September 2007

Dear family and friends,

Our last email update was almost five months ago when we were getting ready to go to the States for home assignment. Our time in America was busy, and we enjoyed visiting churches, spending time with our families, and buying needed supplies for this coming term. We left the States on August 20th, spent a week in Kenya while we got Katie and Valerie settled in at Rift Valley Academy, then returned to Congo last Wednesday. We were in Bukavu for a week buying medicine and other supplies, and we flew down to Kipaka on Tuesday.

Katie and Valerie started school last Wednesday and both are enjoying their classes. Valerie tried out for basketball and made the JV team. She is very excited about that. So far Valerie seems to be adjusting well to life at boarding school.

Chad Gross, our short term builder, is with us and is beginning to learn Swahili. The bricks for his first project were supposed to be pressed and burned while we were gone, but because of delays we are just now getting the first kiln built and ready to burn. Chad is helping with other jobs along with learning Swahili in the meantime.

Matthew has taken a real liking to his new "big brother" and is loving being back in Kipaka among his friends.

Please pray: for Valerie's adjustment to RVA,
for Chad's language learning and adjustment to Congo,
and for Karen and me as we pick up our ministries in Kipaka.

Love in Christ,
Fred, Karen, Katie, Valerie, and Matthew

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