God is not Goldilocks

Here it is, New Years Eve Day and a Sunday. I am home from church today with a terrible sinus cold. It is beginning to feel like an infirmary around here. After Shannon and I were sick last weekend I went directly into this yucky cold and Molly ended up with a stomache virus this past week too.

Since I am home, I found myself thinking about last weeks sermon at church. Last week, all 5 of our pastors gave the sermon with each of them talking about a diferent part of the Christmas story. For example, Pastor Bruce spoke on Zacharias and Elizabeth, Pastor Jon spoke about Mary and another pastor on Joseph, the wisemen, ect. One thing that has really stuck in my mind this week came from Pastor Jon's portion of the sermon but applies to all of the portions of it. His mini-message that God is not Goldilocks. What does that mean you say? Well, unlike Goldilocks, God does not look at a person and say, "too small, too uneducated, too poor or too insignificant." God looks at a person, any person that is willing to do His will, no matter their age, education, finances or geographical position, and He says, "Just right!" If we are willing to do His will and follow Him, we too can be "just right." I find that thought very comforting as Shannon and I have fretted over our lack of education and finances, as well as all of the other seemingly impossible things that need to be overcome to go to Tanzania long-term.

Tonight we will go to my(Christine's) parents home for a New Years Eve celebration, joining other friends and relatives to eat yummy food and play games and visit. We will drive there on a brand new fresh coat of bright white snow, really the first significant snow of the winter. We want to wish you who are reading here a very Happy New Year and may all of your New Years goals for Christ be reached.

Merry Belated Christmas!

Oops! I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas on the day and planned to do so but our weekend didn't go completely as planned. Saturday I worked as expected and Shannon got some electrical work done in the basement. On Sunday, Christmas Eve, we went to the 9AM church service where I sang for choir and Collin worked in Kids Church. Then we drove out to my(Christine's) parents home to celebrate Christmas with them. We had our traditional Christmas meal of hot oil fondue. This has been a family tradition since I was a child in the early 70's so I don't remember ever not having it. We cooked steak, marinated steak, meatballs with cheese in them and smokies dipped in a breading batter. Everything was yummy. We also had salad, baked potatoes and french bread cubes dipped in a chipped beef dip. After clean up we had fun opening gifts with mom and dad and my sister and her boyfriend. We all thought it was funny as we opened gifts we asked if we'd say, "Can I borrow that when you're done with it?" We gave my dad a DVD we wanted to borrow and I got several books from my mom and sister that they wanted to read. Shortly after opening gifts I got very sharp stomache pains and ended up spending the rest of the day off and on the toilet. That evening, my sister ended up sick with vomiting. Then Christmas Day I was still fighting the bug when it kicked in on Shannon. He ended up home from work today too with it. Needless to say, I didn't get here to post due to how I was feeling.

I hope everyone reading this was able to havea good Christmas visiting with family and friends and enjoying each other while remembering Jesus' birthday. Collin was again a shepherd but this time in our church Christmas Eve service. Unfortunately I missed it as I was home sick.

I still don't have my Christmas letter sent out. It is looking like it will be a New Year letter. I hope it doesn't become a Presidents Day letter. We did send email greetings to some of our overseas friends and heard back from one today. Alex is the nephew of Pastor Richard in Tanzania. He was Pastor Richard's "right hand man" while Shannon, Collin and the team were there in September. We believe he will be pretty involved in the ministry when we get over there and look forward to spending time with him. I want to share with you a bit of what he wrote as he talks about Christmas preparations. He also speaks of flooding. Tanzania has two rainy seasons. When it is rainy, it is really rainy and the rest of the year it is a drought. I have left his writing in his original self-taught English spelling.
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may this CHRISTMAS SEASON be filled with precious moment of of joy and happiness to your family as you are celebrating the precious memory of the coming of our Lord Jesus the savior to save the world.as what says in luke 2:11and wish all the best success and cheerish love in saving the Lord inthe coming new year 2007.

here in mwanza everybody was busy since 20th of december,buying new cloth for kids and women for christmas as well as cards,flowers,some food etc, even though it has been a defficult season with much rainfall to extend that some of the areas here in tanzania has been affected with floods,some roads and brigdes has been destroyed.but we thank God at least on 24th,25th and 26th the rain has hold on for a while atleast to give a chance to people to celebrate in good harmony.

Again here in mwanza everybody is doing fine pasor Richard and Getrude are moving forward with the ministry and the church is growing well.

that's all for today but i will be intouch with often.
love to you'

Alex
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Please pray for the people of Tanzania, especially the children on the streets as they weather the current rainy season. Shannon and I wish you a joyous and blessed New Year and we look forward to another year of living for Jesus.

Now it's time to get ready for Christmas...3 days before it!

....Big long drawn out sigh...After 7 choir musical performances in 10 days at church I am now beginning to get ready for Christmas. I have spent this week frantically baking, wrapping and shopping in addition to homeschooling and trying to get the house picked up and laundry clean again. I still haven't written our Christmas letter although I have started it and have all of the envelopes stamped and adressed. It is looking like our letter will not arrive at most destinations until after Christmas this year. I figure everyone will have more time to read it then anyway. Through all of the hoopla though, I must say though that both Collin and I had a blast participating in the musical even though it took up a lot of our time. Every performance was a full house meaning over 7,000 people attended.

Last night Shannon got an email from his prophetic emai list called The Elijah List that really struck home with both of us. I want to share it with you, in its entirity. My hope is that there are others here readinng this that will be encouraged to make their own life changing decisions.
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John Paul Jackson: "NAVIGATING THE CROSSROADS--WHICH WAY IS GOD'S CHOICE?"

"Every choice we make will either lead us toward God or away from Him."

Life Changing Decisions

Many, many people in the Body of Christ are right now struggling with important decisions that will directly or indirectly affect every step they take after this. They aren't little, general decisions about which in-laws should be visited this Christmas. They are the "to-move-or-not-to-move" decisions--occupation decisions; they are life decisions.
A whole host of questions come up in the process at the cliff's edge--do I run or take the plunge? Is this even the right cliff? Is there a "correct" way in this? What if I get it wrong? If I go right, will I be in sin? If I go left, will I successfully cut off my destiny forever?

Have you ever asked yourself questions like these before? I have. We make choices every day. We make them for the dark, and we make them for the light. We choose God, and we choose our soul which is darkness.

Sometimes we choose the soul thinking it's spirit, and we reject the spirit because we think it's soul. But the more we mature in Him, the more time we will spend in the light, and the choices we make will be the light and life of the world!

Said a little differently, every choice we make will either lead us toward God or away from Him. That is how He set up our world to work and function. This is why the littlest choice we make, even just a teeny one, can open the floodgates of Heaven in our life. He takes the little we give Him and makes it a great thing.

A Deep Abiding Confidence

"Even if things didn't turn out the way we'd anticipated, we would know that they happened the way they did for a reason."

That being said, how many of us live a life that oozes a deep, abiding confidence that God really is all-powerful and, therefore, really in control of everything? If we truly believed this, we would never worry about the questions in the first paragraph. It wouldn't be that we'd suddenly have all the right answers or know, without a doubt, one thing from the next, but we would trust completely. Even if things didn't turn out the way we'd anticipated, we would know that they happened the way they did for a reason.

This type of thinking evidences deep spirituality that comes only from the Holy Spirit of the Living God. All you have to do is make the right choice--one choice at a time, and it starts with choosing Jesus.

There is no enlightened thinking outside of choosing Him! There is no true knowledge outside of the knowledge that comes from Him. There is no holiness; there is no righteousness; there is no lasting power of any kind outside of Him. The problem is that we have limited what He can do for us because of our unbelief. That has to change!

How many of us have a deep, underlying faith that the decision we make today is really God's choice for us? In making it, we simply discovered God's choice. Even if it doesn't turn out as we wanted it to, God still chose it because He wanted us to learn something we did not know.
Don't worry about the questions you have. Is your Father able to take care of you? Yes! Take what you know and rest in Him.

He is more powerful than you could ever know, and He really is in complete control of your world.

John Paul Jackson
Streams Ministries International
www.streamsministries.com

Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep Elijah List website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.

