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.