Rio Bravo, Mexico Men's Construction Team

First day went well. We arrived early so we did a little shopping at WalMart and ate some good ol’ chic-fa-le. We didn’t have any trouble crossing into the border. A federali inspected our vehicle a little bit but eased up when we told him we were a church group going to build some houses. As we crossed there was a slight silence. A few questions like “do the people really live in those houses?” and remarks of grief, thinking we had it bad in the U.S. It’s a true eye-opener seeing such poverty and observing them being thankful for the things they do have. They might not have an Xbox 360 or the newest purse—actually most of them don’t even have shoes, but what they do have is their family. The smiles on their faces playing soccer in rubble that you wouldn’t even want your dog to walk on, but they’re truly happy and that’s all that matters.We unpacked and set up everything early so we hit the town. Headed to the famous “shed” for some good ol’ Mexican tacos, where a wonderful guy came up and sang for us (wait until you see the video). Second day started a little bumpy, my alarm didn’t go off. I’m lucky I made it to breakfast—thanks to my brother. We loaded up the vans with lunch and water and headed out.

Arrived at the worksite, anxious and excited. Gloves on, boots tight, ready to rock n roll. Our bricks were quite a bit further from the house than we wanted, but so were team #3’s. So, being the nice gentleman of team #2 we marched over to help them move their bricks onto the foundation where the house will be built. (For some reason team #1 was nowhere to be found. It figures—ha-ha. We were successful in moving all their bricks, so they returned the favor. We got to work. Guys started sifting gravel and preparing for the mixture of mud (cement). Then the fun began—laying bricks, letting the meistro (boss) fix all our mistakes so the walls weren’t built crooked. Then the fun started falling out of the sky—shaped in little raindrop forms. Some continued to work while others took shelter under a pavilion. Then it started raining really hard, so we couldn’t exactly make a good quality product with a wet soupy cement. At that point we went for shelter. Then magnificently it started hailing. Yes: hailing! In Mexico! We headed hurriedly to the vans. Getting back to the VIM. Calling it a day just in time for lunch. As everyone gathered I began looking for my brother to share some stories.

At one point along the way we noticed a car was on the side of the road, knee-deep in water. A woman’s head popped out, a face begging for help. Her car was stuck in the mud and there was another woman and a toddler inside. So I asked if I could help. I got into her car, took about five minutes but I got it unstuck and had to drive it down the road to dry land. If you could have seen the woman’s face of gratitude, it was amazing.

I’ll keep you posted!
Shannon Ortman

Monterrey, Mexico Medical Update

Another beautiful day in Monterrey. We have been blessed with lovely weather, so sunny and pleasant. Each morning has been cool, the afternoons warm, but dry and comfortable. The city is basically a desert valley, surrounded by dramatic mountains. Markedly different than Tulsa!

We moved our clinic today to Mission, a village about twenty minutes farther than Zapata. It is even poorer, with dusty, dirt roads winding through shacks made of wooden pallets, corrugated tin, and items scrounged from the junk pile. Stray dogs and chickens roam freely. Other than roosters crowing occasionally, it is very quiet: no radios or televisions, no cars or truck traffic, no sounds of industry.

This poverty was reflected in a different type of clinic patient than our previous days'. Not as many cavities, as they don't have access to the same sugary--and relatively luxurious--treats. Instead, more profound gum disease that puts all of their teeth at risk. Lots of uncontrolled high blood pressure and diabetes. Several children came in with the physical symptoms of vitamin deficiencies. On the one hand, it felt good to be able to serve, as their needs were so great, anything helped. On the other, it was somewhat depressing, as you know you can't change their underlying problem: extreme poverty. That last part, however, is very convicting to continue to serve however you can as a mission volunteer.

Altogether, it's been a great trip: our team has worked well together, our different skills and personalities have been complementary, God has been good and provided for us--as always.
Leslie Roark

Monterrey, Mexico Medical Update

Friday, November 7

Our second day in Monterrey started much more smoothly than Thursday. After another delicious breakfast, we traveled to Zapata where we were alread set up to see patients. There was a line of people waiting to see us, and our day was very productive.

We saw over a hundred patients, with illnesses ranging from the common cold to cardiac problems. One elderly gentleman made an impression on us because of the before/after contrast he demonstrated afer receiving a pair of eyeglasses.

Our team's daily Bible reading focused on mercy and compassion today. We didn't know when the day began how these qualities would be reflected in our experiences. The dental schedule for the rest of the day was full by 1pm, with people lined up in chairs waiting for their turn; however, three patients arrived late with major, obvious dental needs. Our entire team came together to work things around to accommodate these extra patients, as we were all overcome with a desire to help those in distress and improve their quality of life. It made for a long day, but everyone was peaceful and fulfilled as we returned late Friday night.

Another special aspect of the day was that it was two team members' birthdays: Don England, Asbury member and frequent mission team member, and Juan Carlos, a young man from Monterrey serving as one of our translators. Both seemed thrilled to be celebrating their birthdays by serving others, which was great to be a part of. We were able to take a quick break and enjoy another of Humberto's fabulous, home-cooked, Mexican meals and participate in a traditional, Mexican birthday event: breaking open a pinata.

It was a long day, but a rewarding one.
Leslie Roark

Monterrey Medical Team Update

Good news from Monterrey!

After a delicious, home-cooked Mexican breakfast, we divided into two vans: one on to the colonia to set up the clinic, the other to the airport to pick up our remaining supplies from customs. By late morning, we were reunited and seeing patients. All told, we saw over 60 patients, some medical, some dental, some optometric--some all three!

We enjoyed some fellowship and the evening meal at the clinic, and then returned to Monterrey for ice cream and a late visit from Dana and Tom Harrison and other special guests.

We are all tired, but it's not the weary kind: instead, I think we all feel the satisfaction of a long day's work done well. Thank you for remembering us, and for continuing to pray for us and our patients!

Leslie Roark

Monterrey, Mexico Medical VIM team update

Greetings from balmy Monterrey! Thirteen volunteers for this medical mission departed Tulsa at dawn Wednesday morning; after a quick layover in DFW, we arrived at our Mexican destination. Two others had landed earlier today, joining another pair who came yesterday to prepare for our arrival.

Fortunately, we had an uneventful trip: on-time departures and arrivals, our bags were waiting for us, no one got lost. We encountered a glitch once here, though: the customs officials were reluctant to release our medical bags, carrying all of our supplies that would allow us to provide medical services at the clinic starting tomorrow...boxes of eyeglasses, crates of dental equipment, cases of medications, all somewhere in the airport. Our team leader and a fluent physician spent literally hours at the airport negotiating with officials for our supplies. Even the local bishop, who was at the airport to pick up another Methodist guest (coincidence? I don't think so), was unable to facilitate the disposition of our goodies before we left today. We are optimistic that we will be able to retrieve them tomorrow on the way out of town; however, any prayers that would pave the way for an easy pick-up tomorrow morning would be welcome!

So, learning a little bit about patience and flexibility. We ate lunch in the airport, and I hate to say: we came all the way to Mexico to eat at Carl's Jr. Only here, a six-dollar burger is a nineteen peso hambuergesa.

We drove through big-city traffic to the church offices, and settled into the dormitory. It is modest, but clean and pleasantly cool. We walked to the nearby John Wesley Seminary, where the Director and a first-year student gave us a tour. The building is over a hundred years old, and they were rightfully very proud of their facilities. They were also very specific in showing us how previous construction crews from Asbury and elsewhere had helped improve their building; their gratitude was evident, and they were quick to acknowledge God's hand in their lovely church home.

We're getting ready to eat dinner here, have some devotional time and then--hopefully--to an early bed. Our group is all getting along well: we really do all have different, but complementary gifts, and it has made a long day enjoyable and interesting. Please remember us all in your prayers tomorrow as we collect our supplies and travel outside the city to serve.

Leslie Roark

Monterrey, Mexico Construction Update Friday, Oct. 17, 2008

On Wednesday the guys spent a long, hot day working on the roof while the rest of us prepared for MBS which was held at a very poor, nearby village. The children responded positively to the songs, puppet show, Bible story and craft. They were such a joy with their big brown eyes and eager grins. Cindy took a photo of one little guy and then showed him the digital image on the back of the camera. The boy was unresponsive so Cindy took a picture of the boy with his mother and showed him the new image. His little face erupted with a smile when he realized he was the boy in the picture. We assumed he has never really seen himself before.

On Thursday we welcomed cooler temperatures and a little rain. The guys finished the big roof project which seemed much less strenuous in 60 degree weather than it did in 90 degree weather. We returned to the poor village for the second day of MBS. The children streamed down the dirt road behind the van and we discovered a large group of little ones waiting for us at the gate when we arrived. After the lesson, we distributed 70 sandwiches, drinks, crafts and gift bags.

Our girls are having a wonderful time. Yesterday, Humberto and Myrtha's seven year-old granddaughter, Joseline, spent the day with us. They played hard all day, worked a little, and even discovered a litter of newborn kittens. This week Sophia is one of the puppeteers and sometimes shoots video. Olivia is one of the song leaders and helps me hoist buckets of sand with the homemade pulley. They're both excellent helpers when it comes to prepping and crafts. They are holding up well despite the long hours, and the experience is priceless! The team is being so sweet with them. It's such a blessing.

Friday Humberto has promised tamales for lunch and John (Morrow) has promised to make flan for dessert--so we are calling him "Flan Juan" now. We'll try to finish by 7:00 pm tonight as we are scheduled to have dinner at Humberto's church with the Seminary students (and maybe the Bishop too, I'm not sure). We will see you soon! Stephanie

Monterrey, Mexico Update October 13, 2008

We are feeling fine! We are tired and a little sunburned, but it’s the good kind of tired! The kind you get when you’ve worked hard all day, in the fresh air with good friends. It’s the kind of tired that makes your appetite voracious, and makes everything seem funny.

