Dear Friends and Family,
Happy New Year!
2022 was a year full of significant events in our family and ministry. We wanted to start the new year off by sharing a short summary of 2022 with you.
In August, our middle son Micah joined his older brother Zach at boarding school in Kenya. God has made it clear that Rift Valley Academy is the best place for them both, but we all miss each other A LOT. Then, in April, as many of you know, Joy's mother went to be with the Lord. Such a mix of emotions— we are thankful she is no longer wheelchair-bound and struggling to breathe but are all feeling the hole left by her presence. Her "graduation" to heaven was followed by Discovery School's first-ever graduation. Held in late July, it was a joyful day of speeches, photos, and smiles set to the live soundtrack of the Burundi drums. Some graduates have continued to university here in Burundi, several are in Cyprus, and one even managed to afford to go to the US (with the help of scholarships and student loans, of course). The film ministry and Bible School continue to thrive. Over the holidays, we enjoyed being part of Discovery's four different Christmas programs (dividing our 1300 students into their various age groups)and enjoyed a two-week visit from Joy's Dad and 2 friends from Believers' Bible Chapel in North Carolina. We hope that you had a wonderful season celebrating Christ's birth and pray for God's blessing on you in 2023.
CMML helped us put together a short video update in November 2021. To see it, follow this link:
A slightly older video update (June 2021) focusing only on Discovery School can be found at:
The school's website, www.discoveryschoolburundi.org, has also been recently updated.
We would love to hear from you and to pray about any requests that are on your heart, and know that we continually thank the Lord for your prayers and support.
Blessings,
Jesse, Joy, Zach, Micah, & Elliot