Elijah List Ministries
Email: elministries@elijahlist.net
Phone: 1-866-967-3665 or (541) 967-3665

A Very Busy but Proud Mommy

I know "pride goeth before a fall" but it is ok for a mom to be proud of her kids at times, isn't it? Tis the season for busyness and having children adds to the activity level. In the past week---
-Collin has been a shepherd at our Nights of Music at church for three performances, a dad in a skit with the children's pastor in kid's church and sang a beautiful solo in his school choir Christmas concert in his rich, low, bass voice. Many of us were surprised at how low he can sing at his age.
-Molly performed in Kid's church as a part of the "stix" ministry. In stix the performers use white dowel type sticks to act out a song. It is a really neat performance. She was also in a kids choir performance for two church services where they sang several songs to the congregation.
-Evan was involved in the puppet show during kid's church. His puppet was one of the kings and had blue hair and an orange face. The puppets "sang" A King is Born. It was very cute. He was in the kids choir performance for two services along with Molly. He also rang bells for the Salvation Army at the mall one evening with his church group.
-Star had a part and sang in her school Christmas program. She spoke her lines as clearly as any of the kids and did very well. She was also in the same kids choir performance with Molly and Evan at church twice.
-Brandon was tremendously busy at his group home where he goes each weekend. He went bowling, saw the Santa semi, and visited the YMCA to play basketball twice. The school as well as us noticed that he was tired early this week as he rcovered from the activity level there.
-I was in the choir at our church singing in three performances of the Nights of Music. This year we are doing the play, The Christmas Shoes and we are already hearing testimonies of how it is affecting people's lives. Each night we have had a full house of well over 1,000 in attendance with people sitting in the aisles and stairways. It has been tremendously fun and I find it a real honor to perform for my Lord.
-Shannon, well he has been working full-time+ as normal and beeen driving to and from all of these things every evening except one this past week.
-It looks like next week will be busy too as Collin and I have 4 more Nights of Music performances, our family has a choir dinner to attend, Shannon's parents are finishing up their business auction on Friday and there are a few other things to wrap up(no pun intended) before Christmas.

I am nearly done with our Christmas shopping but have a couple of online orders to place today. Most of the presents are wrapped and under the tree and the shaking, squeezing and attempts at peeking have begun.

It makes a difference to this one

As I've thought the past couple of days about the last paragraph of my most recent post, I've had a lot of sadness about the orphans we will not be able to help. According to the United Nations, there are 143 million orphans in the world. That looks like this- 143,000,000! Over 43 million of them are in Sub-Saharan Africa with that number growing daily due to the huge HIV/AIDS crisis there.

I have had to remind myself of a story I heard many years ago, called The Starfish Story. This tale becomes more and more meaningful to me as I think on it more in regards to our upcoming ministry. I'd like to share it with you. If you have heard it before, I hope you can agree with me it applies well here.

As the old man walked along the beach at dawn, he noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them back into the sea. Finally catching up to the youth, he asked why he was doing this. The answer was that the starfish would die if left until the morning sun. "But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish," said the old man. "How can your efforts make any difference?" The young man looked up the endlessly stretching starfish covered beach and then at the starfish in his hand. Then he threw it safely in the waves. "It makes a difference to this one," he said.

Christmas decorating

As we enter the Christmas season I can't help but wonder if this will be our last Christmas in Minnesota for awhile. Only God knows for sure if we will be in Tanzania this time next year but it is fair to say that at this point, we are hoping to be there by then. It grieves me to think of being away from extended family and church family, snowy Minnesota(well usually we have some by Christmas) and "home." I remember well when Shannon and I were in the military and stationed in California, away from everyone and everything we knew, how sad we were to be away. I can't imagine how much more diferent it will be to be in a completely diferent culture with diferent foods as well.

All of the missionaries I know recommend taking some of your holiday decorations(any holiday) along to your new home to help it feel more like home during those seasons. I suppose when I pack the decorations away in January I will need to sort them into "get rid", "storage" and "take-along" boxes. I have already found a few things I am going to put on eBay now, knowing they will be worth more now than next summer. Then there are those things like our huge 6-pointed Star of David that Shannon welded and we hang each year from our TV antenae. Obviously, we wont bring it along but if we leave it here with the house will the new owner use it and apreciate it?

As sad as it all makes me, the idea of spending Christmas next year with orphans that maybe would have nowhere else to sleep or eat is tremendously exciting to me. As we read the Christmas story to them, will it be the first time they have ever heard it? As we feed them Christmas dinner will it be thier first Christmas with a full tummy? As we cuddle and hug and put them to bed, wil it be the first time they have felt loved? These thoughts are what help me realize that even in Tanzania, we will still be home for Christmas.

Continuing on towards the goal

A post I wrote a couple of weeks ago talked about the waiting game. We were having a hard time connecting with people and things seemed to be moving slowly. Since that time not a lot has happened but we have found out a few things. In regards to the meeting Pastor Richard had planned with the city about the land, he did meet with them. They discussed the land and our vision and a member of the city council will be meeting with him, likely this week, to go out and see the land and talk in more detail about it. Please continue to pray for favor in regrds to the land.

We have also been trying for several weeks to get in touch with the couple that has a well drilling rig somewhere in Tanzania. We found out about this couple through another couple at our church. Their parents know these people that brought a well-drilling rig to Africa to drill wells for needy villages as a missions work. At the time, Shannon and I thought that it was very unlikely this rig would be anywhere near where we needed it, but were surprised to find later that it is in Tanzania. Anyway, our efforts to reach these people had been in vain but we recently found out that it is because they are currently there, in Tanzania, drilling wells right now. They are in a village somewhere near Arusha which is not terribly far from Mwanza. They are supposed to return home in the next week or so, so we will catch them later.

Just this past week, we had a meeting with Wayne and Debra. We discussed in more detail our hopes for the ministry. We talked about the ages of children we would care for(birth and up, we do not want to turn any away), buildings(possibly smaller homes with a widow in each one raising a group of children like a family, or dorm-like settings), timelines, budgets, fundraising and other things. Shannon and I are going to be contacting some ministries we are already aware of and getting suggestions. We are also going to be looking into things like international health insurance for our family and ways we can possibly get some grants to hep with the bulidings.

It amazes me how on a nearly daily basis, Shannon and I are reminded that we are headed in the right direction. Whether it is a bible verse or passage in our daily devotions or bible classes, something someone says in passing, sometimes even from a stranger completely unaware of our plans, a magazine article, a church sermon or radio program or any number of other ways, God just keeps nudging us and our hearts towards the orphans of Africa. We are both so confident that at this point there is no turning back, that neither of us would ever have a peace if we didn't go.

We will continue on towards Mwanza, not sure of the exact timeline but hoping it is soon. We just want it to be God's timeline and His plan, knowing that if it isn't, it will never work out.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

I asked Shannon and the children to help me list things that we are thankful for. Here is just a partial list. Family Friends Jesus and His sacrifice The Holy Spirit Our church family Brothers and Sisters Foster children Our pets Our home Our jobs Musical Instruments Homeschooling Health Teachers Salvation Our country Books John Deere(we are John Deere lovers Thomas Edison(that from Collin the 14 year old who likes electricity) Fun Adoption And so the list could go on and on but for now we wish to say Happy Thanksgiving and that we hope everyone is enjoying the weekend and time with family and friends remembering what we should be thankful for.

Preparation time

Sometimes a person feels things aren't happening nearly fast enough. We haven't yet heard from Pastor Richard about the land so figure there is nothing substantial to report yet. We also have been trying to have a couple of meetings here that just haven't come together. Shannon and I continue to remind each other that God's timing is perfect. That no matter when we think something is supposed to happen, God knows when it is supposed to happen. He will be sure that His plans happen in His own way and His own time. We are also aware that there is a reason for his timing. It may be because there is something in us that He wants to develop further or in someone else involved. We will remain receptive to whatever it is He may be trying to teach us while we continue to wait. Please pray that we remain patient and that we learn quickly.

Last night I had a choir taping at church. What a fun time that was. We were all wearing headphones so that we could hear the music but then singing normally so that just our voices were recorded. We recorded the 7 diferent songs that we are singing for the Christmas program at church, two times each. This way, at the performance, our voices are literally tripled by the playing of the two recordings plus our live voices. It was quite the production last night and we had a good time but many of us were starting to have very tired voices by the end of the evening. It took us 4 hours which I am told is much shorter than many years in the past where they recorded for two nights and went until 1 or 2AM the second night to finish. I am looking forward to the 7 performances we have coming up in December. It will make for an even busier than normal December but I am hoping God can use our performances to reach many with the Christmas message.

As the sickness makes the rounds...

As you may remember, Shannon had pneumonia shortly after returning home from Tanzania. Then our oldest son, Brandon, had it about two weeks ago. Well, it was my turn next and I have not felt well for nearly a week now which is why I haven't been writing. I finally went to the doctor on Monday and was put on antibiotics. Today, although I still have a nasty and painful cough, is the first day I have felt remotely normal...whatever normal is.

We have not yet heard from Pastor Richard about how the meeting went regarding the land. We have an email off to him waiting for a response. Please continue to pray about the acquisition of the land as that is the first major step thatneeds to happen.

Shannon and I have been contacting a couple of diferent ministries that already have street orphan outreaches. We are hoping to receive advice and possibly even partner with one of them to develop the ministry in Mwanza.

This week is National Adoption Awareness Week. Focus on the Family and Family Life Today radio programs have teamed up this week to offer daily broadcasts about orphans, adoption and foster care. Todays broadcast on Focus on the Family was about a woman who grew up as a street orphan in Korea until the age of 6. At that time she was "rescued" by a ministry. Her story is amazing and makes our vision grow stronger. You can go to www.voiceoftheorphan.org to get more information on how every Christian can help the orphans in some way. The bible says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27

Meeting planned in Mwanza

I just received an email that on Tuesday November 14th, Pastor Richard will be going to the city council office in Mwanza about the land that the ministry is hoping to build on. Please pray for favor with the government and an unbelievably low price for this "perfect" piece of property. May they catch our vision for an orphanage/radio station/ministry center and realize what an asset this will be to their community.