We started by filling buckets of sand and hoisting them up to the roof of a third story building via the “human conveyor belt.” We estimate we moved between 2000 and 3000 pounds of sand (all before lunch). Then some people filled buckets with gravel (probably another 2000 pounds worth) and lifted those onto the second story with a homemade pulley system. At the same time, others were clipping wire and twisting it into pig-ties, while others were tying rebar. Then the guys got to carry four 130 pound bags of cement around the building and up a flight of stairs. Since we had a lot of material to move and only four fellows to do it—we had to put “all hands on deck.” Men, women and children contributed their labor, the Lord provided strength and stamina--and the day’s work was super productive.

We had a great turn-out for MBS, and the crafts were a big hit. The children were precious, and such a joy. Again, everyone contributed and the Lord provided to make the first day of MBS a successful one. We worked out some kinks later in the evening and we expect tomorrow’s MBS to go even better.

We are being well cared-for by our hosts, we are eating like kings, and the team is functioning like the body of Christ. It’s a real team effort with everyone working hard, doing their part and having lots of fun.

This is a great team, and a great place to be! Stephanie

Monterrey, Mexico Update October 12, 2008

Hola!

The first thing we saw as we neared Monterrey was the top of a mountain peaking through the heavy cloud cover. As we dropped below the clouds on our approach we observed a huge, industrious city surrounded by mountains on every side, with housing additions creeping up the steep slopes--the only space left for growth. The travel was easy and even customs was a breeze.

We’ve eaten like kings since we arrived: For lunch we had fresh guacamole, Mexican queso, homemade tortillas, grilled steak and spicy salsa! Later we enjoyed HUGE scoops of mango, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream. We did some sightseeing, first from a high spot in the center of the city, where they fly a huge flag, and later from the SAMS Club, where the team bought supplies of food and water. We unpacked and hit the sack around 10:00 PM.

Sunday morning we savored another wonderful meal, had a devotional then headed off to a worship service at Vina del Rey (Vine of the King) Christian Community. The congregation sang songs for over an hour, then prayed, then sang some more, then prayed some more, then sang some more, then people from the congregation shared testimonies (including a few from our team), then they sang and prayed some more! We recognized many of the songs (such as How Great Thou Art, and several Chris Tomlin songs) and even though we didn’t know the Spanish words--we knew the tunes.

The Mexican people are so demonstrative and hospitable; they greeted us warmly with hugs and kisses, and small gifts. They’re also animated and passionate when they worship. The WHOLE congregation sings at the same volume and intensity as Chris Cleveland does when he leads worship at the Venue. The people clapped, and danced, and wept. It was wonderful to participate with them! At one point, Pastor Guzman went straight from praying into a song, and he was dancing around and clapping! (I want to ask Pastor Tom why he never does that.)

We stayed for a pot luck lunch at the church afterward, and then we visited this wonderful park where a huge artistic event was in progress. Hundreds of artists were recreating classic works of art with sidewalk chalk. It was amazing to see. After that we toured the Juan Wesley Seminary which is housed in a beautiful 100 year-old building. It was clean and modestly furnished, with a well stocked library, classrooms, chapel, offices and dorm rooms. We look forward to joining the seminary students for a meal on Friday night.

We spent the evening preparing for tomorrow’s MBS. This included practicing the puppet show, and the songs, and gluing stuff together. It’s after 10:00 PM now and everyone has retired to their rooms. The windows are open, and the fans are blowing. Outside, some insects are chirping. Before bed my daughters prayed, “Thank you Lord for this WONDERFUL day!”

Yes, thank you Lord for this wonderful day! Stephanie Hurd

Central Asia Update Oct. 9, 2008

Salam(Hello),
Today has been such a nice day. We started our morning at the Vo-tech with some history of CARD and a tour. We heard such great stories of children who had no future before CARD and now they have a trade and are able to have confidence in their future. The children are such a delight to see. They are excited to have the opportunity to learn. Some of the team helped create Wheel of Fortune for the English students to practice spelling. It was properly called Wheel of G-town. Our special treat was the cooking class. We made homemade fudge brownies and started the Hobo Stew. It was great to laugh and continue to build relationships. There is a special young girl whom the team has seen the last couple of years. Seeing her is a sweet reunion. Our guys finished the baby’s gate and went to hang it at the baby’s home this afternoon. This will be great help when trying to separate the children from the toy room.
This afternoon was probably the highlight of the day. We returned to the psychiatric hospital to pass out the photo albums to the women and watch an art class. The ladies were so grateful for the photo albums. It was thrilling to see their faces light such a dark place with some joy. One woman said that “we make her heart beat faster with joy”. She had tears filling her eyes and it was a bitter-sweet moment. The art is quite amazing. They are ALL far better artist then we could think of being. We were honored enough to be able to purchase some and help them feel special for their ability.
The men had a chance to pick up a basketball game with some of the young men at the Vo-tech. It quickly turned into young-vs-old (American-vs-Central Asia). It was funny, one young man kept telling Matt to “take it easy”. It has been a blessing and has brought joy to our hearts to be able to share in their lives.

Central Asia Oct. 7, 2008

Hi everyone, we had a looonnng but uneventful trip from Tulsa to Chicago to Frankfort to B-town to G-town. We left Saturday morning and arrived in B-town Sunday night, getting into the hotel around midnight. Sleep? No. We had a good night's sleep and then did some walking Monday morning into the old part of the city, where the rug sellers are. We walked along the seawall, and had a wonderful lunch on the 16th floor of our hotel, overlooking the city and the sea. They served fresh tomatos and cucumbers, plus coriander (cilantro) and dill and onions...call all of that salad. Then we had a dish served in a flat dish over a coal, of chicken, eggplant, potatoes and onion that was delicious. After that, into cars for the hair-raising trip to G-town. Oh my. Not for the faint of heart. Nor was the potty on the stop we made...frightening. Who knew a two lane road could really have 3 lanes? Evidently our driver knew. We made the trip in about 6 hours. We followed for about 2 hours of the trip, then headed further west into the high desert area. G-town is in the more northwest area of the country. We saw people along the road selling fresh pomegranets, apples and fish. We arrived in G-town around 7:30 and had tea and supper, and a lovely visit with our hosts Neil and Lucy. We got to bed around 11ish. Today (Tuesday) we were late risers, but ready to go by 9:30. We visited the baby orphanage, and held babies, played with toddlers, and did some cleaning of toys in one room. Right now they have 11 babies and several toddlers. Not all are orphans...just can't live at home right now. Precious children all. Then we visited long-time friend Sevinche at her home and had cake and tea. She is a delight, and enjoyed hearing about the people she has met over the years. Tonight we are having supper, prepared by Sevinche...and it looks wonderful. The men worked on the toddler gate for the orphanage today, then took a little tour of the town. They also sat in on an English class. I'm still feeling a bit jet-lagged...or a lot...so some of these sentences may not make sense. I can see pomegranets having heavy on the tree outside the window right now. The temperature is perfect, and the humidity is low. The sun is beginning to get low, but the temp is still warm. It was chilly in the room last night but we had thick comforters and slept very well. All is well, and we will bring home stories! We send lots of love--Cindy Read

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, July 5, 2008

Hey everyone! This is Sterling giving the daily update. We started out today with an end-of-camp worship service and award ceremony. The "American" team was actually given a huge bar of chocolate in thanks for coming to Camp Gideon. After a quick lunch, we had to say our goodbyes to the campers. It was extremely hard. All of us got very emotional. After saying goodbye, we cried our way to a nearby castle in Narva, which we toured. Right before we left, the girls decided to dress up in 18th century Russian clothes so Ryan and I decided to join them. Then after the castle we returned to camp, played a little soccer and took a dip in the Baltic Sea, which was about 15 degrees Celsius. It was another great ending to a great day!

--Sterling and the team.

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, July 4, 2008

Hey everyone! This is Jennifer. So I was supposed to write this on Friday night but we have been pretty busy lately. I'm sorry. Well Friday was the last full day of camp and it was definitely a great way to end our week even though they changed the schedule on us for the day! After breakfast we started the day off with some worship which was so good! After the worship service, the campers had small groups so our team went back to the cabin and listened to some techno and rock. Sterling was climbing all over the furniture because he got so into it. It was hilarious! After that was sports time where we played jump rope, water balloon volleyball, and this game where you get into a circle with your opposing team and try to get them out by having them knock over a bucket. They all were so much fun but now we are feeling a little sore! Then we went to lunch and after that was crafts which was kinda sad because, other than Amy, only a few people came. But it was okay because the campers were all in their sports groups getting their skits and videos prepared for the night. Later after dinner, we went to the brown building for church. It ended up that we watched all the team videos and skits. For us, they were funny but the campers found them hilarious! I guess it just wasn't translated the best. Haha! After that it was time to get snacks. Then we went back to church for worship and a short sermon. The worship was AWESOME! Almost all the campers were in the front or in the aisles dancing! It was amazing! After it was over, it was time for bed. And that was pretty much the end of great day!

--Jennifer and the team.

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, July 3, 2008

Well I'm (Kevin) doing the update again tonight because the girls are at a midnight chapel service and the boys are showering. (The boys thought they might have gotten too sweaty during the sports activities today.)

I am really proud of our youth! The boys presented a great devotion this morning. Then they all helped the worship band lead the worship service. Tiffany played drums, Sterling played bongos and Erin, Hanna and Jennifer sang. They really did a great job. They have also been doing a great job with the crafts and sports. They are participating in all of the small group activities and making some great friends. The camp leaders and the campers really seem to appreciate us.

Artur, the camp director, is really sick and needs your prayers. He started feeling bad yesterday morning and was pretty sick by early afternoon. His wife, Valetina, said that his doctor called it something like Rosa and that it is caused by stress. This is the 4th time he has had it. I think that is probably Shingles. Please pray for a seedy recovery for him. Also their son Erikki has been in the hospital because cut part of a finger off and cut his hand on a power saw a couple of weeks ago. I think that it got badly infected. Anyway I imagine that Valentina's stress level is pretty high right now and could use some prayer too.

