Deaf Ministries International Issue 8 March April 2016 2014 Davao: Mission work party Maurice says Thank you Burundi: Pressing on Neville s Update Deaf Church China www.deafmin.org
Neville s Update Dear Friends and Supporters, In this Issue: Neville s Update...... 2 Tanzania............. 3 Northern Tanzania.... 4 China................ 4 Philippines........... 6 Syria................. 7 Maurice s Update......8 Burundi.............. 8 Prayer & Thanks..... 12 They say that variety is the spice of life but, the variety I have been experiencing lately, I could certainly do without. Recently I was diagnosed with prostate cancer which was a completely new cancer and unrelated to the bladder cancer that I had experienced a while ago. It came as a kind of surprise and following a biopsy, it was determined to be a fairly high grade cancer. Some prostate cancers are slow developing and old age usually gets you before the disease itself does, but mine needed some action so waiting for old (older) age was not an option. Following consultation with many professionals and non-professionals, we opted for removal. After the operation, I mastered living with a catheter but, was extremely pleased to have it removed after one week! I have been forced to take a rest which is beginning to get a bit boring. If you are in our neighbourhood please drop in. Other than a sore sitter I am doing very well, although I get tired very quickly. A biopsy of the removed prostate was carried out together with surrounding tissue. Unfortunately the result showed that the cancer 2 Issue 8 March 2016
had spread and was an even higher grade than what affected the prostate. Hopefully it was all removed. We are taking a wait and see approach, which means constant blood tests and should the PSA numbers increase, then radiotherapy will be the next option. Anyway, I hope that it does not come to that. teachers in the local deaf school. They chose to be married in the deaf church to show that deaf and hearing could come together. Please pray for them as they share Christ to the children they work with. For those of you who have been in the know and have been praying, thank you so much. Don t give up just yet. Thanks to Lill who has endured some of the anxiety and to Ian, who texts me form work every day to see if I am ok. God is good and in myself I am fine. Two happy couples God Bless, Neville and Lill Tanzania We send our congratulations to two couples from our deaf church in Tanzania who have recently married; one couple, both of whom are deaf and the other, the groom is hearing and the bride is deaf. The latter are both Issue 8 March 2016 Daniel (a Kenyan) the DMI-Director of Tanzania, was very excited to be invited to preach in a hearing church. This is an unusual occurrence in Tanzania as deaf and hearing rarely socialise 3
or worship together. He was deeply encouraged because the hearing Christians welcomed him with open arms and offered a facility for the deaf to worship in on a Sunday. Daniel described the experience as a breakthrough and God showing His glory through this great blessing. eight responded and were baptised. Praise God! Hearing church that Daniel visited One of the struggles that the DMI team in Tanzania are facing at the moment is a lack of transport. Public transport doesn t go to all the areas so they feel there are still many deaf that have not been reached. It is not a country that is safe to be out walking at night and so their prayer is for funds to become available to buy a car. Please consider this as you pray for the ongoing work in Tanzania. Northern Tanzania Ben is the director of DMI in Northern Tanzania. He was excited to report that after preaching about baptism to the members of Bukoba deaf church, Students from the local primary and secondary school have been attending the Sunday worship services in large numbers. They are encouraged at being given the opportunity to practice preaching and sharing in the services. What a blessing that must be. There are always struggles such as the health of the evangelists and the need for funding for a motorbike for transport. One of the struggles is actually a good one to have; there is not enough room in their church building for all of the people who attend! Praise God as He grows His church. China An answer to prayer You may remember in our last newsletter that the Dali church needed to find a new building. Well, thanks be to God, they have one! Another church stepped in and provided the funds 4 Issue 8 March 2016
for them to rent a building. The new building needed a good clean before they could make the space usable. The translation team worked hard cleaning and moving. It took seven people three days to make this happen! Cleaning and moving Due to all of the packing up and moving, the church decided not to do their usual Christmas party but instead, held a Christmas/New Year worship service. It may have been smaller than their usual Christmas celebrations but they still provided the good news, good food and celebrated Jesus birth with the deaf. Angel started a new job this year, interpreting for the deaf in prison. This is an exciting but also challenging opportunity. The church community know most of the deaf who are in the prison. Some already know Christ, but there are still many to be ministered to. They ask us to pray for wisdom and opportunity to share Jesus with not only the prisoners, but also the police officers. The church had celebrated the marriage of one their couples in early February. This couple have never been to school before and so the church is helping them learn sign language and how to write. Please continue to pray for the team in China as they are working in a country that is very opposed to the gospel. Issue 8 March 2016 5