Amazing God-the song

I just wanted to share with you the words to one of my current favorite worship songs. It seems to follow my theme of late. It is by Carl Cartee and is on the CD Back to You by Spring Hill Worship. It's a good one. If you haven't heard it I hope you can find it to listen to.
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AMAZING GOD

To Moses you became the great I Am
You were the faithful God of Abraham
You were the solid rock in David's hand
What you were yesterday, you are still today

Chorus:
You are the same healer,
Same redeemer
Same amazing God
You hold the world together
You will endure forever
You are the same Amazing God
Amazing God

You were amazing when you calmed the sea
You were amazing love on Calvary
And so amazing when you rescued me
What you were yesterday, you are still today

Chorus

Bridge:
Healer
Redeemer
Amazing God
Healer
Redeemer
Amazing God
What you were yesterday, you are still today

Chorus


words and music by Carl Cartee and Springhill Worship

No one but Jesus is sinless

As I have spent the past several days grieving the indiscretions of Pastor Ted Haggard I have realized that it isn't his behavior that grieves me nearly as much as the number of people that will be pulled away from Christ because of it. Unfortunately there are many non Christians out there that believe Christians do not sin...or that if they do, they are hypocrites. In reality, all of humankind, except Jesus, sins, wether they have recieved Jesus as their Lord and Savior or not. As Christians our hope should be that we will sin less and be convicted of our sins quickly and repent of them. To think a Christian will be completely sinless is unrealistic.

What the Spirit has beeen speaking to me through all of this is the importance of my personal walk as it ultimately witnesses to Jesus' power in my life. Also, as a future missionary, I am made very aware that I will be watched very closely by many and I realize that I will be expected to be strong in my walk and will be judged more harshly simply because of the position I am in. I find it all very humbling and a bit scary and pray that I can somehow do justice to what God is asking of me.

Please pray with me over these next days and weeks that the purpose of Christ not be diminished due to one man's sin and that his church is able to weather well the storm they are in. Pray for God's healing and grace on the Haggard family, the members of New Life Church and the entire Christian community.

The same God now as then

Today in the weekly video that goes with my bible study, it was asked of us if we truly realize that our God is the same God as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph? Do we believe it? Do we act like it? Pray like it? Live like it? If we have the same God then we can do the same things through Christ that those men did. Wow! This isn't necesarily new information but to be reminded of His power in all of our lives is so humbling to me.

I recently read something that I decided I wanted to add to the most recent post. That was the post where I talked about how Abraham and Moses and other biblical heroes were average people just like you and I. The following quote comes straight out of the updated version of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. "The men and women our Lord sends out on His endeavors are ordinary human people, but people who are controlled by their devotion to Him, which has been brought about through the work of the Holy Spirit."

This means that it can be any one of us as long as we are completely devoted. One of His endeavors may take place right where we live or work right now, or it may be across the world in a land of a diferent language. Either way, God can use any of us ordinary people, like Moses, Abraham, you or me, in any of His plans, at any time. Remain willing to be used and completely devoted to His will.

False Expectations Appearing Real

As I have mentioned, I have been involved in a Beth Moore bible study. I am currently working through her study called, "The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" with a group of women at our church. It involves 5 weekly lessons to do on my own and then getting together with the group to discuss it and watch about an hour long video by the author. We willl do this for 12 weeks. Unfortunately, due to my work schedule, I have been unable to make several of the group meetings but I have been able to get my hands on a copy of the video tape to watch here at home with Shannon.

One week a main topic of the study was fear and how we, today, make the people of the bible out to be some kind of spiritual super heroes. In actuality, all of the characters of the bible, except for Jesus, were just ordinary people like you and I. As I read my bible I see that God does not typically waste words. Why then did he say, "Don't fear!" over and over again to his people? My guess is that it was because the person he was talking to was...afraid. Does a superhero have fear? Not in my world. But an ordinary person, like you and I does have fear. I feel that in many ways, by assigning these people "superhero" status we are doing them a disservice. Somehow, thinking that Abraham was not battling his emotions as he held the dagger over his son Isaac, or that Moses simply said, "Behold, the bush burneth" when it spontaneously ignited in the middle of the desert doesn't seem real. I am thinking it more likely that Abraham fought his tears and that Moses jumped back and said, "Whoa!"... or something like that.

Anyway, these thoughts have helped Shannon and I as we deal with our fears of going to Tanzania. Fears of moving our family to an entirely diferent culture, fears of leaving extended family behind, fears of health and safety, fears of our inability to do something so big. Fears of wether or not our house will sell and if the funds will come in. We will definitely need God to continually remind us to "Do not be afraid." Fear is after all just False Expectations Appearing Real, isn't it? As Beth Moore said in one of her videos, "Those who God uses greatly, fear God more than they fear their fears."

We're still here!

I feel bad to have let our readers down lately. I really need to get back to writing here. As I said in my last post, I was seeing the answer to prayers but it was also causing some busyness. I have been working my mail route A LOT these past several weeks and evan was asked to carry on another route one day. We also have been ebaying some large items in an effort to turn them into cash. The children were sad to see their mini snowmobiles sold but we knew now was the time to sell them with it being the beginning of the season and because we may not be here this time next year. I have been praying for God to bless the items we sell so that they go for top dollar as we need to get rid of so much debt before we leave and the first snowmobile brought in only $100 less than we paid for it brand new several years ago. The second is on ebay now.

Last weekend End Time Glory Ministries had their Glory conference from Thursday evening through Saturday evening. What a great time that was! With all that happened there with great praise and worship, wonderful teachings and great personal ministry time, it went late each night and we got very little sleep all weekend. It was held in Willmar. We also had a guest stay with us and had a great time visiting with him. His name is Pastor Gilbert and he is a native of Kenya, on the northern border of Tanzania, but is currently living in Wisconsin. He shared with us some customs from East Africa and corrected us on some of our budding Swahili. On the Saturday of the conference the ministry had a partners dinner where we saw a video taken in Tanzania and Debra talked about the vision of the ministry in Mwanza. The video was fun to see and the people attending the dinner were excited about the ministry's plans.

Shannon and I are also trying to get some projects done before winter. We have a couple of sidewalks we need to pour and finish yet. There is still so much to do outside before the snow flies and sticks. We figure the house will likely be put on the market before the snow is gone in the spring which adds even more pressure. Then this winter, much of our free time will be spent working in the basement. We have many things we can do down there that won't cost us a lot of money due to the materials we already have. We also try to do at least 5-6 hours of Bible School each week.

We decided to renew our foster care license. It was due to expire on Dec 1st and we had talked about letting it go. We do not yet have a peace about that so we will renew and see what God has planned for that avenue of our lives. Just a couple of weeks ago we had received a call for a 14 month old girl with Down Syndrome and her 4 month old brother. I have always wanted to raise a child with Down Syndrome but both Shannon and I knew that these two little ones would have recquired much more from us than we felt we could give right now. Please pray for them, whoever they are. Although we couldn't parent them right now they are still in our hearts even though we never met them. I guess it is hard to explain the heart of a foster parent or someone that loves orphans as we do(unlesss your name is Barb-LOL).

I have several things that I have learned about in my recent study with Beth Moore and I will definitely need to dedicate a couple of posts to that. This particular study I am doing is called The Patriarchs and is about Abraham, Isaac and Joseph. It is a wonderful study and seems to fit our lives right now. The uncertainty of moving into "our promised land" and all of the fears that accompany those plans are being addressed in the study. More on that later.

God's Continuous Provision

Whew! I'm sorry I haven't been here for a few days. The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity around here. I, Christine have been working a lot. I also joined a Beth Moore bible study. If you are familiar with her studies they are pretty intense with a lot of homework. Then last Thursday I finally did something I have wanted to do for more than 14 years. I joined the chuch choir. Last weekend we had a choir "retreat" on both Saturday and Sunday where the music for the annual church Christmas musical was introduced to the choir and I was away at that all day both days.

As I stated, I have wanted to join the church choir for years. First, when we attended the small Baptist church where we got saved, then later at our current church. As a mom I find it hard to take time for myself and when my children were younger it was even more dificult. I always told myself that when my children got older I would join. Then we started having younger foster children and the time just never seemed right. I am pretty excited to be able to participate in the over 70 member choir and have had fun so far. I'm also looking forward to the musical. We will be putting on the play, "The Christmas Shoes." It is sure to be a tear jerker and will keep me very busy during the month of December when we will participate in 7 performances.

