Tanzania 2007 as posted at the ministry website

I wanted to let you all know that the most recent trip to Tanzania, the one Shannon traveled on in September, has been written about in detail and is posted at the End Time Glory Ministry website.

As I prepare for Christmas in this final week, which feels like the only week before it after spending so much time with my jobs and the Christmas program at church, I can't write but wanted to be sure everyone saw the details at the website.

Daily life update

Things have been crazy at our home. As you already know, M and I returned from a quilt retreat last Monday. Since then, there have been more rehearsals for Collin and I for the church musical which started last weekend with three performances. There are four more to come this weekend. Collin also had a school choir concert last week where he sang a duet with Michael. Michael just joined CCS this fall as he was entering the 10th grade. He is the only 10th grade boy in this Christian school which only recently added high school to its program. He and Collin have become good friends.

Last week was also the last meeting for the Beth Moore bible study I had been participating in. I am still planning to facilitate the same group of women as we come back together again in January to do another study by Beth.

Collin turned 15 this week and in the hullaballoo his birthday party with the grandparents has to be put on hold until after the holiday season. He was aware when he chose to take a part in the church musical that this way the way it would have to be. We plan to bake him a cake today and then he will get another in January when the grandparents visit. It seems like a good deal to me!

I recently had an overnight training out of town for my job and am pushing to keep up with my Census Bureau work this month. I also did a self-study for more work I will be getting next month. Being a full-time stay-at-home mom, unfortunately cannot happen for me right now as we work to get bills paid so that when the time to prepare for a move to Tanzania arrives, we don't need to worry about finances.

We are hoping to meet with members of the ministry board soon, probably next month, to talk more about the future. Pastor Richard, who is currently responsible on finalizing things with the land over there, has been very sick with malaria and has only recently been recovering. Our family has prepared a small box of goodies to send over to them which will be mailed today, hopefully, but possibly not, in time for Christmas.

We are hoping to get a Christmas letter sent out to friends and family soon. It never got done last year. Then I had decided I would make it into an Easter letter but that never happened either.

Blessings to you and your family as you prepare for the holiday season in the midst of your own form of busyness.

As you are aware, I have missed a few Wordless Wednesdays. I plan to bring it back so stay tuned.

M's first quilt

I've been away for a bit...things are getting busier around here as we move into the holiday season. Collin and I have have much time committed to the performance at church-over the next 13 days, 8 evenings are committed to it as well as a couple of evenings for his choir concert at school and S's Christmas program. I also have a mandatory training for my job, two hours from here.

M and I just returned from a quilting weekend at Camp Lebanon. I have been there half a dozen times, but due to M's age, this was the first time she was able to attend. She made her first ever quilt! With Grandma Sharon's help a few weeks ago, she went through Grandma's fabric stash to find all of the fabrics for her quilt and got all of the cutting done ahead of time. We arrived at camp on Friday and by Sunday evening M had completely pieced her quilt!

Photo to come soon!

I just received the following comment on our blog this morning. It is good to read and fun to know that others are reading from so far away. It is especially the final paragraph I find should be most interesting to my readers.

I stumbled across this blog page while i was searching through the internet for current happenings and news about Africa and I must say that I am greatly impressed by what you are doing.
It is really rare to find people with such a large heart for the destitutes and orphans in Africa. Service to humanity is the greatest and most rewarding work of life.Although, it might not be financially rewarding but you can imagine the joy it brings when you put a smile or help brighten the life of some poor children in Africa.
I detest religion as it is being practised in the world today. I crave for a religion that would apreciate the uniqueness of every human race and colour and equality of all irrespective of sex physiological and sociological differences. I long for a time when the man next door would realised that the man that is dying in distant lands of want and hunger is also a brother and a neigbour!
God Bless you.

Kingsley keke
Lagos,
Nigeria
west Africa

I will try to keep in touch here throughout the month. I have a lot to say but need to find the time to post it.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving Again

I'm posting a belated Thanksgiving note just like I did last year. Last Thursday we went to Christine's parents home for the day. Shannon's parents were invited too but they traveled to Montana for the holiday. We were there with Uncle Don and aunt Donna, cousin Dave and his wife Jess with their daughter Ava, cousin Deanna and sister Corryn. We all ate well and had a great dinner with leftovers for supper. In addition to the typical Thanksgiving dinner we had pie for dessert. There were 9 pies! We wanted to be sure to have a good selection!

It is nice to have a day to remind us to be thankful and give us some time to reflect on what we are thankful for. Family, friends, church, the Christian schools and teachers that two of our children experience, our home, God's provision, the ministry and the people affiliated with it. Most importantly though, we are thankful for our salvation through Christ.

As we enter into this holiday season and the busyness begins, try to remember what it is all about. Take time for family and friends and enjoy the time.

Orphan Care-Rick Warren

This week is Cry of the Orphan week at several large pro-family organizations. Focus on The Family, Family Life Today, Crown Financial and Shaohannah's Hope have teamed up together to draw national attention to the plight of the orphans of today. I have such tremendous respect for these ministries for what they are working together to do.

I have been listening to the several radio broadcasts they have dedicated to the orphan this week. I cried many tears yesterday as I listened to the story of a woman, who 20 years ago, when she was 17, found herself pregnant. She told how she struggled with whether to abort her baby, keep it or allow it to be adopted. After a Focus on the Family broadcast, she decided to give her newborn son to a Christian couple. Now, many years later, she has met her son and they have a relationship. He loves her and respects her greatly, for the selfless sacrifices she made so that he could have life and grow up in a loving, God-fearing home.

Also, yesterday, during the Family Life Today broadcast, I cried as Rick Warren told how he and his wife Kaye, began their church's orphan ministry. Rick Warren is the pastor of one of the nation's largest churches, Saddleback Community Church in Southern California. He told how, while on a trip to a tiny village in Africa. He visited a church there to discover 50 adults and their families along with 25 young AIDS orphans, worshiping together. He came away with the realization that the tiny church in Africa, was doing more o help the orphans than his mega-church. It convicted him tremendously and he began an Orphan ministry in his church.

The facts and figures given yesterday during the broadcast are heart breaking. The broadcast is a repeat so these numbers are a bit old. Right now, a I write this, there are 150 million orphans in the world. 150 million! Over 40 million of those orphans are in Africa alone. There are 115,000 children in the United States, right now, that do not have a family of their own. This is America, and we have orphans looking for a Mom and Dad to call their own.

With 150 million orphans in the world currently, if we assume a typical orphanage takes in 100 children(a high estimate in most cases), it would take 1.5 million orphanages to care for them all. In reality, an orphanage is not God's plan for His children. Ideally, each child should have a family. I will speak more on that in a few days.

God has put the orphans on Shannon's and my heart since we were dating during our teen years. We talked about foster care even back then and it has graduated to adoption and now, moving to Africa, to try to make a difference in more lives. What is God asking you to do for the orphan? There are so many ways you can help- foster care, domestic or international adoption, misssions, or financially supporting those who are doing any of that. Please, ask God how he wants you to help. Those dirty, snotty, fly-covered and yet beautiful faces you see on TV are real. Each of those children has a soul and a need for love, care and Christ.

