Chad and Amy Carter - Missionaries's Notes
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January 21, 2009 - As many people reflect on the year past and where they are now headed we wanted to share two things with you our friends and partners.
First, please pray for God's protection in 2009. 2008 was a year full of strange difficulties. In June our apprentice Hillary started having seizures. In July Chad dislocated his elbow and a snapped timing belt put our car out of commission. One week after getting our car back (3 1/2 months without our vehicle) our house burned down. We still feel Godly peace in the midst of all of this. We do believe and hope that these are attacks and trials because we are on the right path.
Second, we would like to share with you a glimpse at the Train and Multiply program. There continues to be great progress on this discipleship curriculum. Chad was recently working on one booklet that is a review of the first third of the course. It is a 20-page booklet but I have copied some of the direct and challenging questions. Shouldn't we at least ask these of ourselves if we are asking them of those who we are discipling?
Pastoral Leader Training Booklet 28
"Review of the First Level"
How many people have I personally won for the Lord in the last six months? How many people have been won for the Lord in the last six months by those I have discipled?
What will I do to improve our evangelistic work?
How many entire families attend meetings?
How many of these have regular family devotions? What can I do to help them do so?
Have I taught people to be stewards of what God has given them, giving generously and joyfully, and tithing? Am I doing the same?
What can I do to encourage more love in the church?
What can I do to help the church pray more?
Should I be purposefully discipling other young Christians? Who?
Yours in Christ,
The Carters
First, please pray for God's protection in 2009. 2008 was a year full of strange difficulties. In June our apprentice Hillary started having seizures. In July Chad dislocated his elbow and a snapped timing belt put our car out of commission. One week after getting our car back (3 1/2 months without our vehicle) our house burned down. We still feel Godly peace in the midst of all of this. We do believe and hope that these are attacks and trials because we are on the right path.
Second, we would like to share with you a glimpse at the Train and Multiply program. There continues to be great progress on this discipleship curriculum. Chad was recently working on one booklet that is a review of the first third of the course. It is a 20-page booklet but I have copied some of the direct and challenging questions. Shouldn't we at least ask these of ourselves if we are asking them of those who we are discipling?
Pastoral Leader Training Booklet 28
"Review of the First Level"
How many people have I personally won for the Lord in the last six months? How many people have been won for the Lord in the last six months by those I have discipled?
What will I do to improve our evangelistic work?
How many entire families attend meetings?
How many of these have regular family devotions? What can I do to help them do so?
Have I taught people to be stewards of what God has given them, giving generously and joyfully, and tithing? Am I doing the same?
What can I do to encourage more love in the church?
What can I do to help the church pray more?
Should I be purposefully discipling other young Christians? Who?
Yours in Christ,
The Carters
Recovery from Fire in Africa!
As has been announced previously, the house of Chad and Amy Carter, our missionaries in Burkina Faso, Africa, has burned down. Chad and Amy are now in the process of starting over.
Please remember this family in prayer in the following ways:
Where would you live if your home burned down until your new home was built?
How would you go about buying new clothes, prescriptions, and other personal items? The Carters’ recovery is taking place in a country that doesn’t have a Wal-Mart.
How would your holiday celebrations go if you were in this state of transition and recovery?
Thank you for keeping them before the Lord.
As we pray about the Carters’ suffering by putting ourselves in their shoes, here are some things Chad and Amy are doing that few, if any, of us would do if we were in their shoes.
Chad and Amy are using the principles the Richardson East elders defined in our recent “Removing Excess” effort to determine what “stuff” doesn’t need to be replaced.
Chad and Amy’s new home will be built of “mud” bricks using an inexpensive construction method using local materials
Chad and Amy have chosen to practically rebuild their home themselves to teach the locals this construction method. This skill will allow the locals to support themselves, build homes in their communities and build church buildings for the new churches.
