October 2020 Update from Abel and Sarah

Thank you for all of your prayers for our family, and for what the Lord has seen fit to do through us. 

 We are in Ohio and now living in a mission house that a church here was so generous to offer us for our remainder of the time here in the states. It is difficult sometimes for missionaries to find housing because most places don’t like to have renters sign contracts for less than a year. This arrangement in Ohio is nice because we are able to pay rent monthly, and the kids get to have a big parking lot to ride bikes and play hockey in. 

  While here in the states we are homeschooling the kids. We have a really nice curriculum that is working well for us. Most of the classes are pre-filmed in a real classroom, so the kids are able to see the teacher interact with the other kids. 

Sarah has been doing a great job giving them quizzes and tests and making sure their homework is done right. 

Our kids have realized that when they wake up early (5:45), they can finish their homeschool early, and then play the whole rest of the day with their buddies. 

  I have been studying agroforestry 2 1/2 hours a day, specifically as to how it relates to our context in Africa. I hope, as a result of these studies, to be an even better resource to serve our brothers and sisters who serve the Lord in spreading the gospel as they seek to be equipped in ways that they can be contributing to the communities where they serve while providing needed income for their families. 

We have finished the Swahili version of Eternity 2 Eternity for our Swahili speaker missionary training program. It includes 63 lessons following the theme of redemption through scripture from eternity past all the way through the return of Christ and eternity future. Thank you for your prayers over the years as we have been working through developing the lessons!

I have been spending 5-7 hours a day working on editing a guide for curriculum developers working in other contexts on the Eternity 2 Eternity lessons. It includes the lessons themselves, as well as the logic behind selecting certain passages to highlight attributes of God, some recommendations on visuals or examples from a culture that may be pertinent to different lessons, as well as an explanation of attributes of God that come up often in the lessons (God is a clear communicator, God is the giver of life, God provides abundantly, God expects an appropriate response from man...).

I have also been editing a dissertation having to do with the formation of worldview and how it shapes religions especially with how it relates to Muslims. I am reading another about the idea of ‘atonement’ and how it is thought of in Islam and Christianity. It’s been a good read, and I feel will help in future ministry. 

We still hope to be back in Tanzania in January or February depending on the process of getting our visas in Tanzania. Please be praying for the process, and that the Lord would be glorified in our attitudes as we walk through the process... that we would be thinking ‘Lord willing we will do this, or that...’

Thank you for your faithful support as a church. May the Lord bless you and grow you as you seek to faithfully serve Him, and know Him more.