Wordless Wednesday

Shopping in Tanzania is different than here. Although there are stores in buildings there are also many open air markets where people bring the food they have raised or items they have made, put them in a pile on a blanket and wait for things to sell. I remember while in Mwanza one day, I saw a huge pile, probably four foot across and 3-4 feet high, of used tennis shoes. I noticed they didn't look to be paired together so to find a pair that fit and had both shoes I think would be quite a time consuming task.




The interesting thing about the stores within buildings is that most of them are basically variety stores where they have a little bit of many things, they do not typically specialize in anything. I recently heard from a missionary in Dar Es Salam who told of trying to shop for a side mirror to replace the one that had been stolen off his Land Rover. Of course, there isn't a local car parts store. He had to hunt through the many stores hoping someone had exactly what he needed. During the process, he was well aware that the one he ended up buying was most likely stolen property from someone else's or maybe even his own vehicle. Frustrating to say the least.

The Medders family-update

Please continue praying for Jason and Kelli. Just yesterday they held another of their four daughters as she died in their arms. Here is a list of their daughters names and current status.

Annika Peace Medders went to be with her Creator before birth.

Berkley Claire Medders is in the NICU in Minneapolis.(update-died peacefully in her parents arms on Nov. 7th, joining her two sisters in heaven)

Callie Ranelle Medders is in the NICU in Minneapolis.

Daley Providence Medders, while in the arms of her parents, joined her sister Annika a few minutes after being born.

I cannot imagine the emotional rollercoaster this family is experiencing. I am so sad for them...

Do you remember Terri Schiavo?

I remember very well the story of Terri Schiavo. She was a woman who was supposedly in a coma but her family and some caregivers say she was attempting to communicate with them and well aware of her surroundings. After an extremely lengthy legal battle, the courts allowed her feeding tube to be removed and for her to literally starve and thirst to death even though she had family members wanting to care for her.

A friend of mine from choir has a cousin named Tia in Florida. Tia is married to Ryan and Ryan has something called Frontal Temporal Dementia or Pick's Disease. He is young and is currently experiencing dementia and has been admitted into hospice care with less than 6 months to live. The nursing home providing his care does not want him there any longer. Problem is there is nowhere else for him to go. The nursing home is insisting that Tia allow them to put him into a medicinally induced coma and "allow" him to die of starvation or they will discharge him, by taxi if needed, to Ryan and Tia's home address. Tia is not willing to stand by and watch him be murdered and yet she can find no other placement for him and knows she cannot care for him at home. Thankfully she has the help of the Terri Schiavo Foundation and lawyers to work in the courts to not allow this to happen to her husband and the father of their still young children. Please pray for this situation. I hate the slippery slope that our country has stepped onto.

Wordless Thursday-Transportation

Oops, Wednesday slipped by me. All week I have been behind one day as I had Monday off from the mail route and it made me think Tuesday was Monday from there. All of the following pics were taken by me on my trip in 2004.
This first picture shows some wood being transported in downtown Mwanza.


This one, taken through the windshield of the bus I rode, shows an extremely overloaded truck full of people! Even the native Tanzanian I was with, Pastor Richard, could not believe how overloaded it was.


This picture shows yet another overloaded truck. I am unsure what it was carrying.


Another, taken through the broken windshield of a Land Rover, shows donkey cart being led out in the bush.



And this one, again from inside a Land Rover, shows a man pulling a cart over a bridge on the way into a major city. He was right in the road with the gas powered vehicles causing quite a traffic jam that no one seemed to blink about. It must be common enough.


Transportation, when not done on foot, is certainly interesting in this part of Africa.

Keep praying for the Medders family

A couple of weeks ago I asked you to pray for the Medders family in this post. Unfortunately, the three remaining babies were born, far too soon, yesterday morning. One of the three babies has joined her sister in heaven with the Father that created them. The other two babies are very small and will need extensive medical care for awhile. Please pray for Jason, Kelli and Wyatt and the two tiny new little girls fighting for their lives.

As small as these two are, I am extremely encouraged by this news story I saw recently. This little peanut, born at just 21 weeks and 6 days gestation and weighing only 9 ounces and measuring 9 inches long just celebrated her first birthday! It is absolutely amazing to me, that these little lives, could have been legally aborted long after they were actually born if their parents had chosen to do so. I really recommend you take the time to go to this little ones news story and view her slide show. The newborn pics are absolutely astonishing.

Politics? On this blog?

I had never planned to do any political writing, much less on the blog but I really want to point out a presidential candidate here.

Shannon and I have been terribly dismayed by what have been the leading presidential candidates for the 2008 elections. I will not go into details about each specific candidate here and why I agree or disagree with each of them. I do, however, wish to share with you the name of Mike Huckabee. Several months ago, a homeschool group we are involved with, had suggested we look at him closely. I remember at the time thinking that even though the guy sounded good, he would probably never actually be in the running for the republican nomination. In the past week, Gov. Huckabee(Ark-R) has become well known, in part due to the Iowa straw polls where he came in second place. I am very excited about the possibility of this guy being on the ballots and definitely know who I am voting for in the primary. Please check out his website. I encourage you to send a "buck for Huck" or more if you think this is someone you would like to be the next president and tell everyone you know about him.

Wordless Wednesday

When I was in Mwanza in 2004, we stayed in a hotel that was in the process of building an entirely new building in the rear of the property. The building we stayed in was only three stories and about 6 rooms per story. As you can see the new building will be much bigger. I think it is interesting to see the difference in construction over there compared to here. There are no cranes doing this work. It takes years as everything is carried and put into place by hand.
The trees in front of the new building are interesting too. The tall one in the back looked a lot like a pine tree until you looked at it closer.

And the other tree with the brown things on it was stranger. The brown things seemed to me to be some kind of a seed pod. It didn't look like any type of fruit though. Each of the pods was covered in prickly spikes.

Desire versus Compulsion

In the Beth Moore study I am currently working through, she recently discussed the differences between a desire and a compulsion. A desire is something we want to do based upon our own reasoning, personal feelings and choices. It is something where we weigh the pros and cons but a great part of the decision is based upon what we want to do rather than what we are supposed to do. With a compulsion, there is a burning within the soul, something that keeps one awake at night, a virtually irresistible drive.

God causes a compulsion within His people when He doesn't want them to miss something. God has had a plan for us for all time. He helped to prepare us to be able to perform that task for the time that He chose. In our case, serving God through orphans and widows in the mission fields of Africa has become a compulsion for us. A burning within the soul, that keeps us awake at night, an irresistible drive. It is our compulsion, along with the vision and compulsion of End Time Glory Ministries, that will cause things to be done in His name that could never be done any other way. Sure God could send some other ministry with some other workers to the same place and the work that would be done would be similar but it would also be very different.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." -Ephesians 2:10

Wordless Wednesday

While waiting with the rest of the team at the bus stop in downtown Mwanza while I was there in 2004, I saw this. It is a young man with a wheelbarrow full of coconuts. He was wheeling it around and selling right out of it. Street vendors and street markets are very , very common in Mwanza. This is the way the vast majority of items are sold.