Philippines Doug and Val Clutton have been serving in the Visayas, Philippines, for over five years. In that time they have established and built up a selfsustaining agricultural project called Naturally Negros. This project employs many deaf who sell quality produce. Their reputation for quality products has quickly spread and they are now struggling to keep up with demand! They ask for prayer as they continue to expand the business and pray for the financial support to do so. Mission Trip Davao A group of 10 travelled to Davao to assist with repairs in the dormitory and to paint the basketball court. Tools were taken by the team so that they could weatherproof windows in the boys dormitory. Cabinets were also constructed so that the boys had a place to store their personal belongings. Because some of the boys showed a keen interest, a program will commence to provide training and equip them for their future. A local paint supplier, Nippon Paints, donated enough paint to cover 10 rooms and furthermore, they offered to train some students for a future in painting & decorating. These Australian visitors, especially the team leaders, were an encouragement to the staff, teachers and students. The group also contributed enough funds 6 Issue 8 March 2016
to purchase a commercial washing machine, a fridge and separate freezer for the dorm. The team did get a rest day or two, visiting nearby Paradise Island and local tourist attractions. A fundraiser is to be held on 30th July at the Berwick Church of Christ to raise funds towards completing the kitchens in the schools at both Davao and Ligao. A link will be provided in our June newsletter, where the purchase of tickets can be made online. the broadcast on our Facebook page and website. The report is in Syrian sign and translated into Arabic so will be difficult to understand but we hope you can see the joy and blessing this brought to all of those involved. Syria also celebrated two baptisms at the end of last year. This was the first time any of the deaf had been baptised! Syria First baptisms for the deaf in Syria During such horrific turmoil in Syria you d think there wouldn t be much to smile about. God continues to show His goodness in times of such heartache. A Christian TV station to the Middle East and Nth Africa interviewed the DMI leaders as part of their Christmas broadcast. You can see Issue 8 March 2016 We have some more exciting news. On the 14th of March there will be 80 Deaf visiting their meeting. Please cover this day with your prayers. These are indeed amazing days. 7
Thank you - Maurice Thank You from Maurice and Ursula Huge thank you for the response to raising the funds for Maurice s dowry to marry Ursula. The required funds were indeed raised and they were happily married on the 22nd of December. They send a very grateful and heartfelt thanks for your support. Burundi Fabien, DMI director from Burundi, began his latest report with this; God is always good to His people. His grace towards us is full of love. He looks after His people in every situation. To Him be glorified and praised. These are beautiful words coming from a man who is working in a country that is in the middle of a civil war. Since the beginning of political conflict in Burundi in April 2015, the country has been confronted with a civil war. Many people have died, others have fled to neighbouring countries such as the DRCongo, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda. The war has affected them greatly and they have faced many difficult situations. The lives of friends and family have been lost, the economy is in crisis, other supporters are no longer supporting and much more. There was a massacre in the capital city, Bujumbura, which meant that some of their usual activities with the deaf had to be put on hold. As of recent times, it has become very difficult for the deaf to attend their church in Kinama, Bujumbura. The church is about ten metres away from the police station. During the conflict, someone threw a grenade in the police administration office. Since this time, understandably, the police have heightened their security. The down side to this is that it has created a difficulty for the deaf to pass through security on the way to attend the church; deterring many from coming. Despite all of these heartaches and challenges, the Burundian team still have faith that God has much more for them to do. 8 Issue 8 March 2016
