dougand

rohynpriest

Blk 10 B Braddell View #11-08

Doug, Robyn, Nicole, andAndrea

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARYFELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter

July 1993

Tanzania: The Rest

of the Story

Most of you who receive ournewsletter regularly will knowthat our first two terms ofmission service were spent inEast Africa, in Kenya andTanzania among Maasaispeakers. We left Tanzania inearly 1988 after having ourwork permits revoked by thegovernment under the unstatedsuspicion of being spies. We lefta group of 12 Christians who hadbeen baptized the day wereceived the order to leave ourwork area at Twativativa.

This was a devastatingexperience for us and the otherCMF families involved. We hadhad so little time to train theyoimg believers. They were achurch with almost no idea ofwhat that meant. We did notsee how they could survive,even while we prayed for Godto sustain them. Subsequently,we chose to work in Singapore.

And now, as Paul Harveywould say, "the rest of thestory."

Kosyando, as a teenager, waspretty typical. Sullen, alwayswanting to listen to the entep(tape recorder), most interestedin getting older so he could

Kosyando now calls himself Filimon.

hang around with the warriorswho teased him about beinguncircumcised. Kind ofannoying. His father was thelocal government party chief;Kosyando seemed spoiled.

Imagine our surprise when,several years later inSingapore, we began receivingletters from Kosyando, greetingus in Maasai "in the name ofour Lord Jesus Christ." Herelated news of his family: Oneof the little girls who hadplayed with Nicole and Andreahad died; his sister finishedelementary school; he had goneto a Bible school in Morogoro.And the best news of all: The

handful of believers atTwatwatwa were still followingthe way of Christ!

He asked us to send recordedsongs or lessons in Maasai. Heasked for Christian books. Heasked us to come back.

Doug passed Kosyando's letteron to the CMF-Maasai team in

Kenya. Greg and BeckyJohnson and Garry and LindaBrock made the long, hard tripin February, and their reportwas beyond our hopes. As oneof our former Tanzaniamissionary colleagues put it, "Itsounded so good, it made mewonder if they were talkingabout the same place!" But shewas convinced when she heardtheir tales of heat, humidity,and chigger bites.

Baraguyu of all ages were eager forBible teaching.

What Tftey Found• Normal Sunday attendance of30.

•J.Ai

Greg delivered much-needed Christiantapes and literature.

Our former 'home sweet home" inTwatwatwa, in which we lived for onlythree months.

• An average of 45 adults atthe three-day course theytaught.• Very little Bible knowledge.• Commitment and a realdesire to follow the Lord.• A growing church withobvious enthusiasm.• Two young men and an olderman leading the church.

During Brocks' and Johnsons'short time at Twatwatwa, three

men and two women decidedto follow the Lord,discarding the charms theywear for protection. Threehand-operated cassetteplayers, lots of tapes, 40

, Bibles in Maasai, and much(• printed material was left for^ the church to work through.

' I Such a warm welcome wasnot limited to Twatwatwa.In Dar es Salaam,Tanzania's capital, highgovernment ofBcialswelcomed Greg and Garryand encouraged them toseek reentry for CMFi missionaries into Tanzania.One of our Baraguyu friends

g from Twatwatwa had aI similarexperience. EachI was assured^ that it was "a ^ ^ .

new day" in ^Tanzania, andthat missionariesseeking to workthere would behelped in everyway possible.

As you canimagine, all ofthis has causedus to thank Godand to rejoice andmarvel in Hisfaithfulness. We are verygrateful to the Brocks and

Johnsons for making the tripdown, and to you who haveprayed for the behevers atTwatwatwa. We knew youwould want to hear this greatnews and rejoice with us.

Yours and His,

Doug and Robyn Priest

is*

Baraguyu women, in royal blue, sangpraises to the King.

Christian Missionary fellowship

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46250-6020317-578-2700 Dou^ Robyn, Nicole, andAndrea

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP Prayer Newsletter

November 1993

It is November 2. We are in the United States, having left Singapore in late September when weheard that Robyn's mother, Barbara Yadon, was in the hospital... suddenly ... with cancer. Mostofyou have heard bynow that she is out ofthe hospital, recovering from surgeryand receivingchemotherapy. She is getting strong. We are all grateful to God.

During the scary time ofsudden changes for our family, we were made aware ofGod's grace to usin an amazing number ofways. For example, Robyn was able to leave Singapore with the girlswithin 24 hours ofhearing from her family because ofthe help ofmany people. Not onlythat, butmany items of red tape that normally occur when leaving a country had recently been seen to.Doug stayed on in Singapore to close down the apartment, which we were already packing upwhen the call came.

Since our arrival in the U.S., we have seen the healing power and comfort of God through theprayers and practical support of people from around the world. All of this has given ustremendous encouragement and peace in a difficult time. We want to thank you from the bottomof our hearts.

We are still somewhat confused and reeling, but we are preparing to furlough in Anaheim,California, until August 1994.We will be getting in touch with you during December andJanuary to let you know when we will be in your area. We very much look forward to seeing youand sharing with youwhat God is doing in Southeast Asia. In short, new and tremendous thingsare happening!

When you pray for us, please thank God for glorifying Himself through Robjm's mother'stremendous recovery from surgery. Pray that she will respond well to her chemotherapy, willreturn to full stren^h, and will continue to find strength in God.

Please also remember Nicole and Andreawho are suddenlyin (another!) new school. They havegiven their best, but it is not an easy change; they miss their friends in Singapore.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers. They are answered daily in our lives, and God isglorified among us.

X)s^ cm/Doug and Robyn Priest