Widow's Mite

Sunday in church I witnessed another of several occasions that rank right up there with the "widow's mite" found in the Scriptures.
After church, a young mother with an infant tied to her back in typical Tanzanian style came forward and shyly greeted us and gave something to Pastor George. She quietly whispered something to him and then turned and walked away.
Pastor George opened up his hand and showed us the crumpled and dirty 10,000/= (shilling) note; the equivalent to about $8.00. By the simple way she was dressed it was obvious that it was a large sum of money for her to be giving away to the church.
Pastor George explained that she wanted to help buy chairs for the church; each chair is about 20,000/=. However, she had been holding on to the money for some time and was afraid that if she did not go ahead and give it she would be tempted to spend it for something else. She will work on collecting the remainder of the money over the next few weeks/months.
My desire was to return the money to her since she was obviously poor and could well have used the money herself. However, I remember the look of joy that flashed in her eyes in the brief moment she made eye contact with me and I realized that it was not for me to take that away from her.
She may go a long time before she again experiences the joy that simple act of giving brought to her. In the days ahead when times are hard and she has a financial need she will remember the joy and she will be content. She knows what it is to be in need on a daily basis; she does not, however, experience the joy and satisfaction that comes from giving every day.
There are some things more important than money and that money cannot buy; one of them is joy.

Children

We were in the states during April for our youngest daughter, Sarah's, graduation from Evangel University. It was truly a testimony to the faithfulness of God; when she was younger and had health issues we weren't sure she would be able to accomplish a task of this magnitude.
However, she has been living on her own, working and finished school with honors; it is all because of God's love and faithfulness.
We spent time with our first daughter, Jenn, in Iowa where she lives and works. She is the internet manager for a television station. We enjoyed spending time with her in her home; Jenn is an excellent hostess and a very good cook and we had a lot of fun being with her for a few days.
It is an odd experience when you start seeing your children as young adults making their own way in the world. This visit it felt more like I related to Jenn and Sarah as adults; this is sometimes a difficult switch for parents to make. At least, for me it has been difficult although I am making progress. When I returned home I took out the picture albums and walked down memory lane for a little while as I looked at the pictures of them as children.
They may be adults and the way we relate to each other may undergo change as time goes by, but as long as there are picture albums you can go back in time once in awhile when you need it and they can be little children again as you stroll down memory lane. It's OK to go back once in awhile as long as you don't stay there too long.
Be blessed.

Contrasts

We spent the month of April in the US; we were there for our daughter's graduation. While traveling around the eastern half of the country I was struck once again by the huge contrasts between life in the states and life in Tanzania.
Contrasts are part of our life; light and dark, hot and cold, clean and dirty, etc. There are also contrasts just as obvious in the lifestyles that are lived in different parts of the world. There was a particular scenario that brought some of these contrasts very vividly to my attention.
We were visiting family and I was taken on a tour of a new Veterinary Hospital where my niece works as Office Manager. She gave us a tour of the facilities and I was amazed at the sparkling clean surroundings which included new stainless steel equipment, digital ultrasound, separate waiting rooms for canine and feline patients, several surgical rooms and recovery areas, exercise and physical therapy equipment, and boarding rooms complete with video equipment so that the owners could view their pets from anywhere they were traveling. Everything was new, clean and state-of-the art.
As I left the animal hospital, I remembered visiting the small daughter of one of our pastor's in the large government hospital here in Mwanza. The facility is old, run down and less than sparkling clean let alone sterile and it is understaffed. The small room that Shekinah and her mother were in was not much bigger than a bathroom and the one piece of furniture was the small bed that Shekinah was confined to. There was no medical equipment visible in the room except for the pole that held the IV bag; there was no apparatus to help with Shekinah's breathing although she was obviously having difficulty breathing. There was no staff that I saw either inside or outside the room.
Contrast; the hospital's that we Americans have for our animals as compared to the hospitals that many of the Tanzanian people are forced to use.
If I had a choice, I would rather be cared for in the animal hospital I visited in America than in the huge hospital here in Mwanza.
God help us to see the contrasts that should not exist and work to make them non-existent.