Thanks again for your prayers and support!
--Kevin and the team.

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, Tuesday, July 2, 2008

Well today we started our day out with trying to get the campers to go up to the front of the chapel and get into the worship this morning and we crashed and burned according to Sterling and Ryan. We went fishing today for Red Fish (Salmon) and caught our lunch. Erin's and my fish basically bled to death, Jennifer and Tiffany's was gigantic and had its face torn, and Sterling and Ryan's first fish was like 1 inch long. We saw Russia from across the river, the largest lake in Europe and a Russian Orthodox convent with nuns. We were disappointed when we returned to the camp because we heard the afternoon games were so much fun and pretty funny!

The evening service was really great with lots of great music (in Russian of course) and a really great speaker. He is a lay preacher in the Tallinn Methodist Church and talked about God's grace.

We love you all!
Hanna - for the team.

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, Monday, July 1, 2008

We had another great day today. Everyone is really connecting with a lot of the campers and leaders. In fact I am the one writing tonight because our youth are all hanging out with the Estonian kids. I have been able to spend quite a bit of time with Artur and Robert. I believe that I have been successful in convincing Artur that it would be much better to have a small tractor than an ATV to mow with.

We were able to get the old mower going but, it's with the rough cut attachment. The finish mower attachment is much bigger and faster but it is in too bad shape and needs too many parts that we don't have to get it going.

Tomorrow morning Ryan and Sterling will be presenting a devotional. On Thursday we will helping to lead the worship music and the Russian speakers will be doing the music all in English.

The arts & crafts are a big hit.

God bless you all.
--Kevin - for the team.

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, Monday, June 30, 2008

Hello everybody! This is Ryan Proctor writing on Monday. For all of us this was the longest day of our lives. We got up at 5:00 a.m. and played Capture The Flag for 3 1/2 hours! Oh, and we went to bed at 1:00 a.m. the night before. Then we had competitions with our teams (the campers and us mixed) to make the best team name, best team flag, and best team skit. We then engaged in the strangest scavenger hunt / exercise activity ever in which none of us English speakers knew what was happening. Overall though, it has been a great experience and we are all making great new friends.

Thanks for your prayers and support.
Ryan and the team.

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, Sunday, June 29, 2008

We had a really great day today! We started out with a really great breakfast at the hotel in Tallinn then drove to Parnu where we attended church at the Agape UMC. The drive was about 1 1/2 hours and we got to see some really beautiful scenery.

The worship service this morning was really nice. Miare lead the service and Ullas Tankler preached the sermon. Our youth presented a children's message. I gave a greeting from our team and Asbury. They all want you all to know that they sincerely appreciate our relationship with them.

After church we had lunch with Tonu, Kulli and Miare. Guess what! We had pizza again today. It was great though and we had a really great visit.

We filled up our van on diesel as we were leaving Parnu. $9.86 / gal.!!!!! And we think that we have it bad in the US.

The drive from Parnu to Camp Gideon was a little over 3 hours and was a beautiful drive. The farm land and forest is really pretty this time of year. We must have seen a hundred "Moose Crossing" signs but never saw a moose. The morning was totally clear but we drove in rain for the last half of the trip. It's clear here at camp though. The temperature is a bit cool but is really refreshing. Sunset was at exactly 11:30 this evening.

We are all settled in at camp. We've met everyone and gotten all of our assignments. We participated in the opening worship this evening. Tomorrow will be the start of the real work.
We will send another update tomorrow and I will try to have one of our youth send the message.

Thanks for your prayers and God bless.
Kevin and the team

Estonia, Camp Gideon Team, Sat., June 28, 2008

Hello friends and family!

Greetings from Tallinn, Estonia!

Today was a pretty eventful day. We woke up at 8:30 a.m., and it didn't go so well with our internal clocks! We're still on Tulsa time but we're adjusting just fine, no worries here. Then we walked from our hotel to the Baltic Mission Center which houses the Baltic Methodist Seminary and and the Tallinn Methodist Church. After that we rode the trolly to the old part of Tallinn. It was stunning, unlike pretty much nothing we've ever seen in person before (except for those of us who have been to Tallinn before). We took so many pictures; Old Town is like one huge photo op! We had lunch at a place called Pizza Americana. The name is kind of misleading though because the pizza was definitely not "Americana". We then met up with a friend, Mall Tamm, who is the Director of Lighthouse Children's Center, where Asbury's other Estonia VIM team worked a week or so ago. She showed us around Lighthouse, ate ice cream with us, then led us back to the old part of Tallinn. This time, we purchased souvenirs and took even more pictures. It started raining a little this afternoon so we got a little damp. Dinner was at a Russian restaurant, then we headed back to our hotel to prepare for our day tomorrow. We're going to the church in Parnu and giving the kids who attend the church a Sunday school lesson. Then we'll head to Camp Gideon! We're so excited.

Thanks for your support and continued prayers.

Sincerely,
Erin Tresch and the rest of the crew.

Estonia, Camp Gideon Team, Friday, June 27, 2008

We made it! It is 12:30 a.m. and we're all settled in our rooms, our tummies all full with McDonald's (the only thing that we could find open that would be quick). The hotel and van arrangements went perfectly. Both are very comfortable. The van is brand new and has plenty of room for all of our luggage in the cargo area.

We were able to take the bullet train into Stockholm for a few hours and toured Old Town and the royal palace. Other than the initial delays, our travel went pretty smoothly. The only problem wasn't really a problem. But in Stockholm SAS/Estonian Air couldn't verify that our luggage had been checked through to Tallinn. That was because Delta's forms were misaligned in Tulsa so TLL didn't print on our claim check stubs. We spent more than an hour trying to figure that out. We finally were able to get some assurance that it had been coded correctly. A little stressful but, it all did make it to Tallinn just fine.

We are planning to have breakfast at around 9:00 in the morning. Then we are going to tour Olde Towne and hope to visit Lighthouse. We will drop by the BMC to see if anyone is there as well as Generation 2 at Aptik.

We'll plan to send another update tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers.
Kevin and the gang.

Tanzania Medical Team, Friday, June 27, 2008

We just got back from our last clinic in Fulwe. Hard to believe we will be on American soil again in just a couple of days. It has been a great trip. We are leaving the seminary tomorrow (Saturday) 10 AM (That's 2AM for you guys). Don't know what my access to e-mail will be. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers.
Marilyn

Tanzania Medical Team, Thurs., June 26, 2008

Habari!

I have finally found time to get on the computer and the opportunity at the same time! The schedule has been hectic and the computer has been in use.

We finished our fourth clinic today in Fulwe (pronounced fullway). It broke my heart when we had to close down triage. There were so many more people waiting to see doctors that there just weren't time for. We could have been there until midnight.

Can't wait to tell you all the details. This is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly and generous with the little they have.

Greg downloaded the pictures and video I've taken so far onto his computer and said I've got some great pictures. Joe, you'll appreciate how hard I've tried to get a mountain shot from a moving bus. I guess all that time in New Mexico waiting for lighting to be just right has paid off. We'll see.

We had little piece of heaven here last night at the Seminary School communion service last night. I don't think their choir had sung more than two bars before chills went up my spine. Such incredible voices. Truly worthy to praise God.

Have to go. More people are waiting.

Love and miss you all. See you in just 4 days and 9 hours. Wow, how the time has flown.

M (that's for Mom and Marilyn)

Tanzania Medical Team, Tues., June 24, 2008 part two

Dear all,
Just a note to let you know what is going on. This was our last day working clinic at a small villiage which is just about 10 miles off the main black top. It has been incredible...we saw about 240 patients yesterday and about the same amount today and about 150 the first day... unfortunately we had to send some people away. We did send them with vitamins and abendezole ( for worms). We gave everyone we saw both of these also. I did triage, or check in. It was great. I had a great translator, Edward. Asbury has established relationships with so many different folks. The women all are so beautiful...the children even more. Most everyone wears flip flops or no shoes. Lots of diseases that we would never see in Oklahoma. Leprosey, elephantitus, weird lesions and weird stuff. Gregg Hill is doing awesome at leading our team. He got his bag today and had to go into Morogoro to get it because it was delivered there mistakenly. We got hot water and clear water in the single girls showers. Yeah!!! It was red dirt before. Our pharmacist gave a soccer ball ( he brought several) to some kids at the school close to where we worked. There soccer ball was plastic bags tied and wrapped together about the size of a big grapefruit. We also heard from another group that is here about going to a Masai Village ...3800 masai, fed them, a christian masai, held the attention and went thru the crowd and blessed 2000 of them. Several gave life to Jesus. It sounded like a real miracle...reminded me of Jesus feeding the 4000.

Well, it is still like stepping into a national geographic magazine, but not so glamorous...today I just started telling women with babies to boil water before giving to children and give them lots more. Most everyone is dehydrated...it has been a blessing of huge amounts to me and all on our team. They just need more soap and water and mosquito nets.

Love to all,
Ruthie

Tanzania Medical Team Tuesday, June 24, 2008

A wonderful day.

Our wonderful pharmacist John Simmons decided to bring some soccer balls. Each day he gives one to the village youth, usually allowing a variety of villages to have new toys. When we pulled up to Muhungamkola (we're we'll be tomorrow for one more day), the kids were playing soccer as always. We hopped off the bus and John grabbed a translator to help present the new gift. Once the boys saw him walking with the new ball they immediately dropped everything and ran over to him. It was like we were in a movie. One boy saw John's new ball then looked at his own, a concoction of plastic bags and trash remnants rolled into a rough, lumpy sphere. He looked down, then through down the ball and sprinted towards the others while yelling something out of excitement. It was probably one of the coolest, most memorable things I've seen in a long time. John received the boy's ball in return; probably the best souvenir anyone will take home.

