Post-Christmas Thoughts

It was our first Christmas Day in thirty years of marriage that we have spent alone; it was our first Christmas without our two daughters with us as well.
All of this considered, it was a good Christmas day for us. If you are a Christian living in Tanzania then you spend part of Christmas Day in church; celebrating the "reason for the season" as the old saying goes. We went to the Bible College church and heard a sermon taken from the famous passage from Luke 2 that tells about the birth of Jesus. It's my own personal favorite passage for the Christmas story.
After the service we returned to our quiet home and prepared a facsimile of the traditional Christmas dinner; a small ham (which we paid about $50 for since we refused to pay almost $100 for a turkey), dressing (thanks to the generous gift of sage from another missionary but missing celery which is not available here), mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh green beans, cucumbers and onions in vinegar(a dish usually eaten in the summer in our family but available year-round here) and a pecan pie (made with pecans sent out in November and local "golden syrup" - not bad).
After we ate and cleaned up the dishes we called our two daughters who are spending Christmas together in Missouri; we used Skype and were able to talk to them and see them at the same time. What a great joy that was for all of us! While we were all "together" on Skype, Tim read the Christmas story from Luke 2; this has been our family tradition since we were married and the girls always knew this happened right before we opened presents.
The girls showed us, via Skype webcam, the gifts they had gotten for each other and we spent a little time talking and laughing together.
I was unable to talk to my family at the Christmas dinner gathering due to some complications, but we talked to the girls again later and they told us what a great day it was.
Thus, our Christmas Day ended; it was a little different for us but we were so happy to be able to see and talk to both of our daughters and rejoice together in the birth of the Saviour.
Merry Christmas!

Answered Prayers

Every day we pray for our two daughters, Jenn and Sarah; it's often the only way we have to help them when problems arise. It can be frustrating at times to be half way around the world from your children. We are learning the true meaning of trusting God to take care of them.

Recently, both of our daughters were in situations that made it difficult for us to be so far away.

Sarah went out one morning very early to go to church; she was performing in the handbell choir that morning. She had driven a short distance when she realized that she had a flat tire; it was actually split and beyond repair. She called a friend to pick her up and take her on to church. Once at church, her best friend's father took her keys and told her not to worry, he went and bought two new tires and put them on for her and filled her car up with gas as well. He would not allow her to repay them; what a blessing!

This month our oldest daughter, Jenn, had her car totaled when another person ran a stop sign and plowed into her front left side. The above picture was taken of her car after the accident. Jenn was not seriously hurt, but was bruised and sore from the seatbelt and from the air bag deploying. We thank God for protecting her. It was difficult to not be able to be there to help her with all of the post-accident business; insurance, police reports, finding a new car, etc.

We praise God for his faithfulness to our children; He is taking care of them and teaching us to trust Him with their care at the same time. It's not an easy lesson to learn; we continue to work on it.

Be blessed today as you rest in His care.

Our First Tanzanian Wedding

Earlier this month, we were asked to be honored guests at the wedding of the son of our very good friend, Seni. We have known Seni and his family since our arrival in Africa in 1997; our families have been friends and we have spent time in each other's homes and shared many meals together.

It was a joy and a privilege to be a part of Alex and Aminatha's wedding; our STL vehicle was decorated for the occasion. We were asked to be the transport for Alexx and his bride for the entire day. It was the longest wedding we have ever been involved in including our own!

We went to a designated location at 9:00 on Sunday morning to have our car decorated. By 11:00 we were at the church; the wedding service took place after the third service around noon.

We ate a late lunch at the groom's home with 60-70 other people and slipped the bride and groom away to rest for awhile. Next came the picture taking which lasted until about 6:00pm.

There was a huge reception at the New Mwanza Hotel immediately after the pictures that lasted until about 10:30. We witnessed many Tanzanian customs as well as a number of tribal customs. There was much gift giving and speeches by both sides of the family and the bride and groom gave out gifts as well.

The day ended at about midnight when we arrived home after whisking the tired bride and groom away to a secret location known only to the groom's parents.

Even though it was a long day; we enjoyed it immensely and learned new things about the people in Tanzania and their customs.

By the way, one of the customs that is very different from ours in America; the groom's family pays for everything.

Woman's work is never done...

There's an old saying that goes, "a man may work from sun to sun but a woman's work is never done".

This is even more true in developing nations like Tanzania. Although inside the larger cities electricity and running water are available, in the villages and small towns very few homes/churches have water or electricity.

Women cook over open fires outside with wood or charcoal, there are no refrigerators or modern conveniences and water is usually carried from somewhere. Recently, Tim traveled to a small village about 2 hours from Mwanza. He took this picture of a lady grinding grain on stones to make flour for her family.

It brings a lot of meaning to the phrase, "cooking from scratch". For most Tanzanian women there is no such thing as "Hamburger Helper" or "packaged foods". Women and children spend a good part of their day looking for wood, carrying water, and fixing food "from scratch" over an open fire.

Think about it next time you open a can or box to prepare some food or take some meat from the freezer that is ready for cooking. Or, maybe, as you go through a drive-thru restaurant for a "quick" meal.

Blessings!

Rough Ride

You can take for granted some of the simple blessings in life; such as nice paved roads on which to drive.

Here in Tanzania, although many of the major roads are beginning to be paved, most secondary roads are still unpaved. A lot of these unpaved roads are almost impassable during the rainy season and many require four-wheel drive vehicles.

We are thankful for our STL vehicle; it allows us to go many places that we would not be able to get to without it.

We have been doing some exploratory trips in the Mwanza area recently in an effort to determine areas which have no TAG church; in fact, they don't have any churches at all.

Recently, our Area Director, Greg Beggs, came for a few days to visit. We traveled north of Mwanza on dirt roads and found a number of good sized villages with no churches. These are areas we will focus on in the future for church planting efforts.

We also traveled up the hill to visit our Mwanza Bible School campus; Greg took this picture of our Land Cruiser on the road up to the Bible school. It is a steep incline and requires that we use our four-wheel drive to make it to the top.

I'm sure you will agree that we definitely need to have a better road to make access to our Bible school easier for students and visitors alike.

Be blessed today - enjoy your smooth roads!

Thanksgiving Day

Some things can be taken for granted; consider Thanksgiving Day. In America, it is a given that certain foods are eaten with a little variation according to personal tastes and family traditions. But, it is a day to get together as a family and eat a lot of food and, hopefully, take time to be thankful for the blessings we have. In Tanzania it is not recognized since it is an exclusively American holiday.

I spent my first Thanksgiving alone; it was a unique experience but it was a good day.

Tim was in Dar Es Salaam working on getting our residence permit so we can legally be in Tanzania; that is a full 16 hour drive away so he could not be home.

I went to the ladies Bible study as I normally do on Thursdays. Afterwards, one of the single missionary ladies invited me to go to the local vegetarian pizza place for lunch. We had a nice lunch, did a little shopping for groceries and shared a taxi to take us home. For supper, I fixed some fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cut up some raw veggies.

Thursday evening I put in a CD of some old well-known hymns and sang along for awhile. I read my Bible, concentrating on portions that had to do with thanksgiving. I prayed for awhile, first giving thanks for my blessings and then asking God to bless my family, our supporters, etc.

I watched a beautiful sunset over Lake Victoria from my patio and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

A special blessing came when Tim texted me that he had received our residence permit on that very day; a week earlier than they had told him. He would be home on the weekend; what a nice blessing that was on Thanksgiving Day.

It's important to remember among all the tradition of this American holiday; that it is really a day of celebration and giving thanks for our many blessings.

Be blessed and be thankful!

The Difference between "our" and "the".

