One of "Those" Days

There are wonderful days in ministry no matter where you live and then there are days of frustration that the only thing good that can be said about them is that you survived and the day is over.
Those days in Tanzania can be further complicated by cultural issues; it's usually not the big things that get to you but an accumulation of many small insignificant things.
This week, for instance, was one of those times. There has been almost no water pressure due to a broken pump at the city water plant; it may be weeks or months before they decide to fix it. So, day after day you take showers under tiny trickles of water, spend all day doing a couple of loads of laundry because it takes a couple of hours for the tub to fill and wait "forever" to get enough water to do dishes.
Add to that the tapping at the gate that signifies there is someone there so you walk all the way down the drive to discover it's someone you don't know wanting money or it's someone wanting your worker who isn't even working that day because he has malaria, again. This event occurs numerous times throughout the day.
Since the worker is out sick for several days you get to cook the stinky dog food in your kitchen instead of it being cooked outside.
The watch dogs have decided to find every hole in the ancient fence around your property and escape nightly; as soon as you fix that hole they make another one.
You go to market and because of the dry season the vegetables and fruit are not as plentiful and not as nice as you would like.
You are in the middle of watching the one show that you sometimes have the time to watch on TV and the power goes off so you miss the ending.
You pick up a package at the post office to find that the contents are missing for the second time this year and you fill out a form that you know will accomplish nothing.
You are baking something and the power goes off, you find bugs in your flour and the ants get into the sugar container because the lid wasn't on tight.
You are trying to get ready for the next bible college term and your notes have somehow disappeared and you spend half a day looking for them.
It's the week of Ramadan (Muslim holiday) so the loud speakers go night and day almost with the off key singing/chanting that accompanies the holiday.
You have your third set of unexpected Tanzanian guests arrive to visit you that day and you must stop what you are doing and serve refreshments and struggle to follow and contribute to the conversation in Swahili.
You drop a can of vegetables on your toe and it throbs for the rest of the day and turns black.
Your husband is on another long safari (trip) so you are "home alone" with no vehicle to drive and so you get a little stir crazy.
However, these types of things are part of life no matter where you live and the fact that these times are mixed in with times of fulfilling ministry, great accomplishments, being involved in changing peoples lives with the Gospel message and spending time with wonderful people from your host country make the bad days bearable.
When you weigh the good and bad days and they are placed on the scale; you will find that the good days far outweigh the bad and the good days make the bad days bearable.
Today is a good day; Tim is returning from a long safari, the water pressure is great and I just finished a batch of Chocolate Cappuccino muffins which are ready to sample.
It's a good day.

They have returned bearing gifts

Tim, the General Supt of the TAG (Mtokambali), his wife and the National Children's Director (Paul Meivukie) returned yesterday evening. They arrived later than planned due to the fact that this is Africa and nothing goes according to plan and few things stay on schedule.

We had thirty minutes to have supper, sort luggage and get the Mtokambali's to the airport. We made it!!!

Tim and the team traveled to some very remote areas over rutted dirt roads; flying over the potholes and in a cloud of billowing dust as they tried to maintain their tight schedule. Everyone buckled their seat belts and held on and Mama Mtokambali could be heard praying at times from the back seat. Tim doesn't like to travel that way but he did not set the schedule.

Everywhere they went they were greeted with celebration and showered with gifts. Most of the sections they traveled to have never been visited by a General Superintendent, National Department Director or a missionary; to have all three at one time is a once in a lifetime occurrence for these pastors/churches/leaders.

They literally returned with the Land Cruiser filled to bursting with gifts of all kinds and even had some tied on top of the vehicle. There were three piles; one for the Mtokambali's, one for Paul and one for Tim.

There were wood carvings, bolt after bolt of material, honey, woven mats, bags of peanuts and even bags of Dagaa(minnow sized sun dried fish). Many gave what was indigenous or produced in their areas.

Everything: gifts, luggage, Land Cruiser and even the travelers were covered and imbedded with dust. It is the end of the dry season and so very dry and windy.

There are a few days of rest before they are on the road again.

August travels

Tim is going to be traveling 3 of the 4 weeks in August; right now he is on a 13 day trip to the sections in our five western districts. He is part of a team that includes the General Superintendent of the Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG) and his wife, the National Director for Children's Ministries and himself.
Their goal is to travel to as many of the sections in these districts as possible; they are traveling to 2-3 sections each day.
Their day begins at sunrise and they go all day preaching, teaching and traveling their way around the western part of Tanzania. They eat a late supper, usually the only meal they have that day, and fall into bed exhausted each night. They start the process over the next day.
They will return here on Thursday this week and Tim will have 3 days to rest, take care of as much business as he can while he is home and prepare for the 9 hour trip to Dodoma to meet with a team from the Southern Missouri District on Tuesday the 17th. This team is coming to hold a conference to launch Men's Ministries here in Tanzania.
The team departs from Mwanza on the 25th of this month and the General Superintendent, Mtokambali and his team will return on August 30; they will be here until September 9.
As we look ahead at September and October there seems to be a lot of travel scheduled for those two months as well.
Such is the life of a missionary.

Baking Day

Yesterday was an experiment in baking.
Lisa, the young missionary lady renting our guest house, came up yesterday morning and we made homemade waffles for breakfast. These were so good that we decided to mix up another batch and we made these with apples and cinnamon. This batch was packaged and put in the freezer for "frozen waffles" for the future; the missionary version of "Eggo" frozen waffles.
After cleaning up the waffle mess we moved on to our first attempt at making Bagels; these turned out fairly well. In the states they may have received a "6" on a 1-10 scale rating system. However, here in Mwanza Tanzania and half way through a four year term they received an "8" rating. The longer you go without something the less critical you become about the way it "should" look and taste. Again, these were divided up between us and most were frozen to pull out and enjoy later.
Our last effort for the morning was to make a batch of yeast raised glazed donuts. These again received a rating of "8" on the "1-10" scale.
OK, they weren't "Krispy Creme" quality but they sure tasted good with a cup of good Tanzanian coffee.
Lisa and I decided the mess we made and had to clean up in the kitchen was definitely worth it! Who knows what "make from scratch" challenges we will attempt next.
Blessings.

Ordination Service

On Thursday morning of the Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG) General Council, there was another first.

The President of Tanzania, Kikwete, accepted the invitation to visit and address our pastors and leadership for the first time.

It was a momentous occasion; the president's personal security forces accompanied by specially trained dogs arrived to go over every inch of the platform and auditorium. His special chair arrived and was placed in the place of honor on the platform. Details and protocol were worked out in advance and the TAG leadership carefully explained matters of security and protocol to those of us gathered in the auditorium.

Our guest speaker stood and spoke prior to the arrival of the president and he did something that was inspired and helped us all to re-align our priorities as they should be.

He stood, looking at the door that the president would step through when he arrived and began to announce in a loud voice as his arm swept towards the closed door, the arrival of the TRUE guest of honor for the day. He began by saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you our special guest for the day..." He then began to speak the titles and names that are connected to King Jesus..."King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Lamb of God, the Alpha and Omega..."

On he went as the auditorium erupted in stomping feet, clapping hands, cheering and shouts of praise. It was a wonderful moment.

When President Kikwete finally arrived he was greeted with the proper amount of respect and honor due to him as our president and we were honored to have him address our assembly for a few minutes and have our picture taken with him later.

However, King Jesus received the greater welcome from those of us gathered in the auditorium long before President Kikwete ever arrived.

All Hail King Jesus!