Yesterday was definitely a good day, but we had to spend time setting up and preparing for the first day. Yesterday we saw about 150 patients, whereas today we saw over 220!! Some of us were concerned that the evangelism wasn't as profound as we wanted. Grant, however, explained how certain social situations can be complicated and should be approached carefully. We are working in a heavily concentrated Muslim area, and it was very well known why we are here doing what we are doing. It's just that sometimes just saying 'God Bless' and offering to pray for patients does not seem like enough. He explained that the Muslims are so taken back that Christians would treat Muslims the same as other Christians and everyone else. Respect and equality show the love of Jesus more than anything else. I thought that was interesting. Something that may seem so small to us, can make a big difference elsewhere.

We're seeing some interesting infections also, some things the docs have never seen and only studied in medical school through lectures and book work. Today, at two different times, we encountered cases of leprosy. Leprosy is something that is often spoken about and taught, but rarely seen in our part of the world. On the other hand, it is very sad to see what some of these people have to endure, and with little medical attention. All we can do is help our absolute best to help. We prescribe medicines, direct, give advice, and refer to the next surgery team when our surgeon doesn't feel an immediate procedure is appropriate. We're doing everything we can, spreading the love of Christ.

Three more days. Please continue to keep the clinic in your prayers.
Mungu aku bariki (God bless),
Stephen

Tanzania Medical Team Monday, June 23, 2008

Spreading the love out in the bush

So yesterday's post wasn't really a summary of our day at all. I figured I'd get back to summarizing because that's really what you really want to hear. But first, one more thing about yesterday. The more I thought about it I realized the significance of the church service. Rarely do we slow down and simply sit in the presence of God and listen. We are always going to Him in prayer (whether it be in thanks, asking for forgiveness, or searching for guidance and wisdom). We are always ready to be the one who speaks first. I think talking too much can be a problem many of us face in our relationship with God. Sometimes I especially need to simply sit in His presence and just listen. Once I realized the significance of what I heard yesterday, it hit me what I had been doing... absolutely nothing. I had two hours to shut down and just listen. No speaking, no asking, nothing. Just sitting there listening in His presence. I think I'll probably do that more often once I get back to the Western Hemisphere.

So back to summarizing. Today we left the seminary at 7:30 and headed to Muhungamkola ("lots of rice"), a village near the village we were at yesterday. When Tanzanians say they are going to these primitive villages out in the middle of nowhere they say they're going out to "the bush", because many of the villages are surrounded by wild grass with empty hills rolling on and on as far as the eye can see. To be honest, most of this trip has felt like an episode of Lost, from the landscape to my constant hope that I will turn around and see Mr. Ecko.

So anyway, our first day of clinics went very well. Almost too well it seemed. Everything just began to flow once we got all the translators there and started seeing patients. First the patients go to triage where the problem is communicated and the severity is determined. From there, they either go to optometry or medical, depending on their chief complaint of course. The fairly healthy mothers and babies are sometimes just sent to the pharmacy to pick up vitamins and Albendazole (worm meds). Everyone (except for the pregnant mothers) receive the worm-killing meds just because of the prevalence of worm infections. After each patient needing attention goes through the medical clinic and sees doctors, they are sent to the pharmacy. Everyone always has something they need to take, whether it's just vitamins or a dual therapy of anti-malarial meds.

I tried to upload some great pictures of different things being done at the clinics, but the internet isn't really cooperating at the moment. Next time I'll post some more specific stories and things about people we've met, but right now I'm pretty darn tired. The jet lag has finally settled, but a day of helping patients back to back for 8 hours can kind of drain the energy, especially when they don't speak your language. I hope everything is great back home. One day down and four to go.

Talk to you soon.
God bless.

PS- the food is great. I mean today at lunch I had some chicken's spinal cord spewing out of the back vertebrae into my rice and beans, but other than that its pretty darn good. No, to be honest they put coconut milk in their rice which makes it pretty much amazing. Beans haven't gotten old yet, and the meat is almost always good. You just have to be careful when eating away from the seminary. Breakfast cream of wheat with granola hasn't gotten old either, pretty good stuff, especially when warm. Spencer, you will be glad to hear that I'm making my coffee extra strong each morning. Something about their delicious coffee just makes you want more (about 2+ tablespoons per cup to be exact).

Tanzania Medical Team, part two from Sun., June 22, 2008

So this is what I've been thinking..
Education – noun : the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.

I began thinking about this word and what it means this morning as we participated in a worship service in the local village of Lukangazi. Even the cities here are what we could call poe-dunk towns back in the states, but we were in village. Imagine the most primitive society that you’ve ever read about or seen in a movie or television program. That’s where we were. Mud huts and straw roofs. The whole nine yards. Which is exactly why I began thinking about the word education.

Missioning (as I like to call it) is always an interesting experience, especially once you are submerged in a completely different culture. Observing and helping others in their own society immediately makes you think of your own. We have a set standard of “what you shoulds” and “what you shouldn’ts”, “how you shoulds” and “how you shouldn’ts”. Probably the most important standard included in our culture is “knowing what it means be successful and how you should attain that goal”. This puts education at the center of everything in our culture. A culture cannot be passed on or continued without educating the next generations of past rituals. In fact, nothing in our world would continue without education. We sure wouldn’t have any idea that there was a man named Jesus, or know anything about what He did two thousand years ago.

Our culture likes to define things a certain way and frown upon anyone who disagrees (which is usually a great way to keep everything in order and maintain a healthy, pure society). However, when it comes to education, I think we have made an incorrect assumption. Someone is almost always there to frown upon ending education early. Here’s the question though. Who is to tell someone what kind of education makes success? Who has the right to tell someone they cannot be successful if they don’t go to college? or don’t get a useful degree immediately applicable upon graduation? Maybe this would be better. Define success. Does it not look different to every single person?

It seems as though the American dream could be defined as making a good living and retiring young with as few worries as possible. Living a comfortable life with few peaks or troughs, steady and even-keel for most of the way. But as Christians we’re called to go out and help the poor and needy, called to serve others who are less fortunate. Take a chance in failing miserably in order to possibly accomplish something amazing. To certain Christians, success could mean making yourself poor in dramatically improving the lives of the destitute. What if you’re calling doesn’t work out though? Shouldn’t you have something to fall back on? Couldn’t that comfortable lifestyle just be there as a backup, just in case everything doesn’t work out?

This is a long tangent, but when you’re in a two hour church service that is led in a different language you’re mind begins to wander. I guess what I’m getting at is this: I’m tired of the comfort=success dogma. Forget what the American culture says you should do, and forget the conviction that going against the grain is failing. There is so much to be done in this world, going out and doing something seems so much more important than guaranteeing a fall-back, comfortable life. What does that accomplish? There are villages in East Africa that flourish with so much joy (more than some Americans will ever see), and what is their highest educational degree? I am not against studying or degrees in any way. I think we just need to be sure and use it proactively, and turn the focus to helping others.

I have a new respect for people who go out into the world with the mindset that God has specific intentions for their knowledge and skills; the people that won’t postpone accomplishing great things just to get a diploma and make others happy. I think sometimes I myself need to just let God bring me into his own plans rather than try to put myself into certain roles.

Oh yeah, Tanzania is great by the way. We went to a church service this morning, got back at about 3:30 and will most likely pack more meds tonight.

God bless,
Stephen

(Oh and don’t worry Mema and Papa, I’m still going to go to college.)

Tanzania Medical Team, Sun., June 22, 2008

Sunday Afternoon Tea Time

I just finished my instant coffee with hot milk and a little sugar...I was off caffeine, but this is so good, it is worth getting hooked again.

Today we went to a village (I don't remember the name, has an L in it) in a church that was in the "bush". The road was bumpy and single lane and seems like they put some dirt with lots of clay in it, cause it is slippery when wet!!! We walked up about 10 minutes to the church. It is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen or been to. The people, remember, are the church! Wow! So beautiful, happy colorful. Mostly children and women at church. I loved the acapella singing, it is the kind of church music that you know in your heart, no matter what language it is in. You can harmonize and sing with it with no hymnal or words. The women do this high pitched trill...I thought you had to be a special member of the church to get to do it... the service was long...you can not believe how perfect the kids were...not one peep and the babies were quiet too. The children sang and I had to go around the side and peek in to take pictures. You will fall in love with the faces of all. I had a sweet little girl in my lap for the service. Of course the auction was after the service. I think it was smaller than when Tom was here...guess they didn't know how special we all are. Well, there were oranges, bananas, sugar cane, tomatoes, passion fruit, coconuts, sweet potatoes, a long parsnip root, and some conga cloth and maybe some other fruit that I don't know what it is. It was fun to bid and buy (you know I like that)...I tried to represent Asbury well!!! We ended with a big circle and prayer outside, shared as much of our purchases as we could. I gave my conga cloth to the mother of the little girl that was sitting in my lap. I hope we all weren't just sitting there in awe of it all, but it was absolutely awesome and like no other experience I have ever had in my 29 years of life!!!

The seminary is in the most beautiful setting...I said it is like a fairytale, national geographic paradise world. The trees are beautiful, big and green, big leaves, every color of green. Quartz on the ground here and there. Bugs big colorful, ivy growing up trees with leaves the size of 12"x12". The flowers on campus are brighter than ever...the noises the birds, bats, crickets & grasshoppers seem more crisp than I have ever heard. The stars at night are big and bright! You can see forever . The mountain setting is so beautiful...we walked to an orphanage the other day and the walk was worth the whole trip. I have seen fields of sunflowers, corn, rice, bananas, seaseme seeds (I did not know what those were), coconuts, teak, papayas I think and other things. I have not seen any bull neddle or poison ivy.

