October 2013
Dear Friends,
We praise God for the work that He continues to do in Africa while allowing us to be a part of His plan. So much time has passed since our last newsletter. We are now writing a monthly update and will be posting it on our new Facebook page “Freitas Family Flyer.” Look us up, “like” us, and get more frequent updates!
Our “summer” was filled with both ministry and personal praises. It is amazing how quickly we are moving in to the “fall” months of October and November!
Personal Praises:
Holly spent most of July in Washington State and in Indiana hosting a bridal shower for Lauren, and then helping her with the wedding plans and preparation. It was a great time for Holly to spend with her folks, sister, many nieces and nephews, along with several friends.
Devin and Tony arrived to the US after boarding school let out for Devin on July 13. They went directly to California where Tony had appointments and meetings and Devin spent several days with Tanzanian missionary friends who now live in the Reedley/Fresno area.
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| On August 10th, we celebrated the marriage of our daughter, Lauren, to Aaron Wells. We had a great time of blending families and building lifetime relationships. We are so blessed that Aaron comes from a wonderful Christian family. Many of our extended family was able to attend the wedding, making it a mini-reunion and great opportunity to be together. We had a wonderful time of family fun and look forward to continuing the relationships we’ve developed. One special memory was a “family blessing” that took place on the evening of the rehearsal dinner. All of the family members, from grandparents to tiny cousins, lined the pathway to the site of Lauren and Aaron’s engagement, each holding a candle to light the way. At the top of that small hill, two families became one as we surrounded Lauren and Aaron in prayer and Christian blessing. How blessed we are! |
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| Following the wedding and after a surprise fix-up of Lauren and Aaron’s apartment, Tony, Holly, and Devin drove from Ohio to Washington D.C. where we, for the first time, visited several of the Smithsonian museums and saw other historical sights and documents. Two days was a bit short for the visit, but we had a great time seeing what we could. While there, we stayed with some long-time friends and enjoyed our reconnection after several years. We were also able to meet with a key ministry partner and church that is making it possible to train many more church planters in South Sudan. |
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Upon our return, Devin headed off to Kenya to complete his final year of high-school at Rift Valley Academy. We had such a great time with him during his break and the wedding that it made it very difficult to, once again, say goodbye. We are really missing him and counting the days until his next school break.
Ministry Activities:
While in the US, Tony met with one of our South Sudan church training partners in Alabama. His task was to encourage a short-term team and help them prepare the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) lessons t they would teach in Parajok, South Sudan. This was the second in a series of three trainings that church leaders in Parajok will receive on how to reach their people by meeting the physical and spiritual needs within their communities. Generally, Tony would travel with the team to the training in Parajok, but because of the wedding he, instead, trained them and sent them on their own. The team did an amazing job and the Parajok church leaders are very excited about the new approach and motivated to initiate CHE ministry in their communities.
The Alabama church was very encouraged by their experience in Parajok and has expressed their intention to expand their ministry (of training pastors in CHE and pastoral development) to many new areas of South Sudan. This was a huge answer to prayer as requests for training are constantly coming in.
In early August, a group of newly trained South Sudanese church planters headed out for a four-week mission to the areas where they will be planting churches. While there, they surveyed the area, developed relationships with community leaders, and sought the Lord’s leading for the new churches that will eventually form.
During the summer, Holly completed her ReachGlobal online teaching certificate. The certificate allows her to facilitate online training for ReachGlobal and other missionaries. At the moment she is developing courses in wholistic community development so they can be taught online around the world! The Internet is an amazing tool!
In early September, Tony and Holly co-taught a one week module course covering “Principles of Wholistic Community Development” at Reach Tanzania's leadership training school in Dar es Salaam. The training provided students the opportunity to experience a new participatory learning style as well as to learn the principles that drive wholistic development: participatory learning, community ownership, integration of physical and spiritual ministry, and sustainability. The students enthusiastically embraced the new concepts. In the weeks after the course, they will be applying what they’ve learned in order to practice new skills. |
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The first South African Women’s Cycle of Life (WCL) Training of Trainers (TOT) took place in Johannesburg, South Africa from September 16-20. Throughout the training, the Lord was surely with us. I, Holly, was reminded again that although participants come to the training in order to gain information and understanding about women’s lives, they too, are women with many deep hurts. The WCL training, worship, and prayer times led many of these women to reveal their deep hurts and areas of vulnerability, allowing the other ladies and Holy Spirit to minister to them. Such times allow healing to take place in the hearts of those who will minister to others. This ministry to our trainers is as valuable as any that we do when preparing them to teach others. I thank the Lord that He was able to do His work through the training and to touch the hearts of the participants.
Some personal stories included one of the women (K) who has only been able to have one child. Her husband wants to have many children and has just recently taken on another young (22 year-old) wife that he brought home to the house to live together with the first wife. K is heartbroken and has felt rejected by her husband and worthless because she cannot have another child. She knows that Jesus loves her and has moved from her home to escape the situation. She is finding strength in the Lord, and knowing her value in God’s eyes has been an encouragement to her.
Multiplication—as we consider the potential long-lasting results of WCL CHE training, we realize that our efforts, however small, are multiplied in God’s economy. The encouragement of both participants and facilitators cannot be underestimated as it is the empowerment of these people that will lead to community, national, and regional movements. In turn, through the CHE strategy, these CHE leaders go forth to train trainers who form the basis of the CHE programs. We modestly predict that each of the participant training team members (10) will train 10 trainers in the materials they have learned. Several of the trainers will be training entire church women’s groups. If the recipient (100) trainers, in response, train only 10 CHEs, who then teach women in 10 homes, our efforts will have reached 10,000 women with the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ and health education that could save her life and the lives of her family members and neighbors.
The next Women’s Cycle of Life Training of Trainers will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from October 16-20. Please pray for peace and safety for those who will be traveling to the venue.
Tony was in Uganda October 8-10 for meetings with South Sudanese leaders to plan the schedule for the next church planter trainings. Then October 21-28 Tony will assist in hosting Bible narration training for illiterate cultures in Dar Es Salaam. He will be in South Sudan for most of November. Holly will meet him in Juba, South Sudan, at the end of the month where we will co-facilitate women’s ministry health and Micro-enterprise trainings. As always, our schedule remains busy and full of opportunities to share God’s good news and bring lasting change in communities. |
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