It's amazing what a difference one small word can make; it struck me sometime back. Wherever we travel, whether to the Bible School here in Mwanza, to various meetings, or to one of the many churches in our area, I have noticed something when they introduce us.
They never say "the missionary", but they always say "our missionary". That may not sound like much of a difference but it is actually very significant.
It means that we belong here, that they consider us as part of themselves. It means that they have accepted us and consider us to be family. It is very humbling, they often clap and cheer when we are introduced.
They know that we chose to come here and came against all the odds that were against us. They know that we want to be here in this part of the country and that we have no desire to be anywhere else.
There are other missionaries in Tanzania besides us; but on this side of the country, we are the only ones who are referred to as "our missionaries".
It's good to feel wanted and loved; especially by "our" Bible school, churches and pastors.
Be blessed today!

TAG Leadership visits Mwanza

On November 13th and 14th, we were privileged to host the new Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG) leadership here in Mwanza. These three men are currently traveling to each of the districts and installing the new leadership. In addition, they are announcing the new 10 year plan for the TAG. They have spent much time in prayer and fasting as well as consulting a large number of individuals and groups prior to drawing this new plan. We believe they have been guided and directed by the Spirit of God.

The plan is aggressive and brings many changes. Our two districts, the Lake District and the Western District which make up the western third of the country, have each been divided into three districts. Our two former districts are now six smaller districts; and new leadership has been installed in each new district. The exception is the Mara region which is the vast area between here and the Kenyan border. This region has only 13 established TAG churches and thus it has been placed under the Mission Department of the TAG; it will receive assistance from the national church to help with church planting and evangelism efforts. We will be involved with these efforts in the Mara District since we are the resident missionaries in this part of the country.

The key words in the new ten year plan are excellence, accountability, and integrity for all levels of leadership from the national office down to each individual pastor and church official. There will be an aggressive effort made to train all of our pastors and to grow the TAG from 200,000 adherents to 2,000,000 adherents in ten years. We will radically increase our evangelism and church planting efforts and our efforts to adequately train and prepare our current pastors as well as new pastors.

The plan definitely will usher in a "new day" for the TAG and will require that we all, the national church, the local church and the missionary body to work together as one team to see the Church grow in Tanzania.

May God help us and the Holy Spirit guide us! We live in difficult times but we also live in a time of great opportunity for the spreading of the Gospel.

Women's Conference + 1 Witch

The Lake District Women's Conference was held this week at the Mwanza Bible College; women began to arrive on Monday and the conference was on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was one of several speakers scheduled for the conference. This is one of the few times a Christian woman in Tanzania can leave her heavy responsibilities of keeping a home, working a garden and raising the children to do something special for themselves. Many of them come with heavy burdens; some are childless and their husbands can take another wife or even return them to their families if they don't have children. Some of them have unsaved husbands who beat them and mistreat them and they have few options; by law, the children belong to the father if the mother wants to leave.

Many women here have a hard life; most have to haul water to the homes, work gardens, cook over charcoal fires and take care of children in often primitive conditions. They don't always have access to medical care for themselves or their families.

So, they come to this yearly event to be encouraged, strengthened, and to get a short break from their many responsibilities. Things are getting better for women here but very slowly and often there is little change in the rural areas.

We had over 150 who registered with additional visitors and some visiting pastors; plus we had one witch. She came alone from Sengerema which is a two hour drive away. Her vocation was discovered when she came forward for prayer with a group of ladies and when hands were laid on her in prayer she fell, writhing and twisting, to the floor.

I learned her story later after she was taken away by a group of ladies for more prayer and counseling. She was sent here from Sengerema to place a spell on the women so that they would not be able to receive any of the teaching during the conference. She was also supposed to stay for the minister's conference immediately following on Thursday and Friday and place the same spell on them.

She refused salvation even though women prayed and talked with her all day and treated her lovingly and compassionately. Finally, after she had tried to take another woman's baby, she was escorted off the Bible School property and told if she tried to enter again they would have to call the police.

While she was on the premises the Principal's adult son was attacked by a local drunk outside the Bible School gate with a knife. He escaped but with a deep knife gash across his upper arm and had to be taken to the hospital for stitches and treatment.

Witchcraft is on the rise on this side of the country; but God's people here know how to pray and they are not afraid to confront the powers of darkness. They do so on a regular basis and treat it as a normal occurence.

The women's conference was a success; women were strengthened in the Word of God and encouraged. About 20-25 women received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. They were given Godly council by the women at the conference and returned to their homes to continue their daily lives; hopefully, equipped to continue in the faith and to persevere in difficult situations.

Graduation

Saturday was graduation day at the Mwanza Bible College; we were so excited to witness our first graduation there. We finished building the college and it opened in January 2001; we were here for the dedication in June 2001 and then we left to return to the states for our furlough.

We stayed in the states for seven years due to various health issues and have finally been able to return to Mwanza.

A total of 30 students graduated; 28 men and 2 women. There was much celebrating and rejoicing and we were so happy to be here and be able to take part in the activities of the day. It was a long day but Tanzanians love to celebrate and they are never in a hurry. They have so many difficulties in their lives that when an opportunity arises to celebrate, they savor the experience and take their time.

After the graduation, lunch was served and we continued to fellowship and enjoy the day. I had two pastors come up to me who started in that first class in January 2001and were part of the first graduating class from the Mwanza Bible college; both were in the class I taught on "Missions" that semester right before we left Tanzania. It was a joy to meet them again with their wives.

New Leadership

Tim was in Dar Es Salaam the last Sunday of October for the instillation of the new leadership for the Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG). In the history of the TAG, this is only our third Superintendent. The first one lead the TAG for over 20 years and Ranwell Mwensingole has provided excellent leadership for the past 16 years. Change, obviously, comes slowly to the TAG; but, in a surprising turn of events we believe that the Holy Spirit has brought change in the form of new leadership and in an innovative and aggressive new 10 year plan for the TAG.

At General Council in August the wind of change blew through that gathering and all three elected positions were filled with new people.

We, as a missionary body, believe that God has ordained these changes in leadership and has also given direction for the next 10 years of the TAG. Changes are needed and yet they will not be easy for the Tanzanian churches and ministers; we believe that God will give us all wisdom and courage in the days ahead.

The instillation service was beautifully done and there was a wonderful graciousness exhibited by the departing leadership and by the new leadership. There was a wonderful spirit of excitement and expectation and a spirit of unity; the TAG will move forward together as one body listening to the Spirit of God as He leads them down new roads that He has prepared.

The picture above shows our three new leaders; from left to right they are: Ron Swai/Secretary-Treasurer, Magnus Mhiche/Assistant Superintendent and Barnabus Mtokambali/Superintendent. We have known all three of these men for many years and have had them in our home both here in Tanzania and in the states. We look forward to working together with them.

Creepy Crawly Things

The late rains have finally arrived here in Tanzania; we have been having occasional showers for the past month. However, for the past week, it has rained torrents each day. The seasons in Tanzania are based on the coming of the rain; we generally have rain in abundance twice a year. The first, and lengthier rain comes in May/June and the second shorter rains come usually in October. It is not possible to travel to certain parts of the country during the rainy seasons because the dirt roads turn to mud holes and even rivers.
The rains are a celebrated event in Tanzania; with the coming of the rain people know that their crops will grow, the dust will be settled so that you don't have to sweep and dust every single day(this is a concern only, it seems, to non-Tanzanians), and things that have been brown like grass, trees, and plants will turn green with life and there will be flowers growing in profusion.
There is, however, something else that comes with the rains. I have noticed that new life is bursting forth in the insect world as well. In the mornings our porch and sidewalks are covered with wings that have been dropped from the flying insects as they hatch out and fly off in the night. I have seen all kinds of creepy crawly things both inside and outside of the house; some of them I don't remember seeing before. Some are interesting looking and some are scary looking; all are unwelcome in my house.
So, I keep my trusty can of Doom (a powerful bug spray that I am sure would be banned in the USA) and use it on those things that venture into the house.
The rains are a good thing; without them we would have drought and famine and dust and very little color in Tanzania. Water is too valuable and often too scarce of a commodity to use frivolously so it is not wasted on grass and non-essential plants. However, along with the new life that springs forth comes new life in the insect world as well; this new life I can do without. However, you have to take the good with the bad so I enjoy the green grass and trees and blooming flowers and I keep my can of Doom nearby to banish the insects that come along with all of the good stuff.
Of course, the many different species of birds in Tanzania thrive on the insects during this time of year. There are also some tribes who gather the termites in baskets when they are hatching out by the millions and cook them in hot oil; they are a good source of protein.
So, I guess beauty and value are in the eye of the beholder; as for me, I'm staying stocked up on Doom!
Be Blessed!
Joyce

Making Choices

Today, I would like to introduce you to Isacka. We have known Isacka by sight for many years. He used to "walk" to town each morning at the same time my daughter, Sarah, walked to school. Isaak used to walk on his hands, he arranged his legs yoga style, put flipflops on his hands and walked with his body swinging between his arms. He walked about a three mile round trip into town and back each day. We never really met him back then but he was always smiling and pleasant. Sarah always greeted him with the expression, "Shikamoo" given to adults or people of importance to show respect.