We are anxious to do our clinic...I feel like I have been on a vacation of the best kind. I am ready to serve... I am so grateful for the opportunity of this trip. Thank you. I could get used to this Tanzania time!!!

From Ruthie

Tanzania Medical Team, Sat., June 21, 2008

Day Two

This morning was probably one of the most relaxing and peaceful wakeups I have ever had (despite the fact that we had to wake up at 5:00..). So we’re lying there, under our mosquito nets of course, and we wake up to a light rain. It was so amazing because our bedroom is open at the top of both walls, so the sound of quiet rain was coming through in what seemed like the Tanzanian equivalent to surround sound.

I just wanted to share that with you, it was wonderful. You know what else was wonderful? Finally sleeping in a bed after two nights on planes. Anyway, we got up at 5:00 because our group and a few from the seminary went to a nearby game park. And by nearby I mean an hour and a half drive. We left by 530ish so we could be there by 7ish to see the shy tigers. We didn’t… But we saw giraffes, wildebeests, hippos, crocodiles, gazelles, baboons, elephants, and those trees that you picture from the Lion King. Oh and we saw Pumba but no Timon. I was hoping for a Battle at Kruger experience, but instead we saw two crocodiles maneuvering a dead hippo back from the bank into a pond. Interesting nevertheless.

We rushed back for lunch at 12 (Grant likes for us to be on time, although we rarely are) and we are now relaxing before we start unpacking and sorting the meds. I just realized some of you don’t know who this Grant guy is. Grant Miller is a missionary from Asbury that has been living here for 8 years (I think). I’m pretty sure he teaches Bible classes here at the seminary, but I’m sure he does many other things also.

The seminary we’re staying at is well known for its Swahili program. Earlier I heard of a man from Venezuela only knew Spanish but learned English just so he could come to this seminary and learn Swahili! Talk about determination.

The doctors are about to go visit the local hospital and see how the accommodations compare to those back in Tulsa. We will start sorting meds at around 4 this afternoon, which should leave just enough time for a nice nap. I’m seriously not kidding about this jet lag; it will probably be the hardest part of the entire trip. These days will be the easiest since we’re going slow and just preparing for the clinic. Next Monday through Friday will be long days out at villages and other parts helping the people with all sorts of health problems.

I hope all is well back in Tulsa, as everything here is just great. I think we are all ready to get into a daily schedule and our bodies adjusted. We agreed we would probably be wonderfully adjusted just in time to leave and come home : ) Ryan you will be happy to know that I have met your kind friend Raymond. I told him you said hi as I was completely stunned at the fact that he has Chris Cleveland styled pointy-toed shoes. This was a longer post, but still no pictures. The internet here just isn’t good enough.

God bless.
Stephen

Tanzania Medical Team Update, June 20, 2008

After two very long international flights, we're finally at the seminary in Morogoro! I'm not going to lie, the jet lag is pretty darn bad, but I guess that comes with traveling to Africa, haha. I'm pretty sure everyone took a nap this afternoon.

We took a great tour of London in between flights. I literally took about 300 photos, just trying to get a good shot as we drove by different things. Going back and deleting the blurry ones was the hard part. I wanted to drive through Nottinghill to see the little travel bookstore, but Ula (our tour guide) expressed that we were on a very tight schedule.

We then flew to Dar Es Salaam and traveled via bus and Grant's car to Morogoro (about three hours). It's nice here and the rooms are going to be just fine. Tomorrow we plan to go to a game park and begin packing meds in the afternoon.

Sorry for the brief post and lack of pictures, but I ended up napping a little longer than I expected. (5 hours of sleep over two days really gets to ya haha.) We're going to have worship in about 10 minutes and then hopefully get some good rest. I'll upload some pictures on the next post hopefully, the land is just beautiful here.

Talk to you soon, God bless."

Monday in Tanzania, June 2, 2008

The Bishop and the King

Monday was the last work day and even though a few days ago I remember being home sick I am sad this is our last day in the villages.

Again Grant used his trusty chariot to carry us to Morogoro for supplies of the day and we stopped to be introduced to Bishop Mamao (sp). He was very cordial and happy to see Mike once again. He gave me a short lesson in Swahili and gave numerous points on why and how Grant has been so helpful here. Mike and I agreed as during Mike's previous visits and this my first, we have seen the comfort and genuine community Grant shares with the villagers.

Our work or painting the freshly reworked walls and replacing mosquito screens on the windows of Pastor Jeremiah's house was intermixed with some fun. We had time to visit with the kindergarten children and provide them some small gifts and receive their thanks in song.

Pastor's Leonard and Raymond had lived in this area (I can't remember the name of the village but it is the one where the first water well was drilled and the first church built. Many Asburians will remember it) and still know several of the people. As the school let out Pastor Raymond cast his net and drew them over to meet us and to speak with him about their lives. He is great with the youth and his warm, smiling, yet deep method of engagement is a huge asset to the area. I learned that Raymond started the school here and after three years built it large enough that the government now supports it with teachers and books. What a great testament! This is the sustainability that growth requires and there is much evidence of this type of sustainability in many areas.

Pastor Leonard also has a wonderful way about him. While not as ready with the smile, he can also bring fun and laughter to a conversation and he does easily engage with the people of all ages. At one point he even learned to yo-yo with us. He was more quick to learn the techniques of yo-yoing than I was in able to speak the word mchungaji (pastor or shepherd.)

Both the pastors as well as Luka and Thomas worked hard each time we went to someone's home. They are servants in more than just preaching and evangelizing.

Pastor Jeremiah assisted us with tea and food and engaged the walkers-by. Grant, Raymond, Mike and I walked to the water well and Raymond pumped a bucket full of water for one of the locals. The walk was through tall grass and shrub some towering well above our heads. We could see several stick and mud huts along the way and a few brick houses in the distance. The day was bright and clear and it was good to feel the Tanzanian sun. Other than last Monday when we worked with concrete, most of our events had been inside or at least under a canopy of trees. Today we felt the heat of the country and the closeness of the sun.

The day in the village concluded with a game of hackey-sack with a tennis ball and we all laughed at our bad skills. We said fairwell to Pastor Jeremiah. Driving back to Maseyu we left Pastor Leonard with warm hugs and joyfully sad good-byes. In a short time it is easy to come to respect him, his leadership, and his vision.

We were able to spend time with Luka and Herb tonight and with Grant recalled the week and enjoyed hearing stories of previous visits by Asburians and the hopes for the future. Much has been done in this region and more work is required but there are intelligent and inspirational people willing to take on the responsibility. They will need to continue to cast the net and draw more workers into the fold. And for this we should all pray.

I can't say enough about the hospitality we have received here nor enough about Grant and Herb's efforts. They have been more than helpful to Mike and I and have been more than wonderful to be around. I will always remember this trip and their guidance.

No one may ever know if Mike and I really made a difference here during this week. But it is not for us to know. We enjoyed serving and being with the children and learning more about the people. We have certainly been blessed and we hope we have shown the Christian spirit that flows from our people in the states. Again we thank all of you for your support and prayers.

In all, may the glory be to our King, God in heaven.

Sunday in Tanzania, June 1, 2008

Closing Ceremonies, We knock 'em Dead, The Strength of Men

The now familiar trip to Mkuyuni took the normal one-hour and we only had four going. Once we arrived we saw two other cars in the "parking lot" and Grant had to squeeze in. I guess it is time to think about enlarging the church grounds! The other cars were for the choir who came from a church in Morogoro and would sing for us. They brought a PA system and tape player so they would have accompanying music to their songs. All the women had matching yellow blouses and skirts with a layer of lace over each. The men had yellow shirts and several bright colors of pants. All had shoes but some of the women took them off when they sang and danced on the hard red clay floor. All the children loved the music and many swayed and clapped during the songs.

Upon arrival Mike and I learned that the morning service would be the closing ceremony for the VBS. He and I were disappointed that we wouldn't have more opportunity to play with the children or make different crafts. As is typical, God had a better plan than we and things were wonderful.

Before we got started we saw that the children had all been able to make their necklace of beads and crosses the previous night. We also saw a few carrying their pictures of a cross, sun, and flowers colored. After we took a picture of one or two kids who were carrying their artwork, many of the other kids pulled colorful, folded papers out of their pockets. Each child gleamed as they presented their pictures. We were able to take a few individual and group pictures before we had to run off to morning tea.

The children stayed in the church and sang and finally the adults entered for the service. Pastors Kirway and Leonard led the service with scripture, and message, intermixed with music. Grant, Mike, and I sat to the right of the "altar" and slowly one or two children would come forward and sit on our laps. After a while one would leave to retake his or her spot on the bench then another would come forward. Mike must have been most comforting as he had one child fall asleep in his arms. One of the other children came forward to take her sister from him. Then another small child approached Mike. Again, the comfort of the arms and the rhythm of the service allowed the child to start taking the slow deep breaths of sleep. Mike carried the child, still asleep, to communion and afterward one of the choir members took him. Although evangelist Jacob came up and told the kids to all return to their chair, a few came back to get a seat on our laps. It doesn't necessarily take a village to raise a child but the village does raise them. Later in the day, I received the same satisfaction as Mike as Pastor Leonard's young son Isaac, fell asleep in my arms on the bumpy ride back to town.

The service was lacking in adults this day as the women were preparing for the All Church Picnic - meaning everyone from the VBS and church would be fed after the service. This had to be at least 100 mouths as almost all the children from Saturday, the choir, teachers, and those who came for the service would be fed. As well, Sunday is one of two days - the other being Friday - for Market. With the market being only a mile or so down the road, many of the men were "making business." However, the church was full and there were many people peering through the open windows to watch and listen. This in itself is an outreach as children from yesterday who are not allowed to attend service were outside the church peering in. Many waving at those who worked and played with them the day before. Many of their parents watched anxiously as their children were excited about the events.