Missionary to a Foreign Land

During this past week at the Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG) General Council, there were a number of "firsts" that took place.

One of those was the Commissioning service for Foreign Missionaries; not those of us from America who have come to Tanzania but those from Tanzania who are being sent to other countries.

There were four couples who were commissioned that night and it was an incredible event for those of us who are missionaries from America. Two of these four couples are being sent to the country of Madagascar and the other two are possibly going to one of those countries that are difficult for Americans to gain access to and move about freely.

After these new missionaries were commissioned and prayed for, we American missionaries felt compelled to wait at the bottom of the steps as they left the platform and shake their hands and encourage them.

These Tanzanian missionaries that are being sent out will not have all the benefits that we Americans have, such as STL, LFTL, BGMC, medical insurance, retirement benefits, etc. They are more like those first disciples in the New Testament who were sent out two by two into the world. Although they will have some funds provided for them, much of their missionary calling will be done in true faith; believing without seeing that God will provide for them.

Kudos to our Tanzanian missionary brothers and sisters!

July?????

Wow, how did that happen?
We find ourselves in the middle of July and I have not posted any blogs for this month. We've been so busy that we would not have even remembered the 4th of July celebrations in America if our daughter had not emailed us some pictures of a fireworks display from her iphone. I do love those firework displays for the 4th.
Actually, the explanation is fairly simple; we have been gone for 10 days to Dodoma, Tanzania for our Tanzania Assemblies of God (TAG) General Council which meets every two years. The days prior to that were trying to prepare for our departure and taking care of an almost unending amount of time consuming "stuff".
This is the first year it has been held outside of Dar Es Salaam; Dodoma is only about a 9 hour drive for us whereas Dar Es Salaam is about a 14-15 hour drive requiring us to break it up into two days since it is not recommended for us to travel at night.
It was an awesome Council this year with over 2,500 pastors attending the council in the new University of Dodoma Udome.
There were a number of firsts for the Council this year so I will be sharing that information with you over the next few days.
Richard Dubose, General Superintendent for the North Texas District, was our Council speaker this year and he did an incredible job. He was definitely lead by the Spirit as he spoke to us each morning and evening from the Word of God with deep things that our pastors and leaders needed to hear. We, the missionary body, were also ministered to through his messages.
We arrived home on Saturday evening tired and glad to be home in our own beds! However, the 10 days spent in Dodoma were a blessing to us.
I will share more with you in the next day or two and include some pictures as well.
Be blessed.
Tim and Joyce

Small beginnings

On a recent trip to the District of Tabora, Tim traveled with several other missionaries visiting a number of churches in that region.

In comparison to churches in the states, congregations and church buildings would generally be considered small. However, one of the churches they visited is considered small even by Tanzanian standards.

This tiny little church building can probably hold 15 people and it is full each Sunday; it is about two years old and in an area that is very resistant to the Gospel. The typical Tanzanian church building can hold about 3 times as many people as it could if it were in the states.

Tanzanians don't have a problem with having "their personal space" invaded by others; they pack themselves in like sardines. A common saying here is "there is always room for one more" and they prove it in their buildings and public transport.

Shinyanga District

We just returned from a three day trip to the District of Shinyanga; our goal is to visit each of our five districts and begin to build relationships, assess needs and partner with them to reach their goals for the Decade of Harvest. This was the third of our three districts with two remaining; it was a fairly easy 4 hour drive since the roads are paved.

The District of Shinyanga is home to the Wasukuma tribe; this tribe is the largest in Tanzania and is still mostly unreached and steeped in Paganism and witchcraft.

We visited ten churches while there in an effort to encourage the leadership in the district as well as individual pastors. Churches here are mostly in temporary structures with few members. The largest denomination in this region is the Catholic church; their churches are very large and extravagant. Their leaders own nice homes and cars. The TAG churches struggle to find their place in this region and are ridiculed and rejected because their churches are mostly inadequate structures and the pastors are poor and struggling.

The majority of the pastors have not been to Bible College; we will return to the District to teach courses in Evangelism, Missions, Spiritual Leadership and on the Holy Spirit. Our prayer is that by working together we will be able to break the hold that Satan has over this region.

Received with Joy

Tim just returned from a trip to the region of Tabora in western Tanzania; he was accompanied by four other missionaries and the District Superintendent of Tabora, Sadok. They traveled throughout the region; visiting pastors and churches, and encouraging them in their efforts to win the lost in their region.

They were received with great joy and celebration as they traveled around and every place they stopped wanted to prepare a meal for them. They ate enough plates of rice and other foods to feed a small army.

Tanzanians are very gracious and hospitable and providing a meal for their guests is considered an honor for them even if it takes food away from their own families.

Here is a picture of the people celebrating Tim and the team's arrival and the inside of the church decorated with small brightly colored squares of cloth.

Mama Malula's story

Recently, I have been interviewing women students at the Mwanza Bible College as part of the process to obtain some scholarships for them from stateside donors. I thought I would share some of their stories with you.

Tanzanians, generally, are very reluctant to talk about themselves. It is sometimes like pulling the proverbial teeth to get information about their past lives and experiences. The women seem particularly reticent to reveal a lot about their pasts.

I have been amazed at the stories that come out of these interviews. Last week I interviewed two ladies; Mama Malula was abandoned by her birth mother and she and her twin were raised by their Grandfather. They lived in the village and because it was just the three of them and her Grandfather was very old, they often went without food.

Mama Malula was saved when she was fifteen; one day at school she heard a man's voice singing praise and worship songs to God and she and some of her classmates followed the sound of his voice. When they found him outside his home he offered to pray for those who were sick; when many were healed instantly the students accepted his invitation to accept Jesus as Savior. The students were beaten, starved and threatened by their teachers and families and all but three of them turned back to Islam. Mama Malula was one of the three who refused to abandon her new faith. Today she is married with four children and she and her husband pastor a small church.

Kagera

We just returned from a four day trip to the Kagera Region of western Tanzania; this involves taking the all night ferry back and forth. The ferry trip in itself is a wonderful cultural experience; both with positive and negative aspects. The actual journey is enjoyable but the loading and unloading process with hundreds of other passengers and tons of cargo all vying for the same space at the same time is rather chaotic and unorganized.
In Kagera we met with the leaders from the District to discuss the needs of each section and how we could partner with them in the areas of teaching/training leadership and pastors as well as provide some funds and/or teams to help in specific areas of need.
The Kagera region has a high incidence of Aids (7-8% of the population) and a large orphan population; 21% of the total population. According to World Vision, the criteria for being classified as an orphan is being under the age of 18 and both parents are deceased with no other family to take them in. Most of the orphans have lost their parents to Aids.
We also visited 10 churches in the region that are church plants started within the last two years. We visited with the pastors and their families and encouraged them in the work they are doing. They live and minister in difficult areas with little or no pay; living on food from their own gardens, food gifts from the people of the church and the little money that is brought in by selling crops such as bananas and coffee beans. Half of the churches we visited were meeting in temporary church structures made from wooden poles with cloth, grass or plastic walls and roofs were made of straw. The floors were covered with what they called "Tanzanian carpet" which was dried grass. Two of the temporary buildings were partially collapsed on one side but they were still meeting in them until they could finish their new churches which are made from handmade brick with metal roofs.
And yet, without exception, they greeted us with smiles and were joyful and hopeful in their attitudes and conversation. We prayed a prayer of blessing over each church, home and family before we left.
We also visited 3 orphanages that are being built by the local TAG churches; each one will house 56 orphans when finished.
It was a good visit and we look forward to our next trip to the Kagera region.