Travel

I just checked our blog and realize that I have not blogged in April; we have been traveling and have covered many miles. We left Tanzania on April 2 to fly to the US; we are here for our youngest daughter, Sarah's, graduation from Evangel University.
We spent two days driving across Tanzania and two days flying to reach our destination in the states. In the past two weeks we have been in Missouri, Alabama, North Carolina, Iowa and tomorrow we come full circle back to Missouri.
We have been able to see a lot of family and have visited churches in each of the states that we visited. When I wake up in the mornings I take a minute to remember where I am and who I am staying with on that particular morning.
On Friday, May 1, we will attend Sarah's graduation and celebrate this milestone in her life; she will be starting work on her Master's in a few months. We have also been able to spend some time with our oldest daughter, Jenn, who lives and works in Iowa.
The hardest part of this term in Tanzania has been adjusting to our two daughters remaining in the states to live their lives and pursue their dreams. We are thankful for the days that we have been able to spend with them; I'm making memories with my daughters that I can enjoy in the months ahead when we return to Tanzania.
Enjoy your family whenever and wherever you can; none of us have a guarantee of tomorrow. Seize the day!

Babies Everywhere

One of the pastoral staff, Pastor Lukilo, had asked Tim to dedicate their baby; we set the date for this past Sunday. We announced the previous Sunday that we would be having a special baby dedication service for the following Sunday if there was anyone who wanted to have a baby/child dedicated.

Tim was scheduled to preach and during the early service he dedicated one baby; the family could not be there for the second/main service. As the second service progressed, we noticed women slipping up to the side platform and we realized that they were adding their baby's name to the growing list of those to be dedicated that morning.

When the time came during the service for the baby dedications, the list of baby names was read and the names were called out one by one. Mothers with newborn babies as well as mothers with school aged children began to fill the entire platform area. By the time the last name was called we had over 30 babies/children to be dedicated.

All the pastoral staff as well as the church elders were needed to move among the group and individually pray for each child and parent. There was one father on the platform with his two children; besides Pastor Lukilo he was the only man that came forward. It spoke loudly of the fact that many women attend church without the support of their husbands.

However, it was a wonderful time; it had obviously been a very long time since there had been a baby dedication at the church. I suggested that we try to have them a little more frequently so that we would not have to do "mass dedications" in the future.

It was a special day for these mothers and children. For a few minutes, these women and children had "center stage" in a traditionally male dominated society where women and children are so often taken for granted. We all relished the moment and took our time; allowing this time to be savored and stored in the hearts and minds of these mothers and children creating special memories for the future.

Commissioning Service

During the recent visit of our national leadership at our Bible college here in Mwanza; all of the new leadership for our Bible college were commissioned.

It was a great day for the college; they had never had a visit from the national leaders and the leaders of the Education Department specifically for the benefit of the college. Our national leadership spent the day at the college and were given a tour of our campus. They were able to see for themselves the many needs that the school has; they promised to help us take care of some of the more pressing needs as soon as possible.

After a lengthy chapel with our student body and faculty, they had lunch with the students and insisted that they not receive any special treatment. They waited in line with the students, ate the same food as the students (ugali which is a stiff porridge and fish) and sat with them. They ate with their hands just like the students; refusing the offer of spoons. Many Tanzanians eat with their hands and don't use eating utensils and so the leadership ate their food in the same way.

The faculty and student body were in awe of this type of interaction with leadership; the custom here in Tanzania is that leadership is held in very high esteem and considered to be on a level above the average person. This goes back to the tribal customs; the chiefs of the tribes were treated as royalty and had almost a "god-like" status.

Our new leadership is not only teaching the "servant-leader" model of leadership, but they are living it as well.

At the end of the day's activities they had a meeting with the faculty and allowed them to ask questions and express concerns as equals; the faculty were amazed that they would do this.

During the afternoon session, the new Board for the college was introduced; the Board is made up of the bishops from the six districts on our side of the country and Tim who is the acting principal. They were commissioned as a group and the leadership and congregation prayed for them.

I have included a picture of Tim as part of the group being commissioned and also a view of the student body and faculty during the chapel service.