Pastors Kirway and Leonard introduced us from Asbury and allowed us to greet the congregation. They also led the closing ceremonies and had Mike and I join in to present each of the children who attend VBS a workbook, snack, pencil and piece of bubble gum. With teacher Anna, they called each child by name to allow the presentation. Those who came to church but did not attend VBS were presented pencils and gum. It seemed that everyone was pleased.

By the way - we heard from a few people that the VBS is an Asbury idea and it is more than taking root. There is now a small group who is planning the events and expect to have one each quarter. This is exciting, as they will spread the events to other villages - which is why one per quarter is a good idea. The funding goes for the supplies and the food and is a great outreach. One quick note, that when the children are eating they are calling us and saying karibu (welcome) meaning come and eat off my plate - let's share - and they all mean it.

After service there was time for the adults to auction the two goats, two chicken, conga, huge basket of pineapple, sack of coconuts, groups of bread, fruits, and grain. If the people don't have money they will bring these items for donation. The auction was fun and the choir bought several items.

On the trip back to town - This is a great story about - How many Tanzanians can fit into a car? Always one more..... But it will have to come at another time.

I began thinking about the men. As you travel through the communities you see them pushing heavy loads of lumber, charcoal, banana leaves, water, and many other items on their bicycles. In town you would see them pushing carts - the distribution system - for the city. They have sweat dripping down their face and running off their nose. Their shirts are wet with sweat and many are open to try to relieve the heat. Their arms bulge and their chests and stomachs are taut with muscle. They know work and heavy loads from early life. Pastor Raymond related a story to us on our first day here about how as a boy he walked 13 miles to town and carry a 100-pound sack of salt back to his village on a weekly basis. He did this for a single dollar profit. The strength of these men is incredible and they can work diligently throughout the day with little pause for rest. As well, you will see them running on the side of the road - just to get to their next place faster. No wonder they can play soccer without breathing hard.

But the strongest of them are those who take the time to greet us foreign faces and to embrace us. Those who help with the children and spend time in teaching and training. Those like Grant who has spent 8 years of direct service in this area and who is completely engaged and embedded with the villagers. Men like Herb Hafermann who has been in this area for 40 years performing missionary services and who thinks that malaria is simply a temporary setback instead of a long-term illness. The evangelists and pastors here have set a great new future for the villages. They have created a path that several Asburians have followed to create the foundations here and have consistent outreach. I wish I knew each of your names as your spiritual strength is spreading. Men of the villages are catching on as last Sunday several elders of the Maseyu village greeted Mike and I and led the way for their village to become believers in Christ. Their arms are no longer as strong as they once were but their spirits are bringing more people to Christ. - A blessing for all of us and a tribute to all of you strong men.

Saturday in Tanzania, May 31, 2008

Mike works the crowd. A Tribute to Women. Saturday in Tanzania.

Please let me clear up a few things - my spelling of the village names is getting better but I am sure that I've misspelled and misquoted some items. For this please forgive me as I am just learning.

Today's early start had us loading some small seedling trees into the vehicle. These were from seed by Solomon. He would teach about how to cultivate different trees during the afternoon sessions with the kids. Although the young ones became interested in other items several older kids worked with him to create new "pots" and plant some orange and tangerine seeds from the foods we have been eating.

Pastor Kirway (sp) joined Solomon, Mike and I as Grant drove us to Mkuyuni. The ride out was as comfortable as an old stagecoach being chased by bandits. The bumps and turns had us grasping for handrails and bouncing along. We were absent the dust but the excitement was there.

About a mile from the village the road is really deep with ruts and mud. There was a man and child on their way to Mkuyuni so we stopped and picked them up. Then three other children gladly jumped in the back as well. They were very pleased to get the ride in the automobile and were giggling as they bumped along. A lone man was working on the rutted road and chopping rock to lay in the deep ruts, we thanked him and later saw that he had completed about 20 feet of roadway. We may think this useless or insignificant but if you could see (or feel) the before and after of the efforts you would appreciate his deeds as much as we did.

Pastor Raymond (I called him Jacob in the last post - Raymond just graduated from seminary - Jacob is the evangelist at this village) and Pastor Leonard stayed the night at Mkuyuni, as did four teachers, a few helpers, and many children. This assisted as it would have been too difficult for any of them to return home after dark - and far away. The kids watched part of a religious movie thanks to the TV items Grant provided and some local ingenuity with the troubled generator.

Spirits were high as we unloaded and we received greetings and hugs. We shared tea and spoke of the previous night and the excitement of both the children and adults. Everyone was ready for a full day of lessons and laughter. Wisely, the teachers separated the children into three different groups. By age, the teachers rotated between the groups to provide Arts, Science, and Religious lessons. At the beginning there were about 40 children with a few from the villages trickling in.

Art was led by Ezekiel who taught songs and foot movements. He has a great tenor voice and maintained his patience throughout the day. He also kept his presentations upbeat even though he sang the same verses over and over and over again until the children knew each word.

Mike and I were impressed with his continued efforts as his group sat in three pew benches that were moved under one of the trees. What makes it impressive is that Mike was working the crowd of "nonbelievers" or at least non-participants. These children stood behind the church or came partially into the area of activity but the would not engage and would shy away quickly when approached. Mike quietly would walk to them and motion them over and welcome them with karibu. One by one Mike was able to gently grab a hand, provide a pencil, take a picture or engage them in some other manner. This allowed him to bring the child into one of the groups and then the teachers would invite them in. The most disruptive of these activities was when Mike and I used cameras to take pictures and the kids would get very animated and excited. Even during these outbreaks, Ezekiel kept his cool and got the kids attention again so he could continue the lessons.

Through Mike's efforts, some additional parents bringing in children, the low noise of the VBS kids attracting other locals swelled the ranks. By lunchtime there were 75 children participating.

The kids all had full plates, really full plates, of food and every one of them was wiped clean before they were turned back to the women. After the adults communed together we went back outside to restart the events. Solomon began his demonstration on cultivating trees, Mike sat on the steps of the church and was quickly overwhelmed by a crowd of kids, and I got to engage a few kids one-on-one. Mike was funny as he learned to count to 10 in Swahili and helped the children count to 10 in English. He was trying to learn their names and get them to write on their papers which were provided to them but they just wanted Mike's signature! The teachers were laughing at his interaction with the children. Several of the younger ones in my group were getting anxious so we engaged in some advanced hand clapping routines. It was slow going at first but then several of them caught on. I tried to get them to play with each other and a few did but most of them wanted individual attention from me, which they easily received.

Between all of us there were belly laughs, wide eyes, and thanksgiving. It was a fun experience. Then we pulled out the parachutes and ratcheted up the play. The kids went wild over the bouncing of balls on the round, colorful nylon circles. Most of them figured out how to play the different games - popcorn, breeze, catch - and after a while all of them were tugging and pulling a bit too hard. One of the kids in the group was very quick to learn and figured out my hand gestures. He helped on crowd control and got the other kids to handle things more gently although they continued to bump the balls high into the air and giggle and jump up and down.

During this time, Mike was able to work with another group and show them how to make a beaded necklace, which also had a cross. The kids were eager to use their little brown fingers to thread the beads and tie the ends together. While this doesn't seem like a very large task, please picture small children, full of energy sitting on a 10" wide board that is about 8' long. Now imagine that there are 14 of them on this one bench! There are no tables or workspaces other than their laps so little fingers, working with little rolling beads, with elbows bumping is quite a feat. We hope the kids wear their necklaces to church tomorrow and hope those who were playing parachute get to create their necklaces tomorrow so we can take pictures of them.

The day went by quickly and we had to leave. The pastors said a prayer for us and let us say good-bye to the kids. We were sad to leave but had a great time in recalling different events of the day as we set off on the 1-hour "Baja road race" back to the seminary.

A Tribute to Women
Being selfish I'll talk of ours first.... Mike and I are grateful to our wives (one each) who have not only allowed us to go on this trip (Mike's 4th - my 1st) but have also supported us in it. To you we provide our thanks and our love. Thank you to Mary Ann and Marilene at the church for all of your help and guidance and to Donna Miller for posting our notes and keeping the communications flowing.

Now for the Tanzanians - Men I know we cook and clean a little and help with the chores but the women here never stop working. They dress in colorful clothes, carry more weight on their head than we can lift, and cook all day long. On each journey out of the seminary and even watching locals cross through the grounds, the women are the ones carrying firewood, water (5 gallon buckets), pots, pans, food - you name it - and they do it all on foot. Now, we do see several hard working men who do these things, but by far those along the sides of the road are women - walking. Most men are riding or pushing bicycles. There are many men who are pushing heavy loads of charcoal, grain, fruit, or even tripling up on bicycles which they rent out. But it is the women who you see the most.

The women are wrapped in colorful sheets of fabric called congas. You can see them at a great distance because of these colors. They may only have a few clothes and change only when required but they always look neatly attired. The young girls smile a lot and have long curling eyelashes. The ladies are beautiful with high cheekbones and flawless skin. Their eyes are bright and in the village they chatter and laugh during their many chores. The elder women have wrinkles that tell stories of long lives, hard work, and motherhood. Their eyes are dim and their mouths frown more than smile. They have been over worked but continue to carry the heavy loads and care for others. They have beauty in their grace and their service.

Watching as we drive along we cannot discern their thoughts but are consistently shown their faces of many ages and experiences. The young are spirited, the middle aged, hopeful, and the elderly concerned and tired. They are all wonderful.

So, to you who are reading this, our wives, friends, and sisters in Christ, Thank you. Thank you for being our mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, and wives. To you we owe much.

We have another day with the kids and we'll pass out as many hugs for you as we can.

Mike and I wish you all to be well.

Friday in Tanzania, May 30, 2008

Friday was a day of preparation and travel. Grant took Mike and I into Morogoro to find a spark plug for the generator and an RCA cable to connect the small TV and VCR. The purpose is to show some Christian movies to the kids during VBS which starts today (Friday).