This could be the “last straw” for a lot of us and we would give up and go home. Chad and Amy are turning this into long-term gain for the mission efforts among the Dagara. Not only will the locals have the new buildings and homes and a way to support themselves from the methods taught during the building of the new home, but the churches will be given a 30 to 50 year lease on the new home at a rent that is already about 90% less than market prices. The new Christians get to watch God take a tragedy and “work all things for the good” through the Carters.
We need to help.
Chad figures the house can be rebuilt and refurnished for about $75,000. That wouldn’t even buy most of our homes much less furnish them and restore our personal possessions! So far, the Carters have jumped out in faith and are using emergency funds and personal savings to get the work started. These funds will run out long before the work is done.
They’re part of the Richardson East family. Chad grew up in Dan Steven’s youth group. We sent the Carters to be our feet and hands in taking the Gospel “into all nations and making disciples.” God is doing amazing things through them.
Your contribution is a benevolent gift to a family that is homeless. Your gift also supports an incredible mission work. Please give a year-end gift of $100, $50, or even $25 to help in this recovery.
Checks are fully tax-deductable and should be made to Richardson East Church of Christ with the note Carter Fire Fund. You can drop it in the contribution plate this Sunday, or mail (address below) or drop it by the church office. With all the travelling and busyness of this holiday season, it may be easier to send a check right now through your bank’s online bill-paying service.
The Carters’ continually thank God for Richardson East Church of Christ. They thank you for your prayers and support during this urgent time of need.
Richardson East Church of Christ, 1504 E Campbell Rd, Richardson, TX 75081, Phone: 972.231.8231.
As has been announced previously, the house of Chad and Amy Carter, our missionaries in Burkina Faso, Africa, has burned down. Chad and Amy are now in the process of starting over.
Please remember this family in prayer in the following ways:
Where would you live if your home burned down until your new home was built?
How would you go about buying new clothes, prescriptions, and other personal items? The Carters’ recovery is taking place in a country that doesn’t have a Wal-Mart.
How would your holiday celebrations go if you were in this state of transition and recovery?
Thank you for keeping them before the Lord.
As we pray about the Carters’ suffering by putting ourselves in their shoes, here are some things Chad and Amy are doing that few, if any, of us would do if we were in their shoes.
Chad and Amy are using the principles the Richardson East elders defined in our recent “Removing Excess” effort to determine what “stuff” doesn’t need to be replaced.
Chad and Amy’s new home will be built of “mud” bricks using an inexpensive construction method using local materials
Chad and Amy have chosen to practically rebuild their home themselves to teach the locals this construction method. This skill will allow the locals to support themselves, build homes in their communities and build church buildings for the new churches.
This could be the “last straw” for a lot of us and we would give up and go home. Chad and Amy are turning this into long-term gain for the mission efforts among the Dagara. Not only will the locals have the new buildings and homes and a way to support themselves from the methods taught during the building of the new home, but the churches will be given a 30 to 50 year lease on the new home at a rent that is already about 90% less than market prices. The new Christians get to watch God take a tragedy and “work all things for the good” through the Carters.
We need to help.
Chad figures the house can be rebuilt and refurnished for about $75,000. That wouldn’t even buy most of our homes much less furnish them and restore our personal possessions! So far, the Carters have jumped out in faith and are using emergency funds and personal savings to get the work started. These funds will run out long before the work is done.
They’re part of the Richardson East family. Chad grew up in Dan Steven’s youth group. We sent the Carters to be our feet and hands in taking the Gospel “into all nations and making disciples.” God is doing amazing things through them.
Your contribution is a benevolent gift to a family that is homeless. Your gift also supports an incredible mission work. Please give a year-end gift of $100, $50, or even $25 to help in this recovery.
Checks are fully tax-deductable and should be made to Richardson East Church of Christ with the note Carter Fire Fund. You can drop it in the contribution plate this Sunday, or mail (address below) or drop it by the church office. With all the travelling and busyness of this holiday season, it may be easier to send a check right now through your bank’s online bill-paying service.
The Carters’ continually thank God for Richardson East Church of Christ. They thank you for your prayers and support during this urgent time of need.