Jesca K

Recently, I have been interviewing some of the female students at the Bible College for scholarship applications. It was amazing to hear some of their stories and humbling to hear their tales of pain and difficulty. From time to time, I want to share a few sentences about the lives that some of them have lived.

Jesca was raised in a non-Christian home and as a young girl went to live with her brother because her family was poor and could not care for her. Her brother's wife beat her severely when her husband was away at work, refused to give her much food to eat and finally drove Jesca out of their home and into the streets. Jesca lived on the streets as a young teen girl and slept wherever she could find a place to lay down; often outside on the ground. One night, Jesca was severely beaten by some thieves when they found her sleeping outside as they went through the neighborhood. She was found and taken to the home of a local pastor where she was cared for by the pastor and his family. Because of the love she was shown in their home Jesca eventually became a Christian.

Today, she is a pastor's wife and has 3 small children; she desires to help her husband in the area of Evangelism when she graduates Bible College.

Celery

Normally, celery does not really rank high on my list of "things I really miss" while living here in Africa. I use it to make dressing during the holidays, in Waldorf salad and occasionally spread with either peanut butter or cream cheese.
However, the old adage about only missing something when you can't have it comes into play when you live in Africa.
In our years here in Tanzania we have never seen celery - until now. Tim came home from the market the other day with a look on his face that told me he had found a "treasure" at the market.
He opened the plastic bag and pulled a limp, dirty, underdeveloped stalk of celery. If the same stalk had been in my refrigerator in the states I would have thrown it away. Here in Tanzania it was considered quite the find.
I carefully cleaned it and began to try and decide how I wanted to use this precious stalk of celery as they cleaned stalks waited in cold water.
I chopped some of it and put it in the freezer anticipating the next time I would need it for dressing or some other recipe.
The rest was used in a Waldorf salad for the Mwanza Missionary potluck that very evening. It was quite the hit even though I had to use pecans from my freezer in place of walnuts. The bowl was scraped clean and the celery was enjoyed by everyone.
Tim will be keeping his eyes open for other treasures that pop up at the market from time to time.

The Invasion

Tis the season for "Siafu"; this is the name given to the large biting ants we have here in East Africa. Normally, we don't see too many of them, just the occasional line as they move from location to location.
However, they have been everywhere on our property in the past week moving in huge writhing masses across the ground and walls. There are literally thousands of them, sometimes the lines of moving ants can be almost a foot wide and several layers deep as they travel. Tim has gone through large amounts of spray that he mixes and sprays on their mounds and around the house to keep them outside.
Monday night, Lisa, the renter for our guest house came to the door and they had invaded her house; moving in a mass down her wall from the attic. They don't detour around anything but crawl over whatever is in their path. Tim went down with the sprayer and spent two hours spraying inside and outside the house. Of course, these are biting ants and they move quickly so he had to take a number of breaks when they got inside his clothes and began biting.
Yesterday was one of those days "NOT" spent doing ministry. In addition to spraying the ant army we had a broken water line outside the house that he had to repair.
To top of the day, he killed two green mamba snakes, one in the guest house and one in our house. The day before he killed one outside the guest house; the rainy seasons don't just bring the rain. The trees, grasses and crops spring to life as does many things in the animal kingdom.
Today is a new day and we never know what the day will bring; it keeps life interesting.

Isak's TukTuk

Our friend, Isak, is finally the proud owner of a new red Tuk Tuk. As you can see in the picture, it's a motorcycle type vehicle that has room to haul passengers.

Isak has been crippled since his youth from polio and doesn't have the use of his legs. When we first met Isak in 1999, he was walking all the way from his home at the top of a steep hill near us into town using his hands as his feet. He was always smiling and pleasant even though it must have taken him over an hour to make the trip into town to work at his small sidewalk shoe repair business. He has a wife and three children that he must provide for.

When we returned this time, Isak had been given a hand pedaled tricycle that made his journey into town easier. He keeps it stored at our home because the hill up to his home is almost straight up and even taxi's and most motorcycles don't attempt the steep road.

Thanks to several years of saving on his part and the generous gifts of several of our friends and family; Isak's dream of owning his TukTuk has finally come true. With this vehicle, he is going to start a taxi service which should help him provide for his family and allow his children to attend school.

Isak is a wonderful example of someone who chooses "joy" even in the midst of poverty, pain and hardship. He's one of my "wake up calls" whenever I decide to feel sorry for myself. JOY is a choice and has nothing to do with circumstances.

Children's Training Seminar

This week we had missionaries Mike & Kari Ness and Phil Malcomb as guests in our home for about 10 days. They were in Mwanza for a regional Children's Workers training seminar which was held at the Mwanza Bible College. Children's workers from 6 districts were represented with a total of 52 in attendance.

It was an intense week of training for Children's Directors from various sections throughout the districts as well as Children's pastors. They were trained in all aspects of Children's ministries with a lot of hands-on practice; the week culminated with them going to many of the local churches on Sunday to minister in their children's services. Sunday afternoon they held an outdoor Children's Crusade at one of the churches located near the Bible College.

During the seminar, I taught a couple of classes which I thoroughly enjoyed. Today, Monday, is the final day with a special lunch and graduation ceremonies. Lots of fun but lots of work as well.

Distinctive Vehicles

How do you spot an Assemblies of God missionary gathering? You look for the group of White Toyota Land Cruisers!

Speed The Light is the Youth branch of the Assemblies of God World Missions Department; among other things, one of their contributions to Missions is to provide the means of transportation needed by our missionaries around the world. This can be in the form of cars, trucks, boats, motorcycles, bicycles and even camels if that is the only means of transportation available or feasible.

In Tanzania, we have used the Toyota Land Cruiser for a number of years now and it has served us well. We all have stories of being stuck in mud and "winching" ourselves out or plowing through high water with our Land Cruisers. When we travel the remote areas of Tanzania we have always felt confident that our Land Cruisers, with all the extra equipment needed for the various situations we find ourselves in, will get us safely where we need to go and back home again.

Unfortunately, due to the high tax/duties they have placed on bringing this particular vehicle into Tanzania we are being forced to switch to another vehicle. We have several Nissan Patrols on order for our newest missionaries.

The picture you see above of only Land Cruisers will probably be the last time this sight will be seen as an identifying factor to locate where the TZ missionaries are gathered for their Mission's meetings.

Change is never easy even when necessary.

"No"

"No" is a difficult word to say in a lot of situations but it is even more difficult as a missionary in an impoverished nation. And yet, if we did not master the ability to say "No" we would soon be without funds to function here and would need to return home.
We are bombarded on an almost daily basis with requests for assistance from Pastors, Teachers, neighbors and other Tanzanians. What makes it even more difficult is that most of the requests we get for financial help are valid and real.
Today is Wednesday and just since Monday we have had these requests:

• Pastor M needs a new tire for his motorcycle so he can visit his church plants in the villages: $40 for the new tire
• A crippled Christian neighbor has finally been able to purchase a special motorized vehicle that he has been saving for and the owner has allowed him to take it even though he still owes some money: $350 is owed and 1/2 must be paid this week or they will repossess it.
• A worker needs to pay school fees for his child and he already owes us for another loan which exceeds $100: he needs $30
• Another worker wants to put windows in the small home he has with screen to protect from mosquitoes: $80 for frames and screens only - no glass
• A number of street children ask for money when we go into town. Several blind people also tap on the window with hands extended for help.

In all of the above situations we have helped each of the people mentioned on more than one occasion; but we cannot help them every time. When the Bible School starts we will be given a list of those who cannot pay their school fees.