The Commissioning Service

The Glory Conference this past weekend was amazing! Praise and worship was fabulously moving and the speakers were anointed. We truly had a good weekend and felt like it was a very productive time. On Friday afternoon the ministry held a commissioning service. During that service both Shannon and I received our Christian Workers papers from End Time Glory Ministries. The application for the papers defines a Christian Worker as the following:
"The Christian Worker is someone in the beginning development of ministry, apprenticing under an established ministry to receive instruction, guidance and 'on the job' training. The Christian Worker must be actively pursuing their development in the areas of personal character, Bible school training and ministry."
Anyway, Shannon and I are very excited to be officially under the umbrella of End Time Glory Ministries. Please continue to pray for us, Wayne and Rev Debra and the entire board of the ministry as we continue to move into working together more.

Will you please pray for this family?

For a couple of weeks now, I have been following the story of the Medders. I do not know them but their story appeared in a newspaper drawing my attention to them. Jason and Kelli,from Fargo, parents of 2 year old Wyatt, found out several months ago that she was pregnant with identical quadruplets! That means all 4 babies developed from one egg/sperm combination. This is truly rare! The 4 babies, all girls have had huge odds against them for survival and one baby has recently lost the battle. It is looking like another little one is having problems as well. Will you just send up a prayer for this family and their three little ones?

Wordless Wednesday

So many people enjoyed Shannon's photo last week of the baby wearing that is so prevalent in Africa, I wanted to share others that we have. I took these three while I was in Mwanza in 2004.

Current Happenings

I never meant for the blog to become a wordless Wednesday one only and I apologize for being so wordless... except on Wednesdays. The first couple of weeks each month are busy for me with the one job and with it also being harvest I have also been carrying mail nearly every day for a couple weeks as well. Add in homeschooling and all of the other daily tasks and I stay pretty busy.

This weekend brings the next End Time Glory Conference. You can find out more here. We would love to see you there if you can join us for any part of it. It is always a great time of praise and worship, good teachings, fellowship, miracles and prophecy.

Last night we hosted a visitor, James, a good friend of ours. James is originally from the Willmar area and is currently living in Washington state. We hadn't seen him for 6 years but we were able to talk with him like he hadn't been gone. We spent a lot of time with him, early after our salvations, in bible study and prayer. James traveled to Uganda last year at about the same time Shannon was in Tanzania. We all wish we had more time to visit than just one evening but with him in the area for only a week and a lot of people to visit we were so glad to see him.

Collin was recently chosen to be in the church's Nights of Music. He will be playing the part of Ben, the oldest child in large family at the turn of the century. The commitment level is large with rehearsals for 6 weeks and 7 performances in early December but with myself in the choir and going anyway, he will just ride with me. There's not too much extra running involved.

I've been doing a Beth Moore bible study and have gotten a lot out of it. We are studying the life and ministry of Paul in her To Live is Christ study. It is one of her older studies but still a great one.

I'm going to go find a picture to share with you and get that "Wordless Wednesday post done.

Wordless Wednesday

Yet another photo taken by Shannon last month. This one shows a mother carrying her baby on her back. I find it interesting that many American mothers have recently rediscovered the ease and joy of "baby wearing", something the African people have never given up. I remember when I was there three years ago, seeing young girls, likely as young as 6 or 7, "wearing" their toddler siblings on their backs. I honestly cannot remember hearing a baby cry the whole time I was there. Babes rest peacefully on their mama's backs and are lulled to sleep by the rhythm of her daily tasks. When a baby is hungry, the whole set up is slipped around to the front for baby's dinner.

Blessed by the Mathetes Award

I was tremendously blessed to wake up this morning to find that I had been "given" a Mathetes Award by my online friend Renee. Renee and I met through a homeschooling forum and have supported each other in prayer through our children's adoptions as well as the children we couldn't adopt.

Mathetes is the Greek word for disciple, and the role of the disciple (per the Great Commission) is to make more disciples. In the spirit of this award, the rules are simple. Winners of this award must pick other "disciples" to pass it on to. As you pass it on, you mention and provide links for 1. this post as the originator of the award and, 2.the person that awarded it to you.

I have chosen the following bloggers to pass this award on to.
1. Mary Grace at Books and Bairns--I discovered her blog after she visited mine and posted a comment about how helpful a particular post had been to her that day. I read hers often and have enjoyed her writings. She inspires me as she writes honestly about daily life.
2.Renee at Steppin' Heavenward --I don't know if it is against the rules to regift the award to someone but if it is, I don't care. Renee has supported me through some tough times as we have lost 2 separate sibling groups we were planning to adopt. She is currently raising 6 biological children and has adopted three from Africa and is in the process of adopting two more from Africa. She inspires me with her constant focus on God through the good and bad times and how she is raising up an incredible army of disciples in her home. Renee, this is in honor and remembrance of our T and A,and C and H and your David and Isatu.
"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate." Psalm 129:3-5
3.To my cousin's wife whose blog is private at her request as she and my cousin raise twin toddler boys, two more wonderful disciples for His kingdom. She is a great inspiration to me and a wonderful friend that I don't see nearly enough of.

There are many many others I could present the award to who do not blog. So many people have influenced me in my Christian walk. Thanks to all of you.

Wordless Wednesday

This is a picture of Alex carrying a large rock. There is also a pile of rocks in the background and a larger pile outside. But these are not just any rocks. These are the rocks that were used as partial filler for building the stage at the front of Pastor Richard's church in Mwanza. While Shannon was helping Pastor Richard's nephew, Alex and other church members build the stage, he asked them where the rocks had come from, assuming they had been brought in on a truck and dumped there. Alex proceeded to tell Shannon the story. When they decided they wanted to have this done and finished before the End Time Glory Ministries team of 7 came over, Alex told himself he would go out each day and collect 5 rocks. So each day, he went out into the city and around the city, finding these rocks and he hand carried each one back to the church site. As it was getting closer for the team to arrive, Alex could see that he would not have enough rocks to finish the project in time so he was getting more than 5 per day.

Confirming God's Will

Sorry I haven't been around. Since Shannon returned home we have spent time getting back into our schedule of busy! We have had two birthdays in our family this past week and one coming up tomorrow. I have been catching up on work I didn't finish while Shannon was away and have started my new cases for the month of October. Last year after Shannon and Collin returned from Tanzania we dedicated quite a few posts to giving our readers a synopsis of their trip. Due to our almost daily instant messaging on this trip there is a lot less to share but we do still plan to sit down and do a post together.