It was a great day for the college and the students and faculty were encouraged.

Two Week Schedule

How would you like a rundown of our schedule the past two weeks? Ok, here we go!
Ron Swai arrived for Spiritual Emphasis week; we had two services each day and we had all the faculty and their spouses to our home at the end of that week on Friday. On Saturday, the 28th of February, Peter and two young men from the states arrived. We put all three of them in the second spare bedroom since Ron was still occupying the first one.
Sunday morning, Tim traveled with Peter, Garrett and Chris to visit one of the local churches that they had helped build. Sunday afternoon Ron left to return to Dar. On Monday morning, we went to chapel where Peter spoke and then they flew out on Monday afternoon. Monday was spent at the Bible College preparing for the big event the following day; all the leadership would be arriving and spending the day at the college. Leadership began to arrive by boat, bus, and plane on Monday and continued through to Tuesday morning. Tim was kept busy picking people up and taking them to hotels and getting them settled in. Thankfully, we have a wonderful staff at the Bible College who took care of most of the preparations going on there.
Tueday morning Tim picked up our General and Assistant Superintendents at the airport and we spent all day at the school in meetings. We had a dinner that evening with the students and leadership and also with our out-going Registrar to celebrate her 22 years of service with the Education Department.
We had a faculty meeting with the School Board and the leadership that same night that went until about 10:30. We arrived home with our two guests who were staying with us, our General Superintendent and the Assistant General Supt of the TAG. We were all exhausted but it had been a wonderful day!
We all went to bed around midnight and Tim and the others left to travel to Musoma at 5:00am on Wednesday morning. They spent the night there since it was a three hour trip one-way. They returned on Thursday evening around 7:30 and we had a late supper and went to bed.
The next morning, Friday, they again left at around 5:30am and traveled in the other direction to Shinyanga which is a 2 1/2 hour drive over rough dirt roads. They spent the day there and arrived back that evening in time for a leadership meeting here at one of the local churches.
The next morning, Saturday, there was a special meeting for the churches in the Mwanza area and a huge crowd showed up for the event. Immediately after the meeting, Tim took the leadership to the airport to fly back to Dar.
Wow, what a busy two weeks! Tim and I had two services to attend yesterday, Sunday. This morning Tim spoke in chapel at the Bible College since Monday is Principal's day and we took care of some business there that was urgent and had a couple of meetings as well.
When we arrived home this afternoon, I started some laundry, did some food preparation, and started to do some baking. I stood for a moment with my apron on and stared at the ingredients spread out before me.
I then took off my apron, put the few items I had gathered away, and left that job for tomorrow. I opted to do some computer work instead, for that I can sit!
Unfortunately, Tim will be busy until late this evening taking care of some pressing business for the college.
Sometimes I think we are getting too old for this; but, after a few good nights of sleep we will be ready to go again. Better busy than bored!
Blessings!

Spiritual Emphasis Week

This past week was Spiritual Emphasis week at the Mwanza Bible College; we invited the first principal of the school back to speak. Ron Swai is now our General Secretary for the TAG(Tanzania Assemblies of God) and is a good friend.

It was good to reminisce about the early days of the Bible College; we finished building it in 2001 and Ron was our first principal. In those early days we did not have electricity or water on top of Bwiru Hill where our college is situated on the very top overlooking Lake Victoria.

It wasn't too long before electricity came up the hill to our property although water was carried and then later pumped from further down the hill. Back in those days we had a lot of hopes and dreams for our Bible College; we started with about 30 students that first year.

We have been graduating about 30 students every year and we currently have 65 students enrolled and we have seven teachers, one visiting teacher and a principal plus other support staff.

God has been faithful to His promise to establish the Bible College and it was good to have Ron come and encourage us. Although we have a ways to go yet to have all the buildings and supplies that we need; we have come a long way since those early days.

During Spiritual Emphasis week we had chapel every morning with the student body and services in the evenings which were also attended by the members of the Bwiru Chrisitan Center which is located on our campus.

We were encouraged and challenged during the week; everyone benefited from the teaching, worship and prayer during this past week. Students spent hours in the chapel seeking for a closer relationship with God and a clear focus for their ministries.