Since we have arrived back in Tanzania this time we have actually met Isacka. He has told us that he got polio as a small child in the mid 1970's and has not had use of his legs since then. He has managed to purchase a special adult tricycle that is pedaled by hand. He stores his tricycle at our compound each evening and continues up the very steep hill to his home the way he used to travel; walking on his hands.

He asked permission to continue to store his tricycle at our compound when we arrived back in Mwanza. Isaak has made some good choices in his life; he has refused to become a beggar or look for handouts or use his handicap as a reason to be lazy or even to feel sorry for himself.

He has a shoe shine/repair business on one of the corners in town and goes to work every day. He is married to a sweet lady and they have three children together. Isacka is a Christian and attends church every week. He is happy and well adjusted; he looks you in the eye and smiles and is thankful for the blessings he has been given. Wow, his attitude should be a pattern for all of us who don't have to walk through life on our hands and yet can find nothing to be thankful for.

Isacka is saving money to buy a "pikipiki"; it's a sort of motor scooter with an enclosed body that can carry another person as well. He wants to start a little taxi service with his Pikipiki and will shuttle people around town. He would give up his shoe repair business and, as an extra bonus, he would be able to ride his pikipiki all the way up the long steep hill to his home and could give up walking on his hands. He's making plans, like most of us, for his old age when he will not have the strength in his arms to carry his body along the roads.

He has saved about half of the money he needs to buy his pikipiki; we are praying with him that the rest will come in soon.

Be blessed today, and if you are able to walk upright on your own two feet, be extra thankful today.

The Motto Family

Sunday we attended the church plant near Pasiansi; it is on the outskirts of Mwanza towards the airport. Pastor Ezekiel Motto started the church about 2 years ago and the church is growing and thriving.

Tim preached for the the morning service; the churches are always so appreciative that we are able to visit them. They know that we actually cover an area the size of the state of Indiana which has hundreds of churches; we will probably never get to visit all of them even if we continue to try during our four year term here. The best we will be able to do, is to visit the various sections and have the pastors in each of the sections come together for a combined meeting.

Pastor Motto, his wife Grace, and his three daughters live in a small house next to the church. In addition to being the pastor of this church, Motto is also a teacher at the Mwanza Bible College and is also the Secretary/Treasurer for the Lake Victoria District.

His children are still shy around "wazungu" (white people); especially the youngest girl, Shekina, who is not quite two years old.

We had a pleasant visit with them after the service and was served the traditional soda before departing. We took along our camera and took some pictures of the Motto family; their oldest daughter is ten years old and attends school in another city. The two in the picture are Eunice (6) and Shekina (not quite 2). They may be shy around us, but like children everywhere, they love having their pictures taken.

The building in the background of the family picture is the side of the church building; they have been blessed to be able to afford to build a brick building with a metal roof. Eventually, they will have the floor cemented and permanent doors installed.

Be blessed.

Heroes of Tanzania

This week has been a busy week with pastors coming to the house and Spiritual Emphasis week at the Bible School here in Mwanza. I would like to introduce you to a few "unsung heroes" of the family of God who will probably never be recognized this side of heaven. However, I know that they are definitely heroes of faith; going about their business unnoticed by people.

First, we met Pastor Edward this week; he was a student at the Bible School when we opened it in 2001 right before returning to the states. Yesterday he was just visiting during Spiritual Emphasis week and was invited to the front to greet everyone. He came, walking slowly, his body was twisted and his hands and feet were turned and twisted. It was painful to watch until you focused on his face; there was nothing deformed or crippled about his face. He wore a huge smile and there was joy radiating from him. He came forward and made a joke about the special "walk" that God has given him and then he sang a little happy chorus about the goodness of God. We learned later that while he was attending the Bible school there was a problem with the supply of water to the water tank and Edward offered to climb up and fix it. He fell from the top of the tank and afterwards lay in a coma for week in the local hospital. They were not sure he would ever leave the hospital; it is obvious that even though he survived he must have received some type of head/spinal chord injury. And yet, he is a pastor and he is married with a family and he is...happy and content and joyful. Amazing.
Secondly, we had a visit from Pastor Samwel from Musoma in the Mara region; he is the Presbyter for that region. When we were here the first term we had helped Pastor Samwel purchase a bicycle. He still has the bicycle but now that he is presbyter he needs something a little faster; like a "pikipiki" which is a motorcycle. The Mara region is a huge area and the villages are far apart and isolated; he is unable to visit his struggling handful of pastors regularly because he can't get to them easily. Many of the villages do not have buses or transportation that go to them and he can't reach them in a day's time on his bicycle. He does his best and we will be praying that God will supply him with faster and more reliable transportation.
There are so many of these servants of God here in Tanzania; doing what they do in difficult circumstances and they rarely complain. They count it a joy to be servants in the Kingdom of God; I need to strive for that kind of servant heart and uncomplaining attitude.
Be blessed today.

Neighbors

Yesterday, we had our neighbors over for supper; it was a delightful evening. They are missionaries from Finland with the Pentecostal church. Vesa, Anita, and their two children; Jasmine who is in 10th grade and Oscar who is in 8th grade. Rosa also came with them; she is a young single lady here for a few months working with the youth in their churches here in Mwanza.
Tim and I confessed that we didn't know anything about Finland and suggested that they go around the table a few rounds taking turns telling us things about their country. They enjoyed the opportunity to share about Finland and we enjoyed learning about a country that we knew very little about.
Anita brought us a gift of Finnish pastries she had made; much like our American cinnamon rolls. We introduced them to a couple of new dishes as well; deviled eggs and coleslaw. We communicated well even though their main language is Finnish; they have all been learning English and do well with it.
We talked for a long time and had wonderful fellowship together; although, if we were in American I doubt if we would have ever shared a meal together. When we are in our own land and our own comfort zones, we have a tendency to fulfill the old saying, "birds of a feather flock together".
However, here in a foreign country where you are the outsider and Americans are a definite minority; you can go weeks without seeing another person from your own country. You tend to broaden your circle and allow for more variety among your acquaintances and friends.
This is one of the positives about living in another country; meeting people of many backgrounds, faiths, and nationalities and learning to find the things that you have in common and building relationships. So, now, we have new Finnish friends who live next door and we have some things in common; mostly, we are both here because the "love of Christ compels us". It's enough to build on!
Tomorrow is the ladies Bible study; I will be with Americans, Canadians, South Africans, French, Europeans, Baptists, Church of Christ, Africa Inland Mission, Pentecostals of all kinds, Anglican, and others!
What a wonderful benefit to being a missionary in a foreign land. It's good preparation for living in heaven too; there will be some from every kindred, tribe and tongue!