I started a new Beth Moore bible study early in September. This will be the third study by her I have done, the second group I have led. I had tried to do a couple of her studies many years ago but was not committed enough to keep up with the daily work at that stage in my life. We are studying the series titled "To Live is Christ" about the missionary journeys of Paul. Anyway, last weeks lesson talked about several ways to confirm God's will. Being within God's will is something Shannon and I take very seriously in our daily lives and in regards to moving to Mwanza, we know we have to be in God's will to be able to minister effectively.

The first question was, "Is this command congruent with God's character?" Throughout the bible God has asked His followers to not just accept him but to tell others of Him, to care for the less fortunate and to love others as themselves. Throughout the bible He has asked average people to do extraordinary things in His name and with His help. One huge concern in our situation has been that we have an adult severely mentally disabled son that is unable to travel with us to Tanzania. Is leaving him behind consistent with God's character? Shannon and I feel it is. Again, throughout the bible, God has asked His followers to leave behind friends, family and belongings to follow Him. And in the case of Abraham, he was asked to kill his son Isaac. Abraham acted in obedience and was spared from actually committing the act but the point is that he was willing to obey. We will leave Brandon in a group home with loving caring staff and assign a legal guardian in addition to us who is in the area.
Friends and extended family members in the area will be here for him as well.

The second question, "Have you received reconfirmation?" Both Shannon and I feel that we have. Through dreams and visions we have each experienced, through words given to us, in some cases by people who do not even know us, through "coincidental" circumstances that have put ourselves or others in the right place at the right time.
The curious way in which our vision for the ministry matches up almost exactly with Rev. Debra and Wayne and the rest of the End Time Glory Ministries team is just another huge confirmation for us.

And the last question, "Have you received sound counsel?" Early in this process we spoke with several people we knew and trusted to give us wise thoughts. Pastor Keith Kerstetter from our church was one of them. I wrote a bit about our conversation with him here. A good friend of ours, Dan Mitchell, was also on our list of people to speak with. Shannon had a couple of phone conversations with him and we spoke with him in person once. Of course, we have many other Christian friends that we have spoken with about the situation and nearly all are encouraging us to move ahead.

Shannon and I will be meeting with Rev. Debra and Wayne again in November to discuss the ministry further. I want to speak with them and the End Time Glory Ministries board about all of these things, all things I feel they know to ask themselves as well. We know that God puts dreams and visions in people's hearts and joins those people together later to accomplish His work. We can't wait to see what He has planned next!

Wordless Wednesday

Taken about a week ago by Shannon, this picture shows a man in Mwanza mending his fishing net. Fishing is huge business in Mwanza and on the islands scattered throughout Lake Victoria.

They are home!

Just a quick post to let you know that I picked up 4 of the "Tanzania 7" at the airport late yesterday afternoon. Rev. Debra is pretty sick with chest congestion and the rest were all pretty tired. Shannon slept very well last night, his first night with his CPAP for sleep apnea in nearly three weeks.

He has tried to stay awake today to adjust to the time change but did take a short nap this afternoon. He just informed me a few minutes ago, at 8PM, that his body is telling him it is 4AM and long past time to be in bed. Fortunately he needs to be in bed shortly anyway as he gets up to drive truck in about 8 hours.

He will have more to share here in a few days after settling in and getting back into the schedule. Thanks for your prayers and continue to keep Rev. Debra in your prayers for a quick recovery.

Returning "home"

Since we knew we were being called into international missions about a year and a half ago, I have spent much time studying about living in another culture and raising our children in that culture. Our children will become what some refer to as third culture kids-that is children who as they grow into adulthood end up feeling they don't fit totally into their parents "home" culture nor in the culture they are raised in. As I think of the many cons for our children to be taken out of America and raised in a poorer country with less conveniences not to mention less than ideal health care I also am aware of the many many pros that serving God in Tanzania will bring to our children's lives.

Anyway, today(Sunday in Tanzania), Shannon is getting on one of several flights that will bring him home. We are excited for him to get here and miss him terribly. I think it is fair to say that both Shannon and I, as well as the children, hope that the next time any of us travel to Tanzania, it will be with all of us together. Please pray for the team as they travel. It is a long trip and will take them 27 hours from when they get on the plane in Tanzania, to arrive home in Minneapolis. Then a 2 hour drive on top of that. Is it really possible that the next time we fly "home" it will be to Tanzania?

A Fun Ending to a Productive Trip

Today, Friday, the Tanzania team flew by small plane back to the Kilimanjaro International Airport. Tonight will be spent in a hotel in Arusha about a half hour from the airport. In the morning the team will join Pastor Richard's brother Martin. Martin is a safari driver. He will take them to a national park for a safari. I am assuming they will go to Tarangire National Park. That is the one we visited when I was there. The Serengeti is not far from Arusha either.

I remember on my trip to Tanzania three years ago. By the time we got to safari day I just really wanted to be home with my family. I didn't really even want to go on the safari. I am so glad I did. It was great to see the animals, animals I have seen in zoos, in their native culture-wild and free. There is nothing like rounding a bend in the road to come upon 50 giraffes or watching from the safety of the Land Rover while a lion stalks a herd of zebra.

Wordless Wednesday

I mentioned that church services are a bit more exuberant over there than here.

The woman in the light blue dress is Pastor Richard's wife, Gertrude. She is a beautiful, humble and very servant-hearted young woman. I find myself striving to be more like her.

Things are winding down in Tanzania

I have been instant messaging with Shannon nearly daily. There is nothing really major to report. They did open air crusades in Mwanza over the weekend and attended church at Pastor Richard's church on Sunday morning. Shannon loved the church service and says he wishes he "could bring them all home" with him. The praise and worship over there is, uh, more exuberant than we experience here, even in our contemporary Assembly of God church.

Shannon gave his testimony at the crusade one evening. Monday they had a pastors and leaders conference and Tuesday they held a youth conference. Shannon said he gave a short teaching at the youth conference. He hates speaking so this is stretching him, but in a good way.

Wednesday there is going to be a womens conference. Shannon was not sure what he and Michael would do during that time. On Thursday the entire team will be traveling to see the land. They are also hoping to visit Tumaini Children's Home for a quick tour as a team so that they can see how it is run too. Shannon says Tumaini is very much like the vision that End Time Glory Ministries has for their children's home.

Friday will be a day of traveling back to Arusha, the first step to coming home. Please pray for the end of the ministry time to go well and for safe travels as they begin the long journey home. The weekend holds a bit of a fun retreat for the team. I will share more about that then.