The above picture is of our chapel/Bwiru Christian Center.

Blessings.

Wanawake wa Kristo-WWK Day (Women of Christ)

Sunday was WWK Day in the TAG (Tanzania Assemblies of God). This day is set aside for the women of the church to conduct all of the services/events for that day. It is looked forward to and planned for all year.
This day can be counted on to go longer than the normal service time; after all, this particular group of people only get this one special day a year to express themselves freely in our churches. The women of Tanzania are the "work horses" of this country; as they are any many countries. Many of them have very difficult lives; they are sometimes beaten by their husbands and they have little recourse. For those who have Christian husbands, their lives are still difficult. They live much like the pioneer women of the early days of the United States; they carry water from a distance, they cook over open fires outside, they plant gardens for their food, they bear children in abundance and often lose some to sickness and disease. In this country they have few rights and privileges and although changes are coming slowly, they have little to rejoice about.
However, the Christian women I know here rejoice in the midst of their hardships and face life with great courage and determination. They have joy and hope that comes from their relationship with God which transcends their daily circumstances. These women know how to celebrate; they sing, dance, perform skits, wave flags, blow whistles and generally have a good time on their special day. WWK Day is a day set aside for them to celebrate as Christian Women and they take their time and savor every moment.
At the end of the service, they present generous gifts to the pastors and elders of the church. They celebrate on their special day; but, as is their custom, they also give generously to the leadership of the church. They believe that part of their purpose for being is to minister to the leaders in their church and they do so, even on THEIR day. They inspire me!
Be blessed.

Mountaintop Experience?

Sunday we were invited to preach at a church we had not yet visited; it was started after we left to return to the states by Pastor Paul Buhwahwa.

It was a different mountaintop experience than I've ever had before; let me tell you about it.

Since we had never been to the church before, we stopped at the pastor's home and picked up him and his family so that they could show us the way to the church.

We drove along over the very muddy, water-covered road and maneuvered our way to the base of a hill; the pastor instructed us to park our vehicle. I began to have an uneasy feeling that I should have worn "walking shoes" rather than "church shoes".

We proceeded to climb over the rocks and around the various houses until we arrived at the very top of the hill. The church sits on the top of the rocky hill and, in fact, the large rock at the top forms part of the floor of the church. I breathed a sigh of relief for having made the climb without injuring myself since I tend to be rather clumsy and accident prone.

As the service began, so did the rain. Within a few minutes there was a downpour in progress that sounded like a very loud drum as it beat upon the metal roof of the church. Soon, Tim and Pastor Paul had moved off the platform and were standing directly in front of the congregation yelling at the top of their lungs in an effort to be heard above the roar of the pounding rain on the metal roof.

The thunder began to to clap in harmony with the drumming on the roof and at the same time the wind began to blow with great gusto. The church has huge windows on all four sides of the rectangular shaped building which affords a wonderful view of the surrounding countryside. Unfortunately, those huge windows are just gaping holes at this point since the church has not yet collected the money needed for actual windows.

So, added to the noise, we now have wind-driven rain blowing across the church in a near horizontal pattern. The people, in good Tanzanian fashion, accept what they cannot change and make the most of a bad situation; they move to the opposite side of the room and huddle together to stay dry and warm as Tim and Pastor Paul (acting as interpreter) continue to yell as loud as possible in an effort to be heard above the "roar of nature".

Every few minutes the wind would change direction and thus the rain would pour in from a different direction causing everyone to shift again in an effort to stay moderately dry and warm.

To this scenario of rain, wind, shifting people and noise, add the valiant efforts of the board members to keep me and my belongings dry and you have the makings for a very funny "home video opportunity". It was one of those occasions when it would have been great to have a video camera to capture all of this chaos in order to view it later.

The rain continued long after the service was over and we continued to move and shift around the church waiting for it to end. The choir sang, people visited, and the children played; Tanzanians take things in stride and accept life as it comes.

Finally, the pastor suggests that it has let up sufficiently to "make a run for it". I immediately envision myself plummeting to my death at the base of the rain-soaked hill as we scramble over the rocks and through the mud. We kindly explained that I was physically incapable of "making a run for it" even over dry level terrain.

