Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our friends and family!
We are pleased
to be able to share our hearts as we close out this year and begin thinking
forward to 2014!
While I write
this, it is nearly Thanksgiving and we have so many things to be thankful for!
God’s grace and love have been given abundantly to us this year! We are
thankful to have been able to live in Africa for yet another productive year in
ministry. Together Tony and I have trained approximately 309+ African people in
Community Health Evangelism and/or our CHE specialties.
We are
thankful for how the Lord has brought new expatriate workers to the field and
called national (African) partners to implement Community Health Evangelism in
their countries.
We are
thankful for the lives of our children, Lauren and Devin, who have both entered
new phases of adulthood this year.
Lauren, as
most of you know, was married to Aaron Wells this past August, and Devin had
his 18th birthday in November. Devin will be baptized on November
24, 2013 as a sign of commitment to Christ as he enters adulthood. We are so
thrilled at the Lord’s faithfulness through our children and HIS work in
them.
We are
thankful for our ministry team who has supported us financially and in prayer
throughout 2013. Many days in Africa are hard, just like days in your lives are
hard, and many times it is our praying friends and family members who have
supported us through the hard days. The encouragement to keep going has been
essential to our lives. We are so thankful.
We are also
looking ahead to 2014!
In 2014, we expect to train 150 new and 150 existing Master
Trainers in Community Health Evangelism in 12-15 training seminars. In some
ways that doesn’t sound like much…but if you do the math…the total potential
impact of 300 Master Trainers doing their job and teaching 10-25 local trainers
for 1 year (who then each train 25 community volunteers), the potential of impact of one year of training is (drum roll,
please…)…19 Million to 47 Million homes reached with the Gospel and healthy
Kingdom living!!! Now multiply that times the number of people in each
home! If they continue on and become more experienced, well then, the sky is
the limit!
In July, 2014,
Devin will graduate from Rift Valley Academy! We are excited for him and his
plans to become a mechanical engineer some day! Following graduation, Devin
plans to take a “gap” year to develop himself and figure out what is ahead. He
will come back to Tanzania to be with Mom and Dad for a few months (Hurray!)
and to visit some other ministries here.
In
mid-November or early December 2014, we (Tony, Holly, and Devin) will return to
the US for a time of furlough. Our intent is to get a rest from life in Africa,
to rejuvenate ourselves and our relationships, spend time with Lauren and her
husband, and to set Devin on a path toward adult independence. During this time
Devin will learn to drive, determine where he wants to live, and pursue
University or trade school options. As it is nearly a year away, we have not
yet determined where we will live or many other details that will have to be
managed. Our ministry in Africa will be
ongoing, and we expect will travel from the US to Africa from time to time. We’ll
fill in details as they become known to us.
We know that
you, our friends and family, also have plans ahead for 2014. We pray that the
Lord will bring you many blessings and we trust Him to hold you in His hands
through heartaches that might come your way.
Year
End Giving!
As
the year comes to a close, we know that there are many opportunities to invest
into ministries and projects. We would ask that you prayerfully consider our
ministry in your end of year giving and as you commit to 2014. Our ministry is
growing fast, yet, our support is in the red. We are currently $800 short of
the minimum monthly support required by ReachGlobal to remain in the mission
field. As you have read this newsletter,
we hope that you can see the significance in of our work and the potential for
people to be reached for Christ each year. Those projections are staggering,
yet they are as real as the people they represent. Please consider continuing
your support or joining our monthly faithful supporters. Special gifts
significantly supplement our monthly support and increase our ability to expand
our reach to other communities in Africa. Help us to end 2013 in the black and
to make 2014 a life changing year throughout Africa.
To contribute to the Freitas' support, click here to print a response slip and
mail to: EFCA Donor Services 901 East 78th Street Minneapolis, MN 55420-1300
Please note on your check For Tony and Holly Freitas' Ministry Acct# 1647
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May you commit
yourselves anew to serving and loving him wherever you may be in 2014.
Love in HIM
and Merry Christmas!