The Meeting With the Governor of Mwanza District

Since my last post the meeting with the governor has happened. I misunderstood Shannon's IM about when it was scheduled for. It was held Friday evening in Mwanza and went very well. The Mwanza district governor is Dr James A. Msekela. He and his wife are both born again Christians. The story, according to Rev. Debra's most recent email, and my memory, goes like this...Three years ago when I traveled with Debra and Ginny to the village of Bukumbi out in the Tanzanian bush, there was a fundraiser held for a church the village was building. For events like this, government officials often show up and Dr. Msekela was one of them. At the time, he gave each of us a copy of his business card telling us we always had an open door. At that time, Rev Debra and End Time Glory Ministries knew they would one day be opening up a children's home but were still unsure of even what country it would be in. The Philippines was a country that had been tossed around for years as that is one of the first countries Debra ever ministered in. Shannon and I certainly had no idea at that time that we would be having anything to do with it no matter where it was. Anyway, a few days before the teams arrival in Mwanza this time around, the pastor of the Bukumbi church was telling Dr. Msekela about the minstry's vision for a children's home, school, radio station and clinic. Dr. Msekela, requested to meet with Rev. Debra. He invited the entire team into his home for a meal and to speak with Debra further. By the end of the meeting, he was very excited and in favor of the vision that End Time Glory Ministries has for the area of Mwanza. He has given End Time Glory Ministries a 25-30 acre parcel of land located just outside of the city! The only request he had was that the ministry pay for the surveying costs. It is across a channel of water of Lake Victoria and located on the shore. It will require us to take a ferry or other boat to access it.

This is almost more than any of us dared to pray for! We all know that God is awesome and can do anything He wants but sometimes I just don't want to ask for too much, in case it would negatively impact how He plans to work.... Anyway, we have been praying for God to provide the perfect piece of land and at a great price. I remember a year ago Shannon and I discussing how amazing it would be if the Tanzanian government would provide land for free. We laughed and said it would be nice. The joke is on us now.

I once posted about jars. That is a good one for me to reread once in awhile. I invite you to do so also, by clicking on the underlined words, in light of the current circumstances.

The team is back in Mwanza

I'm sorry I missed yesterday. Single parenting 5 and working two part-time jobs and homeschooling a couple is getting the best of me. It's been a busy week plus!

The team arrived back in Mwanza safely on Wednesday evening. They were very tired and went to their rooms early, leaving Shannon alone yet again, so we IMed for awhile. At $2 per hour to use the hotel computer it is a relative bargain.

It sounds like the team had great things happen at the island. You may remember me writing of Pastor James, the former witch doctor last year. When a witch doctor receives salvation it literally affects the entire village. Pastor James found Jesus quite a few years ago now. The wonderful news is that this week, through the ministry of the team and the work of Christ on the cross, Pastor James' mother-in-law, now also a former witch doctor, has a home in heaven waiting for her! She has repented of her past and asked for Christ to enter her life! Please pray that she is able to stay with her decision and get into the word of God and receive the teachings she needs.

On Thursday the team all rode out to some land they were looking at for the ministry. It is 17 miles from Mwanza and was expected to be 25 acres. However, after a 40 minute drive to the property, Shannon and Michael stepped it off and determined it to be closer to 8 acres. I think it is possible there is a bit of a cultural issue here as land over there may not be measured the same way. Shannon did not sound sure that this is the right property for the ministry.

On Monday Rev. Debra will be meeting with some government officials to talk further with them of our vision. It sounds like they are favorable to the idea and want to hear more.

The next few days will be spent doing a Pastors and Leaders conference in the mornings and open air crusades in the evenings. On Sunday, Rev Debra will be preaching in Pastor Richard's church. I remember attending their service when I was there 3 years ago. These people love to worship God and sing and dance all the while. It will likely be our home church once we move over there and the people of the church love having us with them. I wish I could join them this Sunday.

Please remain in prayer about the land, the government officials and the rest that needs to begin to come together. Shannon, Michael and Rev Debra are thinking that they want us to move over there before the property is bought. Part of the problem with purchasing is the time it takes. It would give our family a chance to settle in before beginning the business of building and running the children's home as well as time to work on the radio station end of things. Sometimes it feels as if the move is somewhere out in time and when I realize how close it actually could be it gives me goose bumps of nervousness and excitement at the same time.

Wordless Wednesday...not really

This is my weekly Tanzanian life photo post. Tanzania is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the world, second to Lake Superior. As you can imagine, fishing is big business in Tanzania. These photos were taken last year by Shannon while he was on Maisome Island in Lake Victoria.


The pictures show thousands, maybe even millions of tiny little fish. They are captured in nets, then brought in and spread out to dry. After they are dry they are bagged up to be shipped. Shannon said it was quite smelly and as you can see, there are paths amongst the fish for people to get around.

A documentary that Shannon and I recently watched is called Darwin's Nightmare. It is kind of slow to watch but speaks of how globalization has affected Lake Victoria and the people of Tanzania. Most of the documentary was filmed right in Mwanza as well as on several islands. It is sad but true that the people of Tanzania that capture these fish usually cannot afford to eat them as they are shipped to Europe and the United States.

Forever Angels Baby Home

Here is the latest I have found out through email and instant messenger. Today Shannon met Ben and Amy Hathaway and toured the baby home that they are running in Mwanza. Ben and Amy are from the UK originally. Forever Angels has been open just over a year and is already planning to begin building on their addition in the next few days. Mwanza social services has requested that they expand. The need for care for young children in Mwanza is truly a huge one.

Shannon has also been spending a lot of his time helping Alex and others on some work being done at Pastor Richard's church.

They are installing a concrete stage, about 14 inches high in the front of the building. He said that tomorrow they will begin working on the outdoor stage being put up outside the church for the open air crusades to be held there starting Friday and going through Monday.

Shannon's luggage did finally arrive with several missing items including his Leatherman tool, alarm clock and all of the food he had brought along-granola bars, instant oatmeal and the like. He had travel insurance which will cover the losses, especially the tool.

His CPAP is still not working and they have given up on it. He says he is getting enough sleep to be functional though he would not want to be home driving semi feeling like he does. He will be able to stay with the team for the entire scheduled trip once they return to the mainland.

Be thinking of the team as they will spend all day Wednesday, at least 12 hours, traveling back to Mwanza from the island. It is a dangerous and physically exhausting journey. Please keep them in your prayers.

This tickled my funny bone:Shannon said that he and Alex went to the local pizza joint for supper yesterday. I asked him if it was good or bad. He said he didn't know since he didn't have any. He said there was too much stuff on it. This is my husband who likes pepperoni on his pizza. No mushrooms, olives or other extras.

Tumaini Children's Home

In a short email received today from Shannon he says he still does not have luggage or a working CPAP. He did say he seemed to have a breakthrough with sleep yesterday and was able to get more than previously. Gee, I wonder if it is from all of the prayers going up on his behalf by friends and family.

He was able to contact Rob and Kara Howell and meet up with them today. Rob and Kara are Michigan natives that are currently serving God while in Mwanza. They are doing something very similar with Tumaini Children's Home as what we are planning to do. Shannon toured the home and says it is much like he has pictured for the home we hope to build. Tumaini is located on 40 acres with a view of Lake Victoria. Rob and Kara have 4 children, 3 girls and a boy. M is excited about them as the girls are in her age range. She sent them a letter introducing our family along with some gum, stickers and a bouncy ball.

