s Day Tribute from the Central African Republic

A Mother's Day Tribute to the Central African Republic's First Female Ph.D. in Theology, Rev. Antoinette Yindjara-Beanzoui: Mother, grandmother, wife, and pastor

Despite all the bad news coming from CAR lately, there are a few bright spots. One of them is the success of a special woman—and mother—Antoinette Yindjara-Beanzoui. Next month Pastor Antoinette will receive her doctorate in theology from the Protestant University of Central Africa (U.P.A.C.) in Yaoundé, Cameroon. She will be the first woman from CAR to achieve this distinction and only the ninth woman to be granted a Ph.D. from this institution, which has been training pastors in the heart of Africa since the 1960's.

Antoinette is the mother of eight (four biological and four foster children), and recently became the proud grandmother of a baby girl. Yet somehow with all these responsibilities she was able to earn both a master's and a doctorate—an astounding accomplishment in a country where it's estimated that only a quarter of girls attend any school at all, and those who do, usually leave after only a few years of elementary school to help out at home or to get married.

Although she hails from northwestern CAR, her parents sent her to Bangui, CAR's capital, to complete high school. While there, her pastor, André Zoulé, encouraged her to enter the Lutheran Theological School in Baboua to become a pastor. She followed his advice, graduating in 1998. She and her husband, Pastor Felix Beanzoui (who graduated together with her) then served pastoral internships at St. Timothy's Lutheran Church in Bangui.

Following the internship, she was admitted to U.P.A.C. where, thanks to a full scholarship from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) she earned a master's degree in theology in 2004. In that year, she became the second woman to be ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of CAR. In 2008, she returned to U.P.A.C. for doctoral studies, again with a grant from the ELCA. After more than four years of hard work—including a semester abroad in Montpelier, France, she successfully defended her thesis this past December. She has returned to CAR, amid all the turmoil resulting from the recent coup and has joined the faculty at the Lutheran Theological School in Baboua, where she is teaching practical theology and sociology.

She is expected to receive her diploma in June. Join us in wishing Pastor Antoinette a wonderful and well-deserved Happy Mother's Day!

Deborah and Joe Troester

ELCA Missionaries to the Central African Republic

Temporally relocated to Ngaoundéré, Cameroon

Photo: Pastor Antoinette holding her new granddaughter.

Deborah and Joe are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, CAR. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides safe drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation for villagers. Their daughter, Christa, is a sophomore at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Evacuation from the Central African Republic, Again!

On Christmas Eve, all Lutheran Missionaries in the Central African Republic evacuated to Cameroon because of growing security concerns. We returned in March.

 

Exactly, three months later, on Palm Sunday (March 24), all Lutheran Missionaries in the Central African Republic evacuated themselves to Cameroon. As "Yogi" Berra said, "Déjà vu, all over again." That evening, rebels entered the capitol as President Bozizé fled. The next day, Michel Djotodia, a rebel leader, declared himself CAR President. If you want more details, Google the news on the internet for the Central African Republic.

 

Christa, Deborah, and I are with the other ELCA Missionaries in Ngaoundéré. In a few days, we will take Christa back to Yaoundé, where she is attending 10th grade at Rain Forest International School. Although we have been personally inconvenienced, we have not been in any real danger. Our thoughts are with our friends and colleagues back in the Central African Republic, especially those in areas where there was fighting, such as in the capital city of Bangui.

 

In spite of the difficulties, the programs of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic (EELRCA) continue. People remain concerned about the future, but the new government is trying to restore order.

 

Please continue to pray and support the EELRCA and the people of the CAR, who have suffered nearly constant civil strife ever since their independence in 1960. Political unrest retards development and makes it difficult for the church to do its work as well. Humanitarian agencies can't send workers and supplies, and businesses don't want to invest in an unstable political climate.

 

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. May you continue to have a Blessed Easter Season!

 

Joe and Deborah Troester

ELCA Missionaries to the Central African Republic

Temporally relocated to Ngaoundéré, Cameroon

 

Photo Credit: The logos of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and our partner church the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic.

 

Joe and Deborah are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, CAR. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides safe drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation for villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, is a sophomore at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Evacuation from the Central African Republic

On Christmas Eve (one month ago today), all Lutheran Missionaries in the Central African Republic evacuated themselves to Cameroon because of growing security concerns.

 

In December rebels in the north and east marched toward the capital, Bangui, in an attempt to overthrow the government. The rebels stopped just short of Bangui and negotiated a settlement with the government. The President has named a new Prime Minister. Things have calmed down a bit, but we are waiting to see if the new government can maintain peace throughout the country.

 

In the meantime, our family spent Christmas and New Year's with fellow Lutheran missionaries in Ngaoundéré, Cameroon. We are presently staying in Yaoundé, Cameroon's capital, where Christa is attending 10th grade at Rain Forest International School.

 

We appreciate your prayers for us and especially for the people of the CAR, who have suffered nearly constant civil strife ever since their independence in 1960. Political unrest retards development and makes it difficult for the church to do its work as well. Humanitarian agencies can't send workers and supplies, and businesses don't want to invest in an unstable political climate.

 

We hope this letter finds you in good health and in good spirits in this new year. May God bless you and yours in 2013!

 

Joe and Deborah Troester

ELCA Missionaries to the Central African Republic

Temporally relocated to Yaoundé, Cameroon

 

Photo Credit: Six white elephants (SUV's) lined up at Immigration as Lutheran Missionaries leave the Central African Republic. Photo by Tomas Røen.

 

Joe and Deborah are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, CAR. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides safe drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation for villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, is a sophomore at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.