PO - KO- MO

I am trying to re-learn the Swahili I knew before and learn the rest of the Swahili that I need to communicate effectively in the remote areas of Tanzania. Although most of the pastors in and around Mwanza speak English; there are still a number of them that do not. My communication will tend to be with women and children as well; many of the women do not know English. So, I am endeavoring to learn Swahili in order to communicate effectively.
In my studies, I have reached the "Location agreements" of Po,Ko, and Mo. No, they are not family members of the three stooges; they have to do with location. "Po" is for a definite place (here), "Ko" is for an indefinite place (there) and "Mo" indicates being "inside".
So, I am working on, literally, here, there, hereabouts, thereabouts, inside, etc. As I was working on my Swahili grammar exercises I began to think about my relationship with Jesus. What location agreement would I use to describe my proximity to my Lord? The Bible teaches that we are "in" Him and He is "in" us. I hope that as I do whatever it is I do in the course of the day; whether studying, cooking, teaching, or entertaining visiting pastors, that it all has purpose and meaning because I am in Him and He is in me.
Be blessed!

On a flimsy wooden platform

Tanzanian outdoor crusades are a lot of things, but they are never boring or uneventful! Tim and I were involved in an out door crusade last week to help a new church plant in the Isamilo district of our city of Mwanza; this is a mostly Muslim community so we knew it would not be an easy week.

Even though we had paid the fees to rent the entire field; we were just one of many events going on simultaneously. Satan provided a variety of distractions which included a soccer game that went on each evening at the same time and occupying the space right next to us on the field. This, of course, involved the occasional fight between players and spectators and the occasional run away ball that rolled into our midst as well as the noise of the crowd as they cheered their team. Add to this mix, the children running and playing, the wind, dust, rain, vendors hawking their wares, people traveling across the field to get to their destinations and the vehicles honking and making their unique sounds as they drove by us on the road.

I mustn't forget to mention the nearby mosque that broadcast the call to prayer each evening; we did notice that each evening it got louder and longer.

However, God has promised that His word will not return void and seeds were planted; some for future harvest and some were harvested during the crusade.

Tim preached from a very rickety and flimsy wooden platform; he preached about a Saviour who had died on an old wooden cross for the sins of all. At the end of the crusade, 45 people came forward for salvation and several who were demon possessed were set free.

It was a good week!

What is a toy?

For an African child, the only toys they usually have are the ones they make themselves. We have been involved in an outside crusade this week and while the students from the Bible school set up the equipment, I watch and interact with the children.

Of course, one of their favorite pasttimes is to watch "wazungu"; this is the Swahili name given to "white people". The name "wazungu" literally means "people who run in circles"; a pretty accurate description of white people for the slower moving pace of East Africa. So, all you have to do is show up and you become an immediate source of entertainment for adults and children alike. All it takes is a smile to cause the children to gather around and the fun begins. Some of the braver ones will eventually touch your skin, your freckles, rub the hair on your arms, touch your painted toenails, feel your hair, the opportunity for entertainment is endless. And, if you actually speak to them in English (for those who are learning and want to practice) and Swahili the opportunities are absolutely endless.

I watched the children playing around me and saw the following; boys playing in the sand and loose dirt, children kicking a small ball made of old plastic bags formed into a ball and held together with old string, laughing, chasing, running, a game of tag, and several children playing with the metal hoop pictured at the beginning of this journal entry. They form a piece of wire into a hoop and another piece is formed into a small hook. They run along side the hoop as they roll it along with the hook.

Of course, the rest of the fun begins when the crusade starts; the music and singing begins and all the children dance and sing. Tanzanians love music and they must move when they sing; the children jump, run, twirl and laugh as they sing the praise choruses that the various choirs sing.

And, at the end of the evening, some of the children who have been playing and you thought weren't listening go forward to receive Jesus as their Savior. And, for me, that's the greatest fun of all!

Kindness - where can it lead?

Recently we were giving one of the pastor's who also teaches at the Mwanza Bible School a ride home. As we traveled he was telling us that his church is growing and they now have their own church building and property and are looking to buy more land and build on to the church in the future. As we traveled he pointed out an Orphanage and said that the church had rented a room from them when they first started. They had been searching for a place to meet and finally checked with this orphanage to see if they could use one of their classrooms for their church to meet in on Sundays.
The director of the orphanage asked them what religious group they belonged to and was told that the church was part of the Assemblies of God. The director thought for a minute and said, "A few years ago, a missionary with your group had a daughter who brought a group of students from her school and they spent the day with us. They told stories, did crafts, sang songs, performed with puppets and gave our children a wonderful day of fun. Because of this, we will let you rent one of our rooms to hold your church services in until you can find or build your own building.
We recognized the orphanage; we had been there before. Our daughter, Sarah, was the student who had visited them with some of her classmates almost eight years earlier. Sarah had started a "Kindness Club" at school and the orphanage had been the first recipient of their acts of kindness.
Because of that small act of kindness done by a group of caring young teens, a local Assemblies of God church was given a place to begin having their services in a community where there was not yet a church established. The church now is growing and touching their community with the Gospel and with additional "acts of kindness".
Do a kind deed today; you never know how God may use it later to advance His Kingdom.

Mwanza Bible School (Chuo ya Biblia)

It was our joy and pleasure to teach at two of the morning chapels this past week at the Mwanza Bible School. This school is dear to our hearts; we finished building it and dedicated it right before we left at the end of our first term in Tanzania in 2001. There are 77 students enrolled this semester from all over the western part of Tanzania; they have a desire to be trained to do the work of the ministry. Most have made great sacrifices to be able to attend and some will come with only partial tuition and trust God to provide the remaining amount before the end of the semester. The school will allow them to come and stay if they can pay at least half of their school fees, but the remainder must be paid before they can return for another semester. These are men and women who have answered the call of God and have made a commitment to receive the education and training they need to carry out their responsibilities.

Chapel services are a time of great rejoicing, but also a time of earnest prayer for God to provide for their needs as well as for the needs of their families and churches that they have left in order to receive their formal training. It is a privilege to be able to be a part of their lives for the time that they are here in Mwanza. We will see them in the years to come scattered around Tanzania fulfilling their respective places of ministry.

What is sacrifice?

A few days ago, Tim and I went to eat at one of the pastor’s homes here in Mwanza; I should say his “room” instead of his home. He came to the house and rode with us to his place; it’s off one of the many winding streets around Mwanza and he, his wife, and their little 5 year old son, Gospel, have rented a room in the building where a number of others live also. We went into their one little room; there is a bed in one corner with one sheet on it and nothing else. Against the wall there is a small bookcase, two small stools and a little wooden table. Tim and I sat on the two little stools and the pastor and Gospel sat on the bed with the little table between us. Mama (pastor's wife)had a tiny little one pan charcoal cooker in the corner on the floor with a box containing a few old pans and a few mismatched dishes. She cooked ugali (a very thick porridge), cooked greens (michiche), some avocado slices, 3 bananas, and a small pineapple; all grown locally, and two small fish. They placed all the food on the table in tiny little bowls/pans and gave Tim and I each a bowl-no utensils-so we ate African style with our fingers. They wanted us to eat all the food but Tim and I refused all though we took very small portions and ate seconds(eatings seconds and thirds shows that you like the food). We insisted the pastor eat also but the three of them did not eat until we were done and Mama never came to the table with us. The room had no lights and one small window. The pastor left and returned with two soda's; one for Tim and one for me as well as a large bottled water. I was humbled and wanted to insist that they not spend what little money they had to buy soda for us; but we could not cause them to be embarrassed or insulted so we accepted all they gave us with thankfulness and gratitude.
This pastor, his wife, and their youngest child traveled here a year ago by bus bringing only what they could carry in their luggage with them. Their three other children remain behind with family members so they can attend school. Pastor goes out everyday visiting his neighbors, who are mostly Muslims, sharing the love of Jesus with them and trying to build a church in this area that he feels God has called him to; his little church runs about 20-25 people.
He speaks of how blessed he is to be a servant of God and how happy he and his family is to be able to do this work. This pastor is not unique; many pastors across Tanzania live as he does because "the love of Christ compels them".
This is sacrifice! May God forgive us when we who have so much complain about our lot in life and are consumed with our desire for more.
Blessings,
Tim & Joyce

Memory Lane

Every A/G MK (missionary kid) is given a trip back to the field they were on with their parents sometime between their 18th and 23rd birthday. Our daughters, Jennifer and Sarah, have been waiting seven years for their return trip; we left Tanzania in 2001 and just returned last month.

