DTM News

Moving to Congo

I enjoyed my two-week visit to Congo-Brazzaville where I was warmly received by the Adventist Congo Mission administration. My host graciously provided a room in his house and meals and took me around the city so I could discover what supplies are available. We also visited several Adventist churches in the city. Later, we went on a day trip to a village about 150km out of the city and visited some church members there.

What was the conclusion? Each additional day I spent there, I understood more of the immense need in Congo-Brazzaville. For the sake of brevity, I will not expound on details now. Many people are living in darkness and are longing for good news about something better. After returning to the States for more prayer and discussion, my family and I have decided to follow God's call to work in His field in Congo-Brazzaville. After a lot of paperwork and waiting, we finally received our visas and purchased our tickets. Luella will be traveling with us. Lord-willing, the seven of us will leave for Congo on July 28.

Please pray for us as, in some ways, we start all over again. Being uprooted from Chad has required a time of adjustment, but we are reminded that we are only pilgrims and strangers on this earth. Jesus has gone to prepare our eternal home for us in the Promised Land. but in the meantime, we will settle in Congo until He leads us onward!

What Will We Do?

As we refine our plan of action, we will post more details. But here are a few initial ideas we are considering:

• Establish a small print shop with the goal of making literature accessible to the people. (Literature is largely scarce to non-existent, yet the need is great. Most people in Congo are literate.)
• Develop a small agriculture program to fund evangelism and publishing work.
• Develop an evangelism training center.
• Assist the church in acquiring land and in raising church buildings.

Upcoming Needs

During the initial few months, at least, we will have to rent a house. Once we know more specifics, we will post the needs on the OCI website. Here's a preview of some of the bigger items:

• Purchase of a vehicle large enough for the family
• Purchase of land
• Construction of housing
• Construction of printshop

We appreciate those of you who have continued to donate as we reorganize, and thank you in advance for your continued support. The work (and expenses) in Chad continues with printing, ink, vehicle maintenance, stipends, Bible workers, and more.

Publishing Director

I (Jonathan) was also recently nominated as Publishing Director for Central African Union Mission (composed of five countries: Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Central African Republic, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea). Please pray earnestly for us as I prepare for this great responsibility. I pray that God will use me as a humble instrument in His hands to accomplish an effective work for Him. This is a volunteer position, so there is a lot of opportunity for Desert Tree Ministry and the Publishing Department to collaborate together.

Let Your Light Shine

I was recently given the opportunity to share a message with my church family in Greeneville, TN.  I spoke of the privilege and responsibility we each have to not hide the light we have but to share it with others, especially in areas of darkness. I hope you will listen to it.

Previous Blogs

Some of you may not have seen these blogs, posted on May 1.

Missions Presentation is a report full of pictures and stories from Chad.

About OCI is a short post telling about Outpost Centers International, our parent organization of over 400 ministries.

Thank you for taking the time to read this far.

In His service,

Jonathan, Melody, Gideon, Liliana, Eliora, and Malachi Dietrich

For more information, pictures, and stories, please visit
https://deserttreeministry.org/ If you would like to know how you can
help with the work in Chad, click on the "How to Help" link on the left
side of the page. Thank you.
Our page on OCI:
https://outpostcenters.org/en/ministry/profile/50/