The title of my post is what I wish to write about now. While Shannon was away in Tanzania he took three weeks off from work. Unfortunately, he only receives one week of vacation per year. That meant his last paycheck pretty much didn't exist. The first paycheck of the month is what usually pays our mortgage. Long story short, we are in a financial bind. We have several items we are trying to turn into cash but the buyers just haven't come forward yet. About two weeeks ago I started praying for God to provide as He always does. Two days after I started praying I received a phone call from the mail carrier I substitute drive for. It was harvest time and he wanted me to work a Saturday through Saturday. Then just this weekend he extended it by two more days. As crazy as it makes my life with homeschooling and all of the other things going on, I could easily see the answer to prayer in the equation. As Shannon an I were talking the other night, it seems that everytime we get truly desperate financially, the mail route is often where God brings that money in. When Shannon had his back surgery and was unable to work for several months, the regular carrier had a serious car accident, providing me with a full-time job for a couple of months until he could return to work. Anyway, all this to say, that although the mortgage payment is late this month and we have had to use spare change to buy gas and millk, God is always faithful. We are eating out of our well stocked pantry and praising Him for always answering our prayers.

Shannon and Collin's trip to Tanzania-In Summary

Collin and I wish to thank you for your support. Wether it was financial or in prayer or both, it all played a big part in our travels. The trip was life-changing for both of us and the purposes for our journey were fulfilled. As you already know we had several goals in mind for our time in Tanzania.

#1-Evangelism-There were 962 salvations during the meetings and crusades that we were involved in. Collin and I were mainly involved in the children's ministry as well as going out into the crowds to speak one on one with the people. Many of those who received salvation were Muslims and there were several members of the Masai tribe. There were also many healings.

#2-to confirm the call of God on our lives for the people of Tanzania-As you already know, we are feeling that God is calling us to move to Tanzania to be involved in working with orphans and widows, as well as the development of a Christian radio station. I spent much of our trip grieving the losses our family will endure. This move is going to come at a great cost to our family as well as loved ones staying behind. I feel it would be so much easier to just walk away from this whole idea, but I also know that if this is where God wants us, we must obey or it will be even more costly. This isn't about us, but rather we need to remain in His will. I am confident now that God is wanting us to be involved with this particular ministry.

#3-to affect Collin's heart-The call we are feeling as a family has been a scary thing for all of us but especially for him. He was really struggling with the whole idea, understandably. We wanted him to see that Tanzania is not the end of the world but rather the other side of it. One day, while in Mwanza, he wrote in his journal, "We will leave in 2-3 days. I'm not completely sure I'm ready to go home. In fact, I'm not." I realize that 2+ weeks is nothing like living there but he has expressed to us that he is much less fearful and even a bit excited for the adventure to come and to go back to some of the friends he made there. He was also baptized in the spirit while we were there and received an encouraging prophecy over his life that he has "healing hands."

#4-to find and purchase land for the ministry-We found a 30+ acre plot of what seems to be perfect land. It lies in a valley surrounded by hills and has many mango trees. The main city of Mwanza lies just on the other side of the hills so it is remote without being too rural. The final purchase is still pending but it has been placed in the hands of a minister over there that the ministry is working with. The government has had favorable reactions to the ministry's vision. Please continue to pray as we wait on the finalization of that purchase.

I now feel it is time for us to begin our preparations to move. The ministry is wanting us over there by August of 2007 if possible. We will truly need God to do a major work for this to happen that quickly. We have our home to sell and everything in it, as well as our vehicles. We also need to raise the monthly support necesarry for us to be a part of this vision. We would very much apreciate if you would begin praying about how God can use you in this ministry. Wether it be that you join one of the many teams that will be travelling to Tanzania short-term to do contruction work or, later, support work or that you be involved in our monthly financial and/or prayer support team. Maybe you, or someone you know would be interested to come over longer-term at a later date to help with the hands-on of working in an orphanage. It is going to take many, many people for this ministry to be effective. Thanks again for your prayers. Keep them coming as we are just beginning.

Shannon and Collin's trip to Tanzania-a future in Mwanza

We spent a bit of our time in Mwanza doing a couple of things in preparation for the ministy's future in Mwanza. One afternoon we looked at several homes that were for rent. We looked at them to get an idea of what kind of housing is out there for our family when we arrive. The plan at this point is that our family will live in a rental until our living quarters are built on the ministry compound. I discovered that it will be a much diferent lifestyle than we are currently in. We will have running water but we will need to boil it to be able to drink it. As of now, the electricity in Mwanza is only on from 6PM to 6AM. The reason for this is because thier electricity is generated by hydropower. With the awful drought in East Africa right now, electricity is a precious commodity. This also means that most of our cooking will be done over an open fire. Nearly all homes in Mwanza have an outdoor kitchen even if they have an indoor one for this exact reason. When Christine was there two years ago they had electricity 24 hours per day so this is a situation that could change-for the better or the worse. Refrigeration is, of course, also an issue. No doubt our home will be much smaller than we are used to but overall I thought there were some nice homes available. Unfortunately, we discovered that the rent increased DRAMATICALLY when they found out it was white Americans looking. I know that we will find one that will work when we get there.

We also took a day to go look at land that might work for the ministry compound. As I stated earlier, the land we originally had in mind was too near a military base. The government did not approve of foreigners being that close to the base, understandably. We drove on a winding bumpy road for several miles. We then parked and were led through a small village. As we left the village and crested a hill we knew this was it.
We stood on the hill looking out over a 30+ acre valley nestled amongst hills on all sides. Scattered here and there on the property were mango trees. Mango trees are beautiful as they are this big perfectly round crown of leaves on top of a straight trunk. Several of us on the team truly felt that this was the place that God had chosen as soon as we saw it. Although we had driven several miles to get to it, the city of Mwanza actually lies just on the other side of the hills on one end. We will be within walking distance of the city for those working with us or needing what the ministry has to offer. The ministy's long-term vision is for an orphanage, a small clinic, a radio station, a school and a church and anything else that God leads. There are no squatters living on the land currently although part of it was being farmed. In Tanzania the government owns the land. In order to buy it, we need to be working with a native Tanzanian who will legally own it. We need to pay off anyone currently using the land and then pay the government to survey it. With no one living on it that makes it much easier as we only need to work with those farming on it. Pastor Richard is right now working on getting this to happen for the ministry.(And yippee! Our first attempt at posting a picture worked! Stay tuned as we may try to go add some in earlier posts over the next few days.)

Overall the team was pleased with what we had found in regards to the future there. Wayne and Rev Debra believe that Tanzania will be the African home base of the ministry as they travel to the other Eastern Africa countries of Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and more. It is likely that Christine and I will do a lot of traveling with the ministry when they come over as well. We are looking forward to seeing and meeting more of the wonderful land and people of East Africa.

Shannon and Collin's trip to Tanzania-Ministry in Mwanza

The next day began 5 days of ministry in the city of Mwanza. Mwanza is the second largest city in Tanzania. It is located in the northwestern corner of the county on the southeastern shore of Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world behind Lake Superior in the northern midwestern United States. The population of the city is aproximately 1.2 million and of the region(similar to a county) is aproximately 2.9 million.

We had 3 days for a pastoral conference. The conference was very powerful and by the end of our time there all of the pastors were on their faces before God, humbled and begging for more of God in their ministries. Rev. Debra had a prophecy for each pastor there. What a great and wonderful time it was and each member of the team was touched as well.

There were also 4 days of open-air crusades. These were held outdoors near Pastor Richard's church. Collin and I participated in the children's ministry doing puppets and skits. Each night there was a teaching given by Rev. Debra that included a skit. Then after that she would do an altar call and send members of the team out into the crowd to speak with people. There was a bar across the street from our meeting place and one of the team members went in there with her interpreter to bring people to the front. One night I, along with my interpreter Alex, were talking to a man that was hesitant to come forward. Alex was getting ready to move on when I told him to wait. I asked Alex to tell this man that this could possibly be the last time he would have someone ask him to do this. Also that he would be reminded of this night on judgement day. The man ended up going forward. By the end of the 4 days there were 522 new Christians in Mwanza and 21 people filled with the Holy Spirit. There were several healings. One was a woman that had a tumor on her stomache that we could literally see and feel. She had been told by the doctors she needed surgery and was in the process of saving money for that. She came forward for prayer and by the time she left we could literally see and feel that the tumor was completely gone.

We also spent a Sunday service in Pastor Richard's church. The building had been built since Christine's visit two years earlier. According to pictures that Christine and I have of his first church and this one, the new one is at least twice, maybe three times the size of his former building. The church was packed the day we were there. It was a good service and I miss their style of worship and their music already. In many ways, I can't wait to get back to Mwanza. The worship and the people are two very big reasons.

On another note, my bronchitis ended up being pneumonia but the antibiotics seem to be kicking it. I am feeling much better. Thank you for your prayers.