When to give and when not to give; always a difficult decision to make and one we don't make lightly but prayerfully.

There and Back

We returned yesterday from a week long trip across country from Mwanza to Dar Es Salaam on the east coast of Tanzania.
We left from Mwanza on the 5th with another missionary young lady, Lisa, to travel to Dar. We had two Tanzanians with us, Mabesa, a single lady teacher from the Bible College and Salome, the teenage daughter of one of the other teachers. The trip across takes two days so we arrived in Dar on Tuesday evening. After dropping off our three passengers at their destinations we drove to the home of our missionary hosts.
All of the other TZ missionary families were present for the 3 day TZ missionary meeting. During these meetings we take care of necessary business, make plans for future events/ministry, spend time listening to ministry/family reports from our colleagues and spend some relationship building time together. It was a very busy three days; there are 12 missionary units on our field now so it can get a little chaotic but everyone enjoys the opportunity to see our team mates and the children love the time they spend with their "cousins".
We have single men and women, married families with small children, couples with grown children and a couple who are actually past retirement age; the common denominator is a deep love for Tanzania and it's people and a desire to see the people of Tanzania reached with the Gospel. The way that we accomplish our part of this process is as diverse as we ourselves are but it all fits together under one main goal; to reach the lost of Tanzania.
We arrived back in Mwanza Sunday evening very tired and ready for a day or two of rest after four days of travel and 3 full days of meetings...oops, we have guests arriving first thing Monday morning!(today)
So, we are up and running to get groceries purchased, the house in order and guest rooms ready...such is the life of a missionary!

Pasaka Njema - Happy Easter

This is Easter week; I say Easter week because the Christians start celebrating early in the week rather than wait until Easter Sunday.
Most of our churches started at least on Wednesday with fasting and prayers for the rest of the week until Easter Sunday.
Our house is located on a hill and unfortunately we are the recipients of all the various sounds that are projected through sound systems that are turned to full blast in not only a number of churches but also several of the local bars. There are no noise restrictions in Mwanza so everyone can make as much noise as they want for as long as they want; and they do.
So, since Friday, there have been non-stop church services with choirs and preaching; all projected at the highest volume possible through large sound systems. The music has been mostly good so it hasn't been too bad except at night when the bars crank their systems up and then we have a mixture of the good and the bad; each trying to be heard over the other.
As with Christmas, there is nothing of the commercial about this religious holiday. We saw no Easter bunnies, Easter candy, Easter Egg hunts, Easter decorations or any of the other things that are part of the American celebration of Easter.
Instead, they celebrate the Risen Savior with great joy and enthusiasm; singing many of the same songs that we associate with Easter.
Yesterday, KVCC, our largest TAG church in Mwanza, showed the film "The Passion" that we had loaned them. The pastor told us today at church that the church was packed yesterday with mostly unsaved people to watch the film; at the end of the film almost the entire church stood for salvation!
That's what Easter is all about; the reconciliation of the lost to their Heavenly Father through the sacrificial death of Jesus. Because Jesus died and rose again, we too have eternal life. PTL.

Those Unexpected Happenings

It's those unexpected happenings that keep you on your toes. The first day that the team from Turning Point Church in Kansas City arrived last week, we had a Green Mamba get into the house. He decided to go into the door facing and has not been found since; we choose to assume that he died. We assume this because Tim almost emptied a can of "Doom" bug spray into the are of the door frame he went into and we have not seen him/her since then.
Later, when Tim and I checked the house before turning in for the night after our guests were in bed, we found a baby cobra in the living room. Thank goodness we had more "Doom" and Tim still had his strong "stomping" shoes on! Sorry, team, we didn't tell you about that one!
It's only the third time we've seen a green mamba in the past year and a half and the second time for the baby cobra. Of course, they would both show up on the same day; I suppose it was kind of a "Welcome to Africa" sort of thing.
The next night, the guard came to the door to let us know that our male Rottweiler, Jeffie, had escaped under the fence and was fighting with a pack of dogs. This was about midnight and we had just gotten ready for bed. Tim went out and he and Charles chased Jeffie around for almost 2 hours before giving up and coming home. Jeffie returned later that morning with not a scratch on him to show for his battle with the other dogs.
Later in the week, on two separate nights our female dog, Gin, killed two of the neighbors chickens who wandered into our yard. Our worker assured us that we did not have to pay for the expired chickens because the neighbors had been warned numerous times about the wandering chickens. In addition, the front toilet decided to malfunction on several occasions.
These are just some of the highlights; sometimes we have a busy and eventful day even before we have breakfast!!! Maybe if we would eat breakfast earlier.....
There were lots of "unexpected happenings" and "last minute" changes and adaptations while the team was here; wonderful lessons in flexibility for all of us. The team, by the way, handled these changes and interruptions with great grace and flexibility.
All in all, it's been a normal week sprinkled with a few unexpected happenings to keep us alert and on our toes.

Ministry Team

We have just finished a very busy week; we had a ministry team from Turning Point in Kansas City, MO with us to paint buildings at the Bible College and to do children's ministry on Saturday and Sunday.

We managed to house all 10 members of the team in our home (except for the 3 men in the bunkhouse). It was crazy, hectic, fun, tiring, exciting, rewarding, and a lot of other things all rolled into one action packed four days. Two days, Thursday and Friday, were spent painting at the Bible College. The dining hall looks wonderful after having a fresh paint job inside and out; the doors all around the main building were painted as well as the sitting room of the Principal's home. This team was fast and efficient and they amazed us and the Bible School faculty; you could tell they have done this before.

Saturday and Sunday were spent doing children's ministry; we spent Saturday in Nyakato with 300 children from the ages of 3-14 and Sunday we were in the village of Ukiriguru where we ministered to the children during Sunday school and children's church. One of the team members taught the adult Sunday school class and another team member preached during the morning service. The team brought gifts to hand out to every child at both locations and blessed our pastors and Bible College faculty as well with gifts.

On Monday, we all took a safari into the Serengeti Game Park for some much needed R & R; we were blessed to see a lot of animals and we had a good time together.

The team flew out today to return to the states, however, their lives are forever changed because they came to Tanzania. They touched the lives of hundreds of children and blessed the Bible College, the students and the faculty in the four days they were here. In return, they were blessed by the Tanzanian people they met and left with a greater appreciation for the benefits and comforts they have waiting for them in the states.

They were definitely a joy to work with and they blessed us with their generosity, flexibility and cooperation as well as their tender hearts and love for the Tanzanian people.

You shouldn't be a missionary if...

You shouldn't be a missionary if:
1. You are easily frightened.
2. you won't eat something you can't identify.
3. you can't live without certain foods.
4. you have an aversion to creepy crawly things.
5. you can't adjust quickly to new situations.
6. you are afraid of change.
7. you have trouble saying "Goodbye".
8. you don't like being stared at or standing out in a crowd.
9. you can't imagine driving for hours on dirt roads.
10. you need to spend time with family on a regular basis.
11. your wardrobe must be up to date and in style.
12. you don't want to be laughed at.
13. things that don't work drive you crazy.
14. people annoy you.
15. waiting in long lines for hours is one of your pet peeves.
16. you can't imagine a world without Walmart.
17. fast food is your favorite food.
18. you panic when the lights go out.
19. you think your way is the only way.
20. you think everyone should speak English!

Being a missionary is not for the faint hearted, close minded, weak in the knees, weak in the faith, resistant to change, easily overwhelmed person. It is, however, for the person who feels called by God to go to unknown places to be with unknown people with unknown customs who speak an unknown language and yet they need to know a Savior who is unknown to them.