They are prayerfully waiting for some funds promised from two organisations, to help promote education for Deaf children. Deaf children in this country are often treated very poorly by their families due to their disability being seen as a curse on the family. The team plan to help educate the children and create a sewing centre so that they can learn skills to support themselves. Their vision is to preach and teach the good news not only in the places they are now, but to one day expand to the whole of Burundi, to commence self-sustainability projects for the deaf so that they can feel valued in society. Fabien says, DMI Burundi will never stop the work of God, even if we are in a civil war. Hope in a time of despair During one of Fabien s visits to the Bubanza province, he met with local churches, government bodies and parents of deaf children. The story of one of the mothers he met touched his heart. She is a single, hearing parent, of four deaf children. Her husband had abandoned them because all the children were deaf. He called them a cursed family and treated the children and his wife very poorly. Issue 8 March 2016 He refused to send them to school or to care for their needs. The mother pleaded with her husband daily to treat them kindly but he refused and was constantly angry. He departed, leaving her to raise the children by herself. One of the DMI Burundi workers went to the area to look at starting a deaf church. They met this mother and soon came to realise that she really needed DMI s support. After the worker returned and shared what he had found, Fabian returned with him to visit the mother. It was evident that she couldn t meet the needs of her children on her own. She is a farmer which allows her to get some food but, she knew nothing about sign language or how to educate them. The eldest was around the age of ten. Fabien and Israel had little money but used what they had to buy something to wash the family s clothes and basic shoes for their feet. They spent time teaching the family sign language and the gospel. This family is now able to sign and sing. The mother is overwhelmed with joy as she watches her children communicate in their lovely language. Please keep them and the work of DMI in Burundi in your prayers. 9
COME JOIN US!! (AN AUSTRALIAN EVENT) Sunday, 24th July 2016 Come join our team in the Run Melbourne Event to raise funds for Deaf Action. You can choose from a 5km walk/run, 10km or half marathon run. Contact the office for more information. If you are unable to participate but would love to support our team, you can do so at: https://runmelbourne2016.everydayhero.com/au/deaf-action-2016-run-melbourne Short Term Mission Has God put it on your heart to do something for people less fortunate than yourself? It ll be an amazing opportunity to support & encourage deaf students and staff at the Christian schools, support local churches, do some practical work and much more. Interested or need more info? Contact DMI Office: (03) 5940 5431 info@deafmin.org 10 Issue 8 March 2016
STUDENT SPONSORSHIP Deaf Action s sponsorship program assists deaf children to attend schools in remote towns in Asia and Africa. $40 a month helps to cover costs of education, skills and moral training, which allows them to lead productive and fruitful lives. Programs range from kindergarten right through to College level. The schools also work with young adults who have missed out on schooling due to poverty or lack of opportunity. You can help by sponsoring a child in either Myanmar, the Philippines, Kenya or Uganda. For more information please contact: Deaf Action info@deafaction.org.au Ph: 03 5940 5431 www.deafaction.org.au ONLY $40 PER MONTH Issue 8 March 2016 11
Prayer and Thanksgiving Praise that Neville is recovering well after his latest operation. Continued prayer for him over the next few months that the cancer doesn t reappear. Give thanks for the weddings and baptisms in Tanzania. Praise for the way God stirred the hearts of those in the hearing church that Daniel visited. Pray for Angel as she starts her new job as a translator in a prison in China. Pray for opportunity for her to share the gospel. www.deafmin.org DMI Evangelistic Donations: Please make cheques payable to: Deaf Ministries International Details for EFT: BSB: 633-000 Account: 145833539 Deaf Ministries International P O Box 395 Beaconsfield, Victoria 3807 Australia Ph: 03 5940 5431 Fax: 03 5940 5432 e-mail: info@deafmin.org Give thanks for the provision of a building for the deaf church in China. Give thanks for the successful mission trip to Davao. Thanks for the provision of the paint and all the repairs which the team were able to carry out while they were there. Give thanks for those who were baptised in Syria. What a celebration despite the conflict all around them. Pray for the ongoing work in Burundi despite being in the middle of a civil war. Pray that they continue to share God s love and grace to those who need to hear it most. Pray for DMI s financial situation. Pray that God will provide so that the work can continue and that lives can be changed through Christ. www.facebook.com/ DeafMinistriesInternational International Director & Missionary Neville & Lill Muir muir@deafmin.org lill@deafmin.org +61 3 9769 7097 (Home) www.deafaction.org.au Tax-deductible Donations: Please make cheques payable to: Deaf Action Inc. Details for EFT BSB: 633-000 Account: 145834370 Credit Card facility available at office Paypal facility (secure) on website Deaf Action P O Box 395 Beaconsfield, Victoria 3807 Australia Ph: 03 5940 5431 Fax: 03 5940 5432 e-mail: info@deafaction.org.au