Entering Morogoro for the second time, there is direct relation on the comings and goings of people as compared to any large city. Many of the shops are storefronts of 3 story buildings. The buildings are either a single structure or a row of structures that are immediately adjacent to each other. The bottom floor is subdivided into shops and the grocery store we entered is approximately 12' x 20'. Many of the brands are familiar to us and packaged in the same way we would see them. Pepsi, Coke, Kellogs, Gillette, toiletries - all common to us. The eggs are brown shelled and sold individually. Meat is packaged in a plastic bag and wrapped closed at the top. It is labeled Pork or Beef and sold in 1-kilo packages. The merchant rang up the products and did not ask whether Grant wanted paper or plastic. It is assumed that you will bring your own packaging - which Grant does.

It is interesting to remember the first day we arrived as I saw men on bicycles carrying tens of dozens of eggs in small containers. They were obviously the transportation system from producer to merchant.

Back on the street, people were walking briskly, some carrying goods, some walking to work, and some just hanging out. After a few moments of thought Grant decided to walk a few blocks in one direction hoping to fine the items we needed for VBS. As we started our short journey, Mike and I were able to take in some of the sights. The buildings are the typical, historical; three story structures with the shops on the ground floor, the private business section on the second and the family dwellings on the third. Almost all buildings we saw were of this type which may be due to history, inability to raise them larger due to lack of steel underpinnings, or because there is a lack of high rise equipment like cranes. As I stated earlier it is typical of a bustling city where there are a multitude of different types of shops right next to each other.

As we walked it was interesting to note that the marketing is similar to ours with signage out front, large open windows (no glass just open spaces) with signs and goods for sale. You may expect that seeing a sewing machine on the front of the store may mean that the vendor sales the equipment but in reality he or she is advertising sewing services including making material, hemming, making pants, suits or repairing an item as you wait.

Cafes have several styles of food which you can smell as you walk by. The difference between here and home is the lack of rotting food behind the building. There is extremely low waste as it comes to food - for obvious reasons.

As we entered a shop with Grant we saw washing machines, refrigerators, cooking supplies, watches, generators and a variety of other items. Grant was "making business" with one man and another of eastern heritage started talking to Mike and I. After going through a few languages he says "English" and we say yes, then he begins his conversation in English and welcomes us to the shop and to the town.

One of the two items is purchased and we set off to another store. We get to view a bit more of town and inspect the "flood water drainage system" which are two to three feed deep tunnels on each side of the street. They have concrete block covers, which have iterations of cross section and open slot for water to drain into. While you can see directly into the bottom of the pit (even though neither one of us has a good nose), there is no discernable odor. Grant walks quickly and Mike and I trail behind, I gander a bit much and almost walk in front of two men on a single bicycle. The driver simply smiles, waves me across, and states that I am welcome to go first. This is typical of the people's hospitality as they expect to serve guests. If nothing else, it would be good for us to bring this quality back and have it a lasting part of our lifestyle.

We quickly find the other store and Grant is able to get the remaining item. Again the storekeepers are friendly and helpful. As we start the return to the Lutheran seminary, we realize that we've missed morning tea so to make up for our loss Mike buys us some ice cream.

Later in the day we travel to Mkyuni where we painted on Tuesday and where the VBS will be held today through Sunday. Grant's vehicle is the typical / required 4-wheel drive jeep style with bucket seats in the front, a small back seat, and two folding seats in the rear compartment. We have two suitcases of toys and crafts for the kids, the small TV, a VCR, the three of us and our backpacks. We pick up Luka's brother Solomon, Pastors Leonard and Jacob, Ezekial and Anna who are teachers, and another suitcase and backpacks. As is typical in Tanzania, we are given the most comfortable seats while the others "stretch the vehicle to fit" and pack the items around them. Again, a great tradition of service.

I don't have time to relate the trip out but would like to do so. The road is long, narrow, and has more ruts and holes that it does flat ground. Many times we fly off the seats yet no one complains and we are happy to be riding instead of bicycling or walking as we see so many people along side the road doing. This again is another story I wish to relate as there are groups, dozens, of people walking, carrying, vending items along the roadside. This is truly amazing and a sight that I cannot quite figure out.

We arrive at Mkyuni and about 50 children greet us as well as several adults. The pastors formally begin the VBS with scripture and prayer then Jacob tells a wonderful story about the power of God. Although we can't understand the language, we are captivated by his style, excitement, and entertaining hand movements. On the way home Grant recalls the story for us and it is one we can easily pass on.

The children are typical with the girls being more obedient and the boys a bit more antsy. Mike and I sit in the second row interspersed with boys who want to hold our hands and smile at us. I am sure it is handholding and attention they are seeking and not just looking at my watch. We visit a while and are introduced to the group then asked to join the family for afternoon meal, which we enjoy with several people. Before it got too late we had to start the return journey while the pastors and teachers stayed the night with Jacob.

There is much more to relate but those stories will have to come later. Thank you for your prayers and support. Mike and I feel deeply blessed to be here and receive much more than we deserve.
Brett

THURSDAY NIGHT

Today was an "Adult VBS" as Mike and I were able to travel to the Mikumi wildlife area under Grant's guidance. Of course the day started with tea, coffee, yogurt, breads and fruit. Since we would not begin our travel until after lunch, Mike took me on an extended walk around the Lutheran Seminary. The grounds have a church, graveyard, school, dormitories, and housing for teachers, missionaries and guests. There is a large football (soccer) field and a basketball area as well as maintenance buildings and water towers.

Green lush vegetation is all around—including a variety of shrub and tree. Throughout the seminary there are private gardens growing different leafy vegetables, bananas, papaya, corn and other items. There are a very few dogs and cats and several goats and some mules.

We barely had time to finish our walk before morning tea time. (Tanzania was formerly a British colony). This is the first time we were on the grounds to do so and we were able to greet several of the teachers,

After some devotional time and discussion Mike and I were back at the dining hall for lunch. Since we were served the wheat "tortilla", I created a Tanzania buritto with rice, beans, and sauce. I received a few strange looks but it was enjoyable and easy to eat. Grant, Herb Hafermann and Luka talked to us about Mikumi and even provided some booklets. This conversation turned into several wild, yet true, tales of lions in the park. Herb made several jokes about not knowing whether Oklahomans were good for lion's dinners or not. All was good fun and after a few errands we were off.

The drive was easy and we had an extra special day as we were able to stay overnight at the park lodge—a first for Grant. During the evening we saw all the popular animals except the wild cats. We say quite a variety of birds but didn't know the names for most of them. Not only were the animals beautiful but the plains of high grass with the mountainous borders were extraordinary. As dusk rolled in Grant hurried us back to the bungalo which we would share for the night.

We had a wonderful dinner in the open restaurant and ate by some small lights and candles. Dinner was tasty and we followed it with fresh sweet fruit and coffee. Afterwards we enjoyed community together in the bungalo and finally slept.

This morning, Thursday, we woke early to trek through the park again. We saw small herds this time instead of a few individual animals. Zebra seem to be the most social with other animals as you can see them mixed within any grouping. They can be seen grazing with antelope, water buffalo, wildebeest and others. Elephant and giraffe are seen in small groups with elephants mostly in family units. Our journey did have to come to an end but we did have to enjoy one more meal - a delightful breakfast on the porch - before leaving.

Wouldn't you know it, we arrived back at the seminary just at lunch time. Although we didn't eat much we enjoyed extended conversation with those we had briefly engaged previously. Hearing different stories about people's faith journey only confirms our reason for being here - and maybe as importantly - provides more comfort in knowing that the Christian outreach by Asbury is similar in many churches across the globe. We spoke with Kristiana who is here with three small boys and her husband. She has a wonderful story I will relate later, but in short it is a typical God story where their faith was rewarded with the right position, the right time, and with the right resources. She related that her church of 180 people supports her family, another family and a few other individuals who work in western Tanzania. We hope to later share how we are seeing the Great Commission unfold through her and other people.

Mike and I will spend the rest of the day preparing for the upcoming three days of Kids' Camp (VBS) with local villagers. This evening should permit time to meet with some of the pastors or evangelists from those villages who meet and study with Grant on a weekly basis.

While the last day has been more vacation than work it is easily related to Romans 1:20 where Paul states that God's creations alone should be evidence of his existence. What a great thrill it is to be here and acknowledge this truth with strangers who are actually our relatives in Christ.

Tanzania Update May 29, 2008

Today was an adult VBS as Mike and I were able to travel to the Mikumi wildlife area under Grant's guidance. Of course the day started with tea, coffee, yogurt, breads, and fruit. Since we would not begin our travel until after lunch Mike took me on an extended walk around the Lutheran Seminary. The grounds have a church, graveyard, school, dormitories, and housing for teachers, missionaries, and guests. There is a large football (soccer) field and a basketball area as well as maintenance buildings and water towers.

Green lush vegetation is all around including a variety of shrub and tree. Throughout the seminary there are private gardens growing different leafy vegetables, bananas, papaya, corn and other items. There are a very few dogs and cats and several goats and some mules.

We barely had time to finish our walk before morning tea time. This is the first time we were on the grounds to do so and we were able to greet several of the teachers,

After some devotional time and discussion Mike and I were back at the dining hall for lunch. Since we were served the wheat "tortilla", I created a Tanzania buritto with rice, beans, and sauce. I received a few strange looks but it was enjoyable and easy to eat. Grant, Herb Hofferman, and Luka talked to us about Mikumi and even provided some booklets. This conversation turned into several wild, yet true, tales of lions in the park. Herb made several jokes about not knowing whether Oklahomans were good for lion's dinners or not. All was good fun and after a few errands we were off.

