Two churches in the little village of Sabilo were willing to host this month’s leadership conference. Despite neither having electricity nor running water in the village, we readily agreed.
As we neared the area, the green color of the valley began to be shrouded in red, powdery dust which coated everything. . .including us.
Five hours down the road, as we overlooked the valley again, excitement rose as we saw the green-ish hue over the area. Even in the dry season that parches the African plains, light sprinkling rains from time to time have eased the desperation here.
Many farmers could be seen in the fields, already anticipating the coming rains and preparing their fields for planting maize and beans. The banana plants are bright green and bearing fruit.
The land is desperate for the water that will come with the short rains in a month or two. The sky is clear and beautiful, the air hot and dry.
After many repairs to the alternator, battery, windshield, and electrical system, our car is ready for another trek over jarring roads through sweltering heat. Weeks (and even months) of waiting and preparation are finally coming to an end as we venture across the African plain, heading for the Dareda Valley. Our prayers have been answered!—We’re on our way to see the ministry leaders again!
In addition to the regularly scheduled conferences in the Ndareda Valley bush, A.I.M. has been invited to speak at a week-long seminar right here in Arusha city! A large group of pastors will be meeting at what is perhaps the largest church in the area during the last week of October.
In preparation for the seminar, we were asked to provide a photograph for “publicity” for this seminar. (That’s this picture!) Little did we know that our pictures and names would be plastered on publicity posters across the city! (Yikes! Just a little pressure!)
So within 2 months of our arriving we will have developed and written training materials for 3 large conferences. God certainly is opening doors! A local evangelist and ministry friend (“Dr. Frank” who you might remember from the AIM conference in Feb. 2009) is making all the arrangements, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to broaden the impact of Activation International Ministries, for God’s honor and glory!
Another Sunday activity was visiting the Cradle of Love orphanage. We found many of the children just waking from their naps, grateful for some visitors, and we were delighted to provide some love and hugs to these sweet children. This sweet little girl (“Tessa”) latched onto me right away!
Even Bob’s arms were full pretty quickly!! They love the attention, and I guess. . .so do we.
We find God’s beauty all around. Susan is delighted with what God is showing her in Africa both in the physical beauty and diversity and in the revelation of the Spirit of God as He leads us in His Truth. It is so easy to fall in love with this beautiful country.
We had a wonderful opportunity to experience the beauty of God’s amazing creation in East Africa! The Jacaranda trees are in full bloom in Tengeru near Lake Duluti.
After 3 intensive weeks of material prep and translation with deadlines looming, we were so ready for a rest! Sunday was spent in the beauty and delight of the handiwork of our Creator. We compared the day to walking with God in His garden, being refreshed in body and spirit by the wonder of color, texture and fragrance.
This is a great way to start the day! Each morning seems to start with my computer, my Bible, and usually a great cup of coffee as I continue to write for our upcoming conferences.
This week, we finished the material for the conference beginning this Wednesday (Sept. 29th) out in “the bush.” With the teachings finally translated, typed, and proofread, we headed into town to the print shop on Saturday. *sigh* What a big job! Many steps to the process!
So, Tuesday we will travel out into the bush in the Dareda Valley. The ministry leaders conference will begin the following morning, with people traveling for great distances by bicycle or by foot. In addition to the conference, however, we will be utilizing our projector and 12-volt electrical system to show Gospel videos (The Jesus Film, as well as a childrens video) for the general public each evening. It’s amazing how many Tanzanians press in to view this on a sheet tacked up on the side of a building with audio driven by a pair of computer speakers! We literally expect to see hundreds of people show up just at dark to see these videos, it is not an exaggeration! This has been a real hit in the past as many of the people will see a video for the first time. This is a very effective way to deepen the impact of our visit to the village when the people can watch the Gospel story in their own language.
Our equipment is packed. Our car is finally fully repaired, has passed police inspection, and is in good condition to make the trip over African roads to the area of Sabilo, slightly up the side of Mt. Hanang. Though this village has no electricity or running water, Bob is (of course!) bringing sufficient equipment to purify water for drinking, camp shower for bathing, and books and training material for the pastors.
We appreciate your continuing support and prayers for us as we head out into the bush country. We are eager to see the pastors again. We also look forward to hearing their stories of how they have implemented what they have been taught thus far! We rejoice in this opportunity to reach these pastors with training that would not be available to them otherwise. Your prayers and gifts help to make this possible. Thank you for your faithfulness and for joining us from the other side of the world to call His Kingdom to come and His will to be done all over the earth as it is in heaven!
Bob and Val with Sophia. From 2006-2008, Sophia was an employee of ours, performing data entry and reading incoming mail. We were so happy to reconnect with her and see her so happy with her life and her new marriage, and praising God for all the blessings she is enjoying today.
Sophia stands in front of her home in Tengeru. She and her husband Elibiriki have rented this house for almost a year now. Though it’s small, they are very happy together.
We celebrated Val’s birthday this week, too! Our missionary friend (Steve McFarland) joined us for dinner at Big Bite, a local Indian restaurant. Val ordered her favorites: Butter Chicken, Garlic Naans, and Paneer Tikka.
Steve has been a missionary here in Tanzania for almost 10 years. He has been a wonderful help upon re-entry to the mission field. picking us up from the bus and even lending us a vehicle until our mechanic could complete repairs on ours.