Shannon and Collin's trip to Tanzania-Back to Mwanza

As I said, we were waiting expectantly for the ferry to take us back to Mwanza. A great ride this would be, compared to the trip over. As the ferry docked and lowered it's gate for us to board, we were greeted by an entire deck full of longhorn cattle. In order to get to the upper deck of the ferry we had to climb up and over piles of pallets and bags of cargo. We thought this was supposed to be a simple 8 hour ferry ride back to the mainland but we stopped at island after island after island to add even more cargo to the already full boat. Collin was pretty sick by this time. He had a cold when we left home and it had moved into his sinuses. He slept most of the trip. As it got dark they turned the lights on and the bugs came out in swarms. They were ferocious. Finally, 12 hours after leaving the island we arrived into the port at Mwanza. We later discovered the reason that the trip took so long was because the ferry was so grossly overloaded he wanted to be sure they came in after dark to avoid paying the taxes. Anyway, at this point we all wanted off this ferry and back to our better accomodations at the hotel in Mwanza. In order for us to leave the ferry we had two choices-wait for an hour or two while they unloaded all of the cargo and cattle, or climb over all of it. We climbed, literally. We had thought getting on was an adventure but after stopping at all of the islands on the rest of the trip, our tiny "walkway" had now become more of a mountain. We climbed up, up and up over bags and bags of dried fish and who knows what else. It was about three feet wide on top of these bags and if you fell one way you would fall into the lake. If you fell the other way you landed amongst the longhorns. We all made it off the ferry with all of our stuff.

After a good nights rest in Mwanza we awoke for a day off. During our group devotional time Collin was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues(Acts 1:8). Later, Pastor Richard took us to look at temporary housing for our family once we arrive there and until the compound is built. I discovered that even as nice as some of the housing was for there, it was still very primitive to what we are accustomed to. I also discovered that prices would go up when it was discovered that it would be Americans renting.

Next we went to an internet cafe where I was able to log on to instant messenger and discovered Christine waiting for me. She had known that this was the day we would likely be near computers and had been online and awake since 2AM. Funny thing is, I came on right at the time she normally gets up. She could have slept until 6:30 as normal. We instant messaged for about 45 minutes as I also tried to read the 10 daily emails she had sent since we had left. It was good to check in and I realized how much I missed her. We were supposed to look at land this day but the land we had been planning to look at we had discovered was too near a military installation for the government to allow us to be on as foreigners. It was decided we would look in 4 more days, on Saturday.

Please pray for me as I am currently fighting a case of bronchitis that we believe came from the same virus that gave Collin a sinus infection. I am finally on antibiotics today but still running a fever.

Shannon and Collin's trip to Tanzania-Maisome Island

After the long day of travel by a mechanically unstable bus and a leaky boat, the idea of a nice bed sounded pretty good. We approached the guest house by flashlight and were shown to our individual rooms. Yes, that's right, we each had our very own room, or so it seemed. My room consisted of a twin sized bed , with sheets. There was no pillow. The room was just big enough to fit the bed lengthwise and about two feet wider than the bed. It was very dark because it was an inside room with no windows. Even during the day I had to use a flashlight to find things in my luggage. We all went to bed and I slept fairly well until about 2AM when I woke up ready to go with nowhere to go. As I lay there I could hear heavy breathing under my floor. The floor was made up of boards with spaces between them. I lay there wondering what could be under there. Was it people? With all of the witchcraft on the island could it be something demonic? I tried shining my flashlight between the boards but couldn't see enough. As it began to get light outside and the light shone from underneath the building I could see that my heavy breathing friends were pigs. Other members of the team reported bats in thier rooms and one night Collin had a rat fall from the rafters in his room onto his bed right next to his head. He wrote in his journal that he "didn't sleep well the rest of the night."

It was immediately obvious that the village we were in was a fishing village as all of the island villages are. They would catch thousands of minnows and spread them on the ground to dry, then rake them up to send to market. The beach was covered with small wooden fishing boats. There is no electricity on the island except for when they use generators. Of course they didn't run those much due to the cost of fuel. Fuel over there costs around $7-8 per gallon. And we thought we were paying too much here in the U.S.

We were on the island at the invitation of Pastor Jams. Pastor James is a former witch doctor who came from a line of witch doctors. The stories he shared were incredible. Ultimately the most important thing of his testimony, in my opinion, is that even the bad guys know God's power. That witch doctors themselves admit to being unable to overcome the protection that surrounds a true Christian. I know Christine wrote a post about Pastor James on September 14th if you want to read more about him.

We spent the next 3 days doing pastoral teachings in the mornings and open-air crusades in the late afternoons. While we were on the island there were 440 salvations and 70 Christians filled with the Holy Spirit(Acts 1:8). There were also many healings-eyes, ears, and stomache pain.

Although we enjoyed our time ministering to the people of Maisome Island, I think it is fair to say that when we saw the ferry coming toward the island to pick us up, we were ready to go back to Mwanza. And, boy did that ferry look like a heavenly ride compared to the boat we had been on to get there but we didn't know yet what was to come with that either. Let's just say that we were all very surprised when the ferry let down its gate to let us on.

Shannon and Collin's trip-more travel

That morning once we were up and around, we travelled from Kilamanjaro airport to Mwanza on a mid-sized turbo prop plane. The flight was just over an hour. We enjoyed looking out the window to see some of the landscape. Like Christine, we saw the land change from brown and dusty to green as we arrived closer to Mwanza which is located on the shores of Lake Victoria. After a warm welcome at the airport we were taken to the Monarche Hotel. Shortly after our arrival we met as a team for devotions. It was during this time that Collin received a word over him that he would have healing hands and would be greatly used by God. Also, that he was there for one reason but that God had more in mind. That evening we went to Pastor Richard and Gertrude's home for supper then returned to the hotel.

Christine had warned me about the 5AM Muslim call to prayer. I was expecting to wake up to that but did not hear it. I guess our hotel had better walls and the sound of the ceiling fan covered it up. Some others of our team did hear it but they were on the other side of the hotel.

Off to the island we go. What an adventure! We were to be ready by 7:30AM. We ended up being late due to discussions with hotel staff about our luggage. The ferry should have been gone by the time we arrived but it was there and we just had time to get on. The bus we were to board was already on the ferry, ready to take us on the first leg of our journey. The bus had to have been at least 50 years old. It was pathetic. As we sat in our seats watching them clicking wires together to start this thing we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. Another bus in front of us ended up pulling us off the ferry and to get us started. Here we were on roads that weren't fit for even a bicycle. As bad as we thought the roads were when we started, they only got worse as we went further. We had to stop many times to add water to the radiator and the motor killed several times but we always had enough momentum to pop the clutch and get it started again. The total time on the bus was 6 hours of bumpy, dusty roads. Ugh.

Finally, already exhausted, we arrived at a tiny fishing village where a chartered boat ride had been arranged to take us to Maisome Island. Rev. Debra was shocked to see what arrived. Our boat was an old wooden fishing boat. It looked like something one imagines in biblical times. It had the rounded bottom and sides. It was maybe 40 feet long and 12 feet across. It had two outboard engines and they managed to keep at least one of them running...most of the time. To get on the boat we had to climb a ladder and go up and over the bow of the boat. There were no life jackets. We were joined by about a 50 member choir that Pastor James, from the island had invited along. Some members of the team became a bit nervous as they noticed water coming in at their feet. Out came the buckets and some passengers began bailing water out of the boat. They only had to do this once. We were coming towards an island and thought this must be it. Nope, we were just stopping for gas on a neighboring island. We continued on to arrive at Maisome Island about 3 hours after boarding the boat.

At the island we were greeted enthusiastically by a church choir. As we got off the boat they took our luggage and escorted us to the guest house. Unfortunately by this time it was quite dark so we were unable to see much. As we approached what would be our home for the next four nights we were truly unsuspecting of what was to come and who or what our sleeping companions would be. That is another story for yet another day.

Shannon and Collin's trip to Tanzania-getting there

Shannon and I will be sitting down together to write the next several posts. He will be telling stories from the trip while I type them. I hope you enjoy what he has to share. Shannon say he is sorry it took us so long to get to this but he has been busy and very tired since returning home.

We arrived at the Minneapolis airport and our biggest concern for the moment was that one of the team members passport was beginning to peel along the edge right where the picture was. The local passport authorities had told us she would never even get on the first plane and were concerned she would even try. They said that even if she got through Minneapolis she would never get through Amsterdam. In Minneapolis nobody said a word about her passport. It was a very long flight of about 10 hours. Collin and I were in the center of the plane and I was almost feeling clausterphobic. Finally we arrived in Amsterdam. We had a 4 hour layover there. I was surprised to discover that there was smoking everywhere and the gender signs to the bathrooms seemed to make no diference whatsoever on who one might find inside. I was inside a stall and heard several women and girls come in. At first I thought, "Oh man! Did I get in the wong one? " But I was nearly certain I hadn't. When I came out there was a woman janitor in there cleaning and a little girl changing her siblings diaper. There were the very telling symbols known as urinals hanging on the walls and sure enough, on the outside of the door as I stepped out there was a mens sign.