However, with a prayer and a firm determination to survive we started down the hill carefully; Tim in front of me leading the way.

We made it safely to the car, locked in the hubs and headed out in four-wheel drive through the water and mud. We arrived back at the pastor's home along with the ten people who crowded into our Land Cruiser without getting stuck in the mud.

We had a lovely lunch and visit with Pastor Paul and his family and afterwards made our way home. I determined that in the future I would ask in advance about the location of the church and dress accordingly in case I have another "mountaintop experience".

All in all, it was a good day and we survived to do it again!

Be blessed.

Container Arrival

At the end of December, our long -awaited container full of our personal goods as well as ministry items arrived. We filled it, sealed it, prayed over it, and sent it on it's way back in July.

We had hoped it would arrive before the holidays since we had included a few special food items for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

However, we are thankful it arrived safely and with very little damage to our belongings. It was a wonderful day of discovery; finding items we had been waiting for and not finding a few things that we thought we had packed but must have forgotten.

We want to thank all of our wonderful friends at Bedford Christian Center in Temperance, Michigan for the excellent packing job they did. And, all that Northern Quilted toilet paper that Gary donated to use for packing and cushioning did the job!

Plus, we were able to share the TP with other missionaries and they were thrilled to have real American toilet tissue! It's the little things in life that make a difference!

We have also been able to distribute tools that had been donated to us to a number of missionaries. We have already distributed puppets and other ministry items to various churches in the area. National churches and pastors as well as missionaries have benefited by the arrival of our container.

It is a wonderful feeling to be able to bless others with items that make their life and ministry easier and better.

Blessings.

Child's Play

I had just finished teaching at the Bible School and was waiting for my ride to come and take me home. Tim is out of town in Morogoro; he is meeting with the other Bible School principals and the national leadership as they endeavor to work on the school budgets for the next year.
As I sat in the shade near the front gate waiting, I glanced across the compound and saw the son of one of our resident Bible School teachers.
He is about 4 years old and he didn't see me watching him as he played. He had taken different size rocks and was playing his version of "good guys and bad guys". The rocks were his "action figures"; I was intrigued as I watched him playing under a bush for shade.
He looked just like any little boy in America playing outside by himself; except instead of expensive toys he was using rocks for his "action figures".
He was making all the typical play noises and using different voices for his characters. I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of the people here in Tanzania; even the children know how to use the simple things around them to create something useful.
Almost every day there is a group of local boys who play their version of kick ball on the road in front of our gate. Their ball consists of plastic bags packed tightly into a ball shape and held together by string wrapped around the ball like a net.
The toys that these children fashion out of what we would consider useless items and trash bring just as much pleasure to them as the expensive toys our American children play with. The Tanzanian children have little time for play but when they do have the opportunity they take full advantage of it.
Be blessed today!

Busy in Mwanza

Wow, it's hard to believe that it's been two weeks since my last post. Time has gone so quickly; we spend a few hours each day, Monday through Friday, at the Bible School and Sundays we are at one of our churches ministering. Many churches now have an early English service and another service following that in Swahili. If you add Sunday school in with that and then the time it takes them to prepare a meal for us over a charcoal fire; it makes for a long day. However, we enjoy the opportunity to visit our TAG churches and to encourage the people as well as the pastor and his family.
We visited the church at Mkuyuni this past Sunday; our good friend, Charles Mkumbo is the pastor of this church. When we left Tanzania in 2001, they were meeting in a tiny little building not much bigger than an average living room in America. We took a picture of all the people standing outside that little building on our last visit there in 2001; we found that picture stored with our belongings when we arrived back in Mwanza.
Now they are in a new building that is much larger than the old building; again, they have outgrown this building and are needing to expand. God has blessed the efforts of this pastor and his family and they have even started a branch church a little distance from them. The branch church is growing rapidly and is no longer supported by it's mother church at Mkuyuni.
During the service this past Sunday we had eight people come forward for salvation; we rejoiced along with the people over these new converts; they will be discipled and will become a part of this growing body of believers.
Before we left, Pastor Mkumbo took us by the house of a young woman named Happy. I had prayed for Happy before we left in 2001; she was barren and her Muslim husband was going to take another wife or return her to her family if she did not have a child. It is very important in this culture to have children; women who are barren are looked down upon and carry a heavy burden of shame.
Pastor Mkumbo came out of the house holding the hands of two beautiful children; a girl and a boy. They were Happy's children; God heard our prayers and saw her tears; He blessed her with these two precious children.
Sunday was a good day!