Shannon said he has plans to meet up with another couple tomorrow. I will update more on that then.

The rest of the Tanzania team should still be on Maisome Island. The plan was for a Pastors and Leaders conference Monday and Tuesday daytime with Open Air Crusades in the evenings. Please keep those 6 people in your thought and prayers as they are likely experiencing very difficult living conditions right now. There is no electricity on the island and the hotel last year was a tough place to get much rest.

A "Conversation" with Shannon

I "spoke" with Shannon last night on Instant Messenger. I love that service! He is currently in a hotel in Mwanza. As of our chat, his luggage still had not shown up and his CPAP machine still was not working. He and Alex are checking the airport daily for the luggage and looking for either a new CPAP or someone, anyone who could fix it. Someone who fixes stereos has it now and is attempting repairs.

Shannon was planing to attend church with Alex today(yesterday for them now)then try to connect with some of the people over there he wants to meet. I have requested that if he has time, he check out the city-see what a grocery store there holds, look at businesses and restraunts and try to discover and explore the area of town where many foreigners live. Every city this size has one in these countries.

In church this morning the message given over and over, through the sermon, through prayer, and through the choir song was that we need to remember that God is always working. That through the tough times, the difficult times, the confusing times and the good times, even though we may not see it at the time, God is still in control and has a plan. Like I said in yesterday's post, there is a reason that Shannon is in Mwanza right now and not on the island. God didn't check out and take a break only to return and find things different than He wanted them. No way, God does not do that.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

"Whatever" or "I refuse to be discouraged"

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Philippians 4:8

I received an email from Shannon today which was quite a surprise as I expected him to be at Maisome Island by now.

His luggage still has not shown up, causing him to be living out of his carry-on with only a couple of outfits. That's not so bad but Shannon has sleep apnea. To combat this he has a machine that pressurizes his airway while he is sleeping to help him. Without it, his airway collapses as he falls asleep and causes him to wake up gasping for air. He took his machine with him in the carry on. The first night, while in Arusha, he plugged it in with an adapter and "fried" the machine. He and Alex(Pastor Richard's nephew and right-hand man) took it for repairs to discover it cannot be fixed and there are none to be found anywhere. The loss of the luggage, is of course a big deal too and has caused Shannon to stay back in Mwanza, hoping it will arrive.

He is considering meeting up with the people he needs to and possibly heading home early. This is a huge blow. It is so expensive to travel over there and we hate for him to come home. On a positive note, it sounds like Alex is with Shannon in Mwanza. I am glad that they can spend some time together, further developing a relationship with each other that will extend over many years.

Please pray that the machine can somehow get fixed or that God helps Shannon to get the rest he needs without risking his health. Also, we need his luggage to show up. All of his clothing, toiletries and some gifts for friends in Tanzania were in it.

The rest of the team is on the Island. Sunday morning Rev. Debra will be preaching in a church there and in the evening the team will be doing an open air crusade. Pray for a great soul harvest!

I know that Shannon was supposed to be on this trip. I know that God has certain things that He wants Shannon to accomplish while there. I will focus on the positive, knowing that now Shannon has more time to do those things and more time to develop several important relationships. That is true, so that is what I will think on.

The Trip to "The Island"

I did receive an email from Shannon, shortly after posting yesterday. He had emailed before I posted but it didn't get here until a couple of hours later.

They arrrived safely in Arusha for a night of rest before continuing on their journey. Unfortunately, much of the checked in baggage did not arrive, including Shannon's. They were hoping it would be there this morning when they arrived to fly to Mwanza. They should be in Mwanza now possibly looking at some land today and meeting some other ministry leaders. Tomorrow at 9AM (1AM our time) they will travel to Maisome Island. Last year to get to the island they first rode a bus for 6 hours, including some time on a ferry with the bus, then got on a small boat to travel several more hours out into Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world behind Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. It is a fairly unstable lake. Becuase of its size if there is much of a breeze or weather in the area the waves get large. Here is a picture of the boat they took last year.

Last year, by the time they arrived at the island the bottom of the boat was filled with water. The two engines didn't run as much as they did run. According to Collin, the guys running the boat were able to keep one of the two engines running...most of the time. Pray for continued safe travel and for missing luggage.

Arrival in Arusha/ Kilimanjaro

Well, according to the schedule I have for the Tanzania team, Shannon and company should currently be sleeping in Arusha. I have not yet heard from them. I may by morning...maybe. Arusha is located about a half hour drive from the Kilimanjaro International Airport. On Friday morning (keep in mind they are 8 hours ahead of Central time)they will return to the airport to fly in a small plane to Mwanza. They will likely have two stops on the way there, both with gravel/dirt runways. I remember when I was there how that shook me up a bit.

They will arrive in Mwanza around noon with plans to get settled in the hotel and look at some land and maybe tour children's homes before another night of rest. The travel portions o this trip are exhausting. From here to there is around 24 hours flight time. Then to Mwanza on a small bumpy flight while on E from a long flight accompanied by jet lag takes a lot out of a person. Please be praying that their bodies change to the new schedule and get rested well before the next day, Saturday.

Not So Wordless Wednesday

And probably posted on Thursday by the time I get it typed, oh well.

I just wanted to let you all know that Shannon and 6 others did leave today for Tanzania. They will arrive at Kilimanjaro airport at noon our time on Thursday, 8pm their time. Then on Friday morning, for them, they will fly to Mwanza. Mwanza is where home base will be for us once we move and is the city the children's home and rest of the ministry will be located.

I hope to post each day what they will be doing the next day so you can be praying specifically. I will also share anything I hear from them, by either email or phone.

This is a photo of the team last year. It was taken on their first morning in Tanzania while staying at the KIA(Kilimanjaro International Airport) hotel and before flying to Mwanza. The team this year is made up of some different people. You can see Collin on the left in the front and Shannon in the back right. He is wearing a cap.

Final shopping and packing

Shannon is getting ready to leave on Wednesday. It is sneaking up fast. I am finding that I am getting a bit jealous as the date for him to leave gets closer. My heart is so in love with Tanzania and the people there. It just aches to be there. I am glad Shannon is going and know that his trip will help us to eventually get there but I so wish I could be going along.

We have been in contact with a couple from the UK that runs a baby home in Mwanza. Also a couple from Michigan running a children's home. Shannon will be meeting both couples and touring both homes. In fact, I plan to run to the grocery store before Shannon leaves to pick up some kool-aid. We had asked the couple from Michigan if there was anything they wanted Shannon to bring them from the US. Their request was for kool-aid packets. It is the simple things one will learn to appreciate when we are there. With 4 young children I am sure they will go through what we bring them in no time.

We plan to spend Monday, Labor Day, with my parents and extended family members at the lake. Then on Tuesday school starts for everyone, Shannon and I both work and he leaves the next day.

Wordless Wednesday

Taken by Shannon last September, this is a photo of children on Maisome Island, in the middle of Lake Victoria, Tanzania. Everywhere we visited over there, when a camera came out so did the children. They all loved to have their pictures taken.