So, after we were in Tanzania for one week, Jenn and Sarah flew out for their trip down memory lane. We had just finished General Council in Dar Es Salaam; the girls flew in on Saturday and we began a whirlwind of travel for the next 10 days that ended in Nairobi, Kenya where we lived for some time during our first term and Jenn lived most of the time there going to school.

The first place we went before heading out of Dar was to the island of Zanzibar just about a 20 minute flight on a very small plane from the coastal city of Dar Es Salaam. We had never been there before so we went there as a family to make a new memory; we had a wonderful visit on the island.

We made a sweep through Tanzania from Dar to Dodoma to Mwanza. We spent a few days in Mwanza and unloaded the container that held all of our belongings we left here in 2001 so that the girls could pull out those things they wanted to take back with them. We spent time at the home of our good friend, Seni, went to a church service at Kirumba Valley, and ate at a couple of the restaurants they remembered.

For the last leg of our journey we spent all of one day driving up through the tea fields of Kericho, Kenya and stopping at some of the places the girls remembered. On the morning of the second day we reached Nairobi for the final leg of our travels. We visited Rosslyn Academy where both girls had attended school; Sarah spent one year there and Jenn was there for three years. We visited friends and some of the places the girls wanted to go.

All in all, it was a fast-paced trip down memory lane but even with some bad roads and long days and a lot of different sleeping arrangements in less than ideal situations, we had a wonderful time as a family and made a lot of new memories.

This time brought closure to our time as a family here in Tanzania and it was a time also to make some great memories that we could pull out in the days ahead as we are separated and remember them. We took lots of pictures which you can view on our website under pictures and also we made a few short videos that are also posted.

On the days when I miss the girls, I scroll through the many pictures we made of our trip together and remember; it makes me feel like we are not so far apart.

Tanzania General Council

Friends,
Our first week in Tanzania was spent in the capital city, Dar Es Salaam; we stayed with one of the missionaries there, Ron & Gloria Hanson.
Tim left every morning with Ron; the men attended the General Council sessions each day while the missionary women and children had our own schedule of events. These events were basically shopping and eating at various restaurants; the missionary family in Tanzania only gets a chance to get together maybe 3 or 4 times a year. It is important for us to bond together as a family and team during these brief times. It is also important for the children to have a chance to play with and bond with their missionary families in Tanzania; most of them will not see there stateside families more than once every four years.
In the evenings, the men joined us and we spent time talking over the events of the day and storing up memories for those long months when some of us are far away in other parts of Tanzania. For us, Mwanza is a long two day drive from Dar Es Salaam and three other families live a long day's drive away.
General Council brought many surprises; all three General Council positions (Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent and Sec/Treasurer) were filled with new faces.
The ministers of the Tanzania Assemblies of God overwhelmingly voted for change; as the winds of change begin to blow across the TAG we pray that they will be driven by the wind of the Holy Spirit. It is a new day for the TAG here in Tanzania with so many new faces in leadership positions and we pray that God will grant these leaders wisdom to move forward according to His will.
There was a record number of ministers ordained this year at the General Council; about 250 altogether. It was a moving sight as all the missionaries attended the final evening of General Council to witness the ordination service. The missionary men moved among the ordination candidates along with the TAG leadership laying hands on each one and praying for them to be anointed of God for service.
Pray for the missionaries here in Tanzania, that we will be able to build strong relationships with our various leaders so that together we can do the work of the Kingdom together as one body.
Blessings
Tim & Joyce

Tumefika! (We Have Arrived!)

Dear Friends,
Tim and I arrived in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on Sunday night, August 3. We had a safe trip but two days of flying is a long time; we were glad to finally get to our destination. We were met by some of the Tanzanian missionaries who came to welcome us back to TZ.
We will stay in Dar this week for the Tanzania A/G General Council and we are looking forward to seeing many friends this week and meeting the new missionaries on the TZ field since we left. We have to take care of business such as getting our phones, picking up our vehicle, and buying a few supplies that we need for here. We will work all the business in around the busy General Council schedule.
We woke this morning to the sounds of Tanzania outside our window and I was smiling before I even got out of bed! Ahh, a dream come true!
Blessings
The Jarvis'

Kwa Heri! ( Swahili for "Goodbye")

Dear Friends,
We have raised both the cash amount and the monthly pledge support required for our reduced budget; we have been given final clearance. We will leave for Tanzania on Saturday, August 2 and will arrive on the 3rd in time for the Tanzania Assemblies of God General Council which convenes on August 5.
We are rejoicing at the goodness and faithfulness of God. We are also thankful for the many individuals and churches who have prayed for us and who have given financially to our ministry.
All we can say is "THANK YOU"! We pray that God will richly bless each one of you.
Please continue to pray that in the months ahead we will be able to finish raising the remainder of our monthly support that was cut from our original budget; we are $1,500 per month under our original budget. Until that happens, we will continue to trust God to provide for our needs and provide the funds to keep us on the field.
We have been amazed at what God has done for us financially in the past few weeks; truly we serve an awesome God!
Blessings to each of you!
Joyce

"Marvelous Things"

I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9: 1,2

Dear Friends,
We have met our requirements for monthly support according to our new reduced budget and we praise God for that; we are going out $1,500 short of our original budget. We will be at a disadvantage financially but we believe that we will continue to have new ministry partners join us and that our original monthly budget will eventually be met. God will take care of us while we are being faithful to do His work in Tanzania.
We are still $5,000 short for our cash budget; we believe that this is going to come in some time this next week so that we can receive final clearance to leave for Tanzania.
We have tentatively set August 2 as our departure date; however, we cannot finalize that date until we receive clearance.
Please continue to pray for all of the last minute things to fall into place; our desire is to be in Tanzania in time for the Tanzania Assemblies of God General Council which convenes on August 5. We will keep you updated as we press on towards our goal!
Blessings to each of you!
Joyce

Status Report

Friends,
It's been another long week but we have seen the Lord's hand working on our behalf. We have had some additional monthly support come in this week; we now only need $455 a month in monthly support and we still need about $14,000 in cash.
We know that this is an insignificant amount to God; we know that if it is His will for us to go to Tanzania we will go. Please continue to pray with us that God's will for our lives will be accomplished. We have about four weeks left to raise the remainder of our funds.
If He speaks to your heart to become a ministry partner with us; please be obedient and let us know as soon as possible.
Blessings to all of you!
Joyce

Progress Report

Dear Friends,
We have come to the end of a very long week and we want to give you a report so you can continue to pray for us. We know we have many prayer partners praying for us across this country and in Tanzania and for that we are grateful.
God has brought in $7000 of our cash budget this week; we still have $15,000 more to raise to reach the minimum amount we need. Also, $200 of the $800 in monthly pledge support has come in.
Our deadline of July 31st looms ahead of us and will be upon us before we know it.
Thank you for your love and support; pray for a good harvest of funds for next week!
Blessings
Joyce

Waiting...

Waiting is one of the hardest things we have to do in life; Americans especially are an impatient lot and we have grown accustomed to having things instantly. The human population as a whole are by nature impatient; it must be interesting for the eternal God who has always been and always will be to listen to our complaints about "waiting".

Tim and I are now in the "waiting" mode. Since our meeting last Wednesday we have been in a flurry of activity. We have now notified every church/pastor in Michigan and Southern Missouri about our July 31st deadline; we have called, emailed, or sent a letter to each one. We have emailed our list of family, friends and missionaries. We have followed leads given to us and we have called a number of churches/people in several other states. In all, we have made about 800 contacts.

Now we must wait and pray; we have to believe that the God we love and serve can speak to the hearts of people on our behalf. Our future is, has always been, and always will be in the hands of our Lord. We will accept the future that He has for us; even if it is not the future we want for ourselves.

Thanks to each of you for your prayers on our behalf; we will continue to update you.

