An Over-Due April Update

Dear praying friends,

It has been a while since we last updated you on the ministry here.

Emmaus Intern
After our trip to Bolivia for the wedding we met up with Alexandra (Alley) (an intern from Emmaus Bible College) in the big city and made our way back to Kigoma at the beginning of February. Alley was with us for 10 weeks and was able to see firsthand many ministries, participate in others, and experience a foreign language and culture. She has just returned to the US for her debriefing. Pray that God would guide her plans for the future.

Disciples of Jesus School
In early March we began a new year at the Disciples of Jesus school and we have 5 consistent students. We hope to gain a few more students the 2nd and 3rd terms, who did not finish the course last year. Teaching is going well. We are in the 3rd module, and have 2 more to go for this term. Pray that the students would grow in their love and knowledge of the Savior.

Volleyball after class. 

Luke finishing up for the day.

John and Jennifer Kinlaw
New missionaries, commended from North Ridge Bible Chapel, Raleigh, NC, are currently studying at language school in Morogoro. They have 4 kids. After finishing they will move to Kigoma to help with the Lord’s work in this region. Please pray for them as they study the language and culture, and practice speaking. Pray for them as they move and settle into life and ministry in Kigoma. Pray for adjustment and vision for them and their children.

Annual General Meeting
We had our annual missionary meeting (required by the government) here in Kigoma. We met with Harry and Ruth Johnson, as well as Steve and Gill Davies from Dar Es Salaam (with Echoes of Service, UK). It was a nice time of fellowship, sharing reports about the different ministries we are involved in and praying for each other. We look forward to being together with John and Jennifer Kinlaw and family next year.

Eating out at the only pizza place in town.

Peter Yamungu
Our friend Peter is currently in the Tabora region with the unreached Wataturu tribe, for one month, doing his research and field work for the Missions course which he completed in December 2017. Please pray for open doors, good contacts, good research, provision and protection for him as he has about 3 more weeks to go. Pray that God would send more workers of light into this dark place.

Peter and his wife Naomi singing during the testimony time in church.

Church Visits and Building Projects
Since our return we have been able to visit 3 village churches, including attending an Easter Conference of the southern churches. Please continue to pray for the church leaders. Two elders have had to be put under discipline because of sin. We need to be vigilant and aware of the serpent’s strategies to destroy and scatter. Please help us by praying that God would protect these leaders from the enemy’s attacks. Please pray for the many spiritual and physical needs, which sometimes seem overwhelming. There are many churches that are at various stages in building their place of worship, and other newer ones that are seeking to purchase property.

Trying on glasses at the Bukuba church; ladies dancing during the worship service.

Easter weekend in Sunuka, and local church singing.

Luke preaching at the Mwakizega church; eating well; men trying on glasses. 

Lamech's adobe house crumbled under the heavy rains; our drive home.

Work and Residence Permits
Last month we began the tedious process of renewing our residence permits, and applying for a work permit for the first time (a new requirement). Please pray that both of these permits would be granted so that we can continue to serve here in Tanzania.

Family
Gina and I continue to be challenged to grow in new ways as we raise our precious children. Gina works hard at homeschooling the girls. Please pray that we would have joy and peace in the pressures of daily life.

May the God of peace be with you all,
Luke, Gina, Esther, Emily, Aaron and Michael

A Rainy Sunday

Today we visited the village church in Mwakizega-Kampande. I (Gina) have only been there one other time, so it was nice to finally make it there again and be with the believers.

Church singing

Luke preaching

After the preaching and the announcements, the Sunday morning service came to a close, it was around 1 pm. The ladies who had been diligently cooking outside under some trees brought the prepared food and all of the dishes into the chapel. And then the rain let loose. It came down in sheets! The tin roof made it nearly impossible to have any kind of conversation. We all just huddled in the dry chapel and watched the foot trails become rushing streams.

Kids checking out the down pour. 

After a lovely lunch of ugali and chicken, the rain subsided to a steady sprinkle. Luke opened up the boxes full of reading glasses and offered them to the older men and women in the church who thought they might need them. They all got their chairs in a circle and passed the glasses down after trying them on. If a pair of glasses was a good fit and seemed to work for them they'd keep it, ask for a case and then give their chair to someone else who was waiting to try some on. Some 20 glasses must have been given away in just this one church.

Trying on some reading glasses.

Well, the rain was not letting up and we had planned to stop at 4 different places before driving back to Kigoma. So, we piled in the car and went to our first stop. It was not too far from the church, an old widow lady was unable to leave her room but she and her husband had helped start this church so we crowded into her room and sang and prayed with her. She was grateful and sang along to every verse of On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand.

We then made a quick stop at a former student's house so he could show "mwalimu" Luke the progress that had been made. All in the steady rain and muddy foot paths.

We then headed out to the main road and drove a few miles to the neighboring village. The girls were eager to visit Emanuel and his wife who had just had twins some 3 weeks ago. This was the man whose house had burned down a year and a half ago. The girls were happy to hold a baby each, a girl and a boy. The mom is still at her mom's house, recuperating. *I will try to post a photo later, they are on Esther's camera*

Everyone piled into the car once more, I was holding a sleeping Michael, and we drove down even farther to the next village to visit Lameck. He is one of the elders in the church in the village of Lugunga and also helps with the kindergarten that they have in the church building. We stared to drive down to the village and off the main road and realized it'd be hard to get back up such a slick hill. So we parked the car. And this time we all piled out and walked to Lameck's house, right on the water's edge.

Lameck's house.

Or what's left of Lameck's house. The rains cause damage to these adobe houses. They can't handle days on end of steady rain and so they eventually collapse. He was in the house the morning it fell, but he's grateful that none of his children were there with him. His wife had foreseen (typical...ha!) the trouble they'd have so she insisted on finding another place for herself and the children. One heavy adobe fell on his left hand and some bamboo scratched it a bit. Otherwise he's completely unharmed. They've removed their contents from the fallen house and crowded into the other room they have.

Lameck's house

 In the meantime, the children spend the night at neighbor's homes and he continues to work at finishing his new house, that is farther up from the lake and made of burnt brick. He's eager to get a roof on so they can move in.
He was very grateful for the visit and encouraged too. He walked us up the muddy path to the parked car to give us a proper farewell. We climbed into the car and finally headed for home, after dropping off the three elders at the first village and picking up the two young men who were riding back to Kigoma with us. We were given a rooster as a gift; it'll be chicken soup real soon. And a couple of meters from getting into the car, for the last time, Michael tripped and fell flat on his face. He managed to get mud on the inside of his shirt!
We were finally on our way home, we only had one hour drive. The rain continued to fall. And then we came to a river ... that hadn't been there before. It had managed to cover the road since the rain started that afternoon, deteriorating many other parts of the road. It was an exciting drive! We had to drive thru some fairly deep water 5 different times in that one hour. We were happy to make it home, knowing we'd be sleeping in our own beds, all warm and dry.

On our way home.