Tanzania Mission Report 05/05/08

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Greetings, Grace and Peace, to each of you. I know that this report is finding you a day later than normal, after two weeks of dealing with the internet company, we have had to settle for the fact that we are just not going to have reliable internet with them any time soon. What does that mean? For us it primarily affects the web site. We have decided to suspend it for a time, until the problem is resolved or we are able to switch companies. So for the immediate future I will be sending out the short reports via Travel Blog. Most everyone is already familiar with the way that it works, as most of the ladies over here are already using this means for their reports. The up side is that I will now be able to upload pictures from the week, directly with the reports, and I think this will aide in putting names with some faces.
We were happy to welcome some close family and friends back to the work this week. Cotton Box, along with Dupree Galloway and Glenn Milligan arrived on Thursday night, and they were followed by the return of the Stafford family on Friday night. We will have two more join us tomorrow in Ernie Kimbrell and Charles Lollar, both elders from the Cottondale congregation in Al with Dupree. Then at the end of the month we will be welcoming many more guests as we get ever closer to June and the Safari for Souls campaign.
We returned this week back up to Marangu Mwika for some more evangelism. We are making some new contacts as well as following up on many of the ongoing studies since the group from Oklahoma was here at the beginning of March. We are getting close to having a building secured that we will be able to rent temporarily. We have also this week been able to introduce out two students from KBS to the studies that have been conducted. These two will hopefully be the first leaders for the church here. After we secure a building we will begin traveling up and doing most of the teaching for the first few months. Then after the students begin to get a sufficient handle on things we will slowly begin working our way out and encouraging them to stand on their own. This is never an easy process nor one that will be accomplished overnight. You can plant, and water, relatively quickly, but with the growth, you just have to be patient.
During this upcoming week, we will have the opportunity to be able to begin some bible classes at a new orphan’s home located here in Moshi. To make a long story short, we were approached outside of the local bakery here in Moshi by another American couple that were new to town. We began to visit and have children about the same age. We were invited to a birthday party in which we met Margret, the director of the orphans’ home, and we received the invitation to study with her and her staff, as well as teaching the children. She knew of the church and had actually studied with Christopher a time or two a few years ago. We will also have the opportunity to share some advice on their current garden dilemma, in trying to grow crops with the torrential rains that we have had this year. It looks to be a good time for getting our hands back the dirt both spiritually and physically.
Due to many factors, but mostly my own fault, I have failed to mention a very special visitor that we have had with us since the end of Feb. Many of you already know Callie Donaldson, as she is no stranger to the work here. After Graduating high school early, she decided to spend some extended time in Tz before returning home in June to stat college. She has been living and working with us since Feb, and what a blessing she has been, with our own children, and many other children, as well as being active in our evangelism efforts too. Phil and Elizabeth, as well as the church at Grandview, you have done a remarkable job with raising this fine young woman. She has seen the best that Tz offers, and even some of the more challenging aspects of mission work during her stay here, and I think will be forever changed by her time spent serving God and others. Thank you for sharing her with us.
We also want to thank all of those who give so sacrificially for us to be here co laboring with you in Tz. It has been a rough few months, and I am not sure that we are out of the woods yet, but I think we are beginning to be able to see the light of day again. It has only been through your faithful prayers, encouraging emails and calls, along with faith in God above; that we have been able to endure, and I hope to overcome these trials. A special thanks to the elderships that make this possible, and Northport for your continuing over site of my family, and Kensington Woods for your support and oversight of the work as a whole. And to the many hundreds of Christians and congregations who make this work what it is we say thank you. One last comment, I want to personally welcome three new elders that have been selected to serve at Northport, Alan Giles, Alan Middleton, and John Barrow. These three men are fine examples and great servants, and I am looking forward to working with you in the future.

With Love From Africa,
Brent Richardson and Family
011 255 755 539 399
Ps: This is a new phone number as we have switched phone companies, trying to get a little better reception in the rainy season.

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Comments

[Jessica Burns]

Amazing
You never cease to amaze me!