Blogs from Iringa, Centre, Tanzania, Africa
March 13th 2012
The Book of Acts provides examples of the gospel message being taken into new territories. Luke's record of the first converts in various towns helps us to appreciate how the Lord keeps his promise of Matthew 7:7, 8. God's power is at work when seeking souls find opportunity to learn the truth. And the Reader of men's hearts is still at work today. Back in mid-October last year, a man named Eliya heard our radio annoucement. He desired to attend the Bible classes. On one particular class day, by the time he found his way to the assembly place, the class had already concluded. He had traveled from the village of Tanangozi, which is about a 40 minute drive (depending on the road construction delays). Contact with Eliya led to setting up a class in that ... read more
February 29th 2012
Over the past five years you have been with us all the way. You have supported us, prayed for us, and shared in our labors. You have been with us through tears of joy and of sorrow. We have taken seriously the need to report honestly. We have shared the joys of conversions, restorations, and congregational development. We have balanced that with the realities of power outages, filtered water, malaria, and the vehicle rollover crash. If we have downplayed anything, it would be to not complain about some challenges that are part of real world Tanzania. We dare not focus upon those things when so many people have so much less than we have. We have ... read more
January 21st 2012
In the garden of Eden, Adam was single only a short time. It was not good that the man should be alone (Genesis 2:18). So God fashioned a helper that would be suitable for him.Many other passages affirm that marriage is the usual course for men and women. Certainly marriage is not mandatory. Jesus was the perfect man and he remained unmarried. But his unique earthly mission would be temporary. It would not have been wise for Him to enter marriage, knowing His life would be taken, and that He would be taken back to heaven. Paul is another example of spirit... read more
December 20th 2011
The recent rains have caused bugs to swarm. The Swahili word for bug is "mdudu." And all sorts of interesting wadudu (plural), some poisonous, have been in and around our house lately; flying, jumping, and crawling creatures. We leave a nightlight on at the back door, and in the morning there are piles of wings that have been shed by the ones attracted to the light. Yesterday Joy and I spent some time cleaning around the rear steps, because we had an infestation, yea a breading-ground, of "Nairobi" flies. These tiny little critters have a segmented body of alternating black and red. If one gets on you, be sure to flick it off - don't smash it upon yourself. According to Wikipedia: "The beetles neither sting nor bite, but their haemolymph contai... read more
December 19th 2011
Weather is often a topic of conversation. Yet here in Africa, it is not idle talk used to pass the time. Water from above is a matter of life and death. I recall one drought-stricken year, the boys and I were driving out in the bush and saw the carcasses of dead giraffe and zebra. The rains have finally come to Tanzania. Some downpours have dumped enough in just two hours to turn our driveway into a river, and the front yard section into a lake. A few days ago, I was out in the little tin-roofed room I use as a study and hail began to fall. Much of it was pea sized but some got as large as small marbles. The sound upon the tin was deafening. With my hands over my ears I ... read more
November 21st 2011
We made the 8 hour drive to the working capital of Dar Es Salaam and said our goodbyes to Joy and Lindsey at the international airport. Their journey from Iringa until they arrived at Joy’s parents’ home in Stockton, California would take about 50 hours. Wow! You talk about an exhausting ordeal. We are happy they have been enjoying the time with family and Christian friends. Since Carey, Charles and I were in Dar for the airport deposit, we got some errands done; especially since Iringa has much fewer items available. We were able to purchase a new modem which we had hoped would improve our internet connection (no improvement on this yet). Wednesday evening we worshiped with the congregation that used to be Charles’ church home. They asked me to teach the Bible class. My ... read more
October 22nd 2011
"For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). The message of the gospel "is the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16). When this sword is wielded it cuts the human heart. The conscience of man is stirred. In Acts 2:37 some listeners "were pricked in their heart" and on that day "about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41) were added to the number of the saved. On another occasion, some hearing the word "were cut to the heart" but they violently rejected both the message and the messenger (Acts 7:54-60). God has been blessing us with opportunities to teach this powerful ... read more
October 16th 2011
Our Lord gave us a monumental charge - to go into all the world with the saving gospel. He died that men might live. This commission in His own words reads: "Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:" (Matthew 28:19). The "second part" of this charge is: "teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). Once a soul has been freed from the bondage of sin, continued teaching is vital to further strengthen this initial foundation of faith. The attrition rate among new converts is often traceable to inadequate initial teaching and the lack of "counting the cost." ... read more
October 3rd 2011
Last week we were busy walking the pathways in Iringa and Ipogolo passing out fliers. We were advertizing the restart of our Saturday classes. We took a recess in order to make our special journey to Malawi. That proved to be a good two weeks of teaching Personal Evangelism. Our advertizing last week included distributing over 2,000 invitations and also having it advertized for about three days on the radio. Our morning session is conducted in a class room at the School for the Deaf. The afternoon class is conducted at the church building. We are thankful that we got off to a good start. We had a number of Christians attending at both sessions and 5 non-Christians in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. Interestingly, one of our visitors said he had found a ... read more
September 9th 2011
Hitch-hiking across Tanzania is an adventurous way to travel. Meeting Andrew and Mozza (a brand new 4x4) on a self drive adventure across Tanzania a lucky turn of events. Saving on expensive tours and set itineraries an off road adventure provides a unique and surreal experience right into the wild heart of Africa. Being lucky enough to travel into remote villages is the desire of any extreme traveler. Dealing with dirt tracks, potholes and the fear of being stranded or hijacked the reality. Cutting through central Tanzania from Iringa to Dodoma seemed a good idea at the time. Setting off along 215Km of 'A' road, you would expect to arrive in Dodoma before dark. As you leave Iringa the sealed road soon turns into dirt and dust. At every corner you hope for it to get ... read more