When it came time to board the plane to Africa I thought the security there was very lax. Not only was there no questions asked about Stephanie's passport but it seemed like we could have taken nearly anything on the plane there. Now it was time for another long flight of about the same length to Kilamanjaro International airport. The airport is located right near Mount Kilamanjaro in the northeast corner of Tanzania. It was a much more comfortable trip. I had an aisle seat and Collin slept most of the flight. We arrived at Kilamanjaro and stayed at the "hotel" right near the airport. The hotel consisted of small hut-like buildings. Each one had two rooms and each room had three twin sized beds. Unfortunately we arrived after dark into Tanzania so couldn't see much. We decided it was time to spread out in our beds and try to get some sleep as we knew we had more travel in the morning. I woke up ready to go at 5:05. Then I looked at my watch again and realized it was only 1:25. I had mixed up the hands. I didn't sleep much after that but I did some praying and the word "impartation" was stuck in my mind and the song, "Your Name" by Paul Baloche and Kathryn Scott. Here is the chorus:
"Your Name, is a strong mighty tower
Your Name, is a shelter like no other
Your Name, let the nations sing it louder
Cause nothing has the power to save but Your Name. "
The song ran through my mind over and over as I waited for the new day to begin.

So many stories to tell

There are so many things that the guys have shared with me that it is almost hard to know where to start. I also want Shannon to tell the stories direct to you but since he is a bad typist he will likely tell me as I type for some posts. This first story, I am going to share with you as he told it to me Tuesday evening. It's a good one!

Shannon has a CPAP machine that helps him to sleep at night as he has a condition called sleep apnea. Anyway, this machine is in a type of duffel bag that he has carried with him as he travels or is on the road for his job. He opened the bag and used the machine his first night in Tanzania while at the hotel near the Kilamanjaro airport. Then he used it again the next night in Mwanza. The third night they were in Tanzania, they had been through very tough travel conditions to arrive at Maisome Island in Lake Victoria. Then at their arrival they realized that the living conditions were also very dificult. There will be more about the travel and tripto the island to come. Anyway, about this time Shannon was wondering what he was doing there and feeling a bit down. As he got ready for bed, he opened up the bag carrying his machine and there, right on top of the machine, as if it had been purposely laid there, was a tri-folded letter from a friend that Shannon had recieved at a spiritual retreat 7 months ago! The letter reads as follows:

"Nothing is better for a man than...that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. Ecclesiastes 2:24

Since ascending to heaven, Christ no longer has a body on earth except ours. In other words, He has no hands, legs or feet on earth except for the members of His body, the church. Therefore, He sends US out to be HIs body to one another and to the world, and to go about doing good. Remember this: Right now Jesus has no body on earth but ours!

I thank God that we could share the same path this weekend."

Than it is signed by his friend. Shannon found that to be so incredibly encouraging at a time that he needed it so badly. How did that letter get there? And where was it the previous 7 months when that bag had been used and used? Not only did Shannon find it encouraging but he shared this with those he was travelling with and it also lifted me up as he told me. I hope you too can be encouraged as we were.

They're home!

I just wanted to post a quick note to let you know that Shannon and Collin arrived home safely this afternoon. They are healthy and happy but tired. Shannon does not return to work until Thursday and we are not sending Collin back to school until then as well. Tomorow is a catch up on sleep, unpack the bags and get rested day for them. We will post some stories of their travels soon. It was an amazing trip and there is a lot to tell.

The latest news from Tanzania

Thank you so much for your prayers over these past weeks. I am attaching the email from Rev. Debra that arrived this morning. It sounds like it has been an amazing time in Tanzania for the team to be a part of.

One of the things I have been praying very hard for is the salvation of members of the Masai tribe. When I was in Tanzania two years ago I was awed by these beautiful people. They are a nomadic tribe that raises cattle and move with the grass and water. These people are known to be very honorable and are highly respected by everyone but they are steeped in tribal religions. It seems a part of my prayer for that was answered. Please pray for Christianity to spread through their people.

Also, much of the reason for Shannon and Collin's trip to Tanzania was to confirm the calling that God has placed on us for Tanzania and to find land for the ministry. It looks like both of these have happened! Praise the Lord! It also looks like my family will be eating mangoes.

The kids and I will drive to the airport to pick them up tomorrow. Pray for their safe return.

Love,

Christine

-------Original Message-------

From: Debra Zimmer

Date: 09/25/06 06:03:51

Subject: I't been a great trip

Hello everyone,

Just a little report to let you all know that we are doing good. The guys

left this morning to fly back to the states while us girls are getting ready

for our minimum of 12 hour bus trip to Rwanda tomorrow morning. We leave

the hotel at 4am.

We have seen a wonderful harvest of over 960 people saved so far and 91

people receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Our meetings have been

powerful. I think the highlight has been the Pastor's conference - There

was such a move of the spirit the last day that every pastor except of 2

were either on their knees or face crying out to God to change them and

bring revival in their churches. We have so many different denominations and

non-denominational pastors. They said they had never experienced a

conference as powerful as that one. So many had called Pastor Richard and

told him. The second day of the conference I called out a man and a wife

and they were Assembly of God pastors - I prophecied over them about some

things that had been thru and was about to take place in their ministry -

they had been thru something so difficult and were asked to leave the church

for 18 months but then the headquarter said that they were wrong and could

not find evidence of what they were accused of. They laid on the floor and

cried and cried - and they said they would never never be the same - they

said they felt we were sent in by God to encourage them cuz they had felt

like quiting the ministry.

Our open air has been so exciting - we had many Maasi tribal men in their

tribal clothes come forward to get saved and also Muslum. Children's

ministry has been a big hit!!

So many healings - let me mention two - a woman had a tumor in her stomach

and she had went to the hospital and they said she needed surgery so she

needed to save money. She came to our crusade and was prayed for and her

tumor disappeared. Another woman was from far away...she had come to Mwanza

to get treatment on her feet because they were so painful...God healed her

instantly. She was so so happy and danced and danced. So many more

healings....deaf ears...eye sight restored...pain in eyes for

years....gallbladder....pain in body....and more.

We had a move of God in Pastor Richard's church yesterday - his church is a

new building that was built 3 times larger than the building he had 2 years

ago when I was here - it was packed out - we had many new believers from the

crusade come. Our ministry is going to give out bibles to everyone that

didn't have a bible - I think we will need 30 - 40 bibles.

We looked for land on Saturday for the orphanage and radio tower. We found

the perfect piece of land - it is about 30 acres and it has some beautiful

hills on it and some of it is flat with mango trees. Shannon was so excited

cuz it was out in the country - he said he is going home to prepare to come

to Tanzania with his family to oversee this part of our ministry. He was so

touched by the people and their love and the people are so excited that the

family is coming in to live. The land is out in the country but maybe

only a few miles to town.

Thanks again for all your prayers - God is moving in a great way in Tanzania

and you are all a part of it. I will leave part of my heart here....I

really do love this country deeply.

We will be in Rwanda on Monday and arrive into Mpls. at noon on Tuesday.

Blessings and love,

Debra

Truth, the whole truth and nothing but...

It is not often that when I put my foot in my mouth I am able to pull it out gracefully but this will be my attempt to do so. Please stick with me.

On Friday morning I received an email newsletter from a ministry and I was immediately struck by what it was telling me. The general topic of the email was that we must be aware of ministers or those claming to be that are not speaking the truth. We must be wary of those religious leaders that are mixing the truth with deception. Once they start doing that it becomes hard to discern the diference between the two and we can easily be misled.

I reposted this in its entirity without researching it further...without discovering the truth for myself...by doing exactly what the newsletter had just warned me about-taking a religious leaders words as truth without comparing it to God's word and researching it myself.

I have a dear friend that is a wonderful Christian that called me on this Saturday evening. They say iron sharpens iron and she did so. She actually took the time to research the comments in the newslettter and discovered that there was some...uh, altering of words, stretching the truth, and false accusations made in the newsleter about a prominent Christian leader. She then commented about it through my blog. As soon as I received the comment I began researching it myself and immediately pulled the post off the blog. I am so glad I was able to do this. I spent several hours in research as well as time in prayer. I also spoke by phone with this friend to further clarify my thoughts. I am planning to email this ministry to tell them of my concerns that they are doing exactly what they are trying to warn about.

So...ultimately, I wish to apologize to anyone that read that post before it was removed. I also want to do exactly what I was trying to do through the original post and that is to warn you of false teachers. To remind you to have an ongoing relationship with Jesus and read your bible and be familiar with it so that you can recognize false teachings. My wish is to never hurt anyone or mislead them through this blog or anything else I may write or say and I certainly do not wish to be a part of spreading any falsehoods. Again, I apologize.

Rewritten and reposted on Sunday 9/24 10:23PM

"Only 5 more days"

I think it would be fair to say that the children and I here at home are ready for Shannon and Collin to be home. As each day passes we have two calenders that we cross the day off on and count the days that are left. And during each day as we talk about missing them we continue to remind each other of how many days are left. Even after this long alone in our bed, I still don't sleep well at night. I figured by this time exhaustion would set in from all of the lost sleep and I'd be able to crash through a whole night but I'm not. Each time I wake up, several times per night, I find myself adding 8 hours to my time and praying for the team based upon what I figure they are doing. While in Mwanza, pastoral teachings are in the mornings and the crusades are in the late afternoon and into the evening.