Broken Nets

There is a story in the New Testament in which Jesus comes upon Peter, James and John coming in after a long night of fishing; the boat was empty because they had caught no fish. Jesus told them to cast their net out one more time on the other side of the boat. As the obeyed, the net they were using began to tear because it was so full of fish!
We have been praying about the needs at the Mwanza Bible college; especially about the food situation. On Friday the faculty met to discuss the situation of how to provide meat for the students; they are supposed to have red meat twice a week and fish once a week; Tanzanians are not accustomed to having meat more often than that. Our food manager mentioned that they were supposed to have fish in a few days and the price of fish has gone up recently.
Sunday, God provided "manna" for the Bible college in the form of fish!!! Not just a few fish, but about 1,500 pounds of fish! You might say our nets were so full they were breaking. We filled the freezer at the college and still had over two thirds of the fish remaining. We called our friend, Seni, and in a short time we had taken the remaining fish to a local business that had walk-in freezers and for a small fee they allowed us to put all the rest of the fish in their freezers.
God met our needs like He does so often; abundantly more than we could ask or think! We have enough fish for our seventy students to eat three times a week for the full 10 weeks of this term!!! God is good!

Principal

Dear Friends,
This week we began our duties as interim principals of the Mwanza Bible College. Tim is actually in Arusha this week for leadership meetings so I am acting principal this week, am teaching a class, and am helping out in the registrar's office. So, it's been a busy week! Tim and I have no training to be the head of a Bible College; we finished building and opened this college during our first term and have done some teaching there, but this is a new challenge.
We have about 70 students enrolled so far; more may come next week. Every day there are decisions to be made that are normal for here but are never dealt with in America. For instance, this week one of our dilemmas was whether to buy one big cow or several goats to provide meat for the Bible College this term. Unfortunately, the Bible School truck is broken so we don't have transportation to bring the goats from the market outside of town back to the Bible School. So, we have been forced to buy meat for this week from the local meat market where costs are much higher. The students usually have meat three times a week which is normal for Tanzania.
We had to decide whether the money was available to buy chalk and erasers for each of the classrooms. We had to decide whether to allow students entry or not because most do not come with their full fees; we opt to allow them entry and pursue the remainder of the school fees during the term trusting along with them that God will provide. We dealt with boundary disputes with our neighbors this week and had to walk to town to have copies made because our copier is broken. Our printer is almost out of ink so we are trying to use the printer as little as possible until we have the funds to buy a new cartridge.
The students have been told in some of the classes that there are no student text books available because either there aren't any in English or we don't have the funds to purchase enough for everyone to have one so they must share.
There is never a boring day at the Mwanza Bible College; we are thankful for a dedicated staff and faculty that are willing to take one day at a time and trust God to provide for our needs. We take so many things for granted in America; here, nothing is taken for granted including water and electricity.
Have a blessed day!

Kisorya

In December, we were privileged to travel into the Mara Region to hold a seminar on Leadership for the pastors in that region. The Mara Region is about the size of the state of Rhode Island; there are only 15 TAG churches in that region. Only seven of them have their own plots and buildings; the TAG national office has declared this region a mission's district and has placed it under the national Mission's Department. We had twelve pastors who attended the two day seminar; they were so thrilled that we were willing to come and be with them. They were eager to learn and eager to have someone to voice their concerns and ideas to.

We had a wonderful time with these men and women; they are in difficult areas and are isolated from other TAG churches. There is an A/G church in Kisorya; they run about 50 adults. The inset is a picture of the church building and a picture of the pastor and his family.

Pray for the pastors and churches in the Mara Region; pray for the hundreds of thousands of people who have not heard that Jesus loves them.

Blessings.

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'