Richardson East Church of Christ, 1504 E Campbell Rd, Richardson, TX 75081, Phone: 972.231.8231.
Fire in Africa!
As has been announced previously, our missionaries in Burkina Faso, Africa, Chad and Amy Carter, have suffered an incredible tragedy. Their house burned down. We thank God that the Carters were away from home during the fire and were not hurt. However, the house is a total loss as you can see from the pictures at the Facebook Group - Dagara Mission Prayer and Support Group - www.facebook.com/group.php
Would you please pause a moment this holiday season and remember the Carter’s in prayer?
>Imagine if this were your house and pray accordingly for them.
>Add to your prayer your feelings if you were on a foreign continent that is a two-day journey by plane to get to your family.
>Think of your irreplaceable possessions (i.e. pictures, heirlooms, mementos) and pray about the loss the Carters’ have experienced.
>Imagine you have toddler and pre-school age sons which you have to explain what has happened to their toys, room, and house and pray for the Carters’ accordingly.
>Consider what you would do to “move on” and pray for the Carters’ decisions and efforts to recover.
>Now consider what you would do if you had no insurance or social-service agencies that can give you any help.
There is no homeowners or renters insurance available in Burkina Faso. The church there has no benevolence ministry to assist financially. The Carter’s have a huge task to recover that would overwhelm even the strongest and heartiest of the Richardson East church members. Please keep them in your prayers. Please forward this noteto anyone you know who might join in this effort of prayer and support.
If God has touched your heart to help them financially as well, please make a check to Richardson East Church of Christ with the note Carter Fire Fund. You can drop it in the Richardson East Church of Christ contribution plate any Sunday, or mail (address below) or drop it by the church office. With all the travelling and busyness of this holiday season, it may be easier to send a check right now through your bank’s online bill-paying service.
The Carters’ continually thank God for Richardson East Church of Christ. They thank you for your prayers and support during this urgent time of need.
Richardson East Church of Christ, 1504 E Campbell Rd, Richardson, TX 75081, Phone: 972.231.8231.
As has been announced previously, our missionaries in Burkina Faso, Africa, Chad and Amy Carter, have suffered an incredible tragedy. Their house burned down. We thank God that the Carters were away from home during the fire and were not hurt. However, the house is a total loss as you can see from the pictures at the Facebook Group - Dagara Mission Prayer and Support Group - www.facebook.com/group.php
Would you please pause a moment this holiday season and remember the Carter’s in prayer?
>Imagine if this were your house and pray accordingly for them.
>Add to your prayer your feelings if you were on a foreign continent that is a two-day journey by plane to get to your family.
>Think of your irreplaceable possessions (i.e. pictures, heirlooms, mementos) and pray about the loss the Carters’ have experienced.
>Imagine you have toddler and pre-school age sons which you have to explain what has happened to their toys, room, and house and pray for the Carters’ accordingly.
>Consider what you would do to “move on” and pray for the Carters’ decisions and efforts to recover.
>Now consider what you would do if you had no insurance or social-service agencies that can give you any help.
There is no homeowners or renters insurance available in Burkina Faso. The church there has no benevolence ministry to assist financially. The Carter’s have a huge task to recover that would overwhelm even the strongest and heartiest of the Richardson East church members. Please keep them in your prayers. Please forward this noteto anyone you know who might join in this effort of prayer and support.
If God has touched your heart to help them financially as well, please make a check to Richardson East Church of Christ with the note Carter Fire Fund. You can drop it in the Richardson East Church of Christ contribution plate any Sunday, or mail (address below) or drop it by the church office. With all the travelling and busyness of this holiday season, it may be easier to send a check right now through your bank’s online bill-paying service.
The Carters’ continually thank God for Richardson East Church of Christ. They thank you for your prayers and support during this urgent time of need.
Richardson East Church of Christ, 1504 E Campbell Rd, Richardson, TX 75081, Phone: 972.231.8231.