Frank Dimmock - April 2021 Update
Dear friends and supporters,
One of the great things about reading Scripture is that you may have read a passage many times before, but in reading it again, there is a word or a phrase or a thought that takes on new meaning. Just this week, I was reading Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
For some reason, these words jumped off the page at me. The knowledge that He is present with us, He is “mighty to save,” that he delights and quiets and rejoices over us, is really overwhelming. Unconditional love. No strings attached. How can our response be anything but obedience and love for Him by loving others? These thoughts made me so appreciative of The Outreach Foundation, a vehicle for that obedience and love for others, and for you, our friends and supporters. Thank you for letting me be a part of this good and godly work with you.
Our partners in Africa continue to be faithful in their efforts to feed, clothe and disciple their congregants, and others in their spheres of influence, even with the challenges of pandemic restrictions. The widows’ foster-care group in Kakuma camp made COVID masks for distribution. John Jock, the education coordinator, has continued to hold regular, socially distanced, volunteer teacher meetings. The teachers at 20 preschools and 43 adult learning centers continued teaching throughout 2020. Many of the churches and choirs continue to meet and praise God outside.
It is with great joy that I can update you on the status of the requested 5,000 Nuer Bibles. They were ordered and produced in South Korea and shipped to Ethiopia late last year. They have now arrived in Addis Ababa and will be sent on to Gambella. There is great excitement in the camps, as they anticipate having the Scriptures in their native language. Thank you for your gifts that are making this possible!
Zoom Life and Partner Engagement – We have all developed a new “zoom life,” haven’t we? We are so very grateful for the amazing blessing of technology that reaches many parts of the world. During this past year, I have prepared and shared video and virtual presentations for mission conferences and church programs, to raise interest and support for the work with our African partners. I also participate in regular Presbyterian Mission Network meetings with U.S. and Africa partners in Zambia/Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and the DR Congo. I am frequently in communication via zoom, messenger, and WhatsApp with Africa partners on a variety of issues related to COVID-19 and health, care for vulnerable children, and education. In February and March, I participated in a virtual course with Faith 2 Action on Strategies for Strengthening Families and Community-based Care. The focus was on family preservation and the continuum of care for vulnerable children. I continue my involvement with the Trauma Healing Institute through periodic zoom sessions and an update of mental health materials for Africa. I am working with several Africa partners to facilitate training and support in pastoral care for church members and self-care for ministry staff. I pray that these efforts will help to share the love of Christ and mitigate the psycho-social-spiritual impact of COVID infections and deaths that have affected so many people globally.
Now, I am very much looking forward to a 2021 Africa trip to Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan in June and July. It will be a logistical challenge, with regular virus testing and counting extra days for cross-border travel regulations, but it will also be wonderful to, once again, visit and encourage one another face-to-face! The trip will include attending a board meeting at Tumaini Children’s Home in Nyeri, Kenya, and visiting PCoSS Theological and Nurse training programs in the Kakuma refugee camp where Outreach conducted trauma healing training in 2018 and 2019. Additional Nuer-language materials will be collected and distributed. The Kenya visits will be followed by a visit to Ethiopia to assist in the distribution of the Nuer Bibles to refugees. There will also be an opportunity to train and retrain healing group leaders with new audio equipment. I am also hoping to visit a church construction project in Nasir, South Sudan (near the Ethiopia border) to assess the feasibility of completing a building halted by the war in 2013.
Thank you for your faithful giving to my sending and support. And please join me in prayer for a safe, productive, and mutually encouraging trip.
May God bless you and give you joy. Ci̱ lɔcdä tɛɛth (thank you in Nuer),
Frank
Read more about Frank Dimmock’s ministry HERE.
THE NEED
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts totaling $50,000 for Frank’s support and $100,000 to address needs requested by the PCoSS through the Rebuilding Hope in South Sudan project: Bibles, hymnals, education, trauma healing, leadership development, and emergency relief. You may make a gift HERE or by sending a check to our office.