Vastness

Both Matthew 14 and 15 have stories of Jesus feeding people.  First He feeds five thousand then four thousand people with very little resources, in very desolate places.  Matthew 15:32-33 says, “And Jesus summoned his disciples and said, ‘I have compassion on the crowd, because they have remained with me three days already and do not have anything to eat, and I do not want to send them away hungry lest they give out on the way.’ And the disciples said to him, ‘Where in this desolate place can we get so much bread that such a great crowd could  be satisfied?’”  Little did they know -- God was about to provide!

We are on a research trip into Tanzania.  As we drive through this vast country on our way to Dar es Salaam we understand the meaning of the word desolate.  We are passing through empty areas, yet we know that out there, off the road, in hard to reach areas, are villages filled with people who need to hear about Jesus.

We have several people groups to examine; most are isolated, some are Muslim.  We want to find out if anyone is sharing the gospel with them. We are also looking for national Tanzanian associations, churches or individual Christians who can catch a vision for reaching their fellow Tanzanians.

Then we want to find U.S. churches willing to pray for and partner with the effort.
Sometimes we look out and in our weakness want to say, “This is a vast area --- it is a enormous task --- where can we get so much bread to feed all these people?” Yet just as the disciples, we know that as God provided for the thousands then, He will also provide now.

Pray for wisdom as we seek out groups of people of need to hear the Gospel story.
Pray for safety in our travels.
Pray for divine appointments with like-minded individuals who want to see God’s kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

Baby it's Cold Outside!

Believe it or not some parts of Africa can be quite cold.  For those of us who live in the Southern Hemisphere, not only does our water swirl down the drain in the other direction, but our winter comes in June, July, and August – most especially the latter part of June and all of July. 

Remember we told you our language school is located “up the hill in Tigoni” – well besides an increase in altitude, that hill makes a 8*- 10* difference in temperature from Nairobi as well.  This morning we were looking at upper 40’s when we arrived at school.  

Of course it being this cold only a few months out of the year, there isn't any heating; so sitting in a cement room with a cement floor transports the cold through the feet right up to the top!

However, we actually have solid walls around us and a floor under our feet.  We have the option of putting on more layers of clothing, thicker socks and shoes – some do not.  The cold season is hard on folks.  There is hunger and no where to go to get away from the cold.  

Even if you are experiencing the heat of summer, pray for those who are in the depths of winter. Pray for those who need a blanket or a pair of socks, a hot drink or a place to stay warm and dry. 

Pray that they would be welcomed into the warmth of God’s family fellowship.

Paradise Lost

Party! Party! Party!
Sometimes you just have to party!
Every month or so our language school does something together – remember when we went to “Wal-Mart”?  Well this time we went to Paradise Lost.

Our national brothers and sisters had never been there before, Jerry and I had never been there before, in truth only one couple in our group had ever been there before and it was their idea for the language school to take a field trip to that place.


We had such a good time.
There was a cave … not a very deep one, but it was a cave and we all enjoyed exploring it.





Hiking was enjoyed, the area was large and quiet even though it was very near the Nairobi city limits.

There was a small lake with boating -- that was fun.





Of course we had a barbeque  or Nyama Choma  (nyah-mah Cho-mah) which was really fabulous.  

Oh yes -- there was a grand waterfall -- can you see Jerry standing behind the falls?






A good time was had by one and all.

You may be wondering why we do these field trips.  Well, there are several good reasons for it – they build camaraderie, they contribute to a family feeling, and they bring us all in closer fellowship as well as contributing occasionally to our depth of language learning --  AND they are FUN!

Sometimes we can get caught up in so much "doing", that we forget to enjoy this journey of faith that God has set before us.  God has put us here and given us life, as well as all things with which to enjoy this life; let’s enjoy the journey!

Thank you for praying with us as we continue to learn Swahili.  In a few weeks we will take a month away from school to go out and really try to use those things we have learned, then our plan is to return to learn more.  Our desire to tell people about Jesus is great -- in order to do this well, we need to communicate well.