It is for the children that we will move. We want to know that children like these but are homeless and living on the streets have a place to rest their head at night, someone to hug them goodnight and someone to tell them about Jesus.

Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

On Saturday my sister, Corryn, and I threw a get-together for our parents. Mom and Dad, John and Sharon, joined in wedded bliss 40 years ago on August 25th, 1967. Ok,
so bliss it wasn't always but they have done a great job in modeling what a loving, Christian marriage is supposed to look like. In a world where divorce is becoming more common than staying married, I am so proud of them, that even through the difficult times, they have overcome. I remember as a child, when friends parents were divorcing, always wondering if that would happen to my parents. I am so blessed to only have two sets of parents, Shannon's and my own. Thanks Mom and Dad, for loving each other and supporting each other for so long. I pray for many, many more happy years together!

Yup! They still kiss!



John and Sharon-40 years



Me on the left, my sister Corryn on the right.

In the Line of Fire

A couple of years ago the guys in our family discovered a new activity...paintballing. For a couple of years now, it has been easy to buy them gifts. First it was the guns, then the Co2 tanks. Then helmets, ammo belts, paintballs, ect. It seems a crazy activity to me-shooting at each other with paintballs. Paintballs that hit you really hard and then explode. It often causes bruising. But then, I am a girl and don't understand a guys need to conquer.

This past Sunday afternoon, Shannon, Collin and E played capture the flag on our back acreage. We have several old buildings, sheds, trailers and brush piles back there making for good cover. The pics were a bit hard to obtain as I inevitably put myself in the line of fire to get some of them. I got hit on the calf once. It bruised.

Collin-see how he is all covered up in heavy clothing? He doesn't like how those paintballs hurt when they make contact either! He was the winner of all three games of defend the flag they played.


Shannon the tough guy. Jeans and a t-shirt were enough for him. You should see the bruises he has on his legs though! Ouch!


E. He's likes lots of padding just like his big brother. This was one of his first big "wars" since he got his own set up for Christmas last year.



I loved watching this as they both went around the building. They knew the other was there but it took a bit of time before they connected.






A good time was had by all, including myself and the girls who watched from the safety of the house.

Wordless Wednesday

This is another transportation picture. It was taken last September by Shannon from the top deck of the ferry they rode between Maisome Island in Lake Victoria to Mwanza...a 12 hour ride. If you look along the left edge of the deck, you can see where the passengers got on and off the boat. It is a three foot wide pile of bags of dried fish that one needed to walk along. With the dirty lake on one side and the longhorns on the other, they didn't want to fall!

Update on My Mom's Breast Cancer Fight

Because I have had several people ask about this recently, I wanted to share how my Mom is doing. Mom had 4 chemo treatments. With each one she got sicker and sicker. With the last treatment she was quite sick for over two weeks. She is feeling pretty good right now except that her hemoglobin, the red blood cells in her blood, is currently measuring 7.3. Normal is 11-14. This makes her tired and light headed. She met with the radiation doctor who says he will not begin her radiation treatments until her hemoglobin is at least 9, which is still low.

Once radiation begins, it is 5 days per week for 7 weeks. According to the doctor she will feel pretty good for about two weeks but then will start feeling tired. It has a cumulative effect so she will get more and more tired over the rest of the treatments. The fatigue cannot be relieved by rest and will only go away after the treatment is over.

Mom should be feeling ok for the 40th Anniversary party my sister and I are throwing for her and Dad next Saturday. However, it looks like by mid-September she will be pretty tired until the end of October or middle of November at least.

Please continue to keep her and my Dad in your prayers. She is going to beat this. The surgeon was fairly confident they got it all out during surgery. The treatments are her insurance...very valuable in all of our eyes. We are so thankful it was caught early and even more thankful for the support and prayers she has received from friends and family.

Wordless Wednesday

This is a photo Shannon took during his 2006 trip to Tanzania. In the center of the photo you can see an umbrella, currently down, with a few items below it. Shannon said there were two small children living there. This photo shows all that they own except what is on their backs as they are away, likely scrounging for food.

Porcupines- Good for Your Health

Recently I have been involved in several discussions and teachings that relate to each other. At the home school forums I hang out at the someone posed the topic called "Given up on church but not on God? Please share your story." In another thread it was asked, "What is church?" Then at church yesterday, Pastor Keith spoke a bit about the church.

What is the church supposed to be? There is no easy answer to that. I think that every person will have a different answer to that question. We may, in general, come to some sort of agreement of what the church is supposed to be but then the dilemma becomes, How exactly is the church supposed to carry that out?

Let me share a story-
A porcupine stands shivering by himself near a group of other porcupines. The other porcupines are huddling together, staying warm in the cold. The lonely porcupine has a choice to make-does he want to join the others, and get warm, or stay by himself, shivering in the cold where he could even die. The choice seems easy-but one must remember that to be in the group, there will be sticks and pokes, some of which are quite uncomfortable.

People are like that-we stick and poke each other. Sometimes it is quite uncomfortable but it is a part of the relationships. Sometimes, the pokes hurt and are seemingly for no good but in reality, even though the pokes hurt, they serve our greater good. The poke may be something that helps us to grow in our love, in our grace, in our patience or in our faith.

Matthew 27:5 says, "So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself." As Pastor Keith told us yesterday, there are two key words in this verse and they are not "hanged himself." The key words are that he "went away" and isolated himself from others. It was after that isolation that he died.

He Chooses Us As Is

Moses was a stutterer
David was a murderer
Jeremiah suicidal
Naked in the street
Paul, he had a problem
The specifics left unsaid
Timothy had stomach aches
And Lazarus was dead

These are the words to the first verse of a song by Peder Eide called As Is. We first heard the song at Sonshine last month. Peder is a praise and worship leader that was at Sonshine each day and led the worship every afternoon. I highly recommend his music. Our entire family likes it so bought a couple of his CDs.

The song is about how God wants us...as is. At graduation Rev. Debra reminded us, "God does not look at who you are but at who you are willing to become." I know that Shannon and I have a past that neither of us are proud of but we also know that it is our past hat makes us who we are today. Without that past, we would not realize how great He is, we would not be able to fully identify with those struggling with the same things we have. I am so thankful for a great God who will use me in spite of my shortcomings.

And now for the rest of the lyrics to the song...