Month of Guests

Wow, I can't believe it is March 12 already and I have not updated our website for almost two weeks. My apologies to those faithful few who check for updates regularly.
We have had guests almost every day this month; the first week we had the leaders from the TAG National Education Department visiting our Mwanza Bible College. They were here from Monday - Thursday; it was good to have them in our home so that we could get to know them better.
This week we have Michael and Tiffany Richardson staying with us; they are our newest team members and are attending Language school in nearby Musoma. They have a week break from school and are staying with us for the week. It's nice to have them here; they are the age of our daughters and we get to dust off our parenting skills and pretend we have college kids in our home once again. Michael and Tiffany are very gracious and tolerant of us. They are helping us prepare for the team arriving next Wednesday from Kansas City, MO.
This team will be doing some painting at the Bible College and then Saturday and Sunday we will go out into a couple of villages and do Children's ministry. Tiffany is helping me prepare crafts for about 350 children from the ages of 3-13; this involves a lot of writing, cutting, glueing, typing, hole punching, string tying... well, you get the picture.
Michael is helping Tim take care of preparing enough beds(yesterday they welded metal legs on metal frames), buying supplies, locating a small bus/van to rent, arranging for meetings, lining up activities, making contacts and a multitude of other tasks that are necessary when hosting a team.
In addition we have the usual day to day things that must be dealt with both here and at the Mwanza Bible College.
And, since I have a list of things to accomplish today I'd better close for now and get busy!

Spiritual Emphasis Week

Last week was Spiritual Emphasis Week at the Mwanza Bible College. Rob Shipley, missionary from Uganda, was our guest speaker for the week.

We had chapel services in the mornings with the students and the church people were invited to join us for the evening services. Rob was a real blessing to our students as he encouraged us to be leaders who are led by the Spirit and who preach and teach the whole Word of God. Rob gave them much to "chew" on from the scriptures; some of it was contrary to to their culture and will take time to "swallow" and "digest".

Whenever you ask, "If anyone has a need, please come to the front for special prayer" you can usually expect almost 100% of the students to come forward. They have serious needs and the only source they have to receive answers is through prayer to God and his provision.

On the last evening we had those students and church members who wanted to be filled with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit or refilled with the Spirit to come forward and probably 90% of the people came forward.

We had many refilled with the Holy Spirit and several church people who received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit for the first time. We had one woman who came forward and was demon possessed and she was set free after being prayed for by some of the women in the church.

We praise the Lord for his blessings on our Spiritual Emphasis Week.

Children - #2

Yesterday we spent the day at a small church outside of Mwanza in Nyakato; I wrote about this church in my last blog. However, Tim and I spent the day and observed as they touched the lives of over 300 children in their community. They do this every Saturday and they have children coming from all faiths and some with no religious affiliation at all; Muslims, Roman Catholics, Animists, and others. Their parents send them because they receive a hearty lunch, medical assistance for minor ailments and tutoring for those who are struggling in school. They are aware that the children also receive teaching in the Christian faith; however, to these families the benefits out weigh the dangers.

We watch as the staff spend their day touching the lives of these little ones with the love of Jesus. The pastor moves among them throughout the day giving a pat or a hug and calling most of them by name; the children are flourishing under the love of this pastor and his church.

Children

Last Sunday, Tim and I went to a church on the edge of Mwanza; Nyakato Assembly of God. The pastor and his wife are friends of ours and the church runs about 100-125 adults.
They have a Saturday Children's program that is amazing considering the size of the church; every Saturday they have about 300 children from the community crowd onto their property for a full day of activity.
The children are read to from the Bible, they are taught stories and have specialized activities geared to their individual ages and each one of them are fed lunch. All of these children's are either orphans or are living in poverty; the meal they receive will probably be the only one they get that day.
They have teachers who sit with those who need to learn to read and write or who are struggling in school and need some individual tutoring. They sometimes have nurses or medical personnel who are able to give minor medical assistance or treatment.
They are a small church doing something to alleviate the suffering of the needy children in their community; they receive some assistance with food costs but contribute heavily to the program themselves. When they started the program they had about 50 children coming but they continue to grow year after year.
On Sunday I looked around at the children seated in the church and could tell that they were welcome there. It doesn't seem to matter to this church that these little ones cannot contribute to the financial stability of the church or make any great contributions to the church.
They love them and welcome them because Jesus loved them and welcomed them.

Exciting Week

Some days pass with little change and one day can blend into another; however, sometimes you have special days that stand out. It's always preferable that they are memorable because something great happened or special guests came.
We have had an exciting week; some good things happened that made it a good week. We had our Tanzanian friends, Geoffrey and Christine Lugwisha over for supper and we hosted the monthly Missionary Potluck with all missionaries in the Mwanza area invited regardless of what denomination they are with. We had about 35 people last night and we had a great time.
We did have a couple of things happen that reminded us of God's protection. Earlier this week our neighbor down the road from us had armed thieves come onto their property and attempt to rob them. They didn't get anything from them but they did do bodily injury to the man who lived there and he had to have some stitches in his head.
Then, last night, after almost everyone had left following the potluck we began to smell smoke. In a few minutes the lights went out and there was smoke building up in the house. The smoke was toxic and our throats and eyes were burning as we searched for the source of the fire. Tim's five years as a fireman helped him locate the source of the fire; it was our electrical stabilizer box in the laundry room. He was able to bypass it and restore electricity and eventually the smoke and most of the toxic fumes were cleared from the house. A new stabilizer will cost around $400 but it could have been much worse. We thank God for his protection over us and our home.

Elin (Eileen)

This is a picture of Elin; she is the 19 month old daughter of our night watchman, Charles.

About two weeks ago Elin tripped near the open fire in their one room house; a large pot of water was boiling on the fire. As Elin fell, the boiling water sloshed out onto her body; she was badly burned as you can see in the picture.

When Charles arrived at our home on Saturday evening he told me about Elin's accident the night before. I asked him if she had been taken to the Doctor; he looked at me sadly and said "no". They had taken the jar of honey I had given them a few days before, mixed it with flour and smoothed it on her burns; it was all they had. Tim was gone on a twelve day ministry trip so I had no transportation.

Charles and his family are a typical Tanzanian family; they live in a world where there is no government assistance of any kind. He has no bank account or savings account. His expenses exceed his income each month even though we pay him more than the salary required by law; he has to make difficult choices. Many times he doesn't eat so that his family will have food; I give him food often when he comes to work because I know he doesn't eat much.

He has 4 children; two of them in school and the other two are younger. Sometimes his children have to sit out of school for awhile because there is no money. Charles struggles to keep them in school; he did not have the privilege of going to school more than a year or so and yet he sees the importance of education for his children.

When Charles told me the story of Elin's accident, I gave him money and sent him home to take care of her. He passed by a small dispensary on his way home and bought the items I told him he would need; pain medicine, an antibiotic, a dissenfectant to use in the water they were bathing her in and a salve to put on the burns.

When Tim arrived home a few days later he took her to a doctor at the large government hospital; he went with them to make sure she would receive treatment. It's an advantage to have a "white" person with you at such times as this. We have paid for all the medicine and medical thus far thanks to a donation given to us by an individual on the team Tim was hosting.

Elin is progressing well and seems to be healing without complications. We pray that she will have full use of her arm and that there will be little scarring.

Her mother was tearful when she came to our home and hung her head in shame because she had allowed her daughter to be injured. I smiled and gave her a quick hug, "accidents will happen" no matter where you live in the world.