Tony, Holly,
and Devin Freitas
Additional
news,
November:
Tony spent the month of November in South Sudan developing new US partnership that will begin Community Health Evangelism training in a new ministry area called Owiny ki Bul (we don’t make up these names)! We also opened up a new airstrip for easy access to this ministry area. Welcome aboard to our new South Sudan partner, Monte Vista Chapel! Following those meetings Tony returned to Dar es Salaam for 3 days to attend an important meeting with our East Africa ministry director and potential new Community Health Evangelism team members. This meeting went very well. Once these new partners officially become part of our team then they will help with the workload in our growing ministry. A few days later, we traveled through Nairobi where Tony had the privilege of baptizing Devin during chapel at RVA. The following day we (Tony and Holly) both headed back to South Sudan where Holly facilitated a women’s cycle of life training and Tony facilitated a Business as mission or Micro-enterprise training for a group of Sudanese christian women’s ministry leaders. There were about 70 participants. On our way home through Kenya and we both had an opportunity to share about our ministry at a conference for 60 African national missionaries working under Sheepfold Ministries. Our ministry was very well received and many have asked for further training in Bi-vocational pastoring and in Womens ministry and womens health. There is no shortage of work for us here!
We then collected up Devin from School at RVA and headed home to celebrate Christmas.
Urgent Prayer Request:
Over the past few days I have been receiving reports from South Sudan of “Coup attempt” that took place in Juba on Sunday. The conflict has now expanded into other towns. The situation continues to escalate and appears to be changing from a government issue to a more tribal issue. This change has the potential of taking the conflict to other parts of South Sudan. Please keep South Sudan in your prayers as the country is still young and going through many changes. Instability within the government has the potential for tribal conflict to break out anywhere and at any time. There is a real fear of civil war breaking out and plunging South Sudan back into a nightmare that most would like to forget. Please keep the South Sudanese people in your prayers. Many of us will enjoy this Christmas season with our families while many people in South Sudan are just trying to keep their families safe from this chaos. Pray that they will get a glimpse of the joy that Jesus brought to this earth as a baby, the life that he lived and the sacrifice that he made for them.
November:
Tony spent the month of November in South Sudan developing new US partnership that will begin Community Health Evangelism training in a new ministry area called Owiny ki Bul (we don’t make up these names)! We also opened up a new airstrip for easy access to this ministry area. Welcome aboard to our new South Sudan partner, Monte Vista Chapel! Following those meetings Tony returned to Dar es Salaam for 3 days to attend an important meeting with our East Africa ministry director and potential new Community Health Evangelism team members. This meeting went very well. Once these new partners officially become part of our team then they will help with the workload in our growing ministry. A few days later, we traveled through Nairobi where Tony had the privilege of baptizing Devin during chapel at RVA. The following day we (Tony and Holly) both headed back to South Sudan where Holly facilitated a women’s cycle of life training and Tony facilitated a Business as mission or Micro-enterprise training for a group of Sudanese christian women’s ministry leaders. There were about 70 participants. On our way home through Kenya and we both had an opportunity to share about our ministry at a conference for 60 African national missionaries working under Sheepfold Ministries. Our ministry was very well received and many have asked for further training in Bi-vocational pastoring and in Womens ministry and womens health. There is no shortage of work for us here!
We then collected up Devin from School at RVA and headed home to celebrate Christmas.
Urgent Prayer Request:
Over the past few days I have been receiving reports from South Sudan of “Coup attempt” that took place in Juba on Sunday. The conflict has now expanded into other towns. The situation continues to escalate and appears to be changing from a government issue to a more tribal issue. This change has the potential of taking the conflict to other parts of South Sudan. Please keep South Sudan in your prayers as the country is still young and going through many changes. Instability within the government has the potential for tribal conflict to break out anywhere and at any time. There is a real fear of civil war breaking out and plunging South Sudan back into a nightmare that most would like to forget. Please keep the South Sudanese people in your prayers. Many of us will enjoy this Christmas season with our families while many people in South Sudan are just trying to keep their families safe from this chaos. Pray that they will get a glimpse of the joy that Jesus brought to this earth as a baby, the life that he lived and the sacrifice that he made for them.