Be blessed today,

Joyce

Good Things are Happening

Dear Friends,

We want to update you on events of the past few days. If you read the earlier postings you know that we have a deadline of July 31; we need to have all of our cash ($26,000) and the remaining 25% of our monthly pledge support ($2,200) completely raised.
Yesterday we met with leadership to discuss some options; they have heard from the National Church in Tanzania and from the missionaries and all of them have said that we are desperately needed in Tanzania. Because of this and the fact that we are 13 year veterans, we were given the choice to make some personal concessions to cut our budget.
We believe that God wants us back in Tanzania and we also believe He will provide for our needs if we will step out in faith. With this in mind, we allowed our budget to be cut down to the bare necessities and a large part of these cuts were in the area of our personal salary.
After the cuts, we now have 90% of our budget raised; we only need $800 more in monthly pledge support to come in by July 31. We still need to raise $22,000 in cash; there was very little we could cut from the cash budget.
We believe God is going to honor our willingness to cut our personal benefits, including our retirement fund, and will bring in the funds we need before July 31.
Please pray with us and if you are able to help with monthly pledge support or give towards our cash budget, please contact us at tim.jarvis@agmd.org .

Blessings to all of you!
Joyce Jarvis

People of Faith

Hello everyone,
I had a very long talk with my oldest daughter, Jenn, yesterday; it did my heart good. First, because I only talk to her a couple of times a month and so I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with her. Secondly, it did my heart good because sometimes you wonder as a parent what kind of an impression you made on your children as you raised them and what they remember about their lives.
My daughter spoke to me yesterday about a conversation she had with a co-worker a few days ago. She told them that she was raised in a family of faith and she watched her parents help people in need all her life. She remembers that her parents loved people and lived to help people; that we were people of faith who trusted God to meet our needs because we were faithfully trying to meet the needs of others. She said something like, "Mom, I know everything is going to be OK; God has done so much for us already and I know He is going to take care of this too."
We still need about 24% of our support by the end of July; we have been calling and leaving messages with churches and pastors. Our financial status has changed little since the last blog I posted; however, we are choosing to live as people of faith. We trust God with our future just as we have always trusted Him in the past. Whether we go to Africa or not is not dependent upon our efforts; it is in the hands of the God who is faithful and trustworthy. Today in my devotions I read Psalm 121:1-8, read it and be blessed.
In Him,
Joyce Jarvis

Urgent Prayer Request

Dear Friends,
We were contacted by AGWM (Assemblies of God World Missions) today; we have been given a deadline of July 31 to finish raising our funds. If we have not raised all of our funds by this date, we will not be allowed to return to Tanzania. Currently, we have raised 75% of our monthly pledge support needed and we still need $26,000 in cash.
Please pray with us for this urgent need; we will post updates every few days on this site so that you can keep track of our progress.
We need a financial miracle; please pray with us for this need.
We believe that our God is able to meet our needs!
Be blessed,
Tim & Joyce Jarvis

Status Report May

Friends,
I want to just give you a quick update as to where we stand in our support. We were at almost 78%; however, we had a budget increase which dropped us back down to about 73%. The Lord has given us several new ministry partners this week and our monthly support is now back up to 76%; please continue to pray for us.
We have been itinerating for 21 months now and had hoped to leave for the field this past January; we are urgently needed in Tanzania. We are the only missionaries assigned to the western region of Tanzania; this region is about the size of the state of Indiana. There are still many unreached areas in that region. In addition, there are a number of new churches there that need our help in becoming strong indigenous churches that will reach their communities with the Gospel.
Please continue to pray that we will be able to return to Tanzania very soon; we know that God has called us and He is more than able to supply our needs.
Be blessed!
Joyce

Variety

Yesterday we went to two different churches; one in the morning and the other in the evening. Both of them are Assemblies of God churches but were very different in their style of worship and the way the services were conducted. The variety that exists in our churches has always amazed me; as we have itinerated these past twenty months in churches located in seven different states we have seen all parts of the variety spectrum. We have seen everything from very conservative to very liberal and all things in between.
I suppose this has to do in part to the variety that exists among individual people as well as different parts of the country and even between city and rural areas; America is a melting pot of so many different cultures. In Tanzania, there is less variety in the order of service and in the worship style than there is here in the states. I think it's because they are less exposed to outside influence and they are more the same as Tanzanians in general. The biggest variety we noticed in Tanzania is in the instruments they use during their worship time; we've seen guitars with various numbers of strings, keyboards of all sizes, drums of all varieties, shakers, boards, pop bottles, and even a whistle in one church. Anything that they can use to make a joyful noise with they use to worship God.
It reminds me of the scripture in Revelations 5:9, "...ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation". In heaven, they will be singing and worshipping God around the throne throughout the ages. The song and the worship will basically be the same, however, the variety among the people will be unparalleled.
Be blessed today!
Joyce

Tanzanian Friends

Hello everyone,

Recently, we had an opportunity to spend a little time with some Tanzanian friends. The Mhiche's (m-he-chay) came to the states to see their oldest child, Daniel, graduate from Evangel University in Springfield MO. Neither of them have ever been to the states before and they were both a little overwhelmed with the many things that assaulted their senses all at the same time. They were in awe of the wealth and possessions that the Americans have and take for granted. Mama Mhiche spoke to me in Swahili about the beauty of this country and how clean and neat our streets and cities were kept.

I remembered back to how we were overwhelmed when we first arrived in Tanzania at how poor the Tanzanian people were; there was poverty and disease all around us and it assaulted our senses as well. We come from totally different worlds; one very affluent by African standards and the other very poor.

We came together for a common cause; we each had a desire to reach the Tanzanian people with the Gospel. We became friends and formed a bond of friendship with mutual respect for one another; we are all part of the family of God doing the work He has called us to do.

Mama Mhiche hugged me and said, "Now that I have seen your country, I understand what your family left when you came to Tanzania".

As the scriptures say, "we are compelled by love".

We are anxious to return and work together with our brothers and sisters in Tanzania to see the lost come to Christ. Please pray that we will be able to return soon.

Be Blessed,

Joyce Jarvis

Happy Mother's Day

Dear Friends,
Today is Mother's Day; a day of great joy for me personally. Both of my daughters are out of state today and so we are not able to be together. However, I know that they will both be calling me sometime today to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and to tell me they love me.
This day is probably the most emotional day of the year; many are joyful and nostalgic about today. Others, because of various situations experience deep sorrow, regret, or loneliness on this day. The emotions we feel on this day have to do with our experience in the area of motherhood; very few people do not experience some type of strong emotions related to this day.
I am thankful that I have two beautiful, loving, Christian daughters; I have been blessed.
However, I think of the mothers today in the country of Tanzania where there is no holiday that honors them. Few of them see all of their children grow to be healthy adults; there is a very high mortality rate among infants and children in most African countries. Mothers watch helplessly while their children who are born with complications die because they do not have health care available to them. Many of them watch their children die because of diseases and illnesses that are preventable and curable; but they do not have the money to buy the medicines or medical care that they need to survive.
I have known women whose husbands sent them away or took another wife because they were not able to bear children for their husbands. In Tanzania, it is a great shame for a woman to be barren. I have often prayed with women across Tanzania who were barren and came to me in desperation asking me to pray that God would give them children. I have seen some of these women bear children and have seen them rejoicing because God has blessed them.
I feel blessed today that I was born and that my children were born in a country where we had health care available to us. I look forward to the time I can return to Tanzania and again have the opportunity to minister to the incredible women of that country.
Be blessed today!
Joyce Jarvis

Licensed

Hello, everyone

We just finished attending the Southern Missouri District council this week; it was a very busy time. This was our first time to attend the council for this district; we attended all of the events in an effort to meet as many pastors and officials in this district as possible. Each day we were at our booth before the morning sessions started and stayed until at least 10:00 each night. We made ourselves available to answer questions about us and our ministry in Tanzania.