The drive was easy and we had an extra special day as we were able to stay overnight - a first for Grant. During the evening we saw all the popular animals except the wild cats. We saw quite a variety of birds but didn't know the names for most of them. Not only were the animals beautiful the plains of high grass with the mountainous borders wes extraordinary. As dusk rolled in Grant, hurried us back to the bungalo which we would share for the night.

We had a wonderful dinner in the open restaurant and ate by some small lights and candles. Dinner was tasty and we followed it with fresh sweet fruit and coffee. Afterwards we enjoyed community together in the bungalo and finally slept.

This morning, Thursday, we woke early to trek through the park again. We saw small herds this time instead of a few individual animals. Zebra seem to be the most social with other animals as you can see them mixed within any grouping. They can be seen grazing with antelope, water buffalo, wildebeest and others. Elephant and giraffe are seen in small groups with elephants mostly in family units. Our journey did have to come to an end but we did have to enjoy one more meal - a delightful breakfast on the porch - before leaving.

Wouldn't you know it, we arrived back at the seminary just at lunch time. Although we didn't eat much, we enjoyed extended conversation with those we had briefly engaged previously. Hearing different stories about people's faith journey only confirms our reason for being here - and maybe as importantly - provides more comfort in knowing that the Christian outreach by Asbury is similar in many churches across the globe. We spoke with Kristiana who is here with three small boys and her husband. She has a wonderful story I will relate later but in short it is a typical God story where their faith was rewarded with the right position, the right time, and with the right resources. She related that her church of 180 people support her family another family and a few other individuals who work in western Tanzania. We hope to later share how we are seeing the Great Commission unfold through her and other people.

Mike and I will spend the rest of the day preparing for the three days of VBS with local villagers. This evening should permit time to meet with some of the pastors or evangelists from those villages who meet and study with Grant on a weekly basis.

While the last day has been more vacation than work it is easily related to Romans 1:20 where Paul states that God's creations alone should be evidence of his existance. What a great thrill it is to be here and acknowledge this truth with strangers who are actually our relatives in Christ.

Brett

Tanzania VIM Journal/Construction Team and Kids' Camp

Well we got out of Dar just fine, Brett did not have a signal for his phone in Dar but when we got to the seminary he did, so he may also be able to get messages out. I am currently using the seminary's computer and it seems fine, but you never know.

We got to the seminary and this was a day of catch up for us. We unpacked had lunch and then rested. Grant then took us to the orphanage. We walked there (about a 30 minute walk at most) and then we played with the kids for over an hour. The kids were really receptive and most of them came to us right away. We had pork pockets for supper. They are kinda like a hot pocket with pork in them. They were good. We also had pineapple which is always real good here. After supper Shadreck found us and told us the "mall" was open, Brett and I decided that shopping may be the hardest part of the trip—it is for me anyway. We are just catching up. Both of us are tired. I am trying to delay going to bed too early so perhaps I'll sleep later.

SUNDAY NIGHT

The email was set up in another language so I’m typing in Word, hoping that I can send you something.

We went to Maseyu today. Leonard is the pastor there. He was ordained last January, and I had previously met him at Gezaulole. We met his wife and three kids over tea. The tea was served with chipati and corn on the cob. This was between nine and ten in the morning. There youngest child is Rebecca and they let us hold her all during the church service. Then they held an auction after the service which included a live pig, ram and some produce—oranges—and fabric. It was again quite an interesting experience, If someone was bidding they would come over and fan them—helping them to get air so they could continue to bid. We came back to the seminary mid afternoon and went to tea here.

We took a walk around the seminary to Grant’s place, I was a little confused getting there but made it eventually. We are both doing well. Brett has good service on his phone and has received text messages from home.

MONDAY NIGHT

We went to a village to paint today. It is where the Kids' Camp will be. I never can remember the name of the village but Leonard used to serve there and now his older brother is the evangelist there. We had a good team of painters: Brett, myself, Grant, Leonard and Luka. It went well. (We even think that some of the paint got on the walls.) They have two colors on the walls.The top (this time) will be white and the bottom blue. The bottom is a glossy paint to help with little hand prints etc. We only painted white, The home was in need of paint due to major repairs that had been done recently. Luka had repaired some walls that were in danger of falling, therefore portions of the walls had no previous paint. It was a good glimpse into the village as well and the ride there convinced me that Jeff did not need to make the trip as this was a "good" road and some of the bumps would still rattle you.

When we arrived at the village we watched the kids in the kindergarten take some lessons. They were learning their numbers. It appears that we will have a good number of kids for Kids Camp.

We will work back at Maseyu Tuesday repairing a floor in the front room and the porch.

Tell Mark Dalton the internet has been great this time around. You never know!!!!!!

Hope everyone's holiday was great!

TUESDAY NIGHT:

Maseyu was our place of adventure for the day. We started the day in the typical way with breakfast and a relaxing tea—although Mike continues with the coffee.

Luka joined us for the work detail and actually led us during the day. Grant had classes to teach at the seminary during the day but was able to stay long enough to connect us with the children.

The kindergarten class is a group of about 22 kids. They sang for us and read words from the board. Their songs are about learning being good and those that don't know how to read have to walk all through the village to find someone to read a letter for them.

Pastor Leonard told the kids the story of the woman who made the pew babies (see story below) and how they were blessed by her pastor and prayed over by children in her church. The kids understood and sang a song for their new Grandma Anna! Mike allowed me to pass out the dolls as each girl came forward and said thank you. Then Mike passed out balls to the boys. They all seemed to like their gifts and sang a final song for us.

Pastor Leonard's family then prepared us tea and sweat bread which Grant, Luka, Mike and I enjoyed.

The rest of the day was spent mixing concrete, repairing the floor in the front room and front porch, making a small step across a ditch at the front of the house, and using the old concrete to make gravel for containing the erosion in the ditch. While it may seem like a lot of work in the 95 degree day, it really wasn't. Luka, Leonard, and another man - Fabian - did the heavy lifting.

As is typical here, they provided lunch of rice, beans, sauce, oranges, and bananas - truly extravagant giving. This quickly became an even more memorable time as Mike, Luka and I told stories and laughed a lot. Pastor Leonard joined us later which only made things better.

The work was completed around five thirty - just in time to get back for dinner. No wonder we all come home a bit heavier than we left!

Thought for the day: the kindergarten kids may live up to an hour away and walk to school each day. Many of these young kids do so alone. But what a great thing the pastor(s) do here in not only spreading the Word of God, but also in spreading education and other gifts.

Blessings to all and thank you for supporting this ministry.

*THE STORY OF THE PEW DOLLS... There is an elderly widow named Anne (her husband was a pastor) living in South Carolina who has a big heart for missions and a desire to use her time and her gifts for children in other lands. She was given information about Grant's work in Tanzania by the Mission Society and set out to make several "pew dolls" for the children in the mission district there. Anne makes these small cloth dolls using scraps of fabric - some donated to her by friends in her church. When the dolls are ready and she has identified a missionary to distribute them, she takes them to her small Methodist church for a consecration service. The pastor blesses the dolls during the worship service. She also takes them to one of the children's classes at her church and lets the children hold them and pray for them, as well as pray for the child who will receive the doll. She tells the children a bit about where the dolls are going. In this case, she had a video of one of Asbury's Kids Camps in Tanzania to show to the South Carolina Sunday School class so that they could learn more about mission work in East Africa. She wrote, "I pray that the little girls who get them will like them too. Since I don't make them look like the children I'm sending them to, you can tell Grant to tell the little girls that the dolls are the USA girls coming to see them with love. You see our Sunday School children have a part in sending them." It is a win-win situation where Miss Anne uses these pew babies to teach the children (and adults) in her church about mission work going on halfway around the world and then blesses children in other lands with a small token of love from the USA. Her latest project is making pew dolls for Tajikistan and sending them with an Atlanta Church VIM team going there in June. Miss Anne says "They ask for our prayers. As you see, no one person gets God's work done - it takes us all working together." Please say a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing for Miss Anne in South Carolina, and for her ministry of pew dolls!

Tanzania Update May 27, 2008

Fri., May 23: We made it to Dar. The flights were uneventful and our luggage made it fine. The visa process went well for Brett and my visa from last time worked this time as well. Grant and Raymond picked us up.

Sat., May 24: We got out of Dar just fine. Brett did not have a signal for his phone in Dar, but when we got to the seminary he did. He may also be able to get messages out. He did receive a text message from his daughter. I am currently using the seminary's computer and it seems fine, you never know.

We got to the seminary and this was a day of catch up for us. We unpacked, had lunch and then rested. Grant then took us to the orphanage. We walked there (about 30 min walk at most) and then played with the kids for over an hour. The kids were really receptive and most of them came to us right away. We had pork pockets for supper. They are kinda like a hot pocket with pork in them. They were good. We also had pineapple which is always really good here. After supper, Shadreck found us and told us the mall was open. Brett and I decided that shopping may be the hardest part of the trip, it is for me anyway. We are just catching up. Both of us are tired. I am trying to delay going to bed too early so perhaps I'll sleep later.

While Raymond was in Dar he went to see his nephew in the hospital. He had some kind of stomach surgery, so put him in your prayers.

Tomorrow we go to Masayeu for worship. That is right along the highway, so it is relatively easy to travel.

Sun., May 25: We went to Masayu on Sunday. Leonard is the pastor there. He was ordained last January, and I had previously met him at Gazeolile. We met his wife and three kids over tea. The tea was served with chipati and corn on the cob. This was between nine and ten in the morning. There youngest child is Rebecca and they let us hold her all during the church service which drew a few strange looks. Anyway they held an auction after the service which included a live pig, ram and some produce, oranges and fabric. It was again quite an interesting experience. If someone was bidding, they would come over and fan them (helping to get air) so they could continue to bid. We came back to the seminary mid afternoon and went to tea here.

We took a walk around the seminary to Grant’s place. I was a little confused getting there but got there eventually. We are both doing well. Brett has good service on his phone and has received text messages from home.

Mike