DTM News

Greetings. Many of you have been wondering what is happening in Chad, so we would like to share a brief update.

Although official policy between Chad and the United States is that neither country issues visas to the other, we had hoped that an official petition to the government of Chad might allow us to return. Last week, however, we received a very clear response: no exceptions will be granted. For the foreseeable future, the Dietrich family will not be returning to Chad.

Some of our friends apparently feel more distressed than we do. They ask, "What about all of your things? What about your new house? What about the printshop? What will happen to the work?" I will admit, we have mixed feelings. We have invested a significant portion of our lives (over 16 years) in the people of Chad, especially in publishing work. We have friends there. You could say that our hearts our "bound up" with the project there. Some tears have been shed in our family. Liliana misses her goat and wonders what her goat will think if she never returns. We wish we could get a few of our irreplaceable items from our house.

But this is not about us. This is God's project. Everything we have invested—and everything that you have invested as donors, friends, and prayer partners—ultimately comes from Him. God is the giver of talent, ability, intelligence, health, and life itself. God is never surprised by a turn of events, for He sees the end from the beginning.

God's work will not fail. We can live in peace knowing that God is still in control. We have invested much in building up the work. That investment is not a failure. The same God Who worked through us is willing to work through others as they are willing to be used by Him. I have spent many hours communicating with our team in Chad, helping them to continue the work. They successfully set up the two printers that just arrived on the pallet. I will continue to work with the team in Chad from a distance. We plan to purchase Starlink for the printshop in Chad so I can provide video training and help them when needed via remote desktop. The project continues to move forward. The literature that has been and will be placed will continue to speak. Please pray for each team member in Chad as they continue filling the many needs of the ministry.

I am reminded of Paul. He did not have the luxury we have had of staying in one place for so long. In Acts 16, we find him strengthening the churches and helping them to grow. He planned to preach in Asia, but God had other plans; in verse 6, we read, "they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit. "When they attempted to go elsewhere, "the Spirit did not permit them." Finally, after Paul's vision of the Macedonian man pleading for help, we read in verse 10, "immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them." What seemed like closed doors became the means by which the gospel entered Europe.

God's mission to bring salvation to the ends of the earth is not yet accomplished. By God's grace, Desert Tree Ministry is only expanding! Thank you to all of you who continue to support the work financially. Funds designated for the work in Chad will still continue to be used there. Undesignated funds will be applied where the need is greatest, including the establishment of new print shops and the provision of training wherever God opens doors. We are in communication with church leadership as we seek to identify the countries of the areas of greatest need. For years, we have had a burden to establish printshops in other countries. Now, we may end up in Congo Brazzaville or another country.

As we wait, God has provided us a little cabin in Virginia where we can continue ministry in the short term. This season of relative quiet has actually been unexpectedly helpful to me. With fewer daily interruptions, I am able to focus more fully on writing, editing, preparing training materials for our team in Chad, and organizing plans for future projects. A door that closed in one direction is allowing progress in areas that were previously delayed.

Please continue to pray for God's guidance. We hope that our next newsletter will announce our next field of service. We do not know yet where that will be, but God surely does!