WHAT A DAY!?!

The Mtu wa Mbu Kanisa la Kristo meets here.

     This year we are experimenting with a rotating seminar on Spiritual Disciplines.  Here's how it works.  I have the introductory lesson explaining the concept of how spiritual disciplines work to cause growth in the Christian.  On the first Sunday of each month, I'll present this lesson at a different congregation.  Then over the next 12 weeks preachers from other area congregations will come and present lessons on specific disciplines.  In this manner, the same series will be presented to 13 different congregations in a span of a little more than a year.  I'm excited about the concept, and I think it will be a blessing to the churches here.

     Today we had the pleasure of visiting the Mtu wa Mbu ("Mosquito River") church.  This congregation is a pretty far distance from the house, so we left early in the morning prepared for a long day.   However, this congregation is always so welcoming that we also felt sure that it would be a good day.

     Gasper Julius and his wife Selena did not disappoint.  Gasper, the preacher there, greeted us warmly and made us feel right at home.  This is a rural church so the environment is different from most of the churches that we get to work with.  We enjoyed the change of pace.

     As she has learned to anticipate,  Tiffany was asked if she would be willing to teach the children's class.  She gladly obliged and put her skills to work.  It's not alway easy though.  In the middle of class, Levi (our 2 year old) sees a mongoose outside.  So naturally he runs out the door to investigate.  In the midst of his hot pursuit, Levi falls and skins his hand.  This brings about great weeping, wailing, and general gnashing of teeth.  But never fear, big sister swoops to the rescue and Mom continues class.

     Meanwhile, I am teaching the adult class, then preaching the morning sermon.  Mtu wa Mbu is out in Maasai country, and they have several members who do not speak or understand Swahili.  Therefore, everything that I said had to be translated twice - once into Swahili, and once into Kimasaai.  The lessons were well received, and one young lady decided to be baptized.

Satan was lurking outside, but we were undeterred nonetheless 

Shoes or no shoes, our goal is to save souls.

     As I just mentioned, a girl was going to put on her Lord in baptism.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that the baptistry would have to be filled by hand via a water bucket brigade.  This took about an hour, so we had some time to kill.

     The kids played.  That's Levi in the picture above with his new BFF, Daniel (great name, don't you think?).  They couldn't talk to each other but they played hand and hand all over the grounds.   Ah the sweet innocence of children. 

     Speaking of children, Tiffany was surrounded by them as usual.  She's always had a magic touch with kids.  Our kids are very lucky to such a great mom.  

     At last, there is enough water in the baptistry.  We rejoice with the angels of heaven as Sophia is added to the body of Christ!

     Then the preacher's wife, Selena, feeds us a quick, delicious lunch.  Satisfied, we head off on our way merrily.  Mtu wa Mbu happens to be practically next door to the Lake Manyara National Park.  We haven't been there since we moved to Tanzania, so we decided that we might as well take an afternoon drive through the park.  

     Mtu wa Mbu is the home of the famous red bananas, so we grab some for a snack while we drive.

     The park offered some nice scenery.  And as you can see from the picture, baby monkeys are adorable.  

     After stopping for a snack at the picnic area, we had some car trouble.  It just wouldn't start.  That's not what you want to happen while hanging out in a park where lions live.  A worker suggests that we try to push-start it.  What do we have to lose?  So we push the truck down a hill while trying to start it.  Yeah, that didn't work.  So we flag down a passing safari truck and ask for a jump.   No luck.

     By this point, I'm ready to scream. 

     Then I remember something.  Earlier in the day, one of my children (who shall remain nameless, but she knows who she is) broke the truck key.  There is a security chip in the fob portion of the key that prevents the car from starting without it being near the ignition.  So I just had to hold the remote in my hand while turning the small portion.  It cranked right up, and we're on our way.

I'm just hanging out with my elephant friends.  Roll Tide.

     The drive continues without further problems and we have a pleasant afternoon.   On the way out of the park, Abby notices a guy randomly dancing on the side of the road without any music.  Of course, we crack up at the sight.  Luckily, a camera was handy so we recorded the action.  I've shared it with you below.  Just for fun, I added a little sound track for you.  You're welcome.