I gave Elin a small stuffed bear while she was here and was rewarded with a smile. When they left a short time later she was clutching her new toy and smiling.

My Birthday

Generally speaking, I don't like to celebrate my own birthdays by having a birthday party and the older I get the less I like to celebrate them. However, I do like to be remembered by friends and family on my birthday and to spend the day with my immediate family over a nice meal if possible.
Yesterday was my birthday and Tim has been gone on a ministry trip for over a week; I wondered what type of a day I would have. I invited two single missionary ladies to join me for my "birthday supper" last night and when they arrived they had baked me a lovely cake.
We ate supper and played games afterwards and had a lot of fun; one of the ladies spent the night with me since she walks here from her home.
In addition, during the course of the day I received numerous phone calls, phone texts and emails from many friends and family as well as most of my missionary team here in Tanzania. I spoke with both my daughters, my husband and two of my sisters on the phone via Skype.
All in all it was a great day; I felt very loved throughout the day and even though I had to concede the fact that I was a year older it was worth it.
In addition, I looked through my special "Memory Book" that my daughters made me for Christmas with my missionary friends and it was a very enjoyable evening reminiscing as we looked at pictures.

Memory Lane

When our daughters arrived in Tanzania to spend Christmas with us we had agreed not to buy each other gifts; the cost of the trip was our gift to each other.
However, our daughters had spent several months working on a priceless gift for us; they put in many hours making a photo album.
This is not just your "everyday" sort of album as family albums go; this is a work of love and a work of art.
There was a page for my family, Tim's family, our early years of marriage, our early years as a family, special places we lived, special moments and it was truly a pictorial story of where we started and where we are today as a family.
Each page is beautifully done as only a master "scrapbooker" could do it (Sarah) and a journalist and writer (Jennifer) could arrange it; together they created the most valuable thing that Tim and I own.
Tim and I looked through it with awe and wonder on Christmas day and were both teary eyed before we finished.
The girls have returned to the states and Tim has left for a 10-day long trip; unwisely I decided to look through "the album". Bad idea, I got halfway through it and had to quit when I couldn't see the pages anymore and I had to keep blowing my nose...
It is a treasure - just not one that you can look at when you are facing a 10 day stretch alone.

The Classroom

What does it take to make a good classroom? Do you need four walls, a ceiling and a floor? Do you need chairs, tables, chalkboard, maps, pictures, etc.?

In Tanzania, a church or classroom does not have the same definition as a classroom in America. We have visited a number of churches across western Tanzania since our return here in August of 2008 and have witnessed a variety of churches and classrooms. Most rural TAG churches are constructed in a simple rectangular shape and consist of one large room.


So, they must be creative in finding a place for classrooms, especially when it comes to a place for the children to meet. Unfortunately, in this society, children are generally less important than adults when it comes to providing classrooms, furnishings and curriculum.


The picture on the left is where the children of Ukiriguru Tag meet for their class each week; they borrow benches from inside the church for class time and return them after class. No one seems to mind; you will not hear them complain. Well, maybe during the rainy season they grumble a little...

Swahili Full Life Study Bible

Thanks to the generosity of some of our ministry partners, we have received enough money to buy 143 Swahili Full Life Study Bibles for our pastors in western Tanzania. For many of these pastors, the FLSB will be the only resource tool they have to help them study the Bible and correctly teach their people the Word of God. We still have a large number of pastors in TZ who have not yet been to Bible School or had any formal training to prepare them for ministry.

To date, we have purchased 98 Swahili Full Life Study Bibles from Kenya. We keep them with us as we travel western Tanzania; we have had many pastors say, "We are saving money to buy our FLSB and when we have all our money we will come to Mwanza for our Bible"

The picture above is of Esther Mangera receiving the first FLSB; she is an Evangelist and graduated in November from the Mwanza Bible College. She plans to plant a church in the near future.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year (Mwaka Mpya Njema)
We have been in Kenya for almost two weeks; we brought our daughters here to fly back to the states and have been in meetings since then. We are at a beautiful retreat center outside of Nairobi for an East Africa Prayer Retreat. Most Americans would consider it somewhat "rustic" but the grounds are beautiful; green lush grass, bright colorful flowers and a large number of birds.
We have seen many missionaries that we have known through the years and have met many new missionaries as well. It is good to come together as a missionary family to encourage one another, pray with one another and to relax and visit during the breaks. The African missionaries are known to be close knit and the East Africa missionaries are especially close knit; we are a very large family and we look forward to the Brackenhurst Prayer Retreat every two years.
An especially nice asset, for me, is that because of the high elevation here it is very cool here. It's in the 60's in the mornings and up in the 70's during the day; I am loving it.
Tomorrow we head back to Mwanza, Tanzania; it's about a 10 hour drive. We have enjoyed the break but are anxious to get back to Mwanza and go to work!

Post-Christmas

Christmas is finished and we are approaching the final day of 2009; we had a wonderful although short time with Jenn and Sarah. They have returned safely to the states to begin the New Year.
2009 was an incredible year for us here in Tanzania; its hard to believe that it has come to an end. Most of this year's ministry revolved around the Mwanza Bible College; Tim as principal and me as teacher and administrative assistant.
However, with the beginnning of 2010 we already know that our focus of ministry is going to change. The new Principal has arrived at the Mwanza Bible College to assume his new role; we will continue to work closely with the College even though we will not be there in the same capacity. Joyce will continue to teach and Tim will continue to work on projects for the College; we have many good friends there among the staff and faculty and will always be a part of Mwanza Bible College.
Sometime after the first of the year we will begin a different phase of our ministry which will involve a great deal of travel to the five western districts of Tanzania. All the details have yet to be worked out with our National leadership but we know that we will continue to do our part to spread the Kingdom of God throughout Tanzania in whatever way we are needed.
Happy New Year
Tim and Joyce

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Dear Friends and Family,

The Jarvis family; Tim, Joyce, Jenn and Sarah are spending Christmas together in Mwanza, Tanzania. We are thankful for this special blessing of "togetherness" this year.

We hope that each of you will be blessed with Joy and Peace; not only on Christmas but throughout the year ahead.

Many things are uncertain in these times; but the blessings and promises of God are certain and unchangeable.

Have a Blessed Christmas,

Tim, Joyce, Jenn and Sarah

Ukiriguru

Earlier this month we traveled about an hour out of town to a small village called Ukiriguru; the pastor there is Apollinary Gervas; we worked closely with Apollinary in the area of Children's Ministries during our first term here.

Pastor Apollinary and his family have faithfully served in this small village among mostly Muslim inhabitants for about 10 years and God has blessed them with slow yet steady growth.

Tim spoke in the morning service and we were joined by two groups of villagers (about 10 total) who were new converts and who were meeting in a believers home during the week. They are two church plants that have been started recently by the the church in Ukiriguru.

It was a great day and we enjoyed the afternoon of fellowship we spent with Pastor Apollinary and his family in their home. Their home is very small so there was almost no room to maneuver around once you were seated; however, we spent the afternoon encouraging this dedicated Pastor who is also the sectional Presbyter for his area. He has great concerns for the pastors in his section and the struggles that each of them deal with as they endeavor to plant their small churches in predominantly Muslim villages.

Equally as important as the actual church service we preach in these small village churches is the fellowship with the pastor and his family afterwards. Sometimes the few hours of encouragement and fellowship they receive during our visit in their homes gives them the determination they need to press on under difficult circumstances.