I, Joyce, received my credentials (license) with the Southern Missouri District council on the final evening of the council; it was a highlight for me. I am now a minister with the Assemblies of God and am licensed through the Southern MO district. Tim is ordained through the Michigan District; this makes us both Michigan and Southern Missouri missionaries. Sarah was able to attend the credentialing service and presented me with a dozen red roses from Jenn, Sarah, and Tim.

I believe that being a licensed minister will open doors of opportunity for me to minister more effectively both in the states and in Tanzania.

Be blessed,

Joyce Jarvis

Birthday blessings

Hello, everyone.

I just have a quick note today; yesterday was Sarah's 21st birthday. Sarah is our youngest daughter and we are celebrating with her on Sunday afternoon since she is in the middle of studying for finals this week.

Sarah reminded me that 10 years ago, on her 11th birthday, we were in language school in Musoma, Tanzania. It was a difficult time for Sarah. Tim and I were away at school a lot and she was left alone with an African housekeeper who barely spoke English. She was home schooled and had no friends; she did not even know how to communicate with the Swahili-speaking children who lived around us. At that time, she was very homesick for America and the life she knew before Africa.

She reminded me that it rained on that day and she asked if she could go out and play in the rain for her birthday present. I said, "yes", so she danced and laughed and played in the rain on her 11th birthday; her first one in Africa. She thoroughly enjoyed herself and we laughed together; it was a good memory.

It rained Thursday on her 21st birthday as well; she didn't dance in the rain but she WAS driving in the rain. She is no longer the frightened lonely little girl she was then; God has brought her a long way and we are thankful for His faithfulness.

Be blessed.
Joyce Jarvis

Every member important in the body

Hello, Friends.

Sorry, once again it's been a week since I last blogged; sometimes time seems to go so fast.

Last Wednesday evening I accidently rammed my foot into the leg of the couch and heard a loud pop and felt a sharp pain. When I pulled my foot from under the couch my middle toe on my right foot was lying across the top of the two toes on it's right; definitely a broken toe situation.

We decided we needed to go to the emergency room; even though we know they only tape it. We felt we needed to have it x-rayed since I am diabetic and have some problems with my feet anyway. Five hours later, at 3;30 am, we left the hospital with my toes taped together, I was wearing a protective shoe, and I was attempting to use a pair of crutches. I was also given a prescription for pain medicine.

I am able to walk around fine without the crutches as long as I wear the protective shoe which keeps my toes from moving or bending. However, I have to walk at an odd angle because of the shoe that is too big and it is causing me more pain in my knee than I am experiencing with my broken toe, I am also having pain in my hip because of the awkward way I walk now. This has to continue for about four weeks.

Well, all of this has reminded me of the scripture in I Corinthians 12:12-26; read it for yourself and I won't take time to preach my little sermonette here. Suffice it to say, that every member of the body is important and necessary and it's pain affects all other parts. I just want to remind you that this applies to the body of Christ; we are all part of each other and need each other; I have been painfully aware of the truth of this for the past week.

Tim and I want to thank all of you for being part of our "body of ministry in Tanzania"; we need all of you and each one of you are important to us. No matter what part you have in our ministry; know that you are loved and appreciated by us.

Blessings,
Joyce and Tim

Trip to Michigan

Hello, everyone
We left last Wednesday for Michigan; we had a Mission's convention at Traverse City with Living Hope Assembly of God. We had a wonderful time at a house meeting on Thursday night; our hostess, Marianne, was so gracious and the group that gathered at her home were wonderful mission's-minded people. It was a great evening!
The other reason we were in Michigan is that our niece was married on Saturday and Tim and I were Master/Mistress of Ceremony. It was a beautiful wedding. Our daughter, Sarah, traveled to Michigan with us and our oldest daughter, Jenn, traveled from Iowa and joined us; we have always been close to Wayne and Connie and our children have always been close as well.

It was wonderful to be together with our two daughters again; we have not been together since right before Christmas. We didn't get much sleep over those three days but we did a lot of catching up and it was well worth the effort; we did a lot of laughing and remembering.
I was reminded again as we parted ways on Sunday and Jenn headed back for Iowa that our children grow up and go their own way whether we are ready for it or not. I was also reminded of how far away we will be from them when we are in Africa but I know that God will give me special grace for that time.

Blessings,
Tim & Joyce Jarvis

Old dogs and new tricks

Dear Friends,
As I check my last entry, I realize that it has been more than a week since I my last update; I do apologize. Time passed quickly and I didn't even realize it; there's a sermon in there somewhere!
Tim and I have really been concentrating on getting back into our Swahili lessons; we have a computer program that we are using. We have definitely gotten rusty and forgotten some of what we knew before; so we are trying to faithfully do some work on it every day. The old saying, "use it or lose it" definitely applies to language skills! I am finding that the older I get the harder it is to make things "stick" in my memory. Please pray for us as we endeavor to learn more of the Swahili language so that we can better communicate with our Tanzanian friends this next term.
Last weekend we were in northwest Kansas at two different churches; we had good services and enjoyed the fellowship and hospitality of our two host pastors. We were also able to stop in for a brief visit with another Kansas pastor who took us on for support without ever personally speaking with us; we communicated via email. It would be great if everyone was as quick to respond to our request for support as this pastor.
He indicated that they were getting ready to start building a new church and he wanted God's blessing upon them and felt that one way to guarantee that was to be a mission's giving church; he has learned that God blesses those churches/individuals who have a heart for missions.
We have now reached the 70% mark for our monthly support; please pray that the final 30% comes in quickly.
Be blessed today!
Joyce

"The Gathering"

MK Easter Dinner
Originally uploaded by timandjoycejarvis

Easter Sunday, we were privileged to have one of "the gathering's"; it was our first since last September and will be our last for a long while.
These gatherings are times when we invite the East Africa MKs (missionary kids) to our home in Springfield, MO for food and fellowship. We have been doing this since our arrival back in the states in 2001 and look forward to them. It has been part of our ministry to be Aunt and Uncle (family) to the group of East Africa MKs who live in Springfield; most are attending one of the local colleges. Our home was their home with most of them having a key to our home and an open invitation to come over whenever they wanted or needed to do so. However, that ended when we "went on the road" to itinerate and rented out our home.
Well, we are currently living in Springfield again until we finish our itineration and we did not have a service scheduled anywhere this past Sunday since it was Easter. We decided to invite the group of MKs over for Sunday dinner after we had all attended Easter morning services.
It was a great time of food and fellowship; we laughed over shared memories and enjoyed one another's company again. We are proud of our East Africa MKs and truly love them as family; it was great to be together one more time.
Be Blessed,
Joyce Jarvis

Flipping for Mission

Hello everyone...

It's the eldest daughter chiming in. Since I set up this blog, I figure I can hijack it every once in a while.

For those who don't know, I'm a reporter for KWWL News in eastern Iowa. And yesterday I was able to cover a story near and dear to my heart: missions fundraising.

Through the years I think I've heard everything imaginable when it comes to raising money for missions. Some people take the safe route using bake sales and offerings, while others get a bit more adventurous. I heard about one youth group leader who raised money for Speed the Light by letting the highest bidder name her newborn baby.

Well, two families in eastern Iowa decided to flip a house to pay for their missions trip to Mexico. Click on the video player to watch my story.



Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers. It's comforting to know that even though I won't be on the mission field with mom and dad, there are people who continue to pray for me as I'm separated from them.

God Bless!

