David & Sharon Faris
Missionaries to Chad, Africa
 
Dear Friend for Missions,

               Greetings in the Precious Name of Jesus!  My name is David Faris.On a trip into the deserts of Chad  My wife Sharon and I are newly appointed missionaries with Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM), assigned to Chad, Africa.  We have three daughters: Sarah who is ten years old, Susan who is six years old and Deborah who is one year old. 

               I was born in Southern New England, in Concord, Massachusetts.  After spending my childhood up to First Grade in Acton and Billerica, my parents moved to Nashua, New Hampshire, which is where I spent most of my stateside life. 

My Omega friend shows off my bumper sticker of the world-famous Nick's Roast Beef of Beverly, Massachusetts                Although we have just received appointment with the AGWM this past June, our journey in missions begins much further back.  I received the call of God to become a missionary as a teenager in Nashua Christian Bible Church, with Steve and Terry Ford as our youth pastors.  One particular night I was listening to a cassette of Aaron Rothganger’s message in my bedroom.  While the altar service was playing, I was having an altar service right there, surrendering my life to Christ.  And as I did, in a voice almost audible but not quite, I felt the Lord say to my heart, “I want you to go to the Muslims.”  I hesitated at first, but finally said, “Yes.”  As I did, God sealed that calling in my heart, and to this day, my heart beats to make an Eternal difference among the Muslims with the talents God gave me. 

School boys read one of the first booklets written in the Omega language: a pocket calendar with proverbs                That missions passion led me first to Chad as a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators.  In fact, I was in the same Wycliffe orientation class as Neil and Kathy Vanaria, who are now your missionaries to Papua New Guinea with AGWM.  Over my twenty years with Wycliffe, I traveled to twenty-four language areas to see if they need a Bible translation or not. After marrying Sharon and going to Chad as a missionary family, I also served as the supervisor of the print shop, library, archives, Branch housing, and survey departments. During our most recent term, we completed a thirty-two lesson series of Bible radio programs into one of the languages spoken in the Sahara desert, a language group suffering great trouble as a result of the Darfur crisis.  We were also able to finish a rough draft of the Gospel of Luke in this same language, which we are working to turn into a Jesus Film. 

On a visit to a church in northern New Hampshire                We are thankful that we have almost half of our missionary budget raised, with the help of many supporting churches who continue to stand by us as we became part of AGWM.  As AGWM missionaries, what we need for living expenses remains basically the same as before, except that we have added one daughter to our family.  So the additional funds we are now raising is ministry money which will allow us to make an even greater spiritual impact in Chad than ever before.  Along with our Bible translation work in the Omega language, with God’s help we desire to be involved in development work in the refugee camps, and to open a Christian print shop and FM radio station in the Muslim north of Chad, the first of their kind in the region. 

               We are looking forward to speaking with you about scheduling a time to be of service to you and your church.  Possibilities include:

  • A morning, evening or midweek service
  • A three minute window in a church service
  • A children’s church service
  • A Sunday School class of any age
  • A youth or Speed-The-Light service
  • A men’s or women’s meeting
  • A home Bible study group
Sarah and I on a camel ride                In our presentations, we tell stories about our adventures in Chad, and how God was with us through them.  All of our presentations are child-friendly; we hope you will feel free to let the children of your church stay in the service to be exposed to missions.  We wear African clothes, and set up a display with African artifacts.  Our vision for our itineration time is to give the congregation a chance to see, hear, smell, taste and touch the African mission field, with a hope that God by His Spirit will raise up laborers to join us in this challenging but exciting task. 

               If you would like to learn more about us and the country where we serve the Lord, please visit our website: www.tchad.org/dsfaris. On our website you are also able to contact us about scheduling a visit to your church or home group.  If you prefer, feel free to call us at (207) 333-9660.  Either way, we will work hard to schedule your church or group for the dates that will best fit into your schedule. 

               May God bless you in the outreach He has placed before you to touch your mission field! 

Your fellow laborers for missions,  

David & Sharon Faris
Missionaries
Assemblies of God World Missions