Dear family and friends,
Greetings from Chad where we often say, “if you don’t like the way things are now… just wait a little, that will change.” That has been our experience over the last few months. Each time we thought life/ministry was taking a certain direction, situations changed all of that. I am often reminded of Moses who God called to lead His people into the promised land and then spend 40+years getting there! Just as I thought I could share what we were looking towards, life took another turn.
First we wish to thank each of you who has given so generously over the past few months. Your response has been nothing short of sacrificial and an out-pouring of generosity and love towards us and our ministry. With our current monthly support which includes one anonymous donor we are able to meet our basic needs to remain in ministry. We have also received a couple of significant onetime donations which will carry us well into our home assignment. God is great and we pray a special blessing on each of you who have partnered with us in this ministry.
After Christmas, we went to the capital as planned to revamp the electrical supply at TEAM’s administrative centre. It involved very long days but was accomplished even though it took
until 6pm of the day before we had to return to Koutou. I laid over 350m of heavy 3phase wire (about 1700lbs) that ties in 2 separate supplies from the city and one from a backup generator. These are controlled by a set of relays that allow it to switch between supplies in the case of power failures which happen quite regularly out here. We thank God for the success and safety he provided. (more pics here)
After returning home, Kathy immediately began her next semester of ESL teaching and I began to work on the solar project for the print shop. Most of the installation went quite 
smoothly until I tried to source the wire I needed to run from the panels to the battery and supply equipment, about a 50m run. I purchased what was marked as 16mm wire but it turned out to be only 6mm wire… less than half the capacity needed. Hardware and such is often substandard when coming from countries with little or no quality control. The supplier was very kind and we agreed that I could purchase a second length of the same wire at cost. With my calculations I felt this should be sufficient with enough safety factor. The second wire that looked identical to the first and was identically marked however turned out to be even smaller yet. With some juggling of numbers of panels connected however I believe that this will be sufficient without significant power loss. Since finalizing the installation the output indicated by the equipment shows it is producing well and we have so far been able to cut the generator run time to 3hrs per day from 7hrs. We are thankful to the Lord and are trusting this will help the print shop to be more effective and efficient in producing vital literature for the church. (more pics)
Kathy finished an other year of ESL and had many great opportunities for sharing God’s truths and enjoyed many deep discussion of faith issues that were key in the students lives. Kathy graduated 31 students in 3 
levels this year. We trust they will each continue to exercise not only the English they learned but their faith in the years to come. We are unsure at this point when she will be able to resume classes. When the students found out that it may well be till after our home assignment they were very disappointed. The bible studies with the Christian school teachers has also been very appreciated though Kathy would have liked to see more of them participate. We pray that it was due to schedule conflicts and not lack of interest. Those that came asked good practical question on how to apply their faith in the classroom setting. (more pics)
Now to the source of our heading. As mentioned in our last letter we are planning as a field, building a new support centre on the Ndjamena station but are committed to having the funds in place first as a sign of the Lord’s blessing. Though we have received significant funding for the project, it seems to have plateaued for the moment. This meant that my plans to kick-start the foundation before the rains have been moved till fall. A brochure of the project is attached to this letter for your consideration. We were also to take holidays in May… anyone seen the Webers in Canada… nope. Daniel and Chirstine informed us that they are expecting their first later this year and asked us if we could reschedule… we did. We are now planning on arriving back home mid August and staying till late Sept. in hopes to be there for the arrival of a new generation of Weber 😀 .
Early in the year we also received news that the couple handling our field administration would not be returning other than to pack up as Ken had been diagnosed with ALS. This came as a shock to the whole field as they not only leave a vital key in making ministry happen in Chad but also a huge hole in our relationships as friends and co-workers. Please pray for them as they pass through very difficult times. We as a field are now each taking turns, filling in for them in the capital, running the guest facilities that receive not only TEAM missionaries but those from more than a dozen other missions as well. This also includes handling funds, processing passports and a myriad of other tasks that missionaries need to be able to minister in the country. It is now our turn for the months of June and July. Please pray as much of this is outside our usual skill set. While in the capital I also hope to look after a number of maintenance issues that have either cropped up or are lingering due to a lack of personnel at our administrative centre.
After our turn in the capital we will return to the south for a second teacher’s workshop that Kathy is to run in Bebalem for the christian school there. One of their teachers was at the first one and said it was so vital Kathy must come and share her thoughts and convictions with her whole school. Pray that these teachers will also grasp the huge opportunity they have to raise up a new generation in the Lord and how to communicate a Christian world view.
These are our plans for now, Lord willing. We just keep taking one day at a time and seeing what the Lord brings into our path and how we can serve. Sometimes within our comfort zone but often not. By His grace and power we serve. Once again a huge thanks to each of you who gives and prays that we may each partake in the kingdom. May God’s grace and peace reign in each of your lives.
With gratitude, Paul & Kathryn
ps. Our apologies if you already got this last week. Our mailer seems to have mailed some of you but not others so we are trying again.
pps. if the Brochure does not come through please let us know and we will email you a copy.
Special Project – Ndj Support Centre