Often I hear of middle aged couples who end up divorced once thier nest is empty. They realize that they have lost touch with each other in the child raising years. I remember when I travelled to Tanzania two years ago. Before I left I thought that I would miss the children most of all. As a homeschooling mom, my days are totally wrapped up in the children. I take care of the schooling, the doctors appointments, the music lessons and activities. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how quickly and how much I missed Shannon. Sure, I missed the kids but my thoughts were mainly on him. I felt very reassured, that although we've come through many tough years in our marriage, our marriage is very strong. In fact, our marriage is strong not despite our troubled years, but because of them.

Although I miss the guys terribly, I am very excited to hear of the reports they will have, when they return, of salvations and healings in Mwanza. Please pray that the harvest of souls in Mwanza will be great.

Rev. Debra's email from Tanzania

Hello everyone,

We have just returned from the island last night and the group is doing very

good!!!

It has been a trip beyond trips and it is so unbelievable what we have

experienced....starting with Stephanie arriving into Tanzania without a

problem.....we were told by the passport office in Willmar that she would

never get out of Mpls. because of her passport picture that was coming apart

and they were very alarmed that we would even try. God is faithful, there

was no question asked the entire trip and we know she will get home the same

way... thru a miracle. Thanks for your prayers!!!!!

Our trip to the island was so exciting. We starting with a bus ride that

lasted about 6 hours - a public bus on very rough roads and no stops for

bathroom breaks. We were all pretty tired and aching when we arrived to the

port where we would be taking a boat 3 hours to Maisome Island and everyone

was in good spirits and still smiling and praising God - but when I saw the

boat that we were going to take, I could hardly believe my eyes....it was

NOT what I was expecting. I was expecting a ferry, but this was a very old

and small boat and to get in the boat you had to climb a tall ladder -

Everyone else did much better than me....I don't like heights - I climbed

the ladder 3 times before I could get the nerve to go to the top and swing

my foot into the boat - (I did it, but with alot of help of course from

others hanging on to me. It was unbelievable and we sat on wooden benches -

it was really exciting being we had never experience this before until I saw

the water coming into the bottom of the boat...we starting praying!!! God is

faithful. When we got to the island, we were welcomed by many who were

singing songs of praise as we got off the boat. We were taken to a little

quest house and were met with bats and rats in our rooms. We took authority

over these things and plead the blood and for the most part sleep well the

next 4 nights. Thank you Jesus for the Blood!!!!! Not one curse could touch

out group - we have received greater revelation of the blood.

Thank you for your prayers - we have felt them as we battled many things

including witchcraft in the spirit, but we seen victory and the fruit was

so great. We were the first white people to preach on the island and it was

such a priviledge. The conference was packed out with people standing

around the church everyday because there was no room in the church. The

church was so hungry and so excited that we had come. We have heard reports

that many many said that they will never be the same. The pastor of the

church is under our ministry - His name is Pastor James and he is an

ex-witchdoctor that is so totally sold out to God. His church has grown to

about 250 from 30 people when I met him 4 years ago at the first conference

that I did with a team. We had a divine appointmnet on that island and we

are definitely going back next year.

The open- air meetings have been powerful on the island. There were over

400 people saved. The exciting thing is when the power of God was so strong

at the conference and the Sunday church service that people walked up front

without an invititation. Revival fires are truly burning on this island - I

love to go where no one else goes - What a priviledge it was, yes!! the

living conditions for us while on the island was such a little price in

comparison to the souls that were saved and so many healings, such as eye

sight being restored and deaf ears being opened and so much more. This

island will trully never be the same!!!

We took a 12 hour ferry ride going home - It was really easy in comparison

to the way we went to the island. The only hard part was the way we left

the ferry. Because we didn't want to wait until they unloaded the ferry

from the cargo that was on it, which would of taken another hour, we had to

walk on top of bags of fish that were stacked up more than 2 stories high. I

couldn't look down, my legs were shaking - Lake Victoria was on the

immediate left and cows were down below on the immediate right with the

largest horns I have ever seen. God's grace is sufficient - we have seen

that He is faithful and when we do what we never thought we could do, we can

do it because we trust Him and look into his face.

The team is wonderful - there has been unity from day one and each one is

being changed and touched and being used in ways they never believed

possible.

Thank you so much for all your prayers.....we couldn't do it without you!!!

Prayer is so necessary. You are part of all that God does while we are here

in Tanzania and Rwanda.

Continue to pray, we are looking for land tomorrow for the orphanage, radio

station, etc. We also start the Pastor's conference in Mwanza tomorrow

which will go thru Friday and we will be starting the open-air in Mwanza

Thursday thru Sunday.

Love, Debra

News from Tanzania

Well, after being awake most of the night and leaving the computer online in hopes of hearing from Shannon, this morning, just as I would normally get up, he logged into instant messenger. We had about 45 minutes andchatted the whole time. He is a one finger typist so his comments were very short but here is what I have found out.

Collin left here with a cold. It ended up turning into a sinus infection and he is on medication and getting better. They are going to look at land, now as I type this, at two diferent locations. The living conditions at the island were very dificult and the travel tough as well but now that they are back in Mwanza it is much better. Collin has recieved the baptism of the Holy Spirit! Refer to Acts 1:8. There have been many salvations and healings at the island and ministry in Mwanza begins tomorrow. He was so excited to hear my news about the well drilling rig being in Tanzania. He could hardly wait to share it with Rev. Debra and Pastor Richard.

I most likely will not hear from them again now until we pick them up at the airport next Tuesday. Only Shannon, Collin and Mike are returning next week while the rest of the team continues on for a weeek to go to Rwanda.

Rev. Debra emailed and I got quite a bit more info from that to share. I will put that in a seperate post. Please keep praying.

Anxiously waiting

As I am writing this Rev. Debra, Shannon, Collin and the others should be waking to the sound of the Muslim call to prayer. Several times each day the call is issued over huge speakers that broadcast across the larger cities of which Mwanza is one. I recall that during my stay there I used the call each morning to pray to my own God, the only true God and for the people that were answering that call. I hope and pray that when we eventually arrive in Mwanza full-time we can play a part in showing many people, including muslims, the way to Christ.

Today, in Mwanza, Rev Debra, Shannon, Collin and Pastor Richard are meeting with government officials to look at land and discuss our vision. Please pray for favor. Also, today is the day they will be looking at rental housing for us while we wait for the mission housing to be built. I am also hopeful that I will receive an email from either Shannon or Rev. Debra or both. Hopefully by the time I post tomorrow I will have some news from them to share.

Please also keep me in your prayers. I am missing my guys pretty bad and ready to have them home. As I look at the calendar and realize we are already halfway through this separation, I then realize that we are only halfway through.

Connections

I never cease to be amazed by God's ways. Shannon and I have been praying for many things over these past few months. One thing is for connections. We are asking God to put people in our lives that will work with us in any way to accomplish His purpose in Tanzania. There have been several instances just this week that I want to share about.

First, last Sunday evening, as we broke up into our new small groups at our church and began visiting with others, Shannon was talking with the leader. Jeff and his wife actually have lived across the street from my parents for several years and began attending our church about a year ago. In our large church and with our busy lives we have never really connected much. Anyway, during their conversation last week about Shannon's then pending trip, Jeff shared that he knows someone that has a well-drilling rig in Africa. He said he'd try to find out where they were located. Well, tonight as I returned to our group, Jeff came to tell me excitedly that the well-drilling rig is in Tanzania! The man owning it has already drilled several wells for the president of Tanzania. He travels there twice per year to do more drilling. Jeff plans to get even more information to us soon.

Second, on Monday, on the trip home from dropping off the team at the airport, I stopped at a restraunt with my two children that are homeschooled to have lunch. In talking with our server she told us that she knits scarves for orphanages around the world. She agreed with me that we probably wouldn't need a lot of those on the equator but shared that she has a friend in the Minneapolis area that knits teddy bears for orphanages. We exchanged information in hopes that we can connect again once things are set up.

Lastly, tonight while Jeff and I were talking about the well drilling, another member of our small group asked what we were talking about. Jim is another person in our church we didn't have an earlier connection with. He shared that he previously worked as an engineer and his career was to consult on the best placement of high-output wells. He said that with the help of an infrared picture he would be able to tell the best place to drill a well.

There are many more examples similar to these I could share that have occurred over these past months. I believe that as long as Shannon and I continue to step out in faith and pray for these connections, God will continue to answer. Please join us in praying for all of the pieces of this puzzle to continue to fall into place.

The team should be waking up as I write this. Today is the day they will travel by an 8 hour boat ride from the island back to Mwanza. Pray for their safe travel and rest once they arrive at their hotel. I am hoping to hear something from them by email on either Monday or Tuesday.