Recently, thanks to our friends at Africa's Hope, we received a shipment of 7 computers. The students had been waiting anxiously for the arrival of these computers so that could receive some basic training on how to use a computer.

Most of them will never own a computer or may never again have access to one. However, they know that things are changing and they want to try to keep up with these changes. When we were here in 2001, Tim was the only one with a cell phone and it was huge compared to the size they are today.

Today, most of our pastors have at least one cell phone and many have two. The reason for having more than one is that it is much cheaper to call someone who uses the same company as you do; so they have a phone from at least two different providers. We have to instruct our students to turn off their cell phones during class time. Not all pastors have cell phones but probably 3/4 of them do.

Of course, they often don't have any time on their phones, run out while speaking to you, or call quickly to tell you to call them back. It doesn't cost anything to receive calls on a cell phone here so some of them are quite ingenuous at saving the time on their cells.

So, back to the computers, we had our computer lab up and running for the last term of Bible College and both the first and third year students received some basic computer training. We want to thank Africa's Hope for their generous contribution of computers to our school; the announcement that they had arrived was met with much excitement by our students.

Tight Spaces

Tim and I have been traveling the past two weeks; we have visited three of our five Districts. Our purpose, other than to spend time with leadership and pastors, has been to promote the Bible College and it's various programs. We are also introducing a Scholarship program set up by the TAG national office to assist our 2,000+ pastors who have never been to Bible College.

We have enjoyed the opportunity to meet with and encourage our pastors in the remote areas of our region.

When we traveled to Tabora it was a 6 hour drive; half paved road and half dirt. Other than being ran off the road twice by large buses, the trip went well. Tim traveled a few days later to Shinyanga which is just a two hour trip away and had a visit with pastors and leadership there.

Last weekend, we traveled to Kagera District; we chose to take the Victoria Ferry which travels during the night back and forth between Mwanza and Bukoba, Kagera. We board the ferry at about 8:30pm and we arrive the next morning in Bukoba about 6:00am. Going over wasn't too bad, Tim and I shared a small bathroom sized room with a set of narrow bunk beds and a sink in one corner. Bathrooms were the public ones used by all on our deck.

Returning the following night, we were unable to purchase first class tickets so had to travel second class. There is a significant difference between these two classes. If you travel second class there is another bathroom-sized room but there are 6 beds; two stacks of three plus the sink. You are on the second deck rather than the top deck of the three deck ship. You don't have access to the nice dining room nor are you allowed to leave the second deck. Melodie, a single missionary, and myself were in with 4 young ladies who did appear happy to see us when we entered, they did not speak English and they did not seem to have any plans to sleep any time soon.

Tim shared a room with five men and two of them were very friendly and spoke English well.

It was a totally different trip back across the second night as second class passengers than it was the previous night as first class passengers. I was thankful that we did not have to travel third class which means you don't get a room or a bed but just a spot on the ship.
It was an experience that we will remember. However, we survived and when we arrived home we took a nice hot shower and took a short rest on a nice big bed.

Winter Wonderland

Tanzaniana do not understand the meaning of "Winter Wonderland" or "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" or any of those familiar Christmas tunes that talk about cold and snow. During the rainy season here in Mwanza people bundle up and shiver as the mercury dips to 70 -72 degrees on some days.
I was trying to address some Christmas cards earlier this week and was finding it difficult to do as I sat at the table with the fan blowing to keep me cool. Tim went to the storage container and was able to locate our Christmas CD's. After playing some Christmas music for a while it was easier to address those Christmas cards.
Here in Tanzania, you don't hear Christmas music, there are no Christmas decorations to be seen around town or in homes, no Christmas commercials or Christmas programs; in fact, you could easily miss this holiday completely if you did not know about it. And, since we are eight hours ahead of the states, we are not able to watch Christmas Day sports or parades until the following day.
The only thing that sets Christmas Day apart from the others is that most churches have a service on Christmas Day; again, no decorations, gift giving or Christmas hymns, just the simple story of Jesus born to save mankind and greetings of "Krismasi Njema" (Merry Christmas). It is strictly and simply the celebration of the coming of the Son of God, Jesus.
I must confess, however, that in our home there will be a Christmas tree, some special decorations (all brought from the states in our container) and a Christmas dinner that is as close to traditional as we can make it. You do have to be creative since some ingredients are not available. For instance, butternut squash makes a great substitute for pumpkin. You can also buy a turkey for about $75 or a small ham for about $50. And, believe me, they are not "name brand" quality but definitely of the generic variety.
This year's special Christmas treat will be having our daughters, Jenn and Sarah, with us for Christmas. Now that gets me in the Christmas spirit!
Krismasi Njema!

Priorities

Around the world there are wars, people starving, hundreds being killed for ethnic or religious reasons on a daily basis. We see on a daily basis people who are crippled, sick, begging for food and carrying in their bodies diseases such as Malaria, Typhoid, Cholera and Aids. Africa is a continent that suffers like no other from the effects of nature and mankind.
Usually, each morning we check one of the international news channels, CNN, SKY NEWS AND BBC; we like to keep up with what is going on in the world around us and especially what is happening in the states.
This week the top news story on every station and in every newspaper has been, "Tiger Woods hits a fire hydrant"; we have watched it replayed on every major news channel not once but multiple times every day this week.
Enough already! God forgive us when the top story for a week is someone hitting a fire hydrant!
Ok, I will get off the pedestal and apologize for using my website as a way to vent my frustration with the world's priorities. Living amidst the suffering we see on this continent will change a person's sense of what is important and what is news worthy.
Blessings to all of you.

Thanksgiving TZ style

Last Thanksgiving was probably the least traditional and least enjoyable Thanksgiving for our family. Tim was in Dar trying to get our Residence permits. I went to the Ladies Bible Study that morning and then another lady and myself went out afterwards for a vegetarian pizza.

Afterwards, I took a taxi home and spent the remainder of the day alone.
HOWEVER, this Thanksgiving was much more traditional. We ordered a turkey which was brought in from Uganda; the other guests/missionaries chipped in to help pay the $70 for the pleasure of having traditional turkey for Thanksgiving. It definitely wasn't a Honeysuckle Premium bird but it either wasn't too bad or we were so happy to have it that it made it taste better.

We had guests over; there were 11 of us in all. Two couples and one individual are Baptist, one couple is AIC (Africa Inland Church/medical) and one dear 70 year old lady is with AIC and Wycliffe Bible Translaters.

We divided the menu and pooled our carefully hoarded American foods for the special day. We had Turkey, Dressing(no celery but still good), Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Green Bean Casserole (made our own french fried onion ring topping), Sweet Potatoes (local variety but pretty good with enough butter and sugar), fresh veggie salad, fruit salad, homemade rolls and a can of cranberries. For dessert we had pumpkin pie (pie filling from the states), pecan pie (pecans and Karo from the states) and apple pie.

It was a great day of food, fun and fellowship. We each shared things that we were especially thankful for this year and sang some traditional Thanksgiving hymns/choruses; we also played a few fun games together.

Later that night I called my family in the states and spoke with them for a few minutes on Skype and we were able to see each other via the webcam. I wasn't able to get through to Jenn, our oldest, but will be in contact with her this weekend.

All in all, it was a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving Day in Mwanza, Tanzania for the Americans who gathered in our home; for the rest of Tanzania it was business as usual.

