Beginning to Print Again

September 20, 2022

Dear friends and family,

Greetings from a very rainy Chad! We are nearing the end of rainy season. Vegetation around us is very green and lush. Unfortunately, a nearby village of about 500 people was evacuated when the river overflowed its banks and swamped the homes and granaries. Flooded granaries means a food crisis for many families, especially when the rice crop for many people this year may be destroyed due to the excessive flooding. The road to Kelo is impassable by vehicle due to flooding and deep mud pits, but motorcycles and sometimes canoes continue to carry passengers and a few goods back and forth. We are thankful to have stocked up on some construction supplies and things like soap and toilet paper. Prices of things in the market go up significantly when the road floods.

This year it seems like malaria is extra common. Within a week or two of each other, most of our family had malaria (except for Eliora). Most of the people we know have been battling malaria. As long as we treat it promptly, we recover more quickly.

We are excited that work has transitioned from mostly construction to mostly publishing activities! A lot of construction and machine setup remains, but we are now functioning in our new print shop facility! Thanks to the hard work of our team here, the 40-foot shipping container is now transformed into a high-tech, insulated machine room.

Here is a video of the first printing of two-color tracts on our machine. This is a small Riso digital press that works with two colors of ink at a time. It is a significant speed increase over what we had before and will enable us to produce large numbers of tracts more efficiently.

We just finished printing and binding the Sabbath School quarterlies for fourth quarter 2022 for the Chad Mission. It is the first time we have printed them in two-color.

We have been encouraging each of our workers to start a small group Bible study at their home. Here is a testimony from Thierry:

"Hello, dear reader, I would like to share with you about the Bible study in my home. I tried a Bible study last year, but it was always difficult. After being encouraged by close friends and by the experiences I had as a student at the university, I finally decided to start a new Bible study group at home this year. In order to start an effective study, I spent a lot of time visiting people whenever I had the opportunity, often in the evenings. During my visit I often ask them questions about what they are most interested in and what their plans are for the week. Since I have become their friend and I know when each person is available at home and what they like most. Thanks to God, every Tuesday at 4 pm we study the Bible at my home. Many subjects are on the agenda, and until now the number is growing."

Jonathan leads out with Perone in another small group Bible study every Thursday evening at our neighborhood chief's place. It is a blessing to share God's Word with others.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Especially pray for peace in this country over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for our next update about tracts and tract distribution.

If you would like to learn more about how you may help our work financially, please click the How to Help link at the top of the screen.

In His service,
Jonathan, Melody, Gideon, Liliana, and Eliora Dietrich