Learning New Things

Over the past few months nearly everything I do, I do with thoughts of Africa in my head. When I see something I want to buy I think, "Do I need this?" If the answer is yes I buy it, but if the answer is no, then I think, "is this something I would take wih me to Tanzania?" If the answer is yes then I may buy it but if the answer is no I realize that it will be just another item to get rid of before we move so I leave it on the store shelf. Last week the kids and I went on a field trip to see honey bees and how the bee keeper collects honey. As I watched the demonstration I wondered, "is this something we could do in Tanzania? What a great treat this would be for the orphans and we could even sell some at the market." Today as I canned my first batch of applesauce and apple butter ever, from the first batch of apples the trees we planted several years ago produced, I wondered if I would do this in Tanzania. Our family loves applesauce and it would be wonderful to be able to continue to have it over there. By the way, I got 9 quarts and 3 pints of apple sauce and 4 pints of apple butter out of our two tiny little trees.

I think one of my biggest concerns about moving is finding ways to feed my family over there. Although I do make many things from scratch even those meals are made with preprocessed ingredients. My chicken here is processed and frozen. I have never had to pluck a chicken here. My beef can be bought by certain cuts here. Over there, you ask for beef and they go cut a chunk of beef straight off the cow hanging in the corner.

I will be fortunate to have the help of Pastor Richard's wife, Gertrude, as well as some women from his church to help me learn the new ways needed to live over there. Fortunately, I love to be learning something new all of the time. This is part of the reason I read so much as well as one of the many reasons we homeschool our children. I realize more and more all of the time what a good thing that will be once we move to Tanzania.

Today, the team should still be on Maisome Island. Sunday morning they will be splitting up to attend churches there on the island as well as doing a crusade in the evening. I am very much looking forward to church here tomorrow. I love our church family and love even more the praise and worship time together.

Pastor James-the former witch doctor

Today, Thursday, Collin and Shannon and the team should have arrived on Maisome Island in Lake Victoria. Maisome Island is a mid sized strip of land. I believe it is about 10 miles long and 2 miles wide. It has no electricity or vehicles, no cell phones or regular phones. In fact, as I write this they should be sleeping their first night there in preparation for the next 4 days of ministry and teaching. With them on the island, now seems like a great time to share with you the story of Pastor James that I mentioned in my blog about 2 months ago.

I met Pastor James when I was in Tanzania two years ago but Rev. Debra met him prior to that as he had come to her pastoral conferences in previous years. While we were there in 2004, Rev. Debra invited him for an evening to share his testimony with us as he was a former witch doctor. We wanted to know more. As he does not speak English, we needed Pastor Richard to translate for us and he very willlingly did. Pastor James grew up in a family of witch doctors. His grandfather and father both trained him in thier ways and he lived as a witch doctor until he became saved. After becoming saved, he went to bible school and became a minister and has a large Christian congregation on the island now.

One story he shared was about a time he and several others were planning to steal a man's goat. This man was very rich there on the island and had a fenced in home with a gate. Because they knew he was rich the planned to steal his goat, figuring he didn't need it anyway. Pastor James and these two others "did their magic" as he said which involved the casting of spells and using diferent items to pray curses on the individual. They went to the home after dark and as the first of the group entered the gate a bright dot of light came and literally pushed the lead man backwards and spun very very fast over his face. The man inched through the gate on his back with this light spinning over his face. Once his feet had cleared the entrance, Pastor James saw the light zoom into place over the roof of the home after making the sign of the cross over it. Pastor James said they were very afraid but went to their home and did "stronger magic" before returning the next night. The next night Pastor James took the lead as it was known among the men that he had stronger powers than the others. As they approached, he said they looked for the light and it was still there over the house as it had been when they left the night before. As Pastor James entered through the gate the exact same thing happened to him as had happened to the man the night before. He too slunk out of there on his back. The next day, he and the two others went to a witch doctor that was the most knowledgable and powerful of all they knew. When he heard the story and they asked what they could do he asked which house this had happened at. He responded that the family living there were Christians and that none of their magic could possibly overcome the power of this man's God.

What I find puzzling is why, witch doctors, even though they often are aware of our God's higher authority, still remain in their ways. I guess it is similar to non Christians. So many of them are aware of God, they can see what He can do, but they don't want to be held accountable, to live by an authority higher than thier own.

In 2004, while in a remote village, we were witness to the salvation of an 80 something year old man. He had been a witch doctor all of his life and walked for 10 hours to come to hear what we had to share with him after his grandson, a minister, asked him to come.

Please be in prayer for the team as there is much witchcraft and scorcery on the island. Our God is bigger than all of that but we still need to stand as spiritual defenders of those reaching out to the lost that are being used by satan.

A Missed Opportunity?

Last night as I restlessly dozed off and on, missing Shannon beside me and thinking of my guys up in the airplane for so long, I prayed off and on through the night. Several times I fell asleep praying and woke up, eager to pray some more. Then today, through the mail, I received a gift of some audio tape teachings and a book on prayer from a dear friend of ours from back when we were brand new Christians. James is someone who had great patience with us as he met with us each Saturday evening back in the early 90's to do bible study, then would watch us go home and continue on in our sinful ways. Of course, we still sin but much less often than we did then. James moved out of state a few years back and we have kept in touch. When he heard about our upcoming move he was truly excited. In fact, he is travelling to Uganda(just across Lake Victoria from Tanzania) on a missions trip for a couple of weeks in October.

I listened to the tape he sent about prayer this morning. There were many great teachings in the tape but the one that has stuck with me the most was about several men who missed an amazing opportunity. Jesus asked 3 of his disciples, Peter, James and John, to go with him to pray in the garden on the night of his betrayal. Instead these men selfishly said no and fell asleep. It grieves my heart terribly to remember that my Jesus, on the worst night of his life, and after asking others to join him in prayer, was refused that. I immediately wondered to myself what I would have done. Would I have slept too?

I have always thought that it was Ok for me to fall asleep praying. At least I am praying until then, I've argued, but maybe I need to think again. How would I feel if someone sat with me visiting and they fell asleep? Do I truly realize what a gift prayer time is and do I treat it that way? Do I realize how much more effective my life for Jesus is when I pray? I have some self examination to do on this subject. Although I do pray at other times throughout the day, sometimes long and sometimes short, I need to make my prayer time a bigger priority in my life.

Shannon and Collin should be in Tanzania now. Their clock is 8 hours ahead of ours. Tomorrow, Wednesday, they will first step foot in, and see our future hometown of Mwanza. On Thursday they will travel to the island. Continue praying for safe travels and good rest when they can get it.

They are on their way

Today Shannon and Collin flew out with Rev. Debra and the rest of the team for Tanzania. They will fly 9 hours to Amsterdam, then have a 3 hour layover. Then they will fly in another plane 10 hours to Kilamanjaro. They will stay overnight there, then a 2 hour puddle jumper plane will get them to Mwanza. After just one day of rest in Mwanza they will travel for a full day to get to Maisome Island located on Lake Victoria. There they will spend 5 days with no electricity ministering to the people of the island. Then they will return by an 8 hour boat ride back to Mwanza. Rev. Debra, Pastor Richard(of Mwanza), Shannon and Collin have one day with the government authorities there to spend looking at land for the ministry and interim housing for our family while the construction takes place.

Right now, we need prayer for several things. First and most immediate is for safe and comfortable travel for the team. We also need favor with the government officials. I am aware of a ministry that was given 50 acres of land by the government of Ethiopia, to build on. That same ministry really struggled to get their land in Tanzania though. We are needing to get the right land at a great price. Please pray that the authorities can catch a glimpse of our vision and see what a good thing it will be for Mwanza. Also, for finances. We received many financial gifts towards this trip but much of the cost did end up on a credit card. We have a car we are wanting to sell that would help with that. We had a buyer lined up, then turned down another . The first ended up backing out and the second found a diferent car. Please pray for a buyer for that car to come through.

I will try to keep posting here with their itinerary and anything I hear from them by email. I am not expecting to hear much, if anything, from them until next Tuesday.

Relevant sermons

It seems that for several months now, nearly every sermon at church, has felt like it was written specifically for us. Obviously, Pastor Keith hopes to have something in every sermon that everyone in the service can relate to, but honestly, there are times where it just doesn't seem like I can connect, but not lately. It's becoming funny to us that every week we end up elbowing each other about something that is said from the pulpit.

This past Sunday the sermon was titled, "Split-Second Eternity." The main idea was this-do I take the risk to do something new and possibly change the outcome and eternity or do I hold back and miss the opportunity? Sadly, I have to say that most of the time, no, I don't take the risk. For example, am I afraid to bring up salvation and Jesus to someone I don't know is already a Christian? Am I looking for those opportunities to share Christ with the lost in my everyday world? On the streets of town, in the grocery store? Now, Pastor Keith is not referring to standing on a street corner preaching Jesus but rather taking the chance when someone I know gives me an opening. You know, that split second where you know you could easily fit Christ into the conversation...but don't?

Join me in trying to find new ways to take the risk and share Jesus with someone who needs Him but doesn't yet know Him, and possibly change eternity.

"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16