Jenn

Good Friday thoughts

It is the most sacred season for Christians around the world; it's the Easter season. This is the time we remember the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Good Friday is the day we specifically remember the death of Jesus and all the suffering he endured; it is a sobering and sad day if you dwell on the events of Friday alone. However, as a famous Christian song states, "Sunday is coming". These lyrics remind us of hope in the midst of suffering and loss.
In Tanzania, Easter is known as "Pasaka" and one of the customs is that employers give gifts to their employees. It is interesting to note that they don't have the custom of giving gifts at Christmas but they do at Easter. And, it is the employers (those who have much) who give to the employees (those who have little).
To me, this is beautifully symbolic of Christ (who had it all) giving His very life for lost humanity (those who had nothing).
This week we have been encouraged; we have heard from two churches who have decided to financially partner with us in our ministry to the people of Tanzania. And, we have also been given another substantial one-time financial blessing. We have been concerned with how slowly our pledge support has been coming in. But, in the midst of this sobering reality, God shows once again that He is the God of supply and Hope.
Pasaka njema! (Happy Easter)
Joyce and Tim

Shangalia Yesu

Hello, friends.
We did not have services scheduled for yesterday; Palm Sunday and Easter are two dates which missionaries usually are not able to book for a service. That is, of course, understandable; so we were able to attend two different local churches yesterday.
The emphasis at both churches revolved around the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem just a week before he was crucified. As I reflected about the triumphal entry of Jesus, I remembered back to the many times in Tanzania when we would watch the people in various churches "Shangalia Yesu" (celebrate Jesus). We would watch people who were poor, sick, and often struggling to survive from day to day worship Jesus with great joy. I remember the African Christians waving palm branches that they gathered as they walked to church on Palm Sunday; they would often begin waving the branches and singing as they drew near to the church. Often, the people would get so swept up in their worship that the pastor or worship leader would have a special way of making the people stop worshiping so they could continue with the service. In one church, they would actually ring a bell to signify that it was time for worship to end and the preaching of the Word to begin.
Tim and I look forward to seeing our African brothers and sisters and joining them as they celebrate Jesus with great joy; we had hoped to be back in Tanzania in time for this Easter season but we were unable to do so. Please pray with us that we will finish our itineration soon and be able to return to Tanzania.
Have a blessed day!
Tim & Joyce Jarvis

Michigan trip

Good afternoon, everyone.
We just returned last night from almost a week in Michigan. We had several appointments scheduled around the state and spent time traveling back and forth; we witnessed an accident and barely missed a deer that leaped across in front of us. Again, we are thankful for God's protection as we travel.
During our travels we had the opportunity to spend a day with very good friends of ours that we have known since before our children were born. We met many years ago when we were both pastoring our first church; we pastored the Assembly of God church and they pastored the Lutheran church. We met at a Gideon banquet for all the local pastors in the region and we have been close friends ever since.
They were having a get together and all four of their children were going to be home and they invited us to stop in and visit with them. It was good to see their children and think back over the years our two families have known each other. We have laughed and cried together and prayed for each other for almost 25 years.
We also were able to see Tim's brother and his family; they had one of their daughters who got married in January and the other one will be married next month; it seems like only yesterday they were born.
I am constantly amazed at how quickly time passes! We have been itinerating for about 18 months and still have more money to raise; we are long overdue to return to Tanzania. We feel an urgency to return to Tanzania before too much more time passes and we lose opportunities to reach lost people and do the work God has for us to do.
Please continue to pray for our remaining funds to come in so we can return to Tanzania as soon as possible.
Blessings
Tim and Joyce

March 3, 2008

Dear Friends,
Yesterday we did not have a scheduled service so we attended one of the local Assemblies of God churches; it was very refreshing. Sometimes we go months "ministering" without actually being "ministered to" and you can become very drained. It is important for people to remember and be aware that people in ministry need to hear the word preached just like everyone else; if we don't we can become empty ourselves and have nothing to give to others. Even though we can read our Bible and pray, it is still important for us to be part of a group of believers and to participate in cooperate worship and hear the Word preached. It was a good day yesterday, and I was thankful for the opportunity to "refuel".
Be Blessed!
Joyce Jarvis

February 28, 2008

Hello Friends,

This past weekend we were in a small Kansas town, Moran, for Sunday services. Again, we were granted safe travel. It rained on us the last hour of the 3 hour trip and a few minutes after arriving safely at our destination the rain turned to ice followed by a couple inches of snow.
Tim helped clear the sidewalks the next morning for services and we had a good group of people who braved the weather and made it out to church.
The rest of this week will be a quiet week for us; Tim had surgery yesterday. For many months he has been having pain and it continued to increase in severity; after seeing a Doctor it was determined that he needed to have his gall bladder removed. He went in yesterday morning and had a successful surgery and was released from the hospital late yesterday afternoon.. So, we will be doing things such as catching up on paper work, emails, and phone calls. All of these things he can do with little physical effort. He is already feeling better except for the tenderness from the surgery. Keep him in yours prayers for a a quick recovery.
As always, we appreciate all of you who support us with prayers and/or financial support.
Blessings,
Joyce Jarvis

February 22, 2008

We have finished our "tour" through the frozen states of Michigan and Iowa and have returned to Springfield, MO. Our first experience with the Iowa churches was good; the pastors and people were very welcoming to us and we appreciate their hospitality to us even though we are not Iowa missionaries. It seemed to us that they felt our heart for the lost people of Tanzania and our yearning to return to Tanzania as soon as possible and somehow wanted to be a part of that.
On our way home on Thursday there were winter weather warnings for most of the areas that we traveled through; although we had to slow down from time to time we made it home safely. God has been very good to us during our thousands of miles of travel; we have not had an accident of any kind nor have we been stranded due to weather. I am reminded how Jesus stilled the waters for the disciples when they became frightened in the boat as it tossed around on the waves. In the same way, God has kept us safe through rain, sleet, ice, snow, fog, heavy traffic and inattentive drivers doing too many other things while trying to drive the highways.
Thanks to all of you for your constant prayers; they are needed and appreciated.
Blessings,
Joyce and Tim

February 18, 2008

Hello Friends,
We are in Iowa and it is very cold here; we've been on the road for the past two weeks between Michigan and Iowa. We have seen a lot of snow and have safely traveled many miles over snow and ice covered roads. PTL.
I am enjoying being in Iowa and spending time with Jenn, our oldest daughter. She is a reporter and we watch her on the evening news each day; I can't believe how grown up and professional she is. I often wonder where all those years went when they were little and at home with us. I miss those days.
Another thing I am enjoying is seeing the snow; I know that may sound crazy to many of you. However, it's a beautiful sight to see fields and trees covered with white snow glistening in the sunlight; it will be our last winter for four years. I won't miss the "mess" of winter but I do miss the seasons when we are in Africa. Fall is my favorite time of the year and during the months of September - November I have magazines in Africa that have beautiful Fall pictures in them that I place out on my table. It's not exactly the same but it's the closest I can get.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support; we keep on pressing towards the goal. I will try to start blogging more frequently and sharing not only the itineration news but share with you some of my thoughts and feelings as we continue traveling down the path God has placed in front of us.
Be blessed!
Joyce

January 28, 2008

Dear Friends,

We are busy calling churches in the Southern Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas districts; we try to keep a regular schedule each day to make these contacts with churches, pastors, and Mission's Directors.
We had three services here in Missouri this past week, one on Wednesday evening and two yesterday (Sunday); we are enjoying getting to know churches in the Southern Missouri District.
Please continue to pray for us as we work to finish raising our funds as quickly as possible; we know that God is with us as we continue to be obedient to His call.

Back to MIssouri - January 14, 2008

Friends,

We have relocated to Missouri after spending the past four months living in Michigan with friends and family. We want to say "thank you" to our friends, Joe and Janis Mason; most of our time in Michigan was spent living with them. Also, to Wayne and Connie in Muskegon and Gary and Lori in Blissfield; thanks for opening up your homes to us.
We will be staying for the rest of our time stateside in a furnished apartment on the south side of Springfield, MO. Our cell phone numbers have not changed and our new address will be:
c/o Shirley Moore - 798 Peiter Rd - Marionville MO 65705. This is my sister's address and she will be handling all of our business for us while we are gone so this will be our stateside address even when we go back to Mwanza, Tanzania. We are only going to be in the apartment for 2-3 months so we won't even give that address out.
We have figured up our monthly pledge support and we are currently at 65%; please continue to pray for the remainder of our funds to come in quickly.
Blessings to all of you,
Tim and Joyce