     After a long drive home, it is time to eat a snacky supper, and unwind while we watch an Andy Griffith DVD.  That's a great ending to a great day.  The day required a good bit of patience, but we were rewarded with some wonderful experiences.  I hope that your Sunday is a great one as well!

New Outreach Initiative

Sunday at the Ilkiurei Kanisa la Kristo

     We had a meeting yesterday with representatives of 11 area congregations to discuss a new outreach initiative that we want to implement at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching.  We offered to designate pairs of students to each of these churches to assist in evangelism and to be used in their worship services.  A little of this was done in the past, but not in a well-organized manner.  It is time to take this idea to its full extent.

     This will be a very mutually beneficial program.  The churches, mostly pretty small, can use the extra man-power.  The students will gain hands-on experience in church work, giving them the opportunity to apply the theories they've learned during their studies.

     The churches and the school will be sharing the expense of the program.  One will pay the students' transportation, and the other will be responsible for their food.  Working together in this way will also strengthen the bond between ACSOP and the area congregations.  The idea was well received by those in the meeting, and I am optimistic that there will be great participation. Hopefully, the program will be in full swing within a week or two.

     Thanks for your continued prayers and support!

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Furlough Wrap-up

     Hello again friends!  It has been awhile since our last post, so let me catch you up on what's been going on.  I'm happy to report that we had a very successful furlough trip, both from a work and personal standpoint.  God continues to bless His servants and His work.

     Let's start with the work.  We drove for about 2,000 miles as we visited with more than a dozen congregations of the Lord's church. That was a lot of time on the road, but we are excited about the work that we get to do. It is a pleasure to share with our partners in the US some of the good things that they are helping to make possible.  I think that it is encouraging to people to know that the Lord's kingdom is indeed thriving and growing.

     We were also taking that opportunity to let people know about some special needs that the work here has.  The Lord's people responded, and it gives me great pleasure to report that around $30,000 was donated to buy Swahili Bibles, print tracts, and sponsor preaching students.  Together with the efforts of team members all of our furlough fund-raising goals were met.  Thank you for your immense generosity and kindness of heart!

     Most of the visits that I made were to churches, but I also had the privilege of being invited to speak to the students of Foundation Christian Academy.  This was Abby's school when we lived in Bowling Green, and they made us feel very loved and welcome.  Abby spent the rest of the day at school reconnecting with old friends and teachers.  

     Children learning about missions is an important "side-benefit" of missionary reporting.  I had young people at several congregations approach me after my presentation expressing interest in becoming missionaries one day.  If just one of them follows up on that dream, then that alone would make this a worthwhile furlough.  

     On a personal level, it was so refreshing to spend some time in America and to see friends and family.  We saw all of our immediate family, and kept holiday traditions.  We ate American food until it made us sick (that happened pretty fast actually).  We were reminded of the immense support system that we have behind us.  The kids even got to experience a little snow. We NEVER see that in Africa!  

     At last it was time to go home. We packed up our 10 suitcases and 5 carry-ons, using every single pound that the airlines would allow.  That sounds like a lot, but there were still so many things that we WANTED to bring back that simply wouldn't fit in our baggage allowance.  We had to make some tough choices about what did or didn't make the cut.  

     Traveling with small children is not for the faint of heart.  Our family getting through the airport is like something straight out of a comedy movie.  Then two very long flights are a tremendous strain on a kid's ability to sit semi-quietly, and on a parent's ability to remain sane and calm.  Add to that a long car ride, dealing with customs, border control, and multiple police checkpoints.  But with God's help we all made it through the trip.

     Life in a foreign field is exciting and rewarding, but it can also be very draining and wearisome.  I don't think that I ever felt shocked at the culture, but there were times leading up to furlough when I was pretty tired of it.  Don't get me wrong, I love Tanzania, but we all needed a break.  Furlough provided that much needed mental break for the whole family.  It is difficult to understand how badly this is needed if you haven't lived in a culture very foreign to your own.  I know I didn't fully understand.  

     Since we've been back, we have a refreshed ability to appreciate the wonderful things about where we live.  It's actually kind of odd how comfortingly familiar our surrounds are to us now.  There was an unexpected feeling of relief and ease when we finally made it back to our home away from home.  And we've experienced joy at seeing some of our good Tanzanian friends again.  Now we're ready to hit the ground running and get back in the trenches.  The fields are white, let's go harvest!