Blessings and hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

A Perfect Blend

I'm not talking about tea or coffee; although Tanzania produces some of the best of both.
Thursday evening we were invited to a 70th Birthday party for a missionary here in Mwanza who is with the AIC (Africa Inland Church) and working with Wycliffe Bible Translators.
Naomi is full of life and energy and has a great love for the work she does and for the people of Africa. She was born in Africa; her parents were missionaries here in Tanzania among the Wasukuma people and Naomi, who never married, has been married to missionary life all of her adult years.
She planned her own 70th birthday party and there was about 35-40 people; a fairly even mixture of white people (mostly Americans) and Africans (mostly from the Wasukuma people). She was brave enough to try a "potluck" style meal; this is well-known to Americans but a new concept for the Africans.
It was a great evening; we watched old movies of her family and work through the years and sang her favorite hymns. We ate together and there was plenty of food; a delicious mixture of African, American, Danish and Canadian food.
We celebrated with her and the Africans who were there called her "one of God's gifts to Africa"; what a wonderful thing to have said about a person who has given their life to missionary work.
We sang the hymns three times each; once in English, once in Kiswahili (national language) and once in Kisukuma (the language of the Wasukuma people-Naomi is helping to translate Christian literature into Kisukuma for their use).
One of the choruses we sang:
Yesu, Yesu, hunsanyaga
Hunsayaga gwa, gwa, gwa
Yesu, Yesu, u wa mpango
Nansanye kutinda no (KISUKUMA)

Yesu, Yesu namwamini,
Nimenwona thabiti
Yesu, Yesu, Yu thamani
Ahadi zake kweli. (KISWAHILI)

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! How I've proved him o'er and o'er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Oh for grace to trust him more. (ENGLISH)

Song: Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus

Blessings

Graduation Day

I woke to the sound of rain; I love rain, but not on this day. Today is graduation day at Mwanza Bible College and we expect to have lots of people on the campus and many activities are scheduled to be outside.
However, as I got ready for the day the rain ceased but it remained overcast; this was a blessing since it made for a cooler day.
We arrived at the Bible College, took a deep breath and plunged into the day. The guest speaker was our dear friend, Ron Swai, who was the first principal at the Mwanza Bible College when it opened in 2001.
The District Bishops were on campus and the students were busy with visiting family members and getting dressed in their finest for this special day. We began lining up in the library and discovered two students were missing; they arrived 30 minutes late. A catastrophe in America but a small glitch here; the students were attired in their red robes plus about 40 in a darker burgundy (we had to borrow 40 robes from another college since we only had 33). Teachers were decked out in our black robes and caps and we were ready to start the processional by 9:45; only 45 minutes late which is totally acceptable here in Tanzania.
The staff/faculty filed in and took our places on the platform. We were followed by the students stepping in perfect sync and rhythm with their music amidst cheers, clapping and encouragement from their friends and families. It was a very moving moment for me as I watched these 69 students proudly file into their places; each of their faces represented a story. There are numerous stories of struggles with health, finances and family situations. They and their families made great sacrifices over the past three years so that these graduates could attend Bible College. Most of these graduates are married, have children and pastor churches already; many are into their 30's, 40's, 50's and the oldest student is in his seventies. It is not just the individual who is graduating; it is his family, his village and his church and everyone present is personally involved in the process that has led to this day.
It is a great day! Every student crosses the platform as his name is called and has his/her moment of glory as he receives his diploma, congratulations from the faculty and guest speaker, has a lei (necklace of flowers) placed around his/her neck and has his picture taken before stepping off the opposite end of the platform.
After the graduation ceremony there is a feast provided for the graduates and all the guests; about 300-400 people are served food and sodas. There is a flurry of picture taking; Tim and I stand for a long time on the library steps as graduates and there families have their pictures taken with the "white" principal and their "white" teacher. I shake hands and hold babies and welcome families until we are finally excused to join the other faculty and visiting pastors in the library for our meal.
Later, I sit on the steps of the library and watch the crowds roam the campus; buying pictures from photographers who have rushed into to town and developed pictures of the graduates. The pictures are spread on blankets on the ground and others have booths set up to sale Bibles and other books. I am tired but happy that the day has gone well and it is nearly finished; but also I am a little sad that they are finished and leaving us. They represent our first year as Principals of the Mwanza Bible College; a memorable year for us as well as them.
We will meet them in the days ahead as we travel around Tanzania; they will be in their churches putting to good use their hard-earned education. We will have had a part in that training and will rejoice that they are now able to "rightly divide the word of truth".

Week of Graduation

Tomorrow is graduation day at Mwanza Bible College; we will be graduating 69 students (Three year diploma level). We believe this is the largest class that has ever graduated from any of our 5 Bible colleges here in Tanzania. We are anticipating about 500 people on the campus tomorrow for this special day; there will be less if it rains since about half of them will have to stand/sit outside. Our chapel will hold about 250 people packed like sardines with NO standing room; there are no fire Marshall's or fire codes to prevent a truly "packed" house.

It has been a week of activity; finals, grading papers, grade reports, decorating, buying food, buying gifts, washing and pressing robes, fitting robes, rehearsals, preparing diplomas, acquiring a generator (power is off frequently), buying food to feed a multitude, renting chairs and tables, and a multitude of other tasks.

We are thankful for the wonderful staff and faculty we have who, in typical Tanzanian style, do not get flustered, stressed or frazzled. They patiently take everything as it comes and make adjustments when necessary. In fact, they seem to expect last minute changes and adjustments and handle them with grace and acceptance. I am trying to learn to be more like them in this area and although I have not arrived there yet, I am getting better.

We had several practices with our students as we worked on the task of getting in and out of the chapel with dignity, grace and rhythm. They selected a song for their procession and then practiced keeping in step with the music. The younger students wanted a more complicated routine for the procession but the older students (the oldest being in his seventies) wanted a less complicated routine. Tanzanians don't just "march in" or "file in" they move in sync with the music and can get quite elaborate in their choreography. We settled for a simple procession with simple choreography.

The above picture is one of several practice processions made from the library to the chapel; some of them were done in the rain.

Tomorrow is a big day! I'll let you know how our biggest graduation for the college and our first graduation as "Mkuu wa Chuo" (Principal) and Mama Mkuu (Mrs. Principal) goes.

God still heals

Yesterday (Sunday) was Tim's turn to preach; at the Bible College all teachers are also pastors for the College Church/Bwiru Hill Christian Centre. Since Tim is the Principal, this automatically makes him the Senior Pastor at BHCC as well.
We are thankful for the wonderful group of faculty/pastoral staff that we have to work with during this time of our ministry at the Bible College.
Yesterday Tim felt that he was to preach on the topic of "Miracles" and that afterwards we would have special prayer for those who needed miracles in any area of their lives. During the first service which is mostly made up of the student body at the college, most stood for prayer. Many of the miracles needed in this group had to do with financial needs.
During the second service, which is mostly made up of people from the community, about 2/3 of the congregation stood indicating that they were in need of some kind of miracle, either a physical need, financial need, or a variety of other needs. Everyone, however, felt that their need could only be met by the divine intervention of God.
You can understand the large number of people who respond to this type of prayer invitation; many here can not afford medical help, have no insurance of any kind, no retirement, no government assistance and no way to receive any kind of loan assistance. God is not a last resort for many of these people; He is there only source of help.
Immediately after the second service we had two women who came forward who had been so sick that they almost did not come to church that morning, however, they came in spite of their sickness. Both women testified that while they were being prayed for they felt healing and strength return to their bodies; they were completely healed. We give thanks to God for healing these two women and believe that we will hear more reports of miracles/needs met in the days ahead. God still performs miracles today and we bear witness to this as we continue to minister here in Tanzania.