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.