Samson was a long-haired
Arrogant womanizer
Rahab was scarlet corded
Lady of the street
John the baptist eatin'
bugs and honey on his bread
Gideon a scaredy cat
And Lazarus was dead

Noah was a drunk man
Abraham an old man
Jacob was a liar man
Leah second best
Jonah should have followed God
But ran away instead
Martha was a worrywart
And Lazarus was dead

As is
As is
He chooses us as is
As is
As is
Infuses us as is
With never ending
Love transcending
All our weakness
No excuses
He uses us as is


Copyright 2006 Ya Sure! Music

Wordless Wednesday

Many bloggers out there have something they call Wordless Wednesday. It is pretty self explanatory-a post made up of one or more pictures and few if any words. I have decided to try this for awhile, posting some of my favorite Africa related pictures. Some will be ones Shannon, Collin or I have taken, others will be ones that I have found somewhere on the World wide web. This first picture is from a BBC News photo series on African transportation. The photo was taken in Zimbabwe but I can tell you we saw a lot of vehicles in similar circumstances while in Tanzania. In Tanzania, where there are no speed limits anywhere, the hardtop roads have speed bumps every mile or so. If it is the same in Zimbabwe I wonder if everyone in the back of this pickup has to jump up at the same time for the truck to get over the speed bumps.

This Little Light of Mine

This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine...

I remember, as a young child, singing this song, in bible school, Sunday school and at church camp. At our graduation ceremony a couple of weeks ago, as each of the graduates entered the sanctuary, we carried candles. Those candles represented to us, the Holy Spirit that we each have within us. As Rev. Debra spoke the message she spoke of how "darkness has no power once the light enters."

In Exodus, Moses says, "If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you." God replied, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

Think of a dark room-darker than when you close your eyes, as dark as dark can be. Now someone enters, bringing just a tiny flame, just a flicker. That is all it takes to kill the darkness.

I look forward to sharing my light with others through ministry to the people of Tanzania. My biggest hope is that the children we serve there will grow up to be shining lights in their country and the world.

"I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light." -John Keith Falconer

Please pray for a quick and complete recovery and decisions to be made

Today, Shannon had outpatient surgery to remove a polyniadal(sp?) cyst. This is an internal cyst located just below his tail bone that acts up and causes much pain and even drainage. This is the third time he has had this done. It has left him with a hole about 2 inches across and about that deep as well. This is one of those things we are well aware would not be fun to have causing problems once we are in Tanzania.

We are enjoying how God is making connections these past few weeks in the interest of the ministry. The nurse last week, possibly interested in moving over there. The farmer and computer whiz interested in helping, even other doctors or nurses expressing interest in what we are doing. A woman I know from the Mothers of Preschoolers group we both served on the steering committee of who is in the process of preparing for a move to Zambia and a couple from Michigan, already working in church planting in Mwanza. Shannon hopes to meet them while there next month. The latest was the discovery we made online of a couple moving to Mwanza next year. They live in the Twin Cities area now. We hope to connect with them before we all move...and after, of course.

It seems like God is beginning to put the people together and pieces in place for this to happen soon. Shannon an I are beginning to talk of a cross-cultural training program we would like to participate in before we move. The program is located in Colorado Springs and is quite expensive. We do realize though that the success of the minstry depends on our cross-cultural adjustment. It is much cheaper for us to pay to do the training than to move and have to return home from the field due to an inability to adjust. We need to make a decision soon if we plan to go there as it it booked out many months in advance.

Please join us in praying for Shannon's complete recovery. Pray that the pain will be minimal and recovery speedy. Also, please pray with us as we contemplate the decision for future training.

We will be sending out a letter soon to friends and family about the upcoming trip seeking some prayer and financial support. Please, even if you cannot send money, let us know if you plan to be praying while he is away. It is the prayer support that makes this ministry possible and it is the prayer that helps to bring the finances in.

Now what do we do?

We had a great weekend with the Glory Conference. Praise and worship was very free with banners and dancing, kneeling at the altars or whatever felt right for each individual in attendance. The teachings, given by Rev. Debra Zimmer and Rev. Raymond Graham were great. Rev Graham is from Jamaica and that man is quite a preacher! There was personal ministry for many in attendance with prophecy over Shannon and I. We met several people over the weekend who we believe will eventually have a part in our future ministry. One is a nurse, interested in working with us over there. Having a clinic/dispensary is a part of the ministry's vision. With an on-site nurse we would have a much easier time bringing in medications and getting the children treated quickly for various ailments. We also met someone that is interested in going over there to help us get the farming portion of the ministry established. Also a computer nerd who would love to help however he can. we met many many others who want to be there for us spiritually as they pray us into the mission field and once we are there. We are so excited about the new prospects!

Shannon and I also graduated from bible school on Saturday. Here is a picture of us with Rev. Debra. We both graduated with 4.0 grade point averages as did quite a few of the other 24 graduates.
Shannon was one of the speakers at the ceremony. He talked of how the bible school has not only made us more knowledgeable about the bible but it has also confirmed for us the call God has placed on our lives. We have seen repeatedly in the bible how God uses ordinary men and women-even murderers, thieves and prostitutes-to accomplish His goals. We have spent nearly every evening that we were both home together over the past 12 months watching the videos, testing, filling out worksheets and writing papers that we both hardly know what to do with ourselves in our free time now.

I'm certain we will find something to keep busy.

Glory Conference location change

Just a quick note to tell you that if you were planning on coming to the Glory conference this weekend there has been a location change. Due to some construction at the original location that the ministry was not aware of until today, the new location for the conference will be the Willmar Assembly of God church. It is located on south Hwy 71, just south of Wal Mart.

If you come, please find me and tell me that you read our blog!

End Time Glory Ministries Conference and Graduation coming up

There have been a lot of graduations in our family over the past few months. In May it was Brandon's high school graduation and Collin's 8th grade graduation. Now, next weekend is Shannon's and my bible school graduation. We have taken bible classes through Rev. Debra's ministry. It is typically a two year course but Shannon and I have taken it by correspondence and finished it in about 12 months. It has been a fast pace and we have both really had to cram hard these last couple of weeks to finish in time.

The ministry is also having their Glory conference this weekend, starting on Thursday night. If you go to this page you can get more info and download a registration form. It is free and if you are in our area and can get there it is sure to minister to you in one way or another. We really enjoy the praise and worship time. The teachings are always good and tend to stretch us. Even our children love to go to this each time it is held as praise and worship is so free. After some of the sessions there is personal ministry time as well. Last spring all in our family each received an encouraging word of one kind or another.

Graduation is Saturday afternoon. We will be together with students from several area classes as well as another correspondence couple. It will be nice to be with everyone and hear how the school has affected them. These classes are the same classes that are being taught by Rev Debra, by video and in person in several other nations. The Phillipines, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Guyana all have ministers whose only opportunity for bible school is through these classes.

We are also looking forward to hosting Anne Mugane from Kenya in our home during the conference. She has been here in the US for a bit now and will spend a couple of weeks in the area before returning to her home in Kenya. She is a native Kenyan who feeds and clothes street children in Nairobi. In fact, Anne is the reason that when I first looked at missions trips to Africa I was mainly interested in going to Kenya. Little did I know at the time that God put Tanzania on my heart why He did it. I remember before the trip, grieving a bit that I wouldn't be going to Anne's home. I am so glad that God made it perfectly clear to me at the time where I was to go, even though at the time, it wasn't the trip I was wanting nor was it at a good time